 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
(click on the pics to enbiggan)
Today I have a quick project featuring mortise (a.k.a. reverse) masking with an abstract look and easy faux chipboard embellishments!
LINK: Watch in HD, like & subscribe over on our YouTube Channel HERE! Thanks for watching!
Hope today's project inspired!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
SUPPLIES:
| |
|
(click on the pics to enbiggan)
Sometimes you want to color something in; other times, you wish there were a quick and easy way to fill an image with color. Today I'm sharing a sneak peek of a new set I illustrated that I am especially fond of--inspired by an amazing month long trip to Japan I took last fall with my mama, where my daughter and her family live (her husband is an Air Framer for the US Navy!).
The upcoming set featured in today's video is aptly named, "Wasabi" and features outline images as well as solid "fillers" that can be used to apply color quickly to an image. This has often been referred to as "two-step" stamping. I share more insights in today's video.
LINK: Watch in HD HERE! Thanks for the thumbs' up and for subscribing to our channel!
By the way, "udon" means noodles in Japanese. :)
With this release going live Mar 4th, you'll be seeing lots of sneak peeks all week--keep your eyes peeled!
Happy Mundane!
SUPPLIES:
| |
|
Hey everyone! Happy Satur-YAY! I'm celebrating the weekend by getting my craft on, and I hope you are too! Today, it's all about the party. I'm using the brand new Sweet Sprinkles stamp and die set, along with confetti paste, to create some fun and very sparkly cards. They're so sparkly, you don't even NEED glitter paper! (WHAT?!?!)
I love this new Sweet Sprinkles stamp set designed by Concord & 9th. It's the newest in the Essentials By Ellen United We Flourish line. This Concord & 9th stamp set is available exclusively at Ellen Hutson. I am a huge fan of Concord & 9th. They're stamp and die sets are always so versatile and this one is no exception. You can create so many different things from this stamp set....a cupcake, an ice cream, cotton candy....even a poop emoji. ;) So many options with just one stamp set!
I'll be showing you how to use confetti paste in today's video. I'll be using the Bo Bunny Gold Confetti paste today. I love the festive vibe that a background full of confetti paste gives. It definitely says PAR-TAY!
In addition, I'll also show you how you can make your own confetti paste too! I'll be using the adorable sesame seed sequins from Hai that come in the December Party Bundle and some Collage Medium for this. This was a fabulous idea from my friend Carly. She's always inspiring me!
These confetti pastes are easy to use. They dry fairly quickly. They can be used to create backgrounds, or to doll up a stamped image. They can also be used in conjunction with a stencil to create confetti patterns for your next card project. Be sure to check out the video tutorial below.
I've included links to all the products used in these projects below.
I can't wait to see what you're creating this weekend. Be sure to post it on social media using #EllenHutsonSaturYAY so we can check it out. You can also tag @ellenhutsonllc and @carissawiley. We love to see what you're up to!
Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you've enjoyed these projects...and I hope they're keeping your party mood going strong! You're going to need it with New Year's just around the corner. Until next time, Happy Satur-YAY and I hope you have a fabulous 2018!
XOXO
You can watch this video in HD on our YouTube channel by clicking HERE. Don't forget to subscribe while you're there so you don't miss any of our card making and paper crafting video tutorials.
| |
|
Welcome to Day 2 of the 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2017! I'm so excited to be hosting day two and participating in this fab creative tag event that Ellen hosts yearly. If you've never created a tag then this is the time to get creative and join us for some creative time. Tags are so easy to create and they can be as simple or as complex as you like.
Today's challenge is one that immediately popped into my mind. Silver & gold, silver & gold... Pretty sure I've heard a song about that before and while it's a lovely holiday tune, it's also a stunning metallic color combination that is beautiful to create with. Here's a little inspiration photo I found...
Image via Pinterest
So beautiful, right? My challenge to you is to create a tag that incoporates silver and gold in it. You can be inspired by the above photo, or pair up these gorgeous metallics with other colors like I've done for my design. I always like to design with a feminine touch so I'm going romantic and pink for a sweet combo.
For today's tags you'll find that we are featuring MFT Stamps! One of my very favorite companies to design with and each day of the 12 days we'll be featuring a different company to share the holiday love. I'm excited to mix some recent releases from MFT, with an Essentials by Ellen set to make a sweet holiday door, complete with mail slot. Just because I'm not creating a card it doesn't mean I can't have an envelope!
So let's get started. First of all the tag base. I've die-cut it from pink card stock using the MFT Stamps Stitched Traditional Tag STAX. I seriously use this set over and over and over.
Next up is to create the illusion of a door on the front of the tag. I've used more of the same pink card stock and cut 2 - 1x1.5" rectangles and 2 - 1"x2.5" rectangles. Before adhering them I've sponged the edges with some Spun Sugar Distress Ink to help define them. I like to layer on a lot of embellishments and don't want this subtle detail to get lost in the mix!
The Mail Delivery Die-namics set is so adorable and works great for cards as well as this tag as there are so many fun and interactive ways to use it. I've combined both silver and gold foil card stocks to create a mail slot that really pops. Just die-cut from both colors of metallics and then adhere together.
The smaller rectangle in the set perfectly cuts out a mail slot that you can layer over top of. I've held it in place on my tag to cut out the rectangle using washi tape and then ran it through my Big Shot.
Here's how it will look...
Then adhere the mail flap on over top of the opening.
What's a mail slot without a little holiday mail! I hope you get lots this year!
I've created this tiny envelope from Crate Paper FALALA 6x6 Paper Pad and the MFT's Mini Mail Die-namics set.
I love Glossy Accents as an adhesive and have carefully used it here to adhere the envelope.
Since the theme is silver & gold...let's do snowflakes in both! The new MFT Let it Snowflake Too Die-namics has gorgeous classic snowflakes that look great die-cut from anything!
The sweet little envelope gets accented with one of these snowflakes and buttons and sequins from the 28 Lilac Lane Winter Wonderland Embellishment Bottle.
Julie Ebersole's Modern Christmas stamp set and dies get a vintage style makeover when stamped on vellum (see the holly) with Delicata Golden Glitz ink. This is my favorite gold ink as it's easy to use and has a gorgeous shimmer. When stamping it on vellum you MUST heat set it to keep it from smearing.
All those pretty snowflakes I die-cut earlier give this card a holiday feel.
Finally, some hemp twine and a hinge clip top off the tag while some pretty Maya Road Paper Flowers and metallic jingle bells finish off the embellishments.
I'm loving the gold and silver look! It's so pretty for the holidays and now I'm inspired to a) make more gold and silver designs and, b) pair up silver and gold for my holiday decorating at home!
So there you have it! An easy holiday door tag for the base and then lots of extra silver and gold goodies to bling it up for the season!
Thanks so much for joining us as we celebrate creativity and wrapping up Christmas! I hope you'll be inspired to create your own holiday tags and I wish you all the joy and hope of this beautiful season!
Julia's Tag Supplies:
We are ecstatic to welcome Keeway Tsao back to the CLASSroom today! Keeway constantly charms us with adorably colored critters and ingenious inking! There's no doubt that you have seen her beautiful creations for MFT, Neat & Tangled, Pretty Pink Posh and more. Make sure you check out her blog, Kiwi Koncepts, for more inspiration!
Keeway's Tag Supplies:
Thank you for joining us once again this year for the second day of our 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist series! Simply leave your appreciation for the beautiful tags of today's dynamic duo, Julia and Keeway, and you will be eligible for the random drawing of the $25 gift certificate to our store www.ellenhutson.com. Leave your comment here before noon on December 18th to be included (one comment per person please.) Be certain to return tomorrow to see what our next team will have to inspire you!
| |
|
Let's talk specialty inks! It's Julia here today in the CLASSroom and I'm continuing on with the Ink Week theme with some fabulous and unique inks.
These inks were used to make this tropical themed card design and I'll be sharing tips and tricks on how to use them.
So what exactly are the specialty inks that I'm featuring today? They are both fabulous inks from Tsukineko and one of them especially, I'm pretty sure you'll be familiar with. Versamark Ink is an amazing watermark ink and is one of the most used inks that I have in my collection. I have a rather extensive collection of inks so that is really saying something and my Versamark Ink pads is one of the very first ink pads I purchased and is still going strong after 15 years!
The other ink I'm featuring is the Delicata Ink series which is an absolutely gorgeous ink line of metallics. I've tried lots of metallic inks over the years and this is my favorite. And while it's not quite the ink "workhorse" that Versamark is, the beautiful shimmer of these inks is well worth the investment.
So let's get started! I'm using some Robin's Egg Card Stock as the base for the stamped design. Versamark ink is beautiful for creating tone on tone effects with stamped image and using a colored card stock really highlights this feature. For stamps I'm using the Wplus9 Feathers and Florals Stamp Set which you can find linked below.
Versamark is a clear and very sticky ink that is on a foam pad. You stamp with it in exactly the same way you would any other ink. Ink up the stamp and then stamp cleanly onto the card stock.
The first way I am going to show you to do a tone on tone effect with Versamark is with clear embossing powder. After you've stamped some of the images, sprinkle them with the clear embossing powder, remove excess (the powder will stick to the Versamark stamped areas) and then melt with a heat tool.
Once you're done the embossed images will look like this. You'll get a lovely dark tone on tone look that is lovely and shiny.
The raised embossing will catch the light and you can see how pretty that is in the above image.
I do the clear embossing step FIRST so that when you stamp with Versamark the second time, there won't be any embossing to stick to it.
Next stamp the images again with Versamark and just leave them as is. In the above image you can see how you get a lighter tone on tone effect and this ink will dry within minutes on card stock. If you like to rush you can also heat set it with a heat tool.
And that's how you can get two different tone on tone looks just by using the Versamark Ink!
I'm also going to use a layer of stamped image using the Golden Glitz Delicata Ink by Tsukineko. This ink is a gorgeous metallic ink that can be embossed or simply stamped. I'm simply stamping here over and around some of the Versamark image and I love the shimmer that this ink adds!
The gold is so pretty with the turquoise! Once the inks have dried I trimmed this panel to 4" x 5.5" and adhered it to a white card stock card base. I've also stitched around the edges but you can leave them without it if you prefer.
The Be-YOU-tiful Die by Julie Ebersole is so lovely die-cut from gold foil card stock and by using the gold, it ties in well with the gold stamping. To make it pop on the card I've adhered it to a vellum layout die-cut using the Stitched Banner Duo Die from Pretty Pink Posh.
For a fun homespun stitched look I've stitching on the Lawn Fawn Hemp Twine.
And that finishes off the card design.
Thanks so much for joining me today in the CLASSroom!
Julia
Supplies:
| |
|
Hello crafty people! I'm Julia Stainton and today I'm back in the CLASSroom sharing a design for breast cancer survivors as we focus on the amazing new Courage set from Ellen Hutson LLC. I've been so thrilled to design with this incredible set and today's card has a special recipient in my life. My mother-in-law has been through a fight with breast cancer and I'm so happy that she is a survivor. She's been blessed to be cancer free for almost ten years now and we've been blessed to have her.
This set is just so lovely to work with and I love how while it benefits the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the stamp set itself lends itself to use for other cancers and health struggles as well. Just change the color of the ribbon or leave it off for a pretty floral creation. You can find this stamp set linked below at the end of the post or here.... Essentials by Ellen Breast Cancer Research Foundation Courage stamp & die set.
I do love the ribbon die though and thought I'd show you how to add more dimension to it with Copic Marker shading.
If you look closely in this picture you'll notice the scoring lines on the die-cut that will help with the detail and shading. First though, I've colored in the entire white card stock die-cut with a pale pink marker, RV00 Water Lily.
Next I've started adding in the shading with RV91 Grayish Cherry. Add the shading along the score lines to the sides of the ribbon that would fall below if it were an actual ribbon.
Then I've added in even more shading with RV93 Smoky Purple. I didn't take a shot of this step but you can see the results below.
Once I finished the coloring I laid out my design on the card front. I've die-cut the main white layer panel from the large stitched rectangle in the MFT Stamps Blueprints 13 Die-namics set. Placing an uninked stamp on the card to decide where to stamp the sentiment let's you move things around for spacing.
Stamping the sentiment in Jet Black Archival Ink is always my favorite and I've used the Misti for perfect sentiment stamping and placement. Now that I have the Misti I find I never want to stamp sentiments any other way! The ribbon was held in place with a temporary adhesive and then I removed it for the next step.
Adding in the leaves, you can see how I've started my design. You can find all the inks used from Avery Elle, linked below. When working with the ribbon to place it above, I kept bringing it into the design to see where exactly I wanted to place my next stamped image.
You can see how I slowly build up the floral spray...
...and here's how it will look with the ribbon placed over it.
Once I was happy with the results, I then added foam adhesive strips to the reverse side of the ribbon die-cut and adhered it to the card.
To finish it off I added in some Sparkling Clear Sequins adhered with Glossy Accents.
Coloring your die-cuts with Copic Markers will give them a new look and a lot more dimension. I hope you're inspired to give it a try!
Thanks for joining me today in the CLASSroom!
Julia
Supplies:
| |
|
It's Art Impressions week in the CLASSroom and I'm excited to bring you another watercolor creation featuring their watercolor series line. This line is a fun mix and match, make a scene with rubber stamps and is a fun way to watercolor without actually drawing a thing!
I was drawn to this beautiful house stamp as it reminds me a lot of my own century home in the layout of some of the architectural elements and I thought it would be fun to put together this scene. I've really used my imagination though on this painting as it has a garden I can only dream of!
The set is the Watercolor Series 8 Set 1 and it comes with a sample image and some instructions inside the folded packaging to help you recreate your own.
The rubber is a high quality grey rubber cling stamps and comes with four pieces that can be used separately or together.
To use these stamps simply peel off the paper backing and place the cling foam directly onto an acrylic block.
I've used three of the four stamps to create the scene. You'll notice that these images don't have a lot of hard lines on them. The house seems to fade off which is great for adding in greenery along the sides without having to worry about a black stamped line showing through. I've stamped them in Jet Black Archival Ink which is my go to ink for watercoloring...and almost everything!
Before I get to the watercoloring, I thought I'd show you a peek at my watercolor storage. It's a metal utensil trio and I store my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers in two of the bins and my Peerless watercolors in the third. It makes it super handy to grab and go. I often bring my watercolor supplies upstairs to the kitchen where there is more natural light when I'm painting.
To start with, I add in brown pigment along the main lines of the house, then blend out the color with a brush with clear water on it.
I slowly build up the house and the shadows, the greenery and the details, one step at a time. I usually start quite light and then go back in and add more color and depth as needed.
After adding in some more greenery in the foreground and a blue sky in the background, I'm done with the watercoloring section.
Here's a peek at the palette of color I used.
Once the painting is done, I adhered it onto a vellum mat and then onto a Solar White card stock card base. The Essentials by Ellen Lovely Stamp set by Julie Ebersole has some fabulous sentiments in it and I've stamped one one the bottom of the design with the Misti.
The top of the card needed a little something to anchor the design but I wanted to keep it clean and simple. My sewing machine came in handy for a added strength to the adhesive and also added a light design element.
And finally, just before I called it finished, some white gel pen accents on the watercoloring add in some great highlights.
Thanks so much for joining me today in the CLASSroom! I hope you'll be inspired to try creating your own stamped watercolor scene!
| |
|
It's a special week here in the CLASSroom as we celebrate another fabulous launch of Essentials by Ellen stamps and dies. I'm just loving this release and one of the sets that I just could NOT wait to get using is the new Oh Deer Stamp Set by Julie Ebersole. It's simply adorable!
With spring around the corner, I thought it would be fun to create a sweet and shabby style card featuring one of the darling deer from this set paired up with a fabulous sentiment. Julie comes up with the BEST sentiments, don't you agree?!
I mean seriously! So cute right?!
I love so many different coloring methods but today I thought this sweet little deer would look great paired up with the natural look of Kraft card stock. I've used the Neenah Desert Storm Card Stock and die-cut it with the bracket edge die from MFT Stamps. It's from their Blueprints 13 Die-namics which is one of my personal faves. I use it over and over and over.
Once I stamped my deer and some greenery with Jet Black Archival Ink, I colored in the deer using colored pencils.
To add in some highlights and detail I went back in with a white pigment ink gel pen, the Uniball Impact Pen. These coloring methods are so quick and easy and are perfect for coloring on the go. No water. No mess.
I love the Paige Evans Fancy Free 6x6 Paper Pad from Pink Paislee. The colors and prints are so pretty...dreamy actually. I cut out my paper layers on the Tonic Guillotine Paper Trimmer and then inked their edges with Distress Ink.
I love adding layers of vellum to my designs. I've die-cut this circle element using a circle die set.
Once the layers are adhered, I then adhered the main image and focal point with dimension foam tape to pop it up a little.
I am quite fawn'd of you. Isn't that adorable?
The sentiment was stamped onto a strip of vellum card stock in the Jet Black Archival Ink and then heat set before wrapping the card with the sentiment strip.
And lastly, the edges of the main panel are embellished with a Maya Road Paper Flower and some die-cuts cut from more vellum and the paper pack used. One of the very first Essentials by Ellen releases is the Bold Blossom Stand-Alone Die Set and it's still one of my favorites. Aren't those leaves pretty?
Thanks so much for joining me today in the CLASSroom! I hope you've been inspired to pull out your supplies and get creative!
Until next time...
Julia
| |
|
Hello and happy Friday, Friends -- Welcome to the last day of Embellishment week here in the CLASSroom! Today I will be showing you a little more about Darcie's Heart & Home Tin Pins:
You may remember this post I did a few weeks ago, where I gave you the Copic marker matches to some of the popular Tin Pins Ellen carries. That is where I showed Copic R22 and R24 match this cute Darcie's Heart & Home Love "Hearts" Tin Pins Frenchie Mustache Heart-man, along with the Copic matches for his Sweetheart! This way, you can color the Love "Hearts" stamped images to closely match the coordinating Tin Pin!
These sweet little 1-inch dimensional tin embellishments give a fun pop and dimension to their coordinating stamp sets, or can be used alone to create quick and easy one-of-a-kind projects! Be sure to check out the previously-mentioned blog post, to see a fun card made using only Tin Pins!
For the background of this card, I chose the fun Taylored Expressions Falling Hearts Cutting Plate. To get started, I die cut Ranger Watercolor Paper, (from left to right below): Taylored Expressions Lollipop, Cherry Pop, and Oreo cardstock with the cutting plate. (I originally chose the watercolor paper because I was going to give the background a light pink watercolor wash, but ended up not doing so. But I still love the texture this paper gives the card!). Be sure to use a Metal Adaptor Plate in your die cutting sandwich to ensure good clean cuts with an intricate background such as this.
Next, I used the curved scalloped edge die from Concord & 9th's Bags & Tags die set to cut the lower edge of the watercolor paper.
Then I stamped the cute heart-man with Memento Tuxedo Black and colored him with these Copic markers:
For the sentiment, I used the bubble die from Concord & 9th's Bags & Tags die set to die cut Smooth Bristol cardstock, then I used my Misti and Memento Tuxedo Black Marker and Love Letter Marker to ink and stamp the sentiment in two different colors. The Misti allows for repeated stamping of any parts of the words that may not get good coverage using this method of marker inking.
To finish the card, I adhered the die cut background to a beautiful piece of Bazzill Metallic Gold Foil cardstock, using my favorite adhesive for heavy or hard-to-hold surfaces like these: X-Press It Double-Sided High Tack Tape. Next, I picked out some hearts from each of the die cut backgrounds above (pink, red and black) and glued them into place using Matte Multi Medium:
A gold foil die cut heart was added to the sentiment bubble, which was popped up on X-Press It Foam Mounting Tape, and Sakura Clear Glaze Pen was used to cover the "You" in the sentiment, making it shiny!
We hope you've enjoyed this week's focus on embellishments, as they really can push your projects over the edge and make them super special!
| |
|
Hey there #TexturalTuesday friends! It's Embellishment Week here in the CLASSroom and I'm having some fun with the beautiful buttons from 28 Lilac Lane.
I used Ranger Distress Paints in Barn Door, Seedless Preserves, Spun Sugar, and Picked Raspberry to create the background. I smooshed a little of each paint onto my work surface and then painted each color onto the rough side of the Ranger watercolor paper.
Allow each color to overlap just a little for a more cohesive look. And, personally, I like the "brush stroke" look, so that is what I was going for. If you don't like that? Blend it out.
Next, cut a piece of vellum into the shape of a heart. I used vellum for the sole purpose of transparency. I didn't want any cardstock behind the buttons. But do what you want to do, by all means!
Then just started attaching all the lovely buttons. I used Ranger's Multi Medium in Matte to do this because I knew it would hold on tight. I used a block to keep things firm I was glueing.
This particular kit also includes sequins and beads of different sizes. I used those to fill in the gaps as you can see below.
I die-cut the word "love" using Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies Brushstroke Love by Julie Ebersole using glitter paper and adhered it onto a piece of craft foam for extra depth.
To make sure that the heart sticks on to the background REALLY good, doesn't warp, and has a bit of loft I used Thin 3-D Foam Squares. I like these particular ones because they come in two sizes and come in both black and white. And are SUPER strong.
(foam square overload!!)
Then, just to set off the background from the card base, I wanted to create a shiny watercolor strip. So I broke out two colors from the Kuretake Gansai Tambi Starry Colors Watercolor set in Light Gold and White Gold.
Let me tell y'all? These colors are a dream!!! If you don't have them yet? Let me come over and sit down with you for a spell and we can have a little one on one while I look inside your head. Hahha!! Just kiddin'...sort of. ;)
After that piece of lusciousness is dry adhere it behind the background piece. Then attach the whole she-bang to the card base. But NOT before wrapping that piece of ribbon that is also included in that kit from 28 Lilac Lane. (I almost forgot...whoopsie!)
Finish it up with a few extra pearls from the kit.
Here are some close-ups for ya!
Check out those pretty buttons!!!!
Don't you just loooove Julie's sentiment when it's all glittered up?
Do you use buttons when you craft? What's your favorite way to use them? I can't wait to hear!! Thank you so much for joining me today. And I hope you had fun!
| |
|
One of my favorite techniques of 2016 has got to be gold foiling. It's so lovely and that shine and glam look make me so happy. Add that to the fact that it always seems a little like magic when you use a heat foiling technique, I'm always looking at new ways to use it.
Recently I've been intrigued to try foiling on other materials and I wanted to try foiling on acetate sheets. Adding the foil to the shine of the clear layer really looks awesome! Today I have two cards to share using foil on acetate, one a simple layer and the other made into a shaker card.
First of all I pulled out a Heidi Swapp Art Screen to try out as well. These screens can be used with paint on paper or other surfaces but I wondered how it would work with a toner pen, the Heidi Swapp Minc Toner Pen.
To use the art screen peel it off the backing carefully and adhere to the front of the acetate sheet. I'm using the Heidi Swapp Minc Acetate Sheets but others may work, so if you want to use a different acetate just test it carefully first. The Art Screen comes with adhesive on the back to make it easy.
Once the toner pen was primed, I colored in the sentiment through the screen print.
Once it was totally covered I carefully peeled away the backing.
And this is what it will look like.
*Important Note* The toner pen ink may clog the art screen. I carefully cleaned the toner ink away with some paper towel and some Copic Blender Solution.
Just like any foiling project, cover the toner area with foil...gold side up...and run through the Minc.
I then designed the lovely gold foiled layer as the top section of the card held together with a gold bulldog clip. The patterned paper is the beautiful C'est la Vie 6x6 paper pad and I've die-cut it with the Taylored Expressions Stitched Rectangles Stacklets Dies.
Once it's all together I finished off the card with some sweet Maya Road Small White Paper Flowers and lovely buttons from Lilac Lane.
My second card was created in much the same manner except for two new features. One, I hand drew on the love you sentiment with the Minc Toner Pen on the Acetate. This is create for personalizing a project and don't worry too much about your hand-writing...the gold foil makes it all look great!
I've used some of the same papers here and the same rectangle dies to make the shaker card element. You can use two of the rectangle dies to make a die-cut frame from cardstock, then line the layer with the foiled acetate. Behind this layer is lots of pretty sequins and they shake within the panel that has been raised and adhered by dimensional foam strips.
Thanks so much for joining me today in the CLASSroom! I wish you all a very Happy New Year and that 2017 will be filled with blessing and creativity.
Julia
Supplies:
| |
|
Happy Christmas Eve Eve! :) Sharon here with you today and I have some adorable new-to-me embellishments to share with you -- Tin Pins by Darcie's Heart & Home!
These sweet little (just under 1-inch) guys are metal (tin) dimensional "pins" but they have a flat back, so they are easily adhered to your projects. Think metal buttons/pins that are pre-printed (and colored beautifully, by the way!) that have coordinating clear stamp sets ... genius! Hopefully you can see how nicely these little embellishments blend into their coordinating stamp sets, giving an unexpected pop of dimension!
Above, I used the Love Hearts clear stamp set and coordinating Love Hearts Tin Pin. I stamped the darling heart with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto Neenah 110 Lb. Solar White cardstock and used the following Copic markers to color her to match her coordinating Tin Pin (R81-83-85, Y11, G20-24, B12):
Love Hearts Tin Pin matches (the stamp set is shown on the top left, and the coordinating Tin Pins on the top right):
Using my Copic Hand Color Chart, I matched up a few more of these cute Tin Pins for you, with their coordinating Copic colors, so you can color the stamped images to match the Tin Pins as closely as possible. Again, the stamp set is shown on the top left, and the Tin Pins on the top right. Click on the graphics to view these products in Ellen's store --
Pizza My Heart Tin Pin matches (RV14, Y00, R05-08 / N1, R81, B0000, B000, BG05):
Sweetie Pie Tin Pin Copic matches (Y23-26, R81-83-85, B000, B00, B12 / R83-85) -- Just think how cute these would be, made into magnets for the fridge!
To finish the card above, I die cut my cute little colored heart with MFT's Pierced Heart Stax Die-namics and used a doubled-up piece of X-Press It High Tack Double-Sided Tape to mount the Tin Pin over the stamped image. Next, I popped her up on X-Press It Foam Mounting Tape to a Bazzill Card Shoppe Pale Rose panel that was die cut with MFT's Blueprints 23 Die-namics stitched panel. A Blueprints 23 scalloped strip die cut from Bazzill Lollipop cardstock was placed beneath the heart.
Next, I wanted to show you that these adorable Tin Pins can also be used independently from their coordinating stamp sets, to create quick and easy projects! Since tomorrow is Christmas Eve, I had to sneak in one last holiday card for you:
For this card, I used the three 1-1/4" circles panel from MFT's Blueprints 23 Die-namics to cut the perfectly-spaced holes in a 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" Neenah 110 Lb. Solar White panel, then I die cut the panel with Essentials by Ellen Stitches Cover Plate by Julie. Next, I popped the stitched panel up on foam tape over a Neenah Solar White 110 Lb. card base. Then I colored the three negative space circles with Copic markers R81, G20, and B00 and taped them back in place (recessed) on the card base:
Next, I adhered the cute Tin Pins (the pie and sugar Sweetie Pie Tin Pins are on the left and right, respectively; and Pizza My Heart coffee cup in the center) on top of the colored circles. Then I dressed them up, using stamped and die cut hats and a scarf from Essentials by Ellen Fat Pants by Julie stamps and coordinating Fat Pants Designer Dies! The green hat was stamped with Taylored Expressions Granny Smith Premium Dye Ink, the blue scarf with Salt Water Taffy, and the pink hat with Strawberry Milkshake:
To finish this card, I die cut gold glitter cardstock with Julie's Brushstroke Joy and added it to the panel using rolled up Mini Glue Dots. The "Wishing You" sentiment is from Julie's Merry & Bright stamp set and was white heat embossed onto Gold Leaf cardstock and die cut with the flag banner from Blueprints 23. Didn't these little Tin Pins dress up adorably?!!
Wishing you all joy and a very Merry Christmas!
| |
|
We all love mail don't we?! As long as it doesn't contain bills! In this internet age sometimes we lose the art of staying in touch by snail mail but I'm guessing that if you're here today, you just might be a paper crafter who values making things and sending them the old fashioned way.
Today's project has two parts, a card and an envelope combo that will be fun to create and also receive. I'm reminded once again that everything pretty doesn't have to be inside the envelope. Why not decorate it as well? And while you're at it, why not MAKE the envelope out of some paper you have on hand. It's really not hard at all!
I'm crushing on this Technique Tuesday stamp set called Snail Mail. Aptly named, it is soooo cute! I just knew I had to have it and it has inspired today's project. I adore Technique Tuesday and today I'm giving them a little love. Some of my very first stamps were by Technique Tuesday when I started scrapbooking years ago. Fabulous quality and style!
With all these cute stamps, I wanted to stamp them onto an envelope and thought, why not make my own? I pulled out my Envelope Punch Board from We R Memory Keepers and decided to make the 4.5 x 6" size. It's perfect for fitting in an A5 card, especially if you make them a little bulky like I do. To create the envelop you check the sizes and cut the card stock to size, then follow the punching directions.
I wrote a post awhile back on how to use this board with all the steps and if you haven't seen it done, I have all the step outs here.
You'll end up with an envelope like this...but don't adhere it together yet! It's so much easier to stamp on when you leave it open.
So here's where the envelope magically turns into Kraft! Actually, my design idea went a different direction and I decided instead of a plain white envelope I could get anywhere, I'd love to have a Kraft one! So I made one, quick as a wink!
Now what I wanted to do was create a box for the address area so that I wouldn't stamp where I wanted to write. The Tim Holtz Ruler is amazing for this and I simply lined the ruler up with the edges of the envelope and then drew a box in pencil. Use light pressure so that it is easy to erase later!
Next I started stamping. I stamped some of the Snail Mail sentiments on the envelope in Jet Black Archival Ink.
And then, using the pencil marks for placement, I stamped a floral and leaf frame using another Technique Tuesday stamp set, Garden of Life by Cath Edvalson. Avery Elle Pigment Inks are some of my favorite inks and they are wonderful for stamping on Kraft!
Don't forget the envelope flap too! And just before you move on and put the envelope together, heat set the inks with a heat tool to prevent smearing.
Isn't the envelope cute?! Next step...make a pretty matching card!
I wasn't quite done yet since it came to mind that a sweet little envelope on the card front would make a great place to stamp another card sentiment and also hold a little gift card for the recipient. This one is the 3"x4" size and is created from a 6"x6" sheet of patterned paper. Once I put it together I sanded the edges to define them and add a little shabby vintage look.
Once the envelope is adhered to the front of the card, I added in some pretty coordinating die cuts from the Garden Leaves by Cath Edvalson die set. They are cut from both card stock and felt for lots of variation in texture and then adhered along with some sweet buttons from Lilac Lane and a little paper flower from Maya Road.
You can find all the supplies listed below to make things easy.
Do you love happy mail? I'm busy sending Christmas cards right now but this one is going out soon after the holidays.
Thanks for joining me today in the CLASSroom!
Julia
| |
|
We are so happy to welcome our friend May Flaum back to The CLASSroom today! We love May's colorful, happy style and expert use of embellishments like sequins, beads and of course, buttons! We also love May's line of adorable embellishments, 28 Lilac Lane.
May is here today with some easy & fun ideas to add some prettifications (it's a real word, we checked...LOL!) to your holiday crafting!
When it comes to holiday crafting, there’s nothing I love more than the chance to combine sparkle, special details, and work my craft supplies into my gift giving. What could make this even better? This year I’ve got my own line of embellishment mixes ready to add sparkle, shine, and finishing details to everything from place cards at the table to gift boxes to cards and tags. Today I am here to share three ideas with you that utilize two of my newest mixes: Yuletide Greetings and Winter Wonderland.
Together with an assortment of stamps, colors, and other supplies I am ready to rock my holiday crafting! Here is my video lesson:
LINK: Watch in HD on our YouTube Channel HERE! Thanks for giving us a thumb's up, and for subscribing to our weekly creative series!
I had such fun creating these projects to share with you here today. I love the elf peeking above the buttons on my card, all the details on the tag, and of course the fun of the little gift box with all those buttons and beads! Whatever your style, and however you express your creativity this holiday season I hope I’ve inspired you to add some fun details to your creations. -May
Want more? Check out some of May's other guest posts:
Tried & True - Card designs that work! with May Flaum
28 Lilac Lane Colorful World with May Flaum
Supplies:
| |
|
Welcome to day 2 of the 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2016! I love creating for this CLASSroom feature each holiday season. It's truly amazing how many different and unique ways you can create a holiday tag.
I'm also excited to bring you a new challenge and one that is always fun for the holidays. Glitter and glam just seem to go hand in hand with lovely Christmas creations and it goes with so many different styles! Today's challenge is to pull out your glitter and create a wonderfully festive tag.Glitter in all its forms is welcome from glitter pens to loose glitter, from glitter paper to paint.
To create my sweet vintage styled tag I've paired up some stunning My Favorite Things Stamps dies and two Essentials by Ellen die sets to create a special gift tag with wonderful texture. I can't wait to add it to a gift this holiday season.
I love adding glitter to die-cuts and the main focal point of the tag is this lovely Leaping Deer Die that I've die cut from Craft-a-Board. I really like using this heavier product for stability and dimension on projects.
When adding glitter to die cuts, I like to either die cut them from the same color as the glitter or ink them up with that color. Around the edges of a die-cut it can be sometimes difficult to get complete coverage and doing this quick step really adds to the finished product. The Delicata ink is a gorgeous warm gold that is also wonderful for stamping with. I find that drying it with a heat tool is a good practice to ensure the ink sets well.
This pile of glitter is actually covering the deer. As you can see after adding a lot of liquid adhesive, I've really piled on the glitter to ensure good coverage. I like to leave this a long time to make sure the glitter is really dried on well to the surface before shaking it off.
If you've never tried glass glitter you are in for a treat. It is absolutely beautiful and rich looking in person and especially looks great with a vintage styled project. After all, glass glitter is the original classic glitter and it sparkles like crazy.
And once it's all dried, here's a peek at the deer all prettied up with glitter.
I mentioned above how wonderfully the Delicata ink stamped and you can see that here. I'm using lots of my favorite MFT Stamps product on this tag and the new Lined Up Dots Background is beautiful for any project, any time. It's stamped in the gold ink onto a Stitched Tag STAX Die-namics tag that can been die-cut from Salt Water Taffy card stock.
Once that's done I've started adding in my layers. This stunning snowflakes from MFT Stamps are the new Stylish Snowflakes Die-namics set. They are so finely detailed and pretty and are sure to become a classic winter favorite. I've die cut them from Solar White Card Stock and carefully adhered them over the tag.
Quick Tip: When arranging stamps or die-cuts, start with the largest items first as the smaller ones are easiest to place in and around them.
Next step is to die-cut a Stitched Star STAX Die-namics from vellum card stock and adhere it. Notice how it goes off the edges of the tag. You don't always need to stay within the lines, especially with a tag when it doesn't need to fit in an envelope!
I've also die-cut a lovely circle frame using the MFT Stamps Stitched Circle Scallop Frames Die-namics from Pink Champagne card stock.
The sentiment on this tag adds more beautiful texture using Taylored Expressions felt and is die cut from the Essentials by Ellen Holiday Words Die Set by Julie Ebersole. I've adhered it with liquid adhesive. Just add a few dots to the back of the die-cut and place as desired.
And finally, to finish it all off I've added some pretty embellishments. The Tim Holtz Pine Twine is twisted around a pencil for a corkscrew like effect and then adhered. A sweet Maya Road Vintage Paper Flower adds a feminine touch to go along with all the pretty details of this tag.
Thanks so much for joining us as we celebrate creativity and wrapping up Christmas! I hope you'll be inspired to create your own holiday tags and I wish you all the joy and hope of this beautiful season!
Julia's Tag:
We delighted to welcome Kay Miller back to The CLASSroom! We are always charmed by her colorful and sweet creations! Make sure you check out Kay's blog, My Joyful Moments, to see more our her amazing work!
Kay's Tag
Thank you for joining us once again this year for the second day of our 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist series! Simply leave your appreciation for the beautiful tags of today's dynamic duo, Julia and Kay, 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 17th to be included (one comment per person please.) Be certain to return tomorrow to see what our next team will have to inspire you!
| |
|
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought turning my heart to thankfulness for today's project would be perfectly in keeping with the season. As a Canadian, we celebrate our Thanksgiving in October but any time of the year is a good one to count your blessings and I was happy to do so once again.
Our product feature this week is Honey Bee Stamps and their line of beautiful and super sweet stamps and dies is amazing. I'm using the Thanks & GIving stamp set which is the most amazing and flexible thank you stamp set that I have ever seen. It's perfect for Thanksgiving but can be used all year long for thank you cards.
As you can see it is so flexible and can be mixed and matched to put together an amazing variety of sentiments!
I've started off my card by taking a card front sized panel of Solar White card stock and stamping thank and ful on the front of it in Jet Black Ink.
I'm using a combination of background techniques on this design and one of them is masking. To play along with the thankful hearts theme, I'm using the middle size die from the Essentials by Ellen Folk Hearts Die Set and die-cutting a sheet of Inkadinkado Stamping Mask Paper with it.
I then peeled off the backing and laid the die cut heart mask over the majority of the sentiment to keep that area clear. As you can see, I've also stamped on some accompanying words from the stamp set that go along with my theme.
Once the words are on there, I ran the entire panel through my Big Shot Die-cutting Machine with the large stitched rectangle from Blueprints 13 Die-namics from MFT Stamps. This has got to be one of my most used dies as it's perfect for creating a large layer from over the card base of a design.
Next step is to add some color! I love Distress Inks and they always make beautiful backgrounds. I've done something a little different with this background and instead of just blending the color as I sponge it on, I'm using a large Jumbo Dauber to twist the color on in a circle. It gives a beautiful pop of color and a bokeh-like effect. I start light with Worn Lipstick and Dried Marigold and then work up to adding in Abandoned Coral and Spiced Marmalade. All the warm pinks and oranges are perfect for this time of year.
Once the background is done, remove the masking paper to reveal the white heart.
To add yet another dimension to the background, another easy technique with dye inks is to add droplets of water. I wet a clean paintbrush and then flick the water over the background to add the water droplets which bleed the color to form interesting spots.
And while I was getting "spotty", I decided to use the same idea but only this time with color. I pressed a Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink pad to the corner of an acrylic block to express some ink color. Then I picked it up with a wet paintbrush...
And flicked the paint over the entire card to add a more distressed look that is perfect for Fall.
Finally, I adhered my dried background panel to a Solar White Card Stock card front and added in some embellishments. A sweet little Maya Road rose is adhered over a twist of hemp twine. And on the other side of the design, I added in some Clear Sparkling Sequins with Glossy Accents.
Here's a close-up of the finished card design.
Thanks so much for joining me today in the CLASSroom! One thing I'm always thankful for is to be able to share my creativity and share techniques with others!
Julia
| |
|
Hi there #TexturalTuesdays friends! It's Lisa and I have a fun day planned for you today as I'm featuring some gorgeous Taylored Expressions products for you today. I know you'll love everything you see today so get your shopping list ready! ;)
First up? Here is what I made for you!
I know, I know. It's all so awesome. Did you know that Taylored Expressions carries their very own line of beautiful 100# cardstock on Ellen Hutson.com? They do!! You can check it out HERE! <-- (click) The two colors that I used for my card are Lollipop and Mint Julep. It's so beautiful and the perfect weight. I created my card base using the Lollipop paper and the two panels for under the Watercolor Panel using both colors.
Speaking of the Watercolor Panels. These things are so cool!! No stamping necessary. Some have an empty (or blank) center so you can add a die-cut image or something else you prefer (as I did), but others have images already added. You get 12 panels for $4.00 and, to me, that's a bargain. The ones i have are for Christmas, but they also have them for Birthdays and every day occasion, as well. So cool!!
I die-cut a really pretty, small Noel script word out of Red Hot felt and used Multi Medium in the Matte finish to adhere it to the center of the Watercolor Panel.
Once everything is adhered it's super simple to watercolor the panel. * I would suggest to be very careful of watercoloring around the felt if you add that first. Adding a touch of Glossy Accents to the ornaments on the panel will really make them "pop"!
Making this card as Texture-y as you like is not so hard, but it's in the little things. The felt, the watercolor paper, the Glossy Accents, the embossed woodgrain paper, and the sequin embellishments.
Aren't those snowflake sequins adorable? And by using just a touch of a white gel pen you can achieve a beautiful highlight, too. So many fun tricks for coloring. And speaking of COLOR? I used the Cherry Pop Ink from Taylored Expressions to edge my Watercolor Panel. This ink is a bit of a hybrid ink. One of the most beautiful red inks I have ever seen or used!!
Making a card like this is both soothing to make for the watercolor enthusiast and simple enough for those who don't like to fuss too much. I hope you'll all make one, too! :)
| |
|
Ready for another creative project? This week has been a busy one here in the CLASSroom as we feature some fabulous We R Memory Keepers tools, some sweet Avery Elle, kick off a new challenge and of course...an amazing new release! Today I'm combining three of the four for a fun and festive holiday party theme.
This project is in three parts. The fringe garland, the fringe gift tag and the coordinating peace holiday card. You can pick or choose what you make or be inspired to create them all.
First up is the fringe tassel. I've seen these popping up everywhere and especially on Pinterest. They are so fun and festive that I want to throw a party! I chose a few ombre glassine papers from We R Memory Keepers in blue and green shades. This makes it perfect for the holidays but also for using for birthdays. In my house there are a LOT of boys so green and blue is always safe and it really doesn't hurt that they are my favorite colors to decorate with.
As I mentioned above we are featuring We R Memory Keepers tools in the CLASSroom and I was really excited to try out the DIY Party Fringe and Score Board. It is seriously cool!!! You can make things like paper lanterns, fringe, rosettes and more! I'm focusing on the fringe aspect of the tool for this project so let's get started.
First of all, I want a fine fringe so I set it to 1/2" spacing on the cutting tool. Isn't it cool that you have OPTIONS?!
Next up I'm using the 12x12 ombre glassine paper and it's been folded in half with the folded edge at the top of the tool. Along the left side there is a marked area for placement. I'm using 1/2" fringe so the left side of the paper goes there.
The top folded edge of the fringe butts up along the top of the tool. Then before cutting you need to set the stop bar or guide. I set it at the 1/2 inch mark. If you leave the stop off, you'll cut all the way through and it's MUCH easier to keep all those pieces together.
To cut, slide the fringe cutter to the top of the cutter. Press DOWN to punch through the paper and then slide towards you in the channels.
Now raise the top of the tool and this is what you'll get. A sweet fringe. But it's not done yet. Slide the paper over, lining up the last cut section with the 1/2" marking and repeat the steps until the entire sheet is fringed.
I know this sounds like a LOT of instructions but it is seriously SO quick! Boom, boom, boom, done!
And here's what they'll look like! Some lovely fringed paper.
Note: I've used glassine paper here. This works best with lighter papers. Try mylar, glassine, tissue paper or very light patterned paper for different looks!
Next open up the 12x12 paper and start to roll up in the middle.
Once rolled fold in half to form your tassle.
Aren't these fun?!
And finally, place the folded section of the tassel over the twine or ribbon for the garland. Then wrap tassel top with twine.
I also thought it would be fun to have a tassel with a tag on a gift bag. I love die cuts and the new Avery Elle Ornamental Set is amazing! The detail is so beautiful!
To color the ornaments after die-cutting them I sponged them with Avery Elle Ink in Seaglass and Lemongrass Pigment Inks. If you start at the edges and sponge the color lightly inwards you'll get a pretty rounded effect in the shading for the ornaments. Inking white die-cuts is a great way to make any color you wish and is often a softer look than die-cutting from colored card stock.
I created a tag from the bracket edge die in MFT Stamps Blueprints 13 Die-namics and then arranged the ornaments over the white card stock tag. To add a pop of color the sentiment is die-cut from Wax Lips Card Stock using the brand new and stunning Holiday Words Die Set by Julie Ebersole in the Essentials by Ellen line.
Punch a hole in the top of the tag with a Crop-a-dile and tie tag and fringe tassel together with twine.
I think this is going to be a fun gift wrap this Christmas!
And for the last project, the Peace card...I've used many of the same products to tie it all together. To create the main panel layers I die-cut a large stitched rectangle from the Blueprints 13 Die-namics set again. But I didn't stop there. To add some diagonal interest, I used the same die AGAIN and laid it on an angle over the die-cut rectangle.
Once it's cut you'll get two pieces that fit together.
I pulled out the same inks and sponged on my color to create a perfectly matched background.
And then the ornaments make another appearance...this time left perfectly white as they are so lovely that way as well. Some words from the Ornamental set add to the Peace sentiment.
For a few embellishments I hooked a sweet little white tassel from Maya Road (see that tassel theme again?) and then some red sequins from Taylored Expressions finish it off.
I hope you'll be inspired to get creative and try out some of these techniques. And remember, you can use them for a festive holiday this year but also throughout the year for other celebrations as well!
Happy creating and have a fabulous weekend!
Julia
| |
|
It's Craft-a-Board feature week here in the CLASSroom and I couldn't be more delighted. I've been a huge fan of Craft-a-Board for years and there are just so many wonderful things you can do with it. If you're just joining us, Craft-a-Board is an off-white chipboard type paper product that is fabulous. It die-cuts beautifully and it's a lovely light color unlike traditional blah dirt-grey chipboard. Soooo much fresher looking!
Craft-a-Board is a wonderful heavy weight that makes it perfect for projects where you need more stability. That's why today I wanted to show you an easy project that really highlights this strength. With the holidays around the corner, I've been thinking about gifts a lot lately. It's NEVER too early to start and I decided some hand made notepads would be great to give this year. That and the fact that I NEED a lot more organization in my life.
I put these sweet notepads together with Craft-a-Board and lots of fab goodies that I had on hand. By using patterned paper and mixing and matching it, I love the fun and unique looks. I chose to use the Pink Paislee C'est la Vie 6x6 paper pad as I adore the prints. You can use whatever you want to. It's even a great way to use up scraps of paper that you have on hand.
First of all to start, I cut the Craft-a-Board into 4"x6" pieces using the Tonic Guillotine Paper Trimmer. I love this paper trimmer and the guillotine tool makes cutting through Craft-a-Board cleanly, a breeze. I suggest making a bunch of these at once as it streamlines the process.
I also cut my patterned paper and white card stock (for the pages) the same size. Lots of card stock or other note paper and two sheets of patterned paper for every cover as I like to adhere it to both sides of the Craft-a-Board for a finished look. So for every note pad...
The Tim Holtz Ruler is fab for marking out even segments. You can line up the interval lines along the edge of the note pad and mark off the center and then the other holes as well. I used my Crop-a-dile Punch to punch out the holes to bind the notepad. It will punch through almost everything making it a very valuable tool staple to have on hand.
Once the holes are all punched the Tim Holtz Mini Book Rings hold it all together.
And I like to finish the note pads off with a sweet gold clip. It's great for clipping on receipts or other little notes that you don't want to lose track of.
I love how clean and fresh these notepads look on their own without lots of embellishing and have left these ones as is.
I did however, want to show you that you can also step things up a little and really add lots of fun goodies on the notepads if desired. This would be more of a notepad I keep at home or write special thoughts or quotes in. It's too pretty to trust to the inside of my large purse that I drag around everywhere.
One of the things you can do to step it up is to add dividers, or special vellum or acetate pages in your notepad. I adore this gold foiled vellum from Pinkfresh Studio and how it really glams it up!
And to glam up the front I added a die-cut banner piece and layered it with so many gorgeous buttons from Lilac Lane and paper flowers from Maya Road. I like to adhere the really big embellishments with hot glue to keep them in place.
Thanks so much for stopping by the CLASSroom today! I hope you're inspired to get creative with Craft-a-Board and don't forget it makes amazing 3D projects as well.
Until next time!
Julia
Save
| |
|
(click on the pics to enbiggan)
It's cooling down 'round here in the PNW; the air is feeling crisp and the leaves are turning... and falling...
This Savvy Stamps Leaf Tree die is one of my all-time favorites--perfect for the card idea I had in mind for DIYing my own watercolor chipboard embellishment, using Craft-a-Board! You may or may not need it, but with the calibration on my die cutting machine, I found a metal shim to be helpful for cutting all the way through the Craft-a-Board.
Normally, to make faux chipboard, you have to layer about 5 piece of card stock but when you swap in Craft-a-Board, you really only need one or two, beneath your main layer--which in this case, happens to be watercolor paper because I recently got some new watercolor pencils and wanted to try them out.
In the video, I show two ways to use them; I used the 2nd method on this project.
After it was all dry, I gilded the leaves just a tad with some scrap leftover Deco Foil I had--I love spot-foiling--always looks so chic!
LINK: View in HD on our YouTube Channel HERE and give us a thumbs up! Thanks for watching and subscribing!
Happy Mundane!
SUPPLIES:
| |
|
Hi there and welcome to another #TexturalTuesdays feature! It's Lisa back on The CLASSroom Blog with another fun project featuring the We-R-Memory Keepers Fuse Tool today. If you've never tried this handy dandy gadget? I'd suggest giving it a whirl. Even if I, personally, needed a bit of a learning curve it sure is a lot of fun and can see using it a lot in future projects. (ie. Christmas Cards -- woohoo!!)
I'm always honest with you all. So, I'll be honest again. I was soooo stumped on how to use this. I looked at about a squillion videos. But the one I found most helpful was THIS one by Julie Ebersole. (Massive love to your creative noggin', Julie! ♥ )
She can make anything look easy. (Her VIDEO from yesterday is another shining example.)
I melted everything in sight and my cat hid under the bed before I watched Julie's video. I only wish I were kidding. Poor kitty. So, for everyone's safety and sanity... I CASE'd Julie. :)
I just had to make it my own, right? I made a teensy pocket for some die-cut hearts out of glitter paper from the Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies Home & Hearth by Julie Ebersole, punched a hole in it using the We-R-Memory Keepers Crop-A-Dile and attached it to the pocket with twine from Avery Elle. I added some pretty Pretty Pink Posh sequins. And I die cut a beautiful bloom (that I thought matched the flowers from the patterned paper) from the Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Bold Blossom Stand-Alone by Julie Ebersole .
To create the sentiment it was first adhered onto the Essentials by Ellen, Woodgrain Embossed #110 Cardstock, White, 10 Pk using the Scrapbook Adhesives Adhesive Sheets, 4x6" . Once adhered, then the Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Many Thanks by Julie Ebersole sentiment can be run through any die-cutting machine. It will come out with the adhesive on the back since the adhesive sheets have been used! Love using these adhesive sheets. Then they can be placed wherever you wish.
I would highly suggest planning a day to play with this. Look at all the videos. Go slow. Be patient. (Unlike me.) Making the pockets are so fun and can be used for all sorts of embellishments and ideas! Think outside of the box. If you're a scrapbooker this would be great for a waterfall project for photos. Ellen Hutson, LLC sells a lot of different attachments for the Fuse tool, as well. So fun for a decorative detail!
Here's a few extra views of today's card:
And I had to show you the itty-bitty pocket full of hearts! ♥
I hope that you like my spin on Julie's card. Everyone needs to get their Fuse on! Have an awesome Tuesday!!
| |
|
(click on the pics to enbiggan)
We're playing with the WRMK Fuse and making crazy cool things with the Essentials by Ellen Storage Sleeves! So easy and fun--gosh I adore FUSE-ing things! One of my all-time favorite tool acquisitions, I do declare!
I wanted to do a clear card of sorts ... And, I wanted to have something "suspended"/stationary inside the shaker pocket I was making and the confetti movin' around it.
I actually cut a 4.25" section completely off the bottom of one of the small Storage Sleeves, and set the top part with the flap aside for something else...
I LOVE how it turned out! (I also discovered it would fit onto an A-2 card front--I didn't know that until afterwards and of course there was a lot of monkey clapping going on at that moment...LOL!)
So, you could use it as is, or add some adhesive behind that middle part where it won't be seen and mount it to a card front of any color you like! *fist pump*
And, that's what I did with the leftover flap part! *cheeky grin*
Wouldn't that be a sweet thing to tuck into a card or letter?
LINK: Watch today's video in HD on our YouTube Channel HERE, and thanks for watching, subscribing, and giving it a thumbs up!
Be sure to also check out our original Pocket Letters article and Hot Li'l Pockets article for more close encounters of the FUSE kind! ;)
Happy Mundane!
| |
|
If there's one thing I like as well as paper crafting, it's sewing and stitching. This week in the CLASSroom it's been all about sewing and stitching and some super fabulous Memory Box dies. I just couldn't wait to jump on board and create!
It was the perfect time to use this beautiful Memory Box die set that I'd been hoarding in my craft stash. It's called Plush Heart Pocket and it's by Memory Box. I love how it makes a darling little ornament or pillow. I had so much fun creating this sweet project and it's so soft and tactile that I just can't stop touching it.
As you can see it has lots of little bits and pieces that you can use to make a heart pocket but you can also use each of these dies alone. And if you don't like to sew...no worries! These sweet dies are perfect just die-cut from paper.
I used these three colors of felt that are from the Taylored Expressions Felt Bundles in Neutrals, Greens and Aquas. I absolutely LOVE this felt and I've been a fan of it for such a long time.
To create the heart, I started off by die-cutting the felt pieces. You'll need two large hearts (front and back), one pocket and then as many little die-cut leaves and petals as you wish. I'm using some off-white embroidery floss that I had on hand but you can also use twine or a very fine ribbon as well. Lots of possibilities!
When you are embroidering the heart, it's best to do it on the layers before the heart is put together. I started off by placing the pocket over the panel to see where it would sit once sewn together. I wanted it to appear as if the flowers were popping out of the pocket. I've also added in a few little french knot accents for extra texture.
Then I moved onto the little pocket area. I left out some embellishments I wanted to work with. Some of them made the cut and some I've saved for another project. I decided to keep it to just monochromatic buttons on the pocket to really allow the felt flowers to be the star of the show.
All this stitching might seem like a lot but truthfully, it whipped together in no time. Once all the embellishing is finished it was time to stitch it all together. I started up by lining up all three layers. Make sure you do this carefully or you'll end up with it lopsided. Stitching through all the layers is easy with the pre-punched holes for you to follow exact spacing. There's so many different stitches you could use to stitch it up like a whip stitch or a blanket stitch but I liked the look of a very simple straight stitch. Just in and out. Up and down.
When stitching it up, leave an opening for the stuffing before you finish.
Just slide a small amount of stuffing or Poly-Fil into the heart. You don't need much and if you push in too much you can start to distort the stitching. Finish stitching the opening closed.
And that's it. Your heart is done, complete with a little pocket. I've decided to give mine to my mother-in-law for her birthday with a little jewelry piece tucked into the pocket. If you have a wedding in the future, wouldn't this also make a darling ring bearer's pillow?!
Thanks so much for joining me today in the CLASSroom! Have a fabulous and creative weekend!
Julia
Supplies:
| |
|
(click on the pics to enbiggan)
I don't sew (often). I have a machine, but no space to set it up permanently so ultimately it is usually more hassle to drag it out and set it up to do anything quick, than it is to just stitch something by hand. I used to do embroidery as a girl, tho--somewhere in the storage unit, there is a basket filled with dish towels with hand-embroidered girls in sun bonnets and prairie dresses... *chuckle*
Since we're on the topic of sewing and such this week in the CLASSroom, I thought I'd try my hand at this adorable Plush Hedgehog die by Memory Box!
I think the girlie hedgehog would make an adorable appliqué on a little girl's sweater or sweatshirt--you could do some machine stitching (with invisible thread maybe?) to secure her firmly to the garment! TOTES ADORB, NO?! EEP!!!
I think the combination of hand/embroidery stitching with the die cut shapes really sets off the whimsical fun of this sweet little critter! Oh, hey, add a ribbon to make a bookmark, or add a magnet to the back for some super cute refrigerator art!
And lookie! I made a possum, kinda sorta, too! He really does need a tail, I suppose, to pull off being possum... Hmmmm. Maybe I'll braid some of that craft thread and secure it to his bum! He is a stuffed possum... Watch the video to see with what and why! :)
LINK: Watch today's webisode in HD on our YouTube Channel HERE and thanks a gazillion for watching, subscribing, and giving it a thumbs' up!
Happiest of Mundanes to y'all! :)
(Designer note: Craft/embroidery thread, fusible interfacing from designer's stash)
SUPPLIES:
| |
|
(click on the pics to enbiggan)
Today I'm playing with some of my favorite Pinkfresh Studio embellishments along with a sneak peek of a coming new Essentials by Ellen stamp set called Bear Ware... I'll give you another hint, too... It's designed to coordinate with the sweet bear from All Inside... What I love about this setis that the images can be used independently of the bear--so many options! *fist pump*
Love that these word/phrase stickers are already "watercolored" and die cut--they can be used in so many different ways--I like trimming them apart.
Adding color everywhere else but keeping your images black and white gives the designs great POP in a fun and different way!
I had so much fun with my little ideas, I had a hard time stopping...
The Felicity Collection all works awesome together, from the patterned papers to the painted wood veneers, too!
The instant I spied those die cut acetate words, I started drooling--pretty colors, that show what's underneath--love that! All I did was make a fun watercolor wash and when it dried, used my Tiny Attacher to secure the die cut to the card front. Easy peasy!
This cuddly bunny is drifting by in celebration--I literally bounced in my chair when I finished each of these; they'd make an adorable set of note cards to gift.
LINK: Enjoy the video in HD on our YouTube Channel HERE and thanks for watching, subscribing and giving us a thumbs up!
I'm sure by now you've seen scads of sneak peeks of our newest release--the big reveal is tomorrow, right here in the CLASSroom so I hope we'll see ya'!
Happy Mundane!
SUPPLIES:
| |
|
Ready for some more glitter? Today I'm finishing up the week with one more Burnished Velvet Technique. I love the look of glitter but am the first to admit I don't use it often enough. It's so lovely and shiny and really amps up the elegance factor on any project.
I decided to think outside the box on this project but couldn't quite decide what to create for this theme. The idea didn't actually come until I was sitting in my craft room looking through my stash. I find that if it isn't in view I often forget to use things and so I use a lot of open shelving. I decided to pair up the Burnished Velvet Technique with some of my favorite patterned paper and then a fun little twist came to mind.
Stencils.
Would they work with the adhesive and the Burnished Velvet Technique? I've never seen it done before. As you've already seen the finished project, I'll leave you to answer that and I'm really excited with the result. Here's how to do it...
First of all I gathered my basic supplies that I wanted to use. I decided a tag would make a great addition to a wedding gift that I'll be giving and chose the largest tag die from the MFT Stamps Tag STAX die set. I've listed three different sets at the bottom of this post. Traditional, Pierced or Stitched edge, it really doesn't matter on this project. The patterned paper is from the Pink Paislee C'est la Vie 6x6 paper pack and is soooo lovely.
The adhesive that works best with the Burnished Velvet Technique is the Be Creative Tape Sheets. Before cutting out my tag, I trimmed a panel of adhesive to a size that is slightly larger than my tag shape. Before cutting out the tag with the die-cut machine, I removed one piece of backing from this double sided adhesive and adhered it to the patterned paper. Then lay the tag die onto the paper/adhesive combo and die-cut.
You are left with a tag shape once it's been run through the machine. Carefully remove the adhesive backing from the patterned paper to expose the adhesive. Be careful not to touch the adhesive or get it dirty.
Now the FUN PART! Lay a clean plastic stencil over the adhesive and press down well on the surface of the tag. I've used the Tim Holtz Lace Stencil but any pretty stencil would look lovely.
Cover the exposed adhesive areas with clear transparent glitter and press into the adhesive. Carefully removed excess glitter and place back into container to reuse. Remove the stencil slowly from the adhesive being careful not to smudge the glitter pattern.
I'm not sure how well you'll be able to see it in this image but the glitter has only adhered to the areas where the stencil was not.
Then place the fine gold glitter over top of the adhesive tag. Press gold glitter over the entire surface of the tag. It will only adhere in the areas where the transparent glitter did NOT coat the tag. As before, carefully remove excess glitter and put away into container.
The stencil pattern is now very visible and adds another beautiful layer of sparkly pattern. Burnish the glitter into the adhesive with a bone folder and then your finger to get a beautiful soft velvet-like finish.
Backing the tag makes it stronger and more durable. I love the Craft-a-Board product from Ellen Hutson LLC. I've used it for years and years. It can be used just like chipboard and the lighter color is much prettier. I die-cut the tag die from Craft-a-Board and then adhered it to the back of the technique tag.
Adding in the embellishments is always a finishing touch. I love this sweet Tim Holtz Heart Charm. It comes with sticker hearts to choose from. Adhere it to the center of the charm and then finish off with the heart epoxy sticker.
I've clipped it and the sweet white Maya Road tassle to the project with Bronze Mini Safety Pins.
To create the love sentiment I've die-cut the Brushstroke Love Die from Essentials by Ellen from Solar White Cardstock. After adhering it to the front bottom, I lightly sponged the die cut with Magenta Pigment Ink and the Jumbo Dauber. I just can't get enough of these daubers and add a few more to each order I place. Having a wide range of them to use with different colored inks is a great way to stencil or add subtle color.
As others this week have already said, the photos just don't do the projects justice with how beautiful the sparkle is on these projects. I hope you'll be inspired to give one of the variations of this technique a whirl! I know you'll love it!
Thanks so much for joining me today in the CLASSroom!
Julia
Supplies:
| |
|
It's canning season and what better time to celebrate the sweet trend of mason jars! In this case, I was actually inspired by my photo props as I had this set up for other projects. I went down to my craft room and started creating and imagine that, a blue mason jar and some wood elements. It can be a little crazy just how your mind works even when you aren't consciously doing it!
I've long been a fan of mason jars and I use them for so much more than food. Did you know they even make great crafting storage? The clear jars keep things organized but allow you to see what's inside at the same time. Pretty AND practical. I'll cease my ode to the humble mason jar as I'm sure you love them too. Let's get started!
First of all the die set. I often start creating with dies or a die set and this sweet set from Mama Elephant has lots of great elements to it. Framed Tags - Park Avenue comes as one piece so you need some die snips to cut it apart. Snip carefully to prevent injury.
Once the die set is apart I die-cut the flag banner tag from watercolor paper and then stamped it with both the mason jar and the Have a Ball stamps. I love using Jet Black Archival Ink when watercoloring as it is very permanent and always gives a crisp impression.
For this project I've used Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers. To get a soft fluid color I scribble the market onto a palette and then pick up the color with a a wet brush.
You can also go back in after and add more color along the edges if desired direct from the brush. I've added in blues and greens for the mason jar for subtle variation and also to hint at greenery in the jar.
Once the jar is finished and mostly dry, I went in with a pink watercolor pigment and added in a background to tie the design together.
The die-set previously used also has a great border that fits perfectly onto an A5 size card front (4.25" x 5.5"). I cut a piece of patterned paper from the Authentique Utopia paper pad that was just a little smaller than card front size and adhered it to the card front before layering on the frame. By cutting it slightly smaller you won't have any edges showing past the frame.
Once the layers and tag were adhered I started my embellishing. Some sweet white paper flowers accent the top of the jar.
I was also so excited to try out these new Maya Road Wood Slices. They are so natural looking and fit in really well with the down-home feel of the mason jar.
They've been stamped with images from the stamp set in Jet Black Archival Ink and White and Magenta Pigment Inks. Heat set with a heat gun.
The final step was to add a sweet mix of Taylored Expressions sequins with Glossy Accents.
Thanks so much for joining me today in the CLASSroom!
Happy creating!
Julia
Supplies:
