coffee

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RADIO SILENCE . . .

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“Creativity needs to rest.”

 

I read that statement somewhere, and wish I could recall exactly where.

Sidebar: If this is a topic that doesn’t interest you, scroll on past.

But, it is something that hit me hard last spring and throughout these summer months; my work is “creative on demand”, by its very nature, and this comes with its own unique set of stressors. This is compounded, for me personally, by inherited clinical depression , anxiety (yes, I take medication and am not ashamed) and as someone who is a slow, methodical and linear sequential thinker (I envy those that can multi-task), with strong tendencies to hyperfocus on one task until it is completed. To the point of obsession.

When I am overwhelmed by all the above, I “withdraw” as a matter of self-preservation.

I’m pretty much a hot mess on a hamster wheel. Yeah, that sounds about right. And, while I can laugh about the vision this conjures up, I also know if I don’t step off the wheel when the warning signals begin rearing their ugly heads, things are really gonna’ go south. Don’t get me wrong; I firmly believe in hard work, but I also believe that the American “hustle culture”, in its current state, contributes greatly to mental health issues and burn out.

Like so many others, I am STILL trying to find balance between work and living life within my limitations . . .

“That’s all I got to say about that.”—Forrest Gump

My latest collection of stamps & dies released last week on ellenhutson.com and I have a few samples to share that might inspire you! Do you love the great outdoors or have peeps in your life that do? Then this release is soooooo perfect!!! You can see the entire collection over on the Ellen Hutson Release Page HERE (affil. link)

Gosh, I love solid stamps so. much. !!! They just make me so giddy I can’t even . . . #allthehearteyes

 

And, I gotta share my little “Airstream™” trailer tutorial from the Ellen Hutson YouTube Channel:

Video Tutorial HERE

If you don’t have that Birch Trees Cover Panel in your collection yet, well, by golly, you are missin’ out! Just sayin’ . . . I love that thing . . .

Have a great weekend!

Disclosure: Affiliate links to the products used in my projects, that I like and use may be included; I make a small commission when you purchase via those links, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for all your support!

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BEAR COZY KIT

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When I was a kid, I used to hand-embroider things like dishcloths, pillowcases and hankies and I had a little box to keep my flosses, needles, bits of fabric and an embroidery hoop. It was the very first hand-craft I can remember trying. (insert happy sigh here)

I’ve been having so much fun with this kit—I made THREE cozies straight away and man, I gotta say that I had forgotten how satisfying and relaxing just doing a simple blanket stitch (totally optional, but, isn’t it purdy????) is! I could makes these guys all day long, seriously! And, they’re just soOOoo stinkin’ cute, I can’t even . . . •all the heart eyes•

I added just two simple straight stitches to each of the eyes on my white bear, for eyelashes. And, my brown bear in the background has an even simpler whip stitch around his edges. love LOVE!!!

Here’s a few more details:

The kit is $29.99 and includes the dies, enough felt to make 12 cozies, coordinating embroidery floss, and access to additional digital content. It's perfect for a crafty get together with friends and I already know my granddaughter will want to make a pink bear cozy (pink is her favorite color, naturally!)

It all comes in a reusable, vinyl mesh zippered bag—super handy for keeping everything organized, storage AND for taking on-the-go! I love the fact that this kit is set up for peeps who like to sew and those who don't (various adhesives are listed below)—check out my YouTube video on the Ellen Hutson channel HERE for easy-peasy how-to’s and tips!


I can’t take the cuteness . . .

Have a fab day!

WITHOUT COFFEE

Black and a natural white + hints of copper . . . I’ve been on a neutral kick lately, not sure why, really—just that I keep gravitating towards it.

Clear embossed the cups and coffee makers/pots from A Breve Note all over black card stock and then filled in any gaps with the coffee beans to make this background—LOVE!!! —it’s such a chic look! This black card stock is quite loverly—a nice rich black and 100# weight.

The copper embossing powder I happened to have for the sentiment and the cup looks so good with that Rose-Gold Washi Tape •heart palps•

To-Go Cup was heat embossed onto watercolor paper and watercolored with Clean Color Real Brush Markers + a Pentel Aquash. By the way, if you haven’t seen it, my favorite way to use these markers is demonstrated in the video on this blog post: Neon Watercolor

The Clean Color Markers come in sets (there’s a nice variety of different sized sets), but you can also get the colors individually from Ellen’s, which I love because then I can easily replace the colors I use the most frequently, without having to buy a whole new set.

I know, I know—another messy thread nest. What can I say? When I like something, I use it until I’m sick of it . . . Even tho it’s been a number of years, I am still not sick of messy thread nests, thank you very much. •hair flip•

Such a clean, simple and satisfying card to make . . . •happy sigh•

Cheers!

TOO PEOPLEY

Sweet little latté art bear is gazing right up from my coffee cup today! Can you relate to the sentiment? I’m very much a home-body and usually avoid crowds. LOL!

Cup and sentiment were stamped with Brilliance Graphite Black because:

  1. It’s bleedproof when dry

  2. It will dry on non-porous surfaces like vellum quite nicely

The little bear was stamped with Versafine Clair in Pinecone; in hindsight, I think I did that because I wanted him to have a brown edge where the watercolored “coffee” butted up against. All the watercoloring was done using my Peerless Watercolors; like Brilliance, once it is dry, Versafine Clair ink is bleed proof when using water-based coloring mediums.

Used my mini score board to create some embossed accent lines 1/2” from the long edge and the short edge of the card front, just for some additional interest.

The speech bubble was die cut twice so I could stamp and layer them together and have the hearts showing through the vellum, onto which the sentiment was stamped, using this little trick:

  • Stamp sentiment on vellum speech bubble die cut and set aside to dry (or speed set with heat gun)

  • Stamp hearts on white speech bubble die cut; mask off the little tail with a scrap of Post It Note then send face down through Xyron machine (I have a 2.5” Xyron from years ago and use it when the little 1.5” X machine is too narrow for an item). This will apply adhesive everywhere but the tail of the die cut; discard the mask after you retrieve the bubble from the Xyron machine.

  • Layer the vellum speech bubble over the white speech bubble; it should adhere nicely across all areas, minus the tail area. See?! •grin•

  • Apply foam tape to the back of the whole thing, then lift the tail portion so you can slip the edge of the coffee cup in, sandwiching it between the white card stock and the vellum. The white card stock is hidden behind the cup and the vellum sits on top, looking like a “steamy” speech bubble and none of the adhesive shows! See?! •monkey clapping•

Little things, people. Little things like that are what really get me excited when I’m makin’ a card… •chinkle•

Cheers!

UNICORN FRAPPE

I've only tasted a Starbucks® Unicorn Frappé once; honestly, it was prettier to look at than it tasted (that sour bite in the middle is no joke.).    And, altho I'm not fond of purple, I had to mix a small dash of it into my watercolor work here to really get the background look I was going for.

 

I used Raspberry Tart Stickles to embellish (Apparently now retired. Why?  Why do you do this to me, Ranger Ink??? You did the same with Fruit Punch, which I will never forgive.  Unless you bring it back.)  I've listed a substitute down in the supplies, but since I don't own that one, I can't guarantee it will look quite as lush as Raspberry Tart does . . . I'm just sayin' . . . 

I'm loving all the watercoloring I see going on this month and totally stoked to be one of the guest artists in Kristina's Simply Watercolor class over at OCC--are you signed up?  She's got so many fun ideas, you'll wanna try them all! Seriously! 

Have a fab day!