Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day weekend :) We hope everyone has a blast with their plans! We always get together with a family BBQ (this year it's at my house!!) and this weekend is also my sisters birthday, so we get to celebrate that, too!

If you're looking for a quick and easy, but pretty decoration for your party, we've got the perfect digital download for you! And, since it is a digital download, the delivery is instant! The banner comes with two sayings: "Let Freedom Ring" and "Happy 4th of July" - so if you download it now, you can use it for two parties :) And, then the goodie bags are perfect for filling up with candy or cookies. Print only as many as you need and choose from 5 different designs! Both the banner and goodie bags are pictured above.

I'm making the "Let Freedom Ring" for our BBQ, and then I'm filling the goodie bags with popcorn for the kids :) Can't wait!

Happy Memorial Day, everyone and happy birthday, sis!!
xoxox, Elle

May Blog Challenge + winners!

Today we get to share some of the blog challenge entries from our May challenge! It's so fun to see what people create with these challenges! Here are some of the entries we had:

By Melanie:
By Rebecca:
By Scrappin_in_AK:
By Lissa:
Awesome job, everyone! Thank you so much for participating in our challenge this month :)

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

Stay tuned for our next challenge! It will be posted on June 2nd!

Love you all!
xo, Elle

New Digital and Print & Create kits are here!

Our new digital and hybrid items are here! We've turned a ton of our older and out-of-print designs into digital downloads. The best part about our digital downloads is that, along with the .png files, they also include a .pdf file! So, if you aren't into digital scrapbooking and want to use these tags on your paper layouts, all you have to do is print them out! And, you can print out as many as you need, since the file is yours to keep forever!
There are also a couple of new digitals that are brand new designs - these designs just went straight to digital format and we haven't sold them before as paper tags!Don't forget about our Print & Create hybrid kits! We added birthday banners for boys and girls, plus a patoritic banner that includes both "Let Freedom Ring" and "Happy 4th of July" so they'd be perfect for your Memorial Day parties and 4th of July celebrations! Our Print & Create kits are super easy to work with - just open the pdf files, print out, cut and glue!
Each banner has matching goody bag designs, too! There are bags for boys, girls and patriotic ones. These Print & Create kits are great for parties and you can print as many as you need - the files are yours, forever!
We also had a ton of requests to do the full alphabet so people could create their own banners with their own sayings! We are so excited to say that we did that and the letters are currently available in nine colors: aqua, brown, dark pink, green, light blue, lime, navy, pink, and red! You could use these to customize one of our original banners by adding a name (perfect for the birthday banners!) or mount these letters on your own 4 x 6 coordinating scrapbooking paper for a new look!

Wow! There is a ton to see - it's a big day :) To top it all of, we've brought back our "Summer Shipping Saver!" Spend $50 in the shop and receive automatic free shipping - no coupon code required! This is also available for international packages, too!

Thanks for stopping by!
xo, Elle

p.s. We have three winners to announce, too! The winners from our last post are:
Anna at May 22, 2010 10:56 AM
AB at May 22, 2010 12:51 PM
LRW at May 22, 2010 8:13 PM

Congrats!! Please email me as soon as possible and we'll get you your prize! Thank you to everyone who left a comment!!

New Launch Sneak Peek + weekend giveaway!

Our new digital download launch will be this Monday and we have a sneak peek just for you! Above is a sneak peek of our Print & Create Birthday Banner for girls :)

There's lots more to see, so make sure you check back on Monday! Also, make sure you are signed up for our newsletter - there will be a special for just our newsletter subscribers! And, the good news is, we have switched to a new newsletter service, so if you were not receiving it before, you should now :)

Giveaway time! We wanted to celebrate our new launch a little early for all our loyal readers - we love you guys soooo much! We'll giveaway the Print & Create Banner kit, shown above, to THREE people! Just leave a comment below to enter and check back on Monday to see if we drew your name :)

Have a great weekend, everyone! Can't wait for Monday!

May Gallery Debut

Our design team did it again - their newest creations are live in the gallery and SO inspiring! We are in love with everything they have made :) Here's a little preview, but make sure you head over the the Inspiration Gallery to check out each of our member's full gallery! And, if you missed last month, or even the both before that, they are still there for you to see!

We love the way Daniela used our Sweet Summer Quilt Stamp and made little flower embellishments with them! Also featured above is our Summer Circle tags and Summer Mini Papers! Her full gallery is super cute and includes another layout and a card! Thanks, Daniela!

Paige left me in awe over this banner she created using a bunch of our Vintage Cut Outs and Date and Place Strips - so fun! She also made a really cute friend frame and used our Summer Quilt Stamp for flowers (loving this idea!!) and another inspiring layout! These are great, Paige! Thank you :)We love Jenni's style and all the layers she creates! The layout above features our Triple Scallop Tags and our Note and Date Stamp, stamped on vellum! Her full gallery includes another layout and a cute card with a little pennant banner! Thanks so much, Jenni! So cute :)

Laurie did something really clever with our Summer Circle Tags! She turned them into photo corners! So fun! She also did another layout and a really clever and cute watermelon tag! So much fun to see - Thanks so much, Laurie!

Samantha made this darling mini album above with all of our new Sweet Summer line - there are lots of pages to see, so make sure you head on over there and check it out. Love how it came together and it looks like the perfect way to document your summer! She also made two other adorable layouts for her gallery. Thanks so much, Samantha!

Mel made two awesome, layouts, too! Love the way she used our Detail Tags and her other layout features a really pretty orange and blue color theme that I have totally feel in love with! Love these! Thanks, Mel!

Now, don't forget, head on over to the gallery to see the rest! There's lots of amazing inspiration in there :) If the gallery isn't working for you, please let us know!

Happy creating!
xo, Elle

We have a winner!

We have two winners to announce from the post below! The two winners are:
Just call me b at May 18, 2010 8:37 PM
Keely Yowler at May 17, 2010 5:17 PM

Congrats, ladies! Please email me as soon as possible!
xo, Elle

Inspiration Gallery Sneak Peeks!

Our design team has put together another amazing gallery for us - here's a little sneak peek of what's coming this Thursday, when the entire gallery goes live! Can't wait!!

Giveaway: Color Inc. Spiral Bound Photo Books!

Alright, have you guys heard of Color Inc.? They are a really cool company that can print a ton of amazing things for us scrapbookers! Like gallery wrapped canvas, spiral bound photo books, greeting cards and regular photos, too! We are really excited to be able to team up with this company and they are offering a giveaway to our blog readers!

Color Inc. is offering two of our readers each their very own spiral photo book - and the best part is, you get to pick the size! The photo above is what one of them looks like. These would be perfect for a little brag book, large vacation style photo book and MORE!

To win, just leave a comment below, telling us what your favorite book size is, and we'll be drawing two names this Wednesday night!

And, in the mean time, if you need to order some regular photos, you can get 25 free prints by using the coupon they've created just for our readers (found on the left side of our blog) , at checkout use code: elles25 for your free prints!

Good luck, everyone!
xo, Elle

Elle's Studio Design Team Call!

We are in shock that it's already that time again to start preparing for a new design team for the second half of 2010! We have had an amazing time with our current team and will be so sad to see them go, but are excited for what's go come :) So bittersweet!

We are on the hunt for 6 people that love to scrapbook and that would like to work with our items for the last six months of 2010 (from July through December)!

You will be responsible for:
- 2 layouts and one card or tag per month for our inspiration gallery
- Sending photos of your layouts, cards and tag to us by a certain date
- Participating in two of our new monthly blog challenges during your term
- Each designer will be spotlighted during their own special month! During your month we’ll need you to answer a short interview questionnaire and create a fun blog project to go along with your spotlight
- Checking in and keeping up to date with our Google Group
- Posting your creations on your blog and in other galleries around the web

You will receive:
- All your layouts, cards, tags and projects posted on our site and blog
- Tons of Elle’s Studio products to work with!
- A link on our blog to yours
- Ability to request items for projects you have in mind
- Special compensation if any of your layouts or projects gets published!

To apply:
We have set up a special email account for collecting applications only. Please send the following to us in one email, to ellesstudio@gmail.com . Applications are due by June 10th
- Three images of three different layouts, cards or project(s) that best represent you and your style. Images must be no larger than 600 x 600 px.
- A short 300 word bio about you!
- Link to your blog
- Link to any gallery you are currently posting to
- Include any current or past design team or publications
- Also, this time around, we are looking for one or two people that would like to incorporate our digital elements into their pages. If you are able to do this (download and print), please let us know when applying!

Overseas and international designers, please feel free to apply, too! We'd love to have people from all over the world design for us!

We will be announcing the Design Team members in late June! This team will be designing from July – December and then we’ll be putting another team together to start the new year!

Check out what's coming soon...

That's right! Mark your calendars for May 24th, when our digital kits will go live! And, make sure you're on our newsletter list to receive a special offer just for our newsletter subscribers!

What's in store for this launch? We have turned a lot of our retired designs into digital kits, along with a couple brand new, never been seen before designs that are going straight to digital! PLUS, we can't forget about our Print & Cut kits, we'll be adding more of these, too!

All our digital kits come with .png files, plus .pdf files that allow you to print the set of tags out on one or two sheets and cut them out - this means you get to print as many tags as you need, but only pay once!

We're excited about our new digital launch and hope you'll join us!
xo, Elle

Designer Spotlight: Mel Nunn

Hi there, my name is Mel and I reside in sunny Australia. I live in the south and it gets very cold in winter and scorching in summer. I wouldn’t like it any other way (perhaps a little warmer in winter...).

I live with my husband and two kids, Lilly (6) and Tobey (4). I keep busy by being a stay at home mum, and I am also studying my Graduate Diploma to become a high school science teacher. I plan to work full time when Tobey starts school in January. I have not been scrapbooking as much as I would have liked lately but it is a great way for me to unwind once the kids go to bed.

I love being on the Elle’s studio Design Team, and I am also a Support Team member for Kim Archer Workshops @ Home.

What is your favorite color combo?
I have a few favorites, scrapbooking and in other areas of my life. I love red, black and grey together to wear, but I like brighter colors in my scrapbooks. Red and aqua is nice together too.

What is your favorite scrapbooking supply?
I love Elle’s Studio circle tags... I have ever since Elle started making them. Now that Elle has the bigger circle tags, I am totally in love!!! My second favorite scrapbooking item would have to be patterned paper, because I love to make my own embellishments with it and I love punching shapes too.
Why do you scrapbook and how did you get started?
I scrapbook so that my kids can stay in touch with their story. Everyone has a “story” and unfortunately I remember little about my own childhood, and have only a few photos. I want my kids to grow up with a colourful history of what makes them unique.

I began scrapbooking in 2004 when Lilly was only 5 months old. I went to a local market where a lady was booking Creative Memories parties. I loved the idea of a scrapbook, but did not book a party. It wasn’t until I was in a coffee shop and I picked up a copy of a scrapbooking magazine, that I really started thinking about starting. In the magazine a fantastic Aussie scrapbooker had won a major prize and her work was featured. The artist was Kim Archer. I fell in love with her shabby chic style and bought a bunch of supplies.

There was no turning back after that. It’s funny how you get to meet wonderful ladies through scrapbooking. I met a lady in the local scrapbooking store when we were first starting out, and now our girls (her twin girls and Lilly) go to school together and are best friends. Us mums are pretty good friends too!
Who inspires you?
Lots and lots of crafty ladies inspire me, whether they are artists, scrapbookers, quilters, or fibre artists. I find that if I lack a little mojo, my scrapbooking friends and I get together and try to spark some creative inspiration from one another.

What is your favorite thing about scrapbooking?
I love the friendships that I have made through scrapbooking, and the fun we have together. I also love the creative freedom that scrapbooking provides. One of my other passions is taking photographs so I just love the whole scrapbooking process. Oh and another thing I love... shopping for new products (wink!).

I don’t have a lot of photos of my scrap space because I don’t have one anymore! We moved house recently and downsized. I didn’t think it would be a problem because I would be studying for the next couple of years. I miss my scrap room, and here are a few close-ups of things that used to be around my scrap space.
Thanks so much for sharing with us today, Mel! It was great getting to know more about you and your previous scrap room looks divine! Love all the vintage furniture pieces :) It's been so fun having you apart of our team - we feel so lucky to have you!

Happy Mother's Day!

We are headed out of the studio a little early this Friday because we have lots of prep to do for Mother’s Day!

We want to wish all the Mom’s out there a very HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! The day is yours to celebrate and we hope you have a great time surrounded by the ones you love!

I also want to say how thankful I am for my mom! She is such an amazing person! She is always there to offer tremendous help and support to me and has helped SO MUCH with Elle’s Studio that I cannot even begin to find the right words to thank her! She's the best, BEST, BBBEEESSSTTT mom ever :) Can't wait to celebrate the weekend with you, Mom! I LOVE you!!

xo, Elle

Blog Challenge for May!

Is it May, already?! Spring has finally peeked its head out at us here and the sun has begun shining! We thought it would be fun for us to do a blog challenge that has you capture your favorite part of spring on a layout!

Here is some inspiration from our Design Team!
Paige created this colorful and cute layout - I love how she used our Triple Scallop tags and Lined tags to create flowers! And, then hand cut a title out of our Mini Papers! So fun :)
Jenni created this layout - it's TWO 12 x 12's! Amazing!! I love the college look and how she was able to use our Sweet Summer Mini Papers to create focal points for each photo! So much fun and lots of details to see, too!

Thank you so much for inspiring us, ladies!

Now it's your turn! We want to see your favorite part of Spring captured on a layout, using at least one of Elle's Studio products! Upload it to the web and post your link here, in the comment section OR email us a photo of your project. And, make sure you get them in by the 25th of May . Everyone that does will be entered into a drawing for a $30 gift certificate to the shop! The winner will be announced here on the 25th and we'll be posting some of the entries we receive :)

Good luck, everyone! We are excited to see your creations!
xo, Elle

We will be doing these challenges every month, with the challenge starting on the 2nd of each month and you'll have until the 25th to complete the challenge and post a link to a photo of it or email us a photo of it. Then, we'll enter everyone that has completed our challenge into a drawing for a prize! We'll also be featuring some of the entries in a "wrap-up" blog post on the 25th when we announce the winner! Make sure you keep your calendar marked for more challenges to come!

NSD Winners + My Week In The Life

What an amazing and creative weekend we had - loved celebrating National Scrapbooking Day(weekend) with all of you. Thank you so much for all your sweet comments! You are all so kind :)

We have four winners to announce from this post. BIG congrats to.......
Banner Kit: Stacey Newton Legg via Facebook

Adhesives: Shelleycee at May 2, 2010 8:02 am

Stamps:
Kelly at May 2, 2010 3:49 PM
Leslie Gore Owens via Facebook

Please contact us asap with your shipping address and we'll get those goodies out asap!

I also finished up my "Week In The Life" project, so I wanted to share it with you today! I LOVE documenting events, special moments, meaningful moments and MORE! So, Ali Edwards "Week In The Life" project is always at the top of my list of things to participate in when she does it at her blog - however, this month has been a little busy for me, but I didn't want to miss it, so I decided this time I was going to do it super, SUPER simple.
I used our "This Week" note tags to make a mini book! These also fit perfectly into the baseball/ATC page protectors!
I journaled on the tags as the days went by, and then printed out my photos all at the same time, and cut them down to the same size as the "This Week" tag.
After decorating the cover with some alphabet stickers, I turned over the "cover" tag and glued Sunday's photo to the back. I repeated this for each day, so when you turned the page, each photo would line up with the correct day.
A couple of days I had some items I collected (like a recipe I had made) from the day that I wanted to include.
For the recipe one below I used a "The Details" tag, folded up the recipe and glued it to the tag.
Then, I made a pocket with the Tuesday "This Week" tag, by only gluing three sides of the Wednesday photo to the Tuesday tag. Then inserted the recipe that was glued to the detail tag inside.
Worked great! Then, after the photos are glued on to each tag, I punched holes in the upper left hand corner and strung some thread through it!

Here are some close ups:
Lots of fun and it's like a little treasure! I love little and simple mini books!

Thanks again for stopping by and making our NSD weekend so much fun! Happy creating!!
xo, Elle