Ellen Hutson – Essentials By Ellen Birthday Celebration

Oh my goodness everyone! I am SO EXCITED to be guest designing over on the Ellen Hutson blog today with goodies from the most recent birthday release. There was so many amazing products but I absolutely had to use the new party hat add on dies to the pyramid box and those sweet new birthday critters too. They’re my favorite!

I’ve got a fun box and a pair of gift tags to share with you today. As we go through the process you’ll see how I literally fell into the tags while creating the gift box. It was so perfect and really fun!

First, I chose a color palette that struck me in the moment and grabbed my dies. I cut the box pieces (2) and base for the sides (6) from white cardstock. Then I decided to try the striped hat first so I cut the stripes from each color twice.

I started at the top of each triangle and just followed the same color pattern down, starting with the next in the order for each side. It worked perfectly and the stripes spiral around the box. It’s soooo cool! This also meant that I had two extra panels at the end…perfect for tags!!!

I cut two additional bases from white cardstock and used my scoring board to score them 1 1/2″ down from the point. This gave a good size area to glue the pieces to the striped panels but also left enough area to write to, from and a small message. I prefer liquid glue to adhere things like this but you could use tear tape or tape runner if you prefer.

With all of my pieces assembled, it was time to decorate them! I often play with my stamps like this before actually stamping and coloring. It gives an idea for how things will fit and if I’ll need duplicates of an image. Remember, it’s not a guarantee for not needing to go back and stamp more or switch things out in the end but it really helps the process for me.

Next, I used my copic swatch chart to find colors that matched my cardstock, then I toned them all down to the pastel shade of those. This way my images were soft and popped off the bright tags and gift box. I colored everything and used the coordinating dies to cut them all out. Aren’t they the cutest!?!

For my gift tags, I punched a hole in the top and threaded twine through the hole. Then I cut the pom pom shape in the die set and added it with a foam square so I let the twine move freely. I added my images with foam squares as well and finished them off with stardust Stickles.

Something was missing not having a sentiment though so I stamped and heat embossed the new Birthday Vibes stamp set and used the sentiment strips die to cut them all out. This is totally genius and so wonderful to have all of these sentiments at my fingertips so quickly! I trimmed the strips down and added them to the tags with liquid glue.

Now, you can totally use the paper pom pom in the die set to add fun to the top of your pyramid box as well but I just couldn’t resist adding a yarn version to my box for that something extra. Isn’t it silly and so fun!?! I love it!

There are lots of pom pom makers out there, which is what I use, but you can also just create your own with cardboard or a fork too. Just search “diy pom pom maker” on google, pinterest or youtube and you’ll see lots of ideas.

I prefer instant adhesion with things like this so I used hot glue to add mine to my box and then foam squares to add the cake and sentiment strip to the side. I finished the candles off with glossy accents for a little shine.

Products used today:
Pyramid Box die
Pyramid Box Party Hat Add-on dies
Birthday Vibes stamps
Sentiment Strips die
Party Time stamps and dies
Foam squares
Glossy accents
Stickles – stardust
Bearly Art liquid glue

I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day!

Spellbinders – Glimmer Cardfront Collection

Hi crafty friends. Today I have a pair of cards using the Spellbinders Glimmer Cardfront Collection. This is a small collection with large hot foil sentiments and a beautiful layering stencil. The stencil also has a coordinating die available if you weren’t going to hot foil sentiments over the top. I used it in my card earlier this month. Today I have two cards featuring the hot foil sentiments though.

I started with the card on the left because I wanted to pair the stenciled panel with the die cut frame you see and that sentiment fit so perfectly, I couldn’t ignore it.

So, I inked up the Hello Blooms stencil on a piece of white cardstock and then used my Glimmer Foil Press to hot foil the Giant Thank You sentiment over the top of the stenciling. Then I die cut the Scrolled Punch and Pierce Plate from white cardstock. I inked up the inside edge of the largest frame with yellow ink and then glued it to the foiled panel. I didn’t like how much white there was so I went around the outer edge with the same orange ink I used on the flower in the stenciling.

Once that was how I liked it, I just glue the panel to a card base and my card was all finished. I really couldn’t believe how cool this looks and how easy it was to create.

So I couldn’t stop at just one and wanted to try some non-traditional colored flowers next. Why not?!?

This one turned out so pretty! After stenciling the flowers, I hot foiled my sentiment and trimmed the panel down to 4×5.25 inches. I was going to pop it up on a white card base but there was too much white for me. So I simply took the same blending brush I used for all the blue flowers and inked up the edge of a white card base with whatever ink was left.

Then I popped the panel up with foam tape for a little dimension. For this card, I thought it would be fun to add some silver baubles for added shine and interest. I seriously love it! Don’t you?!?

Products used today:
Hello Blooms stencil
Card Full of Hugs hot foil plate
Giant Thank You hot foil plate
Scrolled Punch & Pierce plate
Spellbound hot foil variety pack
Foam tape
Bearly Art liquid glue
Blending brushes
Lawn Fawn dye inks
Silver baubles

I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day!

Pink & Main – May Pup

Hey friends! I’m over on the Pink & Main blog today with some sweet doggo inspiration featuring the May Pup stamps and dies. If you’ve followed since January, you’ll know that this set is a gift with minimum purchase for a short time after each release and then it’s also available in the shop if you just want to pick it up. They are themed for each month and are absolutely adorable!

I stamped and colored the pup and his beach ball with copic markers before using the coordinating dies to cut them out. Then I grabbed the new Warm Basics paper pad and chose a couple of fun patterns for my background. I cut the yellow from the third-to-largest Stitched Diamond die and used the largest Layered Rectangle on the stripes.

Next, I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment from May Pup and used the coordinating die to cut it out as well. Can we just take a moment to say how AWESOME it is when die sets also have the match for sentiments?!? I love it so much! It seriously makes my day.

Now that everything is ready I started assembling my pieces. I glued the stripes to a white card base with EZ Squeeze liquid glue. Then I popped the diamond up with foam tape. Next I added the pup, beach ball and sentiment with foam squares. Be sure to double your foam where they overhang the diamond so they still lay nice and flat. This only equaled like 2 1/2 extra foam squares and it’s totally worth it!

Now that this pup is ready for fun in the sun, I moved on to finishing touches. Today I added Touch of Gloss to the sunglasses, beak on the floaty and center of the beach ball. It just gives a little shine to everything which catches your eye in the light. Then I added white gel pen highlights to all the images. Finally, I added a scattering of Pretty Posies glitter enamel dots. I love that they match the paper pad so perfectly!

Are you ready for fun in the sun? I really am! We’re taking the longest camping trip ever (I think) for July 4th and I’m so excited I think about it every day and it’s a month and a half away still!

Products used today:
May Pup stamps and dies
Stitched Diamond dies
Layered Rectangles dies
Foam tape and squares
Touch of Gloss
Magic Anti-static Brush
Embossing and Watermark Ink
Icicle embossing powder
Warm Basics paper pad
Pretty Posites glitter enamel dots
EZ Squeeze liquid glue

I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day!

Newton’s Nook – Cat-purr-ccino

Hello everyone. I’m so happy to be on the Newton’s Nook blog again. This time I’ve been in the mood for coffee themed cuteness so I pulled out Newton’s Mug and decided to play around with it.

I started by stamping the main image from Newton’s Mug. Then I used masking paper to mask off everything except the main part of the mug. Then I stamped the Floral Roundabout on that to create a gorgeous floral coffee mug. Wouldn’t you just love to have this in your cupboard?!? I would! Next, I used my copic markers to color everything in before cutting it out with the coordinating die.

I used the smallest circle die in the Frames Squared set for my sentiment and then the cool label shape from iridescent vellum for a base under my Newton image. Next, I pulled out the Frames & Flags dies to cut the rounded rectangle from a piece of paper in the Spring Blooms paper pad and a white scalloped rectangle to go under that.

Assembling my layers was simple. I worked top down. Foam squares attach the sentiment and Newton to the vellum label. Then I knew where I could hide tape runner to attach that to the floral panel. I tied peach twine around the bottom part of that and tied it in a bow before adding foam tape to the back, avoiding the twine area so it lays flat. That is attached to the white scalloped rectangle with the foam tape and the whole thing is glued to a white card base with liquid glue.

For finishing touches I used Touch of Gloss on the flower centers and Newton’s nose. Then I glued one pink clay heart under the sentiment from the Twiddler’s Nook sweethearts mix.

I would love to know what you think about the masking on the mug and if you’ve ever tried anything like that before. Share your ideas below!

Products used:
Newton’s Mug stamps and dies
Floral Roundabout stamps
Frames & Flags dies
Frames Squared dies
Spring Blooms paper pad
Liquid glue
Foam tape
Touch of Gloss
Sweethearts embellishment mix

I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day!

Doodlebugs – Mama Elephant | Froggy Gift Pocket Tag with Stitching

Hello everyone! I’m excited to share but sad at the same time that this is my last week guest designing for Doodlebugs. It’s been really fun creating with Mama Elephant goodies to share with you and I always love shopping at Doodlebugs, so I’d say that’s a win!

Today I’m sharing a fun gift card holder featuring the Little Agenda Froggy, Gift Pocket Tag dies and Easy Sentiments. I love that the gift pocket tag has a panel you can optionally add stitching holes to if that’s your thing. I love stitching on these small areas for a bit of relaxation in front of the TV.

The first thing I did was die cut the card and stitching holes, then chose some embroidery floss and started playing. After having to undo what I stitched because the math wasn’t right, I drew out a grid and started playing to make sure my pattern would work. Once that was decided, I stitched the panel up and glued it to my gift card holder tag.

Then I stamped and colored a few frogs from the Little Agenda Froggy stamp set and used the coordinating dies to cut them out. Next, I stamped and heat embossed a set of sentiments from Easy Sentiments and used the coordinating die to cut them out. This set is fun because you stamp and cut three sentiments at once.

I added everything with foam squares and flipped my project over to decorate the other side next!

On this side, I inked the white panel with yellow ink and a blending brush before popping more cute froggies up with foam squares. Then I glued another sentiment down with liquid glue. I did this so the card won’t get caught going in and out of the slot.

Next, I cut a hole reinforcer for both sides and glued them in place. I threaded ribbon through the hole and tied it with twine.

For finishing touches, I added black glaze pen to all the frog’s eyes and glossy accents to parts of the images like the heart, flower center, strawberry and balloon.

In case you like the idea of stitching on this panel but aren’t sure where to start, I created an idea sheet with six different patterns that are sized perfectly for this Gift Pocket Tag die set. Click HERE to download it.

Products used today:
Mama Elephant Little Agenda Froggy stamps and dies
Mama Elephant Gift Pocket Tag dies
Mama Elephant Simple Sentiments stamps and dies
Lawn Fawn butter ink
Blending brush
Foam squares
Double-sided adhesive – 1/4″
Sakura black glaze pen
Glossy accents
Copic markers

I hope you enjoyed these projects and found some inspiration to create something wonderful to share with someone! I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day!

Spellbinders – Love You So Much

Hello everyone. I’m back with another card featuring products from the Spellbinders Photosynthesis Collection from Simon Hurley. The products are so different but work amazing together. Today I used a background die, floral dies and a hot foil sentiment. I even made it a flat shaker with super fine glitter that moves around behind the chevrons.

I started by inking up an A2 piece of white cardstock with light purple ink around the edges. Then I cut it with the Zig Zag Chevron cover plate. I added a piece of acetate to the back with liquid glue. Then I inked another piece of cardstock with seedless preserves and milled lavender distress oxide ink. I spritzed the panel with water and blotted it dry. Next, I sprinkled some super fine glitter on the panel and sealed it up with liquid glue adhering the chevron panel on top.

I chose some colors and started die cutting florals from the Floral Stems die set and used liquid glue to adhere the layers together, and then added them to stems with leaves. I gathered them together in an arrangement so you could see them all and glued them to the card front.

Finally, I added a hot foiled sentiment from the Must-Have Sentiments glimmer hot foil plate and die set. This set is top on my favorites because it hot foils and die cuts multiple fantastic sentiments all at once. I love having a stash to choose from when I’m running out of time and need something extra to add to my card.

Products used today:
Zig Zag Chevron dies
Floral Stems dies
Must-Have Sentiments glimmer plate
Liquid glue
Foam squares
Silver hot foil
Pink & Main Super Fine Glitter – icicle
Distress Oxide Ink – seedless preserves and milled lavender
Blending brush

I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day!

Pixi Dust Designs – Bee Happy Release Day

Hey there crafty friends!!! It’s release day for Pixi Dust Designs and I have a SUPER fun slimline card to share with you today using the new Bee Happy die set. These guys are so fun and this die set is packed with lots of options to play around with too.

I started by cutting out all the pieces to my rainbow bees. The wings are cut from vellum and everything else from cardstock. Then I used liquid glue to adhere the cardstock pieces together. I added the wings with glue dots and then covered the glue dot up with a color coordinating gem. I absolutely LOVE how these turned out!

For my background, I cut a slimline stitched panel using the next-to-largest die in the Stitched Rectangle Slimline die set. Then I cut the honeycomb piece in Bee Happy three times. I arranged them different ways and glued them together where they overlapped. This way I had one long piece of honeycomb for my background. I glued that down with liquid glue and then added some of the hexagon pieces that pop out of the frame inside random openings. Next, I splattered the panel with gold watercolor.

While I was doing that I thought it would be cool to paint some of the leftover hexagons with the same paint and insert those too. This turned out so cool. I couldn’t love it more!

The die set also comes with a “Bee Happy” sentiment that is so punny and fun. I cut it from black cardstock three times and glued the layers together with liquid glue. I set it where I thought I wanted it to go while I decided final placement of the bees. Once it was laid out, I glued the sentiment down with liquid glue.

Then I added my cute bees with foam squares one at a time…enjoying that sweet bee rainbow so much! Last, I added the stitched panel to a white card base with foam tape for even more dimension and interest.

Bee sure to check out the whole May release at Pixi Dust Designs!

Products used today:
Bee Happy dies
Stitched Rectangle Slimline dies
Foam squares
Liquid glue
Rainbow gems
LH Colors watercolor – gold

I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day!

Miss Ink Stamps – Rain or Shine

Welcome everyone! I’m back with some Miss Ink Stamps inspiration using products from the brand new release! I have a sweet card featuring Rain or Shine and then a set of quick and easy stencil only cards at the end.

I was feeling a little watercolor mood this time so I cut a piece of watercolor paper and stamped my image on that. Then I used Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers and a water brush pen to color them in.

Next, I cut an A2 size piece of teal cardstock and inked it up with the Rattan stencil for texture. Then I used a circle die to cut a window from the upper center of it. I added foam tape to the back and attached it to my image panel. That’s when I decided to add more texture, so I inserted the circle cutout to protect the image and flicked teal ink and gold watercolor on the panel.

Next, I stamped my sentiment and cut it out with a banner die before popping it up on the front of the stenciled panel. I used liquid glue and adhered the whole thing to a card base before adding Touch of Gloss to all the raindrops in the picture. Then I went over the critters’ eyes and noses with a black glaze pen so they shine too.

I just think these new bear and rabbit images are adorable and so very sweet! I look forward to coloring them up in different combos.

Next, I have a trio of cards to share using the Bear Hugs stencil set. It’s an adorable set and makes it really simple to create lots of cards in a flash.

I chose a few different colors and inked up the layers on white cardstock. Then I trimmed the panels down to 4×5.25 inches. I used a simple method to add the same color to the card bases – direct-to-paper with the ink pad I used on the stencil. This way it all matches. You just run your ink pad alone the edge of your paper. Yes, just drag it. If you’re nervous, test it out on a scrap.

After the card bases matched my stenciled panels, I popped the bear panels up with foam tape. For finishing touches I added Touch of Gloss to the bear noses and eyes, stardust Stickles to the cheeks and a little red heart on their chest for good measure.

Aren’t they the cutest?!?

Products used today:
Rain or Shine stamps
Rattan stencil
Bear Hugs stencils
Foam tape
Touch of Gloss
Stickles – stardust
Sweethearts embellishment mix (red hearts)
LH Colors – gold watercolor
Blending brushes
Lawn Fawn dye inks

I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day!

Newton’s Nook – May Release Day 4

The week is winding down and we’re here with one more day of release reveals for the Newton’s Nook May release! Get your checklists ready because the release is available tomorrow! But first!!! We have one more adorable stamp and die set to share with you.

Newton’s Hanging Basket stamps and dies

I immediately fell in love with this the moment I saw it. This trouble-making kitty just makes me smile and I couldn’t wait to color him up!

I started my card by stamping and coloring the image with copic markers. I stamped a few extra leaves knowing straight away that we were going to need some trailing down. Then I used the coordinating dies to cut them all out.

Next, I inked up the background panel with the new Trailing Leaves stencil, adding some reddish-pink areas to mimic the way I colored the image.

I die cut a vellum heart using the next-to-largest Heart Frames die. Then stamped and heat embossed my sentiment on the upper right of the heart.

I added Newton to the heart with foam squares and hid tape runner behind him to add the heart to the stenciled panel. I prefer dry adhesive with vellum whenever possible to help it not wrinkle.

Next, I added my trailing leaves with foam squares as well. For finishing touches I added Touch of Gloss to Newton’s nose and a scattering of black baubles to the design. I absolutely LOVE how bright and bold this card turned out.

Would you like to win the “Newton’s Hanging Basket” Stamp Set? This stamp set will be given away to ONE lucky winner!

Here’s how to win: Comment on the NND blog and Design Team blogs (see list below)! Thewinner will be chosen at random from the collective reveal posts. Make sure to check out each of their blogs and comment for your chance to win. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning! You have until Thursday May 18th at 9pm ET to comment — winners will be announced on the blog post on Friday, May 19th.

Check out all the awesome Design Team Blogs below to enter:

Newton’s Nook Designs

Pink & Main – May Sneak Peek Sprinkles of Joy

Hi again! I’m over on the Pink & Main blog today with a sneak peek of the upcoming May release. Who doesn’t love ice cream? Seriously, it’s probably my most desired sweet treat so I just had to color this cutie up when I saw her!

I also don’t love choosing a flavor so multiple scoops, means multiple flavors of ice cream! I stamped my sweet girl and her giant ice cream cone, plus the cherry for the top and colored everything with copic markers. Then I used the coordinating dies to cut them out. I used liquid glue to attach the cherry and set them aside.

I ran a piece of brown cardstock through my die cut machine in the Grid embossing folder, then I used the largest Concave Rectangle die to cut it out. I love how this looks like the ice cream cone! Isn’t that fun!?! I added this panel to a white card base with foam tape. Then switched gears to my sentiments.

First, I took white cardstock scraps and colored parts of them with the same copic markers as the ice cream scoops. Then I stamped my sentiment on one and cut it out and used the upcoming Simple Sentiments dies to cut out the shadow for HI so they coordinate with the image. I also cut HI from white cardstock three times and glued them together before gluing them to the shadow.

Next, I added my image and sentiments to the card front with foam squares and tape. I added Touch of Gloss to the cherry on the ice cream, highlights of the ice cream scoops and the little girl’s shoes. Last, I scattered glitter enamel dots from the Blessings pack across the design.

Products used today:
Sprinkles of Joy stamps and dies
Simple Sentiments dies
Concave Rectangles dies
Grid embossing folder
Foam tape
EZ Squeeze liquid glue
Touch of Gloss
Glitter Enamel Dots – blessings

I appreciate you sharing your time with me! Stay tuned for release day on Friday where you can see it all and snag your next round of crafty goodness!