Ellen Hutson June Color Trend Challenge

Hello! Well I know that it's absolutely been too long since I've taken on a card challenge, that's for sure! I'm quite sure I never would have gone for a purple ocean floor, but I have to say now that I see it, I wouldn't want it any other color. Just love that about challenges!!

The current Ellen Hutson June Color Trend Challenge was easy from the standpoint that these are already all the colors I've been crushing on in the last couple months. Someone would have to pry Catherine Pooler's Mint to Be and Green Tea from my hands when I'm at the crafting table. And I'm quite sure there would be a struggle. An epic struggle : ) I've also been into combining them with purple, which is the Pantone color of the year for 2018 (ultra violet). Softer shades of this monster have been popping up in fashion and interior design a lot recently, so you know it's spot on this year.

This made it so much more fun to play with a new set I've been dying to try ... Julie Ebersole's hilariously punny and charming S'Whale set.

My favorite part of the card came about on accident ... I wasn't happy with how much mint ink I blended onto the whale so I stamped another whale and was just going to layer it on top of the old, darker whale image. Then I thought, since this whale is rising to the surface to blow water out of his blowhole, he's probably using his tail pretty heavily (or maybe not, I'm no marine biologist, hahaha!!) But it seems like he would be, so I curved the whale's tail so that it would give the appearance of a flipping motion when I layered it on top.

Which brings me to my second favorite part of the card ... using the "whale done" sentiment for the water coming out of his blowhole! There's a story behind this one too. Hubs was being particularly nice and interested in what I was doing late last night, so he stopped by to see if I needed any ideas. To humor him, I said sure. I got several ideas for things that would have been impossible to make with a single stamp set ... like a helpful whale pushing a ship out of the way of an iceberg (how's that for a challenge?!) Or impossible to depict, like a boy whale funneling teeny tiny krill to a girl whale with eyelashes. But one thing he said had to do with blowing water out of a blowhole, and that gave me the idea to use the "whale done" sentiment for the water. I slightly curved the sentiment in two different directions and stamped it where I thought this guy would blow water.

The fun cluster of pinwheels stamped in alternating light and dark purple ended up making a wonderful ocean floor, and gives me the impression of different corals brightening up the ocean floor. Or I guess this could be a very large version of all the krill : )

I really have to say, participating in the challenge gave me a lot of new energy, and certainly some ideas that I wouldn't have had otherwise. Hope you are able to find some time to play in a challenge soon, even if you haven't in awhile. The nice thing about the EH June Color Trends Challenge is that, in addition to being based on this wonderful color scheme, it's open for an entire month, AND a random challenge participant will receive a $50 gift certificate to the Ellen Hutson store!  To be eligible, you just need to use Essentials by Ellen products and the photo badge as inspiration.

Thanks so much for stopping by!!
-Kelly

Affiliate Links: Essentials By Ellen Clear Stamps, S'Whale by Julie Ebersole ATG Double-Sided Refill Tape, 2 pk, 1/4" ATG Kit, Advanced Tape Glider Catherine Pooler Ink Pad, Black Jack Catherine Pooler Ink Pad, Sugared Lavender Catherine Pooler Ink Pad, Sweet Sixteen Catherine Pooler Ink Pad, Green Tea Catherine Pooler Ink Pad, Mint To Be Catherine Pooler Ink Pad, Seafoam Ranger Ink Blending Tool Replacement Foam, 1 Inch Round Ranger Ink Blending Tool, 1 Inch Round My Sweet Petunia MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (8-1/8 X 10-1/2)