Welcome friends! I was on the Doodlebugs blog yesterday with another guest post but my blog was so crazy I didn’t want this to get lost so I figured I would share it here a day later.

This time I’m not sharing a card but a fun way to decorate your desk or planner with super cute paperclips! They are really easy to create, totally addicting and would make a fun gift along with something to use yourself.

Here’s a look at the set I created this time. So many sizes for different uses. The large one could hold your planner more flat while writing in it while the others are great for keeping your place in your planner, book or use it as a regular paperclip on your desk.

To create these I started by stamping the images I wanted to use and colored them with copic markers. Using the coordinating dies I cut the images out, plus 3 additional blank ones too. I glued the colored image to one blank, then glued the other 2 blanks together. You should have 2 sets of each image now.

Next, I add double-sided tear tape to the back of the colored ones and the front of the blank stack. remove the release paper from the blank ones and position your paperclip where you want it. I put it as high as I can, where the points of the metal ends rest along the bottom of the image. Next, I add strong liquid glue all the way to the edges of this, remove the release paper on the back of the colored stack and adhere them together.

*Tip: I don’t find that acrylic blocks put pressure in the right areas on these so I do take a moment to hold the layers together for a good hold.

This was my first large, double clip and I am loving using it to hold the page I’m writing on in my traveler’s journal. It’s the cutest, totally makes me smile and holds everything more flat than the others.

When I created this guy, I actually intended him for my desk at work for a little extra happy but he happens to hold my folder of mini photos closed in my traveler’s journal closed perfectly, so that’s where he lives for now. This size is also great to use as a bookmark.

Also, my boss was eyeing this guy, reminding me of when her birthday was so I think I better make a set of them.

Finally, I just had to make a few with the new Little Froggy Agenda cuties! They are my favorite! The happy colors and cute images are perfect!

Remember, you can add finishing touches to these for that little extra as well. I used black glaze pen on any eyes I could, white gel pen highlights on the frogs and glossy accents on things like snail shells, cattails and noses. Then I also added sparkle with stardust Stickles to the sparkles in Hammy’s hands and the lights on the bus.

I have to know…will you give these a try? For yourself or a friend?

Products used today:
Mama Elephant Little Agenda Froggy stamps and dies
Mama Elephant Little Agenda Bus stamps and dies
Mama Elephant Celebration Hamsters stamps and dies
Bearly Art liquid glue
1/4″ double-side tape
Stickles – stardust
Sakura black glaze pen and white gel pen
Glossy accents
Copic marker

I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day!

Hi friends! The rest of the week on my blog is slam packed but I wanted to pop in this morning with a fun Mama Elephant thank you card. It’s punny and cute and all the things I love…plus cows! I love cows a ridiculous amount. They’re just so cute!

I missed the Zodiac critter band wagon when they were releasing with Mama Elephant years ago so I’ve been slowly collecting them all the last few months. Today I have the Zodiac Ox set with some accessories from Zodiac Tiger too. I stamped and colored them with my copic markers and used the coordinating dies to cut them out. Then I used liquid glue to adhere the accessories in place.

Just before Doodlebugs took a little vacation I snuck in another order to pick up the Mama Elephant Thank You (Love You) stamps and dies along with the Diamond Stripes dies too. For my background, I cut the stitched version in the Diamond Stripes from three colors and glued them to the top of my panel. I saved the rest in a clear pocket so I have them for another card later on.

Next, I stamped and die cut the big thank you from Thank You (Love You0 and used the coordinating die to cut it out. Instead of using one of the mini sentiments in that set, I used the one in Zodiac Ox because PUNS! Seriously. It’s hilarious and I love it…especially with the taco in his hands.

*Tip – to cut the sentiment into a strip, I used the non-stitched Diamond Stripes plate to cut a scrap of cardstock and stamped in that. Then I just trimmed the edges off. Voila! Perfect sentiment strip with no extra dies needed.

I added some ground to the bottom of the panel with gathered twigs distress oxide and spritzed it with water. I also splattered a little ink on the area for a little texture. Then I added thank you and my cows with foam squares.

For finishing touches, I added black glaze pen to their eyes and Touch of Gloss to their snouts, hat and the cherry.

Products used:
Zodiac Ox stamps and dies
Zodiac Tiger stamps and dies
Diamond Stripes dies
Thank You (Love You) stamps and dies
Distress Oxide Ink – gathered twigs
Foam squares and strips
Touch of Gloss
Sakura Glaze Pen – black

I appreciate you sharing your time with me.

SALE

Doodlebugs is having a sale while Cathy is on vacation. Use code VACAY for 15% off your purchase. If you see this post after the sale is over, you can use my referral link for the same discount off your first purchase. Click HERE for that.

Hello everyone! I’m excited to be guest designing on the Doodlelbugs blog using some fun Mama Elephant products that she carries.

Do you ever have a hard time not making something a shaker when you have the option? I think I really do because every time I can, I seem to go that route and love it! That’s how today’s card came about.

I had a general design in mind with the polaroid frame dies holding my sentiment and the sweet images from Flower Friends below. So I die cut my frame from white cardstock and took the inside piece that cuts out and ink blended it before stamping a sentiment. For that I chose carved pumpkin and squeezed lemonade distress oxide inks. I spritzed it with water and blotted it dry, then stamped my sentiment and adhered the cute clip to the top, which is a die included in the frame set.

Layering my stamps in place to make sure things will fit the way I want, I thought…this could be a shaker frame! So that’s what I did. I lined the back of the frame with acetate and then foam tape, sprinkled Pixie Dust micro beads inside and sealed it up with my sentiment panel. Then I moved on to stamping and coloring images from Flower Friends with my copic markers. I used the coordinating dies to cut them out and moved on to the background.

The background panel is a piece of teal cardstock with peacock feathers distress oxide ink blended at the top fading to nothing. Then I splattered watered down peacock feathers ink across the panel, followed by white paint too. I trimmed the panel to 4×5.25 inches and popped it up on a white card base.

The photo frame is added with liquid glue and the images are added with a combination of foam squares, strips and liquid glue as well. Finally, my finishing touches were black glaze pen to the puppy and bee eyes, along with stardust Stickles to the flower centers and bee wings.

Wouldn’t this card be so sweet and heartwarming to receive in the mail? I hope the recipient loves it when she gets it!

Products used today:
Mama Elephant Flower Friends stamps and dies
Mama Elephant So Appreciated stamps and dies
Mama Elephant Polaroid Tag dies
Distress Oxide – squeezed lemonade, carved pumpkin, peacock feathers
Stickles – stardust
Sakura black glaze pen
Bearly Art liquid glue
Foam squares and strips
Copic markers
Lawn Fawn acetate sheets
1/4″ double-sided tape
Twiddler’s Nook Pixie Dust Micro Beads – Rosetta

I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day!

Hi again! Today I have another fun Mama Elephant card featuring some goodies that I recently picked up from Doodlebugs but are from older releases. First up was this adorable Little Agenda Airplane set. I started with just these cute parachuters but the airplanes and combining them is going to be so much fun!

I started by stamping a bundle of images and just had relaxing fun watercoloring them with Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers. I used the coordinating dies to cut everything out and went back to my stash to decide on a background for my cute critters.

I came across the Postage Frame dies and realized I hadn’t used them yet, also how cute would they be with these floating packages and letters! So I cut the main die from kraft cardstock not realizing it cuts a frame and the center pops out. I took the opportunity to ink the edges on the inside piece with white pigment ink to make it stand out from the frame a little. Then I used my images as a guide for where to stamp my sentiment.

Once that was stamped, I added foam tape to the frame and insert and popped them up on a white card base. I added the clouds and falling letters with liquid glue and popped the other images up on foam squares.

For finishing touches I added black glaze pen to the critter eyes and white gel pen highlights to various parts of the images. I added glossy accents to the critter noses and postage on the packages and envelopes.

I’ve been making a big push to create extra “just because” cards to send when the moment strikes me. It seems that I have those moments when I have no appropriate cards available or time to make one. So, I guess that’s a goal now this year to make sure I have them around anytime.

Products used:
Mama Elephant Little Agenda Airplanes stamps and dies
Mama Elephant Postage Frame dies
Glossy accents
Foam tape and squares

I get all of my Mama Elephant goodies at Doodlebugs. Click HERE to get a 15% off coupon for your purchase.

I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day!

Hi crafty friends! While I was waiting for the new Mama Elephant release to drop, I pulled out last year’s spring cuties to play with. First, I made a fun circle shaped card using their genius Combo Circle dies.

I started by stamping my images on Bristol smooth cardstock and watercolored them with Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers. Then I used the coordinating dies to cut them out.

Pulling from my desire for sunshine and spring I used the Combo Circle dies to cut yellow and pink scallops, plus a white scene panel. I glued the scallops together, cut another scallop from white cardstock and scored it about an inch from one side. I glued this flap to the colored scallops to create my card base.

I blended tattered rose distress oxide ink in the center of the white circle and flicked pearl watercolor on the panel too. While that was drying I glued my turtle to the puddle and added foam squares to the back of my images.

When the panel was dry, I used my images as a guide where I could stamp my sentiment. Once that was stamped I adhered the images and stamped a few extra water splashes and drops. Finally, I added my scene panel to the card base with liquid glue. This helps so I have a moment to make sure it’s centered.

For finishing touches I just added glossy accents to the bunny’s nose and turtle’s shell. Then I added black glaze pen to their eyes to help them pop and shine too.

Products used:
Mama Elephant Combo Circle dies
Mama Elephant Flower Shower stamps and dies
Foam squares
Bearly Art liquid glue
Distress Oxide – tattered rose
Sakura Gelly Roll black glaze pen
LH Colors pearl watercolor

I order all of my Zig markers and Mama Elephant from Doodlebugs. Click HERE for a link to get 15% off your purchase.

I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day!

Hello and welcome to another #tagtimesaturday! It’s still competition season in our house until the middle of March so I’ve got more fun tags to make and share with you! Today I pulled out the Mama Elephant Zodiac Monkeys and had a little fun.

I really wanted to use the sentiment in the set so I made sure to choose my monkeys but also stamp a few bananas for them to hold. Also, how can you resist these adorable coordinating balloons in all of the zodiac sets!?! So fun! I colored everything with copic markers. The monkeys are E30s with E50s faces and the bananas are Y10s. I used the coordinating dies to cut them out and glued everything together with liquid glue.

I made my tag base out of the Combo Circle dies. The scallops are die cut from the same yellow cardstock but I ink blended one set to make it a touch darker. Then I cut the stitched circle from white cardstock but I ink blended the center of that with yellow and splattered it with gold watercolor from LH Colors too. It’s subtle but still pretty and I love the texture!

I adhered the circle pieces with liquid glue, placing black twine between the scallop layers and holding it in place with reverse tweezers until the glue dried. I did add a white stitched circle to the back of this since it’s a tag so I had somewhere to write a message.

Next, I stamped part of the sentiment in the set and heat embossed it on black cardstock. I used a banner die to cut it out and added foam to the back of all my images and banner. I removed the release paper and popped everything in place.

For finishing touches I went back to my images and added dot detail with the darkest marker – E34 – so there was subtle texture but it’s not distracting. Then I added black glaze pen to all of the eyes and set it aside to dry.

My daughter loves monkeys and yellow so I’m sure she’s going to giggle at this silly tag today.

Products used:
Mama Elephant Zodiac Monkey stamps and dies
Mama Elephant Combo Circle dies
Lawn Fawn Extra Sentiment Strip dies
Pink & Main embossing ink, powder and anti-static brush
Foam squares
LH Colors watercolor – gold
Bearly Art glue

I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day!

Welcome, welcome! I’m so glad you’re here! Today I have a really fun card to share featuring Mama Elephant goodies, new and old. I love how well these products play together over time. It makes it so fun to shop your stash and use things that you may have forgotten about.

I picked up a few sets from the most recent Mama Elephant release and had so much fun creating this little scene card using the Little Agenda House stamps and dies. I shopped through my stash of Little Agenda critters and decided on this sweet kitty purely because the recipient of this card is very much a cat person.

Once I had my images die cut, I created a circle using the Mama Elephant Combo Circle dies. These are so fun and innovative. I pulled from the colors of the house for the scallops and inked a little sunshiny shadow behind my images. The images are adhered with a combo of liquid glue and foam squares. Then I stamped and heat embossed sentiments from the Easy Sentiments set and cut them out using the coordinating die. I chose the one I wanted and added it to the circle with a foam strip.

For added interest in the background I cut the Grid Window background panel and adhered it to a white card base. Then I popped the scallop circle up with foam tape and added a few red clay hearts. Last, I added some glossy accents to the door knob, flowers and heart on the envelope.

I just adore this sweet card and had to much fun creating it.

Products used today:
Little Agenda House stamps and dies
Little Agenda Cats stamps and dies
Combo Circle dies
Grid Window die
Easy Sentiments stamps and dies
Foam strips and squares
Glossy accents
Twiddler’s Nook Sweethearts clay embellishments
Bearly Art liquid glue

I appreciate you sharing your time with me.

I buy all of my Mama Elephant goodies from Doodlebugs and have a coupon code for 15% off your first purchase from there. Click HERE and treat yourself!