uwf sending sunshine

I am NOT a summer girl. I don't like to be hot, I hate to sweat and at best, I'm ambivalent about the sun. I'm a true PNW girl, I love the gray skies and constant drizzle of fall, winter and spring. However I do think we all need a little more sunny things in our every day life. That's what handmade cards are all about right? Sending a bit of sunshine to those we love. 

I'm so excited that the latest United We Flourish set is available today! This collaboration from Essentials by Ellen & Honey Bee is full of sun and happiness...

I have been having tons of fun with this set! The sentiments pair so well with so many things, including something I consider sunny - citrus!

I used the Honey Bee Sunburst Stencils to achieve my mod & graphic lemons, limes and oranges. Here's how:

A ring of masking paper to a circle die cut from white cardstock.

Low-tack tape to tack down my folded circle notecard and stencil on top.

Avery Elle Daisy yellow pigment ink applied first.

A second color (Distress Oxide Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade or Twisted Citron) applied and blended.

Removed stencil and inked the remaining edge to create rind.

Removed the ring of masking paper and stamp sentiment inside.

For the card I used the same technique for the smaller orange slice. 

I created the dotted background paper by using a ink blended tool pushed straight down. 

Happy Sunday!

xo,
Carly

supplies:
United We Flourish Stamp & Die Combo Set, Sending Sunshine
Lawn Fawn Circle Stackables
Distress Oxide Inks Spiced Marmalade, Wild Honey & Twisted Citron
Avery Elle Ink Daisy
Honey Bee Sunburst Layering Stencils

5 ways to use essentials by ellen modern graphics

Is your desk ever covered in beautiful crafty things but you have no creative mojo to your name? Yup, me too. My favorite way to break out a creative "dry spell" is to challenge myself to use one supply as many ways as I can think of, like 3 cards with the same stamp set or a die two ways. This weekend I challenged myself to use the new Essentials by Ellen Modern Graphics patterned paper with all my favorite techniques.

The result? I'm smitten with this paper and have 5 fun ideas on how to use it.

use it as a background: These patterns are perfection all on their own! Neutral black & white goes with anything and the papers are scaled perfectly for A2 cards. So use them just as they are for backgrounds (or maybe on my card it might be considered the foreground, LOL).

stamp on it: The smooth surface is perfect for stamping so try your favorite ink. I have already tried (and loved the results of) Distress Oxide, VersaFine and Memento.

ink it up: The papers are also perfect for ink blending, which is probably my favorite way to add color. I have found it easier to apply Distress Inks to the Modern Graphics than Solar White, though it is not quite as seamless as my BFF Bristol. And even using pigment inks, like the Distress Oxides I used on this card, the pattern is still crisp & strong.

foil it: The patterns are toner so they foil beautifully and I love foil. 'nuf said.

color it with copics: Another bonus of the toner, you can add color with Copic markers which makes it even more customizable.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs!
Carly

supplies:
Essentials by Ellen Modern Graphics Paper Pack
Essentials by Ellen Stamps Plant Ladies Say
Essentials by Ellen Stamps Rustic Botanicals
Essentials by Ellen Dies Rustic Botanicals
Essentials by Ellen Dies Many Thanks
Essentials by Ellen Dies Holiday Words
Distress Oxide Inks Cracked Pistachio, Worn Lipstick & Picked Raspberry

faux watercolor with plant lady + rustic botanicals

One of the first stamping techniques I learned back in day, a million years ago, was faux watercoloring with rubber stamps and a spray bottle. The technique is so fun and can produce really stunning results.

The new Essentials by Ellen Rustic Botanicals by Julie Ebersole is perfect for this technique! See what I mean? (This is when you tell me how pretty my card is, LOL!)

In case you haven't tried this faux watercolor technique yet, the basic idea is to apply color(s) to your stamp with water-reactive markers or ink pads, then mist and stamp. So easy right?!

A few keys to this technique...
-Always start by applying the lightest color of ink first. This keeps markers and ink pads from being "contaminated" by darker ink colors.
-Practice misting once or twice to get the hang of how much water you want to use. For my card, I used more mist on the background for a more abstract look and less on the flower for my Plant Lady to hold.
-Not all spray bottles are created equal so test a few until you find one that works for you. I love the super fine mist of the Nuvo Spray bottles but they aren't very sturdy (or I might be freakish strong) because I've bent/broken 2 in just a few months. The Hero mister isn't as fine of a mist but I've had mine 10+ years and its still going strong.

Hugs & happy Friday!
Carly

supplies:
Essentials by Ellen Stamps Leading Ladies - Plant Lady
Essentials by Ellen Stamps Plant Ladies Say
Essentials by Ellen Stamps Rustic Botanicals
Essentials by Ellen Dies Rustic Botanicals
Distress Ink Worn Lipstick, Abandoned Coral, Wild Honey, Cracked Pistachio, Lucky Clover, Spiced Marmalade & Tattered Rose
Nuvo Light Spray Bottle
Hero Arts Water Mist Bottle

3 floral backgrounds for plant lady

Have you seen the new Leading Lady - Plant Lady by Brandi Kincaid? Brandi's adorable Leading Ladies are quickly becoming favorites in my craft room! I love that they are perfect for practicing my Copic coloring skills (and goodness knows I need practice) and they are also really versatile! Today I have 3 floral backgrounds to share that are perfect for Plant Ladies!

#1. Stamped

Plant Lady looks pretty with just a few daisies stamped around her. I used the same daisy she's holding but just masked it so the stem would not stamp. When I accidentally did stamp part of the stem, I used a black pen to create another petal.

And my favorite color of Nuvo Jewel Strawberry Coulis drops made the perfect daisy centers and confetti.

#2. Die Cut

Inspired by the gorgeous stitching of Jill Dewey Hawkins (if you haven't seen her work, run to her blog Fastest Turtle as soon as you're finished here, LOL), I stitched glassine flowers to my background. I used the flower die from the new Rustic Botanicals set and the die comes with a smaller circle flower nested inside so I used them together for a daisy-type flower. I die cut the flower again from cardstock, leaving the middle intact. I colored it with Copics and added the sentiment.

#3. Painted

This inked and stamped background was inspired by the stunning art of Alisa Burke (check her out too). I painted first with Distress Oxide inks and then stamped over the top. Any watercolors or even acrylic paint would work nicely. It's a super easy and striking background. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Hugs!
Carly

P.S. Stop by on Friday for one more floral background!

supplies:
Essentials by Ellen Stamps, Leading Ladies Plant Lady
Essentials by Ellen Dies, Leading Ladies Plant Lady
Essentials by Ellen Stamps, Plant Ladies Say
Essentials by Ellen Stamps, Mondo Peony
Essentials by Ellen Dies, Rustic Botanicals
Distress Oxide Inks Worn Lipstick, Wild Honey, Lucky Clover & Salty Ocean

new essentials by ellen!

The new Essentials by Ellen release is available NOW and I'm so excited for you to see it!!! As a EH staff and DT member, I'm lucky enough to get the special perk of having the release early and I've been spending lots of time creating with these awesome sets! I have so much to share with you!

Here's one of the first cards I created...

This Rustic Botanicals set by Julie is so beautiful! I just couldn't wait to stamp it out so I paired it with a Distress-Ink-watercolored-background (did you know that was one word? LOL). I stamped the flowers in coordinating Distress Oxide (Worn Lipstick), added a sentiment from Brandi's Plant Ladies Say and some black splatter. And the centers of the flowers are my fav color of Nuvo Jewel drops, Strawberry Coulis. It's the perfect pinky-red, complimenting pinks and my go-to color of ink, Distress Abandoned Coral.

So run over and get your Rustic Botanicals & Plant Lady and then stop by later this week to see more (and hopefully get inspired)!

Hugs & Happy Sunday!
Carly