Monday, January 28, 2013

"Love, Elsie" Blog Focus: Day 1

Elsie Flannigan (now Elsie Larson) took the scrapbooking world by storm with her doodled scrapbook papers, and for a few years, she had one of the most popular and talked about scrapbook collections around. As a result, many long-time scrapbookers filled their stash with papers and embellishments from Elsie's collections...and, unfortunately, a lot of these fun and beautiful papers just stayed there...in our stashes! Well, not anymore! I have made up my mind that I have paid for it, and I like it, so I am not going to purge it just because it is an older collection of papers! I am going to use it! And, hopefully, I will inspire many of you to use it as well, instead of allowing it to collect dust and guilt in our stash!  So, every day this week, I plan to share with you my own ideas and pages made with Elsie's fun papers, and give tips for using up any older stash that you may have!

The first way I would like to suggest for using Elsie's papers is; "Loud and Proud"!  Don't try to hide it or cover it, just use it! Here is my example:
 
I started with this paper; Love, Elsie Math Class:

This paper was such a fun doodle print that was perfect for the photo of my kiddos coloring! And I had a bit of fun myself coloring in the doodles (my kids noticed and asked my for a sheet of it to color, too!)...and I loved using lots of bright, happy colors on it. I added in scraps of some of my most colorful off-cuts for the layers, and embellished it with twine, washi tape, and a Love, Elsie chipboard button, and did the title with foam Thickers in the doodle-y style Custard font.

Here's a closer look at the button embellishment:
 
My advice for today: If you love it, use it! As scrapbookers that have new and beautiful papers and embellishments made available to us at least twice a year at CHA (and some companies do mid-season releases, as well), it is so easy to get caught up in needing the newest and greatest things. And there isn't any thing wrong with falling in love with a new and beautiful piece of paper or embellishment. But you don't have to feel like you have to have it to have beautiful pages! You can use that older stash, and make pages that are just as lovely and meaningful! Try it out, you just might find a new favorite out of your old stash!

Last but definitely not least... I love these goodies, and I know you will love them too! But you really can't buy them anymore, so I am giving some away for one of my lucky blog followers to play with! All you have to do is leave a comment on any of my Love, Elsie blog posts this week, follow my blog, and you will be entered in the drawing for this prize:
There are a fun selection of Love, Elsie papers for you to play with, a few sheets of cardstock in neutral colors, some chipboard houses from Jenni Bowlin, ribbon and washi, a little chipboard mini album, some die cut tags, die cut letters, and some flair badges!

If you would like to know what is up with Elsie now, check out her fun and very popular blog, A Beautiful Mess ...all about everyday life, fashion, crafts, DIY, photography and recipes

24 comments:

  1. Love how you colored it in, I wish I had that piece of Love Elsie paper.

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  2. I still love Elsie's papers! But, my remaining papers are definitely sitting in a drawer....since that line is gone. Crazy, huh? I agree with you - "If you love it, use it!" Your post reminds me of how much fun I had originally using Elsie's papers! Love this series you're doing!

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  3. I missed the whole LE craze, but your page is cute! Love that you can still see the doodles in the background.

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  4. That is gorgeous! Normally I would just pass a black-and-white sheet of paper by, but with the coloring you did, the layered papers, and the photo, it just pops! Love it!!!

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  5. Very cute! Loved how you colored in the background paper. I need to use my LE papers, too! Anna

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  6. ooooo...you colored it! Great idea! love it

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  7. I love how you colored that paper! I just subscribed to your blog by email. Thanks for much for a chance to win that great prize pack.

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  8. Cool! I have half of my scrap stash packed since we are selling our home, I think I have some of her stuff in storage. :-)

    Debbie from Illinois

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  9. Your colouring is very good, I thought that was how the papers were made. I don't have any love Elsie, but I do have some Amy tan that could be coloured in, I may try that

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    1. I think Amy Tan's papers have very much the same feel as the Love, Elsie supplies!

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  10. i come across Dear Elsie things every once in awhile & I snatch them up b/c they are so different! Love your page & your coloring, I would be drawn to do that as well!

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  11. Hi-Thanks for the reminder to use it. I love Love,Elsie and don't use it because I won't have any more! Silly I know.

    Love the coloring and looking forward to what comes next!

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  12. I never really got into the Love, Elsie papers but I love how you colored them in in your page! I agree with one of the above commenters in that they do resemble a lot of Amy Tan's papers.

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  13. Oh great! Now I HAVE
    to have "Love, Elsie" papers
    that aren't available any more!
    ***stomps off***

    (those are too cute colored like that and are perfect for your page)

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    1. Lol-I'm flattered! There are similar current papers, I believe-I think Studio calico has a doodley-style black and white pp as well as Amy Tangerine...

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  14. I love going on scavenger hunts for old lines on ebay! Thanks for the Elsie flashback!

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  15. What a perfect match of the subject of the Layout to the paper, no matter who designed it, no matter what its age! Also a good update of "old" by using a relatively new trend, namely the twine, as well as the undisputed must-have-right-now, washi! (I am commenting because I desperately need to use my old stash like LE, not just all the new stuff I obsessively buy, so am looking to you for inspiration, not for the giveaway;I am FAR away, post-wise!)

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  16. I love the coloring you've done on the background I thought like another commenter that it came that way.

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  17. Love how you've used the background paper.

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  18. Very nice! That paper begged to be colored :)

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  19. So colorful!! Love how you colored in the doodles :)

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  20. Love your page, would love to be included in the giveaway!

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Thank you for your comments, they make my day!