New items on on there way – July 11th

Here is the first sneak peek of our upcoming launch that will be on this Monday, July 11th! We’ve been working super hard on this one and it includes a ton of items – like tags for summer, everyday, 2012 calendars and more! Even tags that are perfect for your “Project Life” albums and Ali Edwards upcoming “Week In The Life” project!

We can hardly wait for you to see it all! And, we even have a brand new sized tag set design to introduce to you, soon!

Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to mark your calendars for this Monday, July 11th!

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Happy 4th of July!

Hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th of July! 

We will be out of the studio today, but back in tomorrow morning and will be shipping orders first thing 🙂 We also have a very exciting and busy week coming up, with lots of fun in store! We can hardly wait! EEeek!

Don’t forget to take lots of photos today and enjoy the fireworks!

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Saturday Spotlight : Megan Klauer

We’re excited to introduce you to the first crafter we’re shining our Saturday Spotlight on : Megan Klauer.  While making our rounds online, we ran across this gorgeous layout of hers featuring many of the Handmade Layers tags – gorgeous!  The bright colors, the way she seemlessly includes ES tags throughout her design…  I counted eight in this layout! What’s not to love?!
Megan says, “When I set out to create this layout, I wanted lots of layers, lots of color, but I also wanted to make sure I recorded the story of these photos and how this was the day Ella took her first steps. With the Elle’s Studio tags, they provided me with that space, yet still allowed me to layer and stay with the design I was going for. The colors of the Handmade Layers collection is a perfect mix for any subject.”
 
Thanks for sharing your work with us, Megan – we hope to see more in the future!
 
Want to be considered for our next Saturday Spotlight?  If you create a project featuring Elle’s Studio product that you’d like us to see, please send me an e-mail at : melanie [at] shopellesstudio [dot] com.

Please include the following :

  • A scan/photo of your layout at 490px wide
  • A few sentences about how you created your project
  • A list of the ES products you used

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Sketch Thursday : 6.30.11

Happy Thursday!  If you’re looking for inspiration to scrapbook this weekend – you’ve come to the right place!  This week’s sketch is based on this layout by Design Team member Melissa Mann.  The single large photo she used immediately caught my eye and I couldn’t wait to try something similar.
Although this week’s sketch is very straightforward, feel free to put your own spin on it.  Instead of a single large format photo, what about doing a collage of smaller photos – even index prints! – to fill the space? 
Because I scrapbook using a 12×12 page format and I used an 8×10 photo, I used a strip of patterned paper along the width of my photo to fill the area in the sketch.  I could’ve printed a larger photo but had this one in my stash waiting to be scrapbooked and just went with it – why make things harder than they need to be?  I love that by using the sketch and a handful of Elle’s Studio tags this layout came together for me in less than an hour.  That NEVER happens!
Other product used : Studio Calico’s Paper Moon kit.
Looking for an incentive to use our sketch this week?  We can help with that!  Post a link to your layout created using this Sketch Thursday sketch for your chance to win a $5 ES gift certificate.  Link must be posted by 11:59p on Wednesday, July 6, 2011.
Gift certificate can be used towards purchase of products only and can NOT be used for shipping charges. Gift certificate balance must be used in a single transaction.
Congratulations to last week’s winner :
Jennifer Cowan, please e-mail me the following information to : melanie [at] shopellesstudio [dot] com  by 7.6.11 and I’ll get you your gift certificate!
Name :
Contest : 6.23 Sketch Thursday

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Fun 4th of July Free Project Download!

We love celebrating the 4th of July around here and wanted to take a moment to highlight our 4th of July digital files that can make your celebrations extra pretty!

Our first one up is a free download we released in 2009, but is still a huge hit! This project is super fun and something kids would really enjoy! Or, if you don’t have kids, they would make a great decoration for around the house!

We made it using a Giant Pixy Stix, but you could use any stick candy and shrink our pattern, while printing, to make it fit! Or, if you don’t want to use candy, you could us a painted wood dowel.

We’ve made this project into a download-able pdf with a full supply list, directions and cut outs! You can use the pieces as is or you could use them as a template to trace and cut out of other paper you have. You can also decorate it any way you’d like – we used crepe paper, glitter, our star stamp and a Martha Stewart border punch!

Here’s a little peek at the download:

You can download this FREE pdf file here.

{the free download is a pdf file that requires Adobe Acrobat to open. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader you can download it here for free}

And, don’t forgot about our other digitals in our digital shop! Banners, goodie bags, cupcake flags and journaling tags!


Prices range from $1.99 to $4.99 and once you purchase them, they are ready for instant downloading. Plus, they are yours forever, so you’ll be able to use them every year!

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Take Out Tuesday : 6.28.11

Welcome to another edition of Take Out Tuesday!  Usually we provide instructions to complete a layout but this time around, we’ll be doing something a bit different.  Remember that limited edition project kit that sold out in only four days a few weeks back?  You know, the one that we won’t ever be reproducing?  Yep, that’s the one!  I thought I’d provide instructions on how to complete an alternative cover of the album from your kit.
I’m going to be the first to admit, I’m mini album challenged.  There.  I said it.  So the fact that the products for this project were already selected was half the battle I normally find myself up against.  I decided to use this kit to create an album for my friend who recently moved to Cleveland.  She had a series on her blog that she titled, “Countdown to Cleveland” where she wrote about what she and her family did for the last month in town before moving to Ohio.  A perfect gift for her and an easy gift for me to put together.  I have a kit to use and photographs and journaling for my friend.  Couldn’t be easier, right?
FRONT COVER : I fell in love with that polka dot paper the minute I opened my kit.  Okay, so I also absolutely adore that exclusive striped ES tag, too!  They’re a perfect compliment to one another.  The cover is my jumping off point for the rest of the album.
BACK COVER : In my head, the band of kraft cardstock around the front and back covers reminds me of a large band that you might put around an old book to help keep it together.  By the time I finish this album, I have a feeling I’ll need such a band!  The back is similar to the front and uses more exclusive ES tags found in the kit.  (Here’s hoping Elle decides to do more wood grain tags – love how they look!)
INSIDE FRONT COVER : I wanted a place to write a short note to my friend and this (yet another!) exclusive ES tag was the perfect choice.  With the addition of alphabet stickers and tape, I love how it made the perfect spot for journaling.
Click here to download this Take Out Tuesday PDF file, including photos and step by step instructions of the project. Please click “Save” when prompted.
You must have Adobe Reader to open this file, if you do not have Adobe Reader, you can download it for free, here. If you are having problems downloading or opening, please make sure you have the latest updates for Adobe Reader.
If you create a project based on this Take Out Tuesday layout, we’d love to see it!  Simply leave a comment below with a link to your project.
Missed out on this Elle’s Studio project kit?  Don’t make the same mistake twice!  Subscribe to the ES newsletter to be one of the first to know when our next kit is available.
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Lunchtime with my nephew

My grandpa once told me that “We all make time for what’s important. If it is important enough, we will find the time to do it”. He is so right. Ever since that day, I have tried my hardest to make a conscious effort to juggle my schedule to fit in the “important things”. And, I’ve found that most days don’t require any juggling, they just require my decision to do it.

When my nephew was born I knew I wanted to make sure I took time for him so he would know and understand how important he was to me. I wanted to make sure he always knew I would drop anything for him, and that I treasure every minute with him.

One of the things I do almost 5 days a week is take time to eat lunch with him. I consider myself extremely lucky that we all live so close to each other. Most of the time, we find ourselves at my mom’s (his grandma) house. It’s so special getting to spend that time with him, my mom and my sister.

I have got to see him go from eating baby food, to table food and sneak him little bites of some sweet treats along the way. Things I would have missed out on if I wouldn’t make that conscious decision, on those 5 days a week, to stop and join them for lunch. Those memories are so special to me, memories that I will always treasure and I owe a huge thank you to my Grandpa.

P.S. Did you spot some of the new tags in the layout above? We got some proofs back from the printers on Friday and had to try some of them out 🙂 Make sure you are on our newsletter list to receive an email when the new tags are live and stay tuned for our launch date announcement that should be coming soon!

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Sketch Thursday : 6.23.11

This week’s sketch is based on this layout by Design Team member Lory Bucaria.  I love how Lory used vertical strips to house embellishments, journaling and her title.  I also love how she included a bit of color with embellishments at the top of the layout.
This sketch is very clean and streamlined but you can make it your own by literally thinking outside the box!  Feel free to rotate the layout or rearrange what boxes hold what – paper, photos, embellishments, etc.  The choice is yours.

I’ve had these photos sitting on my table for a while now and this sketch was the perfect time to get them on a layout.  I had been lacking inspiration as they aren’t “perfect” photos by any means, but they tell a story of how my oldest daughter and the little boy next door have created a great friendship even though there is a three year age difference.  (I mean, who wouldn’t want to play with a boy dressed like a pirate on occasion?)
My photo placement is the same as the sketch but then I took the liberty of making the rest of the layout my own.  Instead of vertical strips under the photos, I chose to use horizontal bands.  A border strip seperates my photos and the larger horizontal band.  I was able to slip tags both above and beyond the border strip and include another under my journaling.  I also scattered buttons within the confines of the sketch but also on the background of my layout to break up the lines created by the sketch.
Other product used : Studio Calico’s Paper Moon kit.
Looking for an incentive to use our sketch this week?  We can help with that!  Post a link to your layout created using this Sketch Thursday sketch for your chance to win a $5 ES gift certificate.  Link must be posted by 11:59p on Wednesday, June 29, 2011.
Gift certificate can be used towards purchase of products only and can NOT be used for shipping charges. Gift certificate balance must be used in a single transaction.
Congratulations to last week’s winner :
Jennie M, please e-mail me the following information to : melanie [at] shopellesstudio [dot] com  by 6.29.11 and I’ll get you your gift certificate!
Name :
Contest : 6.16 Sketch Thursday

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June’s Inspiration Gallery is LIVE!

June’s Inspiration Gallery is now live! This is our current team’s last gallery with us and it’s so hard to put into words how grateful we have felt over the last six months to have them all on board with us. They have been amazing, beyond incredible! Every month I couldn’t wait to see what they had put together and how they used our tags. Seeing their techniques and twists on ways to use our tags was always so inspiring. And, their willingness to jump right in and do extra little things here and there was just too kind – I will be forever grateful for this wonderful group of women!

Next month, our incoming design team will be here to inspire us – switching out the teams is always so bittersweet. Sad to see the current team go, but excited to see what the incoming team will create.

Now, make sure you head on over to our Inspiration Gallery and see what these ladies have created this month to inspire you! And, please feel free to leave them a comment here telling them how much you’ve loved the last six months 🙂

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Introducing Our Saturday Spotlight

We’re excited to announce our next new series on the ES blog – Spotlight Saturday.  On the first Saturday of each month, we’ll be shining a spotlight on a crafter that’s put Elle’s Studio product to work on their projects and getting to know them and their project a bit better.  We’re so excited to be able to showcase some of the amazing projects that we see using our product!  Even better?  Our first Saturday Spotlight will be going live on July 2nd and YOU could be a part of it!

If you create a project featuring Elle’s Studio project that you’d like us to see, please send me an e-mail at : melanie [at] shopellesstudio [dot] com

Please include the following :
  • A scan/photo of your layout at 490px wide
  • A few sentences about how you created your project
  • A list of the ES products you used
As if we needed another reason to look forward to Saturday – we can’t wait to see what projects you submit!

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