Essentials by Ellen Late Summer Release Blog Hop and Giveaway

Hey everyone!  I'm psyched to be participating in today's blog hop celebrating the latest Essentials by Ellen release!  You should be arriving from Carolyn Peeler.

I was assigned to showcase the Mondo Peonies stamps and dies and the Warm Fuzzies stamp set.  I went a little nuts with this release, so I'm going to get right to the cards.

First up, Mondo Peonies.  Can't tell you how thrilled I was to get to showcase these.  Peonies are my favorite flower!  These first two cards are very similar.  I started with a very light wash of gray/blue on the background for both cards.



For the first one I wanted to go a little mixed media.  I started by stamping the peonies and leaves with Antique Linen distress ink.  I really just wanted to get the basic shape for where they would be.

Then I used Seedless Preserves Distress Paint for the flowers and a combination of Peeled Paint, Mowed Lawn, and Antique Linen Distress Paint for the leaves.  This was kind of a base coat, and I really wasn't concerned about being precise.  I knew I would be outside the lines, I was going for a more messy look.



Once that was dry, I restamped the images using Ranger Archival Ink.  Then I used Kuretake watercolors to go back in (again, not in a precise manner) to add some shading/detail/depth to the images.  I also added some color in the background and splatter.  The sentiment is from an older Ellen Hutson set, Love you So.

Now I'm not going to lie, there were a couple times when I was creating this first card that I looked at it and thought, this is a hot mess, and considered abandoning it, but I'm happy I kept at it.  I really like how it turned out.



I thought I would remake the card using just watercolors, you get a much lighter feel here, but it was created in the same way, just using watercolor for the base layer rather than the acrylics.  The sentiment is from another of the sets being released, Lovely.



Since I ignored the coordinating dies in these first two cards, I thought I should show them off a bit.  I also wanted to show how versatile they are, so rather than creating a peony,  I used three of the flower shapes to create a bold die cut flower.  I inlaid each layer of the flower so it's flat, but you could stack them for some great dimension as well.  The center of the flower uses a stamp from Ellen's Bold Blooms set.



I cut a thin strip of cardstock and die cut two of the peony leaves to create my flower stem and leaves.  The sentiment is from the Warm Fuzzies set.



The Warm Fuzzies set has some really cute sentiments, and I thought this sunshine sentiment would work perfectly with some other dies Ellen is releasing, Silver Linings.  I am absolutely in love with these dies and really wanted to use them.  The sunburst was cut three times using three different shades of yellow.  I wanted to add some dimension/texture to the card, so rather than piece the pieces together, I opted to trim out the layers and adhere them one on top of the other.



I cut a bunch of the clouds from vellum, stitched them to a thin strip of cardstock and then adhered them to the card with foam tape.



I literally could not get enough of that sunburst die.  I look at it and just see so many patterns and possibilities and I just had to play a little more, and this is what happened:

There are actually two starburst pieces that mirror one another in the set.  I cut each one twice using three shades of cardstock.  Then I trimmed/adhered them in layers like I did for the prior card.  Placing the four pieces together I was able to create this great diamond design.



I thought it would work perfectly for a nontraditional Christmas card, so I added a red foil cut joy die cut sentiment and a secondary sentiment from the previously released Merry & Bright set.



I have so many other color/placement combinations for these sunburst dies!

OK, now for the good news for all of YOU!  I 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, August 23rd!

There is also a crazy good Grand Giveaway in the CLASSroom!  To enter, be sure to leave a comment there, also byTuesday, August 23rd.

ALL winners will be announced at the CLASSroom on Friday, August 26th! Please check there on that date to see if you are a winner and for further details on claiming your prize!

Your next stop on the hop is Julia Stainton.  If you get lost along the hop, please visit the CLASSroom blog for a complete list of all the designers.

Happy hopping!

*Affiliate Links Below

Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps, Mondo Peony by Julie Ebersole

Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps, Lovely by Julie Ebersole

Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps, Love You So by Julie Ebersole

Ranger Distress Ink Pad, Antique Linen

Ranger Archival Ink Pad, Jet Black

VersaFine Ink Pad, Onyx Black

Ranger Distress Paint, Seedless Preserves

Ranger Distress Paint, Peeled Paint

Ranger Distress Paint, Antique Linen

Ranger Distress Paint, Mowed Lawn

Kuretake Gansai Tambi, 36 Color Set

Canson XL Watercolor Paper Pad 9x12

Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Mondo Peony by Julie Ebersole

Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps, Warm Fuzzies by Julie Ebersole

Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps, Bold Blooms by Julie Ebersole

Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Licorice Twist, 25 pk

Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Wax Lips, 25 pk

Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Circus Peanuts, 25 pk

Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Marshmallow Chick, 25 pk

Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Spearmint Stick, 25 pk

My Favorite Things Paper Pack, Dots & Stripes - Neutral

Scotch Double-Sided Foam Mounting Tape

My Sweet Petunia MISTI Stamping Tool

Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Silver Linings by Julie Ebersole

Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Sour Lemon, 25 pk

Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Gold Coins, 25 pk

Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Icy Mint, 25 pk

Essentials by Ellen 40 lb. Vellum, 25 pk

Neenah Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pk

Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps, Brushstroke Christmas by Julie Ebersole

Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies, Brushstroke Joy by Julie Ebersole

Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Candy Necklace, 25 pk

Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Robin's Egg, 25 pk

Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Gumball, 25 pk

Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Marshmallow, 25 pk

Diecuts With A View 6x6 Cardstock Stack - Foiled 1

Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue, 0.88 oz.