Welcome to the Essentials by Ellen 2020 Holiday Release blog hop. Today I am joining a talented roster of ladies as we show off the stamps and dies that are launching in the Ellen Hutson shop today, Yay!
Buckle in, friends. This is a HUGE release, one that has a little something for everyone.
The first three cards I'm going to share feature the "Merry Little Christmas" Stamp and Die combo in concert with other brand new supporting dies. This set is probably my favorite from this release. I just love the line drawings, and especially the way Julie designed the greetings!
To start, let's use the cute little car that is en-route home with a Christmas Tree Stamp - eek! So Cute!
Summary of the Steps: First, I cut a little green tag from Catherine Pooler's "All Wrapped Up" 6x6 paper pad using the small round die from the new "Tag Trio Set".
Then, it was time to stamp and paint the car. First, I stamped it onto watercolour paper and used distress markers as my paints to watercolour it. After the paints dried, I Used 3D Foam adhesive to mount it onto the tag. Next, I cut white cardstock 8.5" x 5.5" and fold in half to make an A2 card. Then, using a stamp positioner, I stamped the greeting in place. Finally, I tied some bakers twine on the top of the tag then glued the tag to the front of the card.
Supply List:
Stamps and Dies: Merry Little Christmas Stamps and Coordinating Dies, Tag Trio Die Set all by Ellen Hutson
Ink: Midnight by Catherine Pooler
Distress ink markers: Festive Berries, Fired Brick, Barn Door, Vintage Photo, Peeled Paint, Mowed Lawn, Black Soot by Ranger
Cardstock: Solar White by Neenah, watercolour paper by Ranger
Patterned Paper: All Wrapped Up by Catherine Pooler
Other: Spellbinder's Platinum Die Cutting Machine, Medium Water Brush, MISTI Stamp positioner (large or small, either will work for cards), red and white baker's twine, 3D Foam adhesive
For my next card, I used the cabin stamp from the same "Merry Little Christmas" set and positioned it in front of a Northern Lights background, so that it really felt like a "little cabin in the woods".
Tip: If you've never made a Northern Lights background before, here's how I did it:
Using watercolour paper, first I painted blotches of Yellow, Green, Blue and Pink (from this set, which is on SALE right now!) onto the paper. The blotches don't have to touch, place them randomly on the paper. Then, I painted over the empty white parts of the watercolour paper and the edges of all the colors with black watercolor. In some places, I even lightly coated the entire colour with black. Remember, that you don't need the black to look uniformly dark. It can absolutely be darker in some places, and lighter in others. Allow the watercolor to dry - either naturally, or speed the process up by using a heat tool. After the paints were dry, I used the beautiful creamy white from the Kuretake Gansai watercolors set (which I also used for the black, above) and flicked little white specs onto the background for the stars. If you try your hand at this background, I recommend that you make a big 8.5" x 11" sheet of it, as once you have all the supplies at the ready, it only takes a tad more time to make a large sheet than it does to make a small background.
Supply List:
Stamps and Dies: Merry Little Christmas Stamps and Coordinating Dies, all by Ellen Hutson
Cardstock: Solar White by Neenah, watercolour paper by Ranger
Paints: Daniel Smith Paint set, Gansai Watercolour Set
Ink: Eucalyptus and Midnight by Catherine Pooler
Distress ink markers: Forest Moss, Peeled Paint, Tea Dye, Frayed Burlap, by Ranger
Other: Spellbinder's Platinum Die Cutting Machine, MISTI Stamp positioner (large or small, either will work for cards)
As I wrap up my trio of "Merry Little Christmas" cards, my final project combines that stamp set with two new dies; the "Swirling Flurries Die" and "Tag Trio Die Set".
As I was making this card, first I was thinking of a New York Christmas, with the icy blue cardstock... but then, as I started to watercolour the buildings I was thinking Burano, Italy with it's colourful frontages. ha ha. So, this is a card that can't quite decide if it wants to be an concrete city or an Italian city, but hey, I suppose that's what makes it unique, lol!
Supply List:
Stamps and Dies: Merry Little Christmas Stamps and Coordinating Dies, Swirling Flurries Die, Tag Trio Die Set all by Ellen Hutson
Ink: Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger
Distress ink markers: Festive Berries, Weathered Wood, Barn Door, Tumbled Glass, Evergreen Bough, Fossilized Amber, Crushed Olive, Vintage Photo, Peeled Paint, Mowed Lawn, Black Soot by Ranger
Cardstock: Solar White by Neenah, Arctic by Hero Arts
Other: Spellbinder's Platinum Die Cutting Machine, Medium Water Brush, MISTI Stamp positioner (large or small, either will work for cards), 3D Foam adhesive, blue and white baker's twine.
Let's talk a bit more about that stunning "Swirling Flurries Die Set", seen above. Isn't it perfect for creating winter backgrounds?!
Tip: This card is simple, but a trio of things; the snowflake accents, the navy border that is elevated with 3D adhesive, and the white stitched line, add the extra dimension that elevates the design from plain to visually interesting.
Supply List:
Stamps and Dies: Swirling Flurries Die, Tag Trio Die Set, It's all Good Stamp set, all by Ellen Hutson
Ink: Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger
Cardstock: watercolour paper by Ranger, Nautical and Arctic by Hero Arts
Paint: Cornflower Blue and Menthol Violet Gansai Tambi Watercolor paints
Other: Snow Flurries Mix (white snowflakes on card front) Spellbinder's Platinum Die Cutting Machine, Medium Water Brush, MISTI Stamp positioner (large or small, either will work for cards), 3D Foam adhesive, sewing machine and white thread
My next card swings back to our current season; Fall. This one showcases the new "Birch Tree Die". It comes with a secondary, included, die (which I did not use) that cuts leaves for the tree to easily transition it from a bare, Fall/Winter tree to a Spring or Summer tree, too.
Tip: As a quick way to add dimension to this card, I used vellum to create a shadow behind the trees. I simply cut a second copy of the birch die from a sheet of vellum, then glued it behind the previously cut white cardstock birch die, shifting it ever so slightly to the right and down in order to create the shadow. It is such a simple technique, but it adds so much!
Supply List:
Stamps and Dies: Birch Tree Die, Voices in my Head stamp and Starry Night Background Die, all by Ellen Hutson
Cardstock: Solar White by Neenah, Black Cardstock, Pumpkin Cardstock, Mustard Cardstock, Vellum
Other: Spellbinder's Platinum Die Cutting Machine, MISTI Stamp positioner (large or small, either will work for cards), 3D Foam adhesive
Let's move onto Christmas gifting! You've probably already noticed that I've used the brand new "Tag Trio Set" on several of my cards. Typically, a lot of my card designs incorporate tags, so I was really excited when Ellen Hutson shared that she would be adding this set to her Essentials by Ellen Collection.
In this sample, I combined it with the "Warmest Wishes" stamp set to create a lovely Christmas gift tag, that's ready to hang onto holiday gift bag!
With these tags, stamps, and a stamp positioner, it would be easy to whip out a huge pile of gifting tags in no time flat to help you get ready for the holidays.
Supply List:
Stamps and Dies: Warmest Wishes Stamp Set and Tag Trio Die Set all by Ellen Hutson
Cardstock: Solar White by Neenah
Ink: Sage, Cranberry Fizz, Sand Castle, Midnight by Catherine Pooler
Other: Spellbinder's Platinum Die Cutting Machine, MISTI Stamp positioner (large or small, either will work for cards)
Finally, I have another gift tag that I tied around a jar of homemade tomato sauce. The circle tag is from the "Tag Trio Die Set", and the stamp is from the "Made this for You" set.
This design was a little labour intensive as I decided to colour each letter individually with Distress markers in order to get this colourful greeting. However, it was worth it to get the look!
Supply List:
Stamps and Dies: Made this for You Stamp set and Tag Trio Die Set all by Ellen Hutson
Cardstock: Solar White by Neenah
Distress ink markers: Worn Lipstick, Evergreen Bough, Dried Marigold, Picked Raspberry, Abandoned Coral, Fossilized Amber, Crushed Olive by Ranger
Other: Spellbinder's Platinum Die Cutting Machine, MISTI Stamp positioner (large or small, either will work for cards)
Whew, that was quite the round up, thanks for sticking with me! Do you have a favourite from the release? If so, let me know!
To celebrate today's hop, Ellen is offering some super fun prizes!!! One lucky commenter will win the whole Essentials by Ellen holiday release! And another will receive $25 to spend at ellenhutson.com! For a chance to win, all ya' gotta' do is hop along, enjoy the fabulous eye candy, and leave a little love for your fellow crafters: increase your chances by commenting on each stop on the hop! Comments left before 11:59 PDT on October 14 will be entered to win. (Winners are selected randomly.)
Your next stop on the hop is the blog of Sarah Zayas, please go check her out!
HOP ROSTER:
- Ellen Hutson Blog
- Julie
- Adelina
- Laurel
- Jessica
- Carly
- Carolyn <-------- YOU ARE HERE
- Sarah Zayas
- Carissa
- Emily Mydlowski
- Kelly
- Jen Wong
- Therese
- Emily Midgett
- France Wisniewski
- Lisa
- Michele
- Ardyth
- Sandy
