Dragon Hugs

As you may have noticed, things have been a little quiet around here lately. With the Covid-19 pandemic situation, there have been a lot of changes - both for me personally and for the society as a whole. For a while, I found myself too stressed out to even think about creativity. But I'm slowly finding a balance again and hoping to get crafty and share what I've created here and there again.

My postings might be consistent for a while as I'm working through a backlog of cards I've made recently, but they might also get spotty again after. There is still a lot of uncertainty and a lot of time spent finding the "new normal". Hopefully, I can build up some momentum and get back to doing what I enjoy.


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~

Narwhal Christmas

Another whimsical card share, featuring a narwhal and a little dotted sea. I love the idea of animals in sweaters, so I just had to have this adorable stamp set from My Favorite Things. A snowflake background and some pink tones and this non-traditional Christmas card is done!

Thanks for taking a peek.
~Elle~

SEAsons Greetings!

If you know me, you know I absolutely adore quirky and unusual stamps. If there's a touch of whimsy, I can't resist it. So, when I saw this merman Santa from Waffle Flower, I just had to have it.

Once again, I created a fun little scene. I liked this patterned paper that seemed to merge the idea of snow and sea and fit perfectly with my scene. Don't you love when you find exactly what you need in your stash?

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Alchemist Witchy Cat

Studio Katia - Meowy Halloween

It's almost time for Halloween! I couldn't resist making another adorable card, this time featuring a witchy alchemist kitty from Studio Katia's Meowy Halloween. I got this adorable set both for the kitty and for the fun accessories.

I used my craft knife to cut out some holes where the kitty's paws are and tucked a green potion in. I just love how that worked out!

I paired the kitty and pumpkins with a bit of patterned paper from Doodlebug. I love the bright colors Doodlebug paper is known for, and they worked just perfectly for my card.

Thanks for reading.
~Elle~

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~

Green Thanks

It's time for another bits-n-pieces creation!

I had planned to use 3 critters on yesterday's card, but there wasn't enough room for them all. So, I used this adorable skunk by himself on a sweet little thank-you card. I paired it with a speech-bubble patterned paper and sketched a little hill with my Copics.

Thanks for taking a look!
~Elle~

Sky's the limit

My Favorite Things - Mini Cloud Stencil, Lawn Fawn - Blue Skies stamp

Today's card is another relatively clean and simple card using a chipboard sticker, stencil and a matching stamp sentiment. One of the things I'm really into lately is mixing and matching different supplies. A stencil from one company, stamp from another and ephemera from a third. I think it really helps stretch out all those supplies and hopefully inspires someone else out there.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Whimsy!

I have a whimsical card over on Some Odd Girl blog! Check it out. :D

Elle

Viking Love

The second card in my Love card series features a mini stamp from Avery Elle called Viking. I may have mentioned it before, but I love puns. I'm that one person giggling while everyone else is groaning when the pun lands. So, of course, I just had to have the Viking stamp set (and it seems I'm not the only one, as it's out of stock in many places at the moment I'm writing this post).

I started by stamping the viking onto some marker paper and colored him in with Copics. I went for simple earthy colors for his outfit. Since the sentiment is in his beard, I went with bright yellows and oranges for his hair. That way, I was sure that the sentiment would be visible. When I was done, I carefully fussy-cut him out with scissors, leaving a small white border.

I grabbed a cute heart patterned paper and adhered a strip of it to the right side of my top-folding A2 card base (4¼x5½"). I followed with a strip of shimmery gold cardstock, then a simple white panel.

To provide a a background for the viking, I used my mini round blender to swirl in some blue ink. I adhered the viking on top, using foam squares.

As a last touch, I added a couple of red hearts that echoed the patterned paper and scattered a few enamel dots.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Mice Christmas

Today's card features Mama Elephant's Festive Mice stamp set. When this stamp set was released, I was immediately drawn to the cute and whimsical style. But I hesitated buying it. It actually made it in and out of my cart quite a few times over a couple of weeks, and then I finally bought it. What made up my mind was that I still felt inspired each time I saw it over a period of a few weeks. A stamp set like that definitely ought to have a spot in my collection.

I kept this card very clean and simple, using some bright red patterned paper and a couple of strips of glitter gold cardstock to highlight the mice and the sentiment. I kept my coloring on the mice relatively monochromatic, with warm grays, red and a touch of pink.

As embellishment, I scattered a few sequins above the sentiment.

Join me this weekend for a chatty post about my plans for the new year!
Thanks for reading.
~Elle~

Topsy Birthday

Today's card features a digital stamp designed by my friend Paola, from My Whimsical Little World. The minute I saw this adorable topsy-turvy cake, I just knew I had to make a birthday card with it! How adorable are the 3 tiers and the loopy, whimsical decorations?!

After picking out a good size, I printed the stamp onto some Copic X-Press it blending paper. I colored it in with my Copics. I initially wanted to go with some really crazy colors, but in the end, decided to go with favorite flavors: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and caramel. I colored the bow and little round decorations in minty colors for some extra contrast.

Once the image was colored, I cut it down into a rectangle and rounded the corners with the 1/4" corner chomper. I adhered it onto a piece of Bazzill's Fawn cardstock. I also rounded the corners with my corner chomper.

I really liked the colors I used for the stamp, so I decided to carry them over to the rest of the card. I created a standard A2 card base out of kraft cardstock, then I grabbed a piece of coral cardstock and a doily patterned paper from the Basic Grey Paper Cottage collection. I cut the coral cardstock to 4 by 5 1/4" and the patterned paper to 3 3/4 by 5".

I decided to use some gorgeous tan satin ribbon, so I tied it around the middle of the patterned paper. I matted the patterned paper onto the coral cardstock with foam adhesive, then adhered the entire panel to the card base. I added the birthday cake panel to the card front with foam squares.

Lastly, I scattered a few coral enamel dots to complete the card.

Supplies:
My Whimsical Little World Birthday Cake digital stamp
Neenah Desert Storm Environmental Cardstock in 100#lbs
Stampin' Up Crisp Cantaloupe cardstock
Basic Gray Paper Cottage 6x6 patterned paper
Copic X-Press it blending paper
Scrapbook Adhesives 3D foam squares
Tan satin ribbon
Freckled Fawn Pinks enamel dots
Copics (R11, R22, R35, E23, E37, E39, E81, E50, E33, Y32, YG41, YG45, R05, R46, R59, YR32, YR15, Y13, B000)