Taylored Expressions - Right as Rain

Fall Door Die-cut Scene

Hello! A decorated front door is a sign of the change in season. A wreath, a few pumpkins, and scattered leaves can turn an everyday entrance into a welcoming fall display. For this card, I recreated that feeling in a die-cut scene with the now-retired Taylored Expressions Door to Door Collection. The dies in the collection, along with several other TE sets, make it easy to build an entry with fall colors.

When I purchase cardmaking supplies, I’m beginning to look at them through the lens of play value, a term often used when talking about children’s toys. A toy with high play value can be used in many different ways and continues to offer possibilities over time. Given the cost of many cardmaking products, I think it’s worth considering how many different ways a die or stamp set can be used. A door die set with accessory sets can have high play value. The door can be decorated for fall in addition to Halloween, Christmas, spring/Easter, and summer/Fourth of July (to name a few) with additional die sets. In this case, I received the Taylored Expressions Door to Door Collection for design team assignments, so cost wasn’t a consideration. Going forward, looking at supplies through the play value lens can help me decide whether a purchase offers enough creative possibilities to make it worthwhile.

Supply List

Taylored Expressions Dies: Door to Door 2, Door to Door -Molding, Door to Door Summer Décor, Door to Door – Fall, Little Bits – Leaves, Little Bits – Halloween Scene, Little Bits – Fall Harvest

Honey Bee Burlap embossing folder

Taylored Expressions Cardstock: Sweet Basil, Pineapple, Toffee, Poppy Seed, Sweet Potato Pie, Pumpkin, Sugar Cube

Bazzill Candy Buttons cardstock

Fall Quilt-Inspired Card

Hello! I’m really enjoying letting the season guide my cardmaking right now. For this card, I chose a palette of orange, navy, warm yellow, and off-white. To begin, I used the Taylored Expressions Quilted cutting plate die (now retired) to create a quilt frame from Lawn Fawn Speckled Eggshell cardstock. I love quilts, but I don’t quilt, except with paper!

- I heat-embossed the Penny Black 30-863 Autumn is Calling sentiment on Taylored Expressions Blue Corn cardstock, trimmed it to fit in the center square, and glued it to the back of the frame. I backed the frame with an A2-size panel of the Blue Corn cardstock and added the assembly to a card base.
- Next, I added texture to four cardstock panels (TE Blue Corn, TE Sweet Potato Pie, TE Pineapple, and Lawn Fawn Speckled Eggshell) with the Spellbinders Starshine Background cutting plate.
- Finally, I cut each pierced panel with the quilt die and inlaid the pieces into the frame.
- I finished the card with a die-cut needle and thread (TE Little Bits – Needle & Thread). It seemed like the perfect little detail for the quilt theme.

This is the kind of seasonal crafting I’m enjoying: choosing a few colors that feel like fall, working with the themes of the season, and finding new ways to use the supplies already in my collection. It’s satisfying to shop my craft room and discover that I already have everything I need.

Taylored Expressions | Fall Farm Scene

There’s something especially satisfying about building a little scene on a card. For this farm-themed design, I pulled out older Taylored Expressions supplies (from 2016). I combined them to create a cozy farm scene with a pickup truck, pumpkins, a barn, a tractor, and a windmill. An embossing folder adds texture to the foreground, suggesting a hayfield. I used an Elizabeth Craft Designs sentiment stamped on a cloud. This card came together with supplies I already had, and I enjoyed creating a seasonal card.

Supply List
Taylored Expressions dies: On the Road – Truck, Cloud Duo, Build a Scene – Rolling Hills, Little Bits – Halloween Scene, Little Bits – Fall Harvest, Build a Scene – Farm Fence, Little Bits – Barn, Little Bits – Tractor, Little Bits – Windmill
Taylored Expressions Weathered embossing folder
Taylored Expressions cardstock: Cherry Pop, Candy Corn, Sweet Potato Pie, Pineapple, Sweet Basil, Blueberry, Earl Gray, Sugar Cube, Black Licorice
Elizabeth Craft Designs Autumn Words sentiment set

52 Christmas Card Throwdown Sketch Challenge

Hello! Today I am sharing a Christmas card created for the Sketch Challenge at the 52 Christmas Card Throwdown.

I absolutely love participating in sketch challenges. The limited choice in terms of design pushes me to think innovatively. Instead of feeling restricted, I find that my imagination thrives! Additionally, challenges that don’t have specific manufacturer affiliations or brand restrictions make it possible for me to explore my vast collection of crafting supplies. I can reach into my stash of paper, stamps, and dies and mix-and-match!

I cut a 4 1/4″ square of the tree patterned paper with a now-retired Lil’ Inker stitched die and added it to a 4 1/2″ card base of TE Mulled Wine cardstock. (As I mentioned in this post, patterned paper offers a quick and convenient way to add character in cardmaking. I found a now-retired package of Taylored Expressions patterned paper with a variety of coordinating papers.)
With one of the Tag Stacklets 3 dies, I cut the ornament from patterned paper and Snowdrift cardstock. I used a die in the Build a Scene – Rolling Hills set to cut a snowbank from Snowdrift cardstock and added it to the ornament.
I cut a strip of the striped paper 1 1/4″ x 4 1/4″ and added it to the background and the ornament to the strip.
With the Taylored Expression Little Bits Snowman die set (now-retired), I cut the pieces and assembled the snowman. I used the Little Bits – Snowflake Confetti set to cut snowflakes from the Snowdrift cardstock. I adhered the snowman and snowflakes to the circle ornament and tied twine at the top.
I used the Savvy “Let It Snow” rubber stamp, (bought over a decade ago at the Impress stamp store in Seattle), for the sentiment and cut it with a die in the TE Mini Tags set (the set is now retired, although there appear to be similar small tag dies on the Taylored Expressions site). I added the tag to the ornament with an enamel dot.

This challenge gave me the perfect excuse to revisit forgotten gems in my stash.

Patriotic Fourth of July Card

Hello! Today, I am sharing a patriotic card for the Fourth of July.

I started with the Reverse Confetti Big Polkas Cover Panel, which I cut from Polar White cardstock. (You can see a Christmas-themed card featuring this cover plate here.)
I cut circles in red, two shades of blue, and Polar White with a circle die, sized slightly larger than the holes in the cover plate; I taped the circles to the frame on the back.
I used the Taylored Expressions Star Stacklets to cut stars out of navy and red cardstock. I attached the stars to the panel.
I used a now-retired set (TE Caps Lock – USA) to cut the letters from Polar White cardstock. (I cut the letters twice for additional depth.)
I created the smaller sentiment on my computer and cut it with a banner die.