Handmade Layers Inspiration by Mandie!

 

Mandie made a special layout today with tags from our newest collection, Handmade Layers! I love how this collection goes so well with papers that can be found already in your stash. They add the perfect finishing touches, too! She used the Date and Place Strips, Large Circle tags and the Blank Pennants.

So fun! Thank you so much for this extra inspiration today, Mandie, this layout is beautiful!

Also, make sure you visit her blog! She just posted some of her Project 365 and it's beautiful!

We have a winner!

We have a winner to announce from yesterday's giveaway from Izzy's Attic! The winner of the awesome prize is:
Roxanne at February 26, 2011 9:14 AM

Congrats, Roxanne! Please email me as soon as possible to claim your prize!

Special Giveaway from Izzy's Attic!

We are excited to host this special giveaway from Izzy's Attic! The owner contacted me and when I saw her work, I just knew our readers would LOVE them! Here's a little about them:

Izzy's Attic is a brand new store on Etsy. They offer unique easy to follow step by step PDF tutorials to create your own one of a kind patterns. These are great for beginners and have at least one picture for every step and are very easy to follow. These tutorials can be made for any age and can be made into a pin or clip as well. Make sure you visit their shop to check out all their amazing tutorials!

You can also become a friend on their facebook page to receive word on new products and discount codes.

Winner will receive a custom made headband of your choice with 5 tutorials emailed to you. To enter, head on over to their shop, then come back here and leave a comment telling us what headband is your favorite! The winner will be drawn Sunday night, February 27th.  

Big thank you to Izzy's Attic for making this giveaway possible!

February's Inspiration Gallery is LIVE!

February's Inspiration Gallery is now LIVE and our design team has done it again and put together an amazing showcase of layouts, mini's, cards, frames and more! There is something in there to inspire everyone, I think. They worked with items from our previous launch for this gallery and next gallery they will be working our collection we just released! Big thank yous to these ladies for all their hard work!!

Also, we wanted to say thank you so, SO much for such an incredible response to our newest collection, Handmade Layers. We are so excited that you love it and words cannot express how much your support means to us :) We love you all SOOOOOOOO much!!
xoxo, Elle

Our new collection is here! Introducing.... Handmade Layers!

Our new collection has arrived! It's a beautiful collection of vintage tags with a handmade and sewn look. The colors in this line will coordinate perfectly with the papers already in your stash and these tags will add the perfect finishing touches to your layouts, mini books, cards and more! So much fun!!

For this launch we also have two brand new size of tags! First are these 4 x 6 inch tags:

These larger journaling tags work great for mini book pages or to tell those longer stories on layouts. But, you can also use them in your photo albums, since they are the same size as the photo pockets!!

The other new tag size we have are these cut out pennants:

There are three different themes: Inspiring, Birthday and blank ones! They are so much fun and the perfect little embellishment for your projects!

Here's a peek at the rest of the line:

Date & Place Strips

 Note Tags

2 inch circles

 

3 inch circles

 Journaling Tags

Tiny Tags

and, last but not least... Cut Outs!

I had so much fun designing this line - and seeing it being printed was just incredible! I hope you all love it and can't wait to see your creations with it! 

Thanks so much for stopping by!
xo, Elle

p.s. February's Inspiration Gallery will be up tomorrow!!

New collection sneak peek!

We've got a sneak peek {above} of our new collection! This is just a tiny sneak of what's coming this Monday! We are so excited about these new tags, the colors are amazing and perfect for spring and summer!

Make sure you are signed up to receive our newsletter - we'll be sending one out on Monday with a special in it for our newsletter subscribers, only!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
xo, Elle

P.S. We wanted to let you know that we are doing a giveaway with one of the blogs we advertise with! You can win some of the new collection before you can buy it! Go here and leave a comment to enter!

Tutorial: Fun Striped Tag Set by Jennifer Chapin

 

By Jennifer Chapin

 

One of my favorite things to do with my scrapbooking supplies is to create cute little tags. You can use these on cards, layouts, gift bags, or even give them to a crafty friend!

First, I gathered up some supplies. Elle's Studio products are so easy to use, just pick a few items from the same line and they automatically coordinate!

I knew I wanted to use the circle tag 'you are my sunshine'. I gathered up a few coordinating cardstock colors and punched elements.

To create the sunburst look, simply punch out a star, then cut the points apart and tape to the back of the circle as shown. Turn the piece over and you have a sunburst! I adhered this to my tag with some dimensional foam tape and added some stitching and punched butterflies to embellish.

 

My next tag was built around the Fun Striped tiny tag - I love the combination of black and cream. I gathered some coordinating papers and another computer generated sentiment.  

To create the butterfly, I simply punched through a Vintage Calendar circle tag. It leaves you with a fun number pattern! I also punched through the tiny tag with a small heart punch and backed it with some yellow paper.

The tag is finished off with some machine stitching, dimensional tape and a black rhinestone.

For this tag I gathered a plain shipping tag, another Fun Striped circle tag and some coordinating cardstock. I printed a sentiment from my word processing program and adhered it to the circle tag. This is totally customizable, you can type anything you want!

 Finished off with some stitching and a punched heart, the tag is complete!

To finish off my project, I wanted to package the tags in a cute way. I gathered up a small kraft sack, small clothespin, bakers twine, and a few more tags.

 I placed the tags in the sack and tucked my embellished tags and butterfly diecut under the clothespin. Finished off with a twine bow, this would make a cute gift for someone who loves to embellish their gifts, or a fellow scrapbooker!

I hope this little tutorial has inspired you to make a few tags as well! They are also a great way to use up the little scraps you have left over after making a scrapbook page.
-Jennifer

Winner + One Buck Wednesday!

We have a winner to announce for the She Art Workshop! The lucky winner is......
Tracie H on February 14, 2011 10:47 AM

Congrats, Tracie! Please email me as soon as possible! Big thanks to everyone who stopped by! I'm so sorry if you didn't win :( Don't forget though that you can still sign up for the class!

Guess what?! It's Wednesday! And, that means that we have two digital items up for just $1 each, again, today only! They are:

Vintage Alphabet Labels 

And, our Vintage Number Cards!

Two great items that both have that vintage look that I love so much :) Hope you like them, too! And, don't forget, they are $1 today only, so don't wait to get in on this amazing deal! We didn't release any new digitals this week and we won't be next week because we've been so busy getting the new printed line ready. We'll have another sneak peek for you on Friday of our new line! I can't wait :)

Thanks for stopping by!
xo, Elle

Happy Valentine's Day + special workshop giveaway!

I want to wish everyone a very Happy Valentine's Day! You are all my sweethearts and I love you all so much!! Also, Thank you so much for the amazing response our new collection! We have another sneak peek coming this week!!

A couple weeks ago I saw "The She Art Workshop" available online by Christy from Scarlet Lime and I couldn't sign up fast enough! Years ago I loved to paint and lately I've been dreaming about doing it again. This class is just the inspiration to get me going!! Plus, I've been admiring Christy's work for quite some time now and am just so, SO beyond excited for this class to start and learn from her!  

Soooo... guess what?! We have a very special Valentine's day giveaway/treat for you today! Christy is giving away one seat in the class to one of our readers!! We are absolutely thrilled!! Here's a look into the class:

The She Art Workshop is a 3 week e-course the begins February 28th! In this workshop, you will learn how to create unique and detailed girls, as seen in Christy's art projects! She will also share with you how she creates her backgrounds, textures, and layering styles on canvases and other surfaces! You will walk away from this class feeling confident in creating your own personalized" She Art" projects as well as having learned  new art techniques that you can use in other mixed media projects!  The She Art Workshop begins February 28th. Registration ends February 27th!  To find out more about the She Art Workshop and what is included in the class check out Christy's website here.

Sounds amazing, right?! Just leave a comment below to be entered into the drawing OR if you can't wait, head on over to her site and sign up! It's only $35 for the three week course - which I think is am AMAZING value!! We will draw the winner on February 16th!

Thank you so much, Christy, for offering this to our readers! Can't wait for class to start :) and, Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!! Xoxo

Introducing a brand new collection: Handmade Layers!

I am beyond excited about our new upcoming collection and wanted to give you the first sneak peek! It's called "Handmade Layers" and we'll be releasing it on Monday, February 21st at 9:00 am (PST time). It feels like we just released our Valentine's Day items, but I couldn't hold these new designs back any longer because I love them so much, plus they are perfect for spring!

This has probably been our most time consuming design yet. Every layer was either hand painted, stitched, layered, etc. and then scanned in and edited in Photoshop. But, I love, LOVE, L O V E the end results and we hope you do, too!

When I started designing the collection back in October/November, I thought I'd be able to whip it out in time for our January launch... But the more I worked on it, the more time I wanted to spend with it and release more products with the same look! At the beginning it was just going to be one set of journaling tags, but when those where done we all agreed it needed to have matching cut outs, tiny tags, date & place tags, 2 inch circles, 3 inch circles, and a brand new sized tag, too!

So, our next upcoming launch is all about LAYERS and will be happening on February 21st. I can hardly wait! We will be sending out a newsletter as soon as it goes live, so make sure you're on
the list!

Spritz cookies for Valentine's Day

 I love Spritz Cookies... with or without frosting... it doesn't really matter! This year I didn't get around to making any for Christmas and was pretty bummed about it. Then, I remembered the cookie press (I got the Martha Stewart one before Christmas, but it's on sale right now!) had a heart shape in it! Perfect for Valentine's Day!

 Then, once I started, I couldn't help but do the star/flower shape, too! The sprinkles and nonpareils add the perfect little touch.

For this batch I tried this recipe and it turned out pretty good. I think next time I'd double the vanilla or add almond flavoring because I like a little more flavor in my cookies if they don't have frosting... Still very yummy and the perfect little sweet treat for Valentine's Day!

I'm off to package these cookies up in our little Valentine Bags! And, maybe make these Fudge Lover's Cream Cheese Cake brownie's from Betty Crocker! I just found that recipe yesterday and I know my family would LOVE those!!

Annnd... guess what?! We've got a BIG surprise for you tomorrow!! Eeek!!

A Love Story by Melissa Mann

Melissa used all our Lovely Valentine products to create this beautiful mini. I love the fabric cover and the use of her vintage typewriter! Thank you so much for the amazing inspiration, Melissa! We adore you :)

One Buck Wednesday at JessicaSprague.com + more digi news!

It's Wednesday already! The days just fly by, don't they? Well... Since it's Wednesday that means we have two digitals, at our digital shop, that are only $1 each for One Buck Wednesday!

Our two digitals on sale this week are:
Journaling Hour by Hour tags - I created this little layout of the day my nephew was born, below, but you could use these to document any day! A trip to the zoo, first day of school, a weekend, vacation, etc.
And, then our second $1 item are our Seaside Vintage Labels. Love the simple, but old looking design of these tags! So much fun and such a good deal!!

Also, don't forget our digital shop has a TON of items for Valentine's Day!
Dress up your suckers or lollipops with our Lollipop Tags...
Use our Valentine Bags to hold cookies, candy, and more!
This little Let Me Count The Ways Mini Album kit is so much fun! We released it last week and it's the perfect kit for putting together a little mini for a loved one. Makes a wonderful Valentine's Day gift! Comes with easy to print pdf files and png files for those who want to essemble the album before printing it out!

Plus, there's banners, papers, Valentine cards and MORE at our digital shop! Don't miss them!!
xo, Elle

Designer Spotlight Week Recap & WINNERS!

We have had SO MUCH FUN, this past week, getting to meet and learn more about each one of our Design Team members and see their special project + scrap room. We feel so blessed to have such an incredible team of ladies putting together inspiration for us every month for the Inspiration Gallery and our blog! They rock!

We have eight lucky winners to announce from the giveaways we had each day! The lucky winners are:
Jamie
judean
ShoppingTamii
Meghann
Jenni
Rebecca
Just Us
Jennifer H.

Congrats! You've each won a special packaged fill with items from our newest release! Please email us your address as soon as possible and we'll get your goodies out asap!

We have lots more fun in store for this week and next :) It's such an exciting time!! Eeek!!
xo, Elle

Meet Our Design Team Week - Say Hello to Loredana Bucaria!

I’m Lory and I come from Italy! I knew scrapbooking in 2003 thanks a friend and a little journey in a Funfair Park where I was attracted by a scrapbooking book full of colors and of die cuts! Since then I made a long Internet research about this hobby and I was really lucky to discover a new wonderful world!

Since then my life is changed! Scrapbooking is become my lifestyle, it helped me in bad moments, like my dad’s death, I met new good friends around the world by Internet, all thanks to scrapbooking.

I love scrapbooking because it makes me happy, free, with the scrapbooking I forget all the ordinary worries, all the bad thoughts and only the page, the photos, the story about the photo exist! I loves to be sitting down on my chair, close to door of my scraproom and be in my scrapbook space with music in background to scrapbook her pages full of colors, of several and sometimes unusually materials. All for fun and for relaxing!

I have a big dream: to can teach around the world, it should change my life, I’d do what I really want to do! In Italy I have an online website and I have organized an international convention of scrapbooking and mixed media for three years (2008-2010) knowing the most famous scrapbookers and enjoying so much everything! It was a dream came true! I am solar, joyful, full of things to do but I love my everyday life even if something is not like I would. I got married last July with the love of my life and now I have a new cute home that I improve day by day. I love my life even if I am not a Hollywood star! LOL

You can also visit Lory's blog, scrapbook website and the international convention's site!
What is your favorite color combo? I love all colors but my favorite color combo is turquoise-yellow-pink/fuchsia or red.

What are your go-to and must have scrapbooking products? I must have letters stickers or rub on or chipboards, words stickers and journaling tags because I'm a real journaling addict!
Why did you start scrapbooking and how did you get started? I started scrapbooking in the 2003 during a trip in a Funfair park. One of my best friends had a family member that loved the USA and that introduced her the scrapbooking, my friend introduced me scrapbooking and in that park I bought my first scrapbooking book, I remember yet,this book had the paperkins inside to cut!! So much time ago!!! Since then I became a scrapholic!!!!

Who or what inspires you? I am inspired from a lot of scrapbookers around the world, I love many different styles but I know that I adore colorful styles.I love Ali Edwards, Kelly Purkey, Kim archer, Emily Falconbridge, Jamie Waters, Celine Navarro, Heidi Swapp, and so many others (some of them are my friends and I am so thankful for this, wonderful scrapbookers and very special persons) I am inspired also from interior design magazines, I love them!! I find many ideas in this kind of books!
What is your favorite thing about scrapbooking? Create, to be free, to can be what i really am!

Where do you scrapbook? I'm very lucky because I have a little scraproom in my new home... I would not have bought this new house if it had not had this room:) LOL

What is your favorite thing to listen to or watch while creating? I love to listen jazz, Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Nora Jones, Micheal Buble:)

* * * * *

Thank you so much for sharing with us today, Lory! Your scrap room is so bright and cheerful! Love it!! Your project was a great spin on an egg carton - fabulous idea! Plus, your q&a was great to read :)

Our LAST giveaway! We put together some special packages that we are giving away during our special week! Just leave a comment below and you'll be entered to win one! Winners will be announced tomorrow, on February 8th!

Today is the LAST day to receive a FREE GIFT with your order: We are celebrating our Design Team members from January 31st - February 7th! All orders placed in our shop during our special week will receive a free gift!