Hey! Hi! Hello there! I’ve got big news to share: the Ellen Hutson June release is LIVE in the shop! YAY!
To celebrate, we’re having a hop over on Instagram filled with inspiration and PRIZES! Oh yes! Up for grabs are $25 gift certificates to EllenHutson.com! To enter, head on over HERE to Instagram and join the fun.
I made so many cards for this release — so far — I’ve got more ideas running around in my brain as I type this! So I just had to write up a blog post and give ya all the little details! Yep, had to be done!
Here they are, starting with the cards I’m sharing in the hop! Click on a photo to see it at full size! :)
Pressing Thoughts + A2 Piercing Plate
Our very own Ellen designed the A2 Piercing Plate die and I love it to pieces! She put together a stitching guide, too — find it HERE. She really is one amazing human and I’m so glad to know her!
I just couldn’t stop playing with it plus the Pressing Thoughts stamp set by sweet Brandi — they go perfectly together!
This first card is meant to have a Victorian stitching sampler feel. I can just imagine a lady in her dress going out to the garden and pressing that flower.
Here are a few notes for this card:
- I white heat embossed the flowers on watercolor paper, colored them, and then took a deep breath and crumpled the paper up to give it an organic feel. Some of the embossing fell off but I think that just adds to the charm!
- Then I popped ’em up on foam tape and watercolored the shadows to give it added dimension.
- Pro tip for the stitched background: Stamp the sentiment first and then run the die through the machine. This way you’ll get nice clean lines. (First time I tried it I did it the other way ’round — lesson learned!) I used watercolor paper again so that it would be nice and sturdy — plus this way it has that off white color — somehow it really reminds me of cross stitch fabric!
- For the stitches, I just played around with various that I remembered from my cross stitch days. I used some random bits of floss that I had in my stash, but Ellen has some great bundles of floss in the shop if ya need some! (Love me the rainbow and color pop bundles!)
- I added a clear droplet to the flower centers for that added lil something!
My favorite part was stitching around the stem of the flower and then tying a bow! Ta dah!
These next two cards I kept more on the clean and simple side:
A few quick tips for these:
- I worked on watercolor paper again and watercolored that peachy background using a mix of quinacridone rose, pyrrol scarlet and new gamboge, all from the Daniel Smith Essentials set.
- As noted in my first card, do your stamping before running the A2 Piercing Plate through your machine :)
- Click on the left photo to see the little stitches in the flower centers — I think it adds the perfect little touch!
Good Day + Organic Elements
I made this next card for a friend who lives in Palm Springs — those palms in Good Day totally reminded me of her! I’m the one riding the bike! :)
I had so much fun here and I have to say I don’t think I ever combined outlined images with solid background images quite like this before! Love the look this gives! Here’s a few tips:
- I stamped the background with Catherine pooler inks in bellini, it’s a girl, and lemongrass, overlapping images to get that neat effect. Oh that bellini! Can’t stop using it! Click the middle photo to see this stage.
- I used a water brush to color these — something outta my normal mode of operation — and I have to say I love how it turned out!
- All of the watercolors are from the DS Essentials set, except for the jeans — those were done in indanthrone blue — more on that color later :)
A few sequins to finished off the card.
All About You + Shadowbox
I made this card for my nephew — he just finished his freshman year of high school with honors! (How is that even possible?!? Seems like he was just a baby!)
Here’s a few tips for this one:
- I like to keep masculine cards on the clean and simple side, but with little touches of something fun — and the All About You set really hit the spot!
- I used navy cardstock for a bit of a retro vibe here — looks cooler than black!
- The striped element is from the Shadowbox die — I just ran it through the machine on watercolor paper and then slide it along the grove to extend it.
- Then I watercolored away, once again using the DS Essentials set plus indanthrone blue!
- The “you” in the All About You dies was cut from gold glitter paper — gold foil paper would work too!
I plan to put some of that gold confetti in the inside of the card — but not the tiny gold stars as my sister would kill me lol! — we have a running joke where I put confetti in and he tries to open the card without any falling out! HA!
Organic Elements + Essential Arches
Can I just say how much I loved shaped cards? And the Essential Arches make it super easy — just hang the die off the edge and run it through the machine and ta dah!
I went to town stamping the Organic Elements all over my base card — and I just couldn’t stop playing! Check it:
These cards were done on textured paper and I feel like it really gives a luxe feeling to the stamping and that organic feel!
I used the arches again to make a matching shaped window on the card for the sentiment — just love how these turned out. Pro tip: stamp your sentiment first to get the best placement.
Find a full writeup of these cards HERE on the Ellen Hutson blog!
Abstract Mountain + Abstract Sunset
Next up, the Abstract Sunset (or is it a sunrise?!) and Abstract Mountain dies!
First up, Abstract Mountain!
I’ll have a little video of how I watercolored these coming soon, so stay tuned. I used my trusty DS Essentials set once again, plus indanthrone blue. Oh that blue — there’s nothing like it!
Pro tip: whenever I’m working with teeny tiny sequins like those stars I gotta have this jewel picker tool and this glue! Otherwise I’d lose my mind lol!
I couldn’t resist adding a little stitching to the sun on the Abstract Sunset!
That’s it for the cards — for now! I have more in the works!
Supplies
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>> Shop the full June Release right HERE! <<
Here’s the supplies all listed out for ya, too!
New Hotness
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Thanks so much for joining me, and don’t forget to head over to Instagram to see what the rest of the team has been up to — and enter to win some sweet prizes!
Hope you have a great weekend! xoxo — Lisa