A Blog Called Wanda: April 2013

A Blog Named Hero and Simon Says Stamp Collaboration Week!

Hi friends! Happy Friday! Today is the last day of our last week of Birthday Collaborations at A Blog Named Hero. {sad face} All month long, we have been celebrating our one year blogaversary by teaming up with our favorite companies. This week we teamed up with Simon Says Stamp and used some of their exclusive products together with our Hero Arts favs. Have you been checking out everyone's cards? They are FAB! Today is my turn to join the fun!

I had this new GORGEOUS paper pad on my desk and wanted to use it for sure. Then I chose some pretty collage themed stamps from Hero Arts and Simon Says Stamp... Kinda layed it all out on my desk and played around with it. Here is my card!

My butterfly embellishments are stamped butterflies on patterned paper! Cut them out and you have the perfect touch. Here's a close up of the SSS exclusive stamp and die set called Apothecary Labels. So fresh!

The background stamping on my manila tag is a giant Hero Arts background stamp - done with light linen distress ink. (Full supply links at the bottom of my post)

I couldn't resist throwing some mustard yellow washi tape on there...oh and some pearls too!

I want to give a big thank you and shout out to both Hero Arts and Simon Says Stamp for their support of A Blog Named Hero, and for providing us with such great products to play with! Bravo!

InLinkz.com

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Taylored Expressions April 2013 Studio Challenge!

TEStudiochallengebadge

It's that time again - for our monthly Baker's Dozen Studio Challenge! SO happy you popped in to check it out. I just know that everyone has great projects for today. I can't wait to check out everyone's blogs today! This is our chance to share what makes our craft studios tick, and what goes on behind the scenes. Each month Taylor gives us a fun, crafty challenge so we can share our favorite stamp sets and some tips and advice with you.

The theme for April is: "MIX & MATCH! Taylored Expressions stamp sets are designed with plenty of images and sentiments so that they are 'self contained' for lots of creativity. Sometimes, though, it's fun to mix and match several stamp sets for even more creative possibilities! Our challenge for April is to create a project using three or more stamp sets."

Well, you guys know that this is right up my alley! I love to do this, and actually do it all the time. You might remember that in this month's release I used a graduation set to make a wedding card! It's because the sentiments are so versatile. This month, I'm ready for warmer weather, and kind of feeling the Sea Life and Nautical vibe. So, I went through all my TE stamp sets and dies and came up with this collection of things:

Here's a close up of my waves and anchor! The waves are the 'negative' space left after using the scallop die. I love this layered effect. The little anchor die is done in black paper.

Here's my funky happy octopus, just swimming around...

Here you can see my layers and dimensions, created with foam tape.

And one last shot...the inside of my card! I didn't want to waste those scallop papers!

Some advice for working with your stamp sets... Have fun! That's the most important thing! When I'm brainstorming I get out all my stuff and lay it out on my table and just sort of let my mind wander. Sometimes I'll choose a theme (like today) and sometimes I have a topic - ie birthday or wedding - and look for possible matches.

SUPPLIES: Life Saver Stamp Set, Under The Sea Stamp Set, A Day in Paradise Stamp Set, Medium Scallop Border Die, Life Savers Dies, Copic Markers, Twine.

LINK LIST FOR TODAY'S FUN!

A birdie signature!

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Color Explosion!

POW! SHAZAM! KAPOP! BAM! Today I have a total color explosion for you! Remember last month when Taylored Expressions did a product swap with Doodlebug? Well, I still have some cards I haven't shared with you yet made with those awesome and colorful supplies. Today's cards use some fabbie Taylored Expressions supplies to make cheery wishes! Better put on your sunglasses!

Here are my two cards together:

See what I mean folks? COLOR! Love it so much! I think that TE font is perfect! Full supply list at the bottom of my post.

Here's a side view to show you my layers and dimensions....

It's easy-peasy to make you own flower accents. Here are my die cut shapes ready to go...

Take your water mister and soak the flowers pretty thoroughly in your hand....and then crumple them all up into a ball so they are really wrinkled.

While they are still damp, assemble your pieces with a brad and shape them how you want them. Then set them aside to dry all the way!

Then, it's fun to put them on your card!

This one is just a sweet little note to tuck into a present or onto a gift bag...

I used a Doodlebug embellishment and then added a bling to it!

SUPPLIES:

PINK MINI CARD: 3X3 SCALLOP NOTECARD DIE, CRAFTY CUPPIE STAMP SET, BANNER
STACKLETS 1 DIES, DOODLEBUG TAKE NOTE COLLECTION, MEMENTO INK, YELLOW BLING.

RED CARD WITH FLOWERS: BUGABEE FLOWERS DIES, ROSY POSEY DIES (FLOWERS AND
LEAVES), MEDIUM SCALLOP DIE, MILESTONE MARKERS STAMP SET, DOODLEBUG TAKE NOTE
COLLECTION, MEMENTO INK.

HAVE A FANTASTIC WEEKEND!!!

Posted at 05:00 PM in Papercrafting | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)

Cupcakes & Pinwheels!

Hello my sweet bloggy friends! Today I'm posting about two of my favorite things...cupcakes and paper crafting! Woooot! Up above is my FAVORITE Instagram of today's project! (Maybe my most favorite Instagram ever??) A couple of weeks ago I wanted to make cupcakes for one of my co-workers' birthdays and I really was looking for a new way to jazz 'em up! Don't know where the idea came from but I thought - how about some pinwheels! And before you know it, this project was in the works...

MMMMMMMMM....chocolate.....with chocolate!

I used this happy and bright paper pack for my pinwheels (say that three times fast)... Using all these patterns and colors automatically makes the project fun. It doesn't all have to be matchy matchy, it just has to work together. I love it. I used my Pinwheel Die from The Cat's Pajamas to make my cute wheels... Here they are all cut out. Tip: Use double sided paper!!

See how fun that paper is??? These are so simple to assemble with some brads in the centers. To put them on my skewers I used hot glue on the back.

I punched out some layering circles and stamped her name on the centers to make it personal...

Here they are in a row...

One last look at the finished project. I used silver foil cupcake liners because they do not get oily when you cook your cupcakes, and they look purty and festive!

Wanda!

Posted at 05:00 PM in Papercrafting, Photography | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBack (0)

A Blog Named Hero and Avery Elle Collaboration Week!

Hi friends! How was your weekend? I had a great weekend! Saturday was our local Sacramento Rubber Stamp Convention and I worked the show, as usual! Got to see my awesome friends from LA who put on the show, have some great laughs and great meals together, and relax a bit! It was so great seeing so many friends at the show too. All around good times!!!

Over at A Blog Named Hero, we are celebrating our one year birthday/anniversary...all month long...by doing fun product collaborations with some of our fav companies. This week we are working with uber cute stamp sets from Avery Elle!

Here is the card I made for today's post, using the "hello" stamp set from Avery Elle, and the "Take Note" set from Hero Arts! (Full supply links are below). I used some bright cheery paper from Doodlebug to complete it!

Thanks for coming by today! Be sure to go over to A Blog Named Hero to see all the cards for today (if you didn't come here from there!) Have a super fabulous week! XO

InLinkz.com

Posted at 02:07 PM in Papercrafting | Permalink | Comments (7)

Taylored Expressions & Authentique Blog Hop!

Hi! Welcome to Day Two of the Authentique Paper and Taylored Expressions Blog Hop! Two great companies have combined forces to bring you some cool projects. It's been so fun working with the Authentique Design Team members. I have always been a fan! Did you see all the great projects yesterday? Wow! Today we'll finish up with the rest of the Baker's Dozen and our friends at Authentique.

You should have arrived from the lovely Shellye McDaniel's Blog. (Um, yeah, she's amazing). At the end of the post, I'll send you on the next blog for today!

As a thank you to you, our favorite bloggy friends, Taylored Expressions is offering a DISCOUNT CODE FOR DIES in the TE Store! WOOHOOOO! Use the code TENOFFDIES to get 10% off any and all dies from Taylor. Now that sounds great doesn't it!? This offer is good until midnight on April 19th.

So....here's my project for today! I made a house-warming card for one of my co-workers who just bought his first house. I was looking for an idea that would really showcase all the beautiful papers in this "Strong" collection from Authentique. So, I made a bunch of little houses with it! Then I used a favorite TE sentiment stamp along with the picket fence die. (Full supply list at the bottom of my post)

Don't you love this sentiment? It's so sweet, and perfect for this card. I free form cut out my little houses and then popped some of them on foam tape. Tried to mix it up with the patterns. I really love this color palette.

I wanted my project to feel a little shabby chic so I distressed the edges of my background layer and also inked the vanilla layer with some Linen Distress Ink. I free form cut out the heart. Don't look too closely!

Here's a good shot of my layers and dimension....

Okay - listen up my little chicadees! We are having a CONTEST to go with our Hop! We have an Authentique/Taylored Expressions Prize Pack to give away to one lucky winner! The winner will be chosen from comments made on all the blogs over the two days of the hop. Yahoo! Good luck to you!

SUPPLIES: Cozy Cabin Stamp Set, TE Picket Fence Die, Authentique Strong Paper Collection, Memento Inks, Linen DIstress Ink, Copic Markers, Twine, Button.

Next up is the fabulous Stephanie Kraft!

In case you didn't start from the beginning, here is the entire list for today's part of our TE and Authentique Blog Hop!

Taylored Expressions- http://tayloredexpressions.blogspot.com/

Shannon White- http://enchantedladybugcreations.blogspot.com/

Shellye McDaniel- http://paperedcottage.blogspot.com/

Wanda Guess- http://www.ablogcalledwanda.com/

Stephanie Kraft- http://handkraftedbystephanie.blogspot.com/

Kay Fatula- http://www.kayskreativekorner.blogspot.com/

Sankari Wegman- http://sunnysankari.blogspot.com/

Authentique Paper- http://blog.authentiquepaper.com

Posted at 04:50 AM in Papercrafting | Permalink | Comments (64) | TrackBack (0)

ABNH Birthday Month Celebration!

Hello! Today I'm joining in the fun as we continue our second week of our MONTH long Birthday Celebration at A Blog Named Hero! Yipppeee! This week features, what else, Hero Arts! The fabulous company that inspired our blog. I'm so fortunate to be a part of this design team. This week the DT members at Hero Arts are guest designing with us (awesomeness)! We have fun for you all week so be sure to check out ABNH for all the links each day. Thank you so much for coming by today...

This is just a fun and happy card! I enjoyed using all these different papers to jazz it up! You could use any shape and any kinds of paper.

This "hello" stamp is a total favorite already! It's from the HA 2013 catalog and I love it!

To make my kraft layer, I just put the paper in my Big Shot and put different size circle dies on it, and then cut it in one fell swoop! Easy Peasy.

Make sure to check back on the blog the rest of the week for many more fun ideas! Have a wonderful day everyone!

InLinkz.com

Posted at 02:00 PM in Papercrafting | Permalink | Comments (12)

Hello!

Hello! Let's Chat! I'd love to chit chat with all of you! Today's card is a fun and cheery "friend" card using one of my favorite TE A la Carte stamps. I love that you can color in that cute phone to match whatever color scheme you're going with for your card. Today I shook it up with a new color palette I've never used before! And I tried to make it modern by using some hand made chevrons! Excited to share this with you. :-)

Here's a close up of my chevron pattern....

Here is a side view of my layers. My card base is a soft gray....

To make my chevron design (at least that's what I'm calling it) I cut out pieces with my Banner Stacklets dies into different sizes and colors. Then I played with them until I got the look I liked the best. Kinda cool?? My image is cut out and mounted on a lavender circle. Then I stamped the smaller sentiment underneath.

Here's a shot of that pretty Circle Impression Plate design. LOVE.

And, the inside of my card....

Be sure to check back with me on Thursday, because we're doing a combined TE/Authentique blog hop! WOOT WOOT!

CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MY SUPPLIES: Hello A La Carte Stamp, Let's Chat Stamp Set, Scallop and Circles Impression Plate, Banners Stacklets 1 Dies, Copic Markers.

Posted at 03:00 PM in Papercrafting | Permalink | Comments (16) | TrackBack (0)

Reflection upon butterflies....

Hi friends! Happy weekend! Yippeeeeee. Hope you're out in the sun and havin' some fun! TE Release Week was sure great, wasn't it? LOVE this month's new toys.

Today I'm back to share a "modern shabby chic" birthday card with you, and once again, I've featured a butterfly. Hmmmm, do I need a butterfly intervention? Is it acceptable to want to put a butterfly on EVERY project? Because I think I probably could do that!! Every time I think I need just a little something else on a project, that's what I reach for. Is that bad? Do I need butterfly rehab? Or should I just go with it? What do you guys think? I'd love to hear from you about what you think! What is your crafty obsession? :-)

This particular butterfly is a brand new acquisition! It's part of a brand new die set from my stampy Idol Brenda Walton! Remember that I got to meet her at CHA??? YAY! Well, this was one product I really wanted and I found it last weekend at the Scrapbook store and snapped it up. The die set also has a dragonfly and a smaller butterfly. YUM.

I cut my butterfly out of this uber cool paper (no I did not stamp all those letters on there).... Then I used a Cuttlebug folder for my background piece. The sentiments are from two different PTI sets.

This Prima flower has been in my stash for some time - guess it's time to stop hoarding flowers... Everything is edged with corduroy distress ink.

Posted at 10:00 AM in Papercrafting, Photography | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)

Taylored Expressions April 2013 Spotlight - Happy Heart!

Hello! Welcome back for one last day of Release week fun for Taylored Expressions! Did you put in an order yet? I hope you got some goodies from the TE Store! Today is Designer's Choice day for release week, and that means we all got to choose our favorites from this release to share with you. I can't wait to blog hop today!

For my card today I wanted to make something fresh and cheery and on trend. I'm also keeping with my new invention of Modern Shabby Chic! I chose the great new stamp set called Happy Heart. I know I'm going to use this a lot. It's perfect for lots of occasions. I combined it with the new ric rac border die and new tags dies and MY FAV new paper collection from EP. You'll see!

Don't you love this saying?! And, that is a brand new die set to make the ric rac! I used the previously released Hexagon and Elegant Butterfly dies to make my accent piece.

At first it might be intimidating to combine a whole bunch of patterned papers. Just pick a paper pad that you like and let it do the work for you! These all came from the same collection, so they naturally 'go' together. It doesn't have to match. Play around and have fun with it.

Here are my supplies for today!

I added some strips of Washi tape to my background paper for some extra color (because this card didn't already have enough color!) LOL.

SUPPLY LIST: Happy Heart stamp set (new), Ric Rac Border dies (new), Tag Stacklets 1 dies (new), Hexagon dies, Elegant Butterflies dies, EP Sweet Girl Paper and Washi Tapes, Twine, Memento Ink.

As always, thank you so much for joining me for Taylored Expressions Release Week. I really appreciate you joining in the fun with me and checking out the new products. Have a FABULOUS weekend. You make my heart happy. :-)

Here are your Spotlight Day Links:

Broni Holcombe (guest designer!)

Nancy McKinney (TE Artist!)

Posted at 08:00 AM in Papercrafting | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)

Taylored Expressions April Release Day - Shade Tree Cutting Plate!

It's RELEASE DAY at TAYLORED EXPRESSIONS!!! Everything you want is now available at the Fresh out of the Oven Department at the TE Store! Be sure to hop around to everyone's blogs today so you can see every product in action! The Design Team has been buzzing about this release. I have been loving everyone's projects so much. The creativity is so awesome! I hope you've had a good time so far this week with me. Tomorrow is one last day of release projects and it's my favorite day -- Designer's choice day!

Today's card is made with the GORGEOUS new Shade Tree Cutting Plate. My word, this is so beautiful. I had several ideas in my head with this one, and I ended up making a soft and pretty wedding card. My base color is a vanilla cardstock. The sentiment is actually from a graduation set! But, I thought it was perfect for a wedding card also. The sentiment is from the Moka Skylar stamp set.

The little birdies from the Birds and Branch die set are the PERFECT size for the beautiful tree! I made two sweet bluebirds for my card...

When I sat down to finish my card, I couldn't decide if I wanted butterflies, or hearts or birdies or cherry blossoms! So, I cut some of each and played around with them until I found the combination that I liked best. The sentiment is stamped on a strip of vellum.

The little butterflies have pearls in the centers. Wedding cards always have to have pearl accents...it's like some kind of law or something.

Can you see how crisp this cutting plate is! AWESOME!

SUPPLY LIST: Shade Tree Cutting Plate (new), Moka Skylar stamp set (new), Cupcake Toppers Dies, Birds and Branch dies, Vellum, Memento ink.

Hop around and see what everyone else is up to today!

Broni Holcombe (guest designer extraordinaire!)

Posted at 08:00 AM in Papercrafting | Permalink | Comments (16) | TrackBack (0)

Taylored Expressions April 2013 Sneak Peeks - Lifetime of Happiness & Lavender Bouquet!

Welcome back for day 2 of the fun April Sneak Peeks from Taylored Expressions! Tomorrow is the BIG day when all the new stamps and dies are revealed and you can buy everything! Can I get a wooot wooot!? Today I have two more projects to share with you. There are lots of graduation themed items in this month's release so if you need grad presents and cards, we got ya covered! It's that time of year! So I'm sharing a grad project and a card!

My first card for today is a birthday card made with the gorgeous new addition to the TE Bouquet series - the Lavender Bouquet. I love this one so much, and had a ball coloring it in pretty shades of purple. I kept the rest of the card sweet and simple, to showcase the pretty image. Always love the color combo of purple and green.

I tied my sentiment on with some pretty twine and a designer mini tag...

Here are my Copic choices for today....

Here is a close up of my layers...

Next up is a graduation project to share with you! I personally don't know any grads this year, so I made a gift bag and card for my sweet co-worker to give her son in a couple of months. His school colors are burgundy and black and it was nice to make a masculine project for a change. I really like how this came out. I started with a black gift bag from the Hallmark store and jazzed it up. Then I made a mini card to tuck inside.

This new grad cap die is wonderful. Each piece is separate, so you can use different colors for each part and make it school color specific. I added glitter to the tassel part of it! Used my Tall and Skinny Numbers dies to make the year. You could do so much with these items to personalize things for your grads.

I put the hang tag on with an eyelet and slipped it through the handle. LOVE this saying with this stamp!! At the last minute I added some bling next to his name.

SUPPLY LIST - Lavender Birthday card: Lavender Bouquet stamp set (new), Many Minis Occasions stamp set, Designer Mini Tags dies, Circle Nestabilities, Copic markers, Twine.

SUPPLY LIST - Grad Projects: Lifetime of Happiness stamp set (new), Grad Cap die (new), Tall and Skinny Alpha and Numbers dies, 3x3 Scallop Note die, Banner Stacklets 1 dies, Copic Markers, Memento Ink.

Here are your fabulous links for today!

Nancy McKinney (TE Artist!)

Special Guest Alumni Designers! (Yippeeee!)

Jodi Collins

Danielle Lounds

Posted at 08:00 AM in Papercrafting | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBack (0)

Taylored Expressions April 2013 Sneak Peek - Made in the Shade & A Glimpse Inside!

Hi stamping friends! Did everyone have a nice Easter? Was the Easter Bunny good to you? It came early this year, and now, here it is the first part of April! You know what that means!? Fun, fresh new items from Taylored Expressions! Yeah! I know I say this every month...but this month is AWESOME! I was so happy to play with all the new goodies and I'm very excited to share some of them with you today, and the rest of the week! You can start buying everything on Thursday!

Today I'm sharing two cards, made using two brand new stamp sets! The first one is a vintage-y birthday card using some creative new dies, and the second one is a whimsical bright and cheery card. First up, My vintage birthday card - made with the "A Glimpse Inside" stamp set. This set matches the window die from last month and a BRAND NEW window die released this month.

Remember last month's window realease that had outdoor scenes? Well, this month we have indoor scenes! I used the Birthday party scene and the gorgeous matching sentiment. I used vanilla cardstock instead of bright white to make it feel more old fashioned. Do you LOVE that polka dot paper!!! OH MY.

Here are my Copic colors for today - used to match that pretty paper. A clean and simple palette.

The Window die is SO pretty! And, if you look closely you can see my sheer vellum curtains! There is a new accessories die that comes with a set of curtains, a window box and shutters. Fab!

The pennant border die is an old TE favorite. Here I cut it out in two different papers and layered it for my party banner. I curled the edges up with my fingers for some added dimension.

I had to resist completely slathering this with glitter! So I just added some accents on the balloon, the candles and one party hat!

My second card for today is fanciful and whimsical! I was going for a Dr. Seuss effect with my fun paper piecing of this stamp set. The stamp set is called "Made in the Shade" and featured different landscape images. You're gonna love this one for sure! I used the new Doodlebug "Flower Box" 6x6 paper pad and went crazy cutting all those tiny pieces. At the end I decided to add some bold flowers to my card. The "dream" die cut is from a beautiful new die set called Windy Tree....

Here are my little teeny tiny paper pieces for my houses....aka proof that I am CRAZY! LOL.

SUPPLIES - Whimsical houses card: Made in the Shade Stamp Set (new), Windy Tree Die Set (new), Label Stacklets 3 Dies, Shaped Buckles Dies, Doodlebug Flower Box Paper, Buttons.

SUPPLIES - Birthday Party card: A Glimpse Inside Stamp Set (new), Picture Window Die (new), Windows Accessories Dies (new), Banner Stacklets 1 Dies, Pennant Border Die, MME My Girl Paper, Copics.

Here are your links to start the week off right!

Broni Holcombe (awesome guest designer!)