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ESSENTIALS BY ELLEN AUGUST 2019 RELEASE

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Hello, HELLO!!! (envision me monkey clapping and bouncing on my chair) And welcome to the August EBE hop! So glad you’re here—hope you like eye candy. . . (chuckle) You can see the whole August collection and lots of inspo here: Essentials by Ellen August 2019 

Along with our hop, there will be prizes so be sure to read the details on that following my project photos! Yes, photos. I have three projects I’ve been dying to share, and more to come. YASSSSS!!!! (pats self on back)

Halloween is the Mister’s birthday so we have a lotta fun this time of year—I had so much fun illustrating the characters in this set! I’ll be sharing some adorable treat packaging ideas soon, as well! And, did you happen to see the sneak peek from this webisode of Hello, Monday on YouTube??? Another fun version using the very same stamp set, very same layout and similar color scheme.

So! What do you think of Bear’s new companion? Li’l Bear is down at the pumpkin patch today with Dad, but has sooooo much more to do as the holidays approach… (wink) . Big Bear (the original) is from All Inside.

How ‘bout dem Pom poms? Santa and Snow dude have been taking selfies and needed a cute garland to dress up the Polaroid frame. Soooooo cute!!!

PRIZES:

We've got super fun prizes!!! One random & lucky commenter will win $25 to the EH shop and one will win the whole August Essentials by Ellen release!!! To enter for a chance to win, make sure to leave comments at each stop along the hop! Comment before Thursday, August 15th at 11:59pm PST. Winners will be notified by email.

Hope you found these ideas inspiring and be sure to check out all our designers’ fab creations!

SO VERY BUSY

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My studio/office is the biggest disaster right now . . .

Yet I emerge victorious; I have a stack. •fist pump•

I have some new stamp sets releasing soon in August and I’ve been trying to get ahead of the 8 ball. This is a dual edged sword; on the one hand, I feel pleased (albeit tuckered out) to have this many projects/samples made at this point. On the other, it is rather like torture having to wait before I can actually share them.

Oy.

I now have a lot of photographing, filming and editing to do, so I best get on with it . . .

SOME OF MY GO-TO FAVORITE SUPPLIES AND TOOLS

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Yup. I looked through ALL 156 pages of this limited time sale category over at Ellen Hutson’s and snagged a list of my go-to’s. And, I’m also listing reasons WHY they are my go-to’s:

Hero Arts Embossing Powder, White - I’m super picky about my embossing powders and how they come packaged. This powder has a nice loft, shiny and smooth when heated and a bright white, which I love. The jar lids seal well and I never have a leakage problem.

Stampendous Embossing Powder, Detail White, 0.76 oz. - This embossing powder is fantastic for finer detail images and sentiments and I’ve used it for years and years to get a nice, crisp bright white emboss. I also reach for this powder when I know I’m going to die cut the embossed images out because it doesn’t crack or chip off from the pressure of the die edges, when passing through my die cutting machine.

Lawn Fawn Embossing Powder, Rose Gold & Rose Gold Metallic, Avery Elle Embossing Powder - Of all the “rose gold” embossing powders I’ve tried, these two yield my favorite “rose gold” tone with a shiny, smooth finish and true hints of rose among the gold. Note: See further below; I list HAI Rose Gold Washi Tape and it coordinates STUNNINGLY with these two powders. If you’re looking for a sophisticated finishing touch, pair that tape with these powders and •BOOM•

Woodgrain Embossed 110 lb White - 10 Pk, Essentials by Ellen Cardstock - I adore woodgrain and the texture of this paper is sublime! It’s also heavier weight and sturdy—I love using it as a card base!

Letterpress 110 lb. White - 10 pk, Essentials by Ellen Cardstock - Nothing will give your card designs a more luxurious, high quality appearance and feel than letterpress paper. It is my favorite paper for my hot-foiling projects with the Gemini Foil Press because it comes closer than anything else I’ve ever used for recreating authentic letterpress style stationery.

Paper Pack, Modern Graphics by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen - I love simple, modern background patterns and find I reach for black and white patterns more than any other to compliment my projects because they’re so versatile.

Tonic Nuvo Jewel Drops, Sea Breeze - I actually love all the jewel and crystal Nuvo Drops, but this transparent color is one I often reach for because it works on so many different projects.

Tonic Nuvo Glimmer Paste, Moonstone - A glittery clear finish that works over any base color you lay down—if you love a shimmery/glittery finish, but want something that doesn’t flake off, this is the answer!

Peerless Watercolor, Small Bonus Pack, Set of 40 - When I need to watercolor something quickly or I’m traveling, I reach for these ahead of anything else. An easy DIY portable palette (tutorial link) makes them sooo convenient and the colors are beautiful!

Kuretake Gansai Tambi, 36 Color Set - When making watercolor washes or coloring large expanses, I love using this set—all the colors are included in this set and are richly saturated, lovely to work with. Mine have lasted me a long, long time since I use them for card making. Ellen Hutson also carries the colors individually so if you happen to run out of a color, you can replace it.

Kuretake Gansai Tambi Pearl Colors, 6 Color Set - Like the afore-mentioned Gansai Tambi, the colors are lovely but this gives you the benefit of gorgeous shimmer, built right in.

Kuretake Gansai Tambi Starry Colors, 6 Color Set - Shimmery watercolor in metallic hues—I also love using these to watercolor images on black card stock—I just control how much water I add when loading the color on to my brush to minimize any warping (black card stock really isn’t designed for wet/watery mediums).

ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Marker, Set of 36 - Great range of colors, wonderful for watercolor work! I especially love using these by applying color just to the inside area of the heat embossed lines of my images and then pulling and blending the color out with an Aquash/water brush.

Zig Clean Color Real Brush Marker Set B, Set of 12 - These are such soft/pale colors, they can be applied directly to the stamped image (on paper—not directly to rubber), with little to no blending out necessary.

Zig Art & Graphic Twin Tip Marker, Bright set of 12 - My favorite for adding color selectively direct to rubber. A great way to achieve multi-color inked images, just apply where you want a specific color, then mist lightly with water and stamp onto watercolor paper for a beautiful effect!

VersaFine Clair Ink Pad, Nocturne - Right now, this is my go-to black ink because it is a rich deep black; when dry, you can color over with pencils and water-based mediums. You can also heat emboss it. If you heat emboss with clear powder, you can safely use alcohol markers with this ink—just remember it will need to be clear heat embossed or the alcohol markers will react and smear the image.

Spring Fling, Catherine Pooler Mini Ink Pad Bundle - Catherine Pooler Water-based Dye Inks have a wide range of colors, are richly saturated, and can be used for a variety of techniques, in addition to just simple stamping. I love the ink pad surface (it is a unique gel/foam style so you don’t end up with a linen texture showing in your impressions). Whether you’re a beginning stamper or experienced, these are a fantastic, quick drying ink that works well on either matte or glossy card stock. (Please note that it’s not a permanent ink so it’s not suitable for plastic, glass or other non-porous surfaces.)

Hero Arts Ombre Ink Pad, Light to Dark Peach - These Ombré pads make it extremely easy to get well-blended ombré ink effects. I have almost all the colors, and especially love using them with my solid stamps and with a small brayer to create backgrounds.

HAI Sequins, Clear Droplets - They look like little droplets of dew—great for water-themed projects or when you need an accent, but want it to enhance, not over-power, your design.

HAI Sequins, 4mm Flower Cup - These little rainbow posies remind me of the stunning glass works of Chihuly and I love adding them to my nature themed projects for pops of color.

HAI Washi Tape, Gold Foil Spots - Little spots of gold that go with pretty much anything and everything—I adore this tape and find it compliments so many of my projects!

HAI Washi Tape, Rose Gold Foil - Gorgeous. Just flat-out gorgeous. Try pairing it with the “rose gold” embossing powders I mentioned earlier in this list.

Lawn Fawn Hemp Cord, Black - Again, versatile (black and white always is), and I love the heft/weight of this cord—it just feels nice to the touch.

String by the Spool, Natural Burlap - This one goes with soooooo many projects! It’s a great neutral—I go through gobs of it. Literally.

Happy, colorful shopping!

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CHICKENS & PICNICS

Brandi’s chickens crack me up—just look at what happened to Mama Hen and Papa Rooster!!!

These images were just stamped with Versafine Clair Nocturne and then watercolored using Peerless Watercolors and an Aquash.

This is totally what happens when Easter Eggs hatch. Totally. (chortle)

I know this idea has been done before—the ants makin’ off with all the picnic goods—but I’ve never made one myself so I wanted to try. These were all stamped with Gina K Amalgam Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers. I will say I’m not entirely happy with my color scheme for this one, but it was a first attempt, so I’m trying not to be too hard on myself. Sometimes on a design like this, where there is a lot going on, I struggle bringing so many colors together. In hindsight, I think it’s the color I chose for the bottled wine that’s got me buggered more than anything else . . . Note to self: Next time, go with white wine.

I did borrow the pickle jar from Cooking Lady.

Anyhoo, I die cut a quarter sheet with one of the grassy Landscape Dies, and ink blended one side, before piecing and gluing them back together onto my card front—I wasn’t sure how much I’d be popping things up and didn’t want the card to get too bulky.

Hope you’re having a fab weekend!

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NEW EBE JULY 2019 RELEASE HOP

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Ellen Hutson has a new release for the summer, with some super cute stamp sets by Brandi Kincaid and fun new dies! We’re hoppin’ to share it! My project features a fun window design with an aquatic theme, using Subbing In

Used one of the Waves Dies to create a mask and blend ink over to create my ocean on my base card—the sub was stamped and white embossed on sunny yellow card stock and then die cut out—windows were die cut separately from the sub and then I traced the windows from the sub onto the front of the card so I’d know where to put the dies to cut

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After gluing the sub in place, I lightly traced the window openings again, so I’d know where to stamp Jelly inside the card—so cute to have her peeking through the window! Erased the pencil lines before I started coloring.

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Sea critters get me every time . . .

So, here’s more details about the hop!

PRIZES:

We've got super fun prizes!!! One random & lucky commenter will win $25 to the EH shop and one will win the whole July Essentials by Ellen release!!! To enter for a chance to win, make sure to leave comments at each stop along the hop! Comment before Thursday, July 18th at 11:59pm PST. Winners will be notified by email.

So, hop along and check out the creations of this talented roster:


Enjoy the hop and thanks for leaving some love at all the stops—may the odds be ever in your favour! (grin)

I’ll have another card (heck, maybe two!) from this release to share tomorrow—I actually got to stamp a little one day this week—GO ME!!! (chortle)