I just realized my post from yesterday didn’t go live when I scheduled it to do so....I’m uber bummed.... I DID have my post and my creating time yesterday, so good for me. Unfortunately my laptop died last week and I’ve been using my iPad to create my posts. The Apple version of Blogger looks a bit different than the Windows version and I must have forgotten to do something I would have done normally on my computer. I SHALL SOLIDER ON!!!....and get a new laptop asap....
In the meantime, here is my creation for today!
It is very hard to see the embossed wood panel background but its there. It adds a soft and subtle nod to a farmhouse style. The oval also has the embossed wood panel texture to it as well.
The colors of this creation could lend itself to a Spring or Fall greeting. The purples and mustard yellow are very versatile the with brown, kraft and muted green colors.
This is definitely a 3D card. There are loads of foam stickers behind the scenes to hold it together in just the right places.
I thought I'd enter this cutie at The Flower Challenge....I mean I am using a flower stamp set all week, it would be silly not to enter them!
Welcome! I’m so glad to have you here! It’s the second day of my personal challenge. Yesterday, I used the Sunflower Daisy set with an ink blended background. Today, I’m using the same set to create a simple card with a die cut background and bright vibrant colors!
The Altenew inks are made to coordinate with each other in their color groups, but its also fun to mix them up with each other in the same image. The Daisy in this image was treated with Rose Quartz and Puffy Heart from the Rose Petal collection and Heart Beat and Vineyard Berry from the Tea Party collection. Mixing the color groups adds a bit of depth and variety to the stamped image. It is easy to do with this stamp set, as the image has 4 stamps. You can use the full range of values in different colors to make interesting combinations. The leaves for this image were created using Mountain Mist, Volcano Lake and Just Green. The layering of those colors is just as fun as can be! It’s a great complement to the daisy image.
The Altenew cover dies, are so versatile. This card is bright with color and simple in it’s layout. The die cut panel is Altenew’s Circle Quilt cover die, cut out of vellum. A vellum die cut is a great way to add a little extra texture to your background without distracting from your main image.
A strip of orange cardstock with the sentiment stamped on it with Firebrick highlights the daisy center perfectly. Completing the card with iridescent sequins adds a touch of color.
Good morning to you! I know your life is probably filled with all kinds of projects and responsibilities, so I’m glad you’re taking time out of your busy schedule to visit me.
Like you, I’m a crazy busy person! With 2 kids, hubby, dog, work, volunteer work, party planning (3 coming up in 6 weeks) and maintaining our household, my time is limited. With all that going on, I have also come to appreciate the need for ‘me’ time. It just makes me a better mom, and I like being the best mom I can be!
SO...I have decided give myself permission to have a little ‘me’ time each day to create. I know myself well enough, that if i’ts not set as a priority and I don’t have someone to be accountable to it, I will easily give up MY time to take care of others. With that knowledge, I’ve given myself a challenge to stick to; Create each day, using the same stamp set during the week. I chose that as my theme, as I tend to gravitate to the same tried and true sets in my library, leaving others to gather dust and not see the light of day! I hope challenging myself will keep my creating juices moving AND in being accountable to you, it gives myself permission to shirk my ‘duties’ for a short time!
I decided to start off this challenge using Altenew’s Sunflower Daisy stamp/die/mask set. I’ve had this set since May and have only really used it twice! I love sunflowers which drew me to this set. Having been a florist in a former life, you should know the image is perfect to use for either a sunflower or a Gerbera daisy....hence the name I suppose.... I use a Misti when using this set, as I can make multiple flowers by setting up a jig and cranking them out in any color combination I can think of!
This card was incredibly simple to create. The background panel is one I had in my back-up stash. I made it organically over the course of a few weeks. I have a habit of cleaning my blending brushes on a clean piece of cardstock based on color. This panel used a combination of the colors from the Sweet Dreams and Sea Shore ink sets from Altenew, I used them both recently when I created this card set earlier this month. Each time I would use inks with my blending tool, I rub them On the clean cardstock until no more ink comes off. It creates a lovely variegated background with tons of depth!....I can’t let that ink go to waste!.... When I feel the piece of cardstock is lovely and full of color....which usually takes a few cards....I will stick it in my stash for future use!...its quite convenient.... Then paint splatters were added using Teal Cave ink with a watercolor brush and a little black watercolor to add some interest and stamped the solid non-layered leaf images in Grass Field and Shadow Creek to ground the main image.
Next, the sunflower image is stamped out using the Warm and Cosy ink set from Altenew. The color is intense in person! To bring your eyes to the center of the card, several die cuts from Fine Frame Rectangle set were used and placed in a random pattern. The 3 frames were then adhered using spray adhesive and run through my die cutter so they adhere well the the panel.
The sunflower image was then added in the corner and the sentiment from Fancy Words was added in Versfine black ink. Finally, who doesn’t like a little bling? Iridescent sequins were added instead of clear to add a subtle variation of color.
I hope you’ll continue to join me this week as I showcase and challenge myself to use the Sunflower Daisy set.
All right peeps! Grab a cup o' joe, a snack and get comfy, I'm going to entertain you....hopefully....with some creating goodness!
I have been squeezing in crafting time these last 2 weeks to complete my 'Final Exam' for the Altenew Educator Certification Program, and let me tell you , it was QUITE the challenge!
For this exam I had several requirements I had to adhere to. First, create a his and her Card Set as a gift set. Ok...now for inspiration....I decided to create one gift set for my sister-in-law and one for my best friend. They both had their youngest fly the nest this fall and head to college. The gifts have cards for them to send to their newly released youngins into the wild...One boy, one girl. CHECK.
Next, select ANY 3 components from the classes in Level 1. Well, I'm extra, so I did more than 3....hope that's ok....I used 11 to be exact! From the Easy Die Cutting Techniques; Dry embossing, ink blending using a hand crafted stencil from a die cut, along with a little bit of negative die cutting and inlaid die cutting. From the Easy Ink Blending and Irresistable Ink Techniques classes; ink blending with a brush, direct to paper inking, painting with ink pads and emboss resist. From the Seasonal Scene Building class, a shaker element. Finally from the For the Guys classes, using geometric elements for masculine cards. Whew! CHECK.
Then, share some design tips. I mostly have tips for making creating easier, which I talk about in my video. CHECK. Each card set should consist of 4-6 cards, each has 6. CHECK. Use one recycle element on a set or its packaging, I chose to use it for the packaging, CHECK.
Challenge blog post...here it is!....and a detailed step-by-step photo tutorial and/or YouTube video. My video skills need major refining and I NEED to get a camera for this....and perhaps a 'how to' class!....but my trusty iPhone did the trick. CHECK.
FINALLY....Submit to the gallery by 10/11. That has been the hardest due to a crazy life, but here I am! Just under the wire....
Wanna see them? Here are some photos of the card sets.
The Masculine set - grungy and graphic!
The Feminine set - soft and pretty!
I decided to make the 2 sets coordinate....even though they are going to 2 different people....by using the same stamp sets, die cuts and similar techniques. The sets are very different, but completely compliment each other and the designs were simple so they could be easily created for either gender. Check out the video to see how they were created.
Here are the photos of the cards from both sets as well as side by side photos of the cards with their 'sibling'. ....I've added the supply list below the images, all products are Altenew unless noted.... First up "Hey, Let's Chat Soon" to remind them to call their mothers!
Layered Snowflake Die B; Happy Mail & Sentiment Strips; Tall Alpha & Fine Frames Circle dies
Candy Cane Strip, Tall Alpha and Virginia Rose dies; Sentiment Strips & Happy Mail stamp set
Second....and my favorite....for when they've done something outstanding and you really want to celebrate them...and sound like a cool hipster....
Happy Mail, Label Love and Bad Days Happen stamp sets; Fine Frames Circle and Layered Snowflake Cover A dies
Happy Mail, Label Love and Bad Days Happen stamp sets; Fine Frames Circle, Virginia Rose and Layered Snowflake Cover A dies
Next, just letting you know they're in your thoughts....
Fine Frame Cover and Leaf Canopy dies; Happy Mail & Leaf Canopy stamp set
Layered Snowflake Die B; Happy Mail & Leaf Canopy stamp sets
Next, for a job well done!
Layered Plaid A & B and Follow Your Arrow dies, Follow Your Arrow and Bad Days Happen stamp sets
Almost done! This one is for just being a great kid, in college, doin' their thing...
Circle Quilt Cover and Fine Frames Circle dies, Happy Mail and Sentiment Strips stamp sets
Circle Quilt Cover and Fine Frames Circle dies, Happy Mail and Sentiment Strips stamp sets
FINALLY, just call your mother already!!!!
Candy Cane Stripe Cover, Fine Frames Rectangle and Its For You dies; Happy Mail and It's For You stamp sets
Layered Plaid A&B, It's For You and Fine Frames Rectangle dies; Happy Mail & Its For You stamp sets
Aren't they cute? Now the recycled packaging was....excruciating....a challenge. I usually just alter containers, but decided to build my own boxes....it was not a good choice....
I had cleaned out my closet and found an old market bag with left over file folders from work. All of them had writing or papers glued to them and I would have just pitched them...BUT with this project in the back of my head, I decided to use them for my packaging.
Let me start my saying, I am not an engineer. Or much of a builder of boxes. I only have 10 folders left....I think I may have had 25+ when I started..... It took a TON of trial and error to create these suckers...and I love them! Each of the boxes have a shaker element to them as well as a very simple design in relation to their decoration.
The box for masculine set was fairly easy to design with the dimensions I needed. The outside is covered in a pale gray cardstock and the inside was covered with red cardstock. Having 3 thick layers did make folding difficult, but not impossible.
The plastic from the shaker cards is recycled too! It came from report plastic covers, you know the kind. Like the ones we used in elementary school to cover our book reports? Yup, those...
The feminine set was more of a challenge. I wanted to use just 1 large piece to create it, but file folders are only 'so' big, so I had to divide up the base into multiple pieces to create it. The outside is covered with a basic white cardstock.
That's it! I hope this was a relaxing and inspiring visit....and your coffee didn't get cold....
