Very Merry

Hi everyone!

It's the final day of Release Week at Neat & Tangled! All of the sets and dies are on sale today at the Neat & Tangled store. Today, we're sharing projects using the Very Merry stamp set and Tiny Triangles die. I also have a second card featuring the Winter Trees set. Danielle is sharing pictures of the release on the Neat & Tangled blog.

Here's how I used the Very Merry stamp and Tiny Triangles die:

I stamped and fussy cut the large "merry" from the Very Merry stamp set. I layered the sentiment over the die-cut Tiny Triangles and a piece of red bokeh vellum from Webster's Pages, a doily, and tissue.

I added an Emerald Green sequin, a Pink Paislee star, and a little tag from Inspire Lovely. Here's a close-up:

Here's my second card:

I was inspired by the watercoloring on Debby's card. I stamped the Winter Trees image and used spray mists for watercoloring. The trees have so much movement!

I finished the card with a Raspberry Red sequin and a gold puffy heart. Here's a close-up:

There's a giveaway! Comment on the Neat & Tangled blog to win the Very Merry stamp set.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Essentials by Ellen Blog Hop

Happy World Card Making Day!

Welcome to the Essentials by Ellen Blog Hop! (Eek!) We’re so excited to unveil a brand new line of high quality Clear Stamp Sets and Designer Dies, designed by the fabulously talented Julie Ebersole exclusively for Ellen Hutson LLC. This collection reflects an eclectic mix of images, sentiments and art styles that are sure to appeal to a wide range of tastes! Just in time for holiday crafting, the entire release is available now at Ellen Hutson LLC. 

All Essentials by Ellen Stamp Sets and Dies arrive in their signature packaging with a durable clear envelope and a labeled card stock backer for convenient storage and organization. The die packaging also features an attached magnetic sheet, to ensure that even the smallest of your dies is stored securely! I've got to say--I've never seen packaging like the Essentials by Ellen line--it's luxurious. :)

Want to see some projects? All of the supplies are linked at the bottom of the post. 

I watercolored the Laurel Wreath die and added one of the cool stars from the Home & Hearth die set. The sentiment is from Cozy Christmas--I love the funky vibe of those sentiments. 

I cut down a Project Life pocket, sewed up three sides, and added a mix of sequins to make a shaker tag: 

Next, I used the Christmas Scribbles stamp set:

The sentiment is long, but I cut it down to fit on the card. See the cute little stars? This set has a ton of options.

Here's a close-up:

Next, I used the Brushstroke Christmas set and Prize Stag die:

The stag die is very elegant. I almost used him as a mask--so many possibilities with this die. :)

I love that this set has several elements besides the sentiments. See the different stars and the black "splatter?" It looks real but I don't risk splattering over the middle of the sentiment (which I actually did in the next card--ha!).

Here's my last card:

I used the Merry and Bright stamps, the "merry" from the Merry and Bright Handwritten die, and stars from the Home & Hearth dies. The stamped star, sunbursts, holly, and sentiment are all from the stamp set. Those sunbursts are addictive. I think I'm going to be using them a lot. ;)

There are a lot of details on this card, so here's a close-up:

I have a fun giveaway for you! The new Brushstroke Christmas stamp set will go to one lucky winner! Please leave a comment here by October 8th; winners will be announced October 9th.

The fun all starts at the CLASSroom, where there is a GIANT prize package being given away—be sure to leave a comment there by October 8th; winners will be announced October 9th! 

Here are the hoppers:

The CLASSroom
Teri Anderson
Laurel Beard
JJ Bolton
Heather Campbell
Kittie Caracciolo
Darlene DeVries
Julie Ebersole
Sharon Harnist 
Amber Kemp-Gerstel
Cristina Kowalczyk
Karolyn Loncon
Nichol Magouirk
Jean Manis
Jennifer McGuire
Chari Moss
Paulina Nakamura
Jocelyn Olson <--You are here
Catherine Pooler
Miriam Prantner
Julia Stainton

Thanks for stopping by! Next up is the fabulous Catherine Pooler!


Supplies
Peace Joy Love
Stamps: (Cozy Christmas) Essentials by Ellen
Dies: (Laurel Wreath, Home and Hearth) Essentials by Ellen
Cardstock: 110lb. Neenah
Patterned paper: (stripe from Merry and Bright 6x6 pad) Pink Paislee
Ink: (green mists from Fresh Lime, Dirty Martini, Lemon Zest Dylusions) Ranger; (Graphite Black Brilliance) Tsukineko
Cord: (Neon Green cord) Hemptique
Sequins: (4mm Sparkling Clear, 6mm Sparkling Clear, Marshmallow, Classic Christmas, Circle Confetti-Gold) Pretty Pink Posh
Pocket: (Page Protector) Project Life

Merry Little Christmas
Stamps: (sentiment, stars, branch from Christmas Scribbles) Essentials by Ellen
Cardstock: (110lb. Neenah); (Distress Watercolor Cardstock) Ranger
Patterned paper: (25th and Pine 6x6 pad) BasicGrey
Ink: (Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Scattered Straw Distress Inks) Ranger; (Grass Chalk Ink) Hero Arts; (Graphite Black Brilliance; Golden Glitz Delicata) Tsukineko; (Letter Jacket Mister Huey's) Studio Calico
Dies: (Circle STAX) My Favorite Things
Cord: (Bamboo White) Hemptique
Sequins: (4mm Sparkling Clear) Pretty Pink Posh

Joy to the World
Stamps: ("joy," sentiment, stars, splatter from Brushstroke Christmas) Essentials by Ellen
Dies: (Stag) Essentials by Ellen
Cardstock: (110lb. Neenah); (Rouge Glitter) American Crafts
Patterned paper: (hexagon, red and white stripe from Merry and Bright 6x6 pad) Pink Paislee; (black and white stripe from Plus One) American Crafts
Ink: (Grass Chalk Ink) Hero Arts; (Graphite Black Brilliance; Golden Glitz Delicata) Tsukineko
Sequins: (6mm Sparkling Clear, Classic Christmas) Pretty Pink Posh

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Stamps: (sentiment, sunburst, star, holly from Merry and Bright) Essentials by Ellen
Dies: ("merry" from Merry and Bright Handwritten; stars from Home and Hearth) Essentials by Ellen; (Pinked dies) Paper Smooches; (Circle STAX) My Favorite Things
Cardstock: (110lb. Neenah); (Peppermint) Bazzill Card Shoppe
Patterned paper: (Jolly Good) Chickaniddy
Ink: (Grass Chalk Ink) Hero Arts; (Pixie) Avery Elle; (Golden Glitz Delicata) Tsukineko; (Apple) Mama Elephant
Sequins: (Circle Confetti-Gold) Pretty Pink Posh

Trio of Scrappy Cards

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great (long) weekend. Where on earth did summer go?? I always love fall, though. :)

I'm up on the Scraptastic Club blog today, and I'm sharing a card set with layered embellishments using one of the September kits:

I started by picking the Teresa Collins and Pink Paislee background papers and then die-cutting various papers from the kit with several different dies (scalloped circles, hearts, butterflies, Polaroids, envelopes, tabs). I die-cut enough for about 10 cards. Ha!

The Girl kit and Add-on have some fabulous embellishments, and I was able to layer those with the papers. Their kits have a ton of product--I'm always amazed!

To simplify the cards, I kept the layouts almost identical for all three cards. Here are some close-ups:

If you get a chance, please check out the Scraptastic blog and kits. The September kits went live yesterday, and you can check them out HERE.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day! :)

Best Friends

Hi everyone! I hope you're having a great week. We've been having crazy weather and flooding this week--I have my fingers crossed that we won't have any more rain this month!

I'm guesting with the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge again. :)

This week's challenge is "You've gotta have friends." The team is using stamps by Art Impressions, although you don't have to use AI stamps to play along. 

Here's my card:

I used the Art Impressions Cat and Dog Mini stamp set for my card. The set has heads and arms for a cat and a dog and stamps for their backsides. They're made for a window card, but instead, I made a ledge out of pp.

I colored and fussy cut the cat and dog and used some hearts and sentiments from the Pen Pals Die-Cuts (and yes, that pink heart is wonky). I layered some Pen Pal papers underneath.

Here's a close-up:

Want to see the inspiration for my scene?

This picture was taken 10 years ago, and while Marma (the cat) didn't like other animals, after five years together, she could peacefully co-exist with the dog. ;)

If you would like to join in on the challenge, you can link up your projects HERE. In addition to our fabulous $50 Simon Says Stamp Gift Voucher, Art Impressions Stamps is offering a wonderful prize opportunity for those who participate in the challenge! To enter, simply link up your creation (like you usually do) and then use the Rafflecopter Widget on the challenge blog to enter to win! 

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week!


Supplies
Cardstock: (white) PTI
Patterned paper: (Pen Pals) Pink Paislee; (pink from Camelot) Studio Calico
Stamps: (Cat & Dog Mini Stamp Set) Art Impressions
Die-cuts: (Pen Pals Die-Cuts) Pink Paislee
Copics

Retro Arrow Shaker

Hi everyone! Are you ready for the weekend? We have the Cinco de Mayo festival in town this weekend--I'm hoping for warm weather.

Kim is sharing my card on the Paper Smooches blog today (that still feels weird to say). Ashley and I are sharing projects today, and I'm using the Retro Arrow Die.

I'm guesting with i {heart} papers this month, and they just got in the new Paper Smooches!

My husband's cousin's wife just had twins (a boy and a girl), and I wanted to send them a baby card:

I was making a different type of card with this die, but I watched Emily Leiphart's awesome shaker card video. It inspired me to try and make a traditional shaker card again. :) If you haven't watched the video, she has some very helpful tips!

To make this shaker, I die-cut the Retro Arrow die six times. I used a craft knife to cut out the centers of five of the arrow panels. I glued each layer together, trimmed an acetate sheet down, and adhered the full panel on top. Once I added the sequins, I sealed the panel against a paper from Carta Bella's Baby Mine collection. 

Here's the side view to see the layers:

On top, I wanted to use the new Paper Smooches Congratulations die. I trimmed down papers from Baby Mine and Hello Sunshine and then and then hand-cut them to keep the look a little "looser." 

I think I overshook the card when showing my son, because there was some serious static cling for these photos. LOL!

Even though the sentiment is a die, it's handwritten. I'm entering the card into the Moxie Fab World Hip on Handwriting Challenge. The challenge ends on the 15th, so you have a few more days to play along. :)

Be sure to check out the Paper Smooches blog to see more inspiration. :) 

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

Supplies

Cardstock: (white, acetate) PTI

Patterned papers: (polka dot, "baby," solid blue from Baby Mine) Carta Bella; (yellow from Hello Sunshine) Pink Paislee

Dies: (Retro Arrow Die, Congratulations) Paper Smooches

Sequins: (Flat Marshmallow) Neat & Tangled; (yellow, blue) Avery Elle

Twine: (yellow cord) Hemptique