Apr 04, 2016
Sneak Peeks! What will you give this Mother’s Day?
Hey there, crafty friends! It’s a great day to have a great day and hopefully your day is made even better by hanging out here on the TE Blog for a few moments! It’s Taylor here today and I’m excited that you popped by as we’re kicking off the sneak peeks for our April Release! Have you thought about how you’ll be celebrating your loved ones for Mother’s Day this year? We’ve filled our April Release with something for everyone from coffee and cross stitch to quilting and quotes. In addition, many of you may also be thinking about the upcoming graduation of a friend or family member. I’m so excited to explore that theme later this week too!
I started something new on the blog a couple months ago in hopes to connect with even more of you! Each day of sneak peeks, I will post a Question of the Day and you can leave a comment with your answer for a chance to win one of our new release products or a Grand Prize gift certificate to the TE Store! I love reading your comments and learning more about you through the stories you share so don’t be shy!
Today I’m giving away the Plot Twist stamp set to one lucky winner!
We can all use a little pick me up or word of encouragement, right? This set of encouraging quotes was the inspiration for my question today.
The fine print: Leave your comment before Wednesday, April 6th at 11:59pm PST. One entry per person. Each comment will also be entered into our Grand Prize drawing for a $50 Gift Certificate to the TE Store! Winners will be chosen at random and announced on Thursday, April 7th, 2016.
And now for today’s projects! First up on the list is the Plot Twist stamp set that’s up for grabs by leaving a comment on today’s post! The sentiments in this set were formatted to coordinate with the new Build a Bookmark dies to create beautiful bookmarks with these encouraging quotes. The Build a Bookmark die is a followup to our original (and slightly smaller) Mark Your Spot Bookmark. So now with both bookmark sets you’ll be able to create a sturdy double-layered marker to withstand use from an avid reader!
Here’s a look at how talented design team member, Jean, used the Build a Bookmark dies with the Plot Twist stamp set (not to mention her gorgeous photograph… I *love* old books!):
In addition to working perfectly with the Plot Twist stamp set, this concept also works perfectly with our previously released Mark Your Spot and In the Word stamp sets featuring reading quotes and Bible verses formatted to fit within the bookmark shape. I’ve created this Style Sheet including ideas for future reference! Download now, reference later!
Now that you’ve seen how this new stamp set and dies were designed to be used, I also want to show you another use for them! I created interchangeable magnetic panels that adhere to an adorable *teal* easel that I picked up at Michael’s. I planned to give this to my sister for Mother’s Day, but now that it’s finished I think I need a set for myself too. I think I’ll hang mine on the mirror using one of those suction cup hangers. So many of these quotes will be great reminders as I start my day so I thought the bathroom mirror would be the perfect place for them!
Here’s a look at the finished easel. As I said, I picked it up at Michael’s for cheap ($6) and it was already painted teal (bonus!). I started by stamping each sentiment onto TE watercolor cardstock with Versamark ink and embossing it with black embossing powder.
I used different watercolor techniques including brushing directly onto the paper with Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolors as well as smooshing with Distress Inks.
After each panel was dry, I rounded the corners and mounted it onto a coordinating cardstock panel. Each one was decorated with die cuts from the Build a Bookmark set and Doodlebug Sprinkles in various shades.
The back of each panel has two strips of magnet that line up with the magnetic strips that I placed on the easel for an easy switch of quote panels.
Don’t you think this would make a lovely gift? And it wasn’t hard at all! Here’s a look at the Plot Twist stamp set and the Build a Bookmark dies that I used on this project:
And here’s the complete supply list:
Next up on my gift list for Mother’s Day is my own mama. Anyone who has been to our booth at CHA, Stamp Joy, or any consumer event through the years, has experienced one of my mom’s greatest talents; sewing. She is an amazing seamstress and has helped me create these bright, fun, inviting spaces with her curtains, runners, table skirts, banners, and more. If there’s anyone who fits this next sentiment, it’s definitely my mom! And so this card will go to her for Mother’s Day (and I’m quite certain she’ll frame it for her sewing room!).
I started with the previously released Mason Jar A la Carte and coordinating die to create a jar shaker filled with Little Bits – Buttons. Then I wrapped the new Little Bits – Needle & Thread with some actual thread. I colored the needle with silver paint pen and put it back into the spool of thread.
The sentiment is embossed with black embossing powder and die cut with Banner Stacklets 3. I popped the sentiment up over my Beadboard embossed background and finished off the layout by adding the button jar on the left and a few loose buttons (escapees from the jar!) to the right side of the card. Here’s a look at the new products I used on this card:
And here’s a look at the complete supply list:
Our fabulous creative team has more inspiring projects to share with you today so make sure you click on their beautiful faces below and visit their blogs. In addition to the products that I used on my projects, the design team will be showcasing these new products on their inspiring projects:
