Chatty Sunday - Creative Process

Another week has zoomed by, and I've spent almost 0 time in my crafting mode. With the summer here, I'm finding it more and more difficult to set aside time to make cards. Not for a lack of trying, mind you. But sitting down to complete a card is a challenge when I've only got 10 free minutes at the end of the day.

I generally make my cards in one sitting. The exception to this is coloring stamps - I will color a bunch of images at once and fussy-cut them for later use. But the actual card assembling does happen in one sitting. So, having a "work-in-progress" card feels a little strange. I keep wanting to head back into the craft room to finish up what I'm working on.

At the same time, I'm fully embracing the idea of slowing down and really enjoying the creative process as a whole. Most of my personal favorite cards were created with a lot of time and effort - by taking joy in finding the right paper, of getting the shading just right and picking out the perfect ephemera. When I slow down while tackling an idea or concept, things fall into place more naturally and instinctively.


Learning about my own creative process and how creative processes work for others is absolutely fascinating to me. I always waver between creating sporadically with unpredictably wild abandon and creating consistently through careful and practical planning. I should probably accept that my creative process is ever-changing, but I still spend time trying to figure it out and find strategies to improve my flow.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Hey Chickie Friday!

It's Friday! And I'm sharing the final card in the patterned paper CAS challenge. Once again, quirky Paper Smooches chickie is adorable and the sentiment and font just works perfectly. I played with some contrasting colors here, and I like the bright palette look of the card.

~Elle~

Jawsome CAS

One of my favorite things about this card is the sentiment with colors that match the pattern and the shark. I've been really into colorful sentiments lately, and I think they are perfect for CAS cards with lots of empty space.

~Elle~

Let's Play!

Next up, we have this cute and playful pup from Paper Smooches. Paper Smooches was one of the first companies I bought stamps from when I first started card-making, and I still absolutely adore their quirky and fun style.


~Elle~

Deeply In Love

Card number two in the challenge features the adorable submarine from Lawn Fawn. With the cute fish patterned paper, I think it works wonderfully.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Just Because

The first card in my CAS with Patterned Paper challenge. I used some stickers from my stash, as well as an ivory cardstock base and a little bit of simple stripe patterned paper. I like how it turned out, and it will be great for mailing, as there isn't a ton of dimension.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Chatty Sunday: Mini Challenges

I thought I'd pop in for a quick chat today about a mini challenge I'll be sharing tomorrow. The idea popped into my mind after reading a crafty forum thread (debate, really) on whether clean-and-simple cards can be made using patterned paper. Some said "sure, as long as it's a tiny strip of modern design". Others argued that the pattern would make a card too busy to be called clean-and-simple.

So, I thought I'd take it as a challenge and try to share 5 cards next week that are all clean and simple, but that use patterned paper. I think I was successful, but we'll see how you all feel.

Speaking of challenges, I've got a few new personal challenges planned. Here's a quick breakdown of what I'd like to do. If you have a preference as to what you would like to see first, chime in below.

1- Technique Challenge
I don't often venture into trying complicated techniques, and I would like to give a go to some of the tools and supplies I've got in my stash (alcohol inks, for example). This is probably going to be the most challenging thing for me, as I stick with what I already know and love.

2- Die-cut Challenge
I have a lot of great dies that don't always get featured on cards. This challenge would help me focus on how to stretch my dies and use them in card designs and layouts. I've got a few of my go-to favorites that I always reach for, but it would be a good idea to make use of some of the die sets that are sitting in the back of the storage box.

3- Words into Cards Challenge
I came across a random word prompt generator that helps writers come up with some creative idea and I think it would be fabulous to use this as a card inspiration. The words that are chosen are a combination of nouns, adjectives and verbs. It would work a little bit like my 100 words challenge, but without being so overwhelming.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Remember to Play

A playful little dolphin heart to usher in the weekend, today. I'm looking forward to a weekend full of creative play and daring challenges.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Birthday Hugs

There's something about a gray/pink/yellow palette that I'm really crushing on lately. I really ought to play around with it more - especially when paired with a super cute birthday bear.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Deepest Thanks

I don't know that I'd be brave enough to go deep-sea diving myself, but I certainly enjoy watching under-the-sea videos and movies. A bit of ink-blending and an unusual background shape really helped achieve that dream underwater feel.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

No place like cone

Summer Vibes with a penguin eating ice-cream. Is there nothing more giggle-worthy? How about the sentiment?!

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Flower Wishes

I'm still not overly confident in my watercolor painting, but I loved this gorgeous watercolor flower from a patterned paper collection. So, I fussy-cut it and added to a simple card with lots of embellishment.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Small Blog Tweaks

Now that we're half-way through 2019 and things have settled to a more natural pace, I wanted to make a chatty post and share a few of my plans for the rest of the year (and hopefully onward). I'm hoping that these changes will make both sharing and creating a little easier. As I like the idea of regular sharing, this kind of schedule should help me stay on track a little better.

The first is a posting schedule:
- Cards/projects shared daily Monday through Friday, with minimal text.
- Saturday and Sunday are my days off, with occasional chatty posts shared on Sundays.
- Once per month, I will be doing a recap post of the previous month.
- Once per season, I will be taking a whole week off to catch up or take a creative break.

I'm hoping that this new schedule will help me stay active on my blog and on Instagram without feeling overwhelmed. As it takes significant time to create, photograph, edit and schedule all the posts, I've found it really difficult to do this daily and still produce quality content. If I have a bad week where I'm sick or where there's a ton of events happening, it becomes extremely stressful to try and keep up the pace.

The second thing I wanted to share is that I will try to do a destash giveaway or two in the near future.

While I don't want this to be a giveaway blog, I do have a few stamps and supplies that could use a new loving home, and I would love to pass them on to someone who will truly enjoy them. I thought about selling them at a discount, but I don't have enough free time to be a seller and it seemed like an extra layer of stressful little tasks to ensure the exchange goes smoothly. So, I'd rather just do a giveaway when I can afford to ship off some goodies.

Lastly, I will be working on some personal mini-challenges again to keep things interesting.

I have a notebook full of ideas, themes, sketches and palettes and I want to turn it into cards. I would like to work my way through it - and have it help me work through a few other secret projects I've got going on.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Bits & Pieces: Happy Fox

It has been a long week, and I'm so ready for the weekend! I'm sharing a simple card today, using some bits and pieces that were floating around my desk. I'm excited to get crafty again this weekend. It feels like there's never quite enough time to make a whole bunch of cards during the week.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Blue Flower Note

I'm sharing a card with a touch of elegance and sophistication. I love the ephemera flower - the blue with dark gray makes for a very interesting palette. I kept this card very simple, with the main focus on the flower and the sentiment.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Smile!

I'm sharing a quick project today that I'm entering in an Instagram challenge. The challenge is summer-themed, and I just had to use this fabulous shark from Avery Elle's Sea-Prise set. I added a fun die sentiment and a smattering of stars and dots to tie the scene together.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Bits n' Pieces: Love You Typewriter

I put together some bits and pieces of ephemera from my stash and made a unique love card. I really like how it turned out.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Unicorn Thank You

A little unicorn thank you today - I've been working on cards all weekend and can't wait to share my creations!

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Sweet Bunny

Playing around with some ephemera and colored bits that were on my desk.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Bowtiful

I'm not too sure about this card, but it has a lot of dimension and some fun colors. I'll have to play around with that idea again.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~