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 Hi all,

I've been trying for hours to get Blogger to post this...either way I hope you'll join us for our AAA challenge this fortnight.  It's a great sketch that has so many possibilities for creativity.

See!  Cute, right?  I pulled out Altenew's Stamp and Paint set, which debuted in March.  It's really a fun way to get into watercolor painting, pretty foolproof!

I have a Youtube video of the process of how to make this type of card. Check it out here:

For this sketch, I decided to pull it out again!

The leaves were stamped with Versamark and heat embossed with gold powder, and then it was time to play with watercolors.  Yellows, greens, teal blues were used for the colors.

It was topped off with enamel dots from Altenew's Martian Terrain to make it more special.  Now, let's see what you can do with our sketch!  Please share your creations with us in our gallery...we love to see how you do it!  Have a colorful day!!

Trying again...ALPHABET CHALLENGE SPOTLIGHT WINNER!

Playing with Pinkfresh Washi's and Altenew stamps and foils!

Hi all!

    

I've been playing around with a stash of Pinkfresh washi sets I've had for a long while that has never seen the light of day...for shame I know....and combining them with some new things from Altenew I've received recently.  With the Festive Friday...pink, metallic elements, foiling and flowers....and Freshly Made Sketches...mirrored....and the Triple B and Alphabet challenges in mind, I created this little ditty...

It started with the Pinkfresh new foil plate Dotted Petals.  Instead of foiling, it was inked with their Sage ink and run through the Spellbinders BetterPress system, which is my new obsession BTW...  The background it created is so pretty, this plate will be a new favorite of mine.  To keep with the sketch, the Pinkfresh Nested Arches were used for the center panel. 

For the corners of the sketch, beautiful flowers with berries were used and are from a retired Pinkfresh washi/die set called Blossoms and Berries.  Ironically enough, they have a new stamp/stencil/die bundle with that name they just released!  The washi tape has a matching die plate making the creation of these embellishments easy enough.  Their new Fluttering Butterflies washi/die set also makes an appearance here with the soft sage teal gut in the top right corner.  The washi tapes have gold foiling which led to the decision to foil a sentiment with Altenew's Sweet Sentiments.

The sweet bird is from the new Altenew Craft You Life series called Rustic Charm.  Altenew's CYL kits are by far my favorite subscription I have, they come with EVERYTHING and this set is genius!  The stamps have mirror images of the stencils, so you can use them either way...so smart.  This little guy is part of that set.  Instead of the stencil for coloring the bird, alcohol markers were used following the stencil as a guide.  He was first stamped with Altenew's Permanent Mist Gray ink, colored, and then stamped with their Gold Metallic ink...thank you Stamp Wheel...  He'd be great watercolored as well!

I think the final product is a little busy for my taste, but I really do love each element separately.  Have a colorful day!

Altenew Inspiration Challenge

 Alcohol Ink and Swiping Techniques with Altenew Inks!

Hi all!

What platform do you have your blog or website on?  I've been having issues with Blogger taking down posts...I'm a card-making site for goodness sake.  What guidelines could I possibly be breaking??  It may be time for me to look into other places for hosting...any suggestions?  In the meantime...hopefully, this post won't get taken down!  

It's the first time in a LONG while I've been able to play along with Altenew's Inspiration Challenge!, and I even have 2 cards!  I went into 2 different directions with 2 very different techniques for each card.  First up, a 'literal' interpretation of the photo image.

This started with a Bristol cardstock.  This type of cardstock doesn't absorb the inks very quickly, so blending is easy, and swiping is even easier!  A bazillion different inks were used to create this background.  In the order you see here, each color was swiped in the area shown in the inspiration photo.  After each different color group was added, a quick swipe with a mini blending tool was used to soften the swipe marks if there were any.

Next the panel was trimmed down and die cut using the Dotted Waves cover plate.  The stencil was then used to deepen the colors in the open areas and Stickles in Crystal was added to the lines to make them sparkle like waves at sunset.

Next, the sentiment from Inspiring Quotes: Sunshine was heat embossed with white powder on vellum.  Finally, the whole panel was added to a piece of dark gray cardstock and some yellow sequins were added for extra sparkle.

For the second card, I decided to FINALLY break out some alcohol inks!   Using permanent markers on acetate with rubbing alcohol was a technique I used often in my teaching days, but fluid inks?  Nope.  I've had a stash for quite some time, but have not educated myself on the technique of using fluid inks.  I decided to just jump in with both feet with a little rubbing alcohol, Sunkissed, Orange Cream and Firebrick alcohol inks.

Some leftover SU! glossy paper in my stash is the panel base, but not sure it's really the best choice as it did seep through to the back side of the paper.  Is that normal?  Either way, it seemed to work well enough, so it will be used for this technique until it's gone.  It took time to figure out how to get the inks to move without creating lines, after some trial and error....lots of error....it worked in the end.  A little bit of Nimbus ink was added for some splatter at the end to help bring in the color deep gray-blue color from the florals.  

I couldn't get over the intensity of the color!  No wonder this medium is so popular!  The gorgeous Craft-A-Flower Hibiscus die set was used for the florals.  They were die cut from gray card stock with details added with the Tranquility alcohol markers.  The edges of the blossoms were highlighted with some Cloud White Fresh Dye Ink on the edges.

There is nothing better than a die set with included sentiments, which this one has!  To give the sentiment some interest, the 'for my' was die cut from vellum paper, while the 'friend' was die cut from matching gray cardstock.

Whew!  Thanks for continuing on with me!  Have a colorful day!

Manifest some SUNSHINE!!

Manifest SUNSHINE with the CAS on Friday challenge using The Stamp Market and Altenew!

Hi all!

It's time for another challenge with CAS on Friday.  This time we are manifesting the need for SUNSHINE!!  I don't know what kind of weather you have where you are, here in Ohio, it's been pretty dreary with only a few hints of sun popping here and there.  Help us manifest more sunshine by creating some of your own sunshine projects too!

This card started with Altenew's Rainbow Burst scene-building stencil and using their Pocket of Sunshine color family was an obvious choice.  FYI, this stencil comes with a coordinating foil plate which is glorious with it.  Each of the 3 the stencils were inked with the lightest of the graduated inks to create the rays of the sun.

For the sentiment, the new-to-me stamp set from The Stamp Market called Arched Greetings 2 had the perfect sentiment to help keep this a CAS card.  An option for this design would be to die-cut the arch from the corner of the panel for a window and stamp the sentiment along the edge.  However, to keep this as simple as possible, the sentiment instead was stamped on the outer portion of the rays.

The center of the stencil leaves a white spot.  A circle sentiment would be perfect for it, but instead a large enamel die from the perfectly matched Pocketful of Sunshine collection was added.  In hindsight, the yellow border isn't needed at all.  Funny how you don't notice those kinds of things until you're posting them on the internet!

Now help us manifest more sunshine and join us for our challenge at CAS on Friday.  Have a sunny, colorful day!

SOC Designer Paper Challenge! - WORD POWER HONORABLE MENTION!

NEW Pinkfresh Studios Flower Market designer paper HACK!

Hi all!

Are you a collector of designer papers?  Come on...admit it.  We all do it.  They're addicting for some reason.  I used to get all KINDS of printed papers, as I love the inspiration they provide, but can NEVER seem to cut into them.  It's like it causes panic or anxiety...if they're used, then they can't be used for a different project...whatever that may be!  Tell me I'm not the only one....

This fortnight challenge at Sisterhood of Crafters is to use DESIGNER PAPER....SO today is the day to let go of that anxiety and USE THOSE PAPERS!!! .  Now, did I use some from the stash I've been collecting for over 20 years? Ummmmm, no.....  BUT I did get some new papers from Pinkfresh Studios...I had to feed my addiction and ensure I didn't run out...so I opted to use that instead.  I rarely buy new designer paper, so it was a treat to open that package with the gorgeous colors!  So here is my little hack for DSP papers....

Using Pinkfresh as an example, there 12x12 paper packs and 6x6 paper packs have the same papers in them....only difference is the size of the prints.  Generally the 6x6 size papers are geared more toward card making.  While I love the 6x6 papers, the 12x12 papers have some real benefits when it comes to card making.  The larger papers sometimes coordinate with their dies, and the sentiment pages have great sentiments, perfect for card fronts.  When purchasing DSP paper packs, be sure to look at their sentiment pages...getting the 12x12 size paper can save you the need of investing in specialty sentiment stamps.

Sticking with Pinkfresh products, I also opted to use their new Fluttering Butterflies washi tape and die set, along with the gorgeous Nested Corner Frames.  The washi tape has been a new to me product and its ease of use is so fantastic!  I do have the coordinating stamp set, so the option for custom colors is there, but it matched my paper perfectly so I didn't need to.

The frame was die cut 2 times and stacked, with a little accordion folded piece of cardstock on the sides to make the card pop when pulled out of the envelope.  Cute eh?  That's a little trick picked up from the Pinkfresh Create & Connect this spring.  The whole thing is finished off with the cute little gems from Pinkfresh as well!

I think I'll spend the day using designer papers and washi tapes to make more cards.  What about you?  Are you ready to join us for some printed fun?  Hope to see your work in the gallery!

Have a colorful day!

Altenew's April Kiss Camillia Layered Floral Die System is AMAZING!

Hi all!

I'm trying to catch up on my crafting life given the craziness in my normal life right now!  Our little goddaughter is doing well and has been with us for over 3 weeks now.  It's been a re-fresher on motherhood of an almost toddler for me, but this is a first for my hubby and he's doing amazingly well!  We continue to pray for her mom on her journey to mental well-being, until then, she's been a joy to have around.

I was a guest designer with Altenew for March, and haven't been able to use some of their products again until now.   Challenges always are a great place to start and The Flower Challenge and the As You See It Challenges worked well with the beautiful April Kiss Camilla die set.  Their updated floral die systems make assembling the layers SO easy!  You could opt to not apply all the layers to make the bloom smaller, it's genius really.

You can opt to ink blend the paper before die cutting or after.  These blossoms were die cut first then ink blended using Altenew's Martian Terrain Crisp Dye inks.  It adds a little extra shading to the die cuts if you ink them after...just a little tip for some added pizzaz!  The leaves were inked with the Frosted Foliage Fresh Dye inks.

The background panel was embossed using the Natural Wicker Pattern embossing folder.  It adds a fantastic texture to the background without distracting from the beauty of the floral die cuts.  A little bit of Altenew's Warm Sunshine was added behind the blossoms to help it pop off the background.

An added bonus of the April Kiss Camillia die set?  Sentiment dies.  Both 'thanks' and 'hello' are part of this set...another genius move Altenew!  The sentiment 'thanks' was die cut from gold mirror paper along with a final overabundance of splatter using metallic gold watercolor and white gouache, and the card is finished!

Seize the Birthday with Spellbinderst Stampendous Birthday Messages

Seize the Birthday Challenge with Spellbinders NEW Stampendous Birthday Messages

Hi all!

I have a super quick one here for you today again using the new Spellbinders Stampendous Birthday Messages stamp set for the current Seize the Birthday challenge.

This sentiment pairs PERFECTLY with Altenew's Majestic Mountains stencil don't you think?  The mountain was created using Altenew's Tropical Forest color family with a touch blue with Altenew's Dew Drops and Mountain Mist for the sky.  Admittedly, the stencil layering was done out of order...but it's such a great design, it isn't too noticeable, is it?  

The was stamped sentiment in the top right corner with Altenew's Permanent Black ink, then the panel was die cut using the Spellbinders Hemstitch Rectangles die set.  It gives it a nice simple touch to not distract from the mountain scene.

To finish off the card and to give it some sparkle, Icicle stickles were spread onto the lighter areas of the mountain using my finger.

It's a simple card yet is perfect for someone having a hard time going 'over the hill'...not too snarky and a little inspiring perhaps?

Like I said, a quick post for today.  Have a colorful day!

AAA Cards Challenge 4-14

Glimmer Hotfoil with a BetterPress plate for the AAACards Challenge!

Hi all!

Thanks for joining me today for another AAA Cards Challenge!  The challenge this time around is Anything Goes, but you can make a wedding or anniversary-themed card if you'd like.  I chose to follow the theme and thought continuing with some foil accents would be a perfect fit!

The sentiment strip was found in my scrap bin which was heat embossed on this beautiful pale blush shimmer paper left over from my own wedding.  The stamp is from Altenew Leaf Canopy, it's a great basic set to have on hand if you don't already have it.

The window die and the image inside it came from Spellbinders Floral View BetterPress plate set.  It's great that press plates can be used in the Glimmer system!  It extends the use of my supplies, a bonus in my book.  The extreme detail on that image is so beautiful...it would be lovely to color in....next time!

 It is a very simple yet elegant card that took only a few minutes to assemble!  I am also entering this in the Triple B challenge, it only has one of the B's, but the color is spot on in their inspiration photo.

Now head over to AAA Cards Challenge and share your creation with us!  Have a colorful day!

New Spellbinders Die and stamp sets!

NEW Stampendous Gift Card Holder and Envelope All the Sentiments die by Spellbinders!!

Hi all!

I have another new project I created for the Spellbinders April release!  This post features the Stampendous Gift Card Holder and Envelope All the Sentiments die and coordinating Birthday Messages stamp set.

 

Now, admittedly the execution isn't one of my finest creations.  In my defense, it was late and my creative juices at that time went toward execution instead of beauty.  I heavily relied on designer paper...12-year-old designer paper...which got overly busy really.  But it's still fun and a great way to give a gift card so it feels special and not an afterthought.

The die set features an envelope die, 2 graduated dies for the card shape and to complete the envelope, as well as sentiment dies you see featured in this card.  You wouldn't need to use any stamps if you chose, but the Birthday Messages from the All the Sentiments collection has perfect sentiments for all birthday reasons, including belated...for which I am notorious for!  In hindsight, the sentiment should have included the shadow element cut from vellum or something, but the sparkle is pretty incredible from the Altenew Brilliant Red Glitter paper!

For the card front, I opted to create a shaker card for an extra-special touch.   The window was cut using the Four Petal Label die set, then was embossed using another new item from the April Release called the Leaf Helix.  It's so pretty and I will feature more projects using it in the coming days.  

The inside of this card is the star of this die set!  The gift card holder has its own die so you don't have to fiddle with measurements and make weird cuts with punches or use only half a die.  The included die does it all for you, just fold a piece of paper, run it through your die machine and it's done...fold creases and all!  I do recommend using lighter-weight cardstock for the interior piece so the card will fold as it should....don't ask me how I know...  The leftover piece from the card front window was used for the interior with a smaller die used to create a frame.  The 'a gift for you' dies are part of the die set as well, and the stamped sentiment is a perfect final touch for a great birthday card.

I am adding this to the galleries at Inkspirational for their fun fold challenge and AAA Birthdays for their shaker card challenge.  

Have a colorful day!

Spring CAS BetterPress rainbow!

NEW Spellbinders BetterPress Arched Messages for the CAS on Friday Spring Challenge!

Hi all!

Welcome to another CAS on Friday challenge, this time our theme is SPRING!  You can interpret the theme any way you'd like, but make sure it is CAS...AND since I am a guest designer for Spellbinders' April release, I decided to feature this fan-tabulous BetterPress set called Arched Messages.

 

I love the look of the pressed image, it's so classy and traditional.  When I received my very first letterpress wedding invitation, I was so enamored with how beautiful it was.  I wanted to figure out how to create that look with what limited supplies I had 20+ years ago...little did I know it would become so easy for me to do!  The trick for the embossed stamped look is the paper, but the system can be used with regular card stock too, it just won't have the super embossed look depending on the thickness of your card stock.  I chose to use the cotton paper they recommend with the system.

The great thing about the Arched Messages set is each arch is its own separate plate, that way you can use multiple colors with it.  Hence...the rainbow for my spring card!  This set also comes with a super handy...and brilliant...registration template made from thin acetate to help create a perfectly aligned arched image.  I used Altenew's Summer Dreams color group for my rainbow colors since I have them on hand.

After I completed the rainbow and sentiment, the panel was trimmed and was placed on a light blue card base to give the hint of sky color.  I also added the white sequins in various sizes to create my sparkly clouds, it's super fun right?...can you tell I'm an 80's chick?😂😂😂.    I'm also playing along with the JUGS, and Simply Clean and Simple challenges this week.

    

Now head over to CAS on Friday for more inspiration from the DT and play along!  Maybe even try a letterpressed card yourself?  Have a colorful day!!

Color Throwdown with NEW Spellbinders Press Plate!

NEW Spellbinders April Release Guest Designer card featuring Tropical Leaves BetterPress plate and Hello wax seal!

Hi all!

I know I've been bombarding you with posts, but I've had so much fun with this release by Spellbinders!  Being a guest designer for any company is a complete thrill for me, so I tend to go overboard really...  

Anyhoo...I decided to use the stunning Tropical Leaves Press plate for this card while using the Color Throwdown challenge as my color inspiration.  The design was kept simple to really allow the beauty of the leaves to be the focus of the card.

Altenew's Fresh Dye Dusty Pink was perfect to ink up the Tropical Leaves press plates for my touch of pink.  After pressing the images, they were colored using colored pencils with yellow and shades of green.  The colors really popped off the pink-pressed images don't you think?

The great thing about this set is it comes with matching dies for the leaves...which saves my arthritic hands from too much discomfort.  Before assembling the leaves on the card front, some metallic gold watercolor paint was used to add some splatter for interest and to break up the space of white card base.

For the sentiment, the brand-new Hello Oval wax seal seemed to be the perfect touch.  After the wax cooled down, a metallic gold Sharpie marker was used to highlight the letters.  Finally, another touch of metallic gold was added with some gold thread.  

That's it for me, I hope all my cards are inspiring you to check out what Spellbinders released this month.  I am an affiliate of Spellbinders, if you purchase through one of my links, I do receive a small commission at zero cost to you.  Also, any commissions I receive are used to purchase giveaway items from my favorite vendors on my blog posts!

Have a colorful day!