Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Texture-happy

Tim Holtz - Dot Matrix & Gridlock Texture Fades embossing folder, Simon Says Stamp - Medium Tags die (retired)

For today's card, I decided to play around with texture a little bit and I used an embossing folder that came in a card kit. I don't use embossing folders much, but I do like that they can give both visual and tactile interest to a card. So, I decided to use Gridlock folder on my front panel. I do like how it turned out, and I think I'll have to play with embossing folders again in the future.

I paired the embossed panel with a simple tag, a sticker sentiment and some enamel dots. A small ribbon ties everything together.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Hello Beautiful Mermaid!

 Honey Bee Stamps - Swimming By stamp

It has been terribly cold and snowy here lately and that, apparently, put me in the mood to make a mermaid card. So, I grabbed the lovely mermaid from Swimming By and colored her to look like Ariel. Little Mermaid was my favorite childhood movie, so I just had to give her that iconic red hair.

For the rest of the card, I used a die-cut circle frame and some letter stickers that I playfully arranged around the frame. A striped background and a scattering of enamel dots finished everything off.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Monday, February 26, 2018

Roses friend

WPlus9 - Coming Up Roses stamp, Mama Elephant - Friend Script die

You may recall me gushing about how much I loved this card, so I thought I'd try to recreate that grey and pink color combination on a new card. I think I did pretty well, but I'll definitely have to play with the color combo again.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Sunday, February 25, 2018

LF- SMASHing birthday

Lawn Fawn - Year Seven stamp

I wanted to create a birthday card for my card stash, and I thought this adorable Lawn Fawn stamp would be perfect. I matched it with a colorful patterned paper from my stash and a circle die-cut. I'm still not convinced it's the best card ever, but I think it's festive enough to make a fun birthday card.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~


Saturday, February 24, 2018

Bits 'n Pieces: Purr-fect

My Favorite Things - Happy Haunting stamp, Pink & Main - Not Too Spooky 6x6


This is an unusual card for this time of year, but I found a set of stamps I'd colored for Halloween and never used on a card, and I just had to make something with it. I used My Favorite Things' Happy Haunting stamp and some lovely paper from Pink & Main. A bit of mirror paper and some enamel dots rounded everything off.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Friday, February 23, 2018

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~

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Hogs 'n Kisses

Simon Says Stamp - Birthday Farm Animals stamp

For today's card, I chose to focus on the little pig from Birthday Farm Animals. I think he looks hilarious with the goofy eyes and the little party hat. I knew I wanted to keep this card in the sunshine yellow tones, so I added a few touches or purple to make some contrast. I added some Stickles over the balloon for a touch of glitter and a few sequins.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Cupcake Thanks

C.C. Designs - Cupcakes & Balloons stamp, Simon Says Stamp - Thanks stamp

Today's card was a tough one. Not because it's a complicated design or technique, but because I was just not sure how I wanted to finish it off. I really wanted to use the oval dies to create a portrait-like panel, but it left me with no good place to put a sentiment - and the card just felt too empty without one.

Finally, I settled on a small die-cut strip with ziggy edges and placed it over cupcake girl's legs. I'm still not sure that I love the placement, but it made the card feel finished.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Kraft Birthday Goat

Simon Says Stamp - Birthday Farm Animals

I liked the simple sunshine card I made earlier, so I thought I'd combine the CAS design with the cupcake goat from Birthday Farm Animals. I was playing around with a one-layer element for the background, so I pulled out Gathered Twigs distress oxide ink. I blended it in a circle and sprinkled a few drops of water for that oxidized texture. It didn't quite work out the way I was hoping it would, unfortunately, so I added some splattered white paint.

I adhered the image, a sentiment sticker and a few enamel dots. It turned out okay overall, but I think I'll make some changes next time I use this technique.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Monday, February 19, 2018

Bits and Pieces: Burning Bright


Today's card is another bits and pieces card. I found this colored lightbulb and stamped sentiment in my bits and pieces stash and I thought they would go great on a simple card. I like the combination of yellow and gray, so I grabbed a sunshine yellow card base and a strip of gray-striped patterned paper. Just a few sparkly enamel dots added the finishing touch.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Sunday, February 18, 2018

Moo-tiful birthday

Simon Says Stamp - Birthday Farm Animals stamp

Since last week was very girly with ponies and unicorns, I thought I would even the score a bit this week and make a few neutral or masculine cards. I decided to use Simon Says Stamp's Birthday Farm Animals stamp, as it features quirky and fun animals that aren't too sugary-sweet.

For today's card, I made a bit of a layered scene, adding 3 farm friends together to celebrate that birthday. Since the cow was already holding a banner, I didn't need to add a sentiment (which was perfect because the animals took up a lot of space!).

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Hello Sunshine

Doodlebug- Mr. Sunshine Doodlepops, Simon Says Stamp - Sunshine die

Today's card is extremely simple and it features a layered sticker from Doodlebug. They call these stickers "doodlepops" (which is adorable) and I have a small collection of them going. They're a bit pricey to use all the time, but they're perfect for a very special card.

I paired the sticker with the die-cut "sunshine" and a little sentiment strip from a pack of planner stickers. I set everything against a kraft patterned paper and the card was complete.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Friday, February 16, 2018

Pinky Hello!





Simon Says Stamp - Small Hello die, Simon Says Stamp - Dot Scallop Border die, The Greeting Farm - Hello Unicorn

Okay, I promise, it's the last pony card for a while - but I, once again, just couldn't resist making one more cute card.

For today's card, I paired the unicorn from Hello Unicorn with some fun dies I got from Simon Says Stamp. I've been wanting the dotted scallop border die for ages now, and I finally got it as a part of a Christmas gift. It's definitely one die I'll have to play around with more.

I colored the unicorn in very soft peachy pinks this time. I really like the palette and I think it looks feminine without being too baby-like.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Red and Gold

The Greeting Farm - A Lil' Magic, The Greeting Farm -Your Wings

You guessed it! More fun with ponies today, featuring A Lil' Magic and Your Wings stamps. I went with a slightly different palette this time, bringing a pop of bright red and golden yellow to a polka-dot pattern background.


Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Sweetheart





Today's card features a little shaker tag that came as a part of a Simon Says Stamp card kit. I haven't gotten as many kits in 2017/18 as I have in the past years, but I still haven't used them as much as I would like. Though - I now think a part of that is just due to seeing soooooo many people do "1 kit, 10 cards" videos/blog posts that it leaves me wanting to do something entirely different.

I'm excited to pull out those stamps, dies, paper and embellishment now that time has gone by and use them in a completely different concept.

And, of course, as today is Valentine's day, this card seemed especially fitting.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

EPH- Coffee Thanks






Today's card is a very quick creation made from bits and pieces I found in my ephemera stash. I really liked the two coffee cups and how well they layered together, so I added them to a woodland background paper. I like how all the elements play together.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Monday, February 12, 2018

Starry Hello

The Greeting Farm - A Lil' Magic stamp

It's the beginning of a new week, and hopefully one that will be better than the last. I am still on a pony kick (because I can't stop coloring their hair!), so today's card features another lovely unicorn - this time in green.

I paired her with a rainbow paper and then pulled out a stencil to add even more rainbow goodness to the stenciled stars. I die-cut a sentiment from black cardstock and finished everything off with a few enamel dots.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Sunday, February 11, 2018

Gimme Coffee

 Simon Says Stamp - Coffee and Tea stamp

I drink coffee-  not too much, only a cup in the morning and a cup in the evening. But it's enough to make appreciate this amazing drink and to agree with the sentiment on today's card. With enough coffee, anything IS possible - including a mad crafty dash to compensate for life putting a full stop to crafting. I've had a very difficult and busy week, but I still managed to stay true to my goal of making and sharing a card every day in 2018. Coffee helped. A lot. :)

Thanks for reading.
~Elle~ 

Saturday, February 10, 2018

TGF - Violet, Make A Wish

The Greeting Farm - A Lil' Magic stamp, Doodlebug - Fairy Tales 6x6

Today's card features a very sweet little unicorn from The Greeting Farm. Aside from the lovely design, one of the things that drew me to this stamp set is the hairstyles- and I love using my Copics to color hair. This time, I went with purple tones, which matched up with the patterned paper I wanted to use. I added a bit of extra depth with colored pencils, and rounded off the card with some enamel dots.

I kept the card very simple, so the pony (whom I've named Violet) could take center stage.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Friday, February 9, 2018

Love You Flower


Today's card features more goodies from the recesses of my crafty stash. This card started with the lovely flower die-cut (from 1 Canoe 2's "Hazelwood" paper line). I really loved the color scheme of the flower - coral pink with dark grey and black. So, I found some matching enamel dots, along with a piece of chalkboard polka-dot patterned paper. Simple sentiment and some foam tape for depth, and that's the card for today.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Cup of Tea

 Simon Says Stamp - Coffee and Tea stamp

Of course, I couldn't just make a coffee card with Simon's Coffee and Tea stamp set. I had to make a tea card, a very girly pink tea card that's complete with a doily and some glittery gold enamel dots.

I had fun coloring the teacup and using a dot technique to add an interesting texture and a bit of an ombré effect with different pinks. The yellow accents are shimmery and sparkly, which ties in perfectly with the glitter enamel dots.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Golden Breeze

My Favorite Things - (PI) Sailor Girl (retired)

Up until this card, I had gone very traditional in my sailor girl coloring - mostly white with a touch of red or blue as an accent. But I thought it might be fun to add another summer color - golden yellow. I think it added a different feeling to the card, and it definitely made me dig into my paper stash to find some colors to match.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

EPH - Hello Camera


I'm not sure how I feel about this card. There are parts of it that I think are fun - like the stars, the squishy letters and the stripes. But then, as a whole, it feels a little underwhelming. Of course, I'm my own worst critic and I'm probably just unsure because this isn't quite my usual card style. But, we get nowhere without experimenting.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Monday, February 5, 2018

Coffee and Friends

Simon Says Stamp - Coffee and Tea stamp

This stamp set came in a card kit back in February 2017, and it was one of those kits that I just HAD to have. And then, of course, I disassembled it and put everything away before using it after it lounged around my crafty desk for a few months. Now that it's almost a year later, I figured it was about time to pull out the adorable stamp and make some pretty things with it. And voila! A card for today.

I added a bunch of fun papers, enamel dots and shapes to this card. I especially love the little coffee beans around the coffee cup - they're just adorable!

Thanks for reading,
~Elle~

Sunday, February 4, 2018

PI- You Float My Boat

My Favorite Things - (PI) Sailor Girl (retired), My Favorite Things - Nautical dies (retired)

It's time for yet another nautical card featuring the adorable Sailor Girl stamp. This time around, I went in a more conventional "nautical" theme and paired the girl with some sailboat paper and a pop of bright red as a card base. I added a porthole window out of shiny silver paper (that's really hard to capture on camera, btw, as it always looks just white) and a sea made from vellum.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Hello Darling

Reverse Confetti -  Christmas Bear stamp

I originally colored this adorable bear from Reverse Confetti to put on a Christmas card, but he somehow never made it there. Instead, I decided to use him on a more modern "Hello" card instead. I paired the bear with some patterned paper I've had in my paper stash for a very long time, and added pop of brightness with the hot pink "hello".

That pink is not my go-to color, I admit, but I think it fit in just perfectly on this card. Sometimes it's fun to pop out of my comfort zone like that.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Friday, February 2, 2018

PI - You are my Happy

 My Favorite Things - (Pure Innocence) Sailor Girl (retired), My Favorite Things - Essential Sentiments stamp, My Favorite Things- Fab Foliage die

Today's card features a stamp I fell in-love with ages ago, but somehow never got around to using - My Favorite Things' Sailor Girl. I was lucky enough to grab it just before it was retired, and I wanted to make good use of it.

I tried a different style with this card, adding some resin flowers and foliage for something that feels a bit more feminine and vintage. But since I used bright colors, it still feels modern and matches my Copic coloring on the girl.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Cut above the rest

 Sugar Pea Desigs - Timper stamp, Gina Marie Designs - Stitched Heart die

I wanted to play with Sugar Pea Designs's lumberjack a bit more, so I created another Valentine's card. This time, I went for a combination of chocolate brown and pink - which I think is a fun and warm palette. It made the bluish tree and the friendly lumberjack stand out pretty well.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~