GUAC ON IDEAS & INSPIRATION

I’m sharing some fun ideas for Guac On today. Brace for it. LOL! If you love avocados as much as I do, I think you’ll get a kick out of these!

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Can you tell I had a lot of fun making these?! LOL!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope these guys sparked additional ideas for you!

Stay safe out there! I got my first and second doses of the vaccination and am excited—my parents get their second dose soon and it won’t be too much longer before I can safely hug them again for the first time in over a year! Thank goodness for FaceTime so we could at least see each others’ faces on a regular basis!

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SUPPLIES:

• Guac On by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps

• Guac On By Julie Ebersole, Essentials By Ellen Designer Dies

• Swirl Background, Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps

• Essential Clouds, Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies

• Landscapes by Julie Ebersole, Essentials By Ellen Designer Dies

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

• Winning Words by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies

• Solar White - 25 pk, Neenah Classic Crest Cardstock

• 40 lb. Vellum - 25 pk, Bazzill

• VersaFine Clair Ink Pad, Nocturne

• Bellini, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• Fiesta Blue, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• Coral Cabana, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• Melon Ice, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• It's A Boy, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• It's A Girl, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• Orange Twist, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• Lime Rickey, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• Mandarin Spice, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• Action Wobble Spring Mini, 12 PK

• Ranger Stickles, Diamond

• Mini Glossy Accents, Ranger Accents

• Super Shine Silver Stars, HAI Sequins

• Crafter's Companion Gemini Junior

• Platinum 6 Die Cutting And Embossing Machine, Spellbinders Tools

Disclosure: Affiliate links used wherever possible; when you purchase via my links I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you,It helps keep the lights on around here. And, if I could reach through the interwebs to hug you, you’d be wrapped up in the most appreciative mondo squishy hug on the planet!

A NEW ESSENTIALS BY ELLEN RELEASE AND A RAINFALL TUTORIAL

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):

feat. THE NEVER-ENDING FRINGE DIE SET / JUST SQUIDDING STAMP & DIE SET / BEAR WARE (umbrella image)

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)

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!

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SUPPLIES:

• Just Squidding by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps

• Just Squidding By Julie Ebersole, Essentials By Ellen Designer Dies

• Never Ending Fringe By Julie Ebersole, Essentials By Ellen Designer Dies

• Essential Rectangles, Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies

• Essential Clouds, Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies

• Bear Ware by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps

• Bear Ware by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies

• It's A Boy, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• Fiesta Blue, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• Jet Black Amalgam, Gina K Designs Ink Cube

• Obsidian Amalgam, Gina K Designs Ink Pad

• Solar White - 25 pk, Neenah Classic Crest Cardstock

• Scor-Tape 1/4' (5mm), Scor-Pal Tape

• X-Press It Tape Runner

• Fine Tip, ZIG 2 Way Glue

• Chisel Tip, ZIG 2 Way Glue

• Scrapbook Adhesives Crafty Foam Tape, White

• Super Fine Crafting Tweezers, Cheery Lynn Designs

• Silver, Coats Metallic Thread

• Silver Shimmer, Pretty Pink Posh Seed Beads

• Ice, Mill Hill Glass Seed Beads

• YR0000 - Pale Chiffon, COPIC Sketch Marker

• R21 - Sardonyx, COPIC Sketch Marker

• R22 - Light Prawn, COPIC Sketch Marker

• BG10 - Cool Shadow, COPIC Sketch Marker

• BG23 - Coral Sea, COPIC Sketch Marker

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

• Tonic Comfort 8.5 Inch Guillotine Paper Trimmer by Tim Holtz

• Life Changing Blender Brush - 4 Piece Broad, Picket Fence Studios (LCB-4)

• Background Blender Brushes, Honey Bee Tools

• Ranger Stickles, Diamond

• Ranger Stickles, Star Dust

• Crafter's Companion Gemini Junior

• Platinum 6 Die Cutting And Embossing Machine, Spellbinders Tools

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!

MAKE A PEEK-A-BOO VALENTINE WITH HINGED LETTERS

I’ve mentioned before how much I love the Classic Block Alphabet Dies—I love the Hinged version just as much because of this fun effect!

To keep it modern and clean, I opted not to embellish it any further than rounding the two corners. I did sleep on that, just to be sure. LOL!

That said, on the topic of embellishments, you may want to stock up on your favorites or try some new ones at Ellen Hutson LLC while they’re on sale:

Hope you had a wonderful and safe Holiday Season!

What are you excited to be making in 2021?

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SUPPLIES:

• Hinged Alphabet by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies

• Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Pale Rose, 25 pk

• Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Candy Corn, 25 pk

• Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Lollipop, 25 pk

• Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Wax Lips, 25 pk

• Make Art Stay-tion, Ranger Wendy Vecchi

• Mini Make Art Stay-tion, Ranger Wendy Vecchi

• Chisel Tip, ZIG 2 Way Glue

• X-Press It High Tack Double-Sided Tape, 1/4 in

• Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper Tool

• Crafter's Companion Gemini Junior

• Platinum 6 Die Cutting And Embossing Machine, Spellbinders Tools

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!

DIY HOT FOIL STAMPED CELLOPHANE PACKAGING

When a girl’s oven breaks down right before Thanksgiving, she’s gotta scramble. Luckily, the Mister knows how to smoke and grill turkey, and girl knows how to make crock pot mashed potatoes and no-bake pumpkin cheesecake pie; the day was saved! But, the part my oven needs (the control panel ) is (still ) on back-order, we’re in the middle of a Pandemic and Christmas is 12 days away . . .

This year will be the one where everything got dipped. In chocolate. Have you ever had dried apricots dipped in dark chocolate? Sinful. White chocolate popcorn? Heavenly. Chocolate coated pretzels—with the fun little sprinkles? Delightful.

How to gift them in a way that feels special and, dare I say it, “upscale”? Today, I’m taking some plain jane cellophane bags and adding gold foil lettering for a gorgeous, high-end presentation and making Martha Stewart proud in the process! •wink• GO, ME!!!

PLEASE NOTE: I am foiling onto crystal clear CELLOPHANE bags NOT Polypropylene bags ).

My Gemini FoilPress Settings:

• Medium Heat Setting

• 15 second timer for a medium sized hot foil stamp

• 110# sheet of card stock for additional shim
  

TIPS:

• This method requires heat/pressure activated foils (NOT toner reactive foils ); while you can try other brands of foil, I have found Crafter’s Companion Paper Craft foils to work beautifully and quite consistently with the Gemini FoilPress system.

• It’s always best to start with the lowest heat setting first and to test the results before proceeding to your project (be prepared to sacrifice a few bags to practice so you can find the settings that work best for your materials and your FoilPress; once you find the secret sauce, write it down and keep it handy. My notes are taped inside my cabinet door where I store my FoilPress ).

• Slip a piece of card stock trimmed to fit inside the bag; this will improve foil transfer.

• Removable/low-tack tape makes a great “hinge” for hot foil stamp placement, and anchoring in place to avoid shifting when sending through the Gemini Jr. I’ve been using Purple Tape, but you could also use washi tape.

• Always allow the foil/cello bag to cool before peeling to reveal the foil.

• Over-foiling on cello bags is best removed with the dull edge of the FoilPress Magnetic Tweezers or the dull side of scissors blade. (Do NOT use nail polish remover or rubbing alcohol to remove over-foiling on cellophane; it causes a chemical reaction that discolors the bag in a not pretty way. Ask me how I know . . . )

• Tape residue on the back of your hot foil stamp can easily be removed with rubbing alcohol.

• After filling your cello bags with a yummy treat, you can use twist ties, pretty washi tapes or possibly one of those heat sealer thingies (I don’t have one those—yet—but I just may have to bite the bullet . . . ).

I seriously had THE.BEST.TIME foiling these bags! They turned out SO pretty! I’m packaging food, but DANG!!! you could package SO many different kinds of gifts this way!! YAASSSS!!! •fist pump•

My primary source for food-safe CELLOPHANE flat bags is Clear Bags. I also like their gusseted bags. With the Christmas holiday looming, however, they are currently out of stock of some of their most popular size configurations. ACK!!! You can also find cellophane bags on Amazon and big box craft stores that carry baking tools and supplies. You may even discover some vendors on Etsy that offer them ( ? — I haven’t looked but the thought just occurred to me ).

Thanks for stopping by today!

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SUPPLIES:

• Happy Holidays by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Hot Foil Stamps - EH

• Gold, Gemini FoilPress Papercraft Foil Rolls - EH

• Rose Gold, Gemini FoilPress Papercraft Foil Rolls - EH

• Silver, Gemini FoilPress Papercraft Foil Rolls - EH

• iCraft Purple Tape 1-1/2 in X 15 yds - EH

• FoilPress Machine, Crafter's Companion Gemini - EH

• Crafter's Companion Gemini Junior EH

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!

HOLIDAY HOT FOIL STAMPS

We’ve got a lovely Instagram hop going on to celebrate Ellen Hutson LLC’s 14th Anniversary! FOURTEEN!!! Amazing or what?! Be sure to check it out by clicking on that graphic above ↑ (it’s a direct link to my Instagram and you can follow all the eye candy!)

New Release available HERE.

I designed a few new products for this release and for the Instagram Hop, I’m showcasing my Holiday Hot Foil Stamps for the following samples:

feat. HAPPY HOLIDAYS HOT FOIL STAMP / KNOCKOUT FOREST DIE

One of the reasons I love hot foil stamping so SO much is the look is so luxurious and upscale! The Gemini Foil Press Rose Gold Foil is such a lovely, warm metallic color, and it looks stunning against this blush-hued card stock.

feat. BELIEVE HOT FOIL STAMP / DEER ANTLERS DIE / STAR TRAILS DIE SET

The Deer Antlers were die cut from the glitter card stock in that same Rose Gold Luxury Card Stock Pack. Guess what? I didn’t have any tiny rose gold star sequins to match my project, so I made them by using the Star Trails die on that Rose Gold Foil Card Stock. Felt smugly genius for that tiny stroke of brilliance . . . a girl’s gotta celebrate those moments, eh?!

feat. JINGLE ALL THE WAY HOT FOIL STAMP / Little Leaf Branch from 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS DIE SET

And, I just had to tie some tiny sleigh bells onto the ends of the twine here—just too fitting, right?! The Rose Gold Washi Tape also worked really well here as an accent.

If you haven’t tried hot-foil stamping yet, lemme tell ya’—the Gemini Foil Press is just A.W.E.S.O.M.E. —the results are so so beautiful! I could seriously just make foiled stationery all day long and be incredibly content.

Hope these inspire and be sure to check out the Instagram Hop for more ideas!

Stay safe and healthy, too! Please!

P.S. Here is a link to video tutorial I’ve done in the past, showing how to use the Gemini Foil Press:

YOUTUBE VIDEO TUTORIAL - DIY FOIL LETTERPRESS

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SUPPLIES:

• Featured Holiday Greeting Hot Foil Stamps designed by yours truly

• Knockout Forest by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies

• Deer Antlers by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies

• Rose Gold, Gemini FoilPress Papercraft Foil Rolls

• FoilPress Machine, Crafter's Companion Gemini

• Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Pale Rose, 25 pk

• Rose Gold, Crafter's Companion 6 X 3 Luxury Cardstock Pack

• Star Trail, Essentials By Ellen Designer Dies

• Rose Gold Foil, HAI Washi Tape

• String by the Spool - Natural Burlap, May Arts

• Silver - 1/4", Darice Jingle Bells

• Red Droplets, Essentials by Ellen Embellishments

• Crafter's Companion Gemini Junior

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!