two cards with essentials by ellen fallish

I'm so excited for fall and the changing of the leaves but it's been 80 degrees at my house so I thought I would make fall cards with pretty leaves. And the perfect stamp set to use? The Essentials by Ellen Fallish set! 

It's such a gorgeous set that I decided to make two cards, one "clean" and one "messy" with the Distress Watercolor Pencils.

For the messy one, I tried to stamp a random background but it's so hard not to overthink it, LOL! Then I use a wet paint brush directly on the watercolor pencil to pick up the color and paint with it. I didn't use watercolor cardstock so I wanted to just lay down a lot of color without moving the water around too much on my paper.

I really like the messy look but maybe I needed to go out of the lines even more so it seems intentional, haha!

And for the cleaner look, I tried to stamp the leaves in horizontal lines across the card front. It's probably not as precise as it could be but not bad for eye balling it!

I used one of my new favorite word dies on top, the Essentials by Ellen Thank You. I love the font so much!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Carly

mft sketch challenge 613

Do you need a little mid-week creative jumpstart? Me too lol, so I suggest the Wednesday Sketch Challenge over on the MFT Stamps blog! 

I love these challenges for making me feel really creative! And when the card design is already done for you, you have the brain space for other things like trying new products. Hello Distress Watercolor Pencils!

Here's the sketch...

And here's what I made...

I started by masking a piece of smooth watercolor cardstock to match the sketch. Then I blended a little light pink ink in the masked rectangle spaces.

After removing the washi tape, I stamped one of the flowers from the Pretty Poinsettias set in a pale ink for no-line coloring.

And then it was time to play with my new Distress Watercolor Pencils!!!

Let me just say that I think I love these pencils but we can talk more about that later, lol! For this card, I used three colors Candied Apple, Kitsch Flamingo and Picked Raspberry. I colored part of each petal and then blended with a wet paint brush.

I probably should have called it after the fist layer of color but I was having so much fun that I did three. Not only are the pencils fab but this was the first time I tried a no-line technique with the Pretty Poinsettias and I.LOVE.IT!

You can learn more about the sketch challenge over on the MFT Stamps blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Carly

a simply stitched card with essentials by ellen

I'm over on the Ellen Hutson blog today sharing this card and my tips for creating simple stitched cards designs. I'd love it if you stopped by!

Hugs!

Carly

a latte love card with mft stamps

Do you have a coffee-loving friend who could use a paper hug? I've got just the card to show you! I created it with the MFT Stamps Coffee Shop Card Kit...

To create this card I started with the lovely gray shiplap patterned paper from the Floor To Ceiling Paper Pad and adhered it to my card.

I foam mounted a piece of white cardstock with a stripe of kraft on top to make a "counter". The white counter was the perfect place for the sentiment from Coffee Order stamp set.

The hanging menu is the Coffee Shop stamp embossed with white on black cardstock and die cut with Make A Sign die set. And I used the menu frame die cut to "hang" the sign.

The counter is covered with cups & an espresso machine from the Be Your Own Barista die set.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have time to pop over to the MFT blog to check out more cards made with the kit (and maybe treat yourself to the kit too)!

Hugs!

Carly

coffee shop card kit

Do you love coffee? Do you love cardmaking? Well I've got the card kit for you!

MFT is releasing their latest card kit tomorrow, Coffee Shop! Here's a little peek...

I paired a sentiment from the Coffee Order stamp set with the little to-go cups from Be Your Own Barista die set. 

The card could not be simpler but I love how it turned out and I think it's perfect to give with a gift card!

Stop by again tomorrow to see more!

Hugs!

Carly

diy marbled halloween tags

Are you getting excited for Halloween projects? I'm all about making and giving treats so I need gift tags! I'm sharing some bright & happy marbled tags over on the Ellen Hutson blog today with a video! I'd love for you to come check it out!!!

Hugs!!!

Carly

stenciled fall cards with pretty pink posh

Raise your hand if you are getting excited for fall! I'm assuming you are all raising your hands high so lets talk about creating some fall-ish thank you cards with the latest Pretty Pink Posh stencils! (By the way you are here just in time for day 3 of the PPP September release hop!)

Before I share my card, there's more fun! 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 21st, 2022. The winners will be announced on the PPP blog.

I would love to tell you that I did something really clever to make these cards but honestly the fab stencils, Layered Foliage and Layered Apples, did all the work!

Since both sets are layered stencils its ridiculously easy to use them to create beautiful stenciled card fronts. My only tip is that I find the stencils easier to use with blending brushes instead of foam (but foam still works if that's what you've got).

I used Distress Oxide inks Dried Marigold and Saltwater Taffy with the foliage. And Saltwater Taffy & Festive Berried with the apples.

To finish the cards I used the "thanks" from the Give Thanks Script die and paired it with tiny typed stamped sentiments from Hedgehog Friends and Floral Hearts. I placed both parts on a vellum circle (and my vellum adhesive seems really visible in the pics but you can barely see it in real life.)

Your next stop on the hop is Lisa Mears blog and I'm sure you are going to love it! Here's the whole hop list in case you need it...

Pretty Pink Posh blog 
Amy Rysavy
Dana Kirby
Lindsey Larsen
Melody Rupple
Amanda Wilcox
Carly Minner
Lisa Mears

Thanks so much for hopping with us! Hugs!!!

Carly

alex syberia designs kickstarter campaign | blog hop 1 & giveaway

The moment has arrived!! Alex Syberia Designs Kickstarter Campaign is live!

Today, we are celebrating the launch of Alex Syberia Designs' very first collection of physical products through their Kickstarter Campaign! With clear stamps, dies and stencils, there's something for everyone to love!

To have a look at all of the designs in detail (including videos!), the exclusive offers they have for you, and see how you can support them, make sure you check their Kickstarter Campaign Page.

Their Kickstarter Campaign, full of incredible discounts for you, will run from the 15th September to the 16th October 2022.  

This great milestone called for some big celebrations! Throughout the duration of the Kickstarter Campaign, Alex Syberia Designs will be hosting 4 hops:

• 15 September 2022 - Hop 1: Blog hop
• 23 September 2022 - Hop 2: Instagram hop
• 5 October 2022 - Hop 3: Blog hop
• 13 October 2022 - Hop 4: Instagram hop

GIVEAWAY PRIZES | OVER £1000/$1200 IN TOTAL

Alex Syberia Designs is giving away some fantastic prizes; their full September Release and two of their gorgeous Floral Bundle or Critter Bundle to choose from. There are also amazing companies and crafty friends who are celebrating with us. Here's the complete list of awesome prizes:

• Alex Syberia Designs:
  
  • Full September Release Bundle (worth £329/$395)
  • Two bundles to choose from: Floral Bundle (worth £160/$192) or Cuties Bundle (worth £108/$129) *
• Artcreatiu - 25€ Gift Card
• Bearly Art - $50 Gift Card (open to US participants only)
• Catherine Pooler Designs - $30 Gift Card
• Crafty Purple Frog - £25 Gift Card
• Kit & Clowder - 30$ Gift Card
• La papelería de Lola - 25€ Gift Card
• Organizemore - $50 Gift Card
• Picket Fence Studios - $75 Gift Card
• Seize the Stamp - CHF 50
• The Gray Muse - $50 Gift Card
• Tonic Studios - £100/$100 Gift Card
• Wow! Embossing powder - £20/$20 Gift Card

* Check the Kickstarter Campaign for more info

That's a total of 15 prizes for 15 lucky winners! To be in with a chance to win one of these amazing prizes all you have to do is play along with each of the four hops! Alex Syberia Designs will draw winners from those entrants that have played along the hops by 16th October 2022. 

Our first hop is a blog hop and it couldn't be easier to enter. All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post as well as those of the other amazing designers in this hop. You can see the full list, with links to each blog, below.

Winners will be announced on the Alex Syberia Designs blog on the 23rd October 2022.

excited for fall with essentials by ellen

The weather is changing in Seattle this week and I'm thrilled for all things fall, including fall cardmaking! There are some fabulous new fall sets hitting the Ellen Hutson shop this Friday! Want a little peek...

I LOVE the Fallish stamp set! I ink blended cardstock with Distress Oxide Tattered Rose and stamped the leaves across the panel with Catherine Pooler Clay Mask. I love the way the colors worked together.

And the new Thank You die...so good! I used the background die to cut a window in my card panel. Then I die cut the letters from white cardstock and colored them with Copic Markers.

And this card has so many new goodies it is almost ridiculous, LOL! I clearly got carried away...

I used the new Hot Foil Stamp Hexagons with the Essential Hexagon dies to make a shaker window. As a background I used a panel with the new foiled EBE HFS Ovals that was headed to the garbage but it was perfect when I only needed a small section so I ink blended it and used it to back & close the shaker.

And I topped the whole card off with the Thank You die cut again and ink blended leaves from the new EBE Leaves set. Just wait until you see the rest of the dies!

There's more to see on the EH blog today so please stop by!

Hugs!

Carly

rudolph the red-nosed reindeer card with mft stamps

Have you started creating any Christmas cards yet? You might want to when you see the latest collection of stamps and dies from MFT Stamps! But before you run off to see what I mean, I've got a Christmas card to share with you!

One of my favorite holiday characters is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer so I was thrilled to see the Reindeer Love set! I mean, how cute?!

It was so fun to color this little guy but it took me ages, LOL! I'm attempting to be a little bolder with my colors & shading and that takes time so I kept the card simple after that.

The hearts and sentiment (borrowed from Christmas Sweetheart) are stamped directly on the card) and little Rudolph is stamped, cut & colored and then foam mounted to the card.

If you haven't had a chance, I highly recommend popping over to the MFT blog to see more of the new release!

Thanks for stopping by!

Carly

new halloween stamps & dies from essentials by ellen

Have you heard that there are new Essentials by Ellen sets hitting the Ellen Hutson shop this Friday? I'm excited for everyone to see the super cute Halloween & fall goodies and every day this week our EH team is revealing a little bit more...

This is Boos Inside, a super cute set of Halloween mugs! For this card I stamped the ghost mug, covered it in Glossy Accents and when the Glossy Accents was dry, I ink blended over the top.

Here's the Pumpkin Mug die cut covered with Glossy Accents, a tag from the Modern Tag set with the Hocus Pocus stamps, and all attached to a little gift of Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate.

And there's a new Candy Corn Add-On for the EBE Pyramid Box. It's cute as a shaker too! 

Pop over to the EH blog when you have time to see more!

Thanks for stopping by!

Carly

outdoorsy card with mft stamps

There's only one more day until the MFT Stamps September release and I've got a simple but sweet adventure card to share with you!

I'm truly an indoorsy person, you will never find me camping but the new MFT Happy Camper set is so darn cute! And I love the "I Love Adventures With You" sentiment so much!

I stamped & colored two trees and the sentiment on my card front. Then I added some stamped, cut and colored trees and the car with foam adhesive to create a little dimension.

And with a little black splatter, the card was done! I love how simple and sweet it is.

To see more of what's coming from MFT this September, pop over to the MFT blog and YT.

Hugs!

Carly

new essentials by ellen are coming soon!

I've got great news for your fall cardmaking...there's a new Essentials by Ellen release coming this Friday! And its a fab release!!!

Want a little preview? Well I can definitely do that because today our EH team is revealing a few of the new sets. First up, here's a little peek of the new Ghost Ancestors set...

I love the silly sense of humor this set has! I went for a clean and simple card (because of course I did, LOL) with the feel of a ghost family photo wall. 

I stamped the portraits in black and colored just one element simply with Copics.

Next there's the Ghost Hugger and Hey Boos die sets. I can't stop thinking about all the things I want to make with these!!!

Can you even believe how cute this little ghost is? I used it on a simple card with the interactive ghost hands holding the sentiment but can you imagine all the other things...and the candy!!! You know I love candy, LOL!

My background is foiled with the Tiny Stars Background and then I blended Distress Oxide Tattered Rose over the top. And I layered a white cardstock and vellum ghost so it felt extra "ghosty".

Pop over to the EH blog when you have a time because my teammates are so talented and they are going to knock your socks off! And mark your calendars for Friday ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

Carly

be merry shaker card + 2 days until the mft september release

I'm sure I've said this before but I think it bears repeating before I show you my card for today's countdown to the MFT Stamps September release...I've never met a word die that I didn't want to turn into a shaker window. Haha!

I used the MFT Be Merry die and look at that fantastic die cut window! Can you blame me for making it into a shaker?!

And in addition to filling my shaker with rhinestones and sequins, I used the sweet little holly die cuts from the Christmas Garnish set (designed to work with the Barware Basics and Long Stem Barware die sets) as shaker bits. 

To see more of the MFT September release, make sure you pop over to the MFT blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope to see you again tomorrow for the last little sneak peek!

Hugs!

Carly

mft september countdown day 3

As we are counting down to the MFT Stamps release, I created a card using the adorable MFT Cozy Days With You stamps and some simple masking...

I started by stamping the kitten with the cocoa on my card panel. Then I stamped him again on a post-it note, cut the post-it note kitty out and placed him over the stamped one as a mask. 

Then I stamped the big pumpkin over part of the masked kitty so when I removed the mask it looks like the kitten is sitting on the pumpkin.

I masked the big pumpkin too so it looks like the smaller pumpkins are behind the big pumpkin.

I stamped a few leaves and then colored everything with Copic markers.

Then I decided I needed more leaves so I stamped, cut and colored a few and foam mounted them to the card.

The final step was to add a sentiment and add a few white highlights.

Thanks for stopping by! You can find more peeks at the MFT September release on their blog and YouTube channel.

Have a great day!

Carly