PaperFections

Taylored Expressions Last Card Standing Contest!

Good morning, all! Today I'm here to share some exciting news from one of my favorite stamp & papercrafting companies:

Taylored Expressions is proud to announce the premiere of a new and exciting stamping talent competition, Last Card Standing. Based in part on very popular reality competitions such as Last Comic Standing, Project Runway, and Chopped, Taylored Expressions is looking for the very best and creative cardmakers to stamp their way to the top. Each week, finalists will be challenged to create a themed card for a panel of celebrity judges in hope of avoiding elimination. Finally, the Top 5 Finalists will be voted on by the public, with the stamper receiving the most votes to win the title of Last Card Standing!

What’s at stake? 

• An amazing prize package that includes a 3 month subscription to the Key Ingredients kit club 
• 2 full-size stamp sets of the winner's choice 
• A coveted Guest Designer spot for the November/December Release!

The competition begins today with the Open Casting Round. To enter, simply upload your best cards to your Splitcoaststampers Gallery using keyword: TELASTCARD. For this round, ANYTHING GOES -- Birthday, Thank You, Holidays, Get Well, Congratulations...the sky’s the limit! The only requirement is that you use at least 1 stamped image from Taylored Expressions. Do you have a card that you think could get you a callback to the next round? Go for it -- submissions do NOT have to be a new creation for the Open Casting Round and you may enter as many cards as you want! Both new and old projects will be considered.

Deadline for submission to Open Casting Round: Thursday, September 20, 2012 by 11:59 pm PST.

For contest details, visit the Taylored Expressions Member Company Forum at Splitcoaststampers.com -- Good luck!  I'm very honored to announce that I will be one of the 3 judges for this fun & exciting contest . . . I can't wait to see your creations!

~ Sharon

Taylored Expressions Blast From The Past Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Taylored Expressions June Blast from the Past Blog Hop!  This month, hoppers were asked to create a card featuring any Taylored Expressions stamps released prior to April 2011, using the theme of "Old Glory" and the colors of red, white, and blue. You’ll want to be sure to leave a comment on each hopper’s blog, because one random participant will be selected to win a stamp set of your choice from Taylored Expressions! 

Here’s what I created:

 

I used one of my favorite, extremely versatile sets, A Year of Sweets 2, that contains this darling little patriotic Cuppie image!

I used Memento markers to color the fireworks and Cuppie image separately, then stamped onto grid patterned paper and finished coloring with these Copic markers:

The sentiment is from another wonderfully versatile set, A Year of Sweet Sentiments.

I also used this Blast From the Past sketch provided by Sankari Wegman.

Here are all of the Blast From The Past Blog Hoppers with TONS of inspiration for you!  Remember to leave a comment on each hopper’s blog, for your chance to win a free stamp set of your choice!

.

Stamps: Taylored Expressions A Year of Sweets 2 & A Year of Sweet Sentiments,
Paper: Memory Box Cranberry & Sapphire notecards, Jenni Bowlin Trendy Mini Papers
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black Dew Drop, Memento Paris Dusk & Rhubarb Stalk Markers
Copic Markers: R24, R29, B95, B97
Accessories: Spellbinders Labels One & Labels One Sm dies, foam tape

Baby Blog Hop - It's A Girl!

Hello, everyone -– happy Friday!  Today we're helping my sweet friend, Taylor Van Bruggen spread the word... she's expecting a sweet little bundle of GIRL in September!  So I decided to make the wall plaque/frame below in a girly theme to help celebrate –- fortunately, I know a little bit about girls!

You'll also want to hop around to the rest of my blogging friends linked below, as Taylor will be giving away one stamp set of your choice from the Taylored Expressions May release to a lucky commenter on one of the blogs! You have through Sunday, May 8th (Mother’s Day!) to leave your comments and the winner will be announced on Taylor's blog on Monday!

Images from Bringing Home Baby and Welcome Baby A la Carte were stamped onto Copic’s X-Press It Blending Card and colored with these Copic markers:

The pacifier has Star Dust Stickles on it and the carriage was die cut with Spellbinders Labels Small and popped up on foam tape.  I placed this 4-inch stamped piece into this great wooden wall plaque/frame with hook that I found a while back at Hobby Lobby already painted pink with polka dots!

Aren't those stamp images the sweetest?!!  Congratulations on your sweet bundle of GIRL, Taylor – we’re so thrilled for you!

Here are the blogs to visit and leave comments on, by Sunday, May 8th, for your chance to win a stamp set of your choice from Taylored Expressions’ May release –- good luck!

Beate Johns 

Jami Sibley 

Jenn Balcer 

Joy Kennedy

Lori Craig

Sharon Harnist (you’re here!)

Veronica McCollum 

Taylor

Hope you all have a fabulous Mother’s Day weekend!

Blast From The Past ~ Oldies But Goodies ~ Valentine Countdown!

Good morning!  I'm participating in two blog hops today, both of which challenged us to use stamp sets we've had at least six months (and probably haven't used yet?)!   And my girls (8 and 11) told me it was time to take down the Christmas countdown calendar we had on the refrigerator, and they wanted a new one -- so that's how this Valentine countdown calendar came about!  

 

I used a very sweet Taylored Expressions stamp set, Beary Special, released in July 2009.  My girls LOVE animals (stuffed or real) of ANY kind, so they flipped when they saw their new calendar!  I stamped the animals onto TE Choice Buttercream cardstock and The Girl's Paperie patterned papers and colored them with these Copic markers: 

 

Yes, you can usually successfully color with your Copics on patterned papers -- see how much added interest the coloring adds to the red dotted paper bear at the top of the calendar (other animals were colored totally with Copics): 

 

and to the puppy at the bottom of the calendar:

 

All of the animals were cut out and popped up on foam tape.  Copic's X-Press It Double-Sided High Tack Tape was used to hold the rick-rack in place at the bottom of the calendar -- that's some fabulously sticky stuff that will hold anything in place!  The bear's red heart and the scalloped "love" heart are both covered in Star Dust Stickles.  The "love" scalloped heart is from TE's Love Is Sweet set and has a magnet on the back of it, so it can be moved around to mark the days until Valentine's Day!

The calendar itself is printed onto 8.50" x 11" vanilla cardstock and I've made the file available as a free download for you: Download 2011 Valentine-Countdown-calendar_sharonharnist . The file is also located on the Download Page of my blog, for easy future reference.  The calendar also has magnets on the back of it, so we can stick it to the refrigerator and count down the days until Valentine's Day!  I have a feeling these calendars are going to become a regular occurance throughout this year! 

 If you are coming to me from the Design D.I.V.A.S. Oldies But Goodies Blog Hop and Heather Dennis's blog, you are on the right track!  If you'd like to start at the beginning of the Design D.I.V.A.S. hop, head over to Sue Morris's blog for the complete list of hoppers.  After visiting here, you can hop along to Cathy Edgar's blog.

 

If you are following the Taylored Expressions Blast from the Past Blog Hop, below is the list of participants in that hop. Thanks for stopping by today!

 

 

{Valentine Countdown Calendar supplies}
Stamps: Taylored Expressions Beary Special & Love Is Sweet,
Dies & Punches: Spellbinders Labels 10 
Paper:  Taylored Expressions Choice Buttercream, Prism Blush Red Medium cardstock, The Girl's Paperie Tinsel & Twig & Holly Berry Floral
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa; Ranger Brushed Corduroy Distress ink,
Accessories:  X-Press It Double-Sided High Tack Tape, Ranger Star Dust Stickles, Inchie Arts Inchie Magnets, KaiserCraft rhinestones, brown buttons,  foam tape,