Be Coffee

It's Thursday today, but it feels like a Monday - in that I feel very "meh" and need a cup of coffee or two to get me through the day. Of course, I had to take advantage of my coffee-craving mood and I whipped up a quick card using Simon Says Stamp's Choose Happy stamp set. I paired it with a fun patterned paper from Doodlebug and a to-go coffee cup puffy sticker.

The coffee sentiment is one of the reasons why I bought this set, but it also includes several other fun and encouraging sentiments. I think I'll make use of it again in the future.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Green Thanks

It's time for another bits-n-pieces creation!

I had planned to use 3 critters on yesterday's card, but there wasn't enough room for them all. So, I used this adorable skunk by himself on a sweet little thank-you card. I paired it with a speech-bubble patterned paper and sketched a little hill with my Copics.

Thanks for taking a look!
~Elle~

Forest Smiles

Another nature/camping card today! This time, I paired a fun forest paper with a couple of adorable critters from Your Next Stamp and a sticker I found in my stash. It's a really simple design, but I think it turned out pretty cute.

Thanks for reading,
~Elle~

Matey Birthday

Yarr! Today's card features a fun pirate stamp set from Neat & Tangled, and I've paired it with Echo Park's pirate paper. I used bright colors, along with a few matching enamel dots.

I really love how this card turned out!

Thanks for reading,
~Elle~

Birthday Pony

I wasn't really sure about sharing this card. There's nothing about it that I dislike, per-say, but it somehow still makes me feel underwhelmed. It could be the simplicity of the design, or maybe it's just that I've used this layout/supply combination a lot lately.

Still, it's not a failed card, so I might as well share.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Mountain of Thanks

I'm not really a camping person. For one, I'm terrified of the legions of bugs and spiders that abound in nature. And then there's the mountain lions, the bears and the angry badgers that make me even more nervous. That said, I do love the natural beauty of mountains and forests, and I'm perpetually drawn to all the camping paper, stickers and stamps. I've got quite a collection going and I still find the different bits and pieces very inspiring.

I thought I would make good use of one of my favorite papers and I paired it with an adorable raccoon and a thank you sticker. I think it turned out really great.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Summer Melon

Today's card is a summery little card featuring a watermelon and a punny sentiment. I paired the stamps with a striped patterned paper and a stitched circle. I added a die-cut sun behind the watermelon to help it stand out a little better. A few summery enamel dots helped tie it all together.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Clever

I'm still playing with my dies and some of my beloved and favorite patterned paper from Lawn Fawn. I paired the paper with the Mom + Me stamp set and added some fun enamel dots.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Thanks a Latte

Today's card features a lovely punny sentiment that I've embossed in gold on some black cardstock. I love the embossed sentiment look, but I don't seem to create them often. Since my recent motivation is to make better use of my supplies, I pulled out some dies and my heat tool to make today's card.

Thanks for taking a look!
~Elle~

Peekaboo Bears

I mentioned wanting to use my dies more, so I pulled out a peek-a-boo circles panel to use on a card. I used a couple of stamp sets from MFT that feature a sweet teddy bear and added one to each circle. A very subtle sentiment on the bottom and a craft card base tied everything together.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Dreaming of you

I really liked this cute sleeping bunny from MFT, and I wanted to make a very simple card that features him. I had a pretty elaborate idea of making a scene card set in a bedroom with lots of layers and textures. But in the end, I just made it very simple and added a starry patterned paper under a frame and a sentiment banner.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Octopi Couple

Today's card is a cute little love card featuring the adorable octopus from Lawn Fawn. I stamped and colored a whole bunch of them, and as I was putting them away, a couple got tangled up together - and it looked just like they're holding hands. So, I added the adorable couple to a simple card and embellished with some hearts and enamel dots.

Thanks for taking a look!
~Elle~

Shark Bubbles

This is probably one of the simplest cards I've made in ages, but I do like how it turned out. I paired an awesome gradient pattern paper I found in my stash with the cute fish and shark from Lawn Fawn.

I stamped out a bunch of bubbles from the set and added a few clear droplets from Pretty Pink Posh to add a bit of dimension and texture.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Glad we're friends

I've got quite a collection of Blueprints dies from My Favorite Things. I do use the more common ones - like the stitched rectangles - to create panels for layered cards, but I tend to shy away from the other bits that are in the blueprints. And, of course, that seems like a bit of a waste.

I thought I'd push myself a little outside my comfort zone and try to use a few pieces I've overlooked in the past. Although I still kept this card super simple, I think it made for a more dynamic and interesting layout. I'll definitely have to keep creating more unique elements with the Blueprints dies.

Thanks for taking a look!
~Elle~

LF Sloth Hello

I've played with this adorable sloth from Lawn Fawn quite a bit already - it's been sitting in my "used" pile for a few months. But I recently saw a card where someone used it, and I just had to ink it up again.

I paired the cute sloth with some retired Lawn Fawn paper and a sentiment from an older Stamptember limited stamp set. I think it turned out just darling.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Bits and Pieces: Explore

As I'm cleaning out parts of my crafty storage, I seem to be coming across many little treasures - you know, those things that I fell absolutely in love with and just had to buy, only to set them aside until I've forgotten what idea I originally got them for?

I decided to play with texture again and used an embossing folder I got in a card kit, along with some matching stickers and enamel dots.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Happy Moms' Day!

Happy Mothers day to all you moms out there!

Today's card isn't strictly for mothers' day, but I think it would bring a smile to any mother's face. After all, there's nothing better than giggles and belly laughs with our children.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Brighten

I've had this chipboard lightbulb on my desk for a couple of weeks now, as I meant to use it on a card before deciding on a completely different design. So, I paired it with a lovely sentiment from Simon Says Stamp, as well as a fun combination of patterned paper and a bit of bright grosgrain ribbon.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Bits and Pieces: Chic Thanks

A bit of a different style for me, but I really wanted to use a few of the interesting flowers and wood veneer I had in my stash. I added a die-cut sentiment and a yellow leaf branch to tie everything together.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Magical rainbow unicorn

Today's card is a cute and magical unicorn card, featuring Birdie Brown's unicorn stamp. I loved the bright colors of the patterned paper from Doodlebug, and I used it as inspiration for coloring the stamp. To add some contrast, I embossed the sentiment in gold on black paper.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Masculine Thanks

Still on a masculine kick! I thought I'd try a simple Thank You card. I used a palette of cream, navy, black and light browns, and I think it really works.

Thanks for taking a look!
~Elle~

Masculine Birthday

I mentioned previously that I ought to make a few masculine cards for my card stash, so I decided to add yet another one with this fun strong-man stamp and a ticket patterned paper. I thought they went together just fabulously, and they had a art-deco nouveau feel to them, so I added a sentiment in a nouveau font.

Thanks for taking a look!
~Elle~

Bits and Pieces: Camera and Coffee

Today, I'm sharing a couple of really simple cards made from bits and pieces left on my desk. The first card features a cute camera and a sticker sentiment.

The second card is coffee-themed and features a cute frame and a puffy coffee cup-to-go sticker. I paired it with a coffee patterned paper and a striped frame.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Birthday Dude

After making those two simple cards, I figured I should add a few more masculine or boy-themed cards to my stash.

I started with another boy birthday, featuring a stamp from C.C. Designs and a fun patterned paper with numbers. I think numbers make a great patterned paper for birthdays, and adding a couple of stars and a loopy arrow really helped make the card look extra festive.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

CAS Nautical birthday

I needed a couple of quick birthday boy cards, and I pulled out a nautical Doodlebug patterned paper and sticker sheet that featured some fun colors and designs.

I kept the overall layout/design same for both cards, but switched up the paper and the stickers. I think they turned out pretty fun.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

So lovely

Today, I went through some of my patterned paper for the umpteenth time and tried to find a few pieces that inspired me. This is something I do pretty often, as patterned paper is probably one of my favorite supplies - and browsing through it always gives me a million ideas.

As I went through the papers, I came up on this sweet mini floral design. It had a fresh and modern palette, but it still whispered "country" to me, so I decided to pair it with a farm Birdie Brown stamp set and a woodgrain sticker for a country chic kind of feel.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Mer-May Smiles

Happy Mer-May, everyone!

A bunch of crafters and artists I follow are taking part in Mer-May -- a month-long celebration of mermaids. I've been seeing so many inspirational videos and blog posts featuring gorgeous mermaids that I just had to play along and make yet another mermaid card.

I kept this card really simple, adding a few puffy stickers for the sentiment and embellishment. I also gave the mermaid a two-tone tail, which turned out rather pretty.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~