magnolia

Altenew October 2023 Marvelous Monthly Series Release Blog Hop + Giveaway ($300 in Total Prizes!)

October 18, 2023

Hi friends! I am taking part in the Altenew October 2023 Marvelous Monthly Blog Hop. You can start back at the beginning at the Altenew Card Blog or view the full hop list in the InLinkz at the end of this post. This month’s Marvelous Monthly release is filled with so much beauty; I was particularly struck by the Build-A-Garden: Blushing Magnolias. Each month, Altenew releases a beautiful Build-A-Garden set that is so unique that I am almost always drawn to them. If you love them like I do and want to be guaranteed to receive these gorgeous sets each month, you can check out the subscription page HERE. For today’s card, I was channeling the beautiful peachy-pink magnolias that are so prevalent in my area during the spring time. Let’s get started with the details!

I began my project by trimming down two A2 panels of palest blush cardstock and embossing the large floral images from the Build-A-Garden: Blushing Magnolias onto each one using Golden Peach embossing powder. This rosy golden metallic embossing powder looks scrumptious on this blush cardstock, creating a tone-on-tone effect that is super elegant!

After I had finished embossing the images, I used the coordinating stencils in the Build-A-Garden: Blushing Magnolias product suite along with the included blending brush and a few of my own to add lots of color and subtle shading to these beautiful magnolia images. For the blooms, I used Frosty Pink, Coral Berry, and Ruby Red inks from the Red Cosmos Fresh Dye Ink Quartet, while the foliage was created using Frayed Leaf, Forest Glades, Evergreen from the Green Fields Fresh Dye Ink Quartet. I used the coordinating add-on die to die cut one of the stenciled images. (You can purchase the Build-A-Garden: Blushing Magnolias bundled with the coordinating dies HERE.)

Next, I used the palest ink from the Red Cosmos Fresh Dye Ink Quartet to blend lightly on the bottom of the stenciled floral card base to add some extra interest to the background. I also splattered some coordinating rose gold metallic watercolor from the Metallic Watercolor 14 Pan set around the bottom blended edge. I arranged the die cut magnolia over the top of the card base, popping it up with Instant Dimension Foam Tape and allowing it to butt right along the edge of the card front. For the greeting, I heat embossed two sentiment stamps from the Build-A-Garden: Blushing Magnolias onto some more of the blush cardstock using the same Golden Peach embossing powder, die cutting one of the sentiments with the coordinating die. I popped those up with foam adhesive, as well, then added some shimmering gems for even more sparkle!

Well, that’s all for this project! Now for some fun giveaway information:

$300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $100 gift certificate to 1 lucky winner and a $50 gift certificate to 4 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 10/24/2023 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 5 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 10/26/2023.
*The winner of the $100 gift certificate will be chosen from comments left on the Altenew blog.

Here’s the full hop list:

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!

Pinkfresh Studio March Challenge-Layers!

March 8, 2023

Hi friends! March has begun, so we are introducing a new challenge over at Pinkfresh Studio. This month, our theme is Layers. This theme was pretty darn easy for me, as I layer layer layer on pretty much all of my cards…Creating a flat card is so difficult for me! I love foam tape and I cannot lie. I used a variety of older products, including my Magnolia stamp set, which is great fun for watercoloring. Let’s get started with the details!

I began by heat embossing all of the images from one of my favorite sets that I’ve illustrated for Pinkfresh Studio: Magnolia! I used white embossing powder to emboss the one-and-done stamp. (I love that you only have to stamp once to stamp all of the images included in this set! So quick and easy.) When I want to create a softer look, I reach for the lighter embossing powders, like white or white satin pearl. It helps to give the softness of no-line coloring, but with the ease of having those raised ridges to make your watercoloring a little simpler. I heat embossed the images on the smoother side of some Arches cold press watercolor paper, then used my Daniel Smith watercolors to add some soft painting in shades that coordinated with the color scheme for this month’s challenge. I made sure to add some pale turquoise watercolor around the edges of my images so that the die cuts would have that finished, polished look on the eventual card front. I used the coordinating one-and-done die to cut out my watercolored magnolia flowers.

Because this month’s challenge was layers, I turned to my dies to see what dies I could layer beneath the pretty pink blooms to create subtle layers without overwhelming the card. I always like to have some subtle texture behind my flowers to help add interest, and I usually achieve this with either tone-on-tone cover plate die cuts or adding stitched texture with a cover plate, so I thought why not combine the two techniques? I wanted to use the Simply Hexagons Cover Plate Die, so to coordinate with the hexagon shapes in the cover plate, I also pulled out the Hexagon Tiles Cover Plate die, which adds a beautiful stitched pattern to your solid cardstock. I used a favorite shade of icy pastel blue cardstock for both die cuts, creating a tone-on-tone background for my pretty pink blooms.

To create a ground for my floral bouquet, I die cut a small Essentials: Ornate Banner die from some vellum. The die cut shape itself provides a bit of a ground around which my floral bouquet can shape itself, while the semi-transparent vellum does not had any extra bulk. I arranged my die cut and watercolored flowers around the corner of the vellum, adhering them to the vellum die cut with liquid adhesive and then hiding my foam tape behind the solid die cuts. I also added a few iridescent white leaves cut using the Curvy Leaves dies (another layer!), tucking them in amongst the floral bouquet. For the greeting, I used one of my previously-hot foiled Brushed Sentiments greetings, foiled using the “leftovers” and the Solid Hot Foil Plate. I popped that up with a double layer of foam tape to help the greeting stand out even more, then added a few sparkling Blush Glitter Drops for one last layer and bit of sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my project today. The Pinkfresh Studio March 2023 Challenge runs through March 28, 2023, and there is a $50 shopping spree up for grabs! Simply create your own project (or projectS!) with lots of layers, and link them up to the challenge before 3/28 to be eligible to win. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and have a marvelous day!

New Video: Adding “Iridescent” Details to your No-Line Watercoloring!

May 18, 2022

Hi there! I am up on the Pinkfresh Studio YouTube channel today with this video featuring my new Magnolia stamps and some “iridescent” watercoloring. Take a peek at the video here on my blog or watch HERE on YouTube to see how I created this iridescent look!

If you can’t watch the video, I’ll give a quick rundown of how I created this pretty card!

When I’ve got all of the stuff out for hot foiling, I will hot foil a bunch of different pieces to use at a later date for projects. I hot foiled the super versatile new Nested Hexagons hot foil frames using Aura foil, which is an absolutely stunning iridescent gold foil from Spellbinders, and I thought that the new Magnolia stamps would be perfect to do a video with some more no-line watercolor tricks, as well as showing how I create an “iridescent” look to my watercolored images!

I began by stamping the Magnolia images onto some Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper using Contour Ink from Hero Arts. I used my Karin Brushmarker watercolor markers to add some light pink color to the images, keeping the pinks and lavender shadows concentrated towards the center of the flower, making sure to keep the edges nice and crisp by keeping the wet sections separate, as well as using plenty of water to allow the pink to smoothly fade into white around the edges of the petals.

After I’d added the main color to the pink flowers, I added some very diluted washes of coral, lime green, and aqua blue Karin markers to the edges of the petals, mirroring the iridescent shine on the Nested Hexagon foiled frame. I was able to make the colors super pale and translucent by scribbling them onto my ceramic palette and adding lots of clean water to create the subtle wash. I die cut the finished watercolored images using the coordinating Magnolia Dies.

To create the background for my watercolored images, I die cut a Nested Hexagon die the same size as my foiled frame from the center of a Floral Tiles cover plate die, cut from some white cardstock. I nested the foiled frame inside of the die cut opening, then added both pieces to a solid white card base using foam adhesive. I arranged the watercolored magnolia flowers to the front of the card in a bouquet, then adhered them with more foam adhesive, creating a double layer of foam adhesive. For the greeting, I added a sentiment from Brushed Sentiments, which I heat embossed in white on some heavyweight vellum and die cut using the coordinating dies. The final touch was to add a few iridescent white gems for some sparkle!

Well, that’s all for this project! It was so fun picking up the rainbow colors in the iridescent foil in my watercoloring. It’s subtle, but I think it adds so much interest to the finished painting. Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a marvelous day!

Pinkfresh Studio April 2022 Stamp+Die Release Blog Hop+Giveaway!

April 29, 2022

Hi there! Today, Pinkfresh Studio is releasing their April 2022 collection, and it’s a stunner! I am thrilled to have another stamp set released in this collection, called Magnolia, which has a coordinating Magnolia Die and Magnolia Layering Stencil! I have a new watercoloring video to share using these stamps, which you can watch below or HERE on YouTube:

This 4×6 Magnolia stamp set features several individual floral elements, including a large open magnolia, a few different sizes and shapes of bud, and several options for foliage, which can create an endless variety of arrangement options for you! The Magnolia stamp set features a one piece stamp for the floral images, so that you can stamp all of the image in one fell swoop, and the coordinating Magnolia Die features the same innovative one-piece approach, making your die cutting super simple!

I began by stamping my floral images from Magnolia onto some Arches cold press watercolor paper using black pigment ink, then added some white pearl embossing powder to create a softer pearlescent charcoal image.

Next, I used Holbein watercolors to add some very subtle shading to the image, concentrating the peach and pink shades toward the center of the flower and allowing the edge of the flower petals to remain relatively clean. Once the main colors had dried, I went back and added some very light washes of diluted pale blue to just the edges of the flower petals, which helps to cool off the yellow undertone of the first layer, while also adding a touch of depth and interest to these pale flowers. I die cut the finished watercolored image with the coordinating Magnolia Die.

Next, I die cut a Blanket Stitched Circle die cut from some heavyweight vellum. I also die cut a beautiful subtly patterned background panel using the new Intricate Stitched Ovals die from some pearlescent pale pink cardstock. I arranged the magnolia bouquet around the vellum circle and adhered it to my card front, hiding my foam adhesive behind the solid die cuts to keep it from marring the vellum. I added a greeting from Fancy Script Words hot foil set, then finally added a few Ballet Slipper gems.

My second project uses a technique that I featured in this video over on the Pinkfresh Studio YouTube channel HERE. In the video, I share how I am able to achieve a watercolored look using the layering stencils, and today’s project takes that a step further by doing some ink blending over the entire card front before we even use the stencils!

I began by stamping the absolutely stunning new Peony Print stamp onto some watercolor paper. This is special watercolor paper that is specifically formulated for use with liquid watercolor mediums, making it perfect for use with layering stencils! After embossing the image using white pearl embossing powder for a beautifully soft look, I blended Ballet Slipper, Coral Reef, and Peach Fuzz inks over the entirety of the embossed card front, keeping the blending light and fairly subtle.

Next, I used the Peony Print Layering Stencils to blend Sparkling Rose and Meadow inks over the embossed images. By selecting a shade of pink darker than the blended background, I was able to get great coverage of the flower and really make them pop from the subtle background blending. I tapped my slightly-darker-pink Bubble Gum ink pad onto my ceramic palette, then used a damp paintbrush to pick up the undiluted ink to add some extra shadows and shape to the blended images.

I used the Scripted Greetings dies to cut the greeting and outline from some coordinating kelly green cardstock and vellum. I used the same shade of green cardstock to cut a lacy strip using a Lacey Edgers 1 die, next to which I added a thin strip of pink glitter cardstock to add some sparkle. I adhered the sentiment die cut using foam adhesive, then added a few Bubblegum gems to add some sparkle!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! Now, Pinkfresh Studio is offering a fun giveaway to celebrate their newest release:

Pinkfresh Studio will be giving away the full release on the Pinkfresh blog & YouTube channel, so be sure to check those out and leave some love in the comment section! They will also be giving away a total of TEN $25 gift cards along the hop. The winners will be selected from the comments, so the more comments you leave along the hop, the more chances you have to win!
Winners will be posted on May 10, 2022 on the GIVEAWAY PAGE. Winners must check that page & claim your prize within 2 weeks.

Altenew Craft-A-Flower: Magnolia Release Blog Hop + Giveaway ($200 in total prizes)

February 7, 2022

Hi there! Today, Altenew is hopping along to celebrate their new Craft-A-Flower: Magnolia release, and I’m happy to be one of the stops! You should have arrived here from LauraJane, and your next stop is Michelle Short. You can also start back at the Altenew Card Blog to see the full hop list. I have a sparkly, super textured monochromatic project for you today, so let’s get started with the details!

White magnolias are stunning, so I used a pure white magnolia image as the basis for my all-white project. I began by cutting the base layer for my Craft-A-Flower: Magnolia flower and foliage from some Dazzling Diamond glitter paper from Altenew, then cut the subsequent layers from pure white cardstock and adhered them all together using liquid adhesive. I love the subtle texture of the white-on-white. I did add a teeny pop of color with the yellow flower center.

Next, I cut the Garden Trellis cover die from white cardstock and mounted it on an A2 panel of white cardstock. This simple background is perfect, subtly textured enough to make it interesting, but also plain enough to allow the detailed magnolia die cut to be the star of the show!

For the greeting, I used the Script Words 2 dies to die cut a white “happy,” then stamped a greeting from Sentiment Strips 3 using some medium gray ink to keep things subtle. I adhered all of the pieces with lots of foam tape to help the white components pop up from the white background. Dimension and texture are key when creating these monochromatic projects!

Well, that’s all for my project today. Now for some fun giveaway information:

$200 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 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 02/13/2022 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 02/15/2022.

Your next stop on the hop is Michelle Short. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!