New holiday items?

Hey everyone!

We just wanted to write a quick note to give you a little update on our holiday items since we have received so many emails asking about them :) We've been busy working and proofing our new items and everything is coming together soooo nicely! I'm thinking this will be one of our best launches yet and I hope you'll feel the same :)

A lot of you have also been asking about our Vintage Flashcards and we are excited to say that: Yes! We will be extending our previous line, that we've been doing since the beginning of 2009, for the upcoming fall and winter seasons, and for Christmas, too! We'll have numbers, new journaling tags, cutouts, lots of other fun things in store... can't wait to start sharing sneak peeks soon :)

Right now, we do not have a firm date set for the new launch, but we are shooting for as early as possible. We'll send out a newsletter as soon as we set a date, so make sure you're on the list! If you aren't, please sign up here: www.shopEllesStudio.com

And, I just want to thank you so, SO much for all your amazing support! You guys are truly the best people ever and I feel so blessed and thankful to be able to create things you enjoy! Thank you so much for all your emails and comments,too, they make my day!

Love you all!!
xo, Elle

Summer 2009 • Documented - page four + five

Time for another page! We were really inspired by the Kenner Road layouts and their use of mulitiple journaling tags and our cut outs, in the last post! For our next layout we decided to do another two page spread with multiple journaling tags, and use a large photo for the right page! Let's get started :
Gather up your supplies. For this layout you'll need a picture large enough to be an entire page.
The Cosmo Cricket paper we picked out for this layout has these super fun beach balls, so we wanted to make the beach ball that is going to be in the corner pop. We used pop dots to pop it!
Next, since this paper has a coordinating backside, we used the leftover scrap piece and cut a bunch of uneven strips. Put the strips to the side, we'll need them in just a little bit :)
Then, we picked out our journaling tags. For this layout, we wanted to use multiple journaling tags that coordinated well. We used one from our cut outs and the other from our digital download.
Once we got the basic layout figured out, we glued the picture and top journaling tag down. Then brought our strips outs. One of the strips we cut bubbles into.
Lay and glue your strips down. Make sure some show the backside of the paper. This will look like your using different coordinating papers, but really it's just one sheet!
I wanted the second journaling tag to be on top of some strips and behind the final strip, so I waited to glue it on until I was ready.
For the right side, we are using a large photo for the entire page! This is fun and a great way to display a photo that you want to be really large. Use a page from the book to mark on the back of your photo where to cut and punch holes.After we cut off the side and punched our holes we added our title. I love putting titles on large pictures, it adds such a different look to your mini!After taking a final look at the two pages together... we still thought something was missing...
We figured what it was! It needs some butterflies :) Here's what our pages ended up looking like:
And, some close ups. We added "stitching" with our black pen, too! :)
Love our little deer :) Our summer mini is coming together nicely! How's yours going? We want to see it! Please feel free to post a link in the comments or add it to our flickr group.

We've had some questions come up in the comment sections and through email so we thought we should answer them today!

How do you get your journaling to always fit on your journaling tags?
I always write out my journaling on a practice sheet and edit it so it will fit. It also helps to trace the journaling tag you are going to write on so you can get the sizing down before you start writing. Also, writing it very lightly in pencil first, on the journaling tag and then going back over it in pen is a good idea, too!

Do you worry about the pages sticking together?
Not really... I haven't had many pages stick together in the past, but if this is something you are worried about you could put a piece of tissue paper or wax paper between the pages when storing your album.

How is the book if you are adding lots of embellishments? Is it bumpy?
This book is going to be pretty thick! I got super lucky that the mini book from Chatterbox came with huge binding rings! I'll have to take a side shot when it's finished so you can see it.

If you have any questions please feel free to leave them in the comments section or email us! And, don't forget to link up your summer minis here or in our flickr group!

Happy creating!
xo, Elle

P.S. Still be thinking and recording those summer memories that you don't have pictures for :) we'll be working on that soon!

Kenner Road - Scarborough Fair - July Kit

Have you seen this months Kenner Road kit? It is absolutely beautiful! We were so thrilled and honored that they included our cut outs this month! Take a look at some layouts their design team created (but, make sure you check out the full gallery's here, so inspiring!)
Thank you, Kenner Road! So lovely!!

ckc Seattle - November 6th and 7th

We are so excited to announce that we will be at the vendor faire at CKC in Seattle! Registration for classes opens August 5th and I've heard there is going to be some awesome ones! If you purchase three or more classes you'll get a free pass to the vendor faire!

We're already getting ready for the show and will have our entire stock with us, plus all our new holiday items :) We can't wait and hope to see some of you there! Make sure you stop by and introduce yourself!!

xo, Elle

Summer 2009 • Documented - page two + three

We are ready for page two! A couple things before we start - some people were wondering what the size of our mini and photos are. The mini (a Chatterbox Wood Veneer Album) is 7 x 6 inches. For our pictures, I print them out at varying sizes. I've been known to use 3 x 2, 3 x 5, 4 x 6 and 5 x 7. I print all my photos at home when I'm ready to use them. The only reason I do this is because I never know what size I want to use, so I'm usually printing them at the last minute!

Also, winners!! from our last summer post are:
Christine on July 13, 2009 6:25 PM
Alison on July 14, 2009 8:29 AM

Congrats, ladies! Email us your postal address and we'll get your goodies out asap!

HUGE thank you to everyone who left a comment, we love them sooo much!! It was so fun to read what everyone's favorite part of summer is! Spending time with family was one that was mentioned a lot and I have to agree, that is my favorite part, too!

Should we get started? For page two, we are going to scrap about The Farm Chick Show we were at in June. This layout and idea would work great for any event, show or place you go to this summer. And, we are going to tackle a two page spread in a mini! I know some people, including me, worry about the layout carrying over from left to right and looking like one layout, two pages that belong together. The space in the middle that the binding creates is hard to work around, but we have found a solution and will share it in a couple steps below :)

But first, we have to get our pages ready. When working on a mini, one thing I find frustrating is there is always something behind the page what you're working on. The first page of our mini is behind page two and it has a ton of embellishments on it making it very thick.
Instead of trying to work on this uneven surface, we trace the page and cut out the shape on the scrapbooking paper we are going to use for the background. Once we completely finish the page we will glue the two pages together!
We are using a piece of paper from our Slice paper pad from Making Memories. After you have traced and cut out your page, make sure you mark or punch where your holes will be!
Now, for our simple solution on doing a full page spread in a mini... You'll want to use a piece of the paper you used for the left hand page background on your right hand pages left side (that got a little confusing!). Even if it's just a tiny strip! This helps your eye carry over from left to right and makes a smooth transition between the two pages!
We used our fingernail to junk the edges up... worked perfect!!
Now, for the left page!
Using a piece of ribbon and a Jenni Bowlin button (which we are in love with!!) we made a little holder for our vendor map and badge! We used our Cut Outs for the label. You could write on, use a typewriter or use stickers like we did for the title.You'll have to figure out where the items fit in order glue the ribbon down perfectly so it will hold your items tightly. We used a hot glue gun to get an instant hold for everything - the ribbon, button and label.
Added some stickers for the pages title and the left side is done! I love how it contains items from the event and am excited to think about pulling them out in ten years and the memories that will come with it!

For the right side, I picked out one main photo from the show and cut it out with a white border. I love the look of white borders on photos! It helps them pop off the page and has the perfect contrast against the patterned papers.We are using another Cut Out label and stamping the dates of the show we went to on it!
We used a Picnic Flashcard as a journaling tag. These flashcards are fun to journal on, it adds the perfect vintage touch! Also, we junked up the edges of the Cut Out tag with our fingernail again. I love how it makes it look old, and like it holds so much history!
And, we added a button/embellishment border. We used the glue gun on this one, too. We also used another Jenni Bowlin button. Using the same embellishment on both pages also helps tie the two together.Some more close-ups:
Our first 2 page spread is complete! We had so much fun creating that spread! And... don't forget, you could use this technique on any event. You could put movie tickets, napkins, coasters, advertisement flyer's, take home restaurant menus, ice cream cone holders, etc. in your holder. Also, just a reminder that the tags we used today are available together in the Summer Pack at a special price for July only!

Next time you're going somewhere, take a look at your surroundings. What would work in your summer mini? What would be something fun to save to represent the event? You never know what you're going to find!!

Our next installment will be late next week. In the meantime, start thinking about all the funny things that have happened this summer that you don't have a photo for :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful and creative weekend!
xo, Elle

p.s. We are participating in a giveaway at Ali's blog today! Head over there to enter :)

Sketch with Tara Anderson!

We have an amazing sketch to inspire you this morning, by Tara Anderson!And, here's the beautiful page she made from her sketch:
So cute!! We love the embroidery and the way she made that tag pop! Also, the notebook paper page she used behind the photo and the way the torn edges peek out at the top, so fun! Not to mention that adorable picture, so sweet!

Tara's work is pure eye candy and full of gorgeous details! If you haven't checked out her full gallery, make sure you do here!

Thank you, Tara, for continuing to inspire us!!
xo, Elle

p.s. Don't forget about the giveaway here! It's still going till Saturday :)

Summer 2009 • Documented – Page 1+ Giveaway!

Day two, here we come! We are having lots of fun gathering things and taking pictures. We've been getting some emails on what papers would work best with the Summer Pack tags and our new digital download kit and the good news is, almost any kind will work! Below is a small sample of what we pulled from our stack to work with.
All these papers seem to go great! And, really almost anything would work. We work hard to design our tags to be very versatile so you can mix and match them to almost anything out there! If you have any questions about our little workshop, please don't hesitate to email us!

Okay, back to our mini book! We are working on page 1 today. I wanted the first page to document the beginning of summer since it is the beginning of our book! My sister's birthday is on May 31st and always starts off our summer just right!
Gather your supplies. From her party we had pizza and cupcakes, the best combo, ever!! I saved the leftover candles and asked my mom if she had any left over, unused cupcake wrappers from when she baked the cupcakes. I love saving and collecting bits and pieces from get-togethers and places we visit. I save them in a little box and if I can incorporate them in a page, I do! If not, they will eventually get thrown out.
I first layout my photos and get a basic idea of what the layout will look like. For this layout, since I have such large embellishments and little space on my page, I decided the journaling would be in a hidden behind the top photo.
Since the journaling will be hidden, I wanted to make a little pull tab on the main journaling tag!
I added a Chic Note tag to The County Fair journaling tag and it worked out perfectly!
Now, I quickly found out that cupcake liners don't lay very flat. Once I got figured how I wanted them to lay I stapled them together and then glued them to the page.

Next, I wanted to make a little pennet out of the pennets from our digital download. If you are going to write something on them, write on them first and then cut them out.
Glue the pennet to a toothpick or foodpick and you have the perfect little pennet!
Now, for those candles I saved... Taping candles together works a lot better than gluing :)
The little bow around them adds the perfect touch... almost...
Tuck the pennet in and it's just perfect!
My plan was to add the candles on top of the cupcake wrappers, but they didn't show up as good as I thought they would...
So I took them back off and added some lace!

I love it :) The perfect way to represent our beginning of summer!

By the way, save your scraps! Yes, I'll admit it... I save everything :) But, we have a fun idea for later and we can put our scraps to use!
Giveaway time :)
We are giving away a pack of our Summer Vintage Flashcards and The County Fair journaling tags to TWO people! Just leave a comment below, telling us what your favorite part of summer is, and we'll draw two names on our next Summer 2009 - Documented day, Saturday, July 18th!

Thanks for stopping by and happy creating!!
xo, Elle

P.S. We updated our Summer 2009 page at our website and we added some blinkies! Please feel free to add them to your blog or website. Thank you so much to everyone for your support! We really appreciate it!