the CLASSroom

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2012 - Day 8 by Kelly Alvarez

When I first met Kelly Marie at CHA last winter her smile just warmed my heart! Kindness and warmth exude from within her. It has been such a pleasure to bring her stamps in to our store as you can see her character in the sweet images presented in the Lawn Fawn line of stamps and papers! We look forwards to the arrival of the new Valentine sets any day now so be certain to watch the new stamp section in the store.

It is no small wonder that Zooey Deschanel selected Lawn Fawn Critters Ever After stamps as one of her favorite gifts! Congratulations Kelly Marie and Mike on creating such a wonderful line of stamps!

We are absolutely thrilled that Kelly has joined us for our tag series this year! You can find more of her work on her Lawn Fawn blog and you can find the entire selection of Lawn Fawn stamps and papers here in our store.

Thank you so very much for joining in the fun this year Kelly Marie - every detail of your tag speaks sweet femininity!!

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I stamped Lawn Fawn's Sweet Christmas on Ellen's awesome watercolor paper in Versamark and heat embossed in white to make water coloring easy!
 

I scribbled Distress Markers on an acrylic block and used a brush dipped in water to color in my heat embossed gingerbread house.
 

To get a brighter red for the candy canes I tapped the barn door Distress Ink pad on the acrylic block and used that to water color, also! This is such a fun way to get a really feminine look.
 

I decided to use a white gel pen to make the whites of the candy canes even whiter. It really makes them pop! I love doing this with the white areas of a stamped image.
 

I repeated the process with the gum drops from Sweet Christmas and snowflakes from Frosties.
 

I covered a tag with some Fa-La-La papers and punched a hole in the center.
 

I heat embossed the sentiment from Let it Snow and covered the whole strip in that same water color method to coordinate with the rest of the tag. I then flagged the ends to add a little interest.

I punched a hole in my snowflake to create a cute cover for my hole. I then layered some white card stock that I cut curvy lines in to get that snow bank feel. Adding some foam adhesive to the layers really gives dimension, too!
 

After I adhered all of my pieces together I rounded the corners of the bottom part of the tag to go along with the soft feel of the tag. I added star dust Stickles to the snow banks, rock candy Stickles to the gum drops and Glossy Accents to the heart. I used a paint brush for the last two since the areas are so small.
 

I then threaded some peppermint Lawn Trimmings through the hole, and it was done! I had such a blast with Ellen's feminine twist on tags! Thank you so much for having me, Ellen! -Kelly

Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps, Sweet Christmas	Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps, Let it Snow	Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps, Frosties	Inkssentials Surfaces, Kraft Tag #8
Lawn Fawn Petite Paper Pack, Fa-La-La	Essentials by Ellen, Jennifer's Watercolor Paper, 10pc-6x9	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack	VersaMark Inkpad
Distress Ink Pad, Barn Door	Distress Marker, Broken China	Distress Marker, Mustard Seed	Distress Marker, Tumbled Glass
Distress Marker, Worn Lipstick	White Embossing Powder	Lawn Fawn Hemp Cord, Single Spool Peppermint	Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper Tool
Stickles, Star Dust	Distressed Stickles, Rock Candy	Accents, Glossy	Uni-ball Impact Gel Pen, White
Studio Artist Brushes

InLinkz.com

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Please help us say thank you to Kelly for joining us and sharing how to create this very sweet and feminine tag! Simply leave your comment below and you will be eligible for the random drawing of the $25 gift certificate to our store www.ellenhutson.com. Leave your comment before noon on December 13th to be eligible (one comment per person please.) Be certain to return again tomorrow for Day 9 of our feminine tags as Paula Cheney joins us again to share yet another stunning and beautifully detailed tag! 

Lilybee This & That Stamped Wild Cards

I remember reading Dick and Jane books. I believe that many of us remember - LOL! Perhaps this is the reason for the popularity of these images. They are so sweet, innocent and carefree. Today I wanted to share a quick way for you to create your own watercolored versions of these sweet wild cards and use them on cardfronts.

 

Combining stamp sets and papers within the Lilybee line was so much fun!

 

Begin by stamping your image in a waterproof ink, such as Archival Jet Black. Today I used Natural White cardstock - it blends PERFECTLY with the papers in This & That giving a more antique appearance than Solar White would.

Using the Aquarelle watercolor pencils add color along the edges and stamped details as shown above. Leaving "white space" or areas uncolored will help you achieve a more interesting look!

 

Once again use a waterbrush to paint these areas and blend the colors. Add a little distress ink to the top and bottom of the card to age it. You could go all the way around, but I liked the look of the clean edges together with the "dirtied" ones.

 

To create the banner you can see how I colored to achieve depth. Leaving the open areas creates movement in the "ribbon." Once again paint with the waterbrush.

 

If you own Copic Markers or Distress Stains I would like to recommend that you purchase this roll of silk ribbon. Custom dying it is SO simple and you will always have ribbon to coordinate with your project.

To use your Distress Stains to dye ribbon simply hold the ribbon beneath the dabber and slowly pull it allowing the ink to color it as you pull it through.

 

Antique Linen was not quite the right color and so I dabbed some Vintage Photo on to my non-stick craft sheet. (I always work with this sheet on my work surface.)
 

As you can see by dipping the ribbon into the color on the craft sheet I ended up with a speckled look. This is really a FUN look and it immediately made me want to try creating a "speckled egg" look, but I needed to finish my project so that experiment had to wait - LOL!

Simply apply more Antique Linen color to the craft sheet and spread the Vintage Photo ink to achieve the final look. 
 

To hurry things along I do use my Heat It took - it does not harm the silk ribbon in any way.

 

It's all in "the details." "Dream big" and experiment with the products you own to see what you can achieve - it brings out the little girl in each of us!

I thoroughly enjoyed working with the new Lilybee stamps - the product is well made and stamped wonderfully. Another tidbit I thought I would share is that I found that the Jenni Bowlin colors (buttons, embellishments and ink) coordinate beautifully. I hope that you enjoyed this sweet little project - it was so fun to create. Have a wonderful evening!
 
stamps: Lilybee Design Happily Lost and This & That

ink: Archival Jet Black and PITT Big Brush Scarlet Red, Distress Antique Linen Ink Pad and Distress Stain, Vintage Photo Distress Stain

paper: Lilybee Design This & That, Neenah Natural White

accessories: Aquarelle Pencils (102, 108, 121, 154, 126), Jenni Bowlin Sew-On Button Red, Maya Road Kraft Library Cards w/Envelopes, Tiny Attacher, 1/4" white silk ribbon, Alencon Lace F, FabriTac Glue

Aquarelle Scribble Coloring

I want to begin this post with a small note of appreciation to the Imagination International staff here in Oregon for sending us an update regarding the well-being of the people who work in the Copic offices in Japan. Word is that the offices and production facilities have survived the earthquake and aftershocks with minimal to no damage and that everyone who works for the company is safe. What a wonderful piece of news and so I wanted to share it with you! We need to continue to keep the Japanese people in our thoughts and prayers as life moves forward with such uncertainty.  

Don't forget to head over to Inspire Me... and leave a comment for Jill before Midnight tonight - you could win the fabulous collection of Faber-Castell products we are giving away there!

AND don't forget to place your order before midnight tonight as well!

 
Remember as children how we have been taught to "stay in the lines" when we color, well... I am here to suggest that you should scribble and go OUTside the lines :-D I cannot tell you how rewarding AND fun it is to break the rules - LOL!

 

Today's project is a simple showcase of the Aquarelle watercolor pencils together with the Gelatos. My desire is to slowly teach you about the different Faber-Castell products and how they interrelate, as well as bring them together with the Copic product that I love so dearly.

Begin by stamping your image on watercolor paper. I used the PITT Big Brush in black to color my stamp and then I stamped my image on an Arturo single card.

Then scribble, (yes scribble) the color on to your image.  

 

Next, take a watercolor brush and paint the image blending the colors. To add depth scribble some Gelato on to the non-stick craft sheet and pick it up, blending it with the already colored image using your watercolor brush.

 

I decided I needed more color around the base of the flowers and so scribbled the green Gelato at the base and added a few strokes of the olive green Aquarelle.

 

Once again use a waterbrush to disperse the color. Allowing the water to pool and dry gives a beautiful look.

 

I wanted to keep my project simple so selected this beautiful plaid from Julia's 6x6 Picket Fence collection. Setting my image atop the plaid I realized I wanted more movement.

Don't be afraid to twist your decorative paper when putting your project together. By placing the image on it askew from the natural direction it gives the appearance of a tablecloth. It really made me dream I was sitting in a patch of poppies having a picnic. 

 

Sometimes we need to escape the realities of life through our art. Today I enjoyed my little reprieve in the poppies. I hope that I have given you the courage to scribble outside the lines - it truly ends up being a beautiful look!

 
stamps: Unity Stamps, Donna Downey Be Still Watercolor

ink: Black PITT Big Brush Pen

paper: Lilybee Designs Picket Fence 6x6, Memory Box Red Pepper Notecard, Arturo Single Card

accessories: Niji Waterbrush, Faber-Castell Aquarelle Watercolor Pencils 168,166,121, 117,108 (green and yellow)

Ink color wash scene by Kim Hughes

I'd love to show you how to create a serene scene with inks and markers.  It's easier than you may think!

supplies:

Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Lettuce, Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Espresso, Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Peach Bellini, Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Stream, Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Aqua, Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Terra Cotta, Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Pesto

Memory Box Tree of Love stamp

Silk Ribbon, Ivory 1 1/4" wide by the Yard

Karen Lockhart Live Each Day on Purpose stamp

COPIC Sketch Marker B00, Frost Blue, COPIC Sketch Marker YR24, Pale Sepia, COPIC Sketch Marker YG63, Pea Green, COPIC Sketch Marker Y15, Cadmium Yellow

Manila Tags, #10 (X-Large)

Oh dear!  My technique photos were accidentally deleted...ack!!  I had a bazillion photos that weren't deleted before I uploaded this tutorial, and my camera froze before the technique images were uploaded and they were lost!!  I am so sorry.  I will do my best to walk you through the process.  If you have any questions, please send me an e-mail.

1. fold the tag in half

2. drag the Peach Bellini ink pad across the top of the card

3. press a tissue or foam square in Terra Cotta ink and run it across the top of the card (for a sunset look)

4. drag Aqua ink across the bottom of the card to represent water

5. press a tissue or foam square in Stream ink and run it across the top of the card

6. Stamp tree image and again at the bottom, touching trunks

7. Rub some Terra Cotta ink across the bottom and some Aqua ink across the top to blend all colors.

8. Dab a tissue or foam pad in Pesto and Lettuce ink for the tree top

9. Stamp sentiment with Espresso ink, and don't worry if it smears a bit, it will help to create the watery effect.

10. Blend the top and bottom of the card with all Copic markers listed, first the yellows across the top (the lightest yellow represents the sun.  Ad add blue to the water, green to the tree top.

11. Draw a line along the water line with a brown pen

12. Tie a bow with silk ribbon through the tag hole.

Thanks so much for joining me today.  I apologize once again that my photos pulled a disappearing act. 

Tag 11 - Painted Santa By Lisa Strahl

Dear friends, I can't believe this is my last tag!  Where has the time gone?  Sharing this series with Bek and Ellen's readers has been nothing but a pleasure.  (Ok, I could do without this flu bug I am fighting.)  But never fear, there are tags to be made and I took an extra nap this afternoon just so I could finish well.  Thank you so much for all of your kind words, they did lift me up yesterday.  :D

This tag was another labor of love, although hard to photograph at times.  I always craft in the late evening, just the time of life I am in, with day time work and little ones.  Please forgive some strange angles I needed to use to keep the glare off of the project.

 

 

Press the Aged Mahogany, Shabby Shutters and Vintage Photo Distress Ink Pads in a triangle pattern to the Non-Stick Craft Sheet and spritz with a Mini Mister.  Mine is always filled with Pearl Perfect Pearls (say that three times fast!) and water to add some bling.

 

Press the Size 8 Tag to the ink...

 

...and give it a quarter turn.

 

Turn it over and heat set with the Ranger Heat It Craft Tool.  Feel free to use some paper towel to remove any excess ink you don't like.

 

 

Repeat this process over and over until your tag is covered to your satisfaction.  I usually press into the ink about 8 times, focusing on different areas each time.  Be sure to heat set between each layer of color.

 

What on earth is this, right?  I wanted to add some texture to this background, but a stamped pattern was going to be too much for all of the other stuff I had planned.

Cut three lengths of Black Crocheted Ribbon the circumference of the Medium Inky Roller - adhere with some double sided tape.  Remove some of the stickiness by handling it with your fingers a few times so you can remove it later.

 

Squeeze a good amount of paint from the Adirondack Gold Paint Dabber onto your Craft Sheet.

 

Get your brayer good and "painty".

 

Roll in ONCE over the tag, pressing firmly.

 

 

I just LOVE this effect.  Added texture, but it's not distracting in any way.

Determine the right size game spinner (the smallest gold one) to fit this date sticker from the Salvage Sticker Assortment (I know Ellen has these at the warehouse and they should go up on the store in the next day or two.)

They were a little stark for the project so ink them with Vintage Photo Distress Ink using Cut 'n Dry Foam and heat set. 

Using the matching brad, attach the spinner to the sticker.  Hammer it with the ball end of the Texture Hammer, smash that brad!

 

Ink the larger month sticker with Shabby Shutter Distress Ink.

Put the date sticker over the month sticker, attach with the brad and cover the entire piece with Glossy Accents.  Note: The spinner points to the 24th and December.

Dab gold paint onto the Santa image from the Santa's Wish Stamp Set.

Brayer over the paint with a clean brayer to ensure the paint is distributed evenly. 

Stamp onto a tag and heat set.

Fussy cut it out. 

Press the Peeled Paint Distress Ink Pad onto the craft sheet and pick some up with a Small Niji Waterbrush.  Watercolor the holly leaves on the image.

Watercolor Santa's hat and coat with Aged Mahogany Distress Ink.  My favorite part about this technique is that the paint resists the water and ink which means that it shows through and shimmers.  So lovely!

And give him some rosy cheeks with Tattered Rose Distress Ink. 

Whiten his beard with the Inkssentials White Gel Pen.

Cover the white part of his hat with Glossy Accents. 

And dust with Twinklets. 

Stamp the lamp post from the Festive Sounds Stamp set with Jet Black Archival Ink on a Crystal Clear Sheet, heat set and cut out with detail scissors.

Paint the back side of the image with Adirondack Pearl Paint Dabber with the smallest Studio brush. 

 

Press the painted side of the post to the tag as shown.  Add double sided tape to the bottom off Santa and add some foam squares behind his hat so he has some stature.

And once again, attach some of that lovely Black Crochet Ribbon with the Tiny Attacher - I am COMPLETELY addicted to this tool!!!  Can you tell?  *giggles*

Fill a Typewriter Key Charm with Frosted Lace Stickles and set aside to dry.

Once dry, attach to the end of Santa's hat with a silver brad. 

Attach your clock/month embellishment as shown with a strong adhesive.

Adhere a stripe of star shaped Twinkle Stickers. 

Finish it off with the Merry Christmas sentiment from the Santa's Wish stamp set and top it off with 1 1/4 inch Ivory Silk Ribbon.  I just love how soft and almost romantic this Santa turned out.  It's as if he is hiding and you discover him as your eye wanders around the tag.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for having me.  I am blessed.  

Watercoloring with Distress Inks by Sharon Harnist

 

I was SO excited to see Ellen add the full line of Tim Holtz Distress Inks to the store and the first thing I wanted to do was watercolor with them!

Supplies you will need:

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads & Distress Reinkers by Ranger
• Niji Waterbrush
• Arturo Cards, Single White Small (2.50" x 3.75") -- for watercolored image 
• Arturo Cards & Envelopes, Assorted (5" x 3.25") -- card base
• Ornare Piercing Template, Elegant Corner Template & Piercing Tool
• Shady Tree Studio Artsy Blooms stamp by Cornish Heritage Farms
• Jet Black StazOn Ink
• Silk Ribbon

 

I began by stamping the Artsy Blooms with water-resistant StazOn ink onto a small single white Arturo card (2.5" x 3.75") -- the luxiourious finish on these Italian notecards is wonderful for watercoloring.  Next, I selected the Distress Ink colors I wanted to use.  This process is made simpler by having a color chart to work with.  I stamped each color onto Neenah Classic Crest Solar White cardstock (and because I KNOW someone will ask, that cute leaf stamp is from Kim Hughes' Fall Silhouettes!):

 

I grouped the colors into familes, to make it easier to see which colors would be good to shade with, etc.  The first green I chose was Shabby Shutters:

 

Using a water reservoir brush and dipping the brush into a drop of reinker (in the lid), I quickly colored this base layer of lighter green on the stems and leaves.  Then, using a darker green (Peeled Paint) I added some shading:

 

Next, I used Mustard Seed and Spiced Marmalade to give some color to the flower heads:

 

You can see in the ink pad lid above (left) the drop of reinker I'm using.  I prefer using the move vivid color concentration of the reinker but you can either press the lid into the pad (while it's closed), to transfer some ink onto the lid and use that, or you can take color directly from the pad with your brush tip -- the choice is yours.

I finished the flowers with a little Worn Lipstick (pink):

 

Here's how they finished up (the colors are actually softer in person -- my camera just disagrees!):

 

I chose a Celadon Arturo card (5" x 3.25") for the base of my card and decided to extend the watercolored image above the top fold by about 3/4", so the overall height of the card is 4.25" and will still fit into a standard A2-sized (4.25" x 5.50") envelope.  The floral is adhered with dimensional foam tape to the card.  Beautiful silk ribbon is tied through a punched hole in the watercolored piece.

A little Ornare paper piercing on the base layer and in the corner of the watercolored piece finish this card.  These pretty blooms and warmer weather in my parts are making me ready for spring -- how about you?!!  Thanks for visiting today!

a pair of pink poppies by cindy lyles

 

Debbie Olson's video tutorial on watercoloring is inspiring and incredibly helpful, and I wanted to share a card that I watercolored today showcasing the tips and tricks from her video.

 

This beautiful image is Poppy Pair - new from Shady Tree Studio (Cornish Heritage Farms), and stamped using Memento Rich Cocoa ink onto watercolor paper.

 

(above) Twinkling H₂0's (chiffon pink and moss green) were applied using a watercolor brush and water.  Keep in mind you can substitute Twinkling H₂O's with any dye based reinker for watercoloring - have fun and experiment!

 

(above) Small amounts of garnet and olive vine were applied next, bleeding the color away using water, just like Debbie in the video.

 

 (above) A bit of blushing caramel was added to the stems and leaves.

 

(above) A wash of buttercup was diffused around the entire image, using Debbie's floating-in technique from the video.

 

(above) A small amount of mocha rose was added on the petal and flower undersides as a subtle shadow.  Again, this color was diffused using Debbie's floating-in technique.

 

Finished card.  The card base measures 5-1/4" square and consists of Memory Box Meadow cardstock.  Other layers include Vanilla Bean cardstock and gorgeous *new* Memory Box Rhubarb Tart patterned paper.  Decorative vertical stitch is from a sewing machine.

Happy Birthday sentiment is from Memory Box, and was stamped using Memento Rich Cocoa ink.

 

The card interior features a wonderful verse from Mona Lisa Birthday Centers in Rich Cocoa Memento ink.  Shady Tree Studio's Poppy Pair image was stamped using the second generation (or second repetition) image with the same ink.  Thank you for stopping by Ellen's CLASSroom blog today!

(satin ribbons-May Arts)

Floating in a Watercolor Background by Debbie Olson

I've had several requests to demonstrate in a video how to get a soft edge with a watercolored background. This is my first technique video attempt, and I obviously have some issues to work out. If any of you have made simple technique videos with a Flip Video Camera, I would be happy to hear how you set up the camera so that it was in focus on your work area. Here's hoping that the video might be helpful in spite of its technical challenges! Thank you for visiting the CLASSroom.

Why Arturo? Combined with Memory Box Love Birds

With the arrival of new images in our store that are just begging to be watercolored I would like to share one of the products that we carry in our store that will help you achieve exquisite results! I have long been a huge fan of the Arturo line of stationary products.

Arturo Stationery is made by Cartiere Magnani in Italy. Cartiere Magnani has been in business for more than 600 years. Among their customers have been many of Europe's reigning families and governments. Napoleon Bonaparte selected this mill to produce a special watermarked paper for the annoucement of his wedding with Maria Luisa D' Austria. The original mould is still held at the mill.

So what does this all mean - well, to me it means that this is a VERY high quality line of papers that when used makes me feel like royalty. Arturo is produced on cylinder moulds, these 100% high alpha cellulose papers have a rich, subtle texture obtained by using Magnani's exclusive "Corona" felt. They are wonderful for invitations, annoucements, handmade greeting cards and social correspondence! These cards have soft deckle edges on all sides. The side-folded cards have an embossed center line for ease in folding and can easily be torn to produce a simulated deckle edge.

 

Once again I planned on sharing a YouTube video showing how it is that I watercolor. Once again I didn't do it right - LOL! Being a complete novice I didn't realize that I needed to delete all previous video attempts - this video production was barely started when I ran out of space. I didn't realize this until the end of course. I am totally excited about a video that Debbie has created for the CLASSroom. Her attempt at sharing her skills are much better than mine Ü SO please watch for her video to go live tomorrow! She will share how it is that she floats the color in and around this same image.

 

The photo above shows a close-up picture of the Single Arturo cards. They are available in our store in two sizes and two colors - Soft White and White. The small size is approximately 2 1/2" x 3 3/4" in size and the large size is approximately 5 1/8" x 3 1/3" in size. Hopefully this photo will make it easier for you to see the detail of this fabulous paper.

Even though these cards are not specifically designed as a watercolor medium they are ideal and work beautifully with stamped images. The deckled edge adds an elegance to the finished image that cannot be obtained with other materials.

I prefer to use Palette ink when stamping and watercoloring. If I plan on adding Copic marker work to it as well, then I stamp using Brilliance ink. Be certain to heat set the Brilliance ink when using it. The Palette ink does not need to be heat set if you wait a few minutes for it to dry, but if you want to begin working on your project immediately I recommend a quick shot of heat for it as well.

 

This is where my video left off - LOL! Can you please envision my watercoloring these gorgeous love birds? I promise I will continue to make my attempts at making videos for this blog, but... please be patient with me - LOL!

After completing the watercolor process I allowed the surface to dry and then placed a mask over the birds. Using the Aged Sheet Music Scrapblock I added a soft pattern to the surrounding surface.

 

I LOVE how Cindy always finishes the inside of her cards. Rather than using the words as shown, I covered the last word "flutters" with painters tape and inked my stamp.

 

This allowed me to then remove the tape and stamp only a portion of the phrase. This type of masking is so quick and easy. I then used my little heart notes to finish my phrase - so now it reads "you make my heart... sing." Yes, you do need to read between the notes for the last word, but I thought it was a fun way to place the notes on both the interior and exterior of my project. A little paper and extra ribbon and I now had a completed interior to my card. Thank you Cindy for sharing this wonderful method with all those of us in the stamping world!!!

 

A little sewing and some pretty ribbon and my project is complete. I know that boy birds are always more colorful and prettier than girl birds, but not this time - LOL! I had to make a cute little pink girl bird and an oh so masculine brown bird (with just a hint of pink to tie them together.) Yes, once a goofy girl, always a goofy girl! Be certain to visit again tomorrow to view Debbie's awesome video!!!