TE Key Ingredients Challenge - October

It's the 15th of the month and that means it's time for another Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients Challenge!! Taylor's done it again this month - she's put together a FABULOUS kit full of perfectly coordinated goodies that will make card and fall project-making a breeze!! The kit this month includes some seriously yummy DP called Apple Cider by Imaginisce as well as Cinnamon Stickles, coordinating buttons and of course beautifully matched cardstock and ribbons. You can see a photo of the kit contents and read more details about the kit on the Key Ingredients Blog.

The October Key Ingredients Challenge is to make Simple Cards. Easy enough for me as my style tends to be clean and simple. However, the Key Ingredients Design Team really wanted to create a sample of cards that would be easily and quickly reproduced by beginner stampers, people who may not have a large supply of tools. So we were really challenged to limit ourselves to very basic tools and only the supplies in the KI kit. It was surprisingly easy and if I wasn't so pressed for time to prepare for my vacation (I'm still on the mainland as you read this!!), I could have easily mass-produced several of these cards with the kit and the pumpkin image from Gobble Gobble:


I also could have quite easily made a whole set of fall themed cards, each slightly different, by using a different image from the Gobble, Gobble set and changing up the DP slightly or even the orientation of the card (vertical vs. horizontal).

Now, Taylor and some of the DT girls decided we'd also share a "stepped up" version of the same card so you can see how easy it is to take a very simple card and make it a bit more jazzy. (ha! I totally just said "jazzy" for real. dude. lame.)


Anyway, I created the same card and added some messy stitching around the outer edges, a flagged sentiment strip - also from Gobble, Gobble, a couple of popped up pumpkins on the image panel, and a button cluster for a totally different look! I have to say I much prefer this second card, but if I was mass-producing or pressed for time - the first card is completely acceptable!!

The rest of the Key Ingredients Design Team are sharing their version of Simple Cards with you today as well, so be sure to stop by each of their blogs to see what they've done and I know several of the other girls are also sharing a "stepped up" version of their cards too. Check them out:
Jessica Diedrich
Lisa Hjulberg
Lynn Put
Melody Rupple
Rosie Hughes
and of course Taylor VanBruggen

If you're not already familiar, each month, Taylored Expressions mails out a new Key Ingredients Kit to subscribers. When you subscribe, not only do you receive your kit on your doorstep each month, you also get a 10% off coupon delivered to your inbox - good for anything in the TE store! We also have a special Key Ingredients Gallery full of fun project ideas using the kit.