PaperFections

Ellen Hutson's 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Touch 2018: Tons of Techniques!

Welcome to this year's Ellen Hutson 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist series . . . my absolute favorite project/post each year! I'm so honored to have participated in this tradition for the past 7 years, since 2011! (You can find my previous year's tags by clicking (here -->) on the 12 Tags of Christmas category over in my right sidebar). This year we once again have 24 designers paired up for each of the 12 days, to share their talents with you as we provide you with ideas for creating your own tags this holiday season! My partner in crafting today is the very talented Emily Midgett! Please be sure to head over to her blog to see her take on today's theme! GIVEAWAY: We are looking forward to seeing what you are inspired to create from the tags/techniques/themes that are shared this year and we would LOVE to have you participate! Just look for the little “theme box” (below) on each post and use the designer’s tags to inspire you to join in the fun! Remember to leave a comment every day sharing your appreciation with the artists (on the Ellen Hutson CLASSroom blog AND the... Read more →

Emboss Resist Love You So Matcha!

Happy Friday, Friends! Today I wanted to revisit a favorite "oldie but goody" technique of mine, emboss resist -- especially since I'm absolutely LOVING the Claritystamp Stencil Brushes! Emboss resist is simply heat embossing (in this case, clear detail) stamped images onto cardstock (Neenah Solar White), then applying ink over the embossing. The embossed image(s) resist being colored with the ink ... thus, creating a very unique background! My favorite blending inks are Distress -- here I used an "ode to the end of Summer" combo of Carved Pumpkin, Squeezed Lemonade, and Cracked Pistachio. The Claritystamp Stencil Brushes help give a very soft and very effortless blend! The Folk Heart was die cut from the center of the background panel before inking, so the ink catches the edges and really defines the shape! The sweet So Matcha kimono girl was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and her the main part of her kimono colored with Copic YG41 and G43 (shading) to match the inked background. Then I created a subtle floral pattern on the kimono using the tiny flower stamped with Cracked Pistacio. To finish the card, I die cut the So Matcha girl with her coordinating die and... Read more →

Partial Die Cutting: Hot Mess!

By now you've heard the news: There are two new Leading Ladies over at Ellen Hutson LLC! These fabulous Ladies are the awesome creation of Brandi Kincaid, exclusively for the Essentials by Ellen line. Today I have another example of partial die cutting, along the right edge of this card: Here's how she was created: First, I used my Misti to stamp the Hot Mess Lady onto watercolor paper. The rough texture of watercolor paper sometimes prevents a crisp, fully stamped image. If that happens, it is easy to re-stamp the image again using the Misti! I'm loving my new bar magnets (wrapped with glitter tape for easy handling) and easy wipe mouse pad made for the Misti! Next, I placed my top die cutting pad along the right edge of the paper, where I wanted to cut away the area around Hot Mess's hand using her coordinating die. When you run this sandwich through your die cutting machine, it will only cut the paper where the top plate covers it: Next, use your paper trimmer to finish cutting a straight line above and below her arm, trimming away the excess: Here, I placed a piece of bright paper behind... Read more →

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2016 & A BIG Giveaway!

It's that time of year again -- Always my favorite post/project! Head over to Ellen Hutson's the CLASSroom today, to find all the instructions on how I created this year's tag! Leave a comment on that blog post, to be entered into the drawing for a $25 gift code to Ellen's store! AND create your own tag with mine or any of the other 11 challenge themes (posted daily from the 1st to the 12th), to be entered into the grand prize drawing for a $150 gift code to the store -- Read about that opportunity HERE!! Also . . . On the 12th Day of Christmas Stamp-n-Storage Gave to Me . . . 'Tis the holiday season and Stamp-n-Storage wants to show their appreciation to customers in a special way, so they've planned 12 days of FREE GIFTS! Starting Monday, December 12, they will be giving away one Stamp-n-Storage product each day on their Facebook page!! You may recall Stamp-n-Storage makes the ink pad, marker, and refill combo holders I love and use (4 holders are shown below): Check their Facebook page next week to see what all they will be giving away! Read more →

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2015

It's that time again ... my favorite post and project of the year! Today over in Ellen Hutson's the CLASSroom I'm sharing this holiday tag I made for my chosen theme of The Night Before Christmas for our 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist! The twist this year is that you get to see inspiration from a guest designer as well, and joining me today is the incredibly talented Jean Manis! Please be sure to head over to our post on the CLASSroom and leave a comment there for your chance to win a $25 gift certificate to EllenHustonLLC.com! AND if you try your hand at making your own tag with any of the 12 chosen themes, link it up by Dec 16 and you'll be entered to win a $250 shopping spree! (Full details can be found here). Be sure to head over to the CLASSroom to get the full details on how I created my tag AND to see Jean's beautiful version! Read more →

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist-2014!

It's that time of year again, for one of my favorite traditions . . . Ellen Hutson's 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist! Here's my tag for this year: Please join me today over in the CLASSroom, for all the details on how to create my tag with Copic Various Ink Refills! YOU can play along and try out some of this year's tag tecniques, for your chance to win an awesome gift certificate to the store ... see this blog post for all the details! I hope to see you there! Related articles 'Tis the Season! Read more →

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2013-Day 8

It's time again for one of my favorite annual projects . . . Ellen's 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist! I hope you'll join me today over in the CLASSroom, for all the instructions on how I made this year's tag with one of my favorite Copic techniques I created last year, Double-Embossed Copic Background or Dry Emboss Alcohol Resist! Be sure to leave a comment each day on each tag post over at the CLASSroom, for your chance to win some fabulous products from Ellen's store! Happy Holidays! Read more →

12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist 2012 - Day 1

Today over in Ellen Hutson's the CLASSroom, we're starting off our annual tradition of a feminine twist on Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas. It will be a fun-tastic 12 days filled with wonderful guest designers and fabulous stamping techniques in the CLASSroom, so you won't want to miss it! I get to kick things off today with my tag -- I hope you'll join me to find out how I created it AND for a giveaway! ~ Sharon Read more →

12 Tags of Christmas 2011 with a Feminine Twist!

I had a fun afternoon creating my feminine twist to Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas (day 3)! I hope you'll join me over in Ellen Hutson's the CLASSroom to see how I created my tag. And Ellen is giving away blog candy each of the 12 days -- all you have to do is leave a comment on each day's blog post to be eligible to win! I hope you enjoy your weekend! Read more →