Essentials by Ellen May Pin-Sights Challenge - Floral Thanks

I have an exciting announcement today--I'm guest designing for the Essentials by Ellen May Pin-Sights challenge!!! This is such an honor. I love the Essentials by Ellen line of stamps & dies, and to get to participate in their challenge in this way is beyond wonderful!

The Pin-Sights challenge is a monthly event at The CLASSroom blog. To participate, simply create a project that is inspired by the following mood board, using Essentials by Ellen product(s). You can create any sort of project; the challenge is not restricted to cards. One entry will be chosen at random to win a $50 gift voucher to the Ellen Hutson online store. Just remember, you must use one or more Essentials by Ellen products.

The flowers & soft colors in this mood board spoke to me, so I chose the "Mondo Peony" stamp set & "Hinged Thanks" die for my card.

I began by cutting a piece of Strathmore Smooth Bristol paper to 5.5x4.25", to create a landscape-oriented card front. After masking off a little over an inch on the top of the panel, I stamped 3 of the flowers with Hero Arts Soft Lilac ink, having each go off the edge. I masked the two larger flowers, and stamped the leaves around them with Hero Arts Wet Cement ink.

To color my images, I used my Tombow markers. I added a light purple color to each petal, then went around the edge with a slightly darker marker. Before the ink had a chance to dry, I used a damp paintbrush to blend the darker color out to create shading. I must admit, I wasn't sure if this would work without the markers leaving harsh lines, but I'm really pleased with the soft results I got! I went slightly bolder with the greens for the leaves, just for a pop of contrast, following the same process. When I'd colored the images, I took a pale blue marker and outlined each flower & leaf, then used my paintbrush to blend that color out.

Close-up of the die cut thanks

After I removed the masking, I taped my "Hinged Thanks" die in place, and ran the panel through my die cutting machine. Since I had cut the letters of the die apart, I had to be careful to make sure that the score lines were all on the correct side, especially on the "N" & the "H," since those letters are basically symmetrical. I like how the greeting is there, but almost hidden. Kind of a nice surprise for the recipient. 😊

I decided to add a ribbon & bow above my images. I adhered a piece of green satin ribbon above the line that I'd masked off, taping the ends to the back of my panel. Then I made a "faux" bow with more of the same ribbon, following the instructions in this video. Finally, I mounted my finished card front to a white A2 card base.