Saturday, July 31, 2021

Nautical Thank You

Happy Saturday!  My kiddos got to spend time with my parents today, so I was able to sneak in some crafting.  I wanted to make a thank you for some friends who love sailing.  They have lots of cute lighthouses and sailboats around their house, and during the summer it is full of red, white, and blue.  I clearly took my inspiration from them.  

I used lots of Pretty Pink Posh goodies on this one.  I started with their Nautical Stamps and coordinating dies.  I used alcohol markers to color the lighthouse and a sailboat, and then I blended Blueprint Distress Ink over the waves.  I also blended the blue on a 2.5" square to create my ocean.  Next, I blended a little of Concord & 9th's Dove ink to create some rocky land for the lighthouse to stand on. 
I glued everything down on my little scene, popping up the lighthouse and wave for a little dimension.  Next, I cut out a window on a light grey card basing using Pretty Pink Posh's Decorative Tag 2 Die.  I placed the scene inside, and was about to call it a day when I saw the banners in the 4th of July set.  They reminded me of some of the decorations I'd seen in their home, so I cut and colored them, and then hung them with the stars (also in the 4th of July set).
By now it shouldn't surprise anyone that I reached for Simple Sentiments to finish off my card.   I added a strip of Concord and 9th's Poppy paper under the sentiment.  It is just the tiniest bit, but I promise you it made such a difference.  There is a reason I save all my itty bitty scraps of that paper.  I really love the bright red.  

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Monday, July 26, 2021

Summer of Stamping: EH + Pretty Pink Posh Collab

Hello!  Today is a special day.  Pretty Pink Posh is joining Essentials by Ellen in their super fun Summer of Stamping Event.  I have two cards today sharing this exclusive stamp + die set and my fellow team members have SO many amazing cards to share with you today.  You won't want to miss any of the fun (inspiration + giveaway), so make sure to head to my instagram account to join in.
The Summer of Stamping Summer Circles Stamp Set is such a fun one and pairs perfectly with lots of other Pretty Pink Posh sets and dies.  I wanted to highlight that great aspect, so I've combined lots of products on my cards today.  
First up is the "hippo at the beach".  I used the Summer of Stamping Summer Circles Combo (Stamps + Dies) to create this one.  The beach scene is one of 6 circle stamps you get in the set.  I colored it with a combination of alcohol markers with colored pencils to add details.  Next up I colored the hippo from Pretty Pink Posh's Summer Fun Stamp Set and cut it out with the Coordinating Dies.  I cannot get enough of this hippo in his intertube....so cute!  
To finish off the focal trio, I die cut the sun from the Summer Circles Dies and added a sentiment using the the Summer Drinks Stamp Set and Summer Drinks Coordinating Dies
 I was in the mood for lots of color, so I used the Simple Strips Dies to cut some yellow, pink, and aqua stripes in various sizes.  I also added a mix of jewels and sequins in the same colors using a combination of the Luau Jewels Mix and the 4mm Summer Mix Sequins.
My second card uses nearly the same supplies and design elements (focal trio, stripes, sparkle).  This time I inked up the tiger in the Summer Fun Stamp Set and paired it with surfboard circle in the Summer of Stamping Summer Circles.  
The "you're so cool" sentiment is also from the Summer Fun Stamp Set, and it was the perfect sentiment only it is stacked and I wanted it in a straight line.  Using the Misti, it was easy to stamp a portion at a time to line everything up on and then emboss it on a black strip of paper.  It was such a simple step, but it really adds to the versatility of a set when you make simple changes like this.  
I wanted to carry over the stripes as well, but this time I layed out a bunch of pink, aqua, and yellow strips cut with the Simple Strips Dies onto a sheet of cardstock and cut them out with a large circle die. 
Finally, to complete the trio of elements on this card, I used the Summer Circles Dies to die cut the sun outline.  I wanted the sun aspect to be a bit more subtle, so I opted to die cut it in white, covered it with glimmer paste to add some sparkle, and placed the surfboard circle inside. 
What do you think?  I hope you like them!  Do you have a favorite? 
The Summer of Stamping Summer Circles Clear Stamps by Pretty Pink Posh is available now (there is a limited supply, so snatch it up quick!), and don't forget to join the celebrating with an Instagram hop.  Click HERE to head to my IG account. There are so many fun projects to inspire you along the way, and to make it even more fun, they are giving you a chance to with a $25 gift certificate to ellenhutson.com.  Best of luck, friends!



Glimmer Paste
Concord & 9th Buttercup and Honeysuckle
PTI Hawaiian Shores Paper

Saturday, July 24, 2021

Thankful For You + Circles Stencil (= a few of my favorite things)

Happy Saturday, friends!  I have a quick and easy set of cards to share with you today.  After being able to see family and friends who I love so much, my heart has been full of gratitude and I felt the need to let them know.  I wanted to get these cards out quick, so I gathered a few supplies and came up with a simple design that was easy to mass produce.

I have fallen in love with the Pretty Pink Posh Circles Stencil.  I shared this miss you card on the Pretty Pink Blog (here) about a month ago, and I was eager to use this stencil again when I returned home.

Along with the Circles Stencil I also got out the Thankful For You Script die and All My Love dies.  I lightly blended 4 rows of circles, then I used my scissors to cut around the bottom row to create a scallop.  I trimmed the panel to 4"x5" and popped it up on my card base. 

Next I layered on the smaller of the two hearts from Pretty Pink Posh's All My Love dies.  On top of that I placed the Thankful For You Script die, which I glued on a white piece of paper and trimmed out the outline.  

As you can see I used a lot of the same design elements as the Miss You card I made a month ago.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that it is okay to CASE myself, and I don't have to reinvent everything every time.
It was fun to use all these bright colors, too.  I paired Party Pink (The Stamp Market) with Summer Sunrise (Papertrey), Fresh Lemon (Altenew) with Blueprint Sketch (Distress Ink), and Emerald Isle (The Stamp Market) with Hibiscus Burst (Papertrey).

Next on the agenda this weekend is to get these in the mail.  That's my favorite part of cardmaking. :) I hope you are having a lovely weekend!  I'll be back early next week with a couple more PPP cards that I'm anxious to share with you.  If you receive their newsletters, you've seen a little peek of one of them. See you soon!

Saturday, July 17, 2021

You're Sweet

Hello!  We just returned from a cross country trip to visit family, and I'm slowly getting us back into a routine again.  I made this card about a month ago, and I'm happy to be able to finally share it.  For as long as I can remember if someone has asked me what my favorite food is, my answer has been fruit.  Combine that with this silly desire I always have to not let the tiny stamps in a set be overlooked, and this card was born.
The process was super simple.  I stamped the images, did very basic coloring with markers, and die cut the images.  I only used three stamps from Pretty Pink Posh's Summer Drinks
and Summer Wreath stamp sets, but I colored the citrus wedge in orange, yellow, and green to end up with 5 fruits.  I popped up the images to add a bit of dimension and interest.  
Hoping you are in the midst of a lovely weekend.  Thanks so much for visiting!