Sending Love

 

At the end of 2019, I had spent a couple of weeks coloring and fussy-cutting some wintry images with the thought that I would make holiday cards throughout the year (and not be overwhelmed again when holiday season rolls around, as I inevitably get each year). I didn't make any holiday cards in 2020 - with the exception of a small "thank you" set I gave away as a gift.

Having pre-colored and precut elements really makes card-making faster, and I didn't want my hard work to go to waste. So, I'll try to incorporate the elements into cards throughout this year. They won't all be holiday cards - I want to challenge myself to use some elements in more general cards, such as birthday and thank you cards. But I hope to make at least one holiday card per month and get my Christmas card stash a little more bulky for the end of 2021.

This card combines some wintry animals with a few layers of patterned paper and die-cut panels. I like the combination of warm colors with the icy snow setting. I think it feels like a warm and cuddly winter hug.

Purrrrfect!

Everyone loves a cute kitten, right?

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Birthday Cats

Dipping into my stash of Doodlebug pop stickers and adding a few more birthday cards to my collection. I do love these two cute kittens, I think they make for a fab "from us" card.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Cat Love

I've got Valentine's Day on the brain today, and what a better way to declare your love than with a cat. I'm still very much into gray tones, so I added this fabulous Pinkfresh studio paper as the background for my card. I think it turned out so fun!

Thank you for taking a look.
~Elle~

Merry Skaters

Sometimes you just need a quick and simple little card, and that's when it helps to have a few pre-colored images in your stash. I've held onto these two images since last Christmas, though, and I thought it was time to make good use of them. With a simple scene and some snowflakes made from Nuvo drops, I think it turned out pretty sweet.

Thanks for reading.
~Elle~

Pumpkin Kitten

Studio Katia - Meowy Halloween stamp

Straight out of summer and into Halloween! I just couldn't resist playing with the adorable witchy kitty from Studio Katia one more time. I wanted to color her differently, so I colored her to look like a magical pumpkin kitty.

For the background, I played a little with my watercolors and practiced some watercolor blending and splattering.

Thanks for taking a look.
~Elle~

Alchemist Witchy Cat

Studio Katia - Meowy Halloween

It's almost time for Halloween! I couldn't resist making another adorable card, this time featuring a witchy alchemist kitty from Studio Katia's Meowy Halloween. I got this adorable set both for the kitty and for the fun accessories.

I used my craft knife to cut out some holes where the kitty's paws are and tucked a green potion in. I just love how that worked out!

I paired the kitty and pumpkins with a bit of patterned paper from Doodlebug. I love the bright colors Doodlebug paper is known for, and they worked just perfectly for my card.

Thanks for reading.
~Elle~

Kitten Thanks

Simon Says Stamp - Many Thanks stamp, Doodlebug - Kitten Smitten stickers

I have a few sheets of Doodlebug stickers and I just love how adorable they are. In an effort to use my supplies, however, I decided to make good use of the stickers and add them to some simple cards. For today's card, I went with a thank you sentiment and a fun cloudy border.

Thanks for reading,
~Elle~

BP: Cat & Donuts

One of the most fun challenges I give myself is to blindly reach for things in my bits and pieces box and see how I can use them together. Case in point- today I pulled out a cat, some donuts and a doily. I wasn't sure how to use them together, but I found this scrabble paper that had a similar tone, and everything suddenly just fell into place as I recalled one of my friend's cats. This was a humongous monster of a cat whose biggest pleasure in life was licking sprinkles off donuts while no one was looking.

So, this card is for you, Binky. May you find trays upon trays of sprinkled donut goodies in kitty heaven.

Thanks for reading,
~Elle~

Bits and Pieces: Succulent Thanks

For today's card, I decided to use some bits and pieces that have been sitting on my desk - mainly a set of cardstock stickers and a die-cut thanks. I like using stickers when I need a quick-and-easy kind of card - especially when it's a kids' card and the stickers are bright and cheerful. But today, I decided to use a more subtle palette and a classic theme.

I started by choosing the two stickers I wanted to layer, then I looked through my paper stash and found a couple of patterned paper that matched it pretty well. I finished the card with a few enamel dots in the corner.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Thanks, kitten.

My Favorite Things - Cat-itude (retired), Simon Says Stamp - Thanks die

I'm feeling a bit ambivalent about this card. There are parts of it that I love (such as the palette) and parts of it I don't (such as the layout). But I'm sharing it anyway and maybe it will inspire someone else out there.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Miss You kitty

The Ton - Love and a Cat

Today's card is a quick and simple little card featuring a kitty from The Ton. This card actually started with that patterned paper - which features all the months of the year. I thought about what kind of card I could make with that, and "miss you" was at the top of the list. The kitten hiding its face in its paws seemed particularly appropriate.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

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~

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~

Bits and Pieces: Warm my Heart

I just love paper. Some card-makers live for stamps and ink, some love their dies. I'm a patterned paper kind of girl. Not only do I love the look, the smell and the feel of paper, but I find it so inspiring. I take great joy in choosing the perfect paper to go with my stamp (or the perfect stamp to go with my paper!).

There's so much variety in patterned paper, too. You have the standard basics like polkadots and stripes, and then you have complex shapes or artistic patterns. There's watercolor effects, paint splatters and a bundle of textures and techniques that would take me hours to create. That's my favorite thing about patterned paper, by the way. I can have all the trendy looks, but without a ton of experimentation and inconsistent results. Don't get me wrong, I do like trying out new things, but when I want just one card to look a specific way, a patterned paper will do.

Today's card uses the lovely paper from Pinkfresh Studio's Indigo Hills. I've paired it with an MFT cat + accessory stamp (retired) and a simple sentiment from Perk Up.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Bad Day Love

The Ton was a new company to me when I bought Love and a Cat stamp set last year, but I simply could not resist the kitties and their expressions. They're so quirky and whimsical that I just had to have the set (along with a couple of others). I stamped out a whole bunch of kitties and spent quite a bit of time coloring them with different fur patterns and mediums.

One of the things I really love about this set is that it is full of accessories - and the website has a handy video tutorial that goes over all the different options and expressions you could give the kitties. If any of the accessories didn't seem clear, the video shows you exactly how to use it.

For my card, I kept things pretty clean and simple - making a quick distress ink background for the center panel and lining up the kitties in a row. I put them against a striped background, as it brought a modern feminine element and a bit of extra contrast to the card. I embellished with sequins.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

AE: Christmas Joy

Yes, it's July and I've already got Christmas on my mind... But in my defense, when you're making hand-made gifts and cards, you really need to start working early. I'm still pinning down exactly what artful and crafty things I want to make this year, so I thought a wintry card might get me in the Christmas mood.

I just adore the cat from Avery Elle's Dear Santa stamp set! She has a lovely retro kind of feel, while still looking perfectly elegant and serene. She reminds me of Aristocats - one of my favorite childhood movies. So, it's a perfect mix of nostalgic and warm fuzzy feelings.

I paired the cat with some bits and bobs of paper from my stash. Blues went great with silver and gray, so that's the color scheme I chose.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

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?!

SK Sea & Cats: Final Quad

As I will be going on a lovely family vacation for the next couple of weeks, I thought I would post the remainder of the cards for the Sea & Cats kit.

 Just a fun 'n simple little creation featuring a white queen cat and her bowl of goodies.

Another monster-ific unbelievable birthday with Lawn Fawn's sweet Nessie.

Birthday duo of yellow-orange kittens with a doily and a bright birthday sentiment.

Last (but not least), a "from all of us" type of card featuring lots of kitties.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

SK Sea & Cats: Kitten Birthday Duo

Today's card is a break from the nautical and a splash into the wonderful world of cats. A kitten celebration seems perfectly fitting for a birthday, and a neutral teal-inspired palette keeps it fitting for both guys and gals.

I colored one kitty into a Siamese and another into a taupe-brown with a hint of white. One of my dear childhood friends had two cats just like these, and it was fun trying to figure out the best way to make them recognizable. I softened the background and gave it a little focus with some distress ink blending. And, lastly, a trio of enamels added a bit more visual interest.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~