Countdown to Christmas: Jill

As the fall leaves tumble away and snowflakes softly make their sparkly appearance, join us as we feature cards for the approaching Christmas season.  We have lots of of holly jolly jingle joy to share with you. 

Well, we've been counting down and finally it's here...  ho, ho, ho and Merry Christmas!! 

For full supplies and the how-to, please see the video below. 

Watch directly on YouTube HERE. 

From our Studio to yours, we wish you the happiest of holidays full of magical memories.  See you in 2018!

Countdown to Christmas: Elizabeth

As the fall leaves tumble away and snowflakes softly make their sparkly appearance, join us as we feature cards for the approaching Christmas season.  We have lots of of holly jolly jingle joy to share with you. 

This is one of my favorite winter gratitude sentiments.  

Penny Black: Stitched Snowflake, Full of Merriment, A Festive Season

It looks so pretty paired with Penny Black's Stitched Snowflake.

The background is lots of sumptuous layers of color with snowflakes added between the applications.

For a extra snowiness, crystal glitter was added to the snowflake.

"Snow Many Thanks" for your visits with me and Jill throughout the year.  

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Countdown to Christmas: Jill

As the fall leaves tumble away and snowflakes softly make their sparkly appearance, join us as we feature cards for the approaching Christmas season.  We have lots of of holly jolly jingle joy to share with you. 

My cards today feature Penny Black's new Slapstick/Cling stamp, Restful.  I had a blast creating this set of four cards using the same techniques on each card but mixing up the color schemes. 

For full supplies and the how-to, please see the video below. (And don't forget to subscribe to the Penny Black YouTube Channel so you don't miss any future videos from me- I post all of mine there.) 

Watch directly on YouTube HERE. 

I hope as you are counting down to Christmas that you are also finding time to enjoy some "restful" moments, too! 

Out & About with Jill: Ellen Hutson 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist

I'm so excited to announce that today I am...

on the Ellen Hutson blog participating in the 12 Tags of Christmas with a Feminine Twist blogging event.  And for those of you who have found your way here from EH-- welcome!

It's an honor for me to sharing a tag created using this sketch by the talented Lisa Adametz.  (Speaking of, don't forget to head over to the EH blog to see Lisa's incredible tag featuring this same sketch.) 

So here's my take featuring Penny Black stamps and dies.

My cute critter (Penny Black 30-447 Hedgy Joy cut with matching die, 51-389 Hedgy Joy Cut Out) was stamped with Versafine Onyx Black ink onto watercolor paper and then painted with Sakura Koi watercolors. 

To embellish the circular element of this design, I painted the beautiful berries and leaves die (Penny Black 51-373 Berry Branch) with Sakura Koi watercolors.  Once dry, I also added a touch of Memento Bamboo Leaves ink to the leaves using a Tsukineko Jumbo Sponge Dauber.  TIP: To give the leaves even more added dimension, I cut a second set of leaves and glued the painted ones right on top of these creating a double layer/thickness.  It really adds a lot in real life. 

Of course, this cute critter needs something to gaze up at, so for this focal point I die cut and layered a bright poinsettia (Penny Black 51-378 Layered Poinsettia).  It was also painted with Sakura Koi watercolors and, once dry, inked with Lilac Posies and Cantaloupe Memento Inks using sponge daubers.

A couple of extra poinsettias were used to embellish the tag.  Additionally, I trimmed the stitched border pieces from panels cut using Penny Black's 51-375 Snowflake Stitch Frame.  The background of the tag was inked with Lilac Posies Memento ink. I just love that shade of pink.  Oh, and the sentiment? It's included in the Hedgy Joy cut out die... a fun little bonus! 

Thanks again for stopping by today.  And if you are a new visitor, I hope you'll take a minute to take a look around the "Studio" which I'm proud to share with my talented blogging buddy, Elizabeth Allan. (You can read more about our approach to blogging HERE.) 

And don't forget to head on over to the Ellen Hutson CLASSroom blog to join in the fun there and see a complete supply list for my tag!

Countdown to Christmas: Elizabeth

As the fall leaves tumble away and snowflakes softly make their sparkly appearance, join us as we feature cards for the approaching Christmas season.  We have lots of of holly jolly jingle joy to share with you. 

It's not Christmas without some cute trees...

These little cards were made with Penny Black's Modern Xmas Tree (51-400) die, Full of Merriment (30-444) sentiment set and Wintertime (80-012) designer paper pad.

They were made identically except for the UTEE (ultra thick embossing enamel) that was heat embossed onto the trees which are on the card on the left.

Stay tuned as Jill decks the halls with her colorful holiday magic!

Countdown to Christmas: Jill

As the fall leaves tumble away and snowflakes softly make their sparkly appearance, join us as we feature cards for the approaching Christmas season.  We have lots of of holly jolly jingle joy to share with you. 

Adding a beautiful miniature Christmas village to my holiday decor is still on my bucket list... but until then, this Creative Die set from Penny Black will work just fine. :) 

For full supplies and the how-to, please see the video below. (And don't forget to subscribe to the Penny Black YouTube Channel so you don't miss any future videos from me- I post all of mine there.) 

Watch directly on YouTube HERE.

Before you go, here's a second version using the same supplies, but just mixing up the color scheme and layout.

And don't forget, our countdown to Christmas continues... I can't wait to see what Elizabeth has for us next!

Countdown to Christmas: Elizabeth

As the fall leaves tumble away and snowflakes softly make their sparkly appearance, join us as we feature cards for the approaching Christmas season.  We have lots of of holly jolly jingle joy to share with you. 

More sweet moments to share....

After stamping the poinsettia several times with a Misti and Memento Markers, additional colors and shading were added with Faber Castel Pitt Pastel Pencils.  A gray Copic marker created the shadow around the image.

Next, the sentiment was stamped in Onyx Black VersaFine and then the piece was matted with gold paper.

The burgundy card base was stamped with a mosaic pattern with VersaMark Watermark ink.  A little bit of patterned designer paper acts as a ribbon between the card base and artwork.

Stamps by Penny Black:  Red Delight 40-573, Sweetest Moments 30-436, 

Mosaic Pattern 40-563, Holiday Trimmings 80-013 (designer paper)

More holly-jolly fun coming soon from Jill!

Countdown to Christmas: Jill

As the fall leaves tumble away and snowflakes softly make their sparkly appearance, join us as we feature cards for the approaching Christmas season.  We have lots of of holly jolly jingle joy to share with you. 

As I'm counting down to Christmas, I am thoroughly enjoying Penny Black's Peaceful Winter collection.  This polar bear die is from this collection and the perfect foreground element for an inky background... my fav!

For full supplies and the how-to, please see the video below. (And don't forget to subscribe to the Penny Black YouTube Channel so you don't miss any future videos from me- I post all of mine there.) 

Watch directly on YouTube HERE. 

I think my favorite is the brown bear scene.

Either way, these were such fun to create.

Countdown to Christmas: Elizabeth

As the fall leaves tumble away and snowflakes softly make their sparkly appearance, join us as we feature cards for the approaching Christmas season.  We have lots of of holly jolly jingle joy to share with you. 

For friends and family across the miles...

For this design, the frame was created by heat embossing the holly sprig in gold.  Different shades of Metallic Rub-Ons were applied by fingertip.  During the application, the embossed holly sprigs were wiped with a soft cloth to remove the blended color.  The finished frame was coated with gel medium.  When dry, Crystal Stickles were used to highlight the holly and a white gel pen created the small tiny white dots.

The artwork under the frame is a larger holly sprig stamped in Desert Sand Memento ink on watercolor paper.  Definition and color were enhanced with Caran D'ache watercolor crayons.  To seal the colors, the piece was sprayed with Krylon Clear Gloss Acrylic Coating.  When dry, the sentiment was stamped in Onyx Black VersaFine and heat embossed with clear powder.

Stamps by Penny Black:  Holly Sprig 40-578, A Festive Season 30-442, 

        Joy & Happiness 30-440

Fall into Fall: Elizabeth

We don't know about you, but here in the Studio we're ready to push aside the blazing sun and leap, or perhaps just gently fall, into the beautiful colors of Autumn and the happy treats of Halloween.  We hope you will join us as we do just that over the next few weeks.

Halloween is just around the corner and I have a fun silhouette design to share with you!

This card was created with 3 different die cut designs: Penny Black's Snowflake Stitch Frame, Witches Duo and Trees and Hills.  

Let's start with the portion of the design inside the frame.  A white cardstock square was inked with Thatched Straw VersaMagic, Dandelion Mention Luxe, Spring Pansy VersaMagic, and Concord Grape VersaMagic to create a night-time scene.  The positive and negative portions of a die cut circle aided in creating the moon and sky around the moon.  This was then set aside as the other elements were prepared.

The interior elements of the trees and flying witch were die cut from black cardstock.

For the frame, the Stitched Snowflake Frame was die cut from orange cardstock and splashed with red Grumbacher watercolor and dried with a heat tool.  Then the frame was pounced with Watermark VersaMark ink, sprinkled with sparkle embossing powder and heat set.  The finished piece was backed with lime green cardstock to reveal a bit of contrasting color through the frame holes.

All the components were then layered with 3M Scotch Foam Mounting Tape as shown in the picture and attached to a card base covered with Coco Style Designer Paper.

Penny Black Supplies: Snowflake Stitch Frame 51-375, Witches Duo 51-361, Trees and Hills 51-381, Coco Style Designer Paper Pad 80-010, Penny Black Mix and Match Cardstock: Fern Green, Summer Sun

"Witching" you a spook-tacular Halloween!

Fall into Fall: Jill

We don't know about you, but here in the Studio we're ready to push aside the blazing sun and leap, or perhaps just gently fall, into the beautiful colors of Autumn and the happy treats of Halloween.  We hope you will join us as we do just that over the next few weeks.


I'm popping in today with a quick post and a fun little tag design. 

Stamps and dies by Penny Black: 51-245, 3719C, 30-238

I can't wait to see what Elizabeth will be sharing next... stay tuned!

Fall into Fall: Elizabeth

We don't know about you, but here in the Studio we're ready to push aside the blazing sun and leap, or perhaps just gently fall, into the beautiful colors of Autumn and the happy treats of Halloween.  We hope you will join us as we do just that over the next few weeks.

Halloween designs are a brewin' on my art table.

For me, this design was all about the journey.  My approach for this card was to play with different mediums, colors and layers without having a specific card layout in mind.  When it comes to Halloween, I tend to shift from clean and simple white space to full on color.

To begin, I stamped "Witchy" on white cardstock with Onyx Black VersaFine ink and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I colored the image with Copic markers and fussy cut the image.

I knew I wanted some sort of sentiment, but not as a separate stand alone element so I incorporated my greeting into her broomstick.  The sentiment from "Best Witches" was stamped on white cardstock and cut by hand into a shape that would work with the handle of the broom.  I wasn't too particular on the coloring.  I used the same colors I used in her dress, but mottled the colors when applying them.

The background is where most of my journey occurred.  Other than knowing what color tones I wanted, I had no expectations of how I wanted the finished piece to turn out.  With that being said, I grabbed a rectangular piece of white cardstock and started covering it with clear gesso.  To quicken the process, I dried the gesso with my heat gun.  Then I started splashing Grumbacher watercolors all over the piece.  It was fun not worrying about being precise or the fear of muddy colors.  I just went for it.  There was a certain point that the colors "spoke" to me and I knew it was time for a background pattern.  After seeing how the colors turned out, I knew the perfect backdrop would be "Parade of Squares" which was stamped in Midnight Blue StazOn.  I loved the effect.  Almost like she was standing in front of a wrought iron gate.  One final layer of matte gel medium sealed the colors and allowed me to distort some of the stamping.

To finish the card base, I figured if she was standing in front of a gate then there should be some trees in the distance.  Black cardstock stamped with Peaceful Moment in Onyx Black VersaFine and heat embossed with clear powder gave that effect.  To make it even more mystical and to add a touch of fog, I randomly rubbed Wedding Dress Memento Luxe ink over the embossing.

The layering is pretty straightforward and you will be able to tell from the picture how I matted the pieces.  There is 3M Scotch Foam Mounting Tape beneath the witch and the white cardstock mat.

Oh, and for her magical locket a tiny spot of Crystal Stickles.

Penny Black Supplies:  Witchy 40-553 (by Mo Manning), Parade of Squares 40-568, Peaceful Moment 40-569, Best Witches 30-131

Stayed tuned to find out if Jill's next design is filled with fall foliage or Halloween magic.