April Favorites

Hi all! Hope you had a great weekend.

Just wanted to share a few of my favorite creations from the month of April... if you follow me on Instagram (@elle_stamping), some might look familiar!

A quick disclaimer before we jump in... I do not work for any of these companies, and they have not asked me to try out or talk about their products (oh, but I would be THRILLED if that day ever came!). I just like to talk about things that I have found to work really well and share with others. That's how I have found so many of the products that I love, and I hope this is helpful for you fellow card-makers out there...

In April, I continued meeting monthly with a fellow card-making friend. I really enjoy our time together, and it's so fun to see how she uses stamps, ink, paper, etc. I always come away inspired and with new ideas! For our April meeting, I used the Simon Says Stamp April card kit for this card. I wanted to try something different with the black background and white text to make it look a little a chalkboard. And WOW, those flowers just POP against that black. You all might know by know that I REALLY love scripted sentiments, so that "Hello Friend" is going to get a lot of use!!

This was another one of my favorites from last month. I entered in the Freshly Made Sketches weekly challenge, and though it didn't win, it's one that I really love! It was so clean and simple, and there's a scripted sentiment again (told ya, they're my favorite!). The umbrella and raindrops can be used with so many sentiments and sayings, so I'm excited to keep using those stamps! This was a bit unusual for me because there's A LOT of white space in this card, but I think it works! (P.S. If you're interested, the set is Sun Showers from Hero Arts!)

I made my first Altenew purchase this month, and this set is GORGEOUS! It's my first laying stamp set, and I will definitely be going back for more! (Check out the Peony Bouquet set here.) I cannot say enough good things about this set. It was easy to use, stamped well, and turned out beautiful. There are so many possibilities and color combinations with a great layering stamp set like this, so don't be surprised if you see more peonies on my blog. :) Definitely check out Altenew and their gorgeous products!

I've already started a few cards for the month of May, so stick around... there might just be lots of blooms and flowers. It just seems right for this time of year. :)

Simon Says Stamp April Kit: A Colorful Life

Hi all! I'm back again today with a review on the Simon Says Stamp April card kit: A Colorful Life.

I'm gonna be honest - when I first saw this kit, I wasn't too thrilled. The colors were bright, and it did include lots of flowers (which I love), buuuuuuut...

• I really look forward to coordinating stamp and die sets in the kits, and this one doesn't have that.
• I don't use clips and stickers too much in my cards, and this kit has A LOT of those.
• Many of the small patterned sheets also have small squares or sections to cut apart for your card designs, and I prefer the papers that are all one pattern or design.
• Even when I searched for preview cards from the design team, I wasn't loving it. This has NOTHING to do with the impressive talent from the team. The cards were designed very well. It's just that nothing was jumping out at me.

So, my first impression was... meh.

For the first time in a long time, when the kit was delivered to my home, it just sat there. I decided to give it a try to prep for some cardmaking time with a friend. We each bring a card to share, and then we make the cards together. I found a sketch online that I wanted to try, so I start pulling out some elements of this kit.

As I played around, I really liked how the different elements came together. Here's the card I came up with...

The sentiment, floral patterned paper, black card stock, and red, yellow, and light blue paper that the flowers are cut from are all from the kit. I do love that script sentiment, and the coordinating papers make matching super simple. This isn't my normal style, but I wanted to try out a simple technique I saw about how to make your card look like a chalkboard. This works, right? :) I have grown to really like this card... I think it's becoming one of my personal faves.

So after some cardmaking time with my friend, I just wanted to keep creating! So I went home and make a couple more cards from the kit...

So, my new verdict is... I like it. This kit is not one of my favorites, and I'm still challenged by those stickers and clips. But as cards have come together using different parts of the kit, I have been surprised that I like the final results. Another good thing about this kit is that it's not specific to one season or holiday. You really could use this all year round (though those bright florals are just perfect as spring blooms arrive outside).

Are you a SSS card kit subscriber? What have you made with this kit? What kit has been your favorite?

Have a great rest of your weekend!