Hello Girl

 

A while back, I purchased a few pieces of 12x12 scrapbook paper with the idea of trimming it down to use as a card front. Most of the papers ended up being far too large and too finicky to use on a card, but a couple of pieces looked like they could make a good focal point.

I combined one of those focal points with a die-cut from a die-cut pack. While it's not one of my more complicated cards, I feel like it was a good learning experience - if nothing else, then how to be more careful and selective about my purchases. I still have several 12x12 papers, but they are using as backgrounds when I take card pictures. 

If I do purchase more of 12x12 paper, I will pay more attention to the size and scale of the pattern.

Simple Hello

 

Looking back through my old cards, I found that I used this exact stamp with a similar concept - using patterned paper as a way to anchor and incorporate the sentiment. I really like how it turned out and wanted to revisit it.

Sometimes it's fun to look back on my old cards for inspiration. Even if I use the exact concept and the same stamp, it can still look and feel different just by switching up a few of the other elements (like the background or the layout). Inspiration can really work in interesting and unexpected ways.

Cinnamon Autumn

Thanks for checking out my card!
~Elle~

Make a Wish

Quick birthday card share today. I hope you're all having a fabulous Monday.

Thanks for reading,
~Elle~

Sunny Day

Today is not a sunny day, so a bright and sunny card is just what the doctor ordered. Once again, I played with some watercolor and the sweet girl from Rainy Day to make an abstract scene.

I used some yellow ink for my sentiment and I think it ties perfectly with the card base and the girl's coat.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Sweet Friends

Continuing on with a clean-and-simple look, I made this quick card with a bit of ink blending and a fun costume for the two kids.

Some days, a quick and simple card is just about all I can manage - but it's lovely when it comes together in a way that makes me smile.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Nautical Thanks

In a nautical mood today, I thought I'd make a thank you card with this sweet Pure Innocence sailor girl I'd colored ages ago. Although her outfit color does not match with the background, I think it fits really well and pops. That's one thing I much enjoy - playing with palettes and contrast.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Mint Love

In contrast to yesterday's pink creation, today's girly card is all about mint. I paired the adorable unicorn from The Greeting Farm with a pretty sparkle patterned paper and a die-cut panel. I found the perfect sticker in my sticker stash for the sentiment and a few sequins just rounded everything off perfectly.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Pink Rock

Today, I'm sharing another fun and girly card - though with a palette swap, this could easily be a boy card. I love the little rocking critters from Mama Elephant and I'm happy to use them on another card. The sentiment from Paper Smooches fits just perfectly, doesn't it?

Thanks for reading.
~Elle~

Pinky Birthday

I'm working on my card stash again, and noticed that I was still in dire need of some birthday card. I thought I would start with a girl card - and that, of course, had to feature bright balloons, pink, stars and unicorns. I used the unicorn from The Greeting Farm and I think she turned out super sweet.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Princess Birthday

Pretty Pink Posh - Trick or Treating Friends

In my post a couple of days ago, I mentioned how versatile this trick-or-treating stamp set would be for cards other than Halloween. So, I decided to use one of girls and color her as a lovely and sweet princess.

I also pulled out an embossing folder to create a textured background for my focal panel. I don't use my embossing folders very often, but I think they can add a lot of interest to a card -- especially when I want that tone-on-tone look.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Sweet Thanks

Neat & Tangled - Better Together stamp, Echo Park - Sentiments Word die

Today's card is a cute little thank you card featuring a couple adorable kiddos from Neat & Tangled's Better Together stamp set. I was drawn to this set because I loved the illustrations, and I can see how easy it would be to color the kids up to look like your own kids/grandkids. And the scripty sentiment words featured in the set (like hugs or hello) are ones that I can see myself using often.

I paired the images and the thanks die with a grid patterned paper and added a piece of purple-colored vellum for some extra texture/dimension. I finished everything off with a few enamel dots.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Bright Lounge Fairy

Some Odd Girl - Lounge Fairy digi, Avery Elle - Bottle It Up (sentiment, retired)

It's been absolute ages since I used a digital stamp, so I thought I'd give it a go with my favorite digi company-  Some Odd Girl. I just love Kristy's designs and this bright lounge fairy was no exception. I used the classic fairytale palette - pink, white, green and yellow, but I kicked it up a notch by adding an ombré color to her hair.

Since the image itself was so large and detailed, I kept the rest of the card really simple by combining a striped patterned paper with a scalloped edge white panel. A quick sentiment and a few enamel dots finished everything off just perfectly.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Nurses make a difference

The Greeting Farm - Cheeky Nurse (retired), Simon Says Stamp - Stripe Greetings

I really enjoyed coloring the cheeky nurse for my previous project, so I thought I'd ink her up again and make another encouraging card. As with the other card, I combined a neutral color (grey) with a pop of white and red. I kept the layout very simple, as it highlights the stamp better.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Hello Sweetie Pie

The Greeting Farm - Cheeky Cherry Pie (retired)

For today's card, I played around with some shapes and a palette I don't usually go for - yellow and green. I used My Favorite Things Blueprints 25 (retired) and a stitched circle die, along with a hello die. I paired the die-cut elements with a lemon patterned paper and added some enamel dots and word stickers to finish everything off.

Thanks for taking a look!
~Elle~

CAS - Ruby

The Greeting Farm - Ruby (retired), Hero Arts - Written in the Stars (retired)

A very clean-and-simple quick card for today. I used a cute retro stamp called Ruby and a hand-sketched border around the card to add a bit of whimsy.

Thanks for taking a look~
~Elle~

Fairwee Jilly

C.C. Designs- (Sweet November) Fairwee Jilly (retired)

A couple of weeks ago, I shared one cute fairwee fairy, and I wanted to share another one today. This is Jilly, and I just love her cute curly hair. I decided to try the layered look again, adding some die-cut cardstock and foliage.

Since the card had a fun layered look, I pulled out some resin flowers and rounded the bottom right corner of the card. I added a pre-made sentiment strip and scattered a couple enamel dots around the page.

Thank you for reading!
~Elle~

Bits and Pieces: Beachy Sunshine

C.C. Designs - Beachies stamp

Today's card features the Beachies stamp from C.C. Designs. I had the striped panel sitting on my desk from a previous card, and I grabbed the red polka-dot swimsuit girl from my colored images stash. I thought they paired together great.

I went for a really simple design that makes the girl and the sentiment shine. I used some letter stickers to spell out Hello, along with a sunshine sticker. I think this gave the sentiment a wonky whimsical feeling that goes perfectly with the summer theme.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Pin-Up Birthday

Today's card adds a bit of retro/pin-up motif to my card stash. I really like the birthday sentiment with its art-deco font, and I had to dig through my stash to find a perfect image to go along with it. I liked the cheeky pin-up look of this nurse from The Greeting Farm, so I just had to color her in and add her to the card.

I kept the rest of the card very simple, using a red polkadot patterned paper and some enamel dots to finish everything off.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Suns(hi)ne

It just wouldn't be a unicorn card if I didn't try for a pink creation. With the scalloped border and plentiful hearts, this turned into a very girly and cute little card.

Thanks for reading,
~Elle~