the CLASSroom

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2017 - Day 3 with Julie Ebersole & Brandi Kincaid

(please click on any pic to enbiggan)

Hello and welcome everybody!  I'm here with a contribution to the Annual 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist and I have a special guest with me, too: one Brandi Kincaid! Love her to bits and her awesome tag, too! :)

For my tag this year, I chose to work with a color scheme featuring neutral/natural hues and materials--earthy, and, well, mine ended up a little on the rustic side. And, I LOVE IT!!!

I did a little hyperlapsed process video on mine:

Give us a thumbs' up over on our YouTube Channel HERE--you can also watch in HD and subscribe to our channel!

  TIPS:

• If you don't have a sewing machine or prefer not to actually machine stitch the felt to your project, apply a thin double-sided sheet adhesive, such as Stick-It, to one side of the felt prior to die-cutting; it will enable you to adhere it easily to your project later and provides stability when hand-stitching.
• OPTIONAL:  Running the adhesive backed felt through your Big Shot isn't necessary, but it can ensure overall adhesion.
• Prime your sewing needle with Versamark ink prior to stitching; it can help prevent the sheet adhesive from gumming up the needle as you work.
• The Stick-It adhesive backing paper is quite thin and should tear easily through the stitching when you're ready to mount it.
• When gluing sequins to felt, make a little "bead" of glue that sits on top of the felt, then gently top it with the sequin; don't press the sequin down into the glue (as the glue dries the sequin and the glue will flatten down on their own).  Pressing can cause the felt to completely absorb the glue and it will dry before the sequin has a chance to bond to it.  Thicker "white" glues that dry clear, i.e. Mono Multi or Multi Medium tend to sit on top of the felt and work much better/ than clear liquid glues.

 Please scroll on to see Brandi's take on the same theme--SO ADORABLE and CLEVER!!! 

Thanks for poppin' in during this busy holiday season and I hope yours is a joyful and cozy one!

Julie's Tag Supplies:

Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps, Abstract Paint Strokes by Julie Ebersole

Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps, No Peeking by Brandi Kincaid

Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Tree Farm by Brandi Kincaid

WoolFelt, 12x18 White (35%)

Pretty Pink Posh Sequins, 6 mm Flat, Gold Stars

Coats Metallic Thread, Bright Gold

Ranger Multi Medium, Matte Mini, 1/2 oz.

Neenah Cardstock, Neenah Environment Desert Storm, 25 pk

VersaFine Ink Pad, Onyx Black

Brilliance Ink Pad, Graphite Black

Ranger Archival Ink Pad, Jet Black

Lawn Fawn Hemp Cord, Black

Marvy Uchida Jewel Picker

Crop-a-Dile Eyelet & Snap Punch

Stick It Adhesive Handy Sheets, 5pk

Sizzix Big Shot White & Gray

My Sweet Petunia MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool

My Sweet Petunia Mini MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (6-1/8 X 7)

We are thrilled to welcome our sweet friend Brandi Kincaid back to the CLASSroom today with her 12 Tags! Brandi is constantly delighting us with her signature fresh style in her crafty creations and stamp designs! In case you didn't know, Brandi is the creative genius behind the Leading Ladies sets! You can see all of Brandi's amazing sets here and make sure you check out her blog too!

Brandi's Tag Supplies:

Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps, Modern Christmas by Julie Ebersole

Essentials By Ellen Clear Stamps, Snailed It by Julie Ebersole

Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Modern Christmas by Julie Ebersole

Essentials By Ellen Designer Dies, Snailed It by Julie Ebersole

Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Stitches Cover Plate by Julie Ebersole

Stazon Solvent Ink Pad, Jet Black

Arc Crafts Wood Tape, Cherry

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Thank you for joining us once again this year for the third 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, Julie and Brandi, 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!

#TexturalTuesdays and Lawn Fawn Flower Power with Lisa

Happy #TexturalTuesdays! It's Lisa here on the CLASSroom blog and I'm super thrilled to be showcasing some fun Lawn Fawn goodness with you -- as we all are this week with our Lawn Fawn Product Focus.

I'm using FOUR dies from Lawn Fawn to create all the fun and depth to my card.

I started off by cutting lots and lots of felt flowers using the Flower Power die and lots of beautiful felt from Taylored Expressions. I like to use colors that match, but still contrast.  Then I layered them up. I made 1 large flower and 2 smaller flowers.

I used 2 pieces of patterned paper and put the Speech Bubble Border die on top of both pieces and ran the two pieces through my Sizzix Big Shot Plus. I now have two pieces of paper that are uniformly die-cut to use, but can mix and match! (I flipped my paper to make it work for me.)

Next up, I run a piece of Marshmallow white cardstock by Bazzill through my Big Shot Plus using the Lawn Fawn Scalloped Rectangle Stackables. This is going to form a base for the patterned paper but is still smaller than the actual card base. (So the pretty scalloped edges will show.)

The patterned paper is adhered to the white, scalloped, die-cut piece. And then this piece is adhered to the card base.

Die-cut the word "big hugs" out of the Candy Necklace Bazzill Cardstock AND from craft foam. After die-cutting, adhere the two pieces together with Ranger Multi-Medium Matte. Adhere into desired place on card using the same Multi-Medium Matte. 

Now that the sentiment is in place, the flowers can be placed. I played around a LOT with placement before deciding on what looked best to me. Once I made my final decision I used the Ranger Multi-Medium Matte to adhere into place.

For embellishments, I added a few 4 mm Cupped, Sparkling Clear Sequins from Pretty Pink Posh. One onto each flower, as a highlight, and two more in random locations. I also added some pretty enamel accents from Taylored Expressions to balance things out.

The final touch was simply to swipe some WInk of Stella in Clear over my sentiment and that's IT! My card is done.

This card is not quite as thick as it looks, but it would take a few extra stamps to put through the mail. The felt makes such a lovely #textural touch. And all the colors are so beautiful! Almost like Spring....almost. ;)

And here's a close up to you can see the sentiment better. It's offset, just a teensy bit. 

 

Thanks so much for joining me today and don't forget about the 10% Lawn Fawn Savings until March 5th!!

 

Lawn Cuts Dies, Flower Power

Lawn Cuts Dies, Speech Bubble Border

Lawn Cuts Dies, Big Scripty Words

Lawn Cuts Dies, Scalloped Rectangle Stackables

Lawn Fawn Collection Pack, Let's Polka - In the Meadow

Lawn Fawn Petite Paper Pack, Let's Polka - In the Meadow

Taylored Expressions Cardstock, Cookie Monster, 5 pk

Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Marshmallow, 25 pk

Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Candy Necklace, 25 pk

Cheery Lynn Designs, Thick Foam Sheets, Single Sided Adhesive

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Purples

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Peaches

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Reds

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Pinks

Taylored Expressions Enamel Shapes, Cookie Monster

Taylored Expressions Enamel Shapes, Sugar Cube

Taylored Expressions Enamel Shapes, Lemon Meringue

Taylored Expressions Enamel Shapes, Lollipop

Pretty Pink Posh Sequins, 4 mm Cupped, Sparkling Clear

Ranger Multi Medium, Matte Mini, 1/2 oz.

Scrapbook Adhesives E-Z Runner Ultra

Fiskars Deluxe 12 Inch Paper Trimmer with Aluminum Cut Rail

Fiskars SureCut Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer (12")

Teflon Bone Folder

Sizzix Big Shot Plus

12 Tags of Christmas With A Feminine Twist 2016 - Day 4 with Jennifer McGuire and Clare Prezzia

Today we are over the moon to have two amazing designers joining us to celebrate one of our favorite companies, Hero Arts! Jennifer McGuire and Clare Prezzia are sharing the adorable tags they have created with Hero Arts products and felt.

Jennifer McGuire's kind heart, ability to make us laugh, and bring joy to our days are all precious gifts. We are thrilled to once again have Jennifer join us for our 12 Tags series and share one of her current passions with us - the lady knows how to use felt in such clever ways! I'm guessing you all have her blog, Jennifer McGuire Ink, bookmarked. Just in case you have missed out, please head over and join her for SO many fabulous projects, videos and tips for how to stay organized!

Thank you Jennifer for sharing such fantastic tips with all of us here today and for having such a huge heart and being such an enormous support and encouragement over the years! Hugs, Ellen

Jennifer shares some fabulous tips with us today showcasing how to use felt on our Christmas tags to give them a warm, homespun feeling! 

Link: Watch in HD on our YouTube Channel HERE! Thanks for sharing some comment love and a thumbs up with Jennifer there and be certain to subscribe to our channel for other fantastic videos!

Tip #1 - Adhere Stick-It adhesive to felt before die cutting for maximum adhesion.

Tip #2 - Use dry embossing pad for a fabulous raised or debossed texture. Then use an ink blending tool and ink on raised dry embossing detail to accentuate the pattern.

Tip #3 - Use white card-stock to back white felt to add strength to felt pieces and avoid "seeing" what's behind it. As well, double your card-stock to add strength to card-stock tags and cover unattractive details on tag backs.

Jennifer's Tag

Taylored Expressions Cardstock, Pink Champagne, 5 pk

Taylored Expressions Cardstock, Strawberry Milkshake, 5 pk

Stick It Adhesive Die Cut Adhesive Handy Sheets, 5pk

Hero Arts Embossing Powder, Gold

Hero Arts Stamp & Cuts, Little Messages

Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Stitches Cover Plate by Julie Ebersole

Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Gourd-jus by Julie Ebersole

Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Holiday Words by Julie Ebersole

Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Antlers by Julie Ebersole

Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Bird Shapes by Julie Ebersole

Crafters Companion Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pens, Clear Overlay

Ranger Ink Blending Tool, 1 Inch Round

VersaMark Ink Pad

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Greens

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Reds

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Browns-Creams

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Neutrals

Ranger Distress Ink Pad, Abandoned Coral

Powder Tool Adhesive Deactivator

Ranger Distress Ink Pad, Picked Raspberry

Darice Pom-Poms, 5mm Red

Tombow Stamp Runner Dot Adhesive Runner & Refill

Ranger Distress Ink Pad, Dusty Concord

Teflon Bone Folder

Hero Arts Frame Cuts Dies, Infinity Nesting Tags

Hero Arts Accent Pearls, Small

Hero Arts Accent Pearls, Large

Sizzix Big Shot White & Gray

You have probably seen Clare Prezzia's spectacular work on the Hero Arts blog (among other places), and we are just tickled that she is with us today sharing her talent! We love how Clare's projects always include the perfect pretty little details just like the stamped & cut felt she included on her tag. Make sure to head over to Clare's blog, Bearydo Paperie, to see more of her amazing work!

Clare's Tag

Hero Arts Clear Stamps, Holiday Mittens

Hero Arts Cling Stamps, Woodgrain Bold Prints by Lia Griffith

Hero Arts Frame Cuts Dies, Holiday Mittens

Hero Arts Frame Cuts Dies, Infinity Nesting Tags

VersaMark Ink Pad

VersaMark Ink Pad, Small

Ranger Inkssentials Surfaces, Kraft Cardstock, 8.5 x 11

Tim Holtz, Paper String, Solids

Hero Arts Embossing Powder, White

WoolFelt, 12x18 Grandma's Garnet (35%) 

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Thank you for joining us once again this year for the first 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, Jennifer and Clare, 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!

#TexturalTuesdays - Noel Card featuring Taylored Expressions with Lisa

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! :)

Taylored Expressions Dies, Noel Script

Taylored Expressions Mini Dye Ink Pad, Cherry Pop

Taylored Expressions Dye Ink Pad, Cherry Pop

Taylored Expressions Watercolor Panels, 3x4

Essentials by Ellen, Woodgrain Embossed #110 Cardstock, White, 10 Pk

Taylored Expressions Cardstock, Lollipop, 5 pk

Taylored Expressions Cardstock, Mint Julep, 5 pk

Ranger Multi Medium, Matte Mini, 1/2 oz.

Ranger Accents, Mini Glossy Accents

Kuretake Gansai Tambi Single Color, Bluish Gold

Kuretake Gansai Tambi Starry Colors, 6 Color Set

ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Marker, Set of 48

ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Marker, Set of 60

Taylored Expressions Sequins, Build a Scene - Christmas

Pentel Arts Aquash Water Brush, Small Fine Point (23638)

Fiskars Deluxe 12 Inch Paper Trimmer with Aluminum Cut Rail

Scrapbook Adhesives E-Z Runner Ultra

Scrapbook Adhesives 3-D Foam Squares, Regular White

Martha Stewart Scoring Board, Mini

Teflon Bone Folder

Satur-YAY! 09.24.16 - Felt Plushy Cupcake Tag

Hey everyone!  Welcome to Satur-YAY!  We're celebrating the weekend by getting our craft on!  Today I have a really fun project to get your creative juices flowing.  I'll be using the Memory Box plushy dies and Taylored Expressions felt to create an adorable money holding tag.

Don't let this project intimidate you!  It's easy to do and quite relaxing if I do say so myself.  The stitching reminded me of my grandmother teaching me to cross stitch when I was just a bitty.  And with a round tipped needle or floss threader, you could do this with your kids too!  I'll walk you through the entire project in the video tutorial below, so that you know exactly how to put this together. 

Julie also used a plushy die and felt earlier in the week to create an adorable hedgehog. Check that out by clicking HERE.  She had some great tips and tricks, so be sure to check that out!

I started by choosing my felt.  The Taylored Expressions felt comes in so many beautiful colors.  I chose Cream Puff, Aqua Mist and Strawberry for my cupcake today.  The felt also die cuts beautifully.  You won't find that nice clean cut with lower quality felts.  And you certainly won't find these gorgeous colors in a lower quality felt either!  You can cut this felt with any of your wafer thin dies, using your regular cutting sandwich.

Once the pieces were cut, it was time for the stitching.  I used a simple backstitch.  I'll show you how to do this in the video tutorial as well.  To keep it simple, I used the same cream embroidery floss on the entire cupcake.  However, if you wanted, you could use coordinating floss for each area of your cupcake.  I happen to love the contrast of the stitching on the different elements.

I allowed the cup part of the cupcake to remain open along the top so that I could slip a little bit of money into the cupcake.  And miraculously, I had a bit of money in my wallet to demonstrate this.  Cash is hard to come by in a house with multiple teenagers.

 

I decided I wanted to attach my cupcake to a gift tag.  To add a little bit of texture to the plain white tag, I used Essentials By Ellen linen card stock.  I also used the Silver Linings die set to add a bit of debossing to the tag as well.  This created a cool ray pattern behind my cupcake.

These plushy dies don't always have to be used to make plushies.  You could also cut them out of paper and stitch them to a card.  Or keep them a bit flatter by not adding the stuffing.  They're so much fun, I'm sure you'll find a hundred and one ways to use them!

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you enjoyed this project.  It's your turn to make something now.  Get your craft on!  And then share your project on Instagram using #EllenHutsonSaturYAY so I can check out what you're making.  

Until next time, I hope you have a fabulous day!

Watch The Video

You can watch this video in HD on our YouTube channel by clicking HERE.  Don't forget to subscribe while you're there.

Supplies

Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps, Sock Monkey Surprise by Kimberly Wiener

My Favorite Things Cling Stamps, Bold Diagonal Stripes Background

Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Silver Linings by Julie Ebersole

Memory Box Dies, Plush Cute Cupcake

Memory Box Dies, Plush Humble Hedgehog

Memory Box Dies, Plush Heart Pocket

Memory Box Dies, Plush Cute Penguin

Memory Box Dies, Plush Cute Reindeer

Memory Box Dies, Plush Wise Owl

Memory Box Dies, Plush Pumpkin

Memory Box Dies, Plush Gingerbread

Memory Box Dies, Plush Frosty Mitten

Memory Box Dies, Plush Pointed Ornament

My Favorite Things Die-namics, STAX Stitched Traditional Tag

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Aquas

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Reds

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Browns-Creams

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Neutrals

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Pinks

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Purples

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Peaches

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Yellows-Oranges

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Greens

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Blues

VersaMark Ink Pad

Essentials by Ellen, White Linen #100 Cardstock, 25 Pack

Neenah Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pk

Essentials by Ellen 40 lb. Vellum, 25 pk

American Crafts Cardstock, Gold Glitter, 12x12, 2 pk

Fiskars Deluxe 12 Inch Paper Trimmer with Aluminum Cut Rail

EK Craft Tweezers

Fiskars Titanium Micro-Tip Easy Action Scissors

Tim Holtz Tonic Retractable Craft Pick

Crop-a-Dile Eyelet & Snap Punch

Tim Holtz, Tiny Attacher

Avery Elle Hemp Twine, Strawberry

Pretty Pink Posh Sequins, 4 mm Cupped, Sparkling Clear

Pretty Pink Posh Sequins, 6 mm Cupped, Sparkling Clear

Pretty Pink Posh Sequins, Sparkling Clear Mix (4mm, 6mm, 8mm &10mm )

Powder Tool Adhesive Deactivator

Ranger Super Fine Embossing Powder, Gold

Hero Arts Embossing Gun

Be Creative Tape, 5mm (1/4")

Ranger Multi Medium, Matte Mini, 1/2 oz.

Quilled Creations Precision Tip Glue Applicator Bottle 0.5 oz.

Sizzix Big Shot White & Gray

Sizzix Accessory, Magnetic Platform for Wafer-Thin Dies

Sizzix Texturz, Silicone Rubber Sheet

Sizzix Cutting Pad, Standard

Dahle Vantage Cutting Mats, Black 12x18

Ranger Non-Stick Craft Sheet

#throwbackthursdays - Frosty Felt Snowflake by Carly Tee Minner

Hi! It's Carly popping in for another #throwbackthursdays, where we find inspiration in The CLASSroom archives!

As you know we are playing with sewing & stitches in The CLASSroom this week. I thought it was the perfect time to test out this cute little Memory Box Plush die, Mountain Snowflake.

I found inspiration in these past CLASSroom projects:

From Our House To Yours by Carolyn Peeler

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2015 – Day 4 by Julia Stainton and Kay Miller

I love Carolyn's watercolored Laurel Wreath and Julia's beautiful layering & color palette! Here is the card I was inspired to make:

To create this card, start by inking up the sketched circle from the Essentials by Ellen Bokeh Dots set with Distress Ink. Mist the stamp with water and stamp for a watercolor effect.

To further the watercolor effect, add watercolor! LOL! With Distress Ink, water and a brush, add more to the sketched circle.

While the painting supplies are out, give a piece of watercolor paper a bit of color. This will be perfect for die cutting flowers & foliage in a minute.

Die cut pieces for "wreath". I die cut holly, small flowers & leaves and a few sparkly glitter snowflakes.

Add more sparkle to the die cuts with a clear Wink of Stella marker.

Now onto creating the snowflake...

When I die cut my first felt snowflake, it was very flimsy. Some of the stitching holes even tore when I tried to sew. I was so disappointed, thinking the snowflake die must just be too small. I tried stitching 2 snowflakes together and that helped but a container of clear gesso left out on my desk from another project ages ago, gave me a better idea. I painted a few light layers on clear gesso on one side of the felt, letting it dry between coats.

The result was awesome, stabilized & stronger felt that was still soft & flexible on one side! That's a gesso stabilized snowflake on the left and plain felt on the right.

The holes on the gesso-ed felt do not fall out but are easy to remove with a needle while stitching and sewing it was so easy!

With the felt snowflake completed, gather all the pieces and build your wreath.

Thanks for stopping by!

xo, Carly

Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps, Bokeh Dots by Julie Ebersole

Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps, Tis the Season by Julie Ebersole

Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Stay Golden by Julie Ebersole

Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Mistletoe & Holly by Julie Ebersole

Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Laurel Wreath by Julie Ebersole

Lawn Cuts Dies, Mini Snowflakes

Memory Box Dies, Plush Mountain Snowflake

Ranger Distress Ink Pad, Cracked Pistachio

Ranger Distress Ink Pad, Mermaid Lagoon

Ranger Distress Mini Ink Pad, Kit #13

VersaFine Ink Pad, Onyx Black

Strathmore Bristol Pad 9x12

Essentials by Ellen, Julie's Smooth Bristol, 10pc-8.5" x 11"

Essentials by Ellen, Julie's Smooth Bristol, 20pc-5.5" x 5.5"

Essentials by Ellen 40 lb. Vellum, 25 pk

American Crafts, Pow! Glitter Paper, 12x12 Silver Solid, 2 pk

WoolFelt, 12x18 White (35%)

Ranger Dina Wakley Media Gesso, Clear, 4 oz.

Zig Wink of Stella Glitter Brush Tip Marker, Clear

Jingle Bells, 1/4", Silver

Jingle Bells, 1/2", Silver

Basic Grey Juniper, Embellishment Pack (Retiring)

Hello, Monday 09.19.2016

(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:

Memory Box Dies, Plush Humble Hedgehog

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Yellows-Oranges

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Peaches

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Neutrals

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Aquas

WoolFelt, 12x18 White (35%)

Sizzix Big Shot Plus

Sizzix Big Shot White & Gray

Sizzix Big Shot Express

Lavender Sachets by Sharon Harnist

Happy Friday, EH Fans -- Sharon with you today in the CLASSroom!  I hope you all have been enjoying all the great felt projects here in the CLASSroom this week, because I have another one for you today that will help you use some of the fabulous felt you have scooped up from the store this week ... good old fashioned sachets to scent your drawers, closets, or even your car!

Here's how these came together . . .

Die cut Taylored Expressions Felt with Memory Box Plush Folk Hearts Dies. TE's soft, subtle 100% wool felt comes in a variety of scrumptious colors and die cuts perfectly with clean, smooth edges!  It is BY FAR my favorite felt!!  The fabulous die set has all the elements you need ... the large heart is generously sized at 3-7/8" tall x 4-3/4" wide!  I used the largest and middle dies on my large heart sachet.  The middle die was used for my smaller sachet (I ended up not using the smallest light pink heart shape shown in the photo below):

For the small heart, I used these Taylored Expressions felt colors: Cherry Blossom (light pink), Pink Sherbet (med pink), and Raspberry Jam from the Pinks Bundle; and Aqua Mist (light aqua), Robin's Egg (med teal) from the Aquas Bundle. I used pink embroidery thread.
For the large heart, I used:  Cherry Blossom (light pink), Pink Sherbet (med pink) from the Pinks Bundle; and Aqua Mist (light aqua), Robin's Egg (med teal) from the Aquas Bundle.  I used white embroidery thread.

First, stitch all the elements to the heart fronts, using embroidery floss/thread.  The Memory Box dies put the stitching holes in the felt for you, so you have a nice, even stitching guide!

Then stitch the heart backs to the fronts, starting at the top and moving clockwise. Stop the stitching towards the top left (shown on the smaller wine colored heart in the photo above), so you can put the filling in.  I used lovely dried lavender buds I found in bulk at my local health food store.  You could also use potpourri, or even some of the new fabric softener scent beads.  To aid in filling the sachets, I rolled up a scrap piece of computer paper to create a funnel:

The large heart: 

Push the filling around, to be sure your felt shape is evenly plump.  Finish stitching the opening closed and tie off the ends of the embroidery thread. Or if you would like to be able to refill the sachets once the scent wears off, just tie a bow with the embroidery thread so you can easily untie and refill!

For the smaller sachet, when I finished stitching up the closing I left a loop of embroidery thread at the center top of the heart, stitching through one of the die cut felt hearts for an accent:

I also added finishing touches on the backs of the sachets, too, so they would also be pretty!

I can't wait to see your #feltcraft projects . . . Happy crafting!

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundles: Aquas, Pinks,
Memory Box Plush Folk Hearts Dies, 

===============

Other: Dried lavender buds (bulk buy from local health food store), pink & white embroidery thread.

#TexturalTuesdays - Felt Flower on Canvas by Lisa

Hi my lovely crafty friends! It's Lisa up on the blog and wowza do I have a project for my #texturaltuesdays fanatics today!! Strap yourselves in because it's gonna be a lengthy one. ;)

All of the Ellen Hutson, LLC designers are featuring FELT this week in our projects. So exciting, right? So I decided to work with the Memory Box Dies, Plush Ranunculus. I'm not sure that my flower really looks like a Ranunculus. But, truth be told? There are soooo many petals in a Ranunculus? I would have still been die-cutting felt!! :/ 

I used my Big Shot Plus to cut the Taylored Expressions Felt from the Yellows - Oranges pack (I used the color Butter).

I cut a LOT of these circles once I realized what a Ranunculus should really look like.

Beginning to build the flower, take the smallest circle and shape into a cone. Wrap another circle around it so it looks like this and adhere:

Start building your flower with the circles (petals) around this center. It may work best to work from the back. But, you want to work with larger and larger circles (petals), adhering as you go.

Here you can see how MANY pieces of felt I needed to make this flower as full as in the completed project!

I really should have counted. 

Completed flower (I had stuck some seed beads in the center, which I change my mind on):

I didn't want to make a HUGE canvas for this. A small 6" x 6" canvas is always suitable for most of my needs unless I'm doing something really out of the box. But these flat canvas panels can usually even be punched through with a Crop-A-Dile. Makes it nice for gift giving.

I started with 3 colors of Ranger Dina Wakley Media Paint in Tangerine, Lemon & Magenta. I added White later on to soften and blend out the colors.

All that I did was dot one color and dry brush it onto the canvas, then use the next color doing the same thing, then the next.... The following photos are a succession of the painting of the background.

 

And then I used some bubble wrap for additional texture to lift off some paint with the next one:

I zapped my canvas with a heat tool to make sure that it was really dry before moving on.

Using a portion of patterned paper from Authentique's Cheerful 6" x 6" pad I tore a piece out and fit it to one side and corner of the canvas. Using Prima's Soft Gloss Gel and the 1" Silicone Brush (also from Prima) I brushed the gel on top of the canvas where the patterned paper was going. Placing the paper into the gel and another coat on top of the paper completes the process. Be certain that there are no air bubbles by lightly pressing over the paper. Air could cause the paper to lift.

I'm fairly impatient with my crafts so I usually heat set items that can be heat set. 

Stamp the words "Love, Hugs, Sunshine" from the Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps, All Inside by Julie Ebersole onto white tissue paper using Coffee Archival ink by Ranger. I used the My Sweet Petunia MISTI Stamping Tool to help me line the stamps up. (I cannot line things straight to save my life!)

As you can see above I roughly tore the edges of the tissue paper after the words were stamped. Once you have the tissue in place, you may need to tear more off. Be very careful as this is a gentle surface.

Collage the tissue paper in place VERY gently using the same means as above with the patterned paper using the Soft Gloss Gel. Once the tissue paper is dry, color in the letters with markers.

(random sequin alert!!)

I used Barn Door Distress ink to deepen the background a little in some random areas using a mini ink blending tool and a small stencil from the Tim Holtz Mini Stencil Set 4. Blending the ink through the stencil onto the canvas leaves a very pretty design and also deepens the color. It's very subtle and something you wouldn't necessarily notice. It's also a great way to soften the edges of the tissue paper.

I had already gotten carried away adhering sequins so I had to use the stencil over the sequins...

The floral piece you see there at the bottom ⇑ in the photo above ⇑ is a really cool piece from 28 Lilac Lane and this is from one of their embellishments kits.

SO!! All that I have left is to adhere my flower. FINALLY!! Yay!! I used Prima's Modeling Paste since I knew it wouldn't take forever and a day to dry and it would hold my flower to the canvas.

Once I was done, though? I decided I wanted to add some shimmer to my flower and I painted on a little of the Soft Gloss Gel on the edges of the petals and then sprinkled Ranger Distress Stickles Dry Glitter in Clear Rock Candy over the Gel. I can't tell you how much I {puffy heart} love this.

It looks goopy now, because it's still wet, but when it's dry? Baby, watch out!

If you've read all the way through this YOU deserve some close-ups!!! ♥

(so sparkly!)

Isn't that FUN?!!

Thanks soooooooooo much for hanging out with me today and my ohhh-sooo-lengthy tutorial!! :D You all are why I love doing my thang. * mwah * Hope you had fun today. I sure did. My fingers are all painty and everything. :)

Check out my supplies below if you wanna make something like this for someone special in YOUR life.

Sizzix Big Shot Plus

Pretty Pink Posh Droplets, 6mm Clear

Memory Box Dies, Plush Ranunculus

Taylored Expressions Felt Bundle, Yellows-Oranges

Ranger Dina Wakley Media Paint, Tangerine

Ranger Dina Wakley Media Paint, Magenta

Ranger Dina Wakley Media Paint, Lemon

Ranger Dina Wakley Media Paint, White

Ranger Heat It Craft Tool

Authentique Cheerful, 6x6 Bundle

Prima Marketing Art Basics Mixed Media Essentials, 6 pk assortment

Prima Marketing Art Basics Mixed Media Silicone Brush, 1 inch

Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps, All Inside

Ranger Archival Ink Pad, Coffee

Ranger Archival Reinker, Coffee

My Sweet Petunia MISTI Stamping Tool

My Sweet Petunia Mini MISTI Stamping Tool

Pitt Big Brush Pen, Red, Set of 3

Ranger Distress Ink Pad, Barn Door

Ranger Distress Mini Ink Pad, Barn Door

Ranger Ink Blending Tool, 1 Inch Round

Tim Holtz Mini Stencils, Set 4

28 Lilac Lane Embellishment Kits, Autumn Afternoon

Pretty Pink Posh Sequins, 6 mm Flat, Raspberry

Ranger Distress Stickles Dry Glitter, Clear Rock Candy

#feltcraft

Join us this week as our design team features felt in all it's scrumptious glory! Head over to our store and save on all of our in-stock felts! No coupon needed, simply add to your cart and you will see the discount at checkout on all valid items! Enjoy!