Ellen Hutson Holiday 2016 Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello, and welcome to the Holiday 2016 Essentials by Ellen Release Hop! I’ll be showcasing several of the new stamp sets and dies on my post today!

And, yay!!! I also get to give away an Essentials by Ellen stamp set!  The winner may chose ANY  Essentials by Ellen brand stamp set  (Maximum value $25 USD) currently in stock at Ellen Hutson.com  To enter my giveaway, please leave a comment on today’s post  by Tuesday, October 25th!

There is also a crazy good Grand Giveaway in the CLASSroom!  To enter, be sure to leave a comment there, also by Tuesday, October 25th!

ALL winners will be announced at the CLASSroom on Friday, November 4th! Please check there on that date to see if you are a winner and for further details on claiming your prize!
If you get lost along the hop, please visit the CLASSroom blog for a complete list of all the designers.

If you started from the beginning, you should have come from Heather Campbell's blog.

Happy hoppin’!

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I am so excited to share some of the newest holiday releases from my friend Brandi Kincaid. I always feel like Brandi designs the things my heart wishes it could design if I had an inkling of her talent. When I first opened my box, I gasped when I saw the stamps and coordinating dies. Not only are the images perfect in every way... but the quality of the product is something I haven't seen before.

First of all, the stamp sets are BIG! I'm so used to the standard 4x6 size that I had to do a double take. (Just to give you an idea, several of the sets are 6x8!) I love that these images are big enough to really stand out on any project I want to use them on. And then, let's talk about the dies. The dies come packaged with a magnetic backing already included, which I think is pure genius! The organization and thought behind Ellen's products are just superb!

Now, let's get back to the stamps. This first set is called Light Parade & is all about the nostalgia of driving through the neighborhood to look at all of the lights and Christmas decor.

I couldn't resist these pajama-clad kiddos and the matching dies made this card so easy to put together.

I made a matching envelope using my Silhouette and the row of houses from the set. Oh, and that sentiment?!? We are big Elf fans here & I just wanted to clap when I saw that it was included in this set.

This next set is called Tree Farm and it's perfect for creating some adorable holiday scenes.

I am obsessed with vintage Thermoses and I knew I wanted to make a card that featured several of these.

 Once again, the matching dies made this project so fun to do! I just cut out hot cocoa and thermoses to my heart's desire and then had fun coloring them with different shades.

When I saw Brandi's third set called Homespun Holiday, I knew I *had* to get my embroidery supplies out.

These images are the perfect size to make embroidered ornaments or decor. I just stamped directly onto a scrap of muslin (in a light shade to help hide my original lines) and began to stitch.

I used a combination of standard embroidery floss & wool (crewel floss) to create a little added texture. The whole project was finished in one morning and I know I'll treasure it for years to come.

I hope you've enjoyed taking a peek at a few of the new releases!

From here, your next stop will be Kittie Caracciolo's blog!

Studio Calico December Daily Video

The Studio Calico team is hosting a blog hop today featuring the new December Daily kit.  It's available here for preorder now, while supplies last.

I created a short video for you with sneak peeks of the kit... and the whole reason I've decided to do this project this year.  As I was making this video, I have to admit - I got a little emotional.  It's true what they say about time flying by & I want to remember these moments that I've shared with my family forever.

I'm new to scrapbooking & while I was working on this project last season, I was really surprised at what a difference it made.  I know it might sound strange to those who've never done it, but this project made me look at the holiday season with new eyes.  Suddenly, the things that ordinarily felt busy & exhausting became exciting & fun.  I looked at our time spent in a whole new light, loving when I could capture a moment & document it as part of our album.  I don't know why exactly, but it made our season more meaningful... and I wish I would have started this project years ago.

You can find the full list of contents here.  (This kit is PACKED with awesome supplies!)

The kit ships free - even to the North Pole!

I hope you'll join me this year for December Daily!

Be sure to check out the Studio Calico blog for links to all of the blog hop participants.

It's a Lawn Fawn Holiday!

It went from 70 degrees to below freezing here in Indiana overnight.  Suddenly, I've got Christmas on the mind & am excited to share some fun wintery, holiday cards featuring Lawn Fawn stamps.

This card uses Making Frosty Friends.  I love how you can build your own snowman. :)

And how cute is this little gnome-turned-Santa?!?

Visit the Lawn Fawn blog for even more holiday inspiration!

Shopping Links:

InLinkz.com

Finally Friday: Be Merry Holiday Card + a HUGE sale!

Happy Friday!  (If you're visiting my blog as part of the Caring Hearts blog hop, scroll down one post.)

I woke up this morning to find this awesome sale going on at Two Peas In a Bucket:

These are some of the newest & hottest products on the market right now, so grab them while you can! 

I have a new Finally Friday video card tutorial up today!  Many of the products I used on this card are part of the sale, so make sure to click on the links at the bottom of this post to check them out!  You can also find my project as well as all of the supplies in my Two Peas gallery here.

I really wanted to pack my card with some of my favorite embellishments of the season.  This kind of card layout is a great way to really pack on a lot without it seeming overdone.  

You can watch the video below or by clicking here.

Shopping Links:

InLinkz.com

Happy World Card Making Day!!!

Happy World Card Making Day!  World Card Making Day is a holiday especially for card makers around the world to kick off the holiday card-making season.

I'm guest blogging today for Creating Keepsakes on how to stretch your supplies (especially during the holidays.)  I'd love for you to check it out!  There just *might* be a fun giveaway to help you get started on your own holiday projects.

Here are a couple of holiday cards I made where I've stretched my supplies.  Neither of these card actually uses any Christmas/holiday product, but you'd never guess just by looking!  I have lots of tips on the CK blog to help you do the same.

Feliz Navidad Card Supplies:

InLinkz.com

And here's another card using my friend Teri Anderson's Awesome stamp set by Technique Tuesday:

So Cool Card Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Are you looking for even more World Card Making Day inspiration?  Make sure to check out the Paper Crafts Connection blog where there are posts going up all day.  Two Peas is also hosting some fun challenges.  Hope you have a fun day!