TE BLOG

Sep 26, 2008

Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #35

Happy Friday and Happy Cupcake Day! A few weeks ago I got an email from Shannan asking if I’d like to participate in a Bella Blog Hop. Well, of course I would! You know I love my Bellas! The challenge she issued was to create a Christmas gift using our Bella stamps. Since it also happens to be Cupcake Friday I decided to use Cuppacakeabella for my Christmas gift and matching card. I picked up a pack of Making Memories Christmas paper from Target the other day so that’s where my color inspiration comes from. The image is colored with Copic markers and I drew and cut out a little sprig of holly for the cupcake. I made a coaster box to hold a gift or treat and if CVS had been open at midnight last night I would have had chocolate covered pretzels to put inside! But for now my coaster box remains empty awaiting pretzels. lol. Make sure you check out what the rest of the Bella Blog Hop ladies came up with: Amy Rysavy, Carole Burrage, Debbie Olson, Jen del Muro, Lauren Meader, Michele Boyer, Shannan Teubner, The Bella Blog, and Nicky Manel. Now let me introduce you to the Featured Cupcake Sampler! Frances creates such bright and fun cards for our viewing pleasure on her blog Stamp Owl’s Studio. This week she created an adorable cupcake owl card for the sketch challenge. I love the partially embossed background and all the little details she adds. You can check out all the deets and her other beautiful creations on her blog. Thanks for sampling the sketch this week, Frances! Now it’s your turn to try the sketch! I’ll chose the most clever, creative, and cute creation from the submissions this weekend to be the Featured Cupcake Sampler next week. Your design and blog will be featured on my blog during Cupcake Friday. You’re not required to use cupcakes for the challenge, but if you got ’em why not use ’em!? You’re welcome to create something other than a card, just stick as closely to the sketch as possible and you’ll be eligible for the Featured Cupcake Sampler honors. If you’re uploading to Splitcoast use keyword TECC35 (for Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge 35). Leave a comment on this post with a link to your blog post or gallery upload so I can check it out! You must have your cards uploaded by Monday, September 29th at 8am PST to be eligible for the featured cupcake sampler. I can’t wait to see what you come up with! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
And you definitely don’t want to miss the wonderful inspiration from the Cupcake Crew this week!
Jami Sibley: More is More
Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper
Mary Jo Albright: Beauty Lies Within
Sherrie Siemens: Card Creme
Ana Wohlfahrt: Ink A Stamp
Vicki Chrisman: This Art that makes me Happy
Stephanie Hargis: Steph’s Stampin’ Stuff

  • Karen

    I loved this sketch! I’ve had the ideas in my head for my cards and finally put them to paper last night. 🙂

    Thanks for a great challenge!

    https://watercoloreddreams.blogspot.com/2008/10/one-sketch-three-cards-this-sketch-of.html

  • Mary

    I started a card based on your sketch and veered a little away (using circle images and not squares and moving the sentiment) but I hope it’s ok to share anyhow! You can see it here:

    https://mbryt1.blogspot.com/2008/10/sketch-challenges.html

  • Dawn K.

    here is my card. cute sketch!

    https://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1074713?cat=500&ppuser=42433

  • Christi

    I am so excited that I got to play this week. I don’t have any Christmas Bellas but I did use a Bella stamp. Here is my card: https://cici510.blogspot.com/2008/09/bella-tuesday.html

  • Elena

    Taylor, you are very talented! I always enjoy reading your blog! Today is a first time I am posting a comment on your blog to tell you Thank you for your inspiration and your talent. Your sketches are wonderful, and I had a very good time to play with this one! Your card is so beautiful! I love the Christmas Cupcake! DP is very nice!
    Here is a card I made:
    https://refinedfocus.com/redhairedgirl/?p=259

  • Christina

    I love both of yours!! That little owl is adorable! Here’s my card: https://thecolorfulsideofme.blogspot.com/2008/09/tecc35-bella-cupcake.html

  • Allison

    This was a great sketch – I made one of my favourite cards yet with it. Check it out here: https://embellishedpaper.blogspot.com/2008/09/tecc35-lots-of-ribbon.html

  • Carol Scheevel

    Hi Taylor! I’m so glad I had time to play this week! Here’s my card: http://www.carolsheartlikehis.blogspot.com and also some cards I made with my new JustRite Stampers! Thanks for getting my order to me so quickly. That was amazing! Have a great week.

  • Sankari W.

    HI Taylor,

    Loved your sketch this week! (as always!) Your Cucpcake Bella card is gorgeous and Frances card is beautiful!! Here is my card for your sketch ….

    https://sunnysankari.blogspot.com/2008/09/taylored-expressions-cupcake-challenge_29.html

    Thanks for these fun challenges!!
    Sankari 🙂

  • Cindy Vernon

    Love the card. Here’s mine!
    https://cindyvernon.blogspot.com/2008/09/taylors-cupcake-challenge-35.html

  • Andrea

    I have been wanting to try one of your challenges for such a long time, but weekends just fly by! Thank you for all your inspiration.
    https://www.stampinmoments.com/2008/09/cupcake-challenge.html

  • Elaine

    I finally got a chance to participate in one of your challenges! Here’s my card:
    https://sugarandpaper.blogspot.com/2008/09/taylored-expressions-cupcake-challenge.html

  • Julie.G

    Here is my take on the sketch…This was a cute one, very detailed….
    Thanks!
    https://creationsbyjulie.blogspot.com/2008/09/taylored-expressions-challenge-35.html

  • Lisa Hjulberg

    Such a great sketch! I will definitely use this one again. Here is my super quick card for this week: https://lisahjulberg.blogspot.com/2008/09/beates-weekend-sketch-challenge-and.html

    Thanks!

  • Kathy

    I had fun with this one.
    THANKS

    https://momskreations.blogspot.com/2008/09/tecc35.html

  • Kathryn

    Great Sketch!
    Super sample cards- so cute!

    Here’s mine:
    https://ilovethemmoreeveryday.blogspot.com/

  • Maria Matter

    Great sample cards!! I really enjoyed working with this sketch!!
    Here’s mine:
    Big Bear
    Blessings, Maria

  • Kathi Carlson

    Great cards and a fun challenge! Thanks, Taylor! My card is here:
    https://kathiscreativecorner.blogspot.com/2008/09/good-morning.html

  • Linda Bien

    This is my card for the TECC35 challenge!! Thanks for making my Sunday afternoon so much fun!!

    Linda

    https://www.hugsincluded.blogspot.com

  • Kim

    Here’s mine:

    https://www.endlessinkabilities.blogspot.com

    Thanks for the challenge!

  • Mary Fish

    This is a “go to” sketch that will work with so many stamps and elements. Beautiful job! Thanks. Mary

    https://www.stampinpretty.com/2008/09/bravo-card-box.html

  • Cindy Major

    Sketches inspire me so much, and this one was no exception:

    https://cindymajor.typepad.com/encre_papier_ciseaux/2008/09/flocon-d%C3%A9poque-vintage-snowflake.html

    Thanks for the sketch!
    Cindy

  • Robin Kirkpatrick

    Loved the sketch, Taylor!

    Here’s mine:

    https://robins-rubber-room.blogspot.com/2008/09/happy-pumpkin-dayagain.html

  • Dallas

    Wonderful cards and wonderful challenge! here’s mine
    https://designsbydallas.typepad.com

  • Charmaine (CharmWarm)

    Yay, I got to play! Thanks for the great sketch, Taylor! https://oodabugalley.blogspot.com/2008/09/sweet-friend.html

  • Tori Wild

    Here is my first challenge using my Trick or Sweet stamps– Love em! 🙂 https://wildsprinkles.blogspot.com/2008/09/sunday-already.html

  • Jennifer Buck

    These are adorable! Great layout! 🙂

  • Kristie

    Both are so cute but I’m very partial to that Bella!

  • Julie Masse

    Your card and coaster box are just adorable – love that Bella!! Thanks for another great sketch – here’s mine! 🙂

    MFT Scarecrow

  • Lori

    Hi Taylor!!! Fun fun sketch!!! Here is mine: https://smilingwhilestamping.blogspot.com/

  • Krystal

    Fabulous layout! No cupcakes for me today, but I do have a card: https://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1070143?cat=10720

    Thanks for looking!
    Krystal (skdeleeuw)

  • Kristina

    I love the sample cards today! They are both absolutely adorable. Another great sketch for us to play with!!

    Here’s my card:

    https://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1070074?nocache=1

  • thestampspot

    Okay, I got time to play this week.

    Heres mine :

    https://thestampspot.wordpress.com/2008/09/28/a-few-challenges-done/

    🙂 Marcia
    http://www.thestampspot.wordpress.com

  • Dawn Easton

    Fantastic layout! Your card is super cute with Bella and the card Frances made is adorable too!

    I've loaded mine to SCS for now…thanks!
    http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1069853?cat=500&ppuser=93708

  • Ida P. Krause

    YAY! – I got to play today. You can find my card here:
    https://faithartistry.blogspot.com/2008/09/spooky-sketch-tecc35.html

    Thanks for another great sketch.

  • Brenda Weaver

    This is my first cupcake challenge as well. It was a lot of fun! Thanks for letting me play along. I did a scrapbook page instead of a card. You can see it here:
    https://sweetpapertreats.wordpress.com/

  • Maureen

    LOVE your idea to make this into a Christmas cupcake – too creative!!

    Also love the sketch – here’s my Little Gal Cupcake card.

  • cheiron

    OOOH…I love the Bella…what a great idea to add the holly! Here is my card for the week. Have a great weekend!
    https://cheironbrandon.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/09/taylored-expressions-cupcake-challenge-35.html

  • Carolina

    This was a fun sketch – thank you Taylor! Here’s mine:

    Many Thanks

  • nancy morgan

    another great sketch Taylor 🙂 ! Here's a card I just uploaded: https://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1069561?cat=500&ppuser=117787 hugs, nancy

  • Anonymous

    I love both of these cards. Great job with this layout. TFS.

    Debbie/Phx AZ

  • silkeledlow

    Awesome Sketch!!! Here is my card:
    https://silkeledlow.blogspot.com/2008/09/occ-ic147-mtvd12vvpp06-tecc35.html
    Have a great weekend!!!

  • Sarah {SCS: Sairabee}

    I’m ba-ack! 😉 hee hee. Here’s my entry for this week. I’m still recovering from some baby induced sleep deprivation, so go easy on me! https://scrampinmama.blogspot.com/2008/09/so-sweet.html

  • Shar

    This card has a ton of energy! I love it!

  • Debbie Olson

    Love the card and the box, Taylor–sweetness!

  • Holly Harris

    Heres my card Taylor
    https://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1069185?cat=500&ppuser=175194
    my blog https://obsessedstamplover.blogspot.com
    Holly

  • Lori

    I love your Bella projects! So fun! Here’s my version of your sketch for this week: Sweet Pair

  • Trish D

    Another great sketch – I changed it up a bit, but I think it’s still recognizable 🙂

    https://trish-d.blogspot.com/2008/09/true-beauty.html

  • jana

    I love the idea of stamping the cupcake icing on the green polka dot paper! So cute! I’ll have to try that.

  • Hope

    Thanks for the great Bella project, Taylor! I love the the DP you’ve used on CupcakeaBella and this is a fun sketch!

    Here’s my card. Thanks again!

    https://myideaofrecess.blogspot.com/2008/09/chocolate-or-vanilla.html

  • Kristie

    This is my first time playing too…it was heaps of fun! Here’s my card
    https://kristiemorrison.blogspot.com/2008/09/cupcake-kind-of-day.html

    Your cupcake bella is just gorgeous…you’re really tempting me with this!!!!

  • Handfullofstamps

    Super cute card!!! Thanks for the great layout.
    Here is mine: https://handfullofstamps.blogspot.com/2008/09/celebrate-with-cupcake.html

  • Michelle (sf9erfan)

    Yahoo! Super fun cards! Your sketch saved me today -heehee. Here is mine:

    https://stopandstamptheroses.blogspot.com/

    Hugs, michelle

  • Monika/Buzsy

    I just love those colors Taylor! Bella is super cute as always and I like the doodle around the image and the way you did the ribbon… hmmm… chocolate covered pretzels… TFS!

  • Giffysk8s

    This is my first TE Cupcake Challenge! Thanks for letting me play. Here’s my card:
    https://giffysk8s.blogspot.com/2008/09/youre-icing-on-cupcake.html

  • Jen

    Great sketch Taylor! Here is my take on it:

    https://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1068708?cat=500&ppuser=79674

    Thanks for checking it out!

  • shel9999

    Love your coaster box, Taylor! And that dotted cupcake…too cute! (Love that owl also!)

  • Jennifer (SCS: jennifer-g)

    Taylor, both your projects are just fabulous. I always love your cupcake challenges, your sketches are a lot of fun! I didn’t use cupcakes, but your sketch was perfect for my stampin’ project today, so here’s mine!

    https://glitterinmyhair.blogspot.com/2008/09/aaarrhhh-shimmerzy-pirate-cupcake.html

  • Debby

    Oh my gosh Taylor you’re bella card is the cutest. You’re always clever and a step ahead of the rest of us. Love your owl too!

  • Allison

    These are so cute. I love how you made the cupcake for Christmas! I love this sketch – I’ll be giving it a try later for sure.

  • AmyR

    hehehe trust you to make it a holiday cupcake – lovin’ it!! Darnit I should NOT be blog hopping on an empty stomach!! *wink*

  • jen del muro (iheart2stamp.com)

    Love your projects! The polka dot cuppie cake is just too cute!

  • Ana

    ADORABLE Taylor!! That color combo is PERFECTION! Love what you did with the ribbon 🙂

  • Em's Place

    love the card & coaster box.
    I'm savin my pennies for your sets… btw. Darling!
    em
    You know, you could make a Christmas Tree out of cupcakes…
    snowmen cupcakes…
    you probably already did.
    Hugs,
    emily

  • Charmaine (CharmWarm)

    This is so adorable, Taylor! LOVE the sketch and Frances’ card is just too cute!

  • Chris Scrappin and Stampin in Texas

    Taylor! Love the green polka dot paper! Happy Cupcake day to you! Love the coaster box too. I bet yoou will have the pretzels in by the weekend..although I would be eating mine soon. hugs, chris

  • Denise (peanutbee)

    Oooooh, I love this layout and your card is so fun!! I’ll definitely be playing! 🙂

  • Danni

    These are wonderful!!

  • Shannan Teubner

    Super cute, Taylor! And I hear you about midnight…luckily Walmart is open 24 hrs…;)
    Thanks for playing with us!!

  • Vicki C

    Okay.. these two cards are just the most adorable yet. You never cease to amaze me with your talent miss tayor!

  • Lisa

    Darling card!

    I used to lock myself out of my first car regularly…. The bell that goes off when you leave the keys in and open the door didn’t work, so it was easy to do.

    About 3 years ago I went thru a phase of locking myself out of the house. DH worked about 30 minutes away. After the second time that I had to sit around waiting for him to get his lunch break to rescue me, I invested $35 in one of those “realtor style” lock boxes and I now have a spare key locked to the main water pipes in the front yard. A pain to get into, but it works! Only needed to use it once since I got it. It’s also nice if my best friend forgets my housekey when he’s watching my cat while we travel – he can still get in without having to go all the way back home to get the key.

  • PawsN2Stamp

    One of my worst “locked out” stories involves a bunch of demonstrators and my being a practical joker.

    We were at seminar and I had brought my “fart” machine with me(sorry for being crude…but this was just a practical joke)
    I was having fun all weekend pulling that stunt on different ones. You lay it somewhere….and you hold the remote…and at the most appropriate time, you activate it.

    Well, we had just had pizza in one of our rooms, visiting and laughing when I realized I needed to get to a meeting. So, I said I’d be back in a couple of hours.

    Off I went down the hall to my meeting (by the way airline pilots stay at this particular hotel)…when I was about 1/2 way down the hotel….the “machine” started going off. My eyes got big as pancakes….cause coming towards me were two airline (and can I say CUTE) pilots…..I whisked around…trying to find that dang remote cause evidently something in my purse was activating it. I just kept walking really fast to the room to get inside before I encountered those pilots.

    As I approached the room….it just kept going off….and I was trying to get in…but of course, it wasn’t MY room….so I didn’t have the key.

    I started POUNDING on the door as the pilots were almost up to me…and I was beet red by that time.

    Finally the door opened and all the girls were hysterical.

    I thought How could they know what had just happened to me?

    Then, one of them raised their hand up with the REMOTE in it!!!

    I died laughing!!! It was so funny that they got back at me like that….but even funnier was they had no way of knowing about the pilots, so it was even funnier.

    Can I just say that the ‘machine’ stays home now.

    But…what fun we had that year….and the story gets told by someone, every year, at Seminar.

  • SueB

    Oh, Taylor, we can all sympathize with you ‘cuz we’ve been there, done that!
    I once ran out of windshield cleaner on the fwy on my way to work, then pulled off at an on/off entrance ramp by an airport to rub some snow on my windshield, only to find I’d locked myself out of the car w the motor running. I was standing there just looking at my car, exasperated, when my boss pulled up. I grabbed a ride to work and called my car dealership to arrange for a spare set of keys to be made. I had to wait a half hour for a lift there from a buddy on 1st shift (we had a 1/2 hour turn-around time between shifts), and we hightailed it to the dealership before they closed for the day, picked up the keys, and returned to the car (still running) … only to find the key didn’t work on the driver’s side doors! Aargh! I climbed thru the snowdrifts to try the passenger side front door! Voila – that one worked! The car was VERY warm but none the worse for wear and I drove back to work … VERY PLEASED the car and its contents were where I’d left them!

    Hey, love your card!
    later, alligator!
    – SueB

  • jules p

    okay…i HAVE locked my car door with it running too. I have left my very young daughter in the car-it locked on me. She would not “help me” get it open. grrrr
    my daughter locked herself in her room and did not know how to unlock it. Pregnant and feeling awful, I was begging her to just turn the little button. NO! so I called this elderly man from our church to come and help me.(hubby was at work)
    She never locked the door or any door again. Even til this day, she will not want to lock anything! and she is 17! 🙂

  • lacey Stephens

    Well, I actually have 2 times. First was horrible! I locked my infant and toddler in the car (without the car running)!! My toddler was playing in the front seat while I was putting my infant in the carseat. She apparently was playing with the locks. So, I closed the door so I could go around the other side to get my daughter out of the front seat. And when I got there, I realized that the keys were in the car! I put them down when I was getting my son in the car! When I screamed at my daughter to “unlock the car”, she got scared and climbed into her car seat!! I kept yelling, “no, unlock the door, baby!” After calling 911, I believe God reminded me that I had a lollipop in the diaper bag which was outside with me. I showed my daughter the lollipop and then put it next to the window near the lock on the door. I asked her if she wanted the lollipop. So she climbed into the front seat to get it from me. I told her that she had to pull the lock up if she wanted the lollipop. She finally figured it out and unlocked the door. The police/fire still never showed up after about 5 minutes!! It was amazing at how hot it had gotten in the car in such a short time. It was winter, but we live in Florida, so that’s not very cold!

    2nd story is not so tramatic. We went on vacation and when we came back the garage door wouldn’t open. We had to call a locksmith since both my husband and I didn’t have a house key with us (we always go in and out through the garage door). After $150 for a locksmith at 10:00pm and a new lock for our front door (he couldn’t get in without breaking the lock), we went inside to realize that a breaker popped. On that breaker was the garage door opener AND the refrigerator in our garage! So everything in that refridgerator and freezer was bad! That was an expensive lesson to learn to bring your house keys with you at all times!! LOL

  • Kelly

    Just after college I moved into an older apartment with “character”. I was trying to be all “Martha Stewart” and hang a grapevine wreath that I had spent all morning hot glueing fall foliage and gourds to. I walked out the door, hung the wreath and then realized that the door had locked behind me. One hour later, I’d spent $90 for a locksmith! Got back in the apartment, walked around cleaning up my craft project muttering all sorts of impolite words, went out to get the mail – door locked behind me again! And I got a second $90 visit from the locksmith! I was so angry that he couldn’t look me in the eye for laughing! I’m happy to say that this has been over a decade ago, and it hasn’t happened since! (do you know how hard it is to type with your fingers crossed???) Good Luck, My Sisters!

  • Melanie Welch

    My worst lock out episode was when I lived in Alaska and it was about -30 degrees out and I ran out to the car in just my t-shirt and jeans to grab something and my then 2 year old locked me out of the house! I figured my husband would come home and find me frozen to death clinging to the doorknob! But, my 2 year old came thru and unlocked the door for me. It took a few minutes of me begging her though! My car won’t allow you to lock the doors if the key is in the ignition, but I still always double check to make sure my keys are in my pocket BEFORE I shut the last door on the car! I’ve locked myself out of a car a couple of times when I was younger. Nothing too dramatic though.

  • Janet

    I guess my worst story for getting locked out was when I locked my keys in our car at a wedding. My hubby and I were attending a wedding about an hour from our house and ditzy me locks the keys in the car. However, we didn’t find this out until after the wedding AND the reception. Luckily, some friends of ours took us home so we could get our other car and we had to drive back to the church to get the car. I wish I could say that was my only incident, but sadly I locked my keys in the car quite often in my younger years. It has been a LONG time since I’ve done it so hopefully that won’t ever happen again.

  • Beth

    We had just moved into our new home and my sister, BIL and parents were all over visiting. We have those doors you have to check before going outside – the inside can turn, but the outside is locked. All of us, minus my mom and the baby (Sophie) were looking at the view in the front yard. All of a sudden, I turned and my mom and the baby were standing next to us. All the doors in the house locked. My BIL was able to crawl in the basement window (the small ones) and get in the house). Phew! That night we programmed one of the garage doors so that we would have that to open in case of emergency.

    A year or so later – Todd and I were on a bus traveling to NYC for a day trip to see Wicked on Broadway. We had a sitter for the first time and somehow, they all managed to lock themselves out. My 9 year old had the presence of mind to go to the neighbors and call my cell phone. The sitter’s phone, car keys/everything was locked inside the house. I told my daughter the code to get in the garage. , but for some reason, the sitter manually turned and locked the garage door and they had no way of getting in. In the mean time – we were getting further and further away from home. I called my sister who had a key and she was able to come rescue them. Phew! In the meantime, they played in the shed (all five plus the sitter) until my sister arrived.

  • Lora

    When my oldest was 1 yer old, my husband had locked the door leading out to the garage, but he didn’t close it all the way, so when I opened the door to put the recycles in the garage I didn’t notice it was locked. I stepped out into the garage and the door swung closed behind me, locking me out in just a t-shirt and locking my baby girl inside who was too little to open a door to help me. Of course the only neighbors home were men. So embarrassing! I didn’t even try any other doors or windows because it was so early in the morning, but guess what, the back door was unlocked, so I went to my neighbors house in a t-shirt to help me get back into a house I wasn’t even locked out of!
    My other story is when my youngest was 1 year old. My older children were at school. I put my baby in her car seat, fastened her in, started my van (while it was in the garage) and then got out of the car to put her stroller in the trunk area. My garage door opener was in the stroller from a walk the night before, so when I tossed it in, I triggered the opener. The door was coming down and all I thought was Oh No, it is going to scratch my van. I closed the back of the van and moved out of the doors way. The garage door was almost down when I realized I was about to lock my baby in the garage with a running vehicle. I dove under the door and let it hit me so it would go back up. All was well, but I assure you if that garage had closed with my keys and phone inside, there would have been no way to get back in. After I stopped crying and shaking from the “could haves” I drove straight to the store and got a garage door opener key pad for the outside of the garage. And in the garage is a key to the house.

  • KellyB

    Well, once I locked myself out of the house when I ran outside to get the paper. I was in my nightgown and no shoes! This was in Oct and I live in MN, so it was not warm! Luckily my car was unlocked (go figure!) and I had a sweatshirt in it to put on, than I proceeded to walk to my grandparents house (before they passed, they lived 2 blocks from us) to get my extra key. Thank God they were always home!

  • Beth

    First, this is the cutest card! I’m so sorry you had a rough day! Things like that are so… frustrating! My worst locked out story was 4 years ago, I was getting out of my van to go to the Girl Scout store to pick-up some things for my troop. The store manager happened to be outside and told me the store was closed that day because the local council was having meetings. Well, while distracted, I didn’t pay attention and closed my door with my purse still on the seat, keys inside. That wouldn’t have been such a big deal except my 18 month old daughter was still in the van, in her car seat with childproof locks AND it was summertime in Alabama. We ended up calling local authorities who sent both the fire department and a locksmith. The locksmith was having difficulty with the lock and I had just told the fireman to break the window when the locksmith finally got in. Of course, all the employees of the local GS council are outside and we are all singing and trying to entertain my DD who was fine until the alarm went off when the door was finally open, then she started to scream! All in all, she was in the closed hot van for 30 minutes and I was in touch with the pediatrician immediately who sent us to the local ER. Well, Rachel was fine but believe me, mom had aged quite a bit that day! BTW- I know you said that your Taylor’s Tiny Twinkles was a one time thing but I absolutely LOVE them. They are currently my favorite rhinestone and I use them all the time! Is there any chance you might carry them once again?

  • Julie Sokolowski

    I have locked myself out many times. I was very good at breaking into my own car in high school. The car was a ’78 grand prix (boat of a car) and still had those locks that you could lift up with a coat hanger that you could slip between the rubber strip and the window. Now the cars are too anti theft for those simple fixes. My BEST lock out story was the time I took my dad’s pride and joy Suburban without his permission (I had mom’s permission…soon we were both in trouble). My friends and I had gone out to lunch during school and after lunch we were waiting for them to let us back in the building and had the radio running just on the battery (engine off). When they opened the doors I forgot that the radio was on, key in the ignition and I hopped out of the truck and locked the doors via the button. Well the Suburban had successful anti-theft devices and no coat hanger was getting in there! The radio eventually ran down the battery. I had my mom’s key so the only way to get in the truck was to call my dad and cop to the offense so he could bring me a key. When he got there he had to jump the battery. Wow, I haven’t thought of that prediciment in a long time. It happened about 20 years ago! I’m sure he would laugh now but not that day 🙂

  • Barbara Vogt

    I am sure everyone has a nightmare lock story. I am a slow learner I guess, because I have locked my purse (with car keys inside) in the trunk not once but twice! The first time while loading groceries in the trunk, then closing it…oops! purse inside. Car locked. Then I did it AGAIN in the dorm parking lot when our youngest was in college. That time I didn’t want anyone to know I was a repeat offender (dummy!).

  • Vivian

    My worse lock story…I was going to pick up my daughter at the hospital and her new baby. I had taken her older son to the daycare, came back home to pick up something I forgot and left the keys inside the house….after calling a locksmith, getting to the house, I was off to get the new mom and my grandson…it was so stressful….

  • amyz2988

    When I was in high school, I locked myself out of my car in front of the pump at the gas station. The people at the gas station were really mean too! They were more worried about the money I was costing them by having my car stuck in front of a pump, instead of helping me out!

  • Love to Doodle!

    Hi – not sure how I found your blog, but I did and have been popping back to see all your fabby creations regularly – this one is stunningly beautiful! Hope you don’t mind, but I’ve put something on my blog for you. Sally-Ann

  • Jekka

    When I was 16 or 17, I babysat during the summer for an infant. The parents would often leave me their vehicle so that I could bring the baby to their work so that they could see her. One evening, I threw the car keys over into the drivers seat while I put the baby into the car seat. Not thinking that the driver’s door was locked, I locked the passenger door and shut it. There I was with an infant locked in the car. They lived in a trailer in which I had also locked the doors. So I wedged half my body through a window to get to the phone to call them and have them unlock the car.

  • Anonymous

    What a rough day, but you’ll look back and laugh some day. I’ve locked myself out of my house and my car several times but the worst story story wins me the Mom of the year award, I was locked out of the car by my 2 year old! We were just getting back in the car at the post office, I was strapping him into his seat and always toss my keys over my seat. when i closed the door my son kicked the door lock with his foot but couldn’t reach the button to unlock it because he was strapped in!!! My husband could not to be reached by phone and I couldn’t find anyone to go to my house and get the spare. It was Feb so fortunately it wasn’t hot out but can you believe that the police will not come unless the child is in distress? I called Triple AAA and had to wait for a Tow truck to come unlock it. Later that year my friend called me in a panic from the same post office, she had locked her daughter in the car but it was August and very hot. Fortunately I was able to run to her house and get her spare so they did not have a long wait!
    Sonia

  • Katie Skiff

    Ugh, that is a crazy day. I’ve locked myself out of vehicles many times. Once in the city we locked ourselves out of our van and since we were near Micheals my DH got a wooden dowel and slide between the door and van and pushed the button. That was our red-neck key…we still joke about it. Don’t know that it’s that safe that you can get it open that easy. Now I am thankful our car has a code! LOL

  • Gabriela

    Well at the ripe old age of 30, when our washer and dryer were located in the garage, I walked into the garage to do some laundry and decided it would be efficient to do the panties and nightgown I was wearing too. I stripped and started the washer. It was only when I tried to open the door that connected into the house that I realized it was locked. It was only 7:30 a.m. and I was not about to exit the side garage door and make a run for the French doors in the back of the house. This was way before cell phones, too. My biggest worry was where I would hide when my husband returned home from work in the evening and would open the large garage door, possibly exposing my nudity to the neighbors across the street or some innocent passer-by. The washer finished washing, I transferred the laundry to the dryer and continued thinking about where to would hide when my husband opened the garage door upon his return from the office. By the time the laundry was dried, (and folded mind you) I was so freaked out that it took me 6 more hours to realize that all I had to do was put on some of the clean clothes regardless if they were his or my own and simply walk around to the back of the house. Sheesh! Sometimes you just can’t see the forest for the trees.

  • patriciad

    Wow, I’m actually starting to feel better about the couple locking out incidents I’ve had (and since I’m twice your age, I’m entitled :-)).
    I locked myself out of my car once many years ago with the motor running. I was parked outside of a convenience store on New Years Day – just ran in to pick up the newspaper and wasn’t thinking and locked my car (and NO, it was not due to celebrating to the extreme the night before – but there was a cop in the store when I did it and I had to convince him that was not the case – most unpleasant). I locked myself out of my house once, but I have always had a fear of doing that and fortunately I had the foresight to hide a set of keys in my garden (it’s under the 3rd brick) so that wasn’t so bad, but the best one was last year I was frozen out of my car after going to the health club after work. I came out to find myself in the midst of a major full-on good old midwestern snow storm. I could get the key in my lock but couldn’t turn it – and my car doesn’t have one of those hit the button jobs, you must use the key. The bigger problem was my purse with my cell phone, my money, my train pass for work the next day and basically all my worldly possessions were locked in the trunk – and no, I couldn’t get in the trunk either. What a mess. I totally rely on my cell phone for numbers and it was that night that I found out that pretty much everyone I know has an unlisted phone number and I couldn’t find anyone to pick me up from the health club and I had to wait 3 hours for a cab to pick me up. Oh, I’m hyperventilating just recalling that awful experience…it really was the worst experience ever – and oh, the cab ride home took almost an hour (usually a 10 minute drive) and the snow had come down so hard and drifted up against my house that I had to wade thru about 1-1/2 feet of snow to get to my front door while the cab driver waited for me to go inside to get some money to pay him because, yes, of course, my money was in my purse in my trunk. Oh, I have to go lay down now…..

  • IamDerby

    My husband locked me, my two kids, my bff, and her twins outside while they were running in the sprinklers… he just locked the door and went to work… just habit to lock the door after coming in. So anyway our kids were dripping wet and I went to go in and get some towels and lo and behold could not get in!!! Thank god, a window on the ground floor was left unlocked and my bff crawled in and let us back inside. I was not happy with dh!

  • Anonymous

    I can sympathize with you Taylor!! When I was 9, I was a ‘latch key’ kid, which meant I had the house key hung around my neck and I was responsible for locking up the house in the morning before leaving for school and I would let myself in when coming home. One morning I got ready for school, made sure all the windows were shut and locked the front door behind me. I took one step away from the door and realised what I had done – I had left the house key inside! What’s was worse than that was that I still had my slippers on!! Kids today would probably have no problem going to school in their slippers, but when you go to a school that has a strict school uniform (plaid skirts, knee high socks, etc) you definitely don’t go in slippers! Luckily my mum worked within walking distance from our house. The bad thing was that I had to walk past my school to get there! Lets just say that it was the fasted trip to my mum’s work and back to the house that I’d EVER made!! 🙂

  • Lynn

    OMG,How exciting!!!
    Thank you so much! I can’t believe I’m the lucky winner!

    Thank you also for the sweet compliment on my card! Your work and sketches are always such a huge inspiration!

    It sounds like you had one crazy day. I remember locking myself out of my house and having to use a lawn chair to stand on to lift my daughter up and through our kitchen window, hoping that she would be able to unlock the door. Thank goodness she did!

    Your Chiciboulie card is beautiful! The color combination is so striking!

    Congrats to Noelle!

  • Latrice

    My worst slocking out story is a ties between the day I did it twice within 1/2 hour and the day I had to crawil through a 1’x3′ basement window to get into my house!! I haven’t done it in a while though!! Glad to hear everything turned out ok though!!

    I finally ordered a monogram stamper from JRS. I’m so excited to get it. Talk to you soon

  • Monika/Buzsy

    Sorry for the unpleasant experience! I’ve been lucky enough that I haven’t done anything like that… I am always super careful… making sure I always have one key in my hand. :o)
    Cute card! I have that image but haven’t inked it up yet. TFS!

  • Ramsey

    I don’t know if you’ve heard of the good ol’ Wyoming winters..but they can be a little bit…..FREEZING…..I was running late for a college class one day…I had to take a final…I went outside, started my car to let it warm up, (keeping in mind not to let it run for too long…the gas was almost gone..not very smart in the winter….i was running back into my house…with JUST my robe on…and somehow the house door locked behind me! Garage door…locked! Back door…locked! Windows to crawl through…locked!

    It’s ok…I kept telling myself..I will just call Kolby to bring me the spare house key…my cell phone was in the car…I rushed over to my car…….car doors….locked…car is running…and almost out of gas…spare keys…in the car…..

    I ended up having to go to the neighbors house…in JUST my robe…use their phone to call Kolby… in the meantime…car….dead….ran out of gas….

    Needless to say I missed the final, but was allowed to retake it thanks to the professor that locked her keys in her car the same day and was late as well!

  • Donna

    oh dear! I’m sorry that happened to you! Looks like everyone DOES have a story (or 2 to tell that should make you feel better). I did it twice in 37 years. Once when the window to the car was down somewhat and I was able to force my arm through the crack to use a coat hanger to unlock the door *(a coat hanger a helpful stranger had) and then left my purse on the car seat and locked the doors because I was getting something out of the trunk (that was in the parking lot of my work) and was about 7-8 yrs ago, yea! hope today is better than yesterday! cute card btw

  • Malissa A

    While I was in college, I worked at a local italian restaurant. On a Saturday night (around midnight), I was leaving work and headed out to my car…oops, I couldn’t find my car keys. Everyone searched the restaurant over and over again. I finally called the tow company to come and get my doors unlocked and as he entered the parking lot, I found my keys in my apron pocket (the one I thought I had checked at least a dozen times)! Luckily the guy had a good chuckle and took pitty on me and didn’t charge me for the call.

    As you can see from the many replies – we’ve all done it and will continue to do those things! I think the insult to injury was it happened on a Monday (the dreaded back to the weekly routine day)! 🙂

  • Anne

    Ok… I will admit… I am the queen of locking myself out. In the early 90s, when DH and I were first together, there was a 3 week period where I called him at work 8 times to bring me car keys because I had locked mine in the car. I have also locked my children in the car, each of the older 3, twice needing the fire department’s help to retrieve them from their car seats locked in a hot (and getting hotter) vehicle in the California sun.
    Well, none of that compares to what I did in April while my husband was on a business trip… the second night he was gone I had a horrible panic attack and at 10pm I went around the house closing and locking everything, including the two doors from the garage to the house (one to the laundry, one to the basement). All is fine, right? Nooooooo. In the morning, I stepped outside with the dog through the garage like usual. I didn’t even think about the doors I had locked the night before. I didn’t care that I was checking my garden in my pajamas. I had an hour before I had to pick up my youngest daughter from school for a doctor’s appointment. I had plenty of time to get ready… until I tried to go back inside! OMG… I had locked the door the night before! Oh yeah! I forgot about that! Try the other door, same thing. Crap! I go next door. My neighbor has a key to my house. Of course, for the first time in the 3 years I have lived here, she isnt home!
    Now I start freaking out. My daughter will be waiting at the school for me. The doctor’s appointment was a squeeze in so if I miss it, we are screwed! What to do, what to do!
    At least I am in the garage. I dig through DH’s tool box and grab a screwdriver with the intention of picking the lock. That doesnt work because even the smallest screwdriver doesnt fit. So I take a hammer and MAKE it fit. Still not working. And the screwdriver wont go in any further. After digging through the toolbox some more, I switch tactics, return the screwdriver and take a chizel. I might as well return the hammer and take a sledge too. So there I am whacking the chizel into the lock. Whack whack whack. You would think one of the neighbors would be wondering about the noise by now. Finally I have the chizel halfway through the lock, but the door still wont open. By now I am frantic. I have to get the chizel in further to be able to turn the lock, but it wont go no matter how hard I whack it. Next idea? Knock off the knob and go directly to the lock. It took some heavy hits and a couple missed that dented the door, but ching ching, the knob hit the floor. I pound the chizel directly into the lock and POP it opens! Easy smeasy! I should have thought of that first!
    I really have to get ready for that appointment so I mark it on my TO DO list to replace the knob before DH gets home from his trip.
    Do you know what it looks like when you WHACK off a door knob? The bulbous part is held on with a bunch of metal finger like things… flared out into the bulb. So when you remove the bulb, the finger things stay… sticking out. What is crazy is that the whole mechanism still worked, held the door shut and kept the dog in. Well, I never got around to replacing the knob… my week totally got away from me and finally I had to admit to DH what I had done. To my relief he just laughed. Late in July he took it upon himself to replace the knob for me. I suppose he was tired of gripping the flanged fingers to get in the basement. Hahahaha!

  • Lisa Charleton

    I locked my keys in my car – while it was still running. It was a soft-top Tracker so I tried to unzip the top to reach in an unlock, but it was FREEZING out and apparently zippers don’t cooperate in the cold!

    I also once left my keys at home when going out with friends. I never did tell my husband how easy it was to get in the front window or he’d be constantly worrying about it!

  • cardcrazy

    Last winter, in the midst of an awful Chicago snow-storm, my husband locked his keys in the car while it was running. He had started the car so it could warm-up while he scraped the ice and snow from the windows. After he cleared all the snow he realized the doors were locked. He went back into his office and called me, but I was snowed in at home and couldn’t get out of the garage (and wasn’t thrilled with the idea of taking our 2 small boys out in the storm!). He called the police and because of the storm they said they were only responding to “emergency” situations. He called AAA and they said it would be at least 4 hours until they could get to him. He called a local service station and they were understaffed and couldn’t help. So, in the end, he found a huge rock and threw it through the back window so he could get in the car. Then he proceeded to drive home in a snow storm with a broken window. It was a cold drive home!

    -Krissy

  • Mandy

    Oh, yeah, I have a good one, too. Unfortunately… I was putting my kids in the car after visiting my old workplace. Katy (whom you met at CHA!) was already strapped in, and I was buckling Cameron’s (my 2-year-old) belt. I went to put the stroller in the back, then closed the trunk. I started to hear a car beeping, like when you lock the doors. I assumed it was someone else, but Cameron had apparently taken a hold of my keys and locked them inside the car! ACK!! Luckily, I did not overreact for him, and I shortly guided him to push the correct button to unlock the doors! I was SO humiliated…especially around people I used to work with!

  • Etha

    Love the Chichiboulie on your card! so cute!!
    I think I’ve only locked myself out once at college. Winter, Heavy sheep’s coat saved me spending the night in the stair ways 😉 Of course none of my room mates heard me calling and knocking… perhaps it was late/early? 😉 been a while.

  • Angela

    My lock out story happened to my twice. I have locked my daughter in the car(while she was fastened in her car seat). The first time was when I was going to a baby shower. I had to walk into the room and ask someone to help me get my baby out of the car because I had just locked her in it. The second time I was going to a wedding reception and locked her in the car again. I had to run about 1/2 block to get my dad. We went to the car and he tore the weather stripping from around the window and used a coathanger to pull the lock up (my car was a 1970’s Thunderbird). Both times that I did this, as the car door was closing I realized what I had done but couldn’t move fast enough to catch the door. It seemed as though time was in slow motion. My daughter is now 19 years old and shows no sign of emotional distress. At the time I felt like the worst mother that had ever lived!!!

  • Elizabeth

    Living in Alaska we often leave our cars running in the winter and just lock them. Of course, that means you should have the spare key with you right? Wrong! It was in my purse which was on the front seat. At 0 degrees, being late back to work and $$$ spent on a locksmith it was a cold, yucky experience. I don’t do that anymore, my car now has a rest mode and heated seats so it stays warm in between errands. 🙂

  • Anonymous

    Well, I’ve locked myself out of my apartment before but the best one happened to me this past winter. I run a dayhome and I went out to start the van to take kids to school leaving the monkeys in the house (it was cold and a few short minutes)they locked me out of the house, yup they locked the door. You can imagine my panic right, no logic, just me saying through the door come on you guys it’s not hard just turn the knob back the other way (duh I started the van with my house key’s on the ring) can you imagine how long it took me to figure that one out. I can laugh at it now then I was just cold and the kids were upset.

    BP

  • Robin Desko

    Well, sadly I’ve locked myself out of the car with it running and a child inside, out of a hotel room, but no incident beats a few years ago…my twins were 3 and in pre-school at the time…I stepped onto the front porch to check the morning weather, wearing a t-shirt and underwear…right on my heels were the twins closing the door behind them. It turned out to be a mere 30 degrees outside, no extra key, no cell phone to call for help since the car was locked in the garage. My parents live down the street, but how to get there without exposing my outfit would be a challenge…we scrambled out to the shed, found a beach towel, fired up the riding lawn mower and the three of us huddled under the towel and headed down the street to grammy’s house. Needless to say, we now have a keypad on the outside of the garage.

  • Terri

    Hi Taylor – It DOES sound like you had a rough day…one that you will undoubtedly be laughing about in the near future (if not already…$50, ouch). I bet not many can say that they actually “flushed” their keys down the toilet…but I can. It was “back in the day” when I actually brought home a paycheck, I was at work and my keys were in my pocket, just as I flushed they fell in…bye-bye keys! You can imagine my husband’s reaction when I had to call him to bring me another set of keys…never have lived that one down!
    Hope your week gets better!
    Terri

  • alisonc

    I got locked out of my hotel room while attending a conference in Palm Springs. I was sharing the room with a friend and we were both dressed for that night’s event and in the process of putting our make-up on when we heard a commotion in the hallway. We stepped outside to see what was going on and as we did, we heard a loud click behind us. We gave each other a horrified look because we were only armed with our make-up brushes, which certainly weren’t going to help get us back in the room! After about 15 minutes, someone came to let us in. We had a good laugh about it!

  • cricketpe

    That does sound like a rough day! When I was younger (still in a car seat), my parents had just bought a T-top camaro and brought it to my dad’s store to show it off. Well, one of my cousins accidentally bumped the power lock button and locked me inside the car. Since they had driven it from the dealership to the store, they didn’t have spare keys or anything yet. My mom was freaking out about me being in the car, but my dad didn’t want to break the window of his brand new car. I’m not sure how long I ended up being in there, but I know my mom had a fit.

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