Traveling Thanks

I originally got the Reverse Confetti Bearing Gifts stamp set just before Christmas - with the intention to make some "thank you" cards for the overwhelming abundance of gifts we received throughout the season. But, as it often happens, the holiday prep took too much work and those thank you cards never happened. Of course, I'm taking it as a lesson-learned moment and plan on making my thank you cards over the summer instead -- much less pressure and a chance to carry the holiday cheer throughout the whole year.

With today's card, I thought I'd practice making a scene card. I'm not as masterful at scenes like my friend Kylie is, but I wanted to tailor this card in particular for friends and family that live far away from us. To play on the idea of long-distance, I brought in a map patterned paper and a French sentiment. I think it added a great personal touch.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Deep Hello!

As you may have noticed, I have not shared any crafty updates since mid-April. A part of it was that life and work have been very hectic (as it happens!) and another part is that I've been trying to focus on creating - rather than blogging or organizing. The good news is that I've now got a lovely little stash of cards to share and blog about. The not-so-good news is that I'm still in a mega-busy mode at work for a few weeks that will make my updates sporadic... But something's better than nothing, so I'll be sharing my creations as often as I can.

For today's card, I've used Avery Elle's That Bites stamp set. It's a smaller and more affordable set featuring fish with chompers - something that makes them very whimsical and masculine. For my palette, I went with a combination of orange, yellow and blue. This created a nice contrast, while still invoking the water/nautical theme.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

(SCS) Play Hard

This is the final and my personal favorite card for the Fun & Games theme from August 2016. When I think of fun and games, the first thing that pops into my head is video games. As a child (and later a teen), I spent *many* hours glued to the TV, trying to finish one more level or beat just one more boss. I still love playing video games - and I'm still just as passionate about it as I was as a child.

I wanted to illustrate this passion and joy, so I grabbed my Copics to create a unique background. I layered several shades together to create a fiery backdrop that lets the controller shine.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

(SCS) Pika-choose you!

One of the things that my DT term over at Splitcoast Stampers did was to push me outside of my comfort zone. So, here's a card featuring a Pikachu that I drew and watercolored myself, and a punny sentiment spelled out from Elle's Alpha's (from Avery Elle).

It's not perfect, of course, but I'm still pretty proud of how it turned out.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

(SCS) March On!

This fun card uses the Birdie Brown Strike Up The Band stamp set. Aside from the Game theme, this card was also in a word challenge PLAY. I used the 4 letters as my palette inspiration, with the following:
P- Purple
L- Lime
A- Aqua
Y- Yellow

I think it's created a fun and fresh palette with a lot of great contrast.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

(SCS) Golfin' Time

We have several golf enthusiasts in the family, so I was absolutely thrilled to find the Golfing Tom stamp. It illustrates perfectly the kind of fun and game my relatives have with golf.

I really wanted Tom to be the focal element on the card, so I opted to just add him straight onto a card base with some foam tape. A simple sentiment and few fun enamel dots, and voilà! A masculine birthday card with no fuss. :)

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

(SCS) You're a Winner

Continuing on with the Fun & Games theme, I used Simon Says Stamp's All Boy (retired) for another masculine card -- this time for congratulations. I paired the stamp with a fun Kaisercraft patterned paper and tried to repeat the elements (circles, stars) for an interesting layout.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

(SCS) Boy Defined

In August 2016, the Splitcoast DT theme was Fun & Games - and my mind immediately went to kids having fun.

With kids, fun often equals messy, and the sentiment from Simon Says Stamp's All Boy (retired) just sums it up perfectly. I used the sneakers from the stamp set and I colored them to look very muddy, like they've been well-loved and well-used - as is the case with all boy shoes.

A few fun enamel dots finish the design for this fun masculine card. I think it would be a great funny baby card for a new mom expecting a baby boy.

Thanks for reading!
Elle

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~

Some Odd Girl: March Challenge

It's monthly challenge time over at Some Odd Girl, and this month we're playing with things that POP! The theme for March is anything goes, with the added challenge to pop it up. Head on over to the Some Odd Girl Blog to check out some amazing creations from the design team - and don't forget to participate with your own creation!

For my entry, I used the new Gangsta Bunny digi. Have you guys seen this digi? I cracked up the first time I saw it. Just the idea of a gangsta bunny makes me giggle, and Kristy did an amazing job drawing him up. I just knew I had to use him on a card - especially with Easter coming.

I colored him in softer/pastel tones and added him to my card on an action wobbler (as my little helper, here, is demonstrating). This makes the card even more hilarious, as I imagine The Bunz break-dancing as he raps...

I hope you'll join us for this month's challenge!
~Elle~