Good morning! Happy Monday! Today, Altenew is releasing their Suddenly Spring standalone die collection, and we are celebrating with a blog hop full of inspiration for you! You should have arrived from Nathalie DeSousa, and your next stop is Amanda Baldwin. You can also start back at the beginning at the Altenew Card Blog. Coloring is pretty much my favorite thing to do in general; one look at my blog can tell you that coloring is my favorite. But close behind coloring? Standalone dies. There are just so many things you can do with standalone dies, so many different looks you can achieve, and they can make such an impact on a card. I created two completely different cards using two completely different styles and die sets, but created a cohesive set by using the same colors of cardstock for both cards.
I normally like to keep floral/botanical card subjects within the realm of possibility in nature-i.e. lots of pinks, purples, corals, etc. Not many blue or green flowers to be found out in nature! I did think that the flowers in the Mini Flower Cluster Layering Die Set reminded me of a cluster of hydrangea flowers, which are one of my favorites and also can be blue, so I used that as starting point for my card set.
I began by die cutting the new Mini Flower Cluster Layering Die Set from three gradient shades of turquoisey blue cardstock, using black as the base layer for the flower centers. I cut two of these little clusters and several sets of the leaves (which I cut using two different shades of mint cardstock), and adhered the pieces all together using liquid adhesive.
I trimmed down an A2 panel of cardstock from some deep teal cardstock that I had in my stash (my husband always makes me “that face” when I buy more colored cardstock… occasions and projects like this are precisely why I need what seems like every shade of colored cardstock upon the face of the earth, thank you very much.) I splattered the background with some diluted silver gouache to add a bit of texture and interest to the background.
I stamped a greeting from Many Thanks on some white cardstock using Obsidian ink. Once my splattered panel had dried, I adhered all of the different elements on the card front using a combination of liquid and Altenew’s new Instant Dimension Foam Adhesive. Finally, I added a few of my favorite iridescent gems for some sparkle.
My next card features a custom patterned panel created using the new Whimsical Garden standalone die set. I love these super intricate dies, so much so that I wanted to use basically all of them on one card, ha! I recently saw a dress made with some beautiful fabric of emerald green embroidery on a teal background, and these Whimsical Garden dies were perfect to recreate that look on a card front.
I die cut several of the detailed and a few of the solid dies from the Whimsical Garden die set from some bright, grass green cardstock, arranged them in a pretty pattern on the deep teal card front, then adhered them using liquid adhesive. When creating any custom pattern for a card front, I always start with the largest element first, then arrange the rest of the elements around that, going from largest to smallest, and using the smallest pieces to fill in any gaps in the pattern.
Once I’d adhered all of the die cuts to the card front, I die cut a “thanks” from the Circled Greetings Thanks and the “so much for everything” (I trimmed off the “thanks” that is originally on the die cut to create a custom sentiment) from the new Slim Sentiments die set. The bright white sentiments pop beautifully off of the almost monochrome background! I love how subtle the green pattern is on the deep teal background. A few more iridescent gems finished it off.
As always, Altenew has some awesome giveaways to celebrate this release!
$300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $20 gift certificate to 10 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 04/25/2021 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 12 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 04/27/2021.
The next stop on the hop is Amanda Baldwin. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!
Great cards. Simply stated, but very pretty. I love the color combinations. The whimical card is my favorite.
Both your cards are so pretty, I love the color combinations 😍
Love the color combination of the mini blooms. You are right, they kind of look like hydrangea blooms!
Love the colors, so very pretty
Lovely cards.
Gorgeous!!! I love the Slim Sentiments!!
Gorgeous cards! I love you mini flower cluster!
The mini flowers are so versatile.
I love the gorgeous, rich colors.
Love the beautiful colors and card designs you created from the Mini Flower Cluster set and the Whimsical Garden Layering set, possibly my two favorites from this release.
Your color combinations are so beautiful, peaceful and calming.
Love the blue & green color combo. Beautifully done.
I love the green outline die cuts on the teal back, it is so dainty and pretty!
Great cards. Love the colors you chose. That mini flower cluster die set is really calling my name. Thanks for sharing!
Lovely mini flower cluster you have there. It looks like they are floating in a still pool of water that is reflecting the night sky.
beautiful work – love the color choices
love the monochromatic application for these dies.
Love your cards! Great colors too.
Always inspired by unusual color combo for flowers and the teal shades fit the bill. The slim sentiments are also a new fav.
What pretty cards! My favorite is the mini flower cluster one. Your color choices are beautiful and the black base layer is genius. Thanks for the inspiration.
The dark backgrounds really set these new dies off!
All the cards are beautiful. The first is my favorite, though. I just love the gorgeous colors and the elegant design.
Beautiful cards! I think the miniflower cluster die set is my favorite from this release.
Die cutting is my favorite card making method. I love your navy cards and the pretty green floral die cuts. Lovely!
Simply stunning! Love this new die release! Thanks for the inspiration Emily!
Gorgeous colors and I love the floral dies!
Beautiful! Another great release from Altenew.
Fabulous! One of my favorite color combinations. Thanks.
Both cards rock! I can only imagine how cool the material on that dress looked!
These are stunning! Love the colors!
Loving how versatile the mini flower cluster dies are! Beautiful cards!
Beautiful floral cards! The Mini Flower Cluster die set is a favorite!
Such beautiful cards and I really love the colors
I love flowers that are born in our imagination! The mini flower cluster layering die set is my fav from this release.
Such beautiful cards!
The colored card stock was a brilliant choice (IMHO lol, sorry hubby!) for both cards! Love splatter behind the pretty flower cluster on #1 and the vibrant green outline dies on the otherl
Beautiful cards! Love the blue-greenish colors.
Great new release! Love the cards and choice of flower colors.
Simply lovely! This hop is filled with inspiration!
Pretty colors.
I adore that floral cluster die. Such beautiful flowers.
Hugs from Canada!
I love the color combinations on your cards! Lovely designs!
So many beautiful florals!
Wow! Gorgeous cards!!
Oh, how i love the blues and greens. These look gorgeous!!
So pretty! Love your color choices for these cards!
Love how you used these two die sets to create such beautiful cards! The mini flower clusters is already in my cart! Thanks for some creative ideas here!
I love the cards you made with these new dies. I love the color combination you used for the mini flower clusters. Thanks for sharing your talents!
Wow, love the color combos you’ve used and your cards are so pretty.
Gorgeous cards! Thanks for the inspiration.
Such gorgeous, colorful cards!
Thanks so much for sharing.
Lovely cards. I really the Whimsical Garden set.
Your colors are so pretty. Really love the floral clusters.
Beautiful cards. I especially love the first one — the Mini Flower Cluster layering die set is my favorite from this fantastic release.
I love the colors you used for these! Beautiful!
You’re right, the Mini Flower Cluster layering die does remind one of the flowers on a hydrangea! How cool to create a 3D hydrangea on a card. Thanks for the great inspiration.
Beautiful thank you notes!
I absolutely agree with you on the new flower layering dies…when bunched together they really do look like hydrangeas! Gorgeous cards ❤️
I like the color combination. Great layer mix for the flowers.
Really love your cards, especially that first one! Have to add that Mini Flower Cluster Layering die to my wish list for sure!
Beautiful cards. The mini flower cluster die is so cute. Thanks for sharing
Both are nice. The mini flower cluster is my favorite.
The whimsical garden is my favorite. I too love intricate dies with skinny little lines I could never cut myself.
Love the monocromatic look of your cards. the first one with splatters and the composition is so lovely!!
Beautiful cards. Love the greens and blues together with the die cuts.
Beautiful cards! I especially like the blue one.
Just love the colours you used. Hard to pick a favourite but I think the Thanks card wins.
Oooh, so pretty! Those are my daughter’s favorite colors. I may need to borrow your ideas – a hazard of the trade, I suppose? Wonderful!
Gorgeous cards! I love the colors you chose.
Gorgeous, gorgeous, GORGEOUS!
Gorgeous cards with wonderful colour combinations!! Certainly justify the purchase of more coloured card stock!!! Thanks for the great inspiration! Stay safe! 🙂
Slim sentiments dies are definitely on my wishlist. Love them.
great cards! those flowers are lots of fun as is the other die, too
The way your white sentiment pops off the blue and green floral card… oh my stars!