TWO CUTE COFFEE CARD IDEAS

These two coffee card ideas for the Latté Love stamp set have been flittin’ around my brain for nearly a year—but the idea for incorporating a hidden gift card pocket was inspired by one of Yana Smakula’s creations. Super ingenious!

These were just fun to make using a simple faux watercolor technique that I’ve always loved.

Hidden gift card pocket was inspired by this Yana Smakula gem!

So, anyone else as anal as I am about my card matching the theme or the colors of the gift card housed inside? I seriously doubt anybody who receives a gift card gives a flyin’ fig about that, so why, why, WHY do I ponder how to make them match at least somewhat???

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SUPPLIES:

• Latte Love by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps

• Latte Love by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies

• High Five By Julie Ebersole, Essentials By Ellen Designer Dies

• Hex Frames by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies

• Mid Brown, Zig Art & Graphic Twin Tip Marker

• Tonic Nuvo Light Mist Spray Bottle, 2 pack

• Ranger Mini Mister Set

• Water Mist Bottle, Hero Arts

• Mini Media Mat, Waffle Flower Tools

• Small Fine Point (23638), Pentel Arts Aquash Water Brush

• Watercolor Paper Pad 9x12, Canson XL

• 40 lb. Vellum - 25 pk, Bazzill

• Scrapbook Adhesives Crafty Foam Tape, White

• Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Pale Rose, 10 pk

• Desert Storm - 25 pk, Neenah Environment Cardstock

• Brilliance Ink Pad, Graphite Black

• Dual Speed Heat Tool, WOW

• Clear Droplets, HAI Sequins

• 2 oz. (Pink), Ranger Fine Tip Applicators

• Glossy Accents, Ranger Accents

• Platinum 6 Die Cutting And Embossing Machine, Spellbinders Tools -EH / Scrapbook.com

• Crafter's Companion Gemini Junior -EH / Scrapbook.com

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links; if you see something you like, want or need, and purchase via my links, I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, which I use to buy coffee, which fuels my creativity and provides energy to make more card ideas. And, pay the rent.

MAKING A LIGHT UP CARD

I’ve been wanting to make this card for awhile now—so fun to make the night sky light up for this adorable Lil’ Squatch peeking out of the forest . . .

Those EZ-Lights are my favorite—I love how quick and easy it is to work with them!

Have a great weekend—stay safe out there!

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SUPPLIES:

• Lil' 'Squatch by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps -EH

• Lil' 'Squatch by Julie Ebersole, Essentials By Ellen Designer Dies -EH

• EZ-Lights - Pear Blossom Press

• VersaFine Clair Ink Pad, Nocturne -EH

• Pearl Colors, 6 Color Set, Gansai Tambi -EH

• 36 Color Set, Gansai Tambi -EH

• 24 Color Set, Gansai Tambi -EH

• Silver Brush Black Velvet Watercolor Brushes, Short Round 4 -EH

• Mini Media Mat, Waffle Flower Tools -EH

• Ebony Black 100 lb - 25pk, Essentials By Ellen Cardstock - EH

• Watercolor Paper Pad 9x12, Canson XL -EH

• Black Mini MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (6-1/8 X 7), Hero Arts -EH

• Mini MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (6-1/8 X 7), My Sweet Petunia -EH

• Dual Speed Heat Tool, WOW -EH

• Scrapbook Adhesives Crafty Foam Tape, White -EH

• X-Press It Tape Runner -EH

• Crafter's Companion Gemini Junior -EH / Scrapbook.com

• Platinum 6 Die Cutting And Embossing Machine, Spellbinders Tools -EH / Scrapbook.com

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links; if you see something you like, want or need, and purchase via my links, I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, which I use to buy coffee, which fuels my creativity and provides energy to make more card ideas. And, pay the rent.

RELAX & CREATE - PAINTING SKIN TONES WITH JUST 3 COLORS

Surprisingly enough, you can use just 3 colors from your collection of Gansai Tambi watercolors to develop a wide range of skin tones! Watercolor is my favorite coloring medium, and it was fun to experiment with custom mixes. This card was actually inspired by some recent designs by my friends (and creatives extraordinaire) Lisa Spangler and Jessica Frost Ballas! I loved Lisa’s use of watercolors on her Mini Voices In My Head Designs, and Jessica’s minimalist approach with a basically black and white color scheme, accented by a pop of red.

You’ll see in the beginning of the video that I used the three colors shown above, and diluted them down with water from my waterbrush, and then played around with mixing the colors—I suppose I could have made a color chart, but honestly, when I have to mix colors, I tend to do so on the fly—and if I should need to repeat the mix down the road, I oddly enough remember the colors I worked with. What can I say? It’s a gift.

KIDDING.

I AM KIDDING YOU.

Also, I have to mention that I LOVE using the Waffleflower Mini Media Mat as a palette—it is just sooooo handy! And if the colors dry up while I’m working, I just rehydrate them with a couple drops of water by squeezing the waterbrush.

In one part of the video, I use a “thirsty” brush to wick up wet color from an area where I got a little heavy-handed; “thirsty” just means dry. I swipe my paintbrush against a clean paper towel to soak up the water (if I need, to, I might even pinched it with paper towel to get it REALLY dry); when I apply the dry brush to an area that has too much water or too much paint, it wicks it up into the bristles (hence why they call it a “thirsty” brush). I off load that onto paper towel, then I can go back and wick up more, if needed.

As you can probably tell, I had increased difficulty getting those rosy cheeks I was after when I tried to do them on the darkest skin tones; I’m going to need to practice. Rosy cheeks are a thing for me. I literally can’t help myself from painting rosy cheeks. Weirdness.

That expression from Brandi’s “You Should Know” set just seemed to suit my design nicely, so I had to borrow it. Seriously, this turned out so cute I let out a squeal when I finished! •all the heart eyes•

Hope you are continuing to stay safe and I appreciate you stopping by!

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SUPPLIES:

• Mini Voices in My Head by Julie Ebersole, Summer of Stamping Clear Stamps

• You Should Know by Brandi Kincaid, Summer of Stamping Clear Stamps

• VersaFine Clair Ink Pad, Nocturne

• Black Mini MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (6-1/8 X 7), Hero Arts

• Mini MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (6-1/8 X 7), My Sweet Petunia

• New & Improved MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (8-1/8 X 10-1/2), My Sweet Petunia

• Watercolor Paper Pad 9x12, Canson XL

• 36 Color Set, Gansai Tambi

• 24 Color Set, Gansai Tambi

• 12 Color Set, Gansai Tambi

• Scarlet Red (31), Gansai Tambi Single Color

• Brown (46), Gansai Tambi Single Color

• Small Fine Point (23638), Pentel Arts Aquash Water Brush

• Mini Media Mat, Waffle Flower Tools

• X-Press It Tape Runner

• Tonic Comfort 8.5 Inch Guillotine Paper Trimmer by Tim Holtz

• Tonic 12 Inch Maxi Guillotine Trimmer by Tim Holtz

• Embossing Gun (Wagner), Hero Arts

• Magnetic Cutting Mat & Ruler, Heidi Swapp Tools (my work surface)

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links; if you see something you like, want or need, and purchase via my links, I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, which I use to buy coffee, which fuels my creativity and provides energy to make more card ideas. And, pay the rent.

SO MANY VOICES

Hey, hello, and hi there! I have some new stamp sets to share as part of the Essentials by Ellen Summer Of Stamping Release! You can see the new sets in detail here:

• Mini Voices In My Head

• Voices In My Head Vol. 3

• Voices In My Head Accessories

• 3 Set Combo

I have a few samples to share from each of them below and a video of me practicing my people colorin’ skills with Copic Markers. The EH Ambassadors are hopping along today and also have samples to share—be sure to read about the prize info at the bottom of my post.

Feat. Voices In My Head Accessories | Voices in My Head Vol. 3 | Voices in My Head

Love that my girl has her own laptop and bevvies, like that cuppa hot tea . . .

Feat. Voices In My Head Accessories | Voices In My Head Vol. 3

The sentiments in Vol. 3 couldn’t ring more true—and nearly all of ‘em fit perfectly within the laptop “screen”. . . Sooooooo many options for that screen, I’m tellin’ ya’ . . . ! EEP!!!

Feat. Mini Voices In My Head | Voices In My Head Vol. 3

I don’t color people very often, but for today’s hop and video (below), I wanted to try with my Copic Markers!

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HOP/PRIZE DETAILS:

We’ve got a super fun prize!!! One random & lucky commenter will win $25 to the EH shop!!! To enter for a chance to win, make sure to leave comments at each stop along the hop! And don’t forget to comment here too for a bonus entry! Comment before Saturday, August 1st at 11:59pm PDT. The winner will be notified by email.

HOP ROSTER:

• Ellen Hutson Blog

• Carissa Wiley

• Ardyth Percy-Robb

• Laurel Beard 

• Sandy Allnock 

• Lisa Spangler

• Michele Ferguson 

• Therese Calvird 

• Jessica Frost-Ballas

• Julie Ebersole

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SUPPLIES SHOWN IN VIDEO:

• Mini Voices In My Head

• Voices In My Head Vol. 3

• Jet Black Amalgam, Gina K Designs Ink Cube

• Obsidian Amalgam, Gina K Designs Ink Pad

• E51 - Milky White, COPIC Sketch Marker

• YR0000 - Pale Chiffon, COPIC Sketch Marker

• YR00 - Powder Pink, COPIC Sketch Marker

• E33 - Sand, COPIC Sketch Marker

• E27 - Milk Chocolate, COPIC Sketch Marker

• 0 Colorless Blender, COPIC Sketch Marker

• YG21 - Anise, COPIC Sketch Marker

• YG17 - Grass Green, COPIC Sketch Marker

• YG67 - Moss, COPIC Sketch Marker

• YR23 - Yellow Ochre, COPIC Sketch Marker

• R22 - Light Prawn, COPIC Sketch Marker

• W7 - Warm Gray No. 7, COPIC Sketch Marker

• C3 - Cool Gray No. 3, COPIC Sketch Marker

• Solar White - 25 pk, Neenah Classic Crest Cardstock

• MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (8-1/8 X 10-1/2), My Sweet Petunia

• Black MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (8-1/8 X 10-1/2), Hero Arts

• Creative Corners, My Sweet Petunia

• Deluxe 12 Inch Paper Trimmer with Aluminum Cut Rail, Fiskars

• Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue, 0.88 oz.

• Precision 5 Inch Scissors with Sheath, EK Success

• Teflon Bone Folder, Essentials by Ellen

• Stainless Tweezers, Elisa's Backporch Design

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links; if you see something you like, want or need, and purchase via my links, I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, which I use to buy coffee, which fuels my creativity and provides energy to make more card ideas. And, pay the rent.

RAINBOW INKING WITH BRANDI'S THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND

feat. THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND by Brandi Kincaid for Ellen Hutson LLC

That hand-lettering, tho . . . (happy sigh)

More, please!!!

The secret to pulling off the rainbow inking is using a MISTI and blending the edges of the ink where they will transition to the next color by using blending sponges. Note: Even tho the sponges will inevitably become stained, you can wash them with a little “fairy liquid” (dish soap), rinse and squeeze them out and let them air-dry. Or, if you’re like me, you want one for every color of ink so you never have to do that. Just sayin’ . . . Anyhoo, I find these sponges are the best for blending out water-based dye inks directly on the stamp.

Towards the bottom of my post, I have details on a fab deal—a ridiculously cute and FREE Rainbow Stamp set you can get with purchase at Ellen Hutson LLC now through July 19, while supplies last. And trust me, you wantsessss it, Preciousssssss!!!

Click on the photo to see more info at ellenhutson.com

Be sure to read the fine print! And, cute or what?! (all the heart eyes) #givemeallthesolidstamps

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SUPPLIES:

• Thank You For Being A Friend by Brandi Kincaid, Summer of Stamping Clear Stamps

• Summer of Stamping Combo by Brandi Kincaid

• Party Dress, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• Sweet Sixteen, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• Sauna, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• Bellini, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• VersaFine Clair Ink Pad, Nocturne

• Solar White - 25 pk, Neenah Classic Crest Cardstock

• Smoothies Minis, Creative Expressions / Tonic Nuvo Blending Sponges

• Black Mini MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (6-1/8 X 7), Hero Arts / Pink Mini MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (6-1/8 X 7), My Sweet Petunia

• Black MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (8-1/8 X 10-1/2), Hero Arts / Pink MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (8-1/8 X 10-1/2), My Sweet Petunia

• Magnetic Cutting Mat & Ruler, Heidi Swapp Tools

• X-Press It Tape Runner

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links; if you see something you like, want or need, and purchase via my links, I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, which I use to buy coffee, which fuels my creativity and provides energy to make more card ideas. And, pay the rent.