We're three! Come celebrate with us!

It’s time to celebrate! We want to kick off our month long 3rd birthday party with a HUGE thank you to all our customers – without you these last three years wouldn’t have been possible! Also, a big thank you to our blog readers, facebook fans and twitter friends! We always feel so thankful and grateful for your support :) We love you all!!!
We have some fun things going on for the birthday celebration: We have added a special and brand new Birthday Cut Out to the shop – this cut out will ship FREE with any order received in March! You can also purchase the cut out, but if you do, you will also receive one for free :) This cut out is also a little peak at our new launch that will be happening sometime in April - we will let you know as soon as we set a date!
For every item you purchase in March at the shop, you'll receive a special raffle ticket! Every Sunday, in March, we will be having a drawing from the raffle tickets and the winner will receive a special birthday present! The presents will be big and small - some are pictured in the photo above! So hold on to your tickets and check the blog on Sunday to see if you are a winner!
There will also be a TON of fun around the blog for the entire month of March, too! We are excited to announce that our Design Team is going to be inspiring us all month long with special cards made out of the new Birthday Cut Outs! So, make sure you check the blog frequently throughout the entire month to get inspired!
We are so, SO excited to celebrate! Let's get this party started with a giveaway at our blog today! Winner will receive one of our brand new Birthday Cut Outs, Birthday Flashcards and XOXO Journaling Tag Stamp! Just leave a comment below to be entered! We'll draw a winner this Wednesday night!

Thanks for joining us for the celebration!
xo, Elle
p.s. The new blog challenge will be posted tomorrow, March 2nd!

February Blog Challenge Entries!

We are really excited to share some of the entries to our blog challenge with you today! There were some incredible entries - very creative and inspiring!! We've randomly chosen some entries to highlight. Here are a few of what we received:

By Amy:
By Melanie:
By Katherine:
By Siri:
By Jane:
By Lissa:
By Christina:
By Irene:
By Amy:
By Nita:
By Scrappininak:
By Amy:WOW! We love them all so much!! Thank you all so much for participating in our challenge - it was lots of fun to see all the entries! Stay tuned for another challenge on March 2nd!

The randomly drawn (from all the entries received) $30 prize goes to Irene!! Congrats Irene, please email us at info(at)shopellesstudio(dot)com to claim your prize!

We are super busy getting ready for the birthday celebration, so this will probably be our last post until March 1st, when we announce the big celebration details! Can't wait!!

Love you all so much!
xo, Elle

You're invited!

We have a HUGE birthday celebration planned for the entire month of March and you are all invited! We are super excited about it and can hardly wait for March to start :) There will be lots of inspiration, something new and... PRESENTS!!

There will also be a super special secret in our next newsletter that will be going out on Sunday night, so if you aren't on the list make sure you sign up now!

And, come back March 1st to see all the party details! We can't wait :)

p.s. Thank you all SOOO much for your comments on the last post :)

Our family is growing!!

I'm so excited to be able to let everyone know that my sister and her husband are expecting!! EEK!! This will be my very first niece or nephew in my immediate family (although we have lots of friends with kids that we treat like our nieces and nephews! Along with my cousin's kids, too)
Her due date is the end of July and we get to find out if it's a boy or a girl on March 8th (hopefully! No crossing legs, LOL!) so I'll make sure to let you know!

Products used: The pennet was made with our County Fair Journaling tags. And the circle tags are our Granny's Doily tags - both of these go perfect with the Dear Lizzy line!

In the meantime I'd love tips and links to great baby products! I'm so excited to be an aunt, and excited that she lives so close to me - I can hardly wait for July!! It's going to be an amazing summer :)

Right now I'm trying to decide how I should document the first year for her - she doesn't scrapbook as much as she would like, so I figured I could do it for her. So that means to plan on seeing some new baby items coming soon ;) I couldn't resist!!

Thanks for letting me share with you today!
xo, Auntie Elle

New February Galleries are up!

By Daniela

By Jennifer

By Paige

By Mel

By Laurie

By Samantha

We are super excited that the new galleries are up at our Inspiration page! Our design team did such an amazing job, so many wonderful and inspiring things to see. The above photos are just a tiny peek at all the beautiful things they created! You must go check it out now! :)

Huge thanks to the Design Team! These ladies are incredible!!

What else is new? On Monday I have a super duper, big time, life changing announcement! I’ve been holding back for waaaay to long and I’m so excited to share it with everyone! I’m even scrapbooking a special page for it! I will give you a hint: It’s not related to Elle’s Studio, it’s not about me but about someone related very close to me… and I cannot wait!! Wait… that’s three hints :) If you want to guess, you’re welcomed to do so here or over at our facebook page!

And, then on Wednesday we’ll tell you a little more about what’s behind that new birthday logo in the left hand corner :)

Have a great weekend, everyone!!
Xo, Elle

Cards for Kids!

We are so excited to be a sponsor for the Cards for Kids drive that Jennifer McGuire puts on! Cards for others always holds a special place in my heart - it's amazing how much joy one card can bring to someone! For this card drive they are sending cards to eight six children and their families.

You have until March 31st to get your cards in! Read the full details on where to send them and more, here. There are lots of other prizes, too! Check them all out at Kristina's blog.

We'd love to hear if you are sending, or have sent, cards in!

Have you seen the galleries?

by Mel Nunn

By Laurie Rodick

By Samantha Sibbet

By Daniela Dobson

By Paige Evans

By Jenni Hufford

Check out the rest here, there's lots more to see and get inspired by!

And, don't forget to mark you calendars and check back on February 20th when the brand new galleries debut! I've already seen what the ladies have created and I can't wait to show you :) I think you'll love them!!

Thanks for stopping by!
xo, Elle

Adventures in Scrapbooking: Go Hybrid with May!

Cupcakes are one of my biggest weaknesses – and I adore the cupcake journaling cards that Elle’s Studio made for my new class at Big Picture that starts February 25. All students will get the sweet digi treats – and so much more in class.

Today I wanted to make and share a layout just for Elle’s Studio blog featuring one of the journaling cards (printed onto white cardstock) as well as some other favorite Elle’s products, digitally printed paper and photos – and so much more. I’ve got a real love for hybrid – and when paired with cupcakes well I get so excited!!

In Microsoft Word (yes, you can totally use Word for hybrid scrapbooking!) I inserted and sized my photos, the patterned paper, and the rounded corner frame before printing on glossy photo paper.
Then it was time to get messy and create with paper stuff! First off – I used crackle paint + cupcake (heart) foil liner to create the pink hearts on my painted cardstock background. LOVE this trick! The aluminum won’t absorb the paint so it works like a stamp and is such messy fun.
I also cut out my own (hand drawn designs) with the little Elle’s papers I love so much. You don’t need big pieces of paper for layouts – I tore one of the little paper squares to create a decorative accent on the right side of my page. Cute – and almost no scrap left over! The title & heart are just freehand cut, and the strip on the right side torn. Then I layered (love the flashcards!!), stitched, and added all kinds of fun stuff to finish off my page.
I hope you enjoy the ideas I’ve shared today, and if you’re interested in taking my class I hope you come and check out the info & registration at: http://www.bigpicturescrapbooking.com/gohybrid.php

-May Flaum
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Thank you so much for sharing with us today, May! We felt completely honored when May asked us to be apart of her Go Hybrid class - she is an amazing teacher and has a true love for hybrid projects. We love how she can break it down and make these projects super easy to do right in your own home with your own printer!

We created a special set of journaling tags with a cupcake theme, just for her class! You'll only be able to get them there, they are super exclusive! And, there are special items from others, too! Check out the full details and more at the class listing.

It's going to be an amazing hybrid adventure!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

We want to wish everyone a super sweet and love filled Valentine's day! Big hugs to each one of you - thank you so much for all your support! We love you!!

xo, Elle

Designer Spotlight: Jenni Hufford

Hello everyone!! My name is Jenni Hufford and I am from Indianapolis, Indiana (Go Colts!) . I have lived in Indy all of my life, except for when I attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. I graduated from Purdue in May of 2001 with a BA in Communications with an Art and Design and English minors. My husband Todd also went to Purdue however, we did not meet until two days after 9-11 at a prayer meeting at our church. It was so ironic to meet my future husband during such a difficult time for our country. We were engaged only six months later, and then married in November of 2002.

After I graduated from college, I worked in the marketing department of my family's insurance agency and oversaw the Christian Foundation of IN, a non-profit foundation that aides the acute financial needs of Christian School teachers. It was very rewarding to invest my time in developing this foundation, as I attended a Christian school from Kindergarten until 12th Grade.

Todd and I have two children, Jonah James who just turned four in January, and Jordan Nicole who will turn two in late February. I now stay home with Jonah and Jordan, and find that life is just as busy (if not more!:) being a stay at home mommy.

Some of my hobbies include photography, cooking with my husband, traveling, spending time with friends, and of course, scrapbooking.

What is your favorite color combo?
As a child I could never decide on my favorite color, it was always changing. But right now I am really enjoying greens and yellow combos and orange and turquoise combos. However, that may change tomorrow!

What is your favorite scrapbooking supply?
I have a patterned paper FETISH. I am seriously obsessed and my scrapbook stash can attest to this :) Aside from my love of patterned paper, I ALWAYS use Tim Holtz's Distressing Inks on my layouts and projects, and punches are a close second. It's amazing how these two items can make such a difference in a design!

Why do you scrapbook and how did you get started?
My mom scrapbooked while I was in school. As a high school graduation gift, she surprised me and gave me three scrapbooks that documented my life up until that point. I will always remember looking through those books for the first time and devouring every page. I had always enjoyed making my own memory books and collages growing up, but it wasn't until my son was born that I began officially scrapbooking. When he was born, he spent an unexpected 2 weeks in the NICU. Thankfully, everything turned out fine, and he went home a completely healthy boy, but it was such an emotional experience and "grew up" so much during those two weeks. Recording my thoughts became very therapeutic for me. And of course I wanted to start recording his life for HIM just as my mom did for me. Ever since then, I was hooked.

Do you record every moment or just special ones?
When Jonah was an infant I scrapbooked every moment. Scrapbooking soon became more of a chore than something I enjoyed. I am now more interested in telling stories, and recording the moments I want to remember, and preserving the moments I want my children to remember. So it pretty much ends up being a mixture of every day moments and the special milestone moments that I record.
Who inspires you?
There are so many incredible designers who inspire me. I LOVE visiting blogs and galleries for inspiration. There are so many I visit and I truly find inspiration at each and every one, but if I had to narrow it down, I would say that I have three favorite designers. One of the first designers who inspired me when I first started scrapbooking, and still today, is Ali Edwards. Her thought process and focus on the story is truly inspirational. I am also inspired by the amazing designs of Christine Middlecamp; her attention to detail is phenomenal. I am just in awe of every layout and project she designs, she is crazy talented. And finally, I just adore the vintage -y , classic style of Stephanie Howell. Her photography, designs, and journaling are breathtaking.

What is your favorite thing about scrapbooking?
Oh wow- my favorite thing about scrapbooking? Well, let's just say it's so much more than just a "hobby" to me. My favorite thing about scrapbooking would be that I am able to record the stories and memories that mean the most to me. I love the design aspect of scrapbooking and the excitement of creating something new. I love all the fun products out there. I love that scrapbooking has inspired me to learn and develop my skills in photography and journaling. I love the scrapbooking community and all the fun and interesting people I have met through this amazing industry.

Thank you so much, Jenni, for sharing your story, scrap room and beautiful layouts with us today! It was so fun getting to learn more about you and your family. We truly feel so lucky to have you apart of our design team!