Thinking of You, Spring

 

My favorite season is autumn. I love the cool weather, the rain and the changing leaves. In contrast, my least favorite season would probably be spring. Though similar to autumn, spring comes with seasonal allergies that make me miserable.

I recently watched a short indie movie about the different seasons. One of the things that stuck with me is how we're intrinsically tied to the seasons, on a spiritual level. If we celebrate each season as it unfolds, we feel closer to nature and life feels more simple. As I've actively worked on living and enjoying a simple and slow life, the idea of celebrating seasons really resonated with me.

This spring, I will try to celebrate the season instead of complaining about allergies. I will look to new growth and new possibilities of seeing my creativity through a fresh perspective. I'm excited to see new things I can try and master with a different outlook.

Kindness and appreciation

 

Today is another card practice day - keeping things simple and testing out some pattern and color combinations. I'm a visual person and the first thing that I'm drawn to is color. I prefer colors that are vivid and saturated, or warm and rich. I like pastels quite a bit too. I think I'm at my happiest and most inspired when I see photos and images with interesting color combinations.

Sometimes this visual inspiration translates into a card. Sometimes it just becomes an image in my head that inspires creative writing or even a creative solution to a problem I might be facing. The way our minds work is mysterious, but I'm always on the lookout for something new that will push me to keep trying.

Thank you Mush!

 

I found a little stamp set in my stash that had adorable flowers and mushrooms and I really wanted to use it. Although small, the pictures still worked great on a standard A2 card when colored in bright colors. Set against more neutral tones of patterned paper and cardstock, they pop and draw the eye in.

I also used some bits of paper and die-cuts that I pre-cut for a different project. It's always nice to use scraps of patterned paper for elements that would have otherwise gone to waste. I've been going through my dies recently and looking for smaller pieces I could use as patterned paper accents. There's a lot to work with! Especially with things like labels and border dies.

Merry Christmas, Dude!

Today's card is a masculine card with a fresh and frosty palette. I love the skiing bears from My Favorite Things for guy cards - that extreme sport element is always fun, but the bear adds a bit of cuteness too. A quirky sentiment from Paper Smooches ties everything together.

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~

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~

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?

An InLinkz Link-up

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?!

YNS: Tags Dare

Are you ready for another Design Team Dare?! Your Next Stamp is challenging its designers to break away from the same old same old and make a set of tags!. Hop on over to Your Next Stamp blog to see the other lovely creations, and don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win a free stamp set of your choice.

I decided to go in the winter holiday direction and made a set of 4 Christmas tags that I can use to embellish my Christmas gifts with. For all four tags, I used the super fun stamp set called Holiday Buddies. This fantastic large set features 8 whimsical images that you can stamp and color, and 2 classic simple sentiments.

I admit, it was tough choosing just 4 images to feature, so I'm definitely going back and making another set of tags with the rest of the cute critters.

Since this stamp set has a bit of a retro flair, I chose some classic masculine/winter patterns as my tag backdrop. I used my Vintage Photo distress ink around the edges to add a bit of extra warmth and to go with the vintage feeling. Kraft stickers as sentiments kept the focus on the images.

Lastly, I added a few sparkly gumdrops from Holly Jolly and Ice Ice Baby. Don't they just look fun?!

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

YNS Challenge #52

Your Next Stamp has another challenge up and another chance to win a certificate to the YNS store and a chance to be a featured top pick on their blog!

For my card, I was inspired by the lovely palette that was shared as a part of this challenge:

Although the palette is fall-inspired, I thought it could work great for a winter holiday card. I thought I'd go in a more masculine-inspired direction, especially since there's a lot of boys and men in my family. It's nice to be able to share a card that sports my "cute" modern style, but still feels cool and fresh.

For my card, I used the sentiment from Holiday Buddies and the skate from the brand new Sports Fanatics Skating Fun stamp.

Isn't that stamp set fun?!

I hope you'll get a chance to play along with Your Next Stamp, too! Click over to Your Next Stamp blog for the rules and submission area.

YNS: Snowman Dare

Are you ready for the Design Team Dare?! Your Next Stamp is challenging its designers to bring out the new November Release out for a little more play. This week, we're focusing on winter fun. Hop on over to Your Next Stamp blog to see the other lovely creations, and don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win a free stamp set of your choice.

For my card, I decided to use the Snow Much Fun Snowman set - a smaller and more affordable set featuring an adorable snowman and matching sentiments. I stamped the snowman and colored him in with Copics, going for a yellow and grey contrasting color scheme.

I created a little scene for my snowman by using a circle die, some snowy patterned paper and a snowbank made with the Hills Die set.

Since I wanted the card to be small, I used a 4-bar card base and stamped the sentiment on the bottom. I added the circle, the hill and the snowman. As a fun embellishment, I added a few gumdrops in yellow and teal.

This card didn't take too long to create, which makes it a great candidate for a card set. A set of these thank you cards would make a fun Christmas gift.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

YNS: November Blog Hop!

Hello and welcome to my little corner of the card-making universe! This post is a part of the Your Next Stamp November blog hop, where the talented design team ladies and guests such as myself are sharing fun and unique projects to inspire you. 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.

One of the things that I love about Your Next Stamp is the abundance of super cute and whimsical images to choose from. You can find a variety of trendy images and themes, but there's also a few very unique sets to choose from. One of my favorite sets is the mini splatter background (heart and star), and I haven't seen anything like it out there.

Of course, I couldn't help but mention the amazing gumdrops (enamel dots)  featured in the YNS store... They are my go-to embellishment, and I have loved every single shade I've bought (and I've bought a lot!). The sparkly gumdrops are especially fun to use because they add a subtle shimmer that makes a card shine.

For my blog-hop card, I opted for a mini-scene card featuring a sweet Darlings girl and her pet raccoon. I used my Copics to color a sunset scene, going with warm colors that are both autumnal and bright. With the versatile journey sentiment, I can send this card to a friend that's about to embark on a big trip or a friend that's entering a new and exciting chapter in their career.

My card uses the fun new set called Little Darlings Indians. You can find this set and other new stamps in this release here.  And if you place your order before November 10th, you will receive 20% off with the special coupon code:

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

YNS: November Preview

Today, I've got a different kind of card to share with you. This card features a new stamp set from Your Next Stamp called Cool Backgrounds, as well as the Fancy Congrats die.

I was super excited when I saw this stamp set because it features a large splatter stamp. I love the splattered look on cards - it can add texture, color and the overall aesthetic of a cool modern card. And while you could get the same kind of effect with making a messy splatter with water or ink, it's just as fun (and much more useful!) to have a stamp that can play the same role. Knowing exactly how your inked splotch will looks makes for one great element that you can incorporate into your card layout planning.

In addition to the splatter stamp, Cool Backgrounds has a variety of patterns set in rectangles. This makes them both useful for stamping small sections, and for repeating to create one big textured area. I decided to use a stripe stamp and some clever masking to create striped circles on my background. Since I was going for subtle and planning to sprinkle some glittery gumdrops, the round shape was a detail I wanted to incorporate. 

I cut my sentiment with the Fancy Congrats die and a few stars (pst, there's a really cool star die set at Your Next Stamp) out of sparkly silver glitter paper. This echoed the soft gray of the stripes and the glitter from the gumdrops.

The end result is all elements playing together and fitting perfectly. Isn't that fun?!

Thanks for reading,
Elle

YNS Challenge #51

Your Next Stamp has a really fun challenge up that is both fun and inspiring!

When I saw the lovely autumnal palette featured in challenge #51, I knew immediately that I wanted to do something different and unexpected. I happened to have the Party Animals stamp set on my crafting table, and I thought it might be fun to use it for my challenge card.

Using these autumnal colors was a refreshing challenge. I found myself a lot more careful about how I chose the color and where it was placed. The bright yellow and red turned into great accent colors, and the green, brown and grey gave the card a very masculine feeling.

This challenge also came with a sketch - and that made it much easier to pick and choose which shapes I wanted to highlight.

I hope you'll get a chance to play along with Your Next Stamp! Click over to Your Next Stamp blog for the rules and submission area.

Guest Designing for Your Next Stamp!

I just wanted to make a quick note that I've been asked to guest-design for Your Next Stamp for the month of November. I am so thrilled!

Your Next Stamp is a Canadian-based company that features absolutely adorable stamps, useful dies and a plethora of gumdrops (enamel dots). I'm a big fan and I'm honored that they asked me to join them. :)

Welcome Fox

I still had the Woodland Cuties stamp set out on my desk, so I decided to whip up another card. This time, I went with a baby card, as I didn't have any of them left in my card stash. I stamped the fox out and colored it in bright oranges with my Copics, then carefully cut it out with a pair of sharp scissors. This particular set has a matching die set as well, but I did not pick it up - so, fussy cutting was needed.

I made a cute little front panel using the scalloped rectangle from Tag Builder Blueprints 3 and a banner for my sentiment from Blueprints 20. I adhered the sentiment strip to the bottom of the rectangle and layered the fox over it.

For my background, I chose the purple and orange plaid paper from Plaid Patterns 6x6. The addition of purple complemented great with the orange and really made the little fox pop. I tied on the rest of the colors with a few enamel dots. I didn't try to match the colors perfectly, just using what I had on hand.

I added everything to a top-folding A2-sized card (4¼x5½") made from purple cardstock.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

YNS - Color Challenge #43

 I've just discovered that Your Next Stamp has challenges, and - of course - I just had to play along with one. I had the super cute Woodland Cuties stamp on my desk and I figured it would be just perfect for this challenge.

A fun and bright palette was right up my alley. I used a teal frame for the bunny, which was colored with soft grays. Then, to add an extra punch of color, I added a piece of washi tape with the red heart and tied everything together with a few enamel dots.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Clean and Simple: Sweet Hello

Like a lot of card-makers, I enjoy a good card challenge or two. However, more often than not, I end up not participating because of the timing. A lot of challenges only run for a week, and with my busy schedule, I don't always have the time to make a card, find a nice sunny day to photograph it and then sit down and blog about it. Instead, I save the inspiration or lurk and check what others are doing.

I came across this challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers, and I just loved the concept. Stripes and polka-dots are my favorite patterns ever, and highlighting them on a clean and simple card? Absolutely!

But... I saw the thread quite a bit after it was posted and was a little bummed out - until I read that there's no deadline. Wohoo! Sign me up!

I cut a stitched rectangle out of white cardstock that was just slightly smaller than a top-folding A2 card-base (4¼x5½"). This is going to be my front panel. 

I used a super cute stamp set from Your Next Stamp called Woodland Cuties. I grabbed the sentiment and the cute racoon from that set and paired them with two stencils from Simon Says Stamp (Medium Dots and Peppermint Stripe). I used Cracked Pistachio and Pumice Stone distress inks to add a subtle pattern. I layered the sentiment and the racoon, then added a few enamel dots.

I adhered the front panel to the card base with some foam tape, and voila! Finished card.

Thanks for reading!
Elle