Season's Greetings (February)

 

It is the last day of February, and it's time to share my monthly holiday card. As I'm writing this, I can see snow through my window - big, lazy clumpy snowflakes that dance around as they're picked up by small gusts of wind. It is my favorite kind of snowfall, as it just makes everything look peaceful and magical.

I've been thinking about slowly introducing some small personal challenges again to help boost my creativity. Lately, I've been staring at a blank page (or in this case card base) and feeling overwhelmed. There's so much I'd like to do and so much to create that I don't know where to start...

Hopefully, a small challenge will give me a starting point. I'll let you know how it goes - but hopefully, I'll have a few cards that to share at the end of it.

Thank you for reading!
~Elle~

Pink Winter Thanks

 

With this card, I'm wrapping up the month of January. It's been an interesting month in terms of creativity. I seem to have made things in bursts - producing a bunch at once, then taking a step back and making nothing for a while. It feels random and chaotic, but it still yielded results. I've got enough cards to take me well into February.

I think I would prefer something a little more constant. A couple of cards per week instead of 15 on the weekend... I'm still figuring out my schedule and working out how to get it all done. It's not easy most days, but I'm a big believer in making time to do things instead of waiting for inspiration to strike and hoping I won't be doing anything else when it does. Because, let's face it... I'm always doing something else when the inspiration strikes...

Warm Heart Penguins

 

Today's card is more playing with the Doodlebug cut-apart elements. Though I actually have a few pieces of this patterned paper left, I'm pushing out of the comfort zone and using a completely different background, from a different manufacturer. 

I've been thinking lately that one of the ways I can use my existing supplies more effectively is to not be afraid of mixing things up. I would rarely venture out and combine manufacturers, be it for paper or stamps. But it really opens up a lot of creative freedom to not be limited to a specific set - especially when I have a lot of papers or stamps that have the same theme.

This is something I will be experimenting with more in the future. For now, I'll just take small steps toward more diversity.

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.

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.

Penguin Greetings

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

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Alpaca Fun

This fluffy alpaca from Lawn Fawn has been sitting in my colored images stash since winter, and I really wanted to use him on a card along with the fun sentiment. Yes, it's another winter creation, but the fun palette could work for other seasons too.

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~

Heartfelt Thanks

Another wintry thank-you card -- this time with a walrus in a sweater. I love the whimsy in animals wearing sweaters and scarves, so this cute image was right up my alley.

It's hard to see in the photo, but there are light pink snowflakes stamped around the white panel. They add a fun little detail.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Winter Rabbit Thanks

I'd like to send a couple of thank-you cards to friends and family to let them know just how much I appreciate their generosity and and their time this holiday season. Although my mind is already thinking about spring, I enjoyed making this simple little winter card with a sweet bunny and a simple snowflake.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Thank You Bunny

I was having fun layering some goodies from Mama Elephant. I think it turned out pretty fun.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

White Thanks

I couldn't forget one of my favorite deer! This is a more subtle white-on-white look featuring Lawn Fawn and a gorgeous white birch tree paper.

Thanks for reading.
~Elle~

Thank you Deer

Thank you card #1 is a mini scene with distress oxide inks and a lovely deer from Memory Box. I like how it turned out.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Let it snow

One more fun winter card before I jump straight into thank-you cards for the season. Avery Elle's sweet raccoon is the perfect choice for this frosty mini-scene.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Unbelievable Holiday

Today's card features a cute little Birdie Brown yeti with a snowy scene. I used an oval shape for a panel, as it creates a fun design that's different from my usual rectangles and circles.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Fuzzy Sweater

Ever since I got the Cool Day stamp set from Birdie Brown, I wanted to make a big fuzzy sweater for this bear. I finally managed to make a texture I liked and I paired it with a fun striped paper and a whimsy sentiment.

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~

Cool Day Greetings

My Favorite Things - (Birdie Brown) Cool Day (retired)

One of my all-time favorite stamps is Birdie Brown's Cool Day. I just absolutely adore the two bears in this set and all the accessories match them so perfectly.

For today's card, I decided to keep it a very simple scene. A little distress oxide ink blending on the background and some time spent coloring and layering the elements is all I did. I'm really happy with how it all turned out.

Thanks for taking a peek!
~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~