Always classic, never out of style: Buffalo Plaid. Am I right, or am I right? Today I have a sneak peek for you of an upcoming set called the Plaid Maker. There are some tips and a little trick--maybe two?--included. :) Enjoy!
LINK: Watch in HD on our YouTube Channel HERE. Thanks for subscribing and giving us a thumbs' up!
Look for the newest Essentials by Ellen release on May 6th, via the "This Just In" Page! Eye candy and inspiration right at your fingertips! :)
SUPPLIES: (Stamps & dies in today's video release May 6, 2018)
It might sound wacky but adding salt to your watercolors can create beautiful effects and textures! Check out Laurel quick video demo:
Watch in HD on our YouTube Channel HERE! Thanks for sharing some comment love and a thumbs up with Laurel there and be certain to subscribe to our channel for other fantastic videos!
Hello crafters! Today I'm showing you a background I created for the United We Flourish Better Together birds with masking and Copic airbrushing, behind a custom "stretched" frame I created with theStrands die!
(Click on any photo for a larger view)
Here's how this card came together . . .
The branch on my card was created by "stretching" the length of the 3" x 3" Strands die to 4.50"! Here's the die:
To do this, I die cut the Strands die towards the left center of a 5.50" x 4.25" panel of Neenah 110 Lb. Solar White cardstock. Then I slid the die over to the right side of the cardstock panel, flipped both over so I could adjust the die to where the die cut strands lined up as closely as possible to where the die would cut a second time:
Then I partially die cut just the right side of the cardstock showing above, by placing my top die cutting plate (shown above) a tad short of where the paper was already die cut, so you end up with this:
Then I chose one of the lower strands that (almost) connected the closest, and finished snipping the strand so it was continuous.
Then I just snipped away the rest of the unwanted strands, leaving my one long strand to serve as a branch for my birds:
Next, I used my Misti to line up the United We Flourish Better Together birds on an additional 5.50" x 4.25" Neenah 110 Lb. Solar White panel on which I had lightly traced my branch.
Once the birds were lined up, I replaced my die cut Strand "branch" frame on top of the blank panel and stamped the birds on top of both panels:
Now to add some color! I created a mask with wide Eclipse Tape and airbrushed Copic G21 to the lower part of the stamped panel:
I created an additional mask of the birds (here's where your Misti comes in handy -- just stamp the birds again onto your masking paper!), positioned the mask over the birds, and airbrushed the "sky" with Copic B21. I intentially airbrushed some areas a little darker, to create the look of clouds:
Once the masks were removed, here's what I had (pretty white birds to color!):
Then I had a ton of fun coloring the birds with these Copic markers:
Aren't they adorable?!! My homemade branch frame was colored, then the frame placed over the airbrushed and colored bird panel. I finished the card by coloring the two end bird's tails on the frame and added the sentiments.
I hope you'll try this die cutting technique, to stretch (literally!) your die uses!
Have you heard about our United We Flourish campaign? Well, let us tell you a little bit about it...
In 2016 we began celebrating our 10th anniversary with the theme United We Flourish. What does United We Flourish mean? It means that our company would not be here without the amazing companies we work with, the designers who create stunning projects showcasing the wonderful products being created AND you, our fabulous customers! YOU are such a vital part of our creative community - you inspire & encourage us! Your response to United We Flourish was overwhelming and heartwarming. We heard repeatedly from you that you appreciate how our little company works together with the other manufacturers we carry to bring you their products and education showing how to use those products. To thank you for your constant support and encouragement, we have partnered with some of our friends to offer exclusive limited edition stamp & die sets!!! It is our goal to release a new set each month for the next few months. These sets will be available for a limited time (most likely 3-6 months) after each release, depending on how quickly you snap them up. The theme of these stamps sets are uplifting and fun.
Hero Arts has been an important part of the Ellen Hutson LLC family since almost the beginning! Hero has a classic & fun style that always makes us smile! And they are true innovators, not just in their gorgeous designs but also in their business practices. Hero Arts is a certified green business and they make giving a priority, donating 100% of profits of special products to charity.
Today we are thrilled to be hopping with the talented Hero Arts design team to share our Better Together creations! Grab a cuppa and get ready to be inspired by this talented group! Then swing back here to tell us what you loved because two randomly selected commenters will win a $30 gift certificate to the Ellen Hutson shop! To enter just leave a comment on the Ellen Hutson Classroom blog by 11:59pm PST on January 28th.
Hey everyone! Welcome to Satur-YAY! We're celebrating the weekend by getting our craft on. And while it's still plenty hot in sunny California, I thought it would be a good time to pretend it's a little cooler and bust out some holiday card making projects.
Today I'm using Hero Arts' new holiday color layering stamp sets. These sets include several layers for each image. You can stamp as many or as few of the layers as you want. Want a more simplistic look? Just stamp the most solid image from the grouping. Want a more realistic look with lots of depth and dimension? Layer up all three of the layers. I like stamp sets that offer flexibility.
I'll also be using the coordinating Ink and Emboss sets from Hero Arts. These sets come with three mini ink cubes and one embossing powder. This gives you all the colors you need to stamp your layering images without having to invest in multiple full size ink pads. I love this option because it also gives you a chance to try multiple Hero Arts ink pad colors and find your favorites.
For today's card, I wanted to create a cut away card. It's kind of like partial die cutting and allowing the image to hang off the side of your card, but instead of using a die, I used a paper trimmer and scissors. I used this technique to allow the Joy image to hang off the card front. It's a really simple technique that can really step up a card.
I tucked several of the Color Layering Holly images behind my cut away edge on the front of my card. Holly is one of my favorite images to use during the holiday season. I love the pop of green it adds. It always feels so festive to me. With a few berries to top it off, I think it's a perfect way to embellish holiday cards, tags, gifts and more.
I'll walk you through the entire creation of this card in the video tutorial below, so be sure to check that out. I'll give you some tips and tricks along the way too!
Now that I've shown you MY project, it's time for you to create something and share it with me. There's no better way to spend the weekend than to craft the day away in your very own crafting space. Share you project on social using #EllenHutsonSaturYAY. I'd love to see what you come up with.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you've enjoyed this project and a look at some of the newest holiday products from Hero Arts. 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 so you don't miss any of our paper crafting video tutorials.
Happy Thursday! It's Carly and I'm here for another #throwbackthursdays, where we find inspiration in The CLASSroom archives! This week having a blast with ink sprays!
I love the versatility of ink sprays! They are great for adding a splash of color, creating faux watercolor looks with stamps, creating patterns with stencils, and so much more! I got a lot of great tips from The CLASSroom archives, including Julie's Hello Monday 01.28.2013, which inspired my card today...
To create this card, I created layers of color with Heidi Swapp Color Shine in Patina by misting cardstock. Then I sprayed the Patina again through the Hero Arts Bold Floral stencil. The Heidi Swapp Color Shine isn't as water-reactive as Distress Spray Stain but it has beautiful shimmer and some of the best colors.
I applied the Minc Reactive Mist through a circle stencil. Some keys to working with reactive mist:
try a "practice" spray on scratch paper to get the feel for whatever mister bottle you are using.
let dry completely before applying foil & heat or it will spread & smear.
try using other spray bottles. The original bottle creates droplet-like splatters (on the left) but a mini mister creates more fine coverage (on the right).
A rainy "background" can be made in so many different ways--this one is fun because it combines watercolor and small raindrop images together to create the drizzly effect.
I pulled out my Gansai Tambi watercolors to create this card--I really like using them to create washes of color over larger areas! And, it's easy to load the tip of my water brush right from the pans for coloring details. Normally, I reach for aquas and blues to do my "rain", but it was fun to try "black" and grays for a change and I love how it turned out!
LINK: Watch in HD on our YouTube channel HERE. Thanks for watching, subscribing and giving us a thumbs’ up!
That li'l pup is so gosh darn cute, isn't he?! And I love the "furry" phrases in "Raining Cats & Dogs"--too fun!
Check out all the latest Hero Arts images, including these adorable animal sets, HERE!
Making a light up Valentine greeting seemed to suit! :) I used images from two of the add-on stamp sets (Love Notes & Sealed with a Kiss), along with the Heart die that can be folded into an envelope--altho that's not 'zacly how I used it... *wink*
LINK: Watch in HD on our YouTube Channel! Thanks for watching, subscribing and giving us a thumbs' up!
Be sure to stop by all the designer's along the hop to ogle the eye candy!
The folks at Hero Arts are giving away one kit as a prize to one blog reader - selected from the comments across all of the blogs in the hop. (Already purchased the kit? They'll reimburse ya'!) Giveaway closes Sunday, January 15 at 11:59pm, and the winner will be announced the following week at the Hero Arts blog.
So. My first parallel circuit was a win! Whaddya' think? Being rather scientifically challenged as I am, I figure if I can do it, ANYBODY can indeed do it, too! YAY!!! And, "GO, ME!!!" *virtual high five, anyone?*
Hi, everybody! I'm tickled to be sharing today's post with Brandi--I chose a theme for my tag again this year: Clear/icy/frozen.
We're also debuting a new party themed release by Hero Arts that is part of the add-on program My Monthly Hero. Pairing up these party products with the tag theme led to some fun ideas! Today's post is also part of a Hero Arts hop, so stop by the Hero Arts blog, to get all the details!
Continue scrolling to see Brandi's gorgeous, delicate tag!
We are over the moon to welcome Brandi Kincaid, not only to The CLASSroom today but to our EH family! Many of you have probably seen the gorgeous work Brandi does for Ali Edwards, Feed Your Craft, and more! And this holiday season she has designed some of our new favorite Essentials by Ellen sets, Homespun Holiday, Tree Farm and Light Parade! Brandi is as charming as her illustrations and we feel super lucky that she is sharing her talents with us! Make sure you check out Brandi's blog to learn more about her and her work!
Thank you for joining us once again this year for the fifth 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 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!
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.
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!
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, Jenniferand 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!
We're playing along with Hero Arts in a wonderful hop today! Each month Hero Arts has a special kit called My Monthly Hero and offers add-ons to these special sets. No doubt you've already seen some amazing designs and I'm tickled to be a contributor to the fun showcasing this month's My Monthly Hero Add-ons!
These holiday sets from Hero feature some versatile holiday icons, and although they be tiny, they be mighty! ;)
At first glance, you might wonder how to fill a card front with such tiny images, but there are soooo many different ways they can be used: Random background patterns, incorporated as word art/accents, or scene building, as in the example above!
In keeping with the monoline art style, this collection of Hero Arts stamps features a Number it Stamp & Cut set--perfect for tagging/labeling advent style projects--there are six different tag designs and I love the fact that I can cut out six tags with just one roll through my Big Shot , if I keep the dies intact instead of snipping the tines to separate them! *fist pump*
As you hop along checking out all the inspiration, be sure to leave some comment love! Hero Arts is giving away one of their My Monthly Hero Kits to one lucky reader, to be drawn from all the comments left at each of blogs below! Just sayin'... ;)
Good Wednesday morning and welcome to the CLASSroom. I had lots of fun this week creating a townhouse village scene card using the Inchie Arts Little Village set and the Hero Arts Home Sweet Home set. This was my first opportunity to use the Inchie Arts products and I’m impressed by the thickness of the matboard and the quality of the top surface. I used water-based and alcohol markers, misted and painted using reinker and a waterbrush and stamped images using pigment ink and embossed using embossing powder and heat gun. The fine surface of the matboard held up beautifully with all of these techniques.
This picture shows all the different matboard pieces in the Little Village set. I used the 3.50” x 2.50” piece that comes in the set as the background for my three houses. I knew I wanted to create a night sky background so I could use the cute moon piece.
Mist the matboard base lightly to prepare the surface to more easily accept the ink and apply Tumbled Glass reinker with a waterbrush and set aside to dry. Hint: I placed a small drops of reinker in the lid of my ink pad and used it as a palette. Any ink left over will still be there the next time I need to use it so there is no waste.
Stamp the brick pattern on the matboard pieces using Onyx Black Versafine ink and emboss with Ranger Clear Superfine powder. I expected there to be some warping of the matboard with the heat but it held up very well.
Color the largest brick piece using the Candied Apple marker. Steps not shown: Stamp and emboss the smaller piece with the brick image and do not color. Stamp the taller thin piece with the small two brick image, emboss and color the bricks with the red marker.
Color one roof section with the black Copic marker and one with Candied Apple marker. I stamped one section of brick on a piece of leftover matboard to use for the roof of the tallest building, embossed it, colored it red and cut it out using my Tim Holtz serrated scissors.
The roof sections were attached to the top of the houses using glossy accents.
I stamped off various element images from the Home Sweet Home set with the black versafine on watercolor paper and embossed with clear embossing powder. I used watercolor paper but didn’t end up water coloring the images.
I colored the images using a black Copic marker and Fossilized Amber marker. Not shown: One door was colored with a Peeled Paint maker, one was done with the black Copic marker and one was done with the Candied Apple marker.
I cut all the pieces that I thought I wanted to use, mixed and matched until I was happy and began attaching them to the houses with glossy accents.
The three house sections were attached to the matboard base with glossy accents. I layered the small scene on white cardstock and decided to add the scalloped layer from the Lawn Fawn Scalloped Rectangle Stackables. The house layer and the red layer were attached to the card base with strips of mounting tape.
I colored the moon with the amber marker and applied yellow stickles to add sparkle. Once dry I attached it to the scene with glossy accents and I added a few glittery stars in the sky area with the yellow stickles to finish.
Creating this little scenic village was so much fun. There is a wonderful article on the Inchie Arts blog that shows several ways to use the Little Village and Little Village 2 sets alone or together to create wonderful little scenes. I’ve linked both sets for you below. And I just couldn’t resist adding a link here for you to see Dina Kowal’s Spooky Little Village. It‘s so spooky and adorable.
I adore using vellum to create with. It's such an easy way to add a touch of glam to your designs. It's beautiful frosty look is especially wonderful for holiday designs and it makes a stunning card base. It's a great way to add translucence to a project and I'm excited to share this design and a few tips on creating with vellum.
This week in the CLASSroom we've been featuring the fabulous Hero Arts new release and it sure has me thinking ahead to cooler days. It's never too early to start your Christmas cards as the busy fall months seem to fly by in a blink. The stamp set I'm featuring today is the Color Layering Deer Stamp Set and Color Layering Deer Frame Cuts Dies. All those stamped layers really make this deer special and I'll be sharing my process with you as we go along.
To start off with though, I first turned to creating my vellum card base. It's created by cutting and 8.5" x 11" vellum card stock sheet in half and then scoring and folding to create an A5 size card. Pretty standard card making except that you can see through it. Add a layer inside the card adds a sweet pop of color and really sets off the card. It also gives you somewhere to write on. In this particular design though, be careful where you write as you'll see it through the vellum in some places. I'd choose to write under the deer area or to sign the back of the card instead.
This inner panel is die-cut with a stitched rectangle die (I used one from Blueprints Die-namics 13) and die -cut Bazzill card stock. Adhere to the inside of the card.
To add interest and a whole lot of shimmer to the card front I stamped some beautiful snowflakes from the Essentials by Ellen Christmas Scribbles Stamp Set in white pigment ink and then heat embossed them with a beautiful holographic embossing powder from Ranger. This embossing powder is beautiful and looks so lovely in person.
When stamping in multiple steps I like to play around with ink colors and layers on scrap paper first before I complete my final design. I'm doing something a little out of sync here so please note: ****I've reversed the order of stamping on the last two deer images*
Hero Arts suggests using the stamp that I've labelled 3. as the second impression to stamp. I'd normally do that BUT...I'm throwing a little twist into the mix. The deer has some beautiful gold ink used for one of the layers and in THIS case it works best if the gold layer is on top. That means you want to stamp it third. So if you recreate this...
Stamp in Silver Fox Ink
Stamp in Kraft Ink
Stamp in Gold Delicata Ink
You may also notice I am stamping on TOP of a patterned paper pad. I really like doing this especially with a solid image as it just seems to give me a better and more uniform impression.
Here's what the deer looks like with three layers of stamping.
And here it is with some Jet Black stamping accents added for facial features and die cut from the card stock. At this point I also stamped on the black leg detail and stamped and die-cut the antlers.
Now that the image is complete, I then stamped the sentiment onto the card front in Jet Black Archival Ink. I've said it here many many times but you just cannot beat this ink...especially for hard to stamp on surfaces such as fabric and vellum.
Then the deer is adhered with dimensional foam squares and I've also die-cut a circle from Solar White Card Stock and adhered it inside the card to really zero in on the focal point.
And finally...I adhered some clear sequins around the circle area to add in one last festive touch of bling.
I hope you'll try your hand at a vellum card for a sweet look.
Thanks for joining me today in the CLASSroom and taking a peek at the new Hero Arts release!
I love the way Julie used vellum to give her card dimension without bulk. And I'm always a sucker for chalkboard anything so here is the card I created:
To create this card, start with a 3-1/4 x 4-1/2 piece of black cardstock and stamp mistletoe from the Essentials by Ellen Mistletoe & Holly set in white ink.
Then smudge lines with your finger or a cotton swab because I know not everyone likes to get messy :) And add smudged ink around the edges too for even more of a chalkboard effect.
To create the red to-go cup, special for the holidays, blend Distress Inks onto smooth watercolor paper like Smooth Bristol and then die cut. (Or take a shortcut and just use red cardstock. What can I say? I like doing things the hard way, LOL!)
Adhere cup to chalkboard piece and stitch a piece of 3-1/2 x 4-3/4 vellum on top.
Then stamp the to-go lid and sentiment onto the vellum in white. I found the MISTI tool was super helpful in getting everything just right. And you can emboss the lid & sentiment for a bolder look but I liked how the white ink alone seemed more "chalky".
Add the holly stamped in white, outline in more white ink and smudge.
Adhere to a white card with a little black splatter and finally add a few red rhinestones to make pretty little holly berries.
I started by lightly misting a piece of Neenah Classic Crest Solar White cardstock with a Mini Mister for the background tree layer. I didn’t get the paper very wet, but just enough so that I could get full ink coverage with the solid tree stamp.
I inked up the solid stamp with Mowed Lawn Distress Ink, misted it lightly from about one foot away and stamped on the cardstock. I continued the process of stamping the trees randomly across the whole sheet. Normally I would have used a much lighter green ink for the solid tree but I needed to use the darker ink for the base tree so it would show well through the snow covered vellum.
Next I stamped the second tree image with branch definition using the Mowed Lawn ink on all of the trees.
The next thing was to stamp and cut out the tree for the front of the card. I stamped the solid tree and branch defined tree once on Caramel Apple cardstock and heat dried with my Hero Arts Heat Gun. I stamped the snow tree image with versa, applied white embossing powder and heat embossed. I failed to get a picture of the embossing process of the tree. I used the dark green cardstock for my front tree so it would show well in front of the vellum.
The tree image was placed on my Big Shot Express platform and cut out using the tree die.
A piece of Essentials by Ellen Vellum was prepared for embossing with an Embossing Magic Bag. The snow image was stamped using Versa repeatedly and embossed with white embossing powder.
I applied Be Creative 1/8” double stick tape all the way around the outer border of the tree layer and attached the snow embossed layer directly to it. Next I attached the tree/snow layer to the card base with ATG adhesive. After seeing the vellum layer over the trees I realized I could have skipped stamping the defined branch tree image over the solid tree because it doesn’t show up. LOL!
I cut a 5.50” x 4.25” piece of green cardstock for a frame and cut it using a die from the Nesting Card Templates set. I wanted to be sure none of the adhesive that attached the vellum to the tree layer showed through the vellum and a frame was the perfect solution.
I applied thin strips of mounting tape all the way around the back of the frame and then attached the hand cut snow layer with a sentiment from the set and then attached it to the card base.
The gold star was attached to the top of the tree with glossy accents and the tree was attached with mounting tape.
I love the snow covered vellum with the forest of trees showing through. I hope you have enjoyed this project and have been inspired to make a few snowy holidays scene cards of your own.
Hello everyone! Carolyn Peeler with you today to share my first Christmas card of the season! (It's never too early to get started, right?) Today's card features Essentials by Ellen + Hero Arts - a perfect holiday pairing. So, let's get started.
I began by stamping the beautiful Hero Arts Color Layering Cardinal onto Neenah Classic Crest Solar White cardstock. This bird is stamped in four parts, which gives it its beautiful highlights and shadows. To create it, I started with the lightest ink and ended with the darkest. (ps - There is a handy key on the back of the product packaging to show you the suggested order of building your bird - thank you Hero Arts!).
The first layer is stamped with Ranger Distress Ink in Spun Sugar. Don't worry if you apply the ink and it looks a little splotchy, like mine did. Because of the build up of layers, it won't matter :)
To finish off, lets give this birdy a pop of black for his eye and beak using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.
Now that the cardinal is stamped, you will want to use the coordinating Layering Cardinal Die die set to cut him out.
Next let's prep the branch that the cardinal will sit on. Although there is a bare branch in the Hero Arts stamp set, I decided to use the whimsical Christmas Scribbles Essentials by Ellen set for this as I wanted to bring some greenery into my card design.
Using the markers, I colored directly onto the stamp design. After coloring, I used a water mister and misted the stamp so that the inks would blend into each other nicely. After spraying, stamp onto Ranger watercolor paper.
After stamping, use the coordinating die to cut the design out. From here, we'll move onto the assembly process. My card front is created with patterned paper from the Bloom 6x6 paper pad. You are not making a fully functional card during this step, but rather a card front (4.25" x 5.5").
I love that I was able to make papers from a decidedly non-Christmas collection work for this card. While the card is pastel, it is still unabashedly Christmas. I decided to set the cardinal on a 2-3/4" vellum circle which is cut from Essentials by Ellen Vellum. In order to have the green leaves on the branch cradle the cardinal, I cut a little snip on the bottom of the bird's tail in order to overlap the branch as you see in the image below.
For the vellum, you will want to put a dot of liquid glue in the center of the vellum to hold it in place as you sew it. Be sure it's in an area that the bird will cover as you don't want to be able to see the glue later. Then, glue the patterned papers together and bring the elements over to your sewing machine. Sew a zig-zag stitch where the papers meet, and a straight stitch around the vellum circle.
Today I'm combining a fun birthday set by Hero Arts with some the Essentials by Ellen Bokeh Dots. And, I'm cheating. Just a little. *wink*
I think the ombré vellum layer beneath the cake really sets the whole design off--what do you think?
And, did you spy my fake? Heh, heh, heh...! :)
We're video hopping with our sweet friend Laura Sterckx as she celebrates 10,000 YouTube subscribers--be sure to watch our video on YouTube so you can hop to all the different videos !
Felt is such a fun way to embellish a card, and even more fun to do that PLUS make a gift! Taylored Expressions' Felt is a lovely 100% wool blend that comes packaged with 3 beautiful hues in a given color family. National Nonwovens is also available in individual color sheets.
The Memory Box Plush Anemone Die Set is such a pretty one and with 3 different sizes of petals you can easily create flowers in two sizes--I decided to make two smaller sized anemones for my projects--due to their size, I wanted to do more than simply embellish a card but make something that the recipient could detach and use--who doesn't love form AND function, right?! ;)
They are so fast and easy to create, I'd make a pile of 'em for sweet, last minute gifts--they are so inexpensive to make yourself!
As I mentioned in the May newsletter article (HERE), heat embossing itself is enjoying a renewed interest lately in our craft--I still remember when I first learned how it was done, 20+ years ago. My jaw kinda fell open over the idea that little o'le me, could totally get that Hallmark look/effect all by me onesie with these magical powders and a special "gun"...
On today's card, I wanted to kick that magic up just a hair by creating a multi-colored embossed effect--in this instance, a metallic ombré finish! And Oh Mylaaaaanta, do I ever love it! :) *monkey clapping*
I KNOW, RIGHT??!!!
When I discovered watercolors with Mica, that could be used to create gorgeous, shimmery effects, I was immediately hooked!
A few things I wanted to mention in particular:
These metallic watercolors can be used straight; simply paint with them as you do your other watercolors.
With a fairly wet brush, they can be used to create a pale metallic wash, or with a drier brush (by that, I mean a brush tip that is still wet, but not soaking), you can get more opacity/intensity of color and create visible stroke lines, etc., for a very painterly look.
They can be used to give metallic highlights over images that have already been colored with markers (water based or alcohol), or previously watercolored or painted.
Can you paint with them over darker papers, like black? Um... Yes! And, you can achieve a wonderful opacity with them, too! *fist pump*
They can also be used for calligraphy and brush lettering.
I'm afraid my photos really don't do them justice--when you paint with them in real life, you can easily see that they are absolutely stunning!
Designer note:Shortly after I had acquired my personal set of FineTec Mica/Metallic Paints (shown in the video), I was so pleased to see Kuretake Zig came out with their Gansai Tambi Starry Colors; they perform the same, with a fantastic array of shimmery metallic colors, and are available at a lower price point.
"Nobody can be uncheered by a balloon." --Winnie The Pooh
They're so "floaty" and happy, I think I gotta agree with Pooh on that. :)
I did some repeat stamping to create my background--gotta love 2nd generation impressions for that subtle effect. The tye-die watercolored balloons were speedy quick and easy with the Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers.
Watch the video to see how I got the curly cord and another quick tip!
Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen tye-dye/ombré style balloons--do they make those, I wonder?
Sometimes I make a card I love so much, I just wanna make it over and over again--like today's! This is going to be my Mother's Day card this year! Sorry, Mom, if you're reading this... :)
I'm also using Avery Elle's pigment inks--even tho these are pigment inks, they are faster drying and I didn't worry about heat embossing them to seal them to the card stock. I love how this color combo just POPs!
Initially I was going to use the Black Shape & Tape, which is one of my go-to's and would have worked very well, BUT, then I remembered that pretty gold foil Little B Tape I have, with the roses and decided that was also pretty! I have a habit of switching gears mid-stream... But it usually all works out in the end! ;)
Hi friends! Carolyn Peeler with you today to share a clean and simple color drenched card with you. This one was so fun to make and the design is easily adaptable to other themes or stamps.
Next, you're going to stamp the butterfly, using the pink to red Hero Arts Ombre inkpad, onto smooth white cardstock. As you can see, my stamp is permanently stained because I have previously used it with black ink. It doesn't affect the stamp in any way other than aesthetically. There was a little bit of dark ink residue left on my stamp from the last time I used it, so when I inked the stamp on the inkpad, it ended up reactivating some of the black ink, which is why my stamped image has a combination of red, pink and purple - normally the image would simply be pink and red. But I ended up really liking the addition of the purple, so instead of restamping, I used this image. If you also like the addition of the purple, I would recommend first inking the stamp with the Hero Arts Ombre ink pad, then, using a small Distress ink Dusty Concord inkpad, dab a little bit of purple ink overtop of the pink ink. Lightly spritz with a water sprayer to blend the colors together, then stamp onto the white cardstock.
After stamping, use the matching die to cut the stamped image out from the white cardstock.
Now we're going to start to bring the elements of the card together. First, cut a white cardstock base that is 9.75" wide x 4 3/8" high. Fold this in half so that your card is 4 3/8" high x 4 7/8" wide. Next, cut the adorable background paper with the little fawns on it 4" high x 4.5" wide. Glue this, centered, onto the front of the card. Then glue the pink scalloped heart and typed sold heart onto the front of the card as well. Gather black ink and the "Hello dear Friend" greeting from the stamp set. Mount the stamp onto an acrylic block.
Stamp the greeting onto the lower right side of the card front.
Now, we need to get the butterfly onto the center of the hearts. Before gluing, bend the butterfly in half so that it is in a gentle 'V' position. This helps to give the appearance that the butterfly is flying off the card. Apply glue only down the center of the butterfly and stick the butterfly down onto the hearts.
For the final step, I wanted to give the butterfly a bit of shimmer and pizzazz, so I applied a coat of Wink of Stella in Clear onto the surface. So pretty!
Thanks so much for your joining me today, and please let me know if you have any questions. Here is a direct link to the products used in this card project:
Hi everyone! It's Carissa here with you again for another Hello, Monday! Julie is getting better every day. She should be here with us again next week. But until then, you're stuck with me again! ;)
Today I'll be using the Hero Arts Large Flower Stencil to do a little embossing on my card front. I'll show you exactly how you can use your stencils for embossing. Then I'll do a little ink blending on the front of this as well. I love the way the ink blending looks combined with the beautiful embossed image.
I used a little bit of Perfect Pearl Pigment Powder over the top of the ink blending to add some shine to this panel. I used the color Biscotti because it's a little warmer in tone than the Perfect Pearl color and complimented the beautiful pinks and yellows I used.
Check out the video below to see exactly how I made this card. I'll walk you through the entire thing...and reveal my new favorite Distress Ink color too! Here's a hint...it's not a NEW color...it's just never been on my radar until now.
Thanks for stopping by today! And happy mundane.
Watch The Video
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Hi there and Happy Tuesday! It's Lisa and I'm back for another episode of #TexturalTuedays. I can't believe it's almost Christmas, how about you? Speaking of believing (nice segue, eh?) that's the stamp that I chose to use from the Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps, Brush Stroke Christmas by Julie Ebersole. I decided to build my tag today around this one stamp and go from there! Have you ever done that? It's fun!
You may be wondering, why a black tag, Lisa? And I shall answer you...why not? (I'm such a smarty-pants.) Actually, when you see my process, I really was going for a frosty look, which is kinda hard to photograph. But, the black tag shows it off the best. Being black and all.
Let me show you what I did to get this tag all texture-y! (Photo heavy post..)
1 and 2. I used a standard Inkssentials #10 Tag (black) and used Tim Holtz's Frosted Filmto cover it and make it non-porous. It also gave the tag a very subtle frosty look and different kind of texture. If you have this product and don't know what to do with it, use it with products such as paints and alcohol inks.
Cut it slightly larger and then trim to size. WAY easier this way.
5 and 6. Figure out where you want you place your stencil and mask off that area. I went overboard, but I didn't want the Texture Luxe™ getting on anything else. Apply the Texture Luxe™ in Pearl and lift off the stencil very carefully. (Silver would also look super pretty!)
9. So. Foil. I added mine by adding two strips of my fave adhesive tape at the top and bottom of where I put my Texture Luxe™ and then burnished the foil right on top. So easy!
10. The next way I like to add foil and add really fun interest is to use Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L® Adhesive Sheets, remove the backer, and press the sticky side randomly to different parts of the tag. Then press the foil to the sticky areas (shiny side up), burnish, and lift up. You get really awesome super shiny accents. So cool!
11. Then I decided I wanted some pink stars. So I dabbed some Spun Sugar Distress Paint onto my craft mat and let my wood veneer stars swim in the paint for a little bit.
Can you tell how the Frosted Film gives the tag gives it a texture?
I know today's post was lengthy, but I really wanted to cover everything. So much to share!!
Play with some of your forgotten products and mix them up with some of your new goodies. Find new ways to bring texture into your projects. And always, ALWAYS...have fun. :)
Today we are blessed to have two extremely talented young ladies joining us as we share our love with and for Hero Arts! There are so many fun and different ways to use snowflakes and we look forwards to seeing where their inspiration leads you. Don't forget to leave comments on all of our posts to win our random drawings each day throughout this series!
I am always inspired by techniques and it is one of the first things that drew me to Jennifer McGuire's work many years ago. Her detailed explanations and the step-outs she shares make it so very easy to learn and experiment with the techniques that she shares. You can find so much inspiration on her blog Jennifer McGuire Ink and the classes she co-teaches with Kristina Werner at Online Card Classes.
Today I am once again thrilled to have Jennifer join in the fun as we share her sparkly snowflake tags and thorough instructions with you. These beauties can be used on a gift or double as a Christmas tree ornament.
Thank you Jennifer for the support, kindness and encouragement you have shared with me over the years - I am so very blessed by your friendship. We appreciate the time you have taken to share this fabulous video and idea with us today! -Ellen
Yay! It is my favorite time of the year again… Ellen’s 12 Tags of Christmas! This series is always so inspiring, so I am very honored to be a part of it.
In my video, I show how to use your dies to create an inlaid ombre glitter look. Sounds cool, huh? Basically the glitter is set back into the paper for a smooth look that doesn’t rub off. I also blended the glitters together for an ombre look. And it isn’t hard! You can do this with any dies.
I hope you will give this technique a try. And a huge hug to Ellen for filling this industry with positive energy, support, and love.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! -Jennifer
Enjoy watching Jennifer's video on our YouTube Channel and help us say thank you to Jennifer by taking a moment to give it a thumbs up to show our appreciation!
We are happy to have Kelly Purkey joining us today for Day 6 of our feminine tags. Kelly's busy schedule includes traveling all over the world where she documents her passion for food and creativity. It is fun to see her clean, minimalist style showcased today as she uses her signature line of products with Hero Arts. The garland created using these versatile stamps adds a festive touch to her tag. Thank you Kelly for sharing your time and creativity with us!
Hello there, I’m excited to be sharing a tag today with a snowflake theme. I’ve been using my Clearly Kelly S’no Problem stamp set to add little snowflakes to lots of projects and it’s sized perfectly for a little tag.
Start with the Hero Arts Candy Stripe Bold Pattern stamp to create the background. This is a 6x6 stamp but I’ve cut mine down to make it easier to use for card making or to create 3x4 Project Life cards. Stamp with pink ink to create the background.
Trim down a transparency to fit just inside your regular tag. Stamp transparency with Stazon White Ink and S’no Problem stamps creating white snowflakes.
Use the stamp set to create a fun garland to embellish the tag. Stamp white cardstock with the snowflakes from the S’no Problem stamps in a variety of colors then cut out the snowflakes.
Adhere the snowflakes to a piece of twine to add onto your tags.
Adhere the transparency and the garland to the main tag. I wanted to embellish it just a bit more, so I used the S’no Problem set to stamp a greeting onto a piece of white paper, trimmed out, and adhered to the card. I added just a little bling with gold staples and a clip from the office supply store.
I hope this inspires you to create a pretty snowflake tag and happy holidays everyone! -Kelly
Thank you for joining us once again this year for our 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist series! Please leave your appreciation for Jennifer's and Kelly's beautiful tags here today and you will be eligible for the random drawing of the $25 gift certificate to our store www.ellenhutson.com. Leave your comment before noon on December 13th to be included (one comment per person please.) Be certain to return tomorrow to see our special edition Hello, Monday with Julie sharing her tag along with our guest Miriam Prantner - you won't want to miss it.
Some of my holiday cards may be "mass produced" creations, but there are always a few extra special designs, with additional elements that I cannot resist making...
Those mischievious li'l elves are on the loose again...
I used to hand-cut windows like that, way back when... So nice to have a set of dies like the Mini Windows; takes all the work out of it! *fist pump*
Yes, we had a few more stamps and dies we just *had* to release in time for the holidays... :) Essentials by Ellen Holiday II is comin' at ya' tomorrow!
I get to share a sneak peek of Holly Jolly, a stamp set with beautiful brush script style sentiments and Poinsettia & Pine, a stand-alone die set with holiday foliage!
Normally, for the holidays I would shy away from anything "coloring intensive", but this design is waaaaaay easier and faster than you might think--with great tips for mass production! *fist pump*
I did just a little bit of stamp surgery, so I could fit the little sprig stamps close enough to the sentiment, and mount them altogether on my stamp press so they could be stamped all at the same time. I love having a left-facing and right-facing version of a little sprig to tuck in here and there... :) Oh, the little things that make us happy, eh?!
Hello everyone and happy Satur-YAY! It's the weekend and there's no better way to celebrate than by getting your craft on! Today, I'm creating some Halloween themed projects and while creating, I decided it was time to step out of my A2 sized card box, and create something a little different. So in today's Satur-YAY video, I'm going to walk you through three projects. I'll start with a card and then translate that card into a tag project and a treat box.
When I first saw the Avery Elle Boo dies, I knew I had to cut that intricate spider web out of some vellum. And I imagined this intricate die cut peeking through a partial die cut window with Julie's adorable Got Candy? stamp set pumpkins and little spidey as accents. The products really did inspire these projects. I love it when the products speak to me and tell me how they want to be used. ;)
I started by stamping and coloring the images from the Got Candy? stamp set on Smooth Bristol. Thanks to Nichol Magouirk, I've discovered that the Smooth Bristol is fabulous for Zig Clean Color Real Brush Marker coloring. I love my Clean Color Brush Markers, but had been having trouble achieving the blend I wanted on plain card stock. The Smooth Bristol has changed my world, and allowed me to get fabulous blends with these markers. I loved them before, and now I cannot live without them! I'll show you the difference between the blends on Neenah and Smooth Bristol in the video below.
I like to stamp and color multiple images at once. I can then cut them out and have them ready for other projects that I might want to create. In this case, it worked out perfectly to have extras on hand to create my treat box and tag.
To add a little texture to the plain white card base, I used the Hero Arts Woodgrain background stamp by Lia Griffith. I used Soft Granite ink and stamped it off on scratch paper prior to stamping it on my card front. This gave me a very soft impression on the card front and added just the right amount of texture. This background stamp can be used year round to create subtle texture and interest on your projects. You could also use the Essentials by Ellen Woodgrain Embossed card stock to achieve a similar effect (I'll link that below so it's easy to find).
To create the window on the front of my card, I used a partial die cutting technique. This is a fun way to get more out of your dies. Partial die cutting opens the door to so many possibilities. My favorite tool for partial die cutting is the On The Edge cutting pads from Sizzix. These smaller cutting pads allow me to position dies in various positions and achieve more precise cuts than I can with the standard cutting pads. I'll show you exactly how to achieve this in the video tutorial below.
Once my window was cut, I sandwiched my spider web between the card base and the card front. I used foam tape to adhere the card front on to the card base to give some dimension to the card. I love the way this intricate die cut fills the window. I added a little Wink Of Stella Clear Glitter Brush marker to the spider web to add shimmer.
I adhered the rest of my images, including the pumpkins, sentiment strip and spider to my card. I also added some silver thread and sparkling clear sequins to give some shine to this Halloween card.
Once I created my card, I used the same concepts to create a tag and a treat box. It's very easy to recreate a project in a different form once you have your design nailed down. The smaller size of the tag and treat box called for some slight adjustments, but they were quick and easy to figure out.
For the tag, I used the My Favorite Things Stitched Traditional Tags dies. I love the stitched detail on the edge of these cards. In fact, I think if I were to create the card again, I might use a stitched rectangle die to die cut my card front. It's subtle details like the stitching that really adds just the right finishing touch to your projects.
The smaller size of the tag called for just a couple of adjustments. Instead of two pumpkins, I used just one. I incorporated the same paper that I used on the card project, just in a little different way. I chose to layer it up with the sentiment strip instead of attaching it at the top like I did in the card. I knew the tag would have plenty going on at the top with the twine and thread I added, so keeping the focus concentrated in one area was the best choice for this project.
The used the Lawn Fawn Pillow Box die for the treat box I created. This pillow box is perfect because it's large enough for a gift card and is also a great size for candy, jewelry or other small gifts. I chose to use Bazzill Card Shoppe card stock in Alpaca for my box base. Just wanted to switch it up from the stark white I was using.
Once again, I chose to do a partial die cut window...but this required a little alteration to one of the tabs on the box to keep the tab from showing through the window. It was a quick fix, and I'll show you how I did it in the video tutorial. I also chose to back the window with some acetate. This allows me to fill the box with candy without it spilling out.
Halloween may not be something you usually create cards for, but this concept would also be fantastic for flower dies, sentiments and many other types of die cuts and stamps. In fact, I'd love to see your spin on this idea. You can share the projects you create on Instagram or Twitter and use the hashtag #EllenHutsonSaturYay so that we can all see what you're creating!
Try making your own projects (cards, tags, treat boxes, whatevs) with peek a boo windows. Or try taking a card design and using it to create other projects, like I did with the tag and pillow box. It'll be a fun challenge that's sure to have your thinking outside your normal A2 sized box. :)
Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you've enjoyed this Peek A BOO edition of Satur-YAY! Until next month, I hope you have a fabulous day!
