the CLASSroom

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2012 begins tomorrow!

It is with much excitement that we announce that tomorrow, Saturday December 1st, our 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist begins. Be certain to return every day, December 1st through the 12th, to see the stunning tags that our star-studded list of designers AND guest designers has created for your enjoyment! Mark your calendars to visit each day!

Merry & BRIGHT by Julia Stainton

Christmas is coming! It's Black Friday and the official day to kick off some major Christmas shopping. I hope all my American friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones.

I'm not one to venture out too far in the crush of shoppers so I'm spending today tucked in my craft room making lots of fun projects. Of course, I may succumb to temptation and do a little online shopping too! We'll just have to see!

I thought I'd create a card with a little color pop for you today...just to get you out of that post-Thanksgiving sugar haze. It's a technique I've seen done a few times and I'm not sure what it's called so we'll just keep it simple and call it Copic Colored Embossing.

It's super easy so it's a great technique to try and I love how vibrant the embossing turns out to be.

First of all, stamp your image onto black or dark cardstock and heat emboss with white embossing powder. It will look something like this.I like to use Versamark ink when embossing but you can also use an embossing ink pad. Doesn't that white pop over the black?

Next the fun part...adding in the color. Simply take your Copic Markers and color the embossed areas. This is a great technique for this background stamp as it makes all the different text stand out. It would also work well for most line images.

You may notice a little white residue on the tip of your Copic marker. You can see it in the above photo. Just color the embossing lightly and quickly to prevent much transfer. When done coloring, I like to brush it off onto a piece of scrap paper. Just color with the marker until it's gone to preserve the longevity of your nib.

Look at the color pop! It gives a fun bright look and reminds me of colored Christmas lights decorating the night.

When choosing colors for this technique, make sure you choose bold colors. I found that if the tint was very light it wouldn't show up well on the embossing. The last digit in a Copic marker is the saturation or how strong it is. Markers ending in a digit with a 5 or higher work the best. I've chosen BG45 Nile Blue, BG49 Duck Blue, R29 Lipstick Red, RV14 Begonia Pink and New Leaf YG23 Copic Markers to use on this project.

The background on this card is so pretty, I didn't want to cover much of it up. A simple silk ribbon bow highlights the fresh and pretty green in the color scheme. The gorgeous snowflake applique is a nice neutral accent and is large enough to balance the bold colors of the design.

 Enjoy trying out this technique and getting started on the Christmas season. Don't forget that Ellen is having a Black Friday to Cyber Monday sale with a really great discount. It's the perfect time for a little creative prezzie for yourself!

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Hello, Monday 11.19.2012

(click on the pic to en-biggan)

I love a lot of different things, so whenever I'm asked what "my style" is, I struggle sometimes with defining it.

This design is an example of wanting to create a "vintage-looking" embellishment or focal point, but executing the overall design with the clean and simple style I'm so fond of.

The Savvy Stamps 3D Star Die was my starting point--I wanted to recreate the effect of a beautiful vintage ornament so I die cut the shape from a pretty collaged sheet from Basic Grey's Aspen Frost collection. It has score lines built into the design--you could use the stars flat, but I thought the dimensional look was a nice effect and gave this card a lot of visual "pop"!  I actually cut a bunch of stars all at once so I could use them later on different projects--I think they'd be darling to dangle on gift packages or to make a garland.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this Silver Stickles Dry Glitter--it's the same they use in their Stickles and it is INCREDIBLY sparkly, hence the sentiment from the Be Jolly set by Technique Tuesday... *wink*

I did reach a point where I debated on whether or not to add "one more thing", cuz y'all know how going down that path can subsequently lead to the circular file, but in this case, one of my favorite stand-by tricks polished the card off perfectly. 

Enjoy the video here or in HD over on YouTube!

Thanks for joining me this Monday! Have a gooder!

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SUPPLIES & MATERIALS:

 

Technique Tuesday Clear Stamps, Be Jolly	Savvy Stamps Dies, Folded Star Die	VersaMark Inkpad	Stickles Dry Fine Glitter, Silver
A Cardstock, Essentials by Ellen: White Linen #100 Cardstock, 25 Pack	Basic Grey Aspen Frost, 6x6 Paper Pad	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Ream	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack
Ranger - Super Fine 1oz. Embossing Powder, Silver	Mixed Accent, Neutrals	2 Way Glue, Chisel Tip	3D-Dots, 1/8" Thick
3D-Dots, 1/16" Thick	Soft Grip Embossing and Stylus Set	Crop-A-Dile Power Punch, 1/16"	Sizzix Big Shot Machine, Black & Pink
Tweezer Bee	Tweezers, Stainless	Craft Knife, Fingertip	Heat It Craft Tool

InLinkz.com

Treasure Everyday Mini Album by Paula Cheney

We are honored to share the work of one of the very talented "Gypsy Girls", Paula Cheney, with you here today in the CLASSroom. The details that Paula includes in her work puts them over-the-top! I think it was my Excel spreadsheet that we had a good laugh over when we attended Ranger University a couple of years ago now that brought us together - we both love a good spreadsheet - ha! ha! I love a wonderful sense of humor and to mix it up with sheer artistic talent... you have described Paula to a "t"! I am very lucky to be able to have Paula as a friend.

You can find Paula at the blog she shares with Debbie (who is also amazingly talented and a very special lady!) titled "One Lucky Day." Their blog is filled with shabby, vintage beauties --- you will be able to spend hours going over the beautiful projects they share there. Paula can currently be found as the Creative Coordinator for Tim Holtz Brands and teaching here in the U.S. and abroad. If you ever have an opportunity to take one of Paula's classes you must! You will learn so much and laugh - a wonderful combination! I would appreciate if you would head over to Paula's blog now and help us thank her for sharing her talents with us here in the CLASSroom today. Please leave your comment on her post about being a guest here. As our way of thanking you for taking the time to do so you will have a chance to win some of the fabulous products she used in this post! You know you are in the right place if you see the following picture.

Thank you Paula for sharing your chic album with us here in the CLASSroom today! -Ellen

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Envelopes

Cut out 5 envelopes using the Sizzix Alterations Pocket Envelope die and Manila Cardstock from Ranger.  Do not fold.

Use Distress Stain Tumbled Glass and Mustard Seed to color the envelopes by squeezing Distress Stain onto a craft mat (use more blue than yellow).  Spritz with water from a Mini mister.

Swipe envelope into the stain. Dry with heat tool.
Swipe again, dry again.  Repeat as necessary.

Shake Brushed Pewter Distress stain to mix, then squeeze out a small amount onto craft sheet.  Repeat pervious steps until each envelope has a bit of metallic shimmer. 

Using Archival Ink in Aquamarine, stamp random text onto envelopes.  No acrylic block needed!

Stamp Butterflies with Archival Ink in Sap Green.

Cut out the Sizzix Alterations Inside Out Alphabet.  Create one word for each of the 5 envelopes and adhere with Collage Glue stick.
Add Vial Labels and chitchat words to describe each main word.  Stitch to the envelope if desired.

Adhere 1/8” Wonder Tape to the bottom and side of envelope.

Close envelope so both flaps are out.  The bottom of the envelope should be sealed just above the small flap.

Set finished envelopes aside while we make the cover.

Cover

Cut two pieces of Sticky Back Canvas 3 x 11”. 
Color the canvas with Tumbled Glass Distress Stain in the same method used previously.  Dry with Heat Tool.

Peel off the backing and stick the two pieces back to back. 
Stitch around the canvas with sewing machine.

Repeat butterflies on one side of canvas with Sap Green Archival Ink.

Stitching the book

Line up the first envelope at the left end of the canvas piece.  Stitch to canvas along the small flap.

Repeat stitching the envelopes onto the canvas cover about 1/8” apart. 

Trim away threads.

View of album spine.

Cut 30” of Crinkle Ribbon.
Color the Crinkle Ribbon with Distress Stains Frayed Burlap, Tumbled Glass and Mustard Seed.
Spritz with mini mister, then pounce the 3 colors at random onto ribbon.  Spray again to make the colors bleed then dry with Heat Tool.

Once dry, wrap ribbon around the book and secure to the TOP of the cover with Glossy Accents.
NOTE: make sure Glossy Accents is UNDER the Ornate Plate.

Cut a piece of paper from an old book.
Add Chitchat words and secure to the Ornate plate.

Add Ornate Plate over ribbon on cover.  Secure with brads.

Create small journaling cards for each envelope from manila cardstock. 
Round corners.
Stamp with butterflies and Aquamarine Archival Ink.
Add to each envelope.

Completed mini album cover!

Inside Pages

Sizzix, Tim Holtz, Movers & Shapers Magnetic L Die, Pocket Envelope	Sizzix, Tim Holtz, Sizzlits Deco Strip AlphaDie, Inside Out	Tim Holtz, Attic Treasures	Tim Holtz, Going Somewhere
Metallic Distress Stain, Brushed Pewter	Distress Stain, Tumbled Glass	Distress Stain, Mustard Seed	Distress Stain, Frayed Burlap
Aquamarine Archival Ink by Ranger	Viridian Archival Ink By Ranger	Tim Holtz, Ornate Book Plates & Fasteners	Tim Holtz, Vial Labels
Tim Holtz, Chitchat Stickers	Inkssentials Surfaces, 12x12 Manila	Studio Sticky Back Canvas, 8.5" x 11"	Tim Holtz, Crinkle Ribbon
Collage Glue Stick	Wonder Tape, 1/8"	Mini Mister, Individual	Non-Stick Craft Sheet
Heat It Craft Tool

InLinkz.com

Christmas in a Flurry Class Winners!

We are so excited that you are looking forwards to Julie's class as much as I am! Her cards and videos always bring a smile to my face and the number of tips and techniques she has stashed away is incredible.

Congratulations go to the following ladies!

 

 

 

We will be in touch with you shortly to help get you registered for class!

For those of you who have been procrasti-crafter's
be certain to head over and register now for
Christmas in a Flurry!

Hello, Monday 11.12.2012

Sweet, right?! Years ago, I had seen some darling, pre-made tri-folding window cards that made me swoon and when I saw these nested Pinking Square Dies by WPlus9, I knew they'd work for making my own!

I brought together a lot of favorites for this design, including kraft paper, white embossing and the Sweet Christmas set by Lawn Fawn... Just couldn't resist the Gingerbread... It just isn't Christmas without Gingerbread... ! *grin*

Measurements:

• Cut card stock to 5 1/2 x 10 3/4"
• Parallel to short side, score at 3 5/8" and 7 1/4"

Enjoy the video here or in HD on YouTube!

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SUPPLIES & MATERIALS:

 

Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps, Sweet Christmas	Lifestyle Crafts Dies, Nesting Squares	WPlus9 Design Studio Dies, Clear Cut Stackers: Pinking Squares	Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Hazelnut
VersaMark Inkpad	Waterbrush, Small	Memento Marker, Lady Bug	Memento Marker, Bamboo Leaves
Memento Marker, Desert Sand	A3 Cardstock, Neenah Environment Desert Storm, Ream	Sizzix Big Shot Machine, Black & Pink	Stampendous Embossing Powder, .92 oz Detail White
Heat It Craft Tool	Stickles, Christmas Red	Gemstones, Red Crystals	Martha Stewart Scoring Board
Doodle Twine Spool, Ladybu	Honey Bee Non Stick Scissors	3D-Dots, 1/16" Thick	Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue, .88 oz
Craft Knife, Fingertip	Teflon Bone Folder	Tweezers, Stainless	Tweezer Bee

InLinkz.com

Wild for Word Bubbles and Wood by Julia Stainton

Hey! What's up?

I have a fun, simple and trendy card to share with you today. Even better is this design works well for either gender so it's perfect to have on hand for when you need it.

This card mixes up three trends that are really popular right now...

1. word bubbles
2. washi tape
3. wood

It's amazing to see all the places these trends are popping up and from so many different manufacturers. Stop by Ellen Hutson LLC and type any of them in the search function and you'll see what I mean!

I've been dying to play around with word bubbles lately and so that's where I started off this card design. This sweet and fun washi tape is from the October Afternoon Midway line and so I paired it up with a couple of fun prints from the coordinating Midway paper pad. The Washi Tape is easy-peasy to apply and I love how you see through it. It's also a great way to visually break up a design and to transfer from one paper print to another.

These sweet wood word bubbles are a perfect mix for my card design. Cute, huh?! Cute, cute, cute! They are from Studio Calico and not only are they an embellishment, they are a great way to add in a sentiment as well. I love them in their natural wood state but when placed on the card, they were getting a little lost on the background print.

Enter the red dye based marker. You can alter one of these sweet little wood veneer cuts in the blink of an eye. Simply color with a marker and allow to dry. The wood is very porous so no worries if you're in a hurry, it will be dry in no time.

The second word bubble, I wanted to use a different color and decided to test out how well Distress Stains would work on the wood. My result...just as quick and easy as the dye marker. Fabulous!

If you want to speed up the drying process, you can use a heat gun but seriously, it's pretty quick on its own. I used a simple liquid adhesive to adhere them to the design.

Almost done! A little wrap of twine, a clothespin and a trinket pin finish it off. Notice the repetition. The star pin echos the star shape print of the green patterned paper. The word bubble appear on the washi tape and the wood. The wood is repeated in the word bubbles and the clothepin.

Oh yes...lastly, that corner chomper makes the rounded corners on the bottom of the card a breeze.

Thanks for stopping by the CLASSroom! Have a fabulous weekend!

Julia

 

Supplies:

 

InLinkz.com

Christmas in a Flurry - new HOWnow online interactive class giveaway!

We have a brand new on-line card class taught by our sweet Ms. Julie just in the nick of time for the holiday "procrasti-crafter"! (This may be my new favorite Julie word - LOL!) Quick and easy cards, wraps and tags for the holidays, including favorite tips, tools & supplies for easy mass production so you can still enjoy a handmade holiday even at the last minute! There are even a few darling low-cost gift ideas you can quickly create with your paper crafting tools tucked into this class!

Join Julie and special guest designers for this 5-day class of holiday fun! Class includes shopping discounts, prizes and video instruction with supporting downloadable PDFs. During this interactive course you will be able to ask questions and receive answers in a private forum, as well as upload and share your projects inspired by the class. Lifetime access ensures that you will be able to enjoy all course content at your own pace, and on your own schedule!

Class Dates: November 26-30, 2012 (Monday through Friday)

Registration begins: today!

Early bird Registration: $15 through Friday, November 9th

Regular Registration: $18, beginning November 10th

To register visit Christmas in a Flurry!

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Julie's classes are always fantastic! AND I have three seats to give away! So please leave a comment (one per person please) by Saturday, November 10th, 2012 midnight PST and I will randomly draw the winners and announce them on Sunday!

We hope to see you in class!

Hello, Monday 11.05.2012

(click on the pic to en-biggan)

I absolutely adore the Stepping Stone alphabet by Studio Calico/Hero Arts but until now, hadn't had much chance to play with it! I love that it has both a solid AND an outline set included that coordinate together!

It's easier than you might think to combine the two together to mass produce a whole stack of upbeat thank-you cards like this one above!

Enjoy the video here, or skip on over to YouTube to watch it in HD!

Thanks for watching, and don't forget to subscribe to the Ellen Hutson, LLC channel for a new video every week!

 

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SUPPLIES & MATERIALS:

 

Studio Calico ClearDesign, Stepping Stone Alpha from Hero Arts	Studio Calico ClearDesign, Oh Sna	Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps, Interlocking Backdrops	Memento Ink Pad, Gray Flannel
Adirondack Dye Ink Pad, Mountain Rose	Shadow Ink: Mid-Tone, Butter Bar	Shadow Ink, Soft Pool	Hero Arts Memories Pigment Ink Pad, Unicorn White
VersaMark Inkpad	A Cardstock, Essentials by Ellen: White Linen #100 Cardstock, 25 Pack	H33 Cardstock, Graphite	A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pack
A Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Ream	Clear Acrylic Block 3" x 4" Rectangular with Grid	Stampendous Embossing Powder, .92 oz Detail White	3D-Dots, 1/16" Thick
Glue Glider Pro	Glue Glider Pro Plus Refill, High Tac 58'	Tweezers, Stainless	Heat It Craft Tool
Martha Stewart Scoring Board, Mini	Soft Grip Embossing and Stylus Set	Nesting Punch, 3/4" Circle	Ornare Piercing Pad

InLinkz.com

Copic People Coloring by Sharon Harnist

Happy Friday and welcome to the CLASSroom! Today I'll be showing you a few tips on how to color people with your Copic markers. 

I'll be using a few tips and techniques you'll find in the latest Copic Coloring Guide Level 3: People that Ellen has in stock in the store. I was extremely honored to have an image I colored chosen to be featured on the cover!

For my sample today, I used this beautiful new Pearl cling stamp by Melissa Frances, Just A Little Something:

Isn't she adorable?!!  This wonderful new line of Pearl cling stamps are classic Victorian Melissa Frances style, with her sweet hair bows and period outfits:

There are currently six designs in this new product launch with more to come! Stamps are cling mount red rubber manufactured by the trusted name of Hampton Art.

General note for coloring people: When coloring people/skin/hair, you don't always have to stick with the usual suggested Copic rules of blending families. Each color reacts differently when combined with other colors, so just experiment! The guide has wonderful reference charts for coloring different ethnicities, but try out some different combinations on your own, to find what is most appealing to YOU!

Because I wanted to keep this image in a shabby vintage style, I stamped it with Memento Rich Cocoa onto Neenah Natural White cardstock and then started coloring . . .

Skin - My personal favorite combination for fair Caucasian young child/baby skin is E00 & E11; E33 & BV000 (shadows). Starting with the lightest E00, I base coated all of her skin. Then I used E11 to put shading in the creases of her arms, under her hairline and chin, and under her dress line at the upper arms and lower legs (click on any photo to enlarge):

I went back and blended these two colors a little with my lightest E00. Next, I used my darkest E33 to deepen some of the shading and added a few cast shadows with the BV000 under her chin, on the left side of her face, arms and legs where the dress would cast shadows:

The BV color really cools down the shadows and makes them look a lot more realistic:

Marianne Walker's Shadows & Shading Guide goes into great detail on where and how to place cast shadows and shading on any kind of object and includes templates to help you do so!

Hair - The coloring guide also gives wonderful suggestions for coloring different types of hair. One thing to remember when coloring hair, is to NOT blend (very much or at all) and use a flicking motion (for straighter hair) with your marker. This will help to define strands of hair and the naturally different shading you find in hair. I used the suggestions on coloring curly or wavy hair for Pearl, using  E21, E23, E25:

I base coated all of her hair with the lightest E21, then drew in squiggles of the next two darker colors.

The guide gives wonderful suggested color combinations for many different hair colors.

Dress - R81, R83, R85, R89: The guide gives tips for coloring different types of fabrics, draping, pleats and folds, as well as different fabric textures and how to create patterns for clothing. I used the mid-tone (R83) first along the valleys or folds of the fabric (see, we're bending those original Copic blending rules of starting with the lightest color first!):

Then I used R81 to color in the other areas, leaving the space next to the folds that I colored above white.  This will end up being the highest "point" or peak of the fabric:

Next, I used my darker R85 to deepen the folds of the fabric:

And R81 was used again to help blend everything together, but still leaving some of the original white spaces.  The Coloring Guide goes into much great detail, with color photos, on how to accomplish this technique.

Finishing Details:
I finished Pearl by leaving the dress sash around her middle and collar white and shaded them with C2. The flowers were colored with Y23 and Y26, stems Mint Atyou Spica Glitter Pen; eyes B21, lips R20; shoes E25, E25. Gift: E41, E42, Y23, Y26.

Pearl was die cut and matted with My Favorite Things Die-namics-Traditional Tags and mounted to a Vanilla Bean Memory Box Notecard.  A Distressed Doily die cut was placed behind the tags.

All three levels of the Copic Coloring Guides are stocked in Ellen's store HERE. Each level focuses on different topics that will help bring your Copic coloring to new heights!

Thanks so much for joining me today!

~ Sharon

 

Copic Coloring Guide Level 3: People	Melissa Frances Pearl Cling Stamps, Just A Little Something	Memento Ink Pad, Rich Cocoa	A1 Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Natural White, 25 pack
Copic Sketch Markers	Copic Atyou Spica Glitter Pens	Memory Box Cardstock, Vanilla Bean	Memory Box Cardstock, Cantaloupe
My Favorite Things Die-namics Stax, Traditional Tags	Sizzix Tim Holtz On The Edge Die, Distressed Doily	Ink Blending Tool	Ranger Distress Ink Pad, Antique Linen
Distress Ink Pad, Brushed Corduroy	High Tack Double-Sided Foam Mounting Tape, 1/2"

InLinkz.com

Other: Ivory seam binding