Viva Las Vegas and Recessionary Card Making

(excuse the photography below, I had to shoot into the sun to get him in the pic)

I know, I've been a bad blogger. But, I had good reason! I went to Las Vegas for a little under a week with my most of my mom's side of the family. It was certainly entertaining. We saw shows, hung out and had a lot of fun. We also exchanged Hanukkah gifts.

I wanted to make cute themed thank you notes for my aunts, uncles and grandparents. But, alas due to the recession buying some new Vegas themed stamps seemed frivolous. So, I decided to do what us stampers do best...get creative!!! The concept started with some ancient foam stamps from Making Memories. Those babies had to be 5 years old. I took the 7 out and inked it up with Not Quite Navy, stamping three times on a piece of 5.25"x 4" paper. Then I took my grey EK Sucess marker (another old product in my stash) and my handy dandy ruler, dividing the paper (starting in the middle) into three 1.5" columns.

Next, I stamped my medium star from the Little Paper Shop set Basic Shapes (Love this set!) in More Mustard. Then, I worked on the other options per slot. I took and old cherry stamp and inked in Ruby Red and Old Olive. Lastly I used the flourish from Basic Shapes in Pumpkin Pie for the remaining slots. I shaded the sides with Old Linen from Distress Inks.

For the inside, I used my Little Paper Shop set A-Z for the inside sentiment. I love clear stamps for letters because they're super easy to line up straight on a clear acyrlic block. It's hard to see in the picture because I my dog seemed to want to get in the picture but the sentiment says "I'm Lucky To Have You" with stars from the Basic Shapes set.

Ok, so it was a little more intensive then my usual quick and easy stamps, but it was CHEAP! I made a totally themed card without buying a thing!!!

Do you find yourself doing recessionary card making? Let us know how!

Happy Stamping!
Elyssa

It's a Little Paper Shop Chanukkah!

...Well maybe it has a little bit of PTI too.

When Little Paper Shop came out with the set Global, I fell in love. The idea of a blank snowglobe conjured up so many ideas for me. From NYCesque skyscrappers to every holiday under the sun, I could feel the flexibility. One particular thing I liked about it was the idea that I could put a Menorah in it, to make my own holiday verison.

I'll explain the Snowglobe by steps:

1. Stamp Globe from Global set and Menorah from PTI onto 90lb watercolor paper in Staz-on Black.
2. Use a tempting tuorquoise reinker to color in the 'globe'.
3. Use a Rose Red reinker to color in the bottom.
4. Place distress stickles in Antique Linen on the flames and Broken China under the Menorah.
5. Shade globe with Night of Navy sponge.
6. Shade bottom with Adirondack Acrylic paint.
7. Cut out!

I had a blast playing with all the colors and blending everything!

Hope you like it!
Happy Stamping,
Elyssa Blair

Happy Chanukkah!

Christmas comes but once each year...

...but Channukah comes for 8 days!!!

I'm finally home and settled. AND I'm FINALLY working on Channukah cards. You've heard of Limited Supply Challenges, right? Well, somehow it seems that every Channukah is a LSC. This year, I thought ahead a little bit and when my LSS was moving a purchased this stamp from American Art Stamps and last January I got this ribbon on clearance at Ms. PLUS the background (stamped in Encore Silver love that pad! on Brillant Blue) is another side of the stampendous four sided background maker.

I colored the American Art Stamp in copics (B00. B01, E00, B29 and B39). The Happy Channukah is from the PTI set Mazel Tov. I framed the sentiment with Crackle Paint (Broken China), Distress Stickles (Broken China) and Adirondack Acrylic Paint.

Hope you like it!
Happy Stamping!
Elyssa

PS.

If you're into MAC Cosmetics they are having a 25% off sale on their holiday kits. They NEVER EVER put ANYTHING on sale, so if you're interested check it out!

PPS.
It has been brought to my attention that the pic is small today to make room for the menorah. Just click on the picture and it will come up A LOT bigger!!!

Clean and Simple?

I like to play. I like glitter. I like mess.

Clean and Simple?

Not usually.

While, I love the concept, somehow my cards always end up funky. I decided to challenge myself to LSC178 or the Simple Birthdays Challenge. I started of with a piece of Not Quite Navy. I stamped on it with one of my stampendous cubes from Michaels (again the 50% off plus 20% off deal) in Not Quite Navy. Next I placed a piece of burgandy vellum over the NQN and a piece of olive ribbon on top of that. Then, I used Diamond Glaze to stick on the three baubles. Lastly I used a sentiment from 'Best Yet' (which is one of my all time favorite sets-and it was a hostess gift!).

Clean and Simple? Check and Check!

Happy Stamping!
Elyssa

Thinking of You-Spritzing and Spraying!

Although coloring will always be my favorite card related activity, I do love to play with a new technique every now and again. One in particular that I have come to love is 'Spritzing and Spraying'. It really is very easy! All you need is a mister (I love my mini mister by ranger) and some dye ink.

1. Ink up your stamp (for alot of these layers I used my marveys to ink up the top of the flower in a different color than the stem.
2. Spray various degrees of water on your stamp(more water=less of an image will come out)
3. Stamp!
4. Repeat with various levels of water and stamping off to create layers of images
5. Lastly, Ink and Stamp one non-watered layer.
6. Add sentiment and bow

Easy Peasy!!!!

Happy Stamping!!!
Elyssa Blair

P.S.
I'm back with another sale, this time from www.allthatscraps.com.

50% off all Adirondack Pigment Ink pads and Reinkers-What a deal!!

Almost Famous!

Do you remember this little post from a few months ago??? Well, shortly thereafter I got a PM from none other than Mona of Cornish Heritage Farms and Mona Lisa Moments. I was completely humbled when she asked me if she could CASE my card!!!

Thats right Mona likes my little ol' card enough to copy it!!!! (Happy dance around the room)

Which of course makes me Almost Famous (watched the first 15 minutes last night, It's All Happening!!)

Anyway, finals are this week so unfortunately no card today, BUT I will be home this week which means...

BACK TO DAILY POSTS!!!!! WOOHOOOOO....

See you soon,
Penny Lane

Thank You So Much!

I just love this card! I don't think the picture came out so great, I tried to play around with it in photoshop to make it look more like it's amazing counterpart. Oh, well!

I had a ball making this card. It started with the swirly shape stamp (the image that 'thanks SO much' is attached to). I bought it at Michaels during their turkey day sale, so it was 50% off then another 20% off, which was perfect! So I stamped it in Versamark on my Georgia Pacific paper, then brushed over it with Perfect Pearls. Have you ever used PP?? They are just so glittery and cool, I think Ranger makes them. The 'Thanks SO Much' sentiment is from an old SU! Hostess set (So Many Sayings), which I also HIGHLY suggest because you can cut apart the blocks which makes it SUCH a great deal. I used my SU! word window punch to punch it out.

The flowers are from prima. I squirted a tiny bit of 'Broken China' distress stickles into the center (also love this product, can you tell I'm in a good mood??? lol). Next I rolled my wheel (I can't recall its name) over the bottom third of my card and finished it off with some impressions of an old Outlines stamp.

Publish Post

Love it!!!

Happy Stamping,
Elyssa Blair

PS. If you are a SmashBox (makeup) fan, then you have to check out the deals ulta.com is running! Just search SmashBox gifts and you'll find so many good deals!!!

PSS.
Can you tell I LOVE a good deal?

Happy Belated Turkey Day!!

Wow! It really has been a while. It feels like these past two weeks have been a whirlwind. I am officially half way through my law school apps!! The scary thing is I only have two more weeks of my entire undergraduate career. Don't feel too sorry for me though, because I am so excited to move on to this next phase of my life.

I made today's project for my dining room table for Thanksgiving. It was super fun and easy to make. The turkey is from High Hopes Stamps. The sentiment is from Stampin Up. I colored the turkey with Twinkling H20s (super fun, if you've never tried). Easy Peasy!

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
Elyssa

Here's The Scoop

"How did it get so late so soon? It's night before it's afternoon. December is here before it's June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?"
-Dr.Seuss

I absolutely love this quote from Dr. Seuss. It just seems to capture my life right now. I really am sorry that I don't update daily like I used to. But, between applying to Law School and trying to spend my last months in Gainesville with my friends, I just can't. I LOVE this blog and I so enjoy posting, so I hope you all understand that 3-4 times a week is still a large contribution of my time. I really do appreciate all the comments and subscriptions. Every time I get a subscription notice or a comment it brings a smile to my face. You all are just SO awesome!

Ok...back to today's card...

Masking is one of my favorite technique. It can add so much to a card. For the main image on this card I masked off the coffee cup in order to put the two girls enjoying coffee. I colored the mug with B00. The girls are colored with YR31, R29, RV27, V01, R20, BG04, YR11 and E00. The main base is Rose Red. The next piece up is apricot stamped in its adjoining ink with a Hot Potato stamp. The next layer is Taken with Teal with a random piece of cardstock on top of it.

Happy Stamping!
Elyssa Blair

Little Paper Shop Challenge

Sorry I've been a bad blogger!!!! Life just sometimes gets crazy (good crazy, but crazy).

This month it was my turn to challenge the Little Paper Shop Design Team. I challenged them all to utilize at least 2 LPS sets, color something and use some sort of sparkle. I used FOUR sets, Flourished Dove (the word peace), Little One (the guitar on the right), Peace (the peace signs), and Rock Star(the guitar on the left). My color scheme was More Mustard, Old Olive, Rose Red and Taken with Teal. For my bit of coloring I tye-dyed (with copics) the guitar on the left.

You're Better Than Ice Cream...

I made this particular card today for the MFT Guest Designer Challenge (MFGD12). The challenge asked participants to use watercoloring. This was actually quite the challenge for me since I am a not a super star when it comes to watercolors. But, I decided to play anyway using SU re-inkers. I believe I used Pumpkin Pie, Purely Pomegranate, Old Olive, Soft Sky, Always Artichoke, Taken with Teal and Violet.

To add some sparkle I utilized some Adirondack Acrylic paint for the carpet and the ice cream. If you have never played with them, you really must try them. I think they cost like 3$ per color and you get a whole lot of it.

I really had a lot of fun with this challenge!

Happy Stamping!
Elyssa

Enabler Alert!!!

Little Paper Shop is having 15% OFF THE WHOLE STORE!!! This Saturday ONLY!

If you are like me in that this economic crisis is seriously impending your stamping supply (any one looking for a DT member? Will work for stamps? LOL) this is a great opportunity to stock up on some AWESOME stamps!!!

Happy Birthday Hanna!

This card was made with a combination of stamp sets. I used Brocade Blue for the base and stamped it in versamark with the Little Paper Shop Flourished Dove. The next layer is a piece of white cardstock from Georgia Pacific stamped with more stamps from Flourished Dove in Brocade Blue and Rose Red. Next we have lovely Hanna from the set Kiss the Cook. The rest is self-explanatory :)

It's beginning to feel like winter! That cool breeze is turning frosty. I just can't believe the year is almost over.

Hope you're having a great November!!!

Elyssa

Blog Candy Winner!!!

Sorry I've been MIA this weekend. I actually went to Puerto Rico to visit my grandparents! I had a such a ball traveling all over the island where adventures seemed to abound. From our trip to the rainforest, El Yunque, where I got stung by a bee (of course) to Old San Juan where my grandmother and I participated in a puertorican policial rally. This tiny island is VERY politically active. There were rallies everywhere! They only have elections every four years and when they do, they do it in style! Today everything will be closed for Election Day.

Ok, enough about my trip....on to the good stuff!


And the winner of the Little Paper Shop set {Christmas Wishes} is ...

Genevieve said...

You're on there! Great blog. Love the UTEE charm. Your bubbie will too.

October 23, 2008 4:23 PM

Her blog, Another Creative Outlet is just so wonderful!

Genevieve when you get this please email me your shipping info!

Thanks to everyone for playing and remember to get out there and V-O-T-E!

Elyssa

Multiple Occasions...One Card!

We've all been invited to an all-in-one event, be it a combination birthday/graduation or an anniversary/holiday party. Making a multi-panel card is an easy solution to a multi-purpose events. Just devote one panel to each occasion and you're good to go!

This particular card uses the set 'Little Layers, Plus' as well as 'Groovy' from Stampin Up. I colored it in with copics, YR21, YR31, G21, G24, B05, Y15, B100, T05.

I also wanted to remind you all that the BLOG CANDY offer ends tomorrow! Please make sure you scroll down for more details!

Elyssa

Bloom Where You Are Planted

I just love two-step stampin'. This particular card comes from a class I took at The Scrappy Stamper, my local stamp store. I just had to share it with you! It is made from the Technique Tuesday set Two Steppin' in the Garden. If you haven't checked out Technique Tuesday sets, you really should, they are very high quality. I especially love the butterfly!

Make sure you scroll down and look into the blog candy! It is super easy, just subscribe, comment that you have and ta-da you are entered!!!!

Happy Stamping!
Elyssa

Scalloped Perfection

I can't believe it's been a week since I last posted. I think that's an all time high. I'm sorry :( Life has just been super crazy lately. I went to Orlando this weekend meet my parents and my dog. I forgot how wonderful a little break from school can be!

This particular card is easy peasy! All I did was stamp my sassafras lass border on Very Vanilla CS, then stamp this quote from Unity in Tangerine Tango. Cut, pop and layer!

I made 10 as a stationary set, I'm trying to get prepared for the incoming holiday season.

PLEASE make sure you don't miss the opportunity for some LITTLE PAPER SHOP blog candy!! Just follow the instructions a few posts below this one!!!

Happy Stamping!
Elyssa

So Thankful

I just cannot believe that it is fall already. It's that time of the year when the air conditioner can safely go off and the windows go down. So, I decided to do a fall themed card! The background stamp is from Hero Arts and was stamped in ColorBox White Pigment Ink. The sentiment 'So Thankful' is from Autumn Leaves, stamped in Pretty in Pink by SU. Finally the Kraft CS is from PTI and the ribbon is from American Crafts.

See, its so easy I could explain it in one paragraph!

Hope you're having a wonderful monday!

Also, make sure you check out the BLOG CANDY a couple of posts down. Once you subscribe make sure you post in the comments section!

Ely

Hamsa Magnet

A Hamsa is an ancient Jewish symbol meant to ward off the 'Evil Eye'. It is said to be mystical and a sign of good luck. I have personally always loved the symbol and I have many necklaces depicting it. When I saw this gorgeous stamp from Ruth's Jewish Stamps a couple of months ago I knew I needed it. AND when I saw the wonderful Mazel Tov set from PaperTrey I also knew I had to have. See a trend??

So, I decided to play! I wanted to make a gift for my Grandma Jean, whom I call 'Bubbie'. I used the UTEE impression technique to make this fun magnet. It really is an easy technique. All I did was cut a piece of cardboard into a rectangle, then melt UTEE Gold on it 3 times. After it was thick, I added some different sprinkles of other embossing powders, heated it again and pushed my stamp into the center. Hold down for 30 seconds and then release. VERY EASY! I used Black Staz-on for the sentiment and the other Hamsa impressions. I filled the impression with Diamond Glaze to give it a cool texture.

Make sure you scroll down to the post below this for a chance to win BLOG CANDY!!

Elyssa

Follow Me, Subscribe to Me *BLOG CANDY*

Yay! It's BLOG CANDY TIME! The mail was crazy last month and I ended up with some extra Little Paper Shop sets from the WONDERFUL Julia. So, I am going to be giving them away in the next few weeks. The first set to be given away is {Christmas Wishes}.

So, how do you win it? EASY! Just subscribe to this blog through Blogger (click on the follow me button on the right side), FeedBlitz or almost any service and then comment here. If you already subscribe to this blog please leave me a comment telling me so. PLEASE be honest, I can check my subscribers and I would hate to see any dishonesty. I am doing this to reward my loyal readers :)

The Blog Candy winner will be announced here on NOVEMBER 1st. I will keep posting reminders, but please subscribe ASAP.

Good Luck!
Elyssa

PS. At this time the contest is only open to individuals in the United States and Canada.

PPS. If you link to my blog via yours on your blog roll I will add your name in the drawing THREE times :)

Little Paper Shop Day #4

I have been getting a lot of new subscribers lately to both the blog and my 'YouTube Channel'. So, I decided to do something I haven't done in quite a while, a VIDEO TUTORIAL!!! I think you are going to really like today's! It features the set {Beauty of Nature} from Little Paper Shop. I LOVE this stamp!!

Hope you enjoy!
Elyssa

PS.
I know it's a bit of a mess around here as I am trying to rearrange a few things on my blog. Please hang with me as I try to improve this site!

Little Paper Shop Sneak Peak {Flourished Dove}

I had a lot of fun making this card. I pulled out an old Kaleidacolor ink pad, which is a pad that has 4 different color ink swatches. As shown in today's card it has a such a great rainbow feel. I also love how it looks with the big swirly image from today's sneak peak {Flourished Dove}. I stamped three of the sentiments from the set in the circle and pop dotted it. The background also has some Scor-it marks for interest. It's simple but really fun!

I got tagged! First by Julia, the wonderful owner of Little Paper Shop, then by Ann, my amazing Law School Counselor. They each challenged me to share some little known things about myself. Here it goes:

1) My favorite drink is my dad's Chai Tea. I swear he makes it better than Starbucks (and it's not just because he reads this blog! HI DAD!)

2) I am working diligently towards getting my Law School applications out, I'm crossing my fingers for a Nov. 1 send date!

3)I have a younger sister Ilana, who is in the process of applying to college (she just got into UCF! Go Ilana!!)

4)My Google Reader has over 100 blogs.

5) I got into stamping when I was 13 because my sister had her birthday party at our LSS. I started working there that spring break (I was in 8th Grade) and I have been working there ever since.

6) I am no longer a teenager. (shh!)

7) I am addicted to Family Guy. I know it's stupid. But, I love it!

Ok, now I'm supposed to tag 7 blogs, here it goes:
Scrapbooks and Stuff
Mabie Stampin'
The Whimsical Butterfly
Mel Stampz
Treasure Oiler Designz
Crafting Creatively
Adventures with Ellie!

Hope you're having an awesome day!
Elyssa

Little Paper Shop Release {Flyin' By}

I hope everyone who observed Yom Kippur yesterday had an easy fast and those of you who didn't had great days (minus the stock market, yuck). Today was a rather hectic day between last minute doctors appointments and working on my Law School stuff. But, I did have a chance to play with this fun set {Flyin' By} which is going to be released by Little Paper Shop on October 14th. This is my favorite set of the release. The owl is just SOOO adorable.

I embossed it in black on white paper which I sprayed with Radiant Rain (similar to Twinkling H20s). He is just so much fun! Have you been playing along with the Sketch Challenge? It's such a great sketch and an awesome opportunity to try to win a set!

I would also like to invite you to visit my fellow DT to see today's set!

• JULIA- Addicted To Paper
  

• ALLISON- Stampin' When I Can

• BONNIE- The Lucky Clucker

• CHELSEY- Musings of a Teenaged Stamper

• CINDY- Cindy Haffner's Corner

• DAWN- Treasure Oiler Designz

• ELLIE- Adventures With Scrapbookmama

• Mel-Mel Stampz

• JESSICA- The Whimsical Butterfly

• KELLY- Crafting Creatively

• LAURA- Scrapnextras

• RENÉE- Stamping For Sanity

• SILKE- My Life

• SILVIA- Mabie Stampin'

Enjoy!
Elyssa

May All Your Dreams Come True

Little Paper Shop is hosting a sketch challenge! There are two choices for sketches which can be found at the Little Paper Shop Blog. I chose to use the 1st sketch. Make sure you play along, next Saturday there will be a drawing from all the entries for a free stamp set from the next release! If you upload it to SCS, make sure you use the code LPSSC1.

This particular card uses the LPS set 'A Dream', which was released last weekend. I love quotes and this set has some wonderfully inspirational sentiments. I used Ruby Red for the base and the sentiment. I colored in the hearts from the SU set 'A Little Bit of Happiness', with the following copics G24, B01, R27, R39 and V01.

Hope you liked it!
Happy Stamping!
Elyssa

Little Paper Shop WCD

How WONDERFUL is my family? I decided to come home for Yom Kippur a little early after completing the LSAT and they made this adorable sign for the door. You guys are the best!!!

Here is my adorable dog, what a great thing to come home to! His name is Sushi, he's 3 and a maltese!

And, last but not least here is my not-so-sneak-peak sneak peak of the Little Paper Shop set {Topiary}. It is such a gorgeous mini-set. I colored the Topiary with G21, G24, G28, G07, E31, E33, E38 and BV000. I stamped the image and sentiment in Memento Tuxedo Black. I love this set!

Happy Stamping!
Elyssa

Happy World Card Making and LSAT day!

I'm off to finally take the LSAT! Thank you all for your well wishes. Little Paper Shop is having a sale in honor of today. She is offering 20% off ALL stamps!!! If you have seen the DT's cards recently, I know you will have some sets you will want to grab up during this sale.

I will have my samples up ASAP. To all my readers, friends, family and of course Julia thank you for being patient with me this last week, I know I've been a little discombobulated. Happy World Card Making Day!
Elyssa

The LSAT is Tomorrow...

Hey Everyone,
Sorry I have but so MIA, but I have been studying hard for the LSAT tomorrow. Posting should be back to normal on Sunday (with LPS releases).

See you from the other side!
Elyssa

L'Shana Tova

This particular card goes out to all of you, my friends, family and readers. May you (regardless of your faith) have a wonderful New Year. May you reach your goals, be inspired, happy and healthy.

For more information about Rosh Hashannah and the High Holy Days (strictly educational) please click here.

L'Shana Tova!
{To you a good year}

Ely

Paper: Real Red, Kraft, More Mustard
Ink:Versafine Black
Copics: R14,R27, R29, Y11, Y13, Y15, Y17
Stamps: Papertrey Ink {Mazel Tov}

Wishing you Peace and Joy

Up until last week I had never owned a piece of 'kraft' cardstock. For those of you who don't know Kraft CS is basically a neutral, light tannish piece of cardstock that has a natural texture to it. I finally cracked after reading one of Mish's posts and decided to buy a 24 pack(for 5$ at papertrey). I AM IN LOVE!! It is such a wonderful color to work with. This particular card utilizing the CS as well as River Rock, Soft Sky and Purely Pomegranate. I also played with my SU scallop punch. The stamp set is from Little Paper Shop and is called {Snowflakes}. I love its crisp wintery feel.

Happy Stamping!!
Elyssa

Hang in There!

My Michaels recently revamped part of their stamping collection. They added some awesome new Hero Arts stamps, some Stampendeous stamps and some random Penny Black images. I have only bought two of the new stamps so far, the cute Changito the Monkey image and it's matching sentiment. I think this sentiment is just perfect because I find myself wanting to send uplifting cards to people who are going through rough times and this one foots the bill.

The main image is colored in E00, E31, E33 and G24. I sponged the background with Bashful Blue. The leaves are from the Little Paper Shop set 'Jungle Fun', which I stamped in Garden Green. The yellow flower is from the Little Paper Shop set 'Floral Wishes' , which I stamped on yellow paper in versamark. The paper is super old KI from the stash.

Well, I'm off to brunch. Yesterday marked the 1 week countdown till the big day!!!

Happy Stamping!!
Ely

L'Shana Tova (Happy New Year)

Wow! It has been a while, about 4 days since I last shared a creation with you! I had a lot of tests, papers and prep for the LSAT to do this week and I something just had to give. So, I am going to post the rest of my LPS samples today and tomorrow.

Next week marks the beginning of the High Holy Days for the Jewish Faith. The dove is an important symbol for peace in many faiths, including Judaism. Since the first holiday which marks the High Holy Days is Rosh Hashannah, or the Jewish New Year, I thought that utilizing the Little Paper Shop set 'Christmas Wishes' would be a perfect symbol of hope for a peaceful year. The sentiments also worked perfectly! As far as techniques go I managed to make a card WITHOUT copics, but I did utilize the 'Rock n Roll' technique for the dove. The rest of the card is simple, but I think it will make someone happy!

I'm off to LSAT class, see you tomorrow!
Elyssa

Little Paper Shop!!!

I PROMISE I will have my other two samples up, I am just TOOOOO swamped to craft(3 tests, 1 paper, 1 cold, 1 lsat, you get the picture). BUT, they are out!!! So please visit www.littlepapershop.com and check them out!!!

{Little One}

I love the fun, hand drawn look of this set. I started off with the heart from LPS's newest set 'Little One' which will be released on September 23rd. I love the whimsical look of the focal image which I colored in Rv11, Rv14, Rv29, B01 and Y15, then topped off with Stickles. Next I stamped one of the many sentiments from 'Little One' in Rose Red. The base is Lovely Lilac with stars from the set which are stamped in Eggplant Envy.

I'm off to study for my LSAT, two tests this week and begin my paper. I'll be back tomorrow with another sneak peak from LittlePaperShop.com!

Ely

Little Paper Shop Sneak Peak #1

This set is my absolute favorite for this month. The main image is a snow globe with other sentiments and elements to go with it. The minute I saw it I thought of one word POTENTIAL. This set can be used with ANY set to create the perfect globe. I decided to play around with it a little make a nature themed global to sent to one of my cousins. She LOVES butterflies.

I used Little Paper Shop's Butterflies and Blossoms set for all of the stamping save the globe. I stamped the Butterfly in Memento Tuxedo Black and colored it in with YG91, YG95 and BG13. Next I masked the butterfly and stamped flowers to replace snowflakes as the 'floating element' of my globe in Soft Sky. Next, I masked the top portion of the globe and stamped the leaves from BnB in River Rock. I then cut out my globe and placed it aside. My focus then went to my layer. I decided to keep the two color theme and stamped the flowers in Soft Sky/River Rock. Then I used my copic marker (YG95) to make a faux layer by using the chisel tip and swiping my marker across the paper. Finally, I dyed my clear ribbon with YG13. EASY!!!!

I also wanted to share with y'all a little tip I've picked up with acrylics. Sometimes circular images (or straight lines) are hard to place on your acrylic block while maintaining shape by just 'eyeing it'. I find it helpful to place your block over the set's label and then layer your stamp over it. Thus using the label as a template.
Also, make sure you check out the wonderfully talented other members of the LPS design team at our very own LPS DT BLOG!!!


Happy Stamping!
Elyssa

Go Green/Clear LPS Challenge

The environment is an important topic for me and in this election year I find it is being brought up quite a bit. I think it is important to try to consciously make a difference in your daily routine to be more 'green'. From using recyclable bags at the grocery store to driving less, there are truly a plethora of ways to try to be more eco-friendly.

As many of you know, the Little Paper Store set 'Peace' was in part inspired by yours truly. So when Julia challenged us to make something with the something 'clear' I thought about this bottle. Now I know she probably had in mind stamping on acetate, but I decided to make this challenge about my Nalgene.

For those of you who don't know, Nalgenes are reusable travel bottles which are BPA-free. They are light-weight and easy to grab and go with. They come in a ton of colors and shapes, but most importantly they enable you to consume less plastic. Rather than grabbing a water bottle to go, I simply fill her up at the faucet.

I made a cute little tag to adorn my nalgene with a CLEAR (just in case you thought my use of a bottle for the theme was too much of a stretch LOL) tag. I stamped the tree from 'Peace' in chocolate chip/garden green, then I stamped the peace sign in soft sky and finished it off with the sentiment 'Go Green'.

Happy Stamping!!!
Ely

Earth Laughs In Flowers

There is a definite 'Outline Flowers' trend going on in the stamping world this fall. I just love this clean look. I tried to emanate the 'Upsy Daisy' look with 'Stem Silhouettes'. I think it turned out pretty well. I used Garden Green and Cameo Coral on Georgia Pacific CS. The base is More Mustard. The ribbon is from American Crafts and of course the half-back PEARLS. I love those!!!

Isn't it YUM???

Elyssa

Give Thanks

This card is another product of Mary's Retired Stamp Sale. This particular set is from a promotion SU did with Country Living a couple of years ago, it's called 'Country Blessings'. With SU pairing up with CL again this year, I figured this set would be apropos. The base card stock is Old Olive. I stamped the leaf in River Rock over the entire base. Then I did graduated stamping in Chocolate Chip Ink on the GP CS. I colored the darker CC leaves with Y91 or Putty. The sentiment is done in Garden Green and is matted on a piece of CC CS. These half-back pearls seem to be this month's BIG Pink Flower (if you've been reading my blog for a while you may know about my OBSESSION with Heidi Swapp's BPFs).

Simple and Sweet, my favorite combo.

Happy Stamping!
Ely

Friends like you keep me afloat!

Thursday marked the official 'One Month till the LSAT' countdown, which also marked a definite spark in my stress level. Which, obviously, meant that I felt the need to stamp. Do you feel that it helps calm you? I definitely do. Hence, this month I feel confident in telling you that there will be A LOT of cards uploaded to this blog, so please make sure you bookmark this site or subscribe to it.

This particular card has an interesting story. Tuesday was stamp club, and the ever wonderful Mary agreed to let me purchase some of her retired stamps. She also mentioned that my blog could use some more Stampin' Up cards. She also supplied each member with an adorable sample ring of SU DP, which, I believe she meant us to use as a color reference. HOWEVER, watching those gorgeous squares of product sit on that ring was just tearing me apart. SO, I decided to release these four scrumptious pieces of Sweet Always DP from their bondage and use them in this card. The stamp is retired, but is called "Favorite Friends", which I colored with BG10, BG13, B01, YR65, RV11, RV34, and E31.

I used Faux Nestabilites by matting my image on white card stock. The ribbon is retired Soft Sky (again from Mary!!!). The pearls are from Hobby Lobby. *Helpful Hint* I like to buy my half-pearls in glued lines and the cut them off the line one by one. This way they have sturdy adhesive behind them (as opposed to individual half-pearls).

Happy Stamping!
Elyssa

Ok Fine, One More Hanna Stamps Card

Ok, maybe I'll show you just one more sneak peak from tonight's release via Hanna Stamps, called 'Thanksgiving'. I'll keep it short and sweet!

I LOVE this set! How gorgeous does Hanna look with more traditional colors? The paper is from Basic Grey and the sentiment is from Stampendous. Hanna is colored with YR21, E00, R20, BG10, R39, E31 and E37. The card base is Mellow Moss and the Ribbon is from Maya Road.

Hanna Stamps Preview #4

I can't believe this is the final day of Hanna Stamps Previews, but not to worry you haven't seen the last of Hanna on this Blog. I have lots of other cards to share as the month progresses. This fun card is made with the new 'Thanksgiving' set from Hanna Stamps. The focal image (Hanna) was colored with E00, R20, R29, R39, V01, V04, BG10, B14, E31 and E33. The pattern on her dress is actually a stamp for the Little Paper Shop set 'Friends'. She is standing on leaves from the Hanna Stamps set 'Jump for Joy'. I water colored the background with some Blue Twinking H20s.

Doesn't she look festive???

Happy Stamping!
Elyssa Blair

Hanna Stamps Preview Day #3

Well tomorrow is the big release so make sure you join us at the Hanna Stamps Forum at Splitcoaststampers.com . This set is called 'Kiss the Cook'! It has sooooo many possibilites. From BBQ thank you notes, to recipe cards this set is going to be a staple in my stamping room.

I decided to get creative with the set, so I created this little scene. I even used ribbon as wall paper! I also thought the saying could be one of those vinyl cling sayings that Stampin' Up is selling. LOL. Anyway, I colored Hanna in E00, R27, R29, R39, V01, V04, YR63, YR04, YR14, E31, E33, R20 and BG13. Her bread plate is E00, E33, E31 and E37. To create depth with the cabinets I sponged Only Orange on Bazzil Bling paper.

Last night was Stamp Club with the wonderful Mary. I broke down and bought the scallop punch as well as Tangerine Tango Ink and Paper. I also bought *a few* retired sets. I'll be showing you soon!

Make sure you check out Hanna Stamps tomorrow night for the big release.

Happy Stamping!
Elyssa

Hanna to The Rescue

As your Elementary School Teacher always said 'Fire Safety is Important'. Besides the usual drilling of your family on household exits and fire safety protocol, my teachers always ended the lessons by having us make a little sign for our front window which denoted how many animals lived there.

This project just screamed to me the minute I saw this Hanna Stamps set. The font is from Inque Boutique. I colored Hanna with C01, E00, YR14, E397, B14, R27, R20 and R29. Her feline friend (actually I colored her to be my Grandma's 20 YEAR OLD cat, Fonzie) is colored in C1, C3 and C5.

Happy Stamping!
Elyssa Blair