BB- Best of Luck

For today's card, I pulled out a Birdie Brown set I've had for a while and tried my hand again at the more-detail/cluttered style I seem to enjoy lately. I paired the image with a cute patterned paper and some ephemera bits that were floating around my desk. I like how it turned out.

Thanks for reading~!
~Elle~

RC- Coffee Thanks

Reverse Confetti - Coffee And You

Today's card is in a style that's a bit different from what I usually aim for -- it's a little more busy, but I do like how it turned out. It also features a white elephant. I think he's different and fits in perfectly with the different style I tried with the patterns.

Thanks for reading~!
~Elle~

CS-Thanks Tag

I think I mentioned before that I keep a notebook where I jot down ideas I randomly get for cards. Sometimes it's color combinations, other times it's concepts. And - very rarely - I make a quick card sketch.

Card sketches are interesting. On one hand, I love the idea of planning out my card and getting away from the same old design I keep using over and over again. On the other hand, my card process is usually so intuitive and organic that having a definite plan can feel like a big constraint (and creative block!).

 I started this card by picking out some patterned papers. I liked the look of polka-dots layered with woodgrain, but I just could not settle on how to use them together. After browsing through my idea notebook, I found a quick sketch I'd made a while ago. It featured a circle, a tag and a wonky cut of patterned paper. It looked like a fun layout to try, so I decided to follow it.

For the tag, I used Simon Says Stamp's Medium Tags die. I also used a thanks stamp from Mama Elephant's Many Thanks stamp set. To add a whimsical touch, I used a white gel pen to add in some scallops and dots.

Since dots were a recurring theme on the cards, I used circular embellishments- enamel dots and a piece of flair.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Tribal Thanks

I often find myself really inspired by paper, especially when it's a paper that's unusual or seems challenging to use. The paper in this card is from the Basic Grey Grand Bazaar 6x6, and I got it in my SSS October 2014 card kit.

At first glance, this paper seems a little intimidating to use. It's strongly colored, geometric and simple. Yet those properties also make it perfect for a masculine card - and that's where my creative gears went into overdrive, and I just knew I had to use it.

The colors and patterns looked somewhat tribal to me, so I grabbed Waffle Flower's Tribal Thanks stamp set. I got this set a little while ago because I just loved the way the silhouettes were drawn, but I hadn't found the right card to use them on.

Cutting the patterned paper at an angle gave me a place to put the main image and sentiment. I pulled the colors from the paper to create the mat for the bear and sentiment, and set them against a more creamy/beige background. Since the front panel had a lot of contrast, I used a black note-card as my card base.

As this is a masculine card and the pattern is busy, I chose not to add any embellishments or extras.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~