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I made this back in November but hadn’t shared it yet. I was trying to make more of a masculine design—I mean, guys can, on occasion, appreciate knowing someone is thinking of them, too. Right?

These designs are sometimes a little harder to come up with, but it always seems I could use a few more in my arsenal.

I found stamping the heart in red ink was kinda “blah” and flat looking, so to give it more interest and depth, I inked and stamped first with Shea Butter, then added Tutti Frutti, and lastly Rockin’ Red (using the Rock N Roll method with the MISTI).

Used a white pencil on the diecut hand to add some fingernails, but I don’t know on this design that it actually needed that. This was one of those, “Hmmmmm. Too much?” Gel pen would have been too opaque and I wanted to keep it subtle…

A little bit of black acrylic paint spatters for interest…

Sat back and looked at it and decided it felt off and needed something to pull the eye in towards the focal. I die cut a rectangle into some black card stock and then trimmed it down, making a frame I could 3D mount around it. Alternatively, I could have trimmed the card down to a smaller size, or whacked off the front, trimmed that down to a smaller size and then mounted it to a smaller card base.

At this point, I debated adding more, but you know what happens when I go that route…

Sat on my hands.

YOU WON MY HEART

I love the copper spot foiling on these X’s and O’s—I used my Zig Two Way Glue Pen to coat only parts of the letters to create a really modern/graphic kind of look. This only works if you allow the two-way glue to dry completely—if it’s “wet”, this doesn’t work. When the glue totally dries, it will be tacky to the touch; I just applied copper foil over the top, burnishing the ugly side of the foil sheets against the tacky adhesive with the pads of my fingertips and then 3D mounted the letters to my card front.

Customized the sentiment by using the Letterboard Alphabet Die Set—this works pretty spiffy if you bulk cut the letters ahead. I did a Hello, Monday video about that on the Ellen Hutson Channel; you can check that out HERE.

The wheels are turning with ideas for 3D mounting all kinds of different images within that stitched Tic Tac Toe grid—how fun is that?!

Happy New Year!

HANG ON

I’m such a tactile individual—I think that’s why the theme of hands really resonates with me. I talk with my hands, I have a tendency to hug people—even people I just met, which is not always a good thing if you don’t know what their personal space zone is—I love to reach out and touch fabrics, shiny and smooth surfaces… I do have my limits, as you well know: Inks/paints and anything gooey/messy. Raw meat. That last one is probably the hardest for me. The Mister, however, has no such aversion and will gladly fire up the grill when there’s meat around here. So, when I don’t feel like cooking dinner, you better believe I have some meat in the fridge to woo the Grill Master.

I digress…

Finished card measures 3.5 x 5” (a.k.a. 4-bar Note)

After die-cutting the hand from kraft card stock, I painted the nails with a Copic Marker and then folded the fingers around some knotted twine, using tiny pieces of foam adhesive to anchor the finger tips and the twine into place before gluing to my card front. The other end of the rope is secured on the inside with a piece of washi tape, but if you wanted to conceal the end, you can always make a “front”, then glue that down to a base card, sandwiching the twine in between.

I just had a thought, tho…. hmmmmmm. I will have to make it real and come back and share it. Sound like a good idea? •grin•

BTW, why, whY, WHY is that good ideas come when you’re supposed to be working on something else??? Happens to me every single time… •sigh•

Anyhoo, I also have a quick tip:

If your cutting pads are all marked up and leaving etch marks on the back side of your die cuts, try placing a piece of typing paper in between the card stock and the cutting pad before running your die through your machine; it can reduce or eliminate those dang etch marks, so you don’t have to grab a fresh cutting pad.


Hope your Christmas was peaceful, joyous, and found you in the company of family and friends. I had all that + meat. •wink• Good times.

LETTERBOARD BIRTHDAY

You know me. A card that makes me laugh is always going to be my favorite. Always!!! I figured out some fun hacks (a.k.a. tips & tricks) for this awesome Letterboard Die set—be sure to stop by the Ellen Hutson Blog on Dec. 24th because I have a video highlightin’ m’ trusty dusty hacks! LOL!

And, all that glorious rainbow confetti? I DIY’d it. •cheeky grin• Here’s a link to my video on YouTube: DIY Rainbow Tissue Paper Confetti. It works so awesome with the Confetti Flinger Die. Seriously, you gotta try it! Too much fun!!!

I’m really glad you stopped by today. Really, really.

:)

ENGAGED

Cliché? Alright already!!! I don’t care!!! •hair flip• It is STILL such a super cute way to congratulate someone on their engagement!

“Painted” the nails with a Copic Marker—struggling to remember what color it was, but my best guess, based on my collection of Copics, is that it was either Salmon Red, or Coral.

It’s hard to tell on camera, but I actually drew “bling rays” radiating outward from the hand using the clear Shimmer Pen, and also put a coating of the same on the red nails. And, holy crow, those White Rhinestones make the poifect rock for that ring finger! •wink•

The finished card measures 3.5 x 5” (a.k.a. a 4-bar notecard). As an A-2 the balance looked off but when you scale it down like this, it just feels right to the eyes.

Thanks for stopping by today!