Ellen Hutson Holiday 2016 Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello, and welcome to the Holiday 2016 Essentials by Ellen Release Hop! I’ll be showcasing several of the new stamp sets and dies on my post today!

And, yay!!! I also 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, October 25th!

There is also a crazy good Grand Giveaway in the CLASSroom!  To enter, be sure to leave a comment there, also by Tuesday, October 25th!

ALL winners will be announced at the CLASSroom on Friday, November 4th! Please check there on that date to see if you are a winner and for further details on claiming your prize!
If you get lost along the hop, please visit the CLASSroom blog for a complete list of all the designers.

If you started from the beginning, you should have come from Heather Campbell's blog.

Happy hoppin’!

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I am so excited to share some of the newest holiday releases from my friend Brandi Kincaid. I always feel like Brandi designs the things my heart wishes it could design if I had an inkling of her talent. When I first opened my box, I gasped when I saw the stamps and coordinating dies. Not only are the images perfect in every way... but the quality of the product is something I haven't seen before.

First of all, the stamp sets are BIG! I'm so used to the standard 4x6 size that I had to do a double take. (Just to give you an idea, several of the sets are 6x8!) I love that these images are big enough to really stand out on any project I want to use them on. And then, let's talk about the dies. The dies come packaged with a magnetic backing already included, which I think is pure genius! The organization and thought behind Ellen's products are just superb!

Now, let's get back to the stamps. This first set is called Light Parade & is all about the nostalgia of driving through the neighborhood to look at all of the lights and Christmas decor.

I couldn't resist these pajama-clad kiddos and the matching dies made this card so easy to put together.

I made a matching envelope using my Silhouette and the row of houses from the set. Oh, and that sentiment?!? We are big Elf fans here & I just wanted to clap when I saw that it was included in this set.

This next set is called Tree Farm and it's perfect for creating some adorable holiday scenes.

I am obsessed with vintage Thermoses and I knew I wanted to make a card that featured several of these.

 Once again, the matching dies made this project so fun to do! I just cut out hot cocoa and thermoses to my heart's desire and then had fun coloring them with different shades.

When I saw Brandi's third set called Homespun Holiday, I knew I *had* to get my embroidery supplies out.

These images are the perfect size to make embroidered ornaments or decor. I just stamped directly onto a scrap of muslin (in a light shade to help hide my original lines) and began to stitch.

I used a combination of standard embroidery floss & wool (crewel floss) to create a little added texture. The whole project was finished in one morning and I know I'll treasure it for years to come.

I hope you've enjoyed taking a peek at a few of the new releases!

From here, your next stop will be Kittie Caracciolo's blog!

My Postmarked 03 Online Class Is Live!

I've been working on the latest class in my Postmarked series for quite some time, so it feels almost surreal to finally be able to share it with everyone. This class wraps up the series & I hate to pick a favorite, but this might be it.

Along with the class release is the new Postmarked stamp set that was designed specifically for this series & for anyone who loves sending out happy mail. I've been looking for a set like this for a long time & was thrilled with Big Picture Classes agreed to take my ideas and turn it into a reality.

 This class covers a lot of material & it starts out with a lesson on embellishing envelopes. I think the joy of happy mail starts from the moment the recipient opens their mailbox and these envelopes are sure to bring a smile. I'll show you how to create some unique DIY envelopes & we'll be embellishing pre-made envelopes as well.

In the second lesson, I'll show you how to create decorative seals & labels to add to your stationery supply. There are free printables, patterns & cut files provided to make creating them a breeze.

In the next lesson, I'll show you how to create your own postcards & aerograms (Aerograms are letters & postcards in one!) and I've provided several free downloads for you to print & use as many times as you'd like.

In the final lesson, I'll show you how to create creative care packages in the form of a card. They're unique, unexpected, and sure to bring a smile!

 You can find out more about the Postcard online class series here. I hope to see you in class!

Celebrating Cath + Technique Tuesday Blog Hop

 

It makes my heart happy when good things happen to good people. I've known Cath Edvalson for many, many years while working with Paper Crafts Magazine & she's truly one of the best. I am so excited today to be able to celebrate her & showcase some of her new products!

Please join me in this blog hop to see many more inspirational posts featuring Cath's beautiful designs. If you started from the beginning (the Technique Tuesday blog) then you should have arrived here from Laura Bassen's blog. Please read on to find out how you can win an awesome prize pack of your own!

Cath makes the most beautiful paper cuts & those designs inspired her new collection of stamps & metal dies. While these products will definitely be perfect to use on handmade cards & layouts... I've decided to go a different route. I've been obsessed with fabric lately & have been busy working on new tote bags & other products for my Etsy shop.

My recent tote bag was just crying out for some decorative details & Cath's metal dies allowed me to do just that.  I used her new Garden Flowers & Garden Leaves dies along with fabric to dress up my design.  I found that it's best to iron Heat'n Bond to your fabric & then die cut your elements. This allows you to create fabric pieces that can easily be ironed onto your project for a permanent bond.

 I flipped the leaf die for the second die cut to create a mirrored image.

 These dies cut so precisely & I love how my bag embellishment coordinates perfectly with the inside lining.

 I added a coordinating button & made a tag using the Heartfelt Thanks stamp set.

You can find the "Catherine Tote Bag" in my Etsy shop!

Technique Tuesday is going to give away three prizes!!! One person will win a package consisting of all 5 of Cath's new products. Technique Tuesday will also give away two $25 gift certificates.

The three winners will be chosen at random from all the comments left during the hop on all the blog stops. To be eligible to win, blog hoppers need to just leave a comment any of the blog hop stops. The more comments they leave during the hop,  the more chances they have to win.

You have through midnight PST on Sept. 16th, 2015, to leave comments. The three winners will be announced on the Technique Tuesday blog on Sept. 18th, 2015. *I approve all comments before they'll show up on my blog, so don't be alarmed if your comment doesn't show up right away.

From here, hop over to Lisa Adametz' blog!

My Week in the Life Album 2015 + Video

I just finished my first Week In The Life album - actually my first ever album - and wanted to share a little about my process & what the project meant to me. I have a video at the end of my post that goes through every page in my book & some of the stories of our week. I've started mini albums in the past, but I've never completed them, so I felt like I needed to give myself a big round of applause when I finished my last page.

If you're not familiar with the Week In The Life  project, it's a concept originated by Ali Edwards with the purpose of capturing a week of time of your life in photos & words. I like to think of it as a time capsule of my life right now.

I've been thinking about memory keeping in a new light lately. Story centered memory keeping just makes sense to me & it's like a light bulb finally went off in my head & I understand why people scrapbook and how meaningful it can be. For me, it's not about adding another creative outlet to my day or playing with pretty paper or artful techniques. It's about telling the stories of your life and allowing the paper & products to come alongside & tell a visual story that sometimes words alone can't express. Don't get me wrong - I love the scrapbooking *stuff* just as much as the next person, but because my focus has changed, the purpose for using those products has changed & my thirst for storytelling is in full force.

I purchased the Week in the Life kit off of Ali's site & I'm so glad I did. Not only did it come with the perfect sized album, but the prompts & products included were a great jumping off point.  I also purchased these Memory Keeping Doodle Prompt Printables from Brandi Kinkade's shop & they really helped me to get things organized and documented... and to top it off, they're super cute! Another great resource are the Daily Sheets which are free on Ali's website.  I talk about all of these resources in my video, but wanted to give you links just in case you wanted to check them out for yourself.

I found that Post-it notes were my best friends. I worked on a day or two at a time & jotted down stories that I wanted to tell & photos (with sizes listed) that I wanted to print out.

Throughout the week, I collected as much ephemera as I could. It's just another visual reminder of what life was like this week for me. Some people's albums are very sleek, clean, & modern & I think they look amazing... but I really wanted to let my personality shine through in this album, so it's full of mismatched pages, lots of color, texture, & what I like to call "fresh vintage" details.

The great thing about this project is - there are no rules! Capture what's meaningful to you in a way that speaks to your heart. Make it as simple or complex as you like it. I am a person who likes to add a lot of details. It just makes me happy & being happy motivates me to keep going. I smile every time I flip through my album & see this shop tag. It immediately reminds me of the happy mail that I received that day & gives me such a clear visual of that moment. (I mentioned Christine Herrin's shop a few times in my video & this Happy Mail printable was a free download that she sent to her newsletter recipients.)

 

I'm not a great photographer by any stretch of the imagination, but I didn't allow that to be a road block for me. All of my photos were taken with my iPhone & to me, they're good enough. They serve the purpose & I love them even if the lighting was bad or the composition wasn't perfect. I printed out all of my photos at Walgreens because I could upload them from home & by the time I reached the store, they were ready for me to pick up. Again, not the highest quality prints, but it worked, it was very inexpensive, & it allowed me to get my album finished... and that's what my top priority was.

So... without further ado, here is my completed Week In The Life album:

Hazel Makes {My New Etsy Shop}

I've always been a "maker" and love everything from paper to fabric to paint.  One day I'm making a set of handmade cards & the next, I'm making a quilt. I collect fabric like I do patterned paper & recently I decided that it was time to give my collection a life of its own & turn it into something with purpose.

I created a new Etsy shop called Hazel Makes. When I started thinking about a name for my shop, I knew it would probably be filled with an eclectic mix of things. I've never been one to fixate on one project and make the same thing day in & day out. I wanted a name that would allow me to make whatever was on my heart & not feel like I had to be boxed into one product for the rest of my days.

So why Hazel Makes? When I was younger, I use to hate that my eyes were a mixture of colors. My friends all had either bright blue or dark brown shades & I wanted to be able to assign a label to my own. One day they were green & the next they were gray. Sometimes they looked blue and other times they had hints of gold. When I was a teenager, I thought colored contacts would be the solution to my color conundrum, but after trying out every shade imaginable, I suddenly realized that I liked the color I was born with the most.  And now that I'm older, I realize that my ever changing eye color fits my personality to a T. 

Over the past month, I've been stitching up some of my favorite designer fabrics into little zipper pouches.

This one was inspired by my favorite Liberty of London coffee mug:

 ...and I love anything with the Swiss cross icon. I think this one would be so cute filled with bandages & first aid supplies. :)

Each of my bags are unique and one-of-a-kind. They're perfect for keeping all of your little things in life organized, such as pencils, makeup, money, etc.  You can find my current listings here:

Be sure to check back soon & see what new project is in the works!

Marketing for Creatives online class

I wanted to pop in & tell you about one of the newest online classes at Studio Calico. Marketing for Creatives is a unique educational opportunity & I personally could use a lot of direction in this area.  I started a small creative business locally and I think this class is going to be just what I need to branch out and grow.

Here's a little more information about the class:

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

- Go from hobbyist to professional

- Gather inspiration for design and branding of your online presence

- Establish a marketing strategy where your creative blog is the home base for your complete online presence

- Develop great content and community that will keep fans coming back for more

- The basics of monetizing, partnerships, collaborations, and contributors

- Overview and ideas for using major social channels such as Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, and newcomers, Snapchat and Periscope (Hint: You don't have to do it all!)

WHAT COMES WITH THIS CLASS

- 4 weeks of lessons and videos from Amber sharing expert advice from her 10 years of blogging and her professional marketing experience

- Features from guest bloggers and creatives who will let you in on their secrets and give you tips and resources to either get started or take your online presence to a new level

- Weekly assignments and action plans to get it done

- Live, group Q & A chat

- Access to a class message board and gallery, where you can share and learn with your teacher and fellow students

- Printable blog planner sheets from Hello Forever, including a content calendar, post planner, and a monthly check-in sheet to help you track your stats and set goal

If this sounds like something you'd like to check out, you can visit Studio Calico to learn more. The class starts in September & registration ends on September 1st.

Take a Peek at Postmarked 02 - My Newest Class from Big Picture Classes!

I'm excited to share a peek into Postmarked 02, my latest online class in the Postmarked series from Big Picture Classes!

BPC is an amazing online source for creative education.  You'll find classes on card making, scrapbooking, photography, DIY, and more!  The site is a membership, meaning - you pay a small fee each month & have access to the full library of classes.

For a short time, you can take my class FOR FREE!  Find out more below.

I really think you're going to love what's in store for Postmarked 02!

In this class, I'll show you how to make a customized stationery set that's full of color!  Learn how to revitalize supplies you have on hand with a dye bath and create beautiful cards that have been dip dyed.

The class comes with free templates to make handmade envelopes & a stationery box.  These sets are just gorgeous and make perfect gifts!  The templates come in both pdf & .studio files for the Silhouette Cameo.

I'll also show you techniques for creating monogrammed cards through dry embossing & hand embroidery.

One of my favorite things about this class is that you can use whatever supplies you have on hand!  It's a great way to revitalize your stash & create projects that fit your own unique style.

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So, are you ready to check out Postmarked 02?  For a limited time, you can take my class & any class at BPC FOR FREE!

Use the code: BPCJULIE to get a free one month trial membership to the site.

*Free month trial promotion ends August 22^nd, 2015 at 11:59 pm EST. First month free offer valid only on new memberships and is not valid for current or previous members. Click the “Start Your Free Trial” button and follow the steps to begin your free trial.  Enter promo code in promo box and continue checkout process. Not valid on previous purchases. Must enter promo code at checkout. Refunds will not be issued for misused or non-entered codes. 

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I hope to see you in class!