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Friday, December 31, 2021

cheers to the new year card with essentials by ellen

Do you need a card to help celebrate something fun like the new year, a birthday or a new baby? How about a card with a little paper champagne like this one?

I had so much fun making this quick card with the Essentials by Ellen Bottles of Bubbly die cut, a little alcohol ink and sentiments from the Essentials by Ellen Love And Light stamp set.

I started by die cutting the bottle from a green cardstock scrap I had on hand. I added a little dimension to the die cut by ink blending a little dark green ink along the edges. 

Next to give the bottle it's foil wrap, I took a piece of aluminum foil from my kitchen and colored it pink with Gumball Pink alcohol ink.

I wanted to add a little black ribbon around the foil but I didn't have any on hand. Instead I used Pitch Black alcohol ink to color some hot pink ribbon.

I used Yupo paper, Gumball alcohol ink, blending solution and blower to create the champagne "spray". I applied a little blending solution to the Yupo paper, followed by the Gumball ink and then I used the blower to move the ink up to the top corner of the cardstock.

The sentiment is stamped with StazOn permanent ink and the bottle is foam mounted on top.


Thanks so much for stopping by!

Carly

supplies:

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

a few of my favorite stamps & dies

Thanks so much for stopping by! Affiliate links may be used in this post at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

It's holiday gift giving time so it's the time of year when I like to buy myself a few fun things to slip under the tree or into my stocking, haha! And I usually gift myself some crafty goodies. Tell me I'm not the only one ;)

Speaking of crafty goodies, one of my favorite brands is having a great sale for the next few days...

...so I thought I would share my favorite Essentials by Ellen stamps and dies in case you are looking for some gift ideas for YOU or a special crafty someone.

I have one or two "signature" card designs and both involve big words! I love big words as shaker windows and just as glossy, sparkly messages. My most used die set is the Essentials by Ellen Classic Block Alphabet. I use it ALL THE TIME...






Another die set I use so much I don't bother putting it away is the Essentials by Ellen Essential Circles. I love including circles in my card designs and this set is so fantastic because it includes 15 circle sizes and cuts a ring at the same time!



And I recommend basically any of the Essentials by Ellen Mondo florals because they are ALL gorgeous!


Hope you get to treat yourself today!

Have a great day!
Carly

Monday, November 8, 2021

how i make my favorite shaker cards with essentials by ellen

Do you have a favorite card design that you turn to again and again? I do and it's word shaker! I love using word & alphabet dies to make sentiments that are interactive! 

Here's my latest word shaker with the Essentials by Ellen Cup of Cheer stamps and my beloved Classic Block Alphabet...


I love mixing part of a stamped sentiment with a die cut word like this. The complete stamp is "have a cup of cheer" but I did a little easy (aka lazy) masking to replace the stamped cheer with the die cut word.

Here's quick process video on how my latest word shaker was made...



Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you are leaving with a little crafty inspiration!

Carly

supplies:
affiliate links may be used at no additional cost to you. thank you!
Catherine Pooler Inks It's A Girl & Coral Cabana
Copic Markers RV02, R14, R22, G000 & G02

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

how to make a mini candy corn piƱata with essentials by ellen

Do you love to give your friends sweet treats for Halloween? I know I do and I love finding cute ways to package them too!

My latest treat package is a mini candy corn piƱata made with the help of a few Essentials by Ellen die cuts. Having a die cut machine and little box die is really handy but I think you could make this treat box with just scissors too.

I've got a quick video of how it came together...


I hope you are inspired to DIY some sweet Halloween treats!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Carly

P.S. Looking for more Halloween treat ideas? Check out my mini ghost bag on the Ellen Hutson blog HERE.

supplies:

Thursday, September 16, 2021

diy ghost treat bag

I'm over on the Ellen Hutson blog today babbling about how much I love Halloween candy but also sharing a quick video on how I made this little ghost that looks like a piƱata but is really a treat bag...

Come on over and say hi!

Carly

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

fall leaves card with pretty pink posh stamps & stencils

Have you tried any of the stamps that have coordinating stencils? I just did and I can't believe I've been snoozing on it for so long! The coordinating stencil is such a fun way to add color to stamped images!

Pretty Pink Posh has an adorable fall release that includes the Falling Leaves stamps, dies and coordinating stencil. Combine the colorful leaves with some Cozy Critters and I'm so happy! And I'm thrilled we are having a hop to share some of this cuteness today!


Before we talk more about cards, I've got some extra fun news! There are 3 $25 gift certificates to Pretty Pink Posh up for grabs! Enter to win by leaving comments along the hop by 11:59pm PST on September 19th, 2021. The winners will be announced on the PPP blog.

Ok, now let's talk leaves...


I spent a few afternoons getting very inky with the stamps & stencils and I've found I have two ways easy ways to use them...one image at a time stamping first & then stenciling AND all the leaves stenciling first & then stamping. 

You can see a little more what I'm talking about in this short process video...


Your next stop on the hop is Dana Kirby's wonderful blog and I'm sure she is going to wow us!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Carly

P.S. In case you get lost, here's the whole hop list...

Carly Minner >>>you are here

P.P.S. Wanna try this with some leaf stamps & dies you already have in your stash but don't have the stencils? Try creating a DIY stencil with the dies. It will give you a colorful "halo" around the outside of the stamp but its a fun way to see if you like adding color with stencils!

supplies:
affiliate links may be used at no additional cost to you. thank you!
Copic Markers E37, E33, E11, BG32, BG11, BG10, C4, C1 & RV10

Friday, August 27, 2021

sparkly popsicle card with essentials by ellen stay cool

Do you ever use die cut shapes to create backgrounds for handmade cards? What about making DIY colored cardstock? On this sparkly popsicle card I did both and I love how it turned out!

Check out the process in this short video...


Thanks for stopping by!

Carly

supplies:
affiliate links may be used at no additional cost to you. thank you!
Glassine Sheets (easier then using treat bags, LOL)

Wednesday, August 11, 2021

not so scary halloween cards with pretty pink posh

I'm always looking for cute stamps & dies for Halloween cards because I LOVE Halloween but I'm definitely here for the sweets & treats, not the scary stuff!

The latest sets from Pretty Pink Posh are perfect for happy & fun Halloween cards! And I'm so delighted to be sharing some cards today for day 2 of the PPP blog hop! 

Before I share my cards, I've got extra fun news! There are 3 $25 gift certificates to Pretty Pink Posh up for grabs! Enter to win by leaving comments along the hop by 11:59pm PST on August 16th, 2021. The winners will be announced on the PPP blog.

 



I love the PPP Monster Hugs set so much and I paired it with some of my favorite cardmaking colors, pink, orange & minty aqua! I also couldn't resist adding googly eyes to all the little monsters.

Pretty Pink Posh makes one of my favorite stencils, Wide Stripes. For this first card, I inked orange stripes as a background for the scripty Trick or Treat die. I layered two white die cuts under a pink one. And I placed a glassine circle behind all of it to mute the stripes just a teeny bit.

A quick tip...to help me line up my die cut words, I used a little low-tack tape to attach the die under my glassine circle as a guide.

The Trick or Treat die also makes a sweet window for a shaker card! The background is orange & pink blended inks topped with glitter paste.

I also inked some pink stripes with the stencil and then cut a circle window for a shaker card full of googly eyes.

For the final card I used circle dies to create a trio of windows to show off minty monsters on a pink glitter background. I love that the sentiment could easily be changed on this card to make it anything but Halloween like a birthday or thank you card.

Your next hop stop is Gemma Campbell's gorgeous blog! I can't wait to see what she made!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Carly

supplies:

Friday, June 11, 2021

how to make a glittery shaker card (+ Erica & Maria's 5K subscriber hop)

Do you want to know more about using stamps, die cuts, ink blending & glimmer paste to create a shaker card? Are you hopping along with Erica & Maria for their rainbow 5K video hop? Well you are in the right place for both!!!

Today my friends Erica & Maria are celebrating reaching 5k subscribers together with a fun video hop! I'm so glad they invited me to celebrate because it prompted me to make my first crafty video in 6 months! Apparently time flies when you have a baby, LOL!

I'm sharing one of my favorite card designs, a word shaker, made with some of my favorite products like Essentials by Ellen stamps & dies, Distress Inks and Nuvo Glimmer Paste.

Check out the video to see more...



To keep hopping along with us, check out Erica's video HERE.

And you can enter to win prizes from some awesome sponsors! Head to the video on YouTube to learn more!


Thanks so much for stopping by!

Carly

supplies:

Monday, May 10, 2021

how to make easy floral cards for spring


I've been wanting to create some bright & fun (and easy) floral cards for spring but I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to make...


Sometimes when I need to get my creative mojo going, I start with
color. I scribble markers or pencils on cardstock, I ink blend a background or I do a little abstract watercoloring like this.


I used Catherine Pooler reinkers in two color combinations (Orange Peel & It's A Girl, Mint To Be & Melon Ice, It's A Girl & Pixie Dust) on my favorite watercolor cardstock, Smooth Bristol.

I let the watercolored panels dry before cutting the to 4bar card size and adhering to folded & scored cards. 

Then I decided to add the Essentials by Ellen Mod Floral die cut (cut from white cardstock) on top and I loved it! I positioned the die cut differently on each card.


Finally I decided to add big gold sentiments on top with the Essentials by Ellen Mondo Hello die cuts.


I love how they turned out with the bright colors and pop of white!


Thanks for stopping by!
Carly

supplies:
affiliate links may be used at no additional cost to you. thank you!
Catherine Pooler Reinkers Orange Peel, It's A Girl, Pixie Dust, Mint To Be & Melon Ice