card design

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A NEW ESSENTIALS BY ELLEN RELEASE AND A RAINFALL TUTORIAL

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CLICK ON THE GRAPHIC ABOVE TO GO STRAIGHT TO THE FEBRUARY 2021 RELEASE PAGE! ⬆️

CLICK ON THE GRAPHIC ABOVE TO GO STRAIGHT TO THE FEBRUARY 2021 RELEASE PAGE! ⬆️

YAY! It’s release day at ellenhutson.com ! ⬅︎ Check out all the lovelies—I’ve been a busy girl! •grin•

There’s so much to see and share—too much for one post, so I decided to focus on a few products today and share a video tutorial on a project I just fell in love with (more projects in the coming days, promise):

The rainfall or rain shaker card has been around for a long time, but I’ve never actually made one! And, there are several different ways to make one, of course. But, you know when you look at a product and wonder if you can do something with it that it wasn’t originally intended for? Yeah, that’s what happened here with the Never-Ending Fringe Die . . .

Inside message: “Does somebody need a hug?” (from Just Squidding)

Inside message: “Does somebody need a hug?” (from Just Squidding)

These are seriously too much fun! I definitely gotta get more beads—I just have those pretty silver-lined ones, but how fun would it be to have a variety of colors??? •wheels are spinning• Have you tried making one of these before? I already pre-cut a whole bunch of stubby fringe so I can bust out more of these babies! EEP!!!

Sooooo, what do you think of the latest release? Do you have a favorite?

Thanks for stopping by and hope you are continuing to stay healthy and safe out there!

SUPPLIES:

Disclosure: Affiliate links used wherever possible; when you purchase via my links I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you, so please—buy all the things! And, thanks so much for your support!

SUPER SPARKLY HEAT EMBOSSING

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Can you use just “glitter embossing powder”—you know, the kind with the glitter built right in? Sure! It works! But, what if you want a “luxe” glitter effect? Oh, man, nothing beats Sticky Stuff + glitter and in my opinion? Totally worth that extra step!

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I’ve used Sticky Stuff for well over a decade; I like the grind and how it’s always beens super reliable for me. Yes, there are other similar sticky embossing powders out there, but I always come back to this one for the best sticky experience. LOL!

Hope you are doing well and getting some holiday crafty time in! Stay safe and healthy!

TIPS:

  • Use a well-inked embossing pad so this specialty embossing powder really sticks.

  • Pre-heat your embossing tool for at least 30 seconds.

  • Watch carefully as you apply the heat; once the powder turns “wet” looking, move on to the next area; do not overheat or it will cause the embossing powder to cure/harden. When properly heated, you can let it cool and touch it with your finger tip to feel that it is tacky. If it’s “hard”, you overheated and nothing will stick to it.

  • After applying the glitter, “lock” it in (cure the embossing powder) by reheating with powder from the back side and around the front; this will cause the powder to harden and trap the glitter to it.

  • Glitter not your thing? Try ground coffee, sand, flock powder, transfer foils . . .

RESCUE A CLEAN AND SIMPLE CARD

feat. MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS / ALPINE SNOWFALL DIE

feat. MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS / ALPINE SNOWFALL DIE

There’s nothing more annoying than a random ink smudge on a card—even more so when the design features a lot of beautiful, clean, white space . . . GAAAAH!!! Sometimes, it’s bad . . . so bad . . . and other times, you can salvage it. Just before frisbee-ing (is that a word?) into the circular file, I figured a Hail Mary might save it . . .

One of the best.expenditures.ever.

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What are your favorite “little” things for dressing up your cards?

BTW, I voted today and am super thankful for WA state’s long-established mail-in ballot system.

Hope you are staying safe, healthy and hopefully, crafty when time permits!

TIPS FOR THE DAY:

  • A sand eraser can work pretty well with dyed card stock, rather than printed or “white core” card stock, which is why dyed is my preferred.

  • Seriously etched cutting plates/pads will transfer those marks to the inside of your card; not a good look. You can reduce or even eliminate this by laying down some typing paper between the card and the plate before running the project through your die cutting machine.

  • Need to kick your project up a notch? Stickles and Twine (or cord) are two staples in my craft supplies that I can always rely on for that little extra sumpin’-sumpin’.

HOW TO MAKE A FULL GLITTER PANEL

If you could see how much this sparkles IRL, you would ooh and aaaaahh. Seriously.

Oh, and I do have a few extra tips that I’ve included (towards the end of my post) that I didn’t actually think to mention in the video at the time of recording, so you may want to check those out, too.

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This is really a simple card, but it looks a LOT more complex. And, the “full-on glitter” always seems to dazzle peeps! I’m sure it also shocked anyone that knows me that I would actually let my hands get glitter all over them. Now, in all honesty, I really do hate getting stuff on my hands like this, BUT, this is one of the few end results that I will actually tolerate getting a little messy over.

And, if I can do this, you can do this. Well, I should say, “most of you”; I do have one stamping friend who cannot abide loose glitter and she would refuse.

FULL-ON GLITTER PANEL TIPS:

  • Stamp images with a fast-drying dye ink; pigment ink takes a long time to dry completely and sheet adhesive (double-sided sticky tapes, tape runners, etc.) will not stick to any surface that has wet ink.

  • Bold images tend to show through the glitter better than fine/detail images.

  • If you have a Xyron machine, use that instead of sheet adhesive.

  • A plastic bin large enough to place a card front face down makes this technique much easier and more convenient.

  • Turn OFF your ceiling fan during the “glitter bath” (if you have one); ask me how I know . . .

INK SWIPED BACKGROUND

Joan Bardee, a.k.a. Dear Paperlicious has shared a number of card designs featuring bold colors that just had me craving to make something along the same lines . . .

“Ink swiping” is an oldie but goody that fit the bill so I grabbed some Altenew Dye Ink Cubes for this project.

The sentiment was clear embossed over the ink swiping so the colors would show through—I love this look so much! But, a word to the wise: Make sure the inked surface is COMPLETELY dry before heat embossing. Sit on your hands and wait, or be like me, •hair flip• and heat set, then pounce the surface well with an anti-static powder (blow excess off before stamping) so the embossing powder only sticks to the embossing ink from the sentiment itself.

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The deer couple looks so elegant and sophisticated all in white—I just layered the die cuts multiple times to create faux chipboard, and then spot foiled some details using a Zig Two Way Glue Pen and some gold I-craft Deco Foil

INK SWIPING TIPS:

  • Pigment inks or dye inks work for this; you can use full size or ink cubes, as I did here, but having them well inked (as opposed to dry) will tend to give you the best results. Dry ink pads can result in the pad separating from the base, instead of gliding over the paper surface.

  • Depending on the desired effect, small cubes can be easier when applying multiple colors.

SPOT FOILING TIPS:

  • Use a glue that remains tacky when dry; I personally like Zig Two Way Glue Pens because they go on blue, but become clear when dry.

  • Make sure the glue is dry and tacky or foil will not transfer.

  • Apply transfer foil with pretty side up; use pads of your fingers (not your nails) to rub firmly to transfer the foil. For a project like the above, scraps of foil are all you need, so it’s worth saving foil scraps . . . just sayin’ . . . •wink•

Have you tried ink swiping? I should remember to use it more often.

Thanks for stopping by and continue to stay safe and healthy out there!