SOC April 10th

 NEW SpellBinders Better Press Peony Perfection for Sisterhood of Crafters challenge!

Hi all!

I missed out on our last challenge, due to a long-scheduled vacation and some crazy drama in our lives...we currently have a new addition to our family for the time being!  She is our 18-month-old God daughter and while the circumstances surrounding her arrival were less than ideal, we are happy she is safe and content with us until she can return home.  It requires adjusting our lives, but we are happy to do it for her!

In the meantime, this week's challenge for the Sisterhood is SHOWERS or FLOWERS.  I opted for the flowers, as an opportunity to share this NEW BetterPress plate by Spellbinders being released TODAY!  

The new press plates I chose to use for this card are called Peony Perfection and Buffalo Plaid.  Both are gorgeous and have such extreme detail!  I think that's why I like the press plates so much, the detail is so beautiful and can be used with regular card stock...you won't have the lovely letterpress detail, but the image is still as crisp.

For the the Buffalo Plaid frame panel, I used Altenew's Fresh Dye ink in Berry Cool.  It inked up like a dream and was pressed into cotton cardstock using the Spellbinders BetterPress system.  I was so hesitant to get the BetterPress...its completely worth it!  I use it more than I thought I would and since I can use some of the inks I have on hand for inking, it's been a fantastic tool in my studio.

The Peony Perfection plate was used in my Glimmer system with gold foil, so you can use the plate for either the Spellbinders BetterPress or Glimmer systems.  LOVE you can use these plates different ways, even the sentiment was 'stamped' and heat embossed...so versatile!  The image was colored in using Altenew markers in the Red Sunset and Green Meadows color stories, then Arctic and Caribbean Sky markers for the background.  

Now...I'd love to see what you create for this challenge, AND visit Spellbinders today for their new release!  They have a deal happening....click the photo to be directed using my affiliate code at zero cost to you.

Have a colorful day!

Altenew Celebrating Parents Card Drive!

Join Altenew for the Celebrating Parents Card Drive, and a TON of GIVEAWAYS!! 

Hi all!

I'm so excited to be a part of Altenew's Celebrating Parents Card Drive this year!  If you don't know what it's about, you can find out more about the program here.  But the short part of it is, as Mother's Day and Father's Day draw near, it can be a challenging period for seniors residing in nursing homes or shelters.  Altenew will be collecting handmade cards between February 26 to April 19!  Check out the details at the end of the post for ALL the giveaways you can enter if you donate cards.  In the meantime, be sure to hop along today so you can get entered in the blog hop giveaway!  Comment and follow the designers to be eligible to win a part of $200 in total prizes! To celebrate the event, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $20 gift certificate to 5 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by March 27, 2024, for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 7 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on March 29, 2024.   

For this blog hop, I created a few cards!  I wanted to keep the projects simple, beautiful, and not holiday-specific so they could be used for either a mom or dad.  Altenew's products absolutely are the perfect items to use while creating beautiful cards for anyone.  First off, this calm serene card features the gorgeous stencil, Majestic Mountains.

This gorgeous stencil does all the work for you, with 4 layers and their graduated color system, it's really fool proof!  The sky background was created with ink left over on a large ink blending brush, it was rubbed across the top of the card panel which was perfect for the sky.  

Next, the Tropical Forest Crisp Dye Ink set was used with each color one layer of the mountain stencil.  With the large blending brush, it took all of 5 minutes to create this gorgeous scene!  Once it was completed, the stenciled image was then passed through the Better Press with the new Rustic Burlap cover die.  It adds some lovely texture to the panel don't you think??

The card was finished off with a widow panel created using their Ornate Nesting die set and the sentiment from the Bold Bouquet stamp set heat embossed with white on a strip of vellum.  Simple and elegant....makes a perfect statement!

This next card features my go-to Mother's day stamp set, Best Mom.  This set has a beautiful floral stamp that is perfect for coloring, but it was used here in a neutral color tone to brighten anyone's day. 

The card front was first ink blended with Buttercream and Warm Sunshine Crisp Dye inks to create a halo effect.  Next, the floral stamp was added using Permanent Black dye ink.  To keep the card monochromatic and make the flowers pop, coordinating alcohol markers from the Mediterranean Terrace marker setwere used.  ***BONUS WAY TO HELP***   Altenew is donating $1 with every order from the Alcohol Markers collection from 2/26/2024 until 4/30/2024 to the Food Bank of Central New York to support seniors in need.  So get those markers now to help!!

Finally, since the sentiments from the Best Mom set are geared toward moms, and I wanted to keep the card not holiday-specific, I used a sentiment from the Reason to Smile stamp set.  It was stamped on white card stock and then layered atop a piece of Caramel Toffee trimmed to size.

This last card used a tiny stamp set called Thanks Dad which features a bow tie!  Bow ties are one of my hubby's favorites to wear, so this is a set I get to use often for him, but also for cute girly cards for my daughters.  It's incredibly versatile!

This was kept very simple, with the base card panel embossed with the new Natural Wicker Pattern 3D and trimmed to 5.25x4".  Next, a tag was cut from the Terrific Tags die set with an added touch of yellow ink blending to the center using Citrus Burst ink.  The sentiment was again created from the Reason to Smile stamp set with Permanent Black ink.

Atop of the ink a fussy cut, Sea Glass and Volcano Lake stamped bow was placed with foam dimensional tape.  A couple black enamel hearts and some embossing floss finish off the tag, which was added to the card front with foam tape.

MORE GIVEAWAYS!!!

These cards were incredibly easy to create, and although simple, they would make someone feel noticed and special!  What about you?  Do you have some cards in your stash that could be put to good use for someone feeling forgotten?  Check out all the details here at Altenew on how you can donate cards, I know I have a ton I'll be sending their way!  When you donate, each donor is eligible to win one of FIVE $30 Altenew gift certificates! If you use #AltenewCardDrive when you share your Celebrating Parents cards on social media, you are entered to win one of three additional $15 gift certificates! The winners will be announced on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 12, 2024.  This is an AMAZING program with or without the giveaways!  We all love to share our craft, let's share them with someone who could really use some love.

Now finish the hop and go make some cards! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a colorful day!

Be Bold!

 Simon Says Stamp NEW Be Bold release!

Hi all!

I have the privilege to be a part of the Simon Says Stamp Be Bold release today! The entire release is just gorgeous with new foil and die colors, lots of embossing folders, some with coordinating stamps and dies, and lots and lots of sparkle!!!  I am featuring the new Fancy Happy Birthday die and boy is it pretty.  

Look at this pretty thing!  It's a lovely font with extra flourishes right where they are needed.  I know I will whip this out often!

I made several cards featuring this die, but this one...this is my favorite.  I was excited to see SSS has it in their gallery on the product listing too!  It has so much sparkle and shimmer...it just makes me happy looking at it!  I know I'm using a lot of exclamation marks, but I'm just so excited!!!!!!  The background panel was ink blended using Altenew's Pinkalicious and Lagoon inks.  Then Simon Hurley Lunar Pastes of Prom Queen and Tropical Tango were added with the SSS Hearty Tweed stencil.  I've been using the stencil and the lunar pastes a ton lately...I adore the combination.  

A window was cut from it using the Waffle Flower A2 nesting dies to make the shaker element.  SSS has a new A2 nesting set out with this release too which would have been great for this too.  The sentiment was cut from white cardstock, but the shadow background was cut from the same acetate used for the shaker which makes it float over the shaker element....and I JUST NOTICED.... I forgot to dot the i..........oh cheese and crackers...........    All those little sparkly bits you can pick up from SSS...what's even better, is they have NEW sparklies released today too!

I have several more cards to share, so come back tomorrow to see them for more inspiration!  Have a colorful day!

SOC Green

 Hi all!  

Crazy life here right now, so this is a quick one…

We have a new challenge at the Sisterhood of Crafters today!  We want to see your GREEN projects. It can be any theme…I did Christmas.

Now get to crafting and share your GREEN projects over in our gallery, we love to see your work!

Have a colorful day!

Playing with Simon Hurley's Lunar Paste

Fun with Simon Hurley's Lunar Paste and stencils!

Hi all!

What products have you been loving lately?  I've been on a Simon Hurley Lunar Paste kick! Ever since I made this card for Valentine's Day, I can't seem to stop using them.  I've graduated from colored card stock, and now I'm adding them to ink-blended panels with multiple colors and the results have been so fun!

Since I have the Tropical Tango and Fake Plant, I thought I'd enter the current Color Hues challenge turquoise and green as well as the current JUGS challenge, green, lime green and another color...which is obviously turquoise!  It's a great color combination, fresh and trendy.

The main panel is started by ink blending Altenew's Lagoon and Grass Field inks, each on 1/2 of the card stock.  Using the Simon Says Stamps Hearty Tweed stencil set, the 2 Lunar pastes were added on the opposite colors. Fake Plant onto the Lagoon ink...bottom...and Tropical Tango on the deep lime green Grass Field ink...at the top.  Due to the colors being so close together in hues, the effect is very subtle, but so very pretty!

To not compete with the beautiful background, the simple white flower from Altenew's Bellflower die set seemed the perfect fit.  It's a beautiful die set, with the new keyhole system so it's incredibly easy to assemble and add to your projects.

The card was finished off with a sentiment I found in my sentiment stash bucket from Altenew's Classic Greetings stamp and die set and some turquoise sequins.  I forget I have this sentiment stamp set, which is a shame because its wonderful!   I will need to whip up a bunch so I can have them on hand.  

Now, go play with some Lunar pastes if you have some, they are worth the effort!

Have a colorful day!

Alcohol Marker Magic

 Using Altenew's Alcohol Markers to create some MAGIC!

Hi all!

How did you kiddos figure out there is no such thing as Santa, or the Easter Bunny? 11 years ago, when I tried to surprise her with a gift for St. Patty's Day, my eldest daughter found out.  

I was HEAVILY Pinterest-influenced to create something 'magical' with little foot prints and butterscotch chip poops around the house, along with some gold chocolate coins in a little jar...to see what I made, check it out here.  She was appalled I wasn't mad that some little man was pooping and leaving little green prints all over our house!  That's when she caught on.  It was an EPIC fail, as she asked if the Leprechaun was real and I admitted it wasn't, she then asked about the tooth fairy.  I couldn't lie, and that's when the floodgates unfolded.  With wide eyes, she went through every magical being she grew up believing in....the Easter bunny.  Tinkerbelle...that was a big one for her....then finally, Santa.  It was a sad day for sure.  Everytime St. Patty's comes around, I think of that day.  The end of her 'innocence'...I can laugh about it now, but boy did I sure feel TERRIBLE about it!

When I saw the challenges posted for this month, mostly St Patty's Day-themed, I thought about this old stamp set and decided to pull it out.  For this card, I went with the Festive Friday Challenge which is paired with the Double Trouble Challenge.  This card checks off all the requirements for both challenges... green, gold, gold embellishments Leprechaun, and a shamrock.

I am trying to develop my alcohol coloring skills and this adorable very old set from Paper Smooches called A Magical Spring is helping out with that.  It also has a bunny with Easter stamps to go with it...only downfall...lots of fussy cutting.  Altenew's Green Valley and Warm & Cozy collection of green markers and orange markers, Fresh Lemon, Maple Yellow, Industrial Diamond, and Blush were used to color him in.  

Since I was using an old set, I went with an old layout with old patterned papers, a bit of foiled paper scrap, and an embossing folder.  I have always liked this type of layout, it kind of gives a mixed-media vibe.

It's finished off with some yellow flat sequin disks, which give off a gold-green kind of color.  

I will be sending this off to my eldest at college...I wonder if she remembers the story behind this set?

Have a colorful day!

My dog ate my homework...

The NEW Altenew Rustic Rose stamp set is apparently delicious!

Hi all!

My dogs LOVE being in the art studio with me!  I have developed this habit of giving them treats...aka Cheerios...when they come in and immediately sit in their 'place', so they get very excited whenever I grab the keys to head out there.  It's adorable really...I mean, look at these faces...how could I resist?

Can anyone resist those eyes??  They are great company out here and like to grab pieces of paper that may miss the trashcan and rip them to shreds....it makes them so proud when they do that.  So Penny...the white and brown one, which is my baby...was SHOCKED when I yelled the other day.  You see, I did not notice I had dropped one of my cards on the floor when organizing and putting them away.  5 minutes later, I hear the rip of paper, look over, and there she is in all her glory....with this card in her mouth!

She's so darn cute...and yes, that photo was staged for your viewing pleasure, but look at that corner!  I did give her a treat after scaring her when it happened.  I couldn't let her think I was mad at her...

Here it is...sans the dog bites...for the current Triple B challenge.  Altenew's new Rustic Rose set has SO much detail!  If you are a watercolor aficionado, this is a set you would want in your arsenal.  Jaycee Gaspar made the most beautiful card with this stamp set, check out his talented work with it in the gallery on the Altenew site.  It is breathtaking!

For this rose, layers and layers of watercolors were placed down to create the depth of the rose.  "The more you do it, the better you get" my college professor would say...I didn't like her too much so I never really connected with the medium.  BUT...with this new Altenew release which included this set and the Paint and Stamp series sets?  I may have converted to the watercolor side...

The background was created by just plopping down watercolor paints along the bottom of my paper with a few splatters...that is easy enough!  The card was finished off with the included sentiment stamped with Altenew Obsidian ink and a few black enamel dots.  And there you have it!  A perfect snack for your furry friend!

Hope you enjoyed the anecdotes of my little fur babies, they are such a joy...most times!  Have a colorful day!

Washi tape...who knew? - CAN YOU HANDLE THE PRESSURE - TOP WINNER!

Pink Fresh Washi Tapes...What do you think?

Hi all!

Do you use a lot of washi tapes in your creations?  It's not something I have ever really gotten into, until recently.  I've had a few of Pink Fresh's washi tapes in my stash for a while, but have never really worked with them before.  After the recent Create & Connect, I decided to pull them out again and give them a whirl.

This card is inspired by...well... the current Inspired By Challenge! Liberty was taken on the colors however but the photo did give a starting off point.  For the background, the current Can You Handle the Pressure challenge helped with the decision of the embossing folder, circles.  This is a recent purchase from Simon Says Stamp called Dibble Tile.  Isn't it gorgeous?!?  Running your finger over it is like reading braille.  

On top of the background, a tool that has been in a drawer for YEARS finally got its day in the sun...the envelope punch board.  It's never been used...for shame...probably because the measurements on the board were printed in centimeters...we use inches here in the US and math isn't a favorite around here.  Luckily, the sticker was able to be removed, revealing inch measurements!  Who knew?  Not this lazy crafter...   

With the envelope created from white cardstock, and the edges highlighted with a little metallic gold watercolor paint, the Pink Fresh Artistic Dahlia washi tape was finally put to work.  It is really easy to attach the tape to a piece of card stock and die-cut it with the coordinating die...really easy.  Shamefully easy.......  Then with all the fabulous little paper flowers, the arrangement was created, with a little help from Papertrey Ink's Elegant Notes Foliage stamp set using gold pigment ink.

The butterflies, the heat embossed sentiment, and coordinating dies are from the new PinkFresh set given at the Create and Connect.  They promise it will be released soon, so keep your eyes out for it... it's beautiful!  The card was finished off with Cherry Blossom enamel dots.

I think I'll continue to play around with these washi tapes...I have 2 more styles in my stash that haven't been used yet.  That must be remedied!

Have a colorful day!

New and Old combined

Altenew NEW RELEASE Die Cut Flower, April Kiss Camellia!

Hi all!

Have you visited yesterday's Altenew video hop?  Yours truly has a video in it...eeekkk!!!...  There is a giveaway that is open until 3-11, so be sure to visit and make a comment to get entered to win a part of a $300 giveaway!

Onto today's card...I was inspired by the Inkspirational Challenge image with the peachy coral, pinks, and mint green deliciousness in the photo.  Make want a cookie real bad....

I have challenged myself to use items I haven't touched yet, or used in forever for the next 60 days.  With that in mind, this card started off with some lightly shimmered heather grey cardstock that has been on the shelf for ages.  It's a very pretty color and the shimmer bits are a lovely touch, but where it's from...no idea... it's been there that long.  For the background, it's been paired with Altenew's new Moonlit Silver glitter tape...which comes out in a couple weeks.... with a panel of Honeycomb Daisies in white cardstock over the top.  That die is a little like the edge of the cake stand, don't you think?

Altenew April Kiss Camellia flower die set

The new April Kiss Camellia flower die set is so beautiful!  It's also incredibly versatile, as you don't have to use all the layers to create your flowers, and they can even be made in different sizes!  If you want to see a sample of that, visit Jennifer McGuire's video from yesterday's hop.  She showcased this die set in all it's glory...I love how she thinks outside the box...

The edges of these flowers were inked with layers of Pink Pearl and touches of Coral Bliss inks to give it that peachy-coral color.  The leaves were then inked with all the inks from the Green Meadows collection of inks.

That gorgeous sentiment was die cut from Timeless Sentiments which was cut from white cardstock and the shadow, cut from a panel of cardstock with the glitter tape on it.  Easy way to add some sparkle don't you agree?  Finally, Frosted Foliage enamel dots were added to finish off the look.

Hope you head over the the video hop and check out all the designers and enter to win a part of $300!

Have a colorful day!

Are they real???

Triple B Challenge, are those birds REAL?

Hi all!

Have you seen the challenge photo for Triple B this week?  Are those birds real??  I need some if they are, they are breathtaking.  It's a perfect photo for the challenge, so kudos to whoever chose it, it inspired me to do the challenge!

I don't have many bird stamps, dies, or stencils.  The ones I do are very stylized and didn't really fit the tulip I knew I had to use for this challenge.  I've challenged myself to use all the items in my stash that have never seen the light of day...or ink... and unfortunately, quite a few items fit that description.  I think I have a collecting problem...I'm sure many can relate😂!

The tulip is a gorgeous image and sentiment from Alex Siberia Designs called Tulip Treasure.  This set has a stamp, die, and stencil sets as well as a hot foil plate...which would have come in handy for this card, but I didn't invest in that one. This is the open tulip image.  They have others that are more closed, but there is something special about an open tulip.  They are reminiscent of Finish trompe l'oeil paintings, just beautiful!  

The inks for the tulip are Pink Diamond and Pinkalicous inks, and for the stem and greens, Mint Choco, Limeade and Lime inks.  The greenery inks were never used before either, so that was a bonus.  After stenciling the tulip, the outline and sentiment were heat embossed with Antique Gold embossing powder and die cut with the coordinating die set.

The background, frame die and butterfly are from the Create & Connect event Pink Fresh put on last week, they should be available soon, but they haven't given a time-line yet.  Keep your eyes peeled for them, they're a must-have!  A bit of Dew Drops ink was added to the background to make the tulip pop then a few iridescent enamel dots were added in keeping with the color theme.  The corners of the card were trimmed off by hand which is the perfect finishing touch.

Let me know if those birds are real...and if I can get some...  Have a colorful day!

I'm Back!!

Altenew Video Hop and GIVEAWAY!

Hi all!

I'm so excited to share I am a guest designer with Altenew for this month's release!  There are SO many fabulous products being released today, and I'm eager to share them with you.  It's so much fun to be a part of this and to get back into making videos.  I took quite a while off due to my mom's accident and becoming my parents' caregiver, but she's made a fantastic recovery so I now have the time to make videos again.  

In today's video, I am sharing the new Paint & Stamp: Flowers.  This new stamp series from Altenew allows you to channel your inner Bob Ross and I had SO much fun!  I'm not much of a watercolor aficionado, and this set may have changed my mind.  So grab a cup o'Joe, your favorite tea....or for some extra relaxation, a glass of wine....and peruse through the entire hop.  This time around Altenew is asking you to watch the videos from beginning to end to help with the algorithm, to help with that, we are asking for specific emojis in your comments which are shared during the video.  I think everyone got to pick their own, what do you think I went with?

Since you were able to see the step-by-step process, I won't bore you with the details here.  However, here are the closeups of the card showcased.

Creating gorgeous leaves and flowers really is that easy!  I will share a card with the flower parts of the stamp set with you soon, so you can see how cute it can be.

Isn't that glitter tape fabulous?  I like it since it is much thinner than glitter cardstock and doesn't add too much bulk to the project.

I am adding the direct links to all the supplies I used on this project.  These links are affiliate links and as a hobbyist of card making and paper craft, I earn a small commission from you clicking on these links and purchasing from my affiliate shops. The best thing is, this is at NO additional cost to you. Feel free to use your regular online promotional codes if provided.  I personally use the affiliate commissions and paid in-kind content to build this blog and to purchase giveaway items for my followers. 

Altenew StampWheel 

Square Grid Flip Plate 

Alignment Guides 

Paint & Stamp: Flowers

Watercolor 36 Pan Set 

Metallic Watercolor Pan Set 

Watercolor Brushes 

Silver Embossing Powder 

Enchanted Garden Enamel Dots 

Fine Blade Scissors 

Instant Dimension Foam tape  

Tape Runner 

Thank you so much for checking out the video.  Please be sure to like, comment with the emoji listed and follow both my channel and Altenew's for your chance to win a gift certificate!

Have a colorful day!