Warm Heart

 

Doodlebug paper pads sometimes have a cute cut-apart sheet that has little scenes that feature cute critters or even sentiments. I always want to include them on a card, but I'm often unsure how to incorporate them into the design without making the card seem too simple. So, I would set them aside until I could figure out what I wanted to do with them.

One of the things I've noticed is that I tend to overthink some of my creations. I find them to be too simple or too plain and then end up not sharing them. But I've realized that I'm being too hard on myself, especially given that the cards that I find to be "too simple" are cards that end up being an inspiration for someone out there (and they tell me about it, much to my delight!).

 So, I am going to make an effort to post these types of cards more, too. I will be dubbing them my practice cards, as they often end up being a project where I work out a layout, a color palette or embellishments that make the next card even better. I feel vulnerable sharing things that I'm not 100% happy with, but I think it's important to normalize imperfection and share things that are a part of growth in the creative process and not just the end result.

Sending Love

 

At the end of 2019, I had spent a couple of weeks coloring and fussy-cutting some wintry images with the thought that I would make holiday cards throughout the year (and not be overwhelmed again when holiday season rolls around, as I inevitably get each year). I didn't make any holiday cards in 2020 - with the exception of a small "thank you" set I gave away as a gift.

Having pre-colored and precut elements really makes card-making faster, and I didn't want my hard work to go to waste. So, I'll try to incorporate the elements into cards throughout this year. They won't all be holiday cards - I want to challenge myself to use some elements in more general cards, such as birthday and thank you cards. But I hope to make at least one holiday card per month and get my Christmas card stash a little more bulky for the end of 2021.

This card combines some wintry animals with a few layers of patterned paper and die-cut panels. I like the combination of warm colors with the icy snow setting. I think it feels like a warm and cuddly winter hug.

Sending hugs

 

 2020 has been a rough year, both personally and for the world as a whole. The majority of this past year has been focused on staying safe and healthy. And though creativity is good for reducing stress, card-making was just more than I could handle most days.

I spent most of 2020 journaling. Not in the pretty kind of art journals that are worthy being shared, but the "let me get this on a page and out of my mind" stream of consciousness writing that kept me sane on most days. The only decision I had to make was which colored pen to use that day.

Things are still not great, but they're slowly getting a little better. So, I'm easing my way back into creativity and slowly getting back into card-making. It won't be on a regular schedule most of the time, but at least I am making the effort of using my supplies again.

Here's to 2021 being a good year.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Penguin Greetings

Another wintry card, with a cute penguin and a snowy sky.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Lots of Nutsy Love

We're getting close to Valentine's Day. While I won't be making a ton of Valentine creations this year, you may see a couple of lovey-dovey cards in the next couple of weeks. I thought I'd start today's card with a cute critter. It's not a love set, but I think it works.

Thanks for reading,
~Elle~

Foxy Grey Thanks

Wouldn't be fall without more cute 'n cozy woodland critters.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Thank you Raccoon

Some patterned papers intimidate me a little, but I'm always glad when I can make them work. Especially when I can pair them with a cute woodland creature...

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Happy Bear-thday

A simple birthday card today.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Feel Better soon

Filling up my card stash with some card types I never seem to have enough of - birthday and feel better. With the cold and flu season making its way through friends and family, I need a few simple cards I can send to cheer people up.


Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Oh Snap!

I know, I know. We're nowhere near Christmas, but I really wanted to play with some of my winter stamps. Though winter holiday season is still far away, I do occasionally like to test out a few ideas or prototypes throughout the year to (hopefully) make my holiday projects quicker.

So, today's quick share is a simple little card where I play with a layout and some patterned paper.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Rainy Day

It is a bright and sunshine-y day here today, but I really wanted to play with the adorable Rainy Day stamp set from Hello Bluebird. I created a really simple little scene using some watercolors. I've been desperately needing watercolor practice, and this was a great card for that.

I practiced layering colors and mixing a few colors to get a more desaturated/darker look. I think it turned out pretty fantastic!

Thanks for reading.
~Elle~

One on a Chameleon

Another sweet Lawn Fawn critter - this time a chameleon. I had a ton of ideas for this tiny stamp set, but I went with something pretty simple this time around. I think it turned out pretty fun and I enjoyed using a more lime-green than I usually gravitate toward in my green tones.


Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Dino Cookie

When I was young, I thought it would be incredibly fun to have an unusual pet - such as a pocket dinosaur. A living, breathing dinosaur - only so tiny it would fit in my pocket. I remembered this recently and thought I would illustrate it on a card.

So, here is my pocket dinosaur stealing a cookie ('cause that's what pocket dinosaurs do).

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Penguin Christmas

And since cute Doodlebug stickers were still sitting on my crafty desk, I had to make just one more card -- this time with penguins and a scripty Merry die.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Navy and Grey Greetings

I thought I'd switch things around a little bit and try for a more sophisticated palette of white, gray and navy blue. I did make it very cute again by adding Pix and her tree, but I like how frosty the card turned out. I was inspired by the background paper and thought it would be fun to try out a different layout.

Thanks for taking a look!
~Elle~

Pix's Holiday Greetings

Mama Elephant - Pix's Happy Holiday

It's been a couple of really busy weeks for me and I've been itching to get back to my crafty endeavors - more specifically, I've been wanting to make some holiday cards so I'm better prepared for Christmas this year. In the past, I've seriously underestimated just how much time I would need to get ready for the holidays, so I'm definitely starting earlier this year.

For today's card, I really wanted to use Mama Elephant's Pix's Happy Holiday. I thought I'd make a cute little scene with a not-so-traditional palette. I think it turned out really cute, and now I have the difficult task of trying to figure out who I should give it to.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Bonjour Bunnies

Mama Elephant - Pix's Favorites

Today's a very busy day, but I couldn't resist putting together this quick and simple little card.

I hope you're having a wonderful day!
~Elle~

Goodbye Summer

Simon Says Stamp - Funny Food stamp, Ice Cream Dream stamp

As it's officially fall now, I thought I would make one last summer card. It would be a fun card to send out as a way to recap our summer and just to say a quick hello.

I used some bits and pieces I had in my embellishment stash, as well as cute summery images from Simon Says Stamp and a sticker from Tim Holtz's Chit Chat sticker pad. I think it turned out pretty cute.

Thanks for reading.
~Elle~

Happy Fall

Thank you for joining us on our LDRS Creative inspiration week blog hop! We are showcasing lots of gorgeous projects using products from our new release. You can even see them in action with step-by-step projects by our amazing designers on their blogs and our own LDRS Creative Youtube channel (make sure you subscribe)!

We have TWO new designer paperpads bursting of colours, with awesome patterns all ready for your projects called Happy Fall and Wicked, with a perfectly coordinated Wicked cardstock pack! There are EIGHT stamp sets that are simply fabulous: Winds are Blowing, Happy Fall stamps, Happy Fall sentiments, Winnie Broomstick, Winnie Dracula, Winnie Magic, Fall Full O Leaves and The Magic of Fall sentiments! But wait, there is something brand NEW in the store, stencils! We have leaves and plaid patterns just in time to use with the NEW mini ink cube sets (Cobblestone and Jewelry Beads)! We also have new die sets that can be used as accessories or full backgrounds:  Spooky Hat, Punkin, Wicked Boot, Apple A Day and Autumn Breeze Peek-A-Boo. And for the first time at LDRS Creative, you can grab them in bundles, because you KNOW you need them all!

Simply use the list at the end of the post to keep hopping!

Each day we are giving away a $50 LDRS Creative gift card to one lucky hopper! To enter leave a comment on each blog in the hop, plus follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Winners will be announced on the LDRS Creative inspiration blog on September 4^th.

AND for the release event we are excited to offer some great savings!

Save 15% on the new release* and use code HAPPYFALL

(*Coupon valid until midnight EST 9/3/18)

Although I'm super excited about the entire autumn release, the moment I set my eyes on the Happy Fall stamp set, I was head over heels! Not only does this set feature adorable autumn mice, owl and bunny, but there's also a few accessories and some lovely sentiments that are perfect for autumn cards. You'll definitely see more of this set in my autumn card series!

I decided to keep this card very CAS - with just a few details to make the adorable images shine. I added a strip of patterned paper from the Happy Fall paper pack, along with a skinny strip of black cardstock. I think this really grounds the card and helps balance out the white space of the front panel.

After stamping out the mouse and owl, I colored them in with my alcohol markers and fussy-cut them out. Like yesterday, I used the Coffee Bean mini ink cube from the Cobblestone collection. I cut a little rectangle of white cardstock and blended a quick blue background to help the focal images stand out. I adhered the mouse and the owl with foam squares, and added the panel to the card front at an angle.

A simple sentiment and a couple iridescent sequins helped tie everything together.


Hop along and leave a comment so you could win!

Day 2:

LDRS CREATIVE BLOG
Raluca
Melanie
Rebecca
Andrea
Kirsten
Elle [You Are Here]
Thi

And make sure to be back tomorrow for more inspiration!

Jelly Hugs

Lawn Fawn - So Jelly

For today's card, I went in a nautical direction and made a fun little creation featuring the starfish and jellyfish from Lawn Fawn's So Jelly stamp set. I kept the palette fairly monochromatic - but I finished it off with some sparkly iridescent sequins that bring extra shine to the focal panel.

I also used one of my coveted Lawn Fawn wood veneer that has been sitting in my stash for ages. Since the veneer is retired, I hesitated a little about using it. It really fit the card, though, so I just had to add it in.

Thanks for reading.
~Elle~