TAYLORED EXPRESSIONS JANUARY STUDIO CHALLENGE

Hey there, it's time for the Baker's Dozen Studio Challenge (a monthly opportunity for the DT to share what makes our stamping studios hum...each month we're asked a fun, crafty question so we can share our favorites, tips and tricks, stamping advice and more).

The question for January is:

Helpin' out a newbie!  It's so exciting when a friend discovers the joys of stamping. But do you remember how overwhelming it was to decide what to get when you were new to the craft?

You have a {hypothetical} friend who started stamping less than a year ago, and she is loving it!  She has some Christmas money burning a hole in her pocket, and she has seen your fabulous TE creations, so  she is asking for your advice on what stamping supplies to purchase. So let's hear your sage advice!

Okey-dokey then...my "friend" has some Christmas money ($100) burning a hole in her pocket and wants to make a card for her mom.  Her mom's favorite flower is a rose, and she would like to somehow incorporate both roses and her new-found love of Copic coloring into her project.  She already owns the Rosy Posey set, and has considered purchasing Rose Bouquet from the January release.  Although her Copic collection is small, she is interested in expanding it.  Her mom likes frilly, lacy things and the colors pink and red.  Since my friend has been stamping for roughly a year, she already owns many stamping supplies:  a good pair of paper snips, ScorPal, Big Shot, foam squares, adhesive, etc.

My advice:  Since my friend's mom likes lace, Lace Chain Border and Designer Mini Tags dies are both something I would recommend.  Both are very versatile!  After selecting the stamps/dies she is interested in, I suggest spending the rest of her money on her Copic collection, purchasing them in color groups of three for the best blending.  My friend is a lucky girl...Copic markers are on sale in the TE store right now!  Whoop!

Copic coloring tips:  when working with reds, consider including an E marker to deepen the shadows and always...always, remember to add shadows to ground your image!  Take your time and layer your ink for extra depth.

Here are a couple card samples that I made with the stamps/dies that my friend was interested in.  The first card uses Rose Bouquet.  It was stamped, colored with Copic markers, fussy cut then popped up on foam.  The background is a white panel that was scored diagonally (both directions).

Here's the inside...more scoring.

COPIC COLORING: 
RED ROSES:  E09, R27, R24, R22, R21  PINK ROSES:  R85, R83, R81  LEAVES:  G46, YG25, YG23, YG21  SMALL FLOWERS:  R000  VASE:  C6, C4, C2, C0  TAG/SHADOW:  C4, C2, C0

SUPPLIES:
STAMPS:  TE Rose Bouquet
PAPER:  Neenah Solar White
INK:  Copic markers; Memento Tuxedo Black
ACCESSORIES:  Spellbinders Grand Calibur; Taylored Dies Designer Mini Tags; paper snips; ScorPal; The Twinery Blossom twine; Micro Glue Dots; SU Dimensionals; Zig 2-Way Glue pen; adhesive
TECHNIQUE(S):  Fussy cutting
SIZE OF FINISHED PROJECT:  A2 (4 1/4" x 5 1/2")

     

The second sample features the set Rosy Posey (which my friend already owns).  It was also stamped, colored with Copic markers, fussy cut then popped up on foam.  A ScorPal was used to create the background, and the Lace Chain Border die is a nice addition to complete the card.

Here's the inside...scoring and the Lace Chain Border ties the inside to the front.

COPIC COLORING: 
ROSE:  E09, R27, R24, R22, R21  LEAVES:  G46, YG25, YG23, YG21  SHADOW:  C4, C2, C0

SUPPLIES: 
STAMPS:  TE Rosy Posey, Valentine Doodles
PAPER:  Neenah Solar White
INK:  Copic markers; Memento Tuxedo Black
ACCESSORIES:  Spellbinders Grand Calibur; Taylored Dies Lace Chain Border; paper snips; ScorPal; SU Dimensionals; Zig 2-Way Glue pen; adhesive
TECHNIQUE(S):  Fussy cutting
SIZE OF FINISHED PROJECT:  A2 (4 1/4" x 5 1/2")

          

Don't forget to check out the rest of the Baker's Dozen blogs to see what they recommended for their friends!

Carole Burrage
Charmaine Ikach
Jen Shults
Kerri Michaud
Lynnette Kauffman
Sankari Wegman
Shannon White
Shelly Mercado
Stephanie Kraft
Tammie Edgerton
Taylor VanBruggen
Wanda Guess 


Thanks for stopping by!