Warm Heart Penguins

 

Today's card is more playing with the Doodlebug cut-apart elements. Though I actually have a few pieces of this patterned paper left, I'm pushing out of the comfort zone and using a completely different background, from a different manufacturer. 

I've been thinking lately that one of the ways I can use my existing supplies more effectively is to not be afraid of mixing things up. I would rarely venture out and combine manufacturers, be it for paper or stamps. But it really opens up a lot of creative freedom to not be limited to a specific set - especially when I have a lot of papers or stamps that have the same theme.

This is something I will be experimenting with more in the future. For now, I'll just take small steps toward more diversity.

Penguin Greetings

Another wintry card, with a cute penguin and a snowy sky.

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~

Beachy Sunshine

It's time for more work today - though I'd much rather be at the beach. I thought Id add a simple little scene and embellish with a black doily and some enamel dots.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Penguin Christmas

And since cute Doodlebug stickers were still sitting on my crafty desk, I had to make just one more card -- this time with penguins and a scripty Merry die.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

BB- You're the Coolest

It was the first day of fall on September 23rd, but I think someone forgot to tell the weather, because we're still seeing high temperatures and not a wink of gold or red in the leaves. Since Nature herself is slow to welcome autumn, I figured I could get away with one more summer card, myself.

Today's card is using Birdie Brown's Penguins in Paradise stamp set. I love both the images and the sentiments in this set, so I'll definitely be making good use of it. And even though the set is summery in nature, a lot of the sentiments will be perfect for my winter cards, too.

For the rest of the elements on my card, I used a piece of watercolored patterned paper I've had in my stash for ages. I think it came from a card kit at some point, and I've been meaning to use it forever. I paired it with some white cardstock that was die-cut with a stitched circle die, as well as an aqua-colored doily.

To tie in the colors a little more, I sprinkled on some white enamel dots, white sequins and green liquid pearls. I'm still trying to master liquid pearls. I love them in theory, but in practice, they turn out a bit wonky...

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Birdie Brown- Chill

Today's card is a simple summer card featuring the newest release from Birdie Brown - Penguins in Paradise.

I started by stamping the penguin and the tree onto some Copic marker paper. I colored them in with Copics, then carefully cut them out with scissors, leaving a small white border.

For the center panel, I die-cut a piece of white cardstock to a 3x4" rectangle with rounded corners (I used a die to make this process faster). While I had my Bigshot out, I also cut a stitched rectangle from a subtle blue patterned paper.

Then I grabbed some masking paper, my distress inks and blending tool. I started blending color with Wild Honey for the sandy beach, going in from the sides and the top. I like Wild Honey in particular because it's a rich yellow with a touch of orange - which makes for great contrast with the sky and sea. For the sea, I used Peacock Feathers and for the Sky, I used Broken China.

I adhered the patterned paper with my regular adhesive and added the center panel with foam squares. I then added the palm tree, the penguin and a sentiment from the stamp set.

Lastly, I put a few enamel dots in the upper left corner to balance out the image.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~