Happy Summer

We're getting into August, and it already feels like the edges of autumn are about to slowly start seeping in. I haven't made very many summer cards this year, both due to being mega busy at work and just having other projects on my plate (hello OHC!). But I found a few super cute stamps in my stash, and I just had to get busy celebrating summer!

Today's card features Beach Babe Twila, a Roberto's Rascals stamp from C.C. Designs. I really like Roberto's line, both for its style and for clever designs. There are several stamps that are just perfectly funny, amusing and fitting my family.

I started by stamping Twila out in brown hybrid ink and coloring her in with Copics. I went for standard summer colors, adding some white polka-dots to her swimsuit. After she was colored in, I carefully cut her out with a pair of scissors, leaving a small white border.

I grabbed a kraft top-folding A2 card base (4¼x5½") and layered a couple of summer papers from my stash. I went with a neutral dark wood-grain and a rainbow stripe. I think those two work together really well and just remind me of a beach hut or summer cabin.

I stamped a sentiment onto a strip of white cardstock and adhered it to the card with foam squares. I added a teal doily underneath, and adhered Twila on top (also with foam squares). Since the card was already perfectly bright, I chose not to add any other embellishments.

Thanks for reading and happy summer!
~Elle~

OHC Round-up: Week 1

As I've mentioned before, I've made a ton of progress on my OHC project. So much, in fact, that I have oodles of cards to show and I'm starting to worry about being able to share them all before the year is up -- especially given that I've got a few other things up my sleeve I'd love to share.

So, I've decided to do a weekly OHC round-up, where I display a few cards at a time and get through that list a bit quicker. I will try to post a supply list under each card, but if I miss something, please feel free to let me know in a comment!

Without further ado...

OHC 74 (Masculine):

My Favorite Things: Inspired By Travel stamp (retired)

OHC 42 (Groovy):

Simon Says Stamp: Hand Lettered Encouragement

OHC 57 (Sea):

Avery Elle: Swim Team, Avery Elle: Knotty, Paper Smooches: Borders I die.

OHC 92 (Celebration):

Avery Elle: Bunting stamp, Mama Elephant: Carnival Cupcakes stamp, Lawn Fawn Hello Sunshine Paper and Flair (retired)

OHC 13 (Gold):

Simon Says Stamp: Big Scripty Greetings, My Mind's Eye Fancy That 6x6 paper

OHC 40 (Autumn):

My Favorite Things: Watercolor Flowers, My Favorite Things: Written in Watercolor, Avery Elle Harvest Collection 6x6

Phew, that's a lot of cards! :D

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

OHC 20 - Joy

Today's card uses Mama Elephant's Chance of Rain stamp set. I picked this stamp for its cute images as well as for the sentiments. I have several stamps and papers that have to do with weather or rain, so the sentiments will be very useful in my stamp collection. My favorite, though, is the sentiment about joy. So when I pulled OHC theme 20 (Joy), I just knew I had to use this set.

I started by stamping the girl, bear and umbrella onto some Copic marker paper. I used chocolate brown hybrid ink as it softens the image a bit. I colored them in with Copics, going with bright and cheerful colors. After they were colored in, I added a mouth to the girl with a brown marker and carefully cut the images out, leaving a small white border.

I wanted a fun background that incorporated a rainy weather. I started by adhering a piece of Lawn Fawn's Hello Sunshine (retired, sorry!) patterned paper to an A2 top-folding card. I had a piece of white cardstock that was the same size as the card front (4¼x5½"), so I die-cut it on one side with Lawn Fawn's Puffy Cloud border die. This gave me a fun and unique layout.

I adhered the images I had colored and cut out, then drew in an umbrella handle for the girl. I stamped the sentiment above the images with dark brown ink, then used a light teal to stamp a cloud around it.

Lastly, I used my Copic marker to quickly sketch a ground for the girl and bear to stand on.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

OHC 83 - French with SOG

Today's card features a lovely stamp from Some Odd Girl called Frenchie Gwen. I was really drawn to this stamp set for two reasons: 1) It's a lovely image with a super cute outfit that looked like fun to color, and 2) I have family living in an area that predominantly speaks French, so a stamp with sentiments in French is high on my "need it" list when it comes to supplies. So, when I pulled out OHC theme 83 - French, this was the stamp I reached for.

I started by stamping Gwen in black hybrid ink onto some Copic marker paper. I colored her in with Copics, choosing a palette of white, blue, dark grey and a hint of red. After she was colored in, I added some accents with a white gel pen and carefully cut Gwen out with a pair of sharp scissors.

I grabbed a couple of great patterned papers. The first was a simple navy with a tiny white polkadot, and the second was an air-mail stripe that brought in the touch of red that was accented on Gwen. I adhered the two papers to a white top-folding A2 card base (4¼x5½"). I then cut a chunky strip of white cardstock and added my sentiment in navy ink. I cut one end at an angle and adhered it to the card with foam squares.

I wanted to add a touch of gold to the card - the sparkle would contrast fabulously with the navy, so I added one of the awesome gold foil doilies from Some Odd Girl. Of course, the doily photographed very shiny, but I assure you that it's a lovely gold in person.

I adhered Gwen to the card with foam squares and then scattered a few enamel dots around for fun.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

OHC 51 - Spring

Today's card is a bit different because it's a spring card, and we're well into summer. But, I drew the OHC theme 51 (Spring) and that's what I had to create. For my card, I chose to use the fabulous Birdie Brown's set Somebunny.  This sweet set features some of the cutest bunnies in a variety of poses and sweet sentiments to match.

I started by cutting a tag shape out of Kraft cardstock, using the Stitched Duo 1 dies. I also die-cut a piece of orange patterned paper (from a Lawn Fawn paper pad that's now retired) and used a stitched scallop die to cut it to size.

I stamped the cute bunny and the flower cart onto some marker paper with brown hybrid ink and colored everything in with Copics. I carefully cut out the images, leaving a small white border. I adhered the patterned paper and the bunny to the tag shape, then tied an orange chevron ribbon around the top.

I matted a piece of mint polka dot patterned paper to a kraft panel and adhered them to a standard white top-folding A2 card base (4¼x5½"). I added the tag with foam squares. I wanted a subtle sentiment, so I found a small sticker in my stash that had a minty green color, and I added it to the card.

As a last touch, I adhered a few enamel dots to the tag.

Thanks for reading!
Elle

Jumping Roo

Today's card features the newest release from Some Odd Girl -- a hopping kangaroo digi!

Now, I have to admit, at first glance this little guy seemed challenging... Kristy has an amazing grasp of anatomy, and the 'roo looks realistic and charmingly cartoon-like. But once I settled on an idea, the card came together just perfectly.

After printing out the digi, I colored in with my Copics and carefully cut out the image. I wanted it to look like he was jumping in the clouds, so I die-cut a stitched round circle out of some cloud patterned paper. While I had my bigshot out, I also die-cut a cheery yellow paper into a stitched rectangle. I adhered all of the elements together, adding the 'roo with foam squares.

For the sentiment, I decided it would be fun to create a circular sentiment. So, I grabbed Owen's ABCs stamp and a pretty light teal ink, and made a nice bunch of round letters. I die-cut each with a tiny circle die and adhered them to the card with foam squares.

A few round enamel dots, and the card was done!

Please be sure to check out Some Odd Girl Blog to see amazing creations from the design team. They have done such an amazing job, and they've really made this stamp shine.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Chatty Sunday: Choosing Patterned Paper

Warning! Rambling long post ahead! For the tl;dr version, head down to Paper Checklist.

My wonderful friend Ka (check out her blog here!) left a question on my last post about how I choose what patterned paper to buy. And at first, I started answering in a comment, but as the reply started getting longer, I thought I'd better turn it into a proper blog post. Since it's chatty Sunday, it's a perfect time to jump into it!

First I have to disclose that I have a lot of patterned paper - and when I say a lot, I really mean a lot. Patterned paper is my favorite supply (even more than stamps!) and I've often put a stamp set back in favor of 2-3 patterned paper packs while doing my crafty shopping. All this has resulted in a very hefty patterned paper stash, with what I semi-jokingly refer to as my "towers of paper".

Now, I'm not saying that everyone needs a huge collection of paper like I do, but I very quickly learned that patterned paper really inspires me. The colors and the patterns make me want to get creative and get me thinking about new and unique ways to use it. I also notice patterned paper on other card-makers' cards and I'm especially drawn to cards that incorporate patterned paper. So, for me, patterned paper is an essential supply and I like having a lot of choices. I also happen to have room to store it, which is one thing that I know some crafters struggle with.

If you are short on space to store paper, I still encourage you to get a small selection of paper to use and play with. You may find yourself more careful about what paper to buy, but I firmly believe everyone needs at least 2-3 patterned paper packs in their stash.

A few months ago, I had a chance to re-organize my crafty supply stash and I paid a lot of attention to the paper. Being able to look at everything at once made a lot of things click for me and the result is that I've gotten a lot smarter at buying - and using! - my paper. So, I'm happy to share my experience with you and hopefully it will help out.

I first started buying paper when I got into card-making about 2 years ago. My early purchases included a couple of really large 'best of' 12x12" collection packs from K&Company - one was 365 paper collection, and the other was the Brenda Walton collection. At the time, they seemed like an incredible value - hundreds of papers at a fraction of the cost. But I quickly learned that they weren't great for card-making. The majority of the patterns were things I didn't really care for or see myself using. Of the patterns I did like, a lot were too large for the kind of cards I was creating. So, I put those packs into crafty storage and started buying 6x6 paper pads. In time, I found a few projects the big papers will be useful for (art journaling, altering projects, decoupage, etc). However, they taught me an important lesson: Quantity is not as important as quality. This is a lesson I learned pretty quickly - especially when it comes to crafty tools and essentials - but it's one I continue to remind myself of.

My foray into 6x6 papers started with shopping for bargains. I bought a lot of paper on sale in various stores and online shops. This seemed like a fantastic idea for someone on a budget, and I got quite a bit of fun papers this way. Since I was still trying to work out what kind of style I wanted for my cards, having a large variety of papers was amazing. However, I started to notice that I just did not use the paper. I did not want to use the paper I loved the most, and I saved it forever. But what started to happen was that, over time, I was less and less excited about the paper I really loved until it eventually stopped being inspiring altogether. Some of that had to do with my style evolving and changing over time. But at the core of it was the fact that I simply bought better and more exciting paper down the line. So, cue lesson #2: You will outgrow your supplies and there will always be more to inspire you. This is another lesson that I am still learning, and it has been radically changing the way I craft and shop for crafty supplies.

It was at this point that I started to really organize my crafty supply and start keeping track of what I was buying and using. I noticed that a lot of papers that inspired me the most came from specific lines and manufacturers (ex. Echo Park, Dear Lizzy, Fancy Pants, Pebbles, etc). So, I narrowed down to buying new paper pads from those manufacturers only, and this resulted in a ton of papers that I loved and found useable. However, the problem was that I was still buying a lot of paper and not using it as quickly as I was buying it. And while I liked the majority of the paper lines, there were still an odd paper pad or two that were a big challenge to use. My lesson #3 was: You don't need to buy everything your favorite manufacturer releases. This lesson in particular is something I'm working through right now and trying to apply to other crafty supplies.

So, after reorganizing my supplies (again), I've come up with a little check-list to use when buying patterned paper. I've been following this list for the past 6+ months and every single paper pad I've bought in that time frame has been filled with papers I've used and can continue to use. It works for me, and hopefully it will give you some ideas of how you can make it work for you.

Paper Checklist

•  Does it have at least 2 papers I absolutely adore? -- If seeing the paper makes me happy or makes me feel like creating something, it's worth buying.
•  Does it have at least 2-4 basics/classics? --  Polka dots, stripes and solids never go out of style. Make sure that your paper pad has a selection of these as it will make the pad easier to use by itself or in combination with other paper pads.
•  Can I think of at least 3 cards (layouts, themes, etc) I can make with this? -- Inspiration is great, but I need to be practical. If I can't think of at least 3 projects or unique ideas when I look at the paper, then it's not something I just have to have. This is particularly important for paper pads with unique themes, such as a paper line about cooking or a line about Independence Day. Some of those specific themes could prove not to be versatile enough for the majority of your cards, and you'll want to really think before buying them.
•  Does it go with any of my current paper pads? -- For this question, I mainly look at the colors and illustration style. I have a lot of bright and modern paper, so I know that paper with bright and contrasted colors will probably be easy to use. But I might take a little more care when looking at a vintage paper pad because it might not fit with the rest of my paper stash.
•  Which 3 stamps could I use with this paper pad? -- This question is probably the most important one. Look closely at your stamp sets and note what style they're in. If you have a lot of cute critters, for example, you might want to stock up on bright paper pads with basic shapes and cute icons. For flower stamps, you might want more classic pads with polka dots and stripes. While your masculine stamps could require a textured industrial feel. There is no paper pad that will have absolutely everything you'll need, so try to pick things that will work with as many other supplies as possible.

The list is, of course, not full-proof. I buy a lot of my paper online and there are cases where the paper pad looks slightly different from the screenshots. There are a few paper pads I've purchased because they looked just perfect on my screen, but turned out to be a lot more muted in person. I've still made them work, but I now try to look for a few cards or YT videos that showcase the paper. A lot of the paper manufacturers have a blog or FB page where they showcase their paper, so make sure you check out their website and social media, too.

Lastly, if you're just not sure where to start or you have a limited storage space, I strongly suggest first stocking up on a few basics. Basic/Classic paper pads stand the test of time and can be used in a large variety of project styles. 

Here are a few of my go-to and favorites for basic packs:
- Lawn Fawn's paper pads - especially Let's Polka line, which features stripes, polka dots and hearts. These papers fit in perfectly with Lawn Fawn stamps and can help you chose bright colors that go with the cute images.
- Avery Elle's paper pads - while these paper pads have colors that match the Avery Elle inks, the main reason I love is because they have some fantastic basic patterns and tone-on-tone looks. If you're not confident in creating your own color combinations, Avery Elle's packs come in a 4-color palette that fits together. So, you end up with 4 colors that you can use as a launching point to picking your own card palette.
-  Simple Stories Color Vibe 2 - this pad has a very large variety of colors, which makes it a great staple paper pad for your stash. The patterns are very simple and easy to use, so if you can get only one paper pad, go with this one.
- Echo Parks Dots and Stripes - this particular line of Echo Park paper pads features the classic patterns in a variety of colors. The nice thing is that the pads are divided by color range, such as pinks and browns for baby girl cards or teals and greens for baby boy cards.

 And, of course, I just had to share a few of my current favorite pads:
- Echo Parks Pirate's Life 6x6 - this paper line has super cute illustrations and I love the nautical theme.
- Pebbles Inc. Fun In The Sun 6x6 -  this line has bright and cheerful colors, modern design and a variety of classic patterns such as stripes, waves and gingham.
- Pebbles Inc. Cottage Living 6x6 - this line features some of my favorite color tones: peach, pink, mint and black. It also has several classic geometric shapes that make for a great background. 
- Authentique Radiant 6x6 - this line is a bit brighter in person than it looks online, but it has lovely warm tones and a great combination of colors. 
- Simple Stories Homespun 6x6 - the colors in this line are a bit more muted and features some fun and unique patterns. It's a good choice when you want to have brighter colors, but a cream background or less contrast than stark white.

Thanks for hanging in there with me through this massive post! There was just so much info to share. Hopefully, it will be useful to some of you out there. Have a creative day!
~Elle~

OHC 54- Secret

Today's card features the newest stamp from The Greeting Farm's Super Secret Stamp Club - Ezra. The second I saw this stamp, I knew I had to pair it up with OHC theme 54 - secret. The first thing that pops into my mind when I think of "secret" is a journalist uncovering the secret of the century! I guess all those mystery books, shows and movies have got me thinking about that. And how perfect is Ezra with his camera?!

I stamped him out in brown ink and colored him in with Copics. I carefully cut him out with scissors, leaving a small white border.

For the card background, I picked two fun papers from my paper stash - a cute speech bubble paper and a camera sketchy paper. I layered them together, then added a strip of black cardstock to create some contrast.

I used  the sentiment from Lawn Fawn's Here's the Scoop stamp set, added to a thin strip of cardstock. I angle-cut the sentiment strip and adhered it to the card.

As a last touch, I added a few black enamel dots, and the card was done!

Thanks so very much for reading!
~Elle~

SOG - Baby (DT)

I have a sweet baby project over on the Some Odd Girl blog. Be sure to check it out! I talk about how I created the card and give a few ideas of what you can do to switch it up. :)

OHC 01 - Friendship

Today's card features a cute little critter duo from The Greeting Farm's Wood Friends set. It also happens to be theme #1 in OHC - Friendship.

I started by stamping the deer and the squirrel with some black hybrid ink. I colored them in with Copics, then carefully cut them out with some sharp scissors. I made a little summer scenes for them on a piece of white cardstock I'd die-cut into a small rounded rectangle.

I found two fun pieces of patterned paper to use as a background. One is a subtle warm grey stripe, and the other was a fun polkadot. I adhered the two together and added them to a cream A2 card base (4¼x5½") with foam squares. I layered my scene together and added it to the card front.

I wanted to do something a little different for sentiment, so I stamped it onto a little tag I'd die cut from white cardstock. I adhered a strip of striped paper to the bottom, and decorated it with some bright enamel dots.

As last bits of decoration, I added a few more enamel dots and a white flag-shaped banner under the stamped panel.

Overall, the card is a bit busier than my usual style, but I like how it turned out.

Thanks for reading!

~Elle~

Color Monday - Navy & Gold

Today's card is a quick card that makes use of some of the supplies I've had in my crafty stash for a while now.

I started by creating a striped panel by alternating a piece of patterned paper and navy cardstock. Each strip was cut to ½" thick and glued onto some thin cardstock. I then trimmed it down and die-cut a circle near the top.

I lined a Kraft top-folding A2 card base (4¼x5½") with a piece of white cardstock that measured ¼" less. I trimmed my patterned piece to measure ¼" less than that, and adhered everything together using my standard adhesive and foam tape.

I got a set of great puffy stickers I've been meaning to use, so I adhered a typewriter to the middle of the circle and added a red heart to its paper.

I die-cut some white cardstock with Avery Elle's Just a Note die and used a gold gel pen to color it in gold. I adhered it to the card, then drew in a little heart with the same gel pen.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Illustration Friday: Waves

It's Friday, and it's time to share another self-made illustration! This week, what I really wanted to practice is my line-work -- i.e. get more comfortable with using a pen to draw directly onto paper. So, my illustration is the swirly sea you see in the image above.

My inspiration for the waves was a painting I saw a few years ago in a World exhibition at our local museum. The painting in question was from Japan and it featured lines and swirls in the sea, with bright Koi fish intermingled into the design. It was both fascinating and meticulous, and I loved the idea of making waves with thin repeated lines and swirls. I've seen the design since in a lot of modern nautical art, and I always enjoy seeing it.

I started this card by cutting out a stitched rectangle panel and stamping the boat from Avery Elle's Knotty stamp set. I stamped the boat in blue ink because I wanted it to be a bit faded and fit into the image in a subtle way. I quickly sketched in some pale color with my Copics. Then I drew in the sea! I didn't plan any of the images, I just started with one swirl and build up from there. Once I'd filled out a few of the swirls, it became a lot easier to figure out the rest.

After that was done, I used Copics to color in the background. I stamped my sentiment onto a thin piece of white cardstock and trimmed one end into a flag shape. I adhered it to the front panel.

For the background, I used nautical striped patterned paper (theme 49 for OHC was stripes!), and I adhered the front panel with foam squares. As a last touch,  I scattered a few enamel dots around the card.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Many Thanks Mod

There are so many things to be thankful for in life - from seeing hard work pay off, to unexpected bouts of good luck, or someone's kind gesture (big or small). If I was a fairy with superpowers, I would secretly tuck a card into everyone's hand so they can give it to people around them every day. And then I'd whisper that they should send a card to that friend that just helped them move the couch across the city, or the girl at the coffee shop that makes their drink every day. And just maybe it would make everyone's day a little bit brighter...

So, it's without much surprise that Thank You cards are both my favorite and the type of card I make the most frequently. You can pair any stamp with thankfulness - from happy, bouncy kids to serene flowers, or even go completely abstract and just play with shapes. For today's card, I decided to go with a mod kind of look, pairing a chunky black sentiment with some subtle abstract flowers and a piece of striped patterned paper.

I started by creating the front panel (in white). I trimmed a piece of white cardstock to measure 5½ by 3 3/4". I used Simon Says Stamp's Favorite Flowers stamp set to stamp 3 medium flowers. I used the new ink Duckling for the solid flower, then used Melon for the scribbled inside. These two colors are somewhat close on the color spectrum, so the result was a very subtle texture. Lastly, I stamped a bunch of small dots all around the flowers with Rosie Cheeks.

I stamped the sentiment from Many Thanks in black ink. The sentiment is from a set that Dawn (owner of WPlus9 - another one of my favorite companies) created in collaboration with Simon Says Stamp. The set itself has a lot of gorgeous watercolor flowers you could layer together - but I decided not to use them since I wanted a simpler and more subtle abstract look.

For my card base, I used a top-folding craft A2 base (4¼x5½"). I adhered the piece of striped patterned paper I found in my scraps stash about ¼" from the base's border. I then adhered the white panel on top, using my regular adhesive.

The transition between the white panel, the patterned paper and the base was a bit too smooth for my liking and didn't fit with the boldness of the sentiment. So, I grabbed a black pen and drew a thick line where each panel met with the other. This brought in that extra bit of contrast I really needed, but didn't bulk up the card in any way.

Lastly, I scattered a handful of sequins from Sparkle & Shine and Moonshine mixes around the front panel. I went with gold and clear because they mixed well with the other colors on my card.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

OHC 22- Red

I've occasionally come across questions about which color I find difficult to color with, and I've always replied that I don't really have one. And it's true! I love all colors and I'm happy to work with all of them, even if I tend to mainly gravitate toward bright colors. I've used red, for example, as a fabulous accent color and as the main color for many Christmas cards. So, it was never on my radar as a challenging color to use... until this card!

When I picked theme 22 from OHC (red), I thought this was going to be one easy-peasy and quick card that's bright and happy. But once I got down to coloring and choosing my papers, it was a lot more difficult than I'd thought. Red is a very commanding color and can even look aggressive. So, to use it as a main color on a card took a bit of extra thought.

I printed the adorable Giddy Tia digi from Some Odd Girl and colored her in with Copics. I chose to accent the red in her dress with golden yellow and gave her white hair - just to be a bit different. Once that was done, I carefully cut her out with a pair of scissors and set her aside to work on the rest of the card.


I grabbed a medium grey card top-folding A2 card base (4¼x5½") and adhered a piece of red patterned paper to the front. Then I added a gray strip of paper to break up the color a bit. Adding that gray did soften the red a little more and added just the touch of neutrality I needed.

For my decorations, I used a bright red doily from Doodlebug and some enamel dots I had in my stash. I adhered everything together and added Tia.

For the sentiment, I die-cut the word "happy" from a die and added "day" in alphabet stickers.

In the end, the card turned out a bit Christmas-y and definitely not the deep rich red masterpiece I'd envisioned before starting. But I think Giddy Tia makes it a super happy and cheerful card nonetheless.

Before I go, here's a sneak peak of my guest DT project over at Some Odd Girl blog. Please check it out! I had a lot of fun creating it. :)

Thanks for reading!!
~Elle~

OHC 48 - Love

The minute I saw Avery Elle's Geek Love stamp set, I just knew I had to have it. Not only is it absolutely adorable love set with great sentiments, but it is customizable! You can stamp different outfits, different hairstyles and generally have fun personalizing your favorite couple. I bought this set right at launch, and I've been itching to use it ever since.

So, when I pulled the One Hundred Cards challenge theme 48 - love - I decided this was the perfect occasion!

I stamped out the couple from Geek Love onto some Copic marker paper with brown hybrid ink and then colored them in with my Copics. I kept the coloring super simple and cartoon-like to match the cute image style. After the coloring was done, I carefully cit out the couple with a pair of sharp scissors, leaving a small white border.

I wanted to keep the rest of the card relatively simple, so I die-cut a piece of patterned paper with a stitched rectangle die. I chose the paper because it had cute hearts and a navy (more masculine) color. While I had my Bigshot out, I also cut a smaller stitched rectangle out of gray cardstock. This is going to make the background for my lovely couple. I also die-cut a red heart with this fabulous sketch heart die from Simon Says Stamp.

The card came together really quickly. I adhered the paper and gray panel to the cardstock, then stamped a little sentiment in the upper left corner. I adhered the red heart to it, then added my cute couple on foam squares. As a last touch, I added 3 little enamel hearts that were in the same tones as the patterned paper.

And there you have it!

I also wanted to add that you will probably be seeing a lot of OHC cards coming up. I've been doing really great with this challenge, and I'd really like to finish before the holiday season gets upon us and things get mega busy for me. So, I'll try not to be so repetitive and continue linking to OHC or using OHC in the title so much. I'll still make a note of what my theme is and you'll be able to click on the OHC label at the end of each post to see what I've done so far.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

SOG- Summer Gold

Today's card features a brand new digital stamp from Some Odd Girl - Drinks All Around Piper. I love how fun and summery this digi is, and how versatile it can be! You can color the bottles Piper is carrying as a beer for adults or fizzy soda for younger audiences. And how fun would it be to create a picnic-styled background to put Piper in?!

For my card, I decided to go a bit more abstract and use some fun summer colors -- yellows, golds, oranges and bright teal. I love how much this color combination pops, and it's just a quintessential summer for me.

I started by printing out Piper and coloring her in with Copics. I knew that my background was going to be yellows and oranges, so I made sure to use colors that would pop against it -- purple, blue and a touch of dark red for her hair. When I was done coloring, I added a couple of highlights with a white gel pen and carefully cut Piper out with sharp scissors.

The rest of the card came together really quickly. I cut down the piece of patterned paper with the rays and matted it onto some orange cardstock. I adhered it to the bright teal A2 card base (4¼x5½") with foam tape. I adhered Piper to the front, then added a couple of enamel dots as embellishment.

I have to admit, I struggled a bit with the sentiment. But then, I came across this chipboard sticker I've had in my crafty stash for ages, and it fit just perfectly with the card-- size was just right and the colors matched up. What a lucky crafty find!! I added it to the card, and the card was complete!

Please be sure to visit Some Odd Girl blog to see the other amazing cards created by the Design Team. There are so many different takes everyone had for Piper, it's so much fun to see.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Happy 4th of July, and a sale!

Happy 4th of July to those of you who celebrate it! I was inspired by the red, white & blue to create a quick nautical-themed card. I'm featuring Some Odd Girl's Mr. Octopus stamp today, all dapper with his monocle and cane.

Speaking of Some Odd Girl, they are having a fantastic sale at the moment!

Whether you're completely new to digital stamp or the proud owner of many digis, now's the time to stock up! I have way too many SOG favorites to name them all, but I really recommend grabbing Violin Gwen. She might seem intimidating at first glance, but she's fabulous for practicing your folds/shading. And that dress is just stunning!

OHC 31 - Birthday

Today's card is a simple birthday card featuring Lawn Fawn's Party Animal stamp set. It's also a part of my One Hundred Cards challenge (read about it here), with theme 31 - Birthday. Birthdays and thank-you cards are the cards I make and use the most, so theme 31 is especially useful to me.

Party Animal is one of my favorite stamp sets from Lawn Fawn's new release - and judging by all the lovely cards that feature this set, I'm not the only one that feels this way. This set is filled with little details you can use to create a fun card, so it is definitely worth having.

For my card, I started by die-cutting my front panels, using stitched rectangle dies. I then used the Puffy Clouds Borders die to die cut two cloud shapes at the top. I added a touch of color to the front panel with distress inks (Wild Honey for the bottom and Broken China for the clouds. Then I adhered everything together to a top-folding A2 card base (4¼x5½").

I stamped the two critters, balloon and birds onto some Copic marker paper with brown hybrid ink. I then colored them in with Copics -- I went for warmer colors, echoing the patterned paper and card base. After everything was colored in, I carefully cut them out, leaving a small white border.

I adhered the critters to the card with foam squares.

As a last touch, I stamped the sentiment from the stamp set onto a ½" strip of white cardstock. I trimmed it to size and added it to the card.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~