Friday, June 30, 2017

LF: Sloth Smile

I couldn't resist playing with Lawn Fawn's Hang In There stamp set some more, so I gave scene building another try. For this adorable sloth, I made a little topiary by stamping leaves (both first and second generation stamping), and then lightly went over it with the blending tool. This gave me a very soft, dreamy look, which went great with the little smiling critter. I used the Smile sentiment from Into The Woods (an oldie, but a goodie) to bring in some pinky red to go with the reddish undertones of the branch.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

YNS: DT Dare!


It's time for another Designer Dare! Your Next Stamp gave us a challenge to make something with the theme "Just For You" - a theme that's both wildly open to interpretation and focused enough to get those creative gears going. My first thought when I saw the theme was the upcoming Father's Day and making a special gift for dad.
Dads can wear many hats - from hard-working providers to strong "rock" protectors to goofy fun-loving best friends - and each dad is a little bit different than the next. Some dads love sports, others would rather spend their time looking through a telescope or playing a video game match. But regardless of their interests, virtually all dads always need one BIG thing -- Time. Every Dad (and Mom!) I know wishes they had more time for something. So, in our family, we've made a tradition that the best gift we can give to someone on their special day is plenty of TIME to do what they feel like doing.

This is where today's project comes in - it's a coupon book meant to give Dad some time to enjoy his favorite activities. It could be a night out with the boys, or a "no chores" break for one day. With the coupons and help from his family, Dad is guaranteed to find some time to do the things he loves.

To decorate the coupon book, I used the brand new Waddles - Bring on the BBQ stamp set. I loved Waddles for this project, in particular, because there's a big variety of Waddles stamps in the YNS store that can be used to personalize each coupon. You can find a winter-loving Waddles, a baker Waddles or even a relaxing-on-the-beach Waddles. With just a few sets, you can have an entire adventure's worth of fun activities.

This project is a great project to do with children. Your little ones can help you come up with coupon ideas, decorate the cover or even help write descriptions. It's a great way to get them involved in creating something special for dad without breaking the bank.

Head over to the Your Next Stamp blog to see more takes on this fun challenge.

Thanks for reading,
~Elle~

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Bits 'N Pieces: Kraken Birthday

It's time to make another Bits 'N Pieces card! This is where I take some ready-made elements from my stash and put them together on a card. For today's card, I'm using the kraken from Lawn Fawn's Lovable Legends.

I adhered the kraken to a scalloped rectangle die-cut and added a skinny birthday sentiment. It looked a bit like a label, so I played with the idea of having it go on a notebook. In the end, I placed it onto a striped pattern paper. To make the space at the top look less empty, I added a banner and a heart. Looking at it now, it looks a bit like a page bookmark, so I'm happy with the design.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Saturday, June 10, 2017

YNS- New Release Blog Hop!



This post is a part of the Your Next Stamp June blog hop, where we're sharing fun and adorable projects to inspire you into summer and beyond. You can play along with us by hopping along! The more blogs you visit and comment on, the greater your chances of winning a 25$ gift certificate to the Your Next Stamp store.

If you've taken a look at the Your Next Stamp store, you know that there's an abundance of my favorite type of stamp: cute - whether it's adorable critters you can't help but cuddle or boys and girls embarking on adventures, there's so many adorable bits and pieces to choose from. And then there's my all-time favorite gumdrops... I use enamel dots on virtually every card I make, and Your Next Stamp gumdrops are by far a favorite.

For my blog-hop project, I've created a bright and cheery masculine birthday card.
I played with primary colors - yellow, red and blue, and paired it with the simple sentiment and my favorite gumdrops! A little bit of masking and some creative trimming gave my card a fun edge that draws the eye to the sentiment.

The Handyman stamp is a fantastic set for any guy (or girl!) that loves tools, home improvement and fixing the many household objects we need on a daily basis. One of my favorite things about this set is that it has all the basic tools and you can choose whether you want to make them super cute by adding a smiley face or leave them plain. This adds so much more versatility, since you don't have to worry about selectively masking parts of the stamp if you don't want your tools to smile.

You can find the Handyman stamp right here. And remember, if you're quick, you can grab 20% off your entire purchase with this code:


Ready to keep hopping?



Friday, June 9, 2017

YNS: June Release!

I was fortunate enough to be asked to guest design for Your Next Stamp again this month. I had so much fun during my last design spot that I just jumped at the occasion! June's release features a lot of fantastic stamps, themed for fathers, 4th of July and summer splash fun. For my card, I decided to use Splish Splash Fun - which has an adorable kitten and her toad friend playing in a pond.
I used my favorite summer template - bright blues, warms yellow and a touch of red. I echoed my palette through some patterned paper, a sunny card base and polkadot ribbon. As a decorative touch, I added a few of the sparkly gumdrops in the corner.
You can grab these awesome goodies and more from the new release over at the Your Next Stamp store. And to celebrate this new release, there's even a special discount code that works on your entire order. How awesome is that?!



Wednesday, June 7, 2017

You Rock! with Mama Elephant

Mama Elephant's Rock and Paws stamp set was one of those sets that I thought was cute, but I passed on it right at release. I already had a couple of band-camp stamps, and I didn't think I needed yet another musical critter group. But the more I saw it pop up, the more I loved it until it finally made it to the top of my wishlist and I'm glad I got it!

My first idea for this set was to pair it with a watercolor background. I chose a bright teal in my PH Martin's Hydrus watercolor set and did an absolutely simple background. I actually used several layers of color, but I think I blended them out a little too much. I added a few splatters once the background was dry.

I colored the critters with very light, pastel colors. I think this helped them pop off the page.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Monday, June 5, 2017

Hellloo... with Lawn Fawn

Lawn Fawn's Hang In There was a recently-released stamp set that I just could not resist. I love the sweetness of the images and the sentiments, and the lower price was a great bonus. I took the time to stamp out and color several variations of the sloth - I played with different shades, and that was a great coloring practice.

For this card, I went with brighter colors, and I echoed those bright tones in the colors I chose for my patterned paper and cardstock. I paired the striped blue paper with a textured pink cardstock and used scallops to add a fun feminine touch.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Traveling Thanks

I originally got the Reverse Confetti Bearing Gifts stamp set just before Christmas - with the intention to make some "thank you" cards for the overwhelming abundance of gifts we received throughout the season. But, as it often happens, the holiday prep took too much work and those thank you cards never happened. Of course, I'm taking it as a lesson-learned moment and plan on making my thank you cards over the summer instead -- much less pressure and a chance to carry the holiday cheer throughout the whole year.

With today's card, I thought I'd practice making a scene card. I'm not as masterful at scenes like my friend Kylie is, but I wanted to tailor this card in particular for friends and family that live far away from us. To play on the idea of long-distance, I brought in a map patterned paper and a French sentiment. I think it added a great personal touch.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~


Saturday, June 3, 2017

Deep Hello!

As you may have noticed, I have not shared any crafty updates since mid-April. A part of it was that life and work have been very hectic (as it happens!) and another part is that I've been trying to focus on creating - rather than blogging or organizing. The good news is that I've now got a lovely little stash of cards to share and blog about. The not-so-good news is that I'm still in a mega-busy mode at work for a few weeks that will make my updates sporadic... But something's better than nothing, so I'll be sharing my creations as often as I can.

For today's card, I've used Avery Elle's That Bites stamp set. It's a smaller and more affordable set featuring fish with chompers - something that makes them very whimsical and masculine. For my palette, I went with a combination of orange, yellow and blue. This created a nice contrast, while still invoking the water/nautical theme.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~