February 2017 Essentials by Ellen Release Hop

Welcome to the February 2017 Essentials by Ellen Release Hop! I’ll be showcasing several of the new products on my post today! It’s a good thing you are here because I’m giving away an Essentials by Ellen stamp set!  The winner may chose any in stock Essentials by Ellen brand stamp set  (Maximum value $25 USD) at Ellen Hutson.com  To enter, please leave a comment on today’s post by Tuesday, February 28. There is also an AMAZING Grand Giveaway on the CLASSroom!  To enter, be sure to leave a comment there, too, by Tuesday, February 28.

ALL winners will be announced at the CLASSroom on Friday, March 3! Please check there on that date to see if you are a winner and for further details on claiming your prize. Happy hoppin’!

You may have come from my dear blogging friend, Michele Ferguson, but if not feel free to start at the beginning in the CLASSroom.

I was so excited to be assigned the Otterly Awesome stamp and die set, especially since it's very similar to the All Inside Bear stamp and die set that I went nuts over in the Winter 2016 blog hop. My initial plan was to show 5 ways to use this adorable otter, but I got so intrigued by the Hinged Thanks Die that instead I decided to do ...

 FIVE different ways to use the Hinged Thanks Die

  1. Add colors underneath each letter.
  This method works with any card design! Just pull a few colors from the rest of your card, and add them underneath each letter. You can do this by cutting out small blocks of colored paper to put underneath, or simply color the spaces underneath with a marker. Such an easy way to tie in your sentiment to the rest of the design of your card.

  2. Die cut on different colored strips of paper.
 This can quickly be adapted to your recipient. The colors used on this card result in a masculine card, but you can just as easily pick pinks and oranges for a feminine card. 

The fun part is picking which color to go underneath the die! I opted for a bright orange to really contrast with the blue (they're opposites on the color wheel). Love how this die lets you easily add a "hidden" surprise element to your design.
 

3. Die cut right in the middle of your design

 So fun making a pattern with the nail polish bottle from Make it Beautiful! After coloring all the nail polishes, and then coloring in the negative spaces with dark gray, I held my breath and sent it through the die cutting machine. You really only get one chance with this! But it sure does look great once it works out. Not sure if you noticed, but all the nail polish bottles are spaced so that each letter would be a different color.

 
 Here's the view from the side. Love how this die automatically gives your card dimension, without any additional bulk whatsoever. It's the best of both worlds!

 

4. Mix up the letters

  Just because it's a "thanks" die doesn't mean you have to use it to say "thanks." There's nothing stopping you from cutting up the letters and making your own sentiment, like Santa! I'm sure you've all seen the simple Santa cards that just use red, white and black cardstock to make Santa's suit, but putting a sentiment on those cards without ruining the simple design is quite challenging. Problem solved! Cutting the hinged thanks in black doesn't interfere with it being Santa's belt, yet it still gets the message across in a subtle way.

5. Use it on a Bendi card.

 Before getting into this method in regards to the Hinged Thanks die, let's pause for a moment to soak in all the adorable otters from  Otterly Awesome and Otterly Awesome Dies and their accessories from Otter Ware and Otter Ware Dies! Awww! I admit there's a lot more going on than I usually have on a card, but I really wanted to include it all! I mean c'mon, otters holding sea shells and sea urchins?! Cuteness overload. The wonky circles and scallops in this ocean are from another new set in this release, Wonky Backdrops.

 Back to the Hinged Thanks die, this method really highlights the unique feature of the hinged letters. Putting the sentiment on the curve makes the letters stand out even more! Another difference on this card is that the actual letters are colored in a different color to help them stand out from the background. I just put a piece of paper underneath the letters when coloring the letters to make sure I didn't get stray marks on the background. 


 Well there you have it, folks, five different ways to use this unique Hinged Thanks Die! I'm so glad you stopped by! I hope you've been collecting ideas as you hop along, and are narrowing down your wishlist from this latest release. There are so many goodies to choose from!

Your next stop on this inspiring blog hop is the delightful Sharon Harnist!

*note: affiliate links are provided below, which simply means if you make a purchase I receive a small financial incentive, at no additional cost to you.

Essentials By Ellen Clear Stamps, Otterly Awesome By Julie Ebersole

Essentials By Ellen Designer Dies, Otterly Awesome By Julie Ebersole

Essentials By Ellen Clear Stamps, Otter Ware By Julie Ebersole

Essentials By Ellen Designer Dies, Otter Ware By Julie Ebersole

Essentials By Ellen Designer Dies, Hinged Thanks By Julie Ebersole

Essentials By Ellen Clear Stamps, Wonky Backdrops By Julie Ebersole

Essentials By Ellen Clear Stamps, Make It Beautiful By Brandi Kincaid

Essentials By Ellen Winter 2017 Complete Release