Elzybells Blog

Simplicity

I shared some pretty simple spring cards last week, I bet you thought I couldn't get any simpler... 

Well, I kinda lost my mojo at the weekend so this is what I came up with. You really couldn't get any simpler!

 

I drew the dots with pencils but some little jewels would look fantastic!

 

 

On this card, as the image is so simple, I played around with a little water colour over the background.

I also scribbled a little pencil colour on top for a difference in texture.

The card base is water colour paper and you can see how perfectly the images stamp on the grain.

   

I hope you like these simple cards. I'll have a very different card to share tomorrow!

 

 

 

eggstravaganza

Just a very quick post tonight as you're keeping me very busy with your orders :)

Here's a card with a really simple colour scheme I made using the eggstravaganza clear set (20-031) and the eggstravaganza sentiments clear set (20-032).

 

 

It's so fantastically easy to create the background pattern and the set has a floral background too!

I'll be back tomorrow with some more cards for spring so pop back!

 

hugs,

 

 

Free shipping...

I just wanted to shout out quickly that today is the last day of our free shipping promotion!! So if you were hoping to take advantage of the offer, be sure to get your order in to us, in time! 

I'll be back later with a card :)

Elizabeth xx

Showcase

I have a beautiful card to share today by Carly Robertson. She made it in honour of our free shipping weekend! Isn't it stunning and just so delicate!

 

Carly's has a blog here!

I definitely have to try this technique myself, creating an aperture with my nesties! The subtle embossed card front and the patterned paper on the inside is great.

 

Many thanks Carly for sharing your wonderful creation!!

 

Happy Sunday!

 

 

Spring wishes

I'm enjoying creating very simple, whimsical cards without any fuss and I just love how this one turned out! 

 

I came across this cream card in my paper drawers. I've had it for absolutely ages and have no idea where it came from, but as soon as I picked it up I knew it would be perfect as a backdrop for some kraft card!

It's such beautiful card, it has subtle stripes running through it which shimmer beautifully. I think just that is enough to keep this card from looking not plain - but minimal and elegant!  

 

 

This bee image is so much fun to use! I coloured using prisma pencils and I also lightly smudged some white chalk around the image with my fingers.

 

I wish you all a fabulous weekend... see you next week for more spring cards!!

 

A few changes...

I wanted to give you a little advance warning of a few changes coming in April.

 

Pricing

April brings in the new financial year and I've been scrutinising our costs given the change in the exchange rate and in turn, the sharp increase in our manufacturing and import costs. Unfortunately, I do need to increase prices just slightly.

As you know our prices are *extremely* reasonable - in fact our stamps are an utter bargain! The pricing will be bought a little closer in-line with other UK stamp companies but they will still be less expensive on the whole :)

I wanted to give you a little bit of warning about this as none of us like price increases, so if you've been hankering after any stamps, now is the time to get them - especially with our free shipping this weekend.

 

 

Reward Scheme

There will be a slight change with the reward scheme. At the moment, you collect stickers for every £5 spent on stamps only, other products do not qualify.

From April 1st the amount you have to spend to receive a sticker will increase to £10 but the good news is that you can collect them on *anything* you buy in the shop (excluding shipping).

The reason for the change is that I have plans for more exciting items to be available in the shop in the coming months and it would be great for you to collect rewards on everything we have available, not just stamps!

 

 

Wood mounted stamps

We have made the decision to discontinue the wood mounted option for all our rubber stamps. We have been deliberating about this for a long while but unfortunately, the small percentage of wood mounted sales does not make it practical for us to offer this option. I must admit, it also makes me feel a little better about the company's impact on the environment.

 

I hope this will not inconvenience those of you who prefer wood mounted stamps too much. The change will not be immediate - we will continue offering wood mounted stamps until the current stock of wood runs out. This may happen slowly or it may happen quickly, it all depends on orders.

Inevitably, some sizes will run out quicker than others, so you may find that the wood mounted option is no longer available for some stamps but still available for others.

As I said above, there will be some price increases next month, however, the price of wood mounted stamps will remain the same as they are at present. I don't think it would be fair to increase the prices considering we will be discontinuing this option.

 

 

As always, I'm happy to hear your feedback / suggestions. Price increases are never a great thing. I know many of us are tightening our belts so I will be doing my very best to keep the increases minimal.

 

 

  xx

 

Vote EARTH

Please join me in taking part in the world’s first global election, between earth and global warming.

 

 

Join the world for Earth Hour. All you have to do is simply turn off your lights for one hour local time, 8:30-9:30pm. Every single vote counts.

Together we can take control of the future of our planet, for future generations.

 

Saturday, March 28, 8:30-9:30pm

Click here for more info http://www.earthhour.org/about/

 

 

Spreading some Summer love

I really hope you've been enjoying the Spring cards so far this week. I've so enjoyed the fun colours that come at this time of year. The weather having perked up last week has now gotten much colder again but you know what - British Summer time official begins this Sunday!!

Ooh that makes me so happy, I'm loving the lighter evenings and the beautiful daffodils that have sprung. I'm being optimistic that it won't be too long before it warms up again and I thought I'd share some of the sunshine to come...

 

As a thank you for your constant support, encouragement and best wishes, I'd like to offer you a little something... I was thinking of having free shipping for a few days? I think this makes the most difference when ordering so you can make your pounds go further, especially in these more difficult times.

What do you think??

 

So the 3 day Summer Shipping Special will be from Sat 28th - Mon 30th March! It will be applicable on all orders, worldwide (excluding wholesale orders). There'll be no coupon code to use - the shop will automatically deduct the shipping, so it's easy-peasy!

 

Please spread the word and have a sunny day!!

 

 

 

 

Stamps used:

11-002 Daffodil chick

 

A little birdie...

I've gone for a more simple feel again today - and with stamped backgrounds, no patterned papers! All the colouring is with chalks.

 

The chicks on the background of this card are from the image on the third card down. I just inked up whichever chick I needed using a black marvey pen.

 

 

I didn't do any masking on this card, I cheated instead ;) The two smaller sheep on the left and right were stamped on a separate piece of card, cut out and stuck down flat. You could stick the smaller lambs with 3d foam pads for a raised effect, that would be nice too :)

This stamp set is great for new arrivals, no matter what size the family - you can add as many older siblings as you need to!

   

These next two are really quick and simple note cards.

 

 

A little insert sheet inside your card can hide ribbon ends. But what if you don't want an insert sheet or the ribbon is stuck on the back of your card? I like to keep the ends of ribbon neat by simply sticking down a stamped image on top. These flowers are the same as those stamped on the front of the card, so coordinates nicely!

 

 

 

See you tomorrow for more spring cards - and a shop announcement!! (yes, I do like to tease...)

 

 

 

Stamps used:

20-022 Little birdie told me

20-025 Sheep celebrations 1

20-026 Sheep celebrations 2

20-021 Jump for joy

 

Daisy chain chick

One of my favourite memories of Summer when I was young, was picking all the daisies in the garden with my sisters and making daisy chain necklaces, bracelets and rings... even earrings - pretty much any item of jewellery or accessory you can think of!! That's what I thought about when I drew the daisy chain chick stamp.

I love the cute chicks and I had fun discovering just how gorgeous they look coloured on kraft card!

 

I coloured with prisma pencils and blended using blending stumps and baby oil. I haven't yet tried odourless mineral spirits (OMS) for blending, but I have found that when blending with baby oil on kraft card, as it really soaks up the oil quickly, the best thing to do is dip the stump into the oil then dab it on some tissue paper, so that you really have a very small amount of oil left on the stump - just enough to blend with.

Otherwise, you get a concentration of oil that sinks into the card on contact, which you then can't spread and it just ends up being a splodge. I need to try some OMS as this may evaporate not leaving any splodges... I will find out.

 

You need a nice sharp pencil to colour in the little flowers, isn't it amazing how they stand out! :)

 

 

 

Stamps used:

11-013 Daisy chain chick

12-003 Open daisy

20-006 Everyday Greetings (clear set)

Papers:

Kraft card

BoBunny daydream dots