Hey everyone! It's Carissa and I'm so excited to be here for another Satur-YAY! Satur-YAY is all about celebrating the weekend by getting our craft on. And today we're going to get gourd-jus for fall! I have a couple of projects that are quick and easy and will be perfect for Thanksgiving or any fall celebration. Let's get going...I have a lot to show you! I'll walk you through both of these projects in the video tutorial below, so be sure to check it out!
I'm starting with the Essentials By Ellen Gourd-jus die set. I love the hand sketched feel of these dies. The images are perfect for fall, but I also spy some images that can be used year round. I think the pumpkin is my favorite.
I used the Gourd-jus dies to cut some watercolor card stock. When I was cutting, I was careful to allow the die cut to remain within the negative space of the paper. This makes it easier to quickly watercolor all of the images at once using some Distress Stains.
Once the images were cut, I used some clean water to wet the entire surface of the watercolor paper with the images in the negative space. Then comes the fun part! I dabbed some Distress Stains right on the paper. I used several colors in fall tones to create some beautiful watercolor pieces for the front of my card. I used Fossilized Amber, Wild Honey, Peeled Paint and Frayed Burlap. The damp surface of the card stock allows the colors to mix and blend as you dab them on to the paper. If you want to soften any areas, you can go over those areas with your damp paint brush. To intensify areas, just add more stain.
You can either allow your die cuts to air dry or hit them with a heat tool. Let's be honest, I'm a busy girl AND I'm inpatient. I hit those babies with my heat tool to speed the process along. I've got places to go and people to see. ;)
To add a touch of elegance and shine to my die cut pieces, I edged them with some gold embossing powder. To do this, you can dab the edge of your Versamark ink pad directly to the edge of the die cut pieces. If you prefer a little more control, or if you really want to get in every nook and cranny, you can use a makeup sponge to dab the Versamark ink on to the die cuts. I then sprinkled on the Ranger Super Fine Detail Embossing Powder in gold and heat set it. This adds a a bit of glam to these very organic images and dresses them up for the holiday.
To create my sentiment, I used the Thankful stamp set. I chose to cut the sentiment stamp so I could just use the thankful part. However, if you're not crazy about cutting your stamps, you could always mask the stamp instead. I stamped the greeting on some Essentials By Ellen vellum in Versamark ink. I added the same Ranger Gold embossing powder and heat set it. I love that repeating the same gold on the sentiment and the die cut images really pulls them together.
For both of my projects today, I used the Lawn Fawn Small Stitched Rectangle Dies. These dies are so versatile and the stitched detail really adds just the right touch to any card. I used the largest rectangle in the die set to cut my card front. I used the second largest rectangle to cut my place cards. To add even more detail to my card front, and to give my grouping a grounding point, I de-bossed a label shape on to the card front.
Finishing the card was easy from there. I attached my leaves to the card front using some liquid glue. I attached the punkins using some foam adhesive. To attach the vellum sentiment, I used a tiny bit of Multi Medium Matte behind the embossed greeting where the adhesive would be disguised. I embellished with some sequins from Pretty Pink Posh...and voila! A quick, easy, Gourd-jus card for fall.
I hadn't originally intended to make place cards, but I had to make use of the leftover shapes I had. The Lawn Fawn Stitched Rectangle dies were still laying on my desk and the idea hit me like lightning.
I cut five of the second to the largest rectangles in the die set for the place card base. Luckily, I listened in math...and I was able to divide 2 3/4 inches by 2. If math wasn't your forte, no worries...I've already done the work for you! Just score these rectangles at 1 3/8 inch to create your place card. And don't forget to tell your kids to listen up in math class! One day they may be making place cards and need to divide fractions! ;)
Now, I'll admit, I tried really hard to hand write the names on these place cards...but I'm just not crazy about my handwriting. So I cheated. I printed the names on some vellum using my laser printer. I used the Euphoria Script font, in case you're wondering. I then used my Minc Mini to apply some Rose Gold Deco Foil. The slightly muted gold was a beautiful addition to the place cards. I didn't walk you through the entire Minc process in the video below...but you can check out this previous SaturYAY to see exactly how to use the Minc.
To finish the place card, I slid the name banners right underneath the grouping of die cuts and attached them with some Multi Medium Matte. Then, just like the card above, I finished the place cards off with some Pretty Pink Posh sequins. And I just LOVE the hint of sparkle these will add to my Thanksgiving table. I may have to make these for the Christmas table using the Poinsettia and Pine Die set too!
Don't forget to check out the video tutorial below. I'll walk you through these projects and give you some extra tips and tricks along the way! I've also linked the supplies below so you can quickly find them in the Ellen Hutson store!
So there you have it...some Gourd-jus fall projects, just in time for Thanksgiving. These projects came together quickly and could easily be replicated over and over again!
Now it's your turn to get YOUR craft on! Put on your stretchy pants, grab a cup of coffee and dig in your stash and start creating! I'd love to see what you're making this weekend. Be sure you snap a quick pic and share on social media using the hashtag #EllenHutsonSaturYAY so I can check them out! I can't wait to see what you're making!
Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you've been inspired to create something...anything...this weekend. I'll see you next month for another SaturYAY. Until then, I hope you have a fabulous day!
XOXO
Carissa
You can watch this video in HD on our YouTube channel by clicking HERE. Don't forget to subscribe so you won't miss any of our fab tutorials.
