It’s time for the Baker’s Dozen Studio Challenge. This is a monthly opportunity for the Taylored Expressions team to share what makes our stamping studios hum. Each month we have a fun, crafty question so we can share our favorites, some tips and tricks, stamping advice and more.
The question for June is:
What’s on your summer reading list? Are you a big reader or not? If you are, what books have you read lately that you would recommend? Do you have a favorite author or genre? How about something for sitting out by the pool, or the beach, or even just the backyard…some nice light summer reading?
Do you use fancy bookmarks or do you dog-ear your pages? Or, do you use an e-reader? Everyone can use bookmarks and they make great favors and gifts. Let’s see a little inspiration!
Hey everyone, I’m back with the Baker’s Dozen Studio Challenge for June and what a fun challenge! I LOVE to read but I tend to read in spurts. With 4 kids and homeschooling there’s not a lot of hours left in my day to read. I used to do most of my reading in the summer but so far, I haven’t managed to do that either. :) When I am able to read, I like to read it all. I especially like autobiographies, fiction, non-fiction. Ten or fifteen years ago I read a lot of Stephen King, James Patterson and science fiction. Now I prefer autobiographies (The Blood of Lambs and Stolen Innocence are two that left an impression on me), Christian books and good fiction.
I bought a 2nd generation Kindle when they were available on pre-order and was nervous I’d miss the feel of holding and smelling an actual book. I was surprised to find that it wasn’t that big of an adjustment and reading in bed was so much easier! No more trying to balance heavy books/pages (especially when I was tired and should have been sleeping!) and I had hundreds of books at my fingertips. Now I read on my iPad or iPhone.
The bookmarks I made aren’t for me, they’re for my kids. Because we homeschool, we have a lot of books that are read on a daily basis. The kids have their own books that are read separately and we go to the library regularly so they always have something new and interesting to read. They are always looking for bookmarks and they’re usually scraps of paper or torn napkins/papertowels. I made a mini set of bookmarks, perfect for their smaller books and easy to put on the bookshelf for everyone to find.
I used the Heart Favor Box die to hold my bookmarks ( I cut the top flaps off of the box) and used the Bookmark die as my ‘base’. I also used a variety of stamps (and I could have used many more!), Ride the Wave, Delightful Day, Delightful Day Conversation Bubbles and Fruity Friends.
Here they are in the box. The kids are already using them and I need to make more!
Be sure to see what the rest of the Baker’s Dozen likes to read! Thanks for stopping by!
Joan Ervin (Guest Designer)
Hey everyone! It’s Father’s Day! How are you spending the day? I wanted to share a card I made for a special lady who’s going through a rough patch. I used Sunny Days with Coordinating Dies and the Cloud Border die for my card. I also used a nesting circle for the sun to add the white border, the patterned paper is Fancy Pants Down by the Shore.
I added some sequins for my sparkly rain and love how it looks! It reminds me of when it rains and the sun is out…those raindrops sparkle and shine when the light hits it right. It makes me happy looking at it and I hope it makes my friend happy too.
Enjoy your day everyone, go celebrate your dads, husbands, brothers, etc…even if it’s through a picture or phone call! Thanks for stopping by!
Hey everyone, I’m back and super excited to share my card with you today! The Baker’s Dozen is teaming up with the Key Ingredients Design Team for a blog hop using June’s SOTM! Yay! I used You Make Me Happy, June’s SOTM (Stamp of the Month) and I was in LOVE when I first saw it! How CUTE are these images? Love love love this set! The paper and card stock are from June’s Key Ingredients Kit, again, I love love love it! Now, if you decide you need both the SOTM and KI Kit, you can subscribe to the Deluxe Kit, which will save you some moolah.
The flowers are Flower Box Sprigs & Flowers dies and the butterfly is from Tiny Toppers. I added a little stitching around the edge and stamped the sentiment on vellum. I love how how fresh this card feels! Don’t forget to see what else is on the hop, you’re in for a real treat as these two teams rocked it! Thanks for stopping by!
Shelly Mercado (you are here)
Hey guys, it’s Monday and I’m Wishing You A Wonderful Day! How cute are these stamps? It’s from Wishes & Kind Thoughts (Avocado Arts). Besides being high quality clear photopolymer stamps, the images are adorable, AND they’re out of Minnesota! I love that I’m supporting fellow MN stampers/businesses! I used sequins as my water and love the subtle bling it adds.
I loved creating this card, thanks for stopping by!
Hi everyone! Have you checked out the new items in the Fresh Out of the Oven Department? Everything is now available, woot woot! I’m ending the week with Delightful Day and I’m wishing you all have a Delightful Day as well! What a fun and exciting week, I really loved this release! I paired this image with Band It, a versatile and sweet die that was released last month. I’m loving the color combo and the fact that I was able to match it with my background paper, Echo Park Sweet Girl.
It has been a fun and busy week. My DH had a birthday on Wed., my dad’s birthday is today, and my grandma’s birthday is tomorrow. Off to do more celebrating, hope you all have a wonderful weekend, thanks for stopping by!
Don’t forget to see what else the rest of the Baker’s Dozen is Spotlighting today!
Carole Burrage
Charmaine Ikach
Jen Shults
Joan Ervin (Guest Designer)
Kerri Michaud
Sankari Wegman
Shannon White
Shelly Mercado
Stephanie Kraft
Tammie Edgerton
Taylor VanBruggen
Wanda Guess
Happy release day! I’m so excited to share a card using Ride The Wave…how cool are these images! I love this set because it’s perfect for the older boys. My oldest will be 11 this summer and this will be perfect for him.
I used Distress Markers and an airbrush for this card. I colored the stamps with the Distress markers and spritzed them with water and stamped it onto Choice Watercolor paper. Then I colored the stamps again with the same color and stamped directly over the last impression. I like how some areas are more defined than others. I airbrushed the border of the water. These markers are pretty juicy so it was easy to get the look I wanted.
All of the new releases are available in the Fresh Out of the Oven Department. Woot woot! I hope you’re as excited as I am about this release, it’s been so much fun! Stop back tomorrow for my Spotlight post using more awesome stamps from this release.
Here’s what the rest of the Baker’s Dozen has whipped up for you today:
Carole Burrage
Charmaine Ikach
Jami Sibley
Jen Shults
Joan Ervin (Guest Designer)
Kerri Michaud
Nancy McKinney
Sankari Wegman
Shannon White
Shelly Mercado
Stephanie Kraft
Tammie Edgerton
Taylor VanBruggen
Wanda Guess
Hi everyone! Do you love the sneak peeks so far? I’m back with a few more for you! I have a sweet 3×3 mini set of cards that features Pinking Circle Stacklet dies. They are awesome and there are six dies in the set. I love having the variety of sizes, they’re perfect for everything! The stamps are from Delightful Day, which was an exclusive Key Ingredients set, but now is being released for everyone! You will love this set, the images are adorable!
My next card uses a new Moka set that I’m sure will sell out fast…it’s called Moka Sunshine and features this adorable chick. Don’t you love this sentiment? “Morning is not my friend”…such a cute sentiment and so true for so many. It’s hard to be crabby seeing her sweet face, isn’t it? I have spent many a morning wearing the same thing with a cup of joe in hand…a great way to get the day started!
The DP is Doodlebug Flower Box and the sentiment was stamped on Delightful Day Conversation Bubble dies! These dies coordinate with Delightful Day and as you can see, work well with other sets.
If you want to see the sets in full and a chance to win some stamps from this cool release, check out our Facebook party tonight at 6PM PST. It’s a lot of fun and moves fast so get those fingers ready!
Go check out what the rest of the Baker’s Dozen has for you and don’t forget to leave some love for our uber talented guest designer, Joan Ervin! Thanks for stopping by!
Joan Ervin (Guest Designer)
Shelly Mercado (that’s me!)
