EPH- Shoot for the Stars!

Today's card is a simple one, featuring a couple of ephemera pieces I love but never seem to use on cards myself - wood veneer and buttons. I think both wood veneer and buttons look absolutely charming on cards, and I love seeing them unexpectedly on people's creations. But whenever I go to use them myself, I hesitate and worry I won't be able to make them fit.

So, I tried to add a couple of buttons and wood veneer to my card today, and they worked out great. They fit the scattering of detail I was going for and helped tie in some colors.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Idea: Anchor

Dina Wakley - Mighty Wave stencil

A while back, I started an idea notebook - a stenographer notebook where I would jot down card layout sketches, color palettes and general ideas or techniques I wanted to try. It was my own version of a Pinterest board that I could look at and use without a tablet/phone/computer. But for whatever reason, I haven't used it a whole lot lately.

So, I thought I would dust off the notebook and start sharing cards made with the ideas I wrote down. For today's card, the idea was to use a wavy water stencil and an anchor die to make a dreamy nautical card. I added some patterned paper and stars for extra interest, and I really like how it turned out.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Timber!

Sugar Pea Designs - Timber stamp.

Okay, confession time... For a few years now, one of my favorite cards to make for Valentine's day is a lumberjack card. I don't know what it is about lumberjacks, but I just adore them and I really enjoy putting them on love cards. They make for a card that's both mushy (because love cards kind of always tend to be) and masculine. Plus, who can resist those plaid shirts?!

This lumberjack stamp is from Sugar Pea Designs and I've colored it several times, so I can hand them out as a Valentine to a few friends/family. I paired today's lumberjack with a dark red woodgrain and made a very simple little scene.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Purple Valentine

C.C. Designs - Roberto's Rascals: Cupid stamp

I wanted to round off my card selection for the Cards from the Heart card drive, so I came up with this simple little card. I used purple instead of pink and I love how adorable the jumping cupid looks.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Sliced Bread

Simon Says Stamp - Funny Food stamp

I had just colored this cute little piece of bread when I decided to look through my stash to find a paper to match it up with. Lo' and behold, I found a polka-dot paper that reminded me of the Wonderbread packaging dots, and I thought that was just perfect! I kept the rest of the card very simple, but I think it turned out fun.

Thanks for reading,
~Elle~

More Cupid Love

C.C. Designs - Cupid, Simon Says Stamp - Small Love You die, Simon Says Stamp - Scallop Borders die

Of course, I couldn't resist making another card with the adorable Cupid stamp, so I went with a more traditional look featuring hearts, scallops and a glittery "love". I also used an aqua color on the heart that Cupid is holding just to add a bit more contrast.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

CAS Valentine

C.C. Designs -Roberto's Rascals: Cupid, Simon Says Stamp - Hello Beautiful

Today's card is another CAS Valentine for the Cards from the Heart drive. I decided to use the adorable Cupid stamp from C.C. Designs, along with a sentiment from Simon Says Stamp's Hello Beautiful. Since the drive does have some requirements, I kept the card super simple with the image and a few pops of pink.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Nessie Thanks

Lawn Fawn- Lovable Legends stamp, Lawn Fawn - Thanks die

I wasn't sure if I wanted to share a card today. The card itself was made when I was feeling under the weather, and it's far from my favorites. I feel like there's bits missing and I'm not sold on the placement of everything. Still, it's a daily card that I finished, so I figured I would share.

Thanks for reading,
~Elle~

Pizza My Heart

 Simon Says Stamp - Funny Food stamp

Of course, I just could not resist making one more stamp featuring Simon Says Stamp's Funny Food set. This time, I decided to feature one of my favorite food combinations- pizza and fries. I don't have it often, of course, but it's one of those comfort junk foods I had when I was young that reminds me of home.

I used a speech bubble die to create an area for my sentiment and paired the images with a warm orange polka-dot paper and a few glittery enamel dots.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Celebrate Little Things

Today's card was inspired entirely by the little quote on the sentiment sticker: celebrate the little things. I love the idea of taking joy in and celebrating small things - especially when they're little things that delight us. Sometimes, it feels like we just run from one big thing to the next (especially holidays) and it's so important to slow down and take the time to appreciate small daily victories.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Mermaid Heart

Honey Bee Stamps - Swimming By stamp

Of course, I could not resist making another card featuring Honey Bee Stamps' adorable mermaid. For this card, I was inspired by a foiled enamel hearts that I got from Freckled Fawn.  I just loved the combination of bright red, gold and a little white - so, I used that as inspiration to color my mermaid. I added a few jewelry details (pearls, necklace, bracelets) to match the rich palette.

To bring the nautical feeling, I used a striped blue patterned paper and I die-cut a heart from aqua vellum to repeat the heart element. For the sentiment, I used a sticker with a lovely quote.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Otter Smiles

 Lawn Fawn - Winter Otter stamp, Lawn Fawn - Into the Woods stamp

For today's card, I decided to play around with the layered look I so love to see. I paired the cutie from Lawn Fawn's Winter Otter mini stamp set with a sentiment from Into The Woods. For the rest of the elements, I dug into my die-cut/ephemera box and pulled out some panels and foliage.

I like how it turned out, but I definitely need to practice this style some more.

Thanks for reading.
~Elle~

Mermaid Birthday

 Honey Bee Stamps - Swimming By stamp, Bo Bunny - Boardwalk 6x6 paper

Today's card features a stamp by Honey Bee Stamps called Swimming By. Honey Bee is a new-to-me company I discovered through Amy R.'s YouTube videos. I think they have some really fun designs and they seem to be doing wonderful and innovative things with their sentiment stamps and dies. I'll probably invest in a couple more sets down the line (I have my eye on Perfect Blend and Blah Blah Blah, in particular).

I colored the adorable mermaid as a blonde with cool blues and greens. I added some dots with copics and my white gel pens as texture on her tail. I paired the mermaid with a gorgeous underwater paper from Bo Bunny and embossed the sentiment in white. As a last  touch, I sprinkled a few enamel shapes around.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

EPH - Anchor

Today's card is another ephemera card - this time featuring a sticker set that came with a 12x12 paper collection. I don't buy a whole lot of 12x12 paper collections - partially because I have so much paper already, but also because quite a bit of the patterns tend to be too big for A2 cards I usually make.

However, I still have quite a few 12x12 sticker sheets that I want to use up and pairing them with scenic/complex paper works out just great.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Donut Worry!

 Simon Says Stamp - Funny Food stamp

I had a lot of fun with the Funny Food set on my previous card, so I decided to make another! This time, using the cute donut.

When I think of a happy color, I always gravitate to yellow. Golden yellow is the color of sunshine, and in my mind, it's the color of a smile. So, I paired the vanilla donut with the white icing with a yellow stripe.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

One in a Melon

Simon Says Stamp - Funny Food stamp

Today's card features a cute little set from Simon Says Stamp called Funny Food. I love puns, so this punny little set was a must-have for my stamp collection. I kept this card very flat and simple, so I could send it along to the Cards From The Heart Card Drive.

I colored the melon image with Copics and fussy-cut it out. I know this set has coordinating dies that cut around the little feet/arms, but I didn't purchase the dies, so I had to make-do with my trusty scissors. I paired the image with a red gingham that reminded me of a picnic tablecloth. A few dabs of Nuvo drops finished off the card.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

NT - Love Ya!

Neat & Tangled- My Favorite Nut

Of course,  I had to make yet another card with the adorable My Favorite Nut set. This time, I decided to go in a slightly different direction and made a card featuring mostly orange. It's nice to branch away from just pink a little, and the addition of kraft and grey makes for a really fun palette.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

BB- You Make a difference

My Favorite Things - BB Birthday Bears, Simon Says Stamp - Stripe Greetings

For today's card, I wanted to do something a little unusual. I found a tiny little umbrella in my colored images stash, along with a tiny little cloud and I thought it would be sweet to pair them together with Birdie Brown's Birthday Bears. I just liked the idea of a big bear making a tiny cloud happy by letting it rain on a tiny umbrella.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

EPH - Country Thanks

Simon Says Stamp - Big Scripty Greetings

Simon Says Stamp - Wavy Scallop Stitches

My Favorite Things - Fab Foliage

Today's card is another ephemera-inspired card. I still had the jar from Dear Lizzy on my desk, along with a couple of white foliage pieces and I decided to combine them with a scripty Thank You greeting.

Since the jar and foliage had a country feel, I paired them with a kraft card base and a piece of gingham patterned paper. With the scalloped border, it reminded me of a summer picnic in the country and I think that fit with the feel of the card.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

LF- Monster Valentine

Lawn Fawn - Lovable Legends, Lawn Fawn - Puffy Cloud Borders die, Lawn Fawn - Monster Mash (sentiment), 

Lawn Fawn - Stitched Party Banners die

Since I was in a Valentine's kind of mood, I thought I would make a card that was just a bit more suited for a boy. So, of course, I had to use a Nessie monster and a monster hugs stamp.

For this card, I made my own cloud stencil using the Puffy Cloud Borders die, and I sponged some Wild Honey and Spiced Marmalade distress inks to make clouds. I used some Salty Ocean for the sea. I added the panel to a striped patterned paper and tied a soft seam-binding ribbon in the pool tones underneath. A couple of enamel dots hide the banner holes and add a glittery detail.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

NT - Pink and Kraft Love

Neat & Tangled - My Favorite Nut, My Favorite Things- Love & Adore You die, My Favorite Things- BG Romantic Script Background Stamp

Since I still had Neat & Tangled's My Favorite Nut images on my desk, I decided to make another card using this set. This time around, I made my own tone-on-tone background using kraft ink on MFT's Romantic Script background stamp.

I really like the combination of pink, white and kraft for love cards. I think the kraft adds a woodsy, warm feeling and it contrasts great with pink and white. So, those are the colors I chose for my card base, ribbon and patterned paper.

I wanted to try something a little different with the sentiment, so I die-cut the words love and you out of kraft cardstock. It gives the sentiment a raised watermark look, that's subtle bit still easy to read.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

LF- Unicorn Hugs

Lawn Fawn - Winter Unicorn, Simon Says Stamp - Sending die

For today's card, I went to my "colored images" box and pulled out this little unicorn. I wanted to keep him the focus of the card, so I opted for yet another CAS design. I added the sentiment with a die and some letter stickers, and the enamel dots round out the card.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

NT- Valentine Nut

Neat & Tangled - Favorite Nut

Today's card features Neat & Tangled's My Favorite Nut stamp set, and it's a fun Valentine-themed card. I played with the idea of making a Valentine's series, as I'd like to send some cards in for Cards From The Heart Card Drive this year, but I don't know how many extra challenges I can handle beyond the "card every day" goal I've set for myself. If you do have some spare time, though, I recommend taking part in the card drive. The cards need to be received by January 31st, so there's still a couple of weeks to participate.

Since the card drive has some requirements, I kept my card very CAS. I colored the image with Copics and added some texture with colored pencils. I added a simple panel and a striped background, along with a little paper pink heart.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

EPH - You & Me

Today's card is very, very simple, but it features a couple of ephemera bits I've been meaning to use. One is the fun chipboard sticker ampersand. It came as a part of a whole bunch of chipboard stickers, but I never used them even though they looked like fun. I decided to use it today, paired with a very simple sponged background and some letter stickers. I also found some matching enamel heart and dots to add just the tiniest bit of texture.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Magical Life

My Favorite Things - BB Magical Unicorns, My Favorite Things - BB Magical Dragons

Today's card features Birdie Brown's wonderful illustrations from Magical Dragons and Magical Unicorns. I wanted to pair the two for a glittery, girly kind of card with lots of pink and princess magic. I think it makes both a lovely encouragement card and a lovely Valentine's card.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Floral Smiles

Continuing on with another ephemera-inspired card! This time around, I used a bunch of ephemera from Dear Lizzy collections, along with florals and a "Smile" die-cut by Echo Park. I used a palette of teals and yellows for a fresh and crisp feeling.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

EPH- Just Because

I have a lot of ephemera and embellishments floating around my crafty stash. Some of it is cut-aparts from paper packs, others is embellishment packs that I bought or that came with a kit or goodies sent by friends. And most of them are really very lovely. But I find that I really don't use them often - despite the fact that I love them and that they inspire me.

So, I'm challenging myself to make something pretty with them. I've pulled out a bunch of pieces that seemed interesting, and I'll be incorporating them into my designs.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Stash Kit Project: Info 2

I originally wrote about the Stash Kit Project in August of 2016, and I've had several questions about it since. So, I thought that I would make a follow up post to expand on the idea of making kits from your stash.
 
The first big thing that I want to mention is that the purpose of a stash kit is to give a jump start to your creative process and to make card-making easier. What that entails may be very different from one crafter to the next - as it could be anything from simple organization (a box with all the essentials to make a card without having to pull out a million supplies), to inspiration (a project to get you warmed up and get the creative flow going), to learning (a box with all the supplies for trying out a new technique).

Another important thing to mention is that you are entirely in charge of what the kit is and how you use it. My friend Maggie does scrapbooking and she takes the leftovers (ex. letter stickers that don't spell out anything, flowers in colors/designs she doesn't like, cardstock with blemishes) to use as layout practice. When she likes a layout design, she sketches it out and uses it with the supplies she loves. And my friend Amélie makes her kits based on supplies used on a cards she made and loved. She includes a photo of her original card in the box, and she can quickly use the kit if she wants to recreate the look.

Lastly, I wanted to share a few ideas for making a couple of unconventional stash kits:

Inspiration Kit:
This is a great kit to use on those days when you just don't feel motivated to create - maybe it's been a long day and you're tired, or maybe you feel overwhelmed by your stash. Sometimes we just need a starting point to get us going.
- Add inks, cardstock and/or patterned paper that fits a certain palette.
Try going for colors you don't use often or combinations you haven't used on a card in a while.
- Make a "mood board" featuring embellishments, layout/card sketches and stamp/die combos.
Sometimes being in the right mind-set is the inspiration you need. Having a small collection of supplies to use together could really get those creative gears going.
- Add an old supply you've had for ages and one of the newest things in your stash.
Pairing the old with the new is a great creative exercise and it really helps you feel like your stash is a working collection instead of individual pieces.

Themed Kit:
This type of kit is excellent both for crafting in a hurry (last minute cards) and filling up your stash of cards you'll need throughout the year. I find this type of kit to be excellent especially for cards that are more challenging to make, such as sympathy or masculine cards.
- Add a variety of stamped sentiments, including several font and color choices.
You can stamp your sentiments on banners, for example, or heat-emboss them onto cut-out panels.
- Add several style options, ranging from mature and serious to young and funny.
Since the kit isn't meant for a single card, a group of elements will give you enough choices for several cards without overwhelming you.
- Include quick basics such as card bases, stickers, pre-colored stamped images, die-cut shapes/panels.
This will ensure that you'll both be able to make a card quickly, but also spend extra time playing around with placement, combining different supplies if you wish to.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

You make my heart melt...

My Favorite Things - You Make My Heart Melt, My Favorite Things - Dots & Stripes Confection 6x6

More cold weather means more wintry cards, though this time I decided to make a love card. I used the adorable kitty and owl from MFT's You Make My Heart Melt stamp set, and I brought in the watercolors again. This time, I went with a purple scheme, as it was cold enough to fit a winter environment, but still a lovey kind of color.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Hi There

Simon Says Stamp - Stripe Greetings stamp,  Colorbox - Chestnut Roan Brown chalk inkpad, Lawn Fawn - Stitched Scalloped Borders die

Today's card needs a bit of an explanation. I got into card-making as a hobby somewhat accidentally. I was looking for something I could make as a Christmas gift (since we have a tradition of including home-made gifts for Christmas) and I came across Kristina Werner's videos. Of course, I was immediately hooked and binge-watched video after video. From there, I went tumbling down the rabbit hole and here we are today!

For today's card, I wanted to make something that was inspired by the old techniques and supplies that nudged me into card-making. I made a really simple card, but I think it turned out pretty fun. I think I'll use this layout again sometime.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Cold Hello

C.C. Designs - Rustic Sugar Clove With Coffee

As the cold front continues today, I thought I'd share another wintry card with you. This time, I'm featuring a stamp from C.C. Designs that I've blogged about before, though in autumnal theme. I made a scene with a bit of masking and ink-blending, and added a vintage feel with old text paper and inking up the center panel edges.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Happy New Year!

 My Favorite Things - Skisons Greetings, My Favorite Things - Calm & Cozy Chevron 6x6

It is officially 2018, and we're off for a fantastic and crafty new year! A couple of posts back, I shared my crafty goal for 2018 - and the big one on that list was to make a card every single day. Yes, that's 365 cards to create this year! And since my one word for 2018 is CREATE, this goal seemed particularly fitting.

Since it's very cold here today (hovering at around -25 degrees!), I thought it was appropriate to share a winter-themed card. I pulled out MFT's Skisons Greetings set and some watercolors to make a chilly card. For embellishment, I used a combination of snowflake sequins, iridescent sequins, enamel dots and Nuvo drops. I set everything against a neutral chevron patterned paper.

Thanks for reading, and have a very happy new year!
~Elle~