card design

LADYBUG COLOR POP

I loved the “highlight” idea in these cards by Therese Calvird and it was one of the first things I wanted to try with the Mondo Gerbera Daisy when it arrived. I love the simplicity!

Although the flower is an open line design, I didn’t want to color it (the whole point of the design is to take a small aspect and highlight it with color) so to soften the starkness of the black and white a bit and add just a smidge of texture, I added a few fine spatters of black acrylic paint.

Then I cheated. •insert shocked eyeballs•

Therese uses a straight edge paper trimmer to cut out a panel in the center; I grabbed my Hero Arts Infinity Rectangle Dies. •sheepish grin• Mounted the outer “frame” to my base card, and then 3D mounted the center panel.

Sweet li’l ladybug was stamped onto a scrap of white card stock and colored in with pencil. After she was popped up on the card front, I gave her a nice coating of Glossy Accents, and Bob’s yer Uncle! •fist pump•

In other news, my “Meet the Maker” page over on the Ellen Hutson website very recently published—you can check it out HERE. •chinkle•

Cheers and hope you have a fab day!

BEAR GRILLS

Bear is from All Inside and has two previous accessory sets prior to this one called Bear Ware and Bear Ware 2

Truly, I had no idea of the phenomenon that dressing up Bear would become. My original intention was for him to convey the visual concept of a “hug”, especially holding the heart in that set—the set that started it all. That was all. Umm, that was supposed to be all.

And then, somehow, the idea to give him a few more treasures to hold crept in (Bear Ware). Then, it seemed Bear needed to be outfitted for fall and winter, as well… (Bear Ware 2)

And, now we’ve come around to spring and summer, in Bear Ware 3. I must admit the Weber is due to my Mister’s fondness for BBQing anything and everything that can possibly be grilled… Many of you may already be aware of my secret dinner weapon: Keep the fridge stocked with meats at all times and he will do the cookin’! Heh, heh, heh…! •fist pump•

Bear and his accoutrements were stamped with bleed-proof black ink onto watercolor paper, watercolored with Clean Color Real Brush Markers and a waterbrush, before die cutting, trimming the Weber lid and then subsequently mounting everything to a white card base I’d already prepped with a sentiment and a hand-drawn horizon line.

Smoke is actually steam borrowed from a Breve Note. It’s hard to see in the photos, but the grill, the hot dog and Bear’s nose were given a high gloss sheen using Glossy Accents.

Thanks for stopping by today! Cheers!

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NEON WATERCOLOR

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I have a quick video tutorial for achieve neon watercolor effects for ya’ today—I shared a sneak peek of the Mondo Gerbera Daisy on Instagram and was asked how I did it.

I tried to shoot and film this multiple ways, but suffice it to say, it is very difficult to capture the beautiful, eye-popping color you get by mixing in fluorescent/neon hues—I hope you’ll take my word for it that is much more stunning in real life than can be photographed…

See Carly’s video for her fabulous shaped floral cards HERE.

Fluorescent Clean Color Real Brush Markers are absolutely fantastic for this look—you can use all neon colors (I’ve listed them all in the supplies so it’s easier for you to find them), but on a large scale floral like this one, I personally prefer to have a hint of neon mixed in with regular colors. Colors specific to this project are marked with an “ * “ in the supplies.

TIPS:

  • Heat embossed images give these markers a place for color to “sit” until you’re ready to blend it out with a water brush.

  • When working with mid-darker Clean Color Markers, keep in mind that a little color goes a long way; don’t fill in your image, but apply color close to/hugging the embossing lines—you can always add more after your first layer is dry.

  • Pale/pastel colors may need multiple applications of color in the same area if you plan to blend out with water.

  • Before applying fluorescent colors, I recommend allowing your base colors to dry; adding to wet paint may diffuse the color right away and diminish the intensity.

Happy neon watercoloring and thanks for stopping by today!

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LIVE CLASSES MAR 1-3 IN SACRAMENTO CA

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Want to learn some fun tips for making lovely clean and simple cards? Live in the Sacramento area? I’ll be teaching March 1-3 at my dear friend Stephanie’s Paper Garden Boutique and would love to have you join me!

Here’s the details:

Paper Garden Boutique
565 Pavilions Lane
Sacramento, CA . 95825
916-487-2737

• PLEASE CONTACT THE STORE TO REGISTER & RESERVE YOUR SEAT •
SPACE IS LIMITED TO 20 ADULTS PER SESSION

5 of 10 class projects shown here

5 of 10 class projects shown here

TAKE TEN - $40

Each of these clean and simple designs have an extra element of fun, but take only 10 minutes to create and feature easy tricks to simplify your card-making! Please bring a basic tool kit of your preferred adhesive, a small paper trimmer and detail scissors.

  • Friday, Mar 1 10am-12pm

  • Saturday, Mar 2 10am-12pm

  • Sunday, Mar 3 10am-12pm

5 of 10 class projects shown here

5 of 10 class projects shown here

HAPPY EVERYTHING - $40

Charming little details are what make clean and simple cards extra special. I’ll be sharing those little extras that I love to use on these 10 festive creations! Please bring a basic tool kit of your preferred adhesive, a small paper trimmer and detail scissors.

  • Friday, Mar 1 2-4pm

  • Saturday, Mar 2 2-4pm

  • Sunday, Mar 3 2-4pm

We have a lotta laughs and you make a lotta cards! Hope you can join me!

Cheers!

NEW ESSENTIALS BY ELLEN FEBRUARY 2019

Featured set: A Breve Note

I love using Liquid Appliqué to make fluffy. puffy white effects, like the vanilla ice cream on this card! •all the heart eyes• By the by, I’ve never had an affogato, but I think I should soon. Cuz I think I would kinda love it. OK, probably love it a latté! •chinkle•

After my card was finished, I squeezed a round-ish shape where I thought a scoop of ice cream would look good and “puffed” it. If you’ve never used Liquid Appliqué before, here’s a tip (or two):

TIP:

  • If you heat Liquid Appliqué right away, while it’s still wet, it puffs up “irregularly” and uneven, which, depending on the effect you’re going for, looks great, and what I did on this design. Don’t get too close with your heat gun; stay just close enough to watch it puff (you don’t want to scorch it) and then continue heating it gently, so it gets heated all the way thru, for maximum puff.

  • If you don’t heat it thoroughly, it will kinda deflate/collapse down because the gooey stuff on the inside is still wet. You can rectify that by heating it back up (gently) again. It will rise/puff back up and just continue gently heating it until it no longer deflates/collapses and holds its form.

  • If you wait overnight to heat Liquid Appliqué, it will have dried thoroughly and you will end up with a “smooth and consistent” puff—think freshly fallen snow, before any creature has had a chance to make tracks across it.

Inside caption: “Better latté than never” (from A Breve Note)

I actually used my Clean Color Real Brush Markers to lay down color where I wanted it, and then went over some of them lightly with a water brush to blend the colors out as I wanted. It’s kind of an earthy color scheme, but I really like it! (The specific colors I used are listed down below in the supplies) You can intensify the pale colors by going over them and building up the color but you really only need a light touch with the mid-darker colors; those are pretty intense on their own and a little goes a loooong way when you begin to blend them out with a waterbrush. Just sayin’…

The coffee themed stamp sets in this release make me so giddy—I’m caffeine fiend! The whole release is live now—you can see this latest collection here: Essentials by Ellen February 2019 Release. There’s a ton of creative “fuel” in the way of samples and ideas!

I’ll be sharing more samples in the coming days so I hope you’ll come back and see what else I’ve had fun making with this release!

Do you have a particular favorite?