sweet sentiments

Altenew March 2023 Marvelous Monthly Series Release Blog Hop #1 + Giveaway ($300 in Total Prizes!)

March 17, 2023

Good morning! Today, the folks at Altenew are hopping along to celebrate the newest Marvelous Monthly release for March, 2023! These monthly subscription series are always such fun and a great value, providing so many different elements to create a huge variety of stunning cards. I have two cards to share with you today, featuring the new Build-A-Garden: Dancing Poppies and Craft Your Life Project Kit: Delicate Garden. Here’s a peek at the two different sets that I’ll be using today:

I love that you receive so many different elements in each kit so that you can mix and match, depending on what kind of coloring medium (or none at all!) that you feel like using that day! If you are loving these kits as much as I am, you can always SUBSCRIBE to be sure that you receive a kit each month (and at a discount!). Let’s get started on the details for my projects today!

I love the juxtaposition of crisp black accents and softly colored flowers, and it was this color combination that I had in mind when creating both of these cards. I used Spicy Yogurt cardstock with coral, peach, and mint with intense black accents to create this pair of cards!

For my first card, I stamped the images from Dancing Poppies onto some watercolor paper using Obsidian pigment ink, then clear embossed over the top, which helps to add a level of crispness to the stamping. I used the Artists’ 24 Pan Watercolor Set to add some soft pinky coral to the poppy flowers and some pale minty green to the leaves. I used the one-and-done die to die cut all of the watercolored flowers.

For the background, I wanted to highlight those shiny black lines and dramatic black centers on the watercolored poppies, so I layered together the Rattan Stripes Cover Die twice from some black cardstock, then the Garden Trellis cover plate cut once from black cardstock, to create this unique, super textured, layered background. I adhered all three pieces to a Spicy Yogurt cardstock base using liquid adhesive.

For the greeting, I die cut the “thanks” Sweet Sentiment dies from black and Spicy Yogurt cardstock to coordinate nicely with the creamy background and the watercolor paper itself. I arranged the flowers on my rattan card front, popping them up with Instant Dimension Foam Tape, then added the greeting at the bottom. The final step was to add some gems for sparkle!

My second project features the stunning new Craft Your Life Project Kit: Delicate Garden. I began by stamping all of the floral images in the stamp set using Obsidian pigment ink, then clear embossed over the top to again create those super crisp black lines on my white cardstock. I used the coordinating stencils included in the kit to do some subtle, soft ink blending, creating peachy and minty bouquets using Strawberry, Pink Pearl, Coral Bliss, and Coral Berry inks for the flowers, and Green Meadows inks for the foliage. I die cut all of the blended flowers using the coordinating dies, included with the kit.

I loved each of the floral bouquets so much that I couldn’t bear to leave one off of the card, so I expanded my canvas and created a slimline card front to display them all properly! I created the base from more Spicy Yogurt cardstock, then die cut a large Nesting Slim Labels panel, upon which I stamped some of the floral bouquets again using Obsidian pigment ink, then clear embossed over the top. I popped up the embossed label die cut on the slimline card front using some more Instant Dimension Foam Tape, then arranged the blended florals in a pretty swag down the front of the card. I adhered the bouquet with more foam tape, to create a double layer of foam tape along the edges of the die cut. So much height!

I heat embossed the greetings from the Delicate Garden using the Obsidian and clear embossing powder combination, then fussy cut them with my sharp scissors. I popped those images up from the card front using yet another layer of foam tape, for a grand total of three layers of foam tape in the center of the card! Definitely a card to be hand delivered or placed inside a package, ha. Finally, I added a few black crystals for one last pop of black and touch of sparkle.

Well, that’s all for my projects today! Now for some fun giveaway information:

$300+ in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a FULL RELEASE BUNDLE to 1 grand prize winner and a $25 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 March 23, 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 March 24, 2023. *The grand prize winner will be chosen from comments left on the Altenew Card Blog.

Here’s the full hop list:

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

Altenew February 2023 Boho Chic Stamp, Die, Stencil & More Release Blog Hop #1 + Giveaway ($300 in Total Prizes!)

February 1, 2023

Hi there! Today, we are celebrating the release of Altenew’s new Boho Chic collection, a new array of products that have so many unique subjects/styles and can work seamlessly together or on their own! You can check out the full hop list HERE on the Altenew blog or check out the link list at the bottom of this post.

My projects for today’s post feature an interesting, new-to-me color combination: rose gold, blush, and teal. I began by doing some hot foiling with the new Delicate Floral Motif hot foil plate. I loved the look of the contrast of Altenew’s Rose Gold Hot Foil roll on some intense teal cardstock, so I used that as my color inspiration for both projects today, keeping the colors intense and vibrant on the hot foiled card, juxtaposing it with a lighter, more pastel version for the second project. Let’s get started with the details!

To start, I hot foiled the new Delicate Floral Motif hot foil plate with the Rose Gold Hot Foil from Altenew on some intense teal cardstock from my stash, centering it a bit to the left of the center of the A2 card front and using some low-tack tape to keep it in place when using my hot foil machine. I love how beautifully the contrast of colors showcases details from the new Delicate Floral Motif hot foil plate. To highlight the details even further and direct the eye towards the hot foiled focal point, I blended some Emerald ink around the edges of the card front, then splattered some coordinating rose gold metallic watercolor around the edges.

While my panel was drying, I hot foiled greetings from the Versatile Greetings and Sweet Sentiments hot foil and die bundles. I used the same teal cardstock and Rose Gold Hot Foil to keep the color scheme completely cohesive. I love the combination of fonts with these two sentiment sets; the chunky type font contrasts beautifully with the delicate script of the handwritten font. Once I had hot foiled and die cut the greetings, I popped them up on the card front using some foam adhesive.

Once I had added the foiled sentiment die cuts, I almost called it good, but the more I looked at it, the more it felt like I needed just one more element of that metallic rose gold. One of my favorite ways to accent a focal point is to add a rectangular frame around the edge of my card front, and the Fine Frames Cover Die creates perfectly delicate accent frames that fit so many different styles of card. I die cut the Fine Frames Cover Die from some glittery cardstock in a shade almost identical to the rose gold foil. I adhered one around the blended edge of my card front using some liquid adhesive. The rose gold foil, rose gold splatters, and rose gold frame contrast so beautifully with the dark teal background!

My second card is a light and airy version of the same color scheme used before. I know that the new Swamp Buttercup is probably meant to be done in shades of yellow, but I was in “rose gold mode,” so I took some artistic license and blended the flowers using the muted pinks of the Woodland Escape Fresh Dye Ink collection. I blended the leaves using Lagoon and Emerald inks, lightly blending a touch of the darkest shade from the Woodland Escape quartet on the edge of the foliage to add extra dimension and interest. I die cut the finished floral bouquet using the coordinating die.

For the background, I die cut the new Rattan Stripes die from two A2 panels of pale peach cardstock, rotating it 90* the second time to create a plaid pattern. I adhered them both to a white A2 card front using liquid adhesive around the edges. The pale peach cardstock creates such a subtle background, but with tons of texture to keep things interesting. I added the die cut stenciled bouquet to the plaid card front using foam tape.

For the greeting, I used the Sweet Sentiments dies to die cut a glittery greeting. I die cut the solid background piece from some heavyweight vellum, then die cut the detail layer once from plain white cardstock and once from the same glittery rose gold cardstock used on the previous card. I adhered it to the card front, nestling it amongst the flowers with some dots of liquid adhesive. The final touch was to add a few peachy gems for some sparkle.

Well, that’s all for my projects today! 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 $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 02/07/2023 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 11 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 02/08/2023.
*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!

November 2022 Trailblazing Inks Release + Giveaway ($300 in Total Prizes!) | Dye inks with a brand new look and adjusted formula

November 14, 2022

Hi there! Today, I am thrilled to be part of the new Trailblazing Inks Release Blog Hop introducing these beautiful new inks from Altenew! You should have arrived here from Mindy Eggen, and your next stop is Nathalie DeSousa. You can also start back at the beginning of the hop at the Altenew Blog in case you get lost! These new Trailblazing dye inks feature a brand new shape, screw on tops, and a brand new ink formulation, and they come in three color families, each containing four shades that layer beautifully together: Frosted Foliage, Woodland Escape, and Blue Mountains. Here’s a peek at all of the colors:

Aren’t they just the most beautiful subtle shades? I particularly adore the greens in Frosted Foliage; they are a charming, muted silvery green that is a gorgeous addition to the Altenew color family.

I’ve used all three new sets of ink for these two cards using two different techniques to showcase how beautifully the colors work together! I kept the colors simple to allow the beautiful new colors from the Trailblazing inks to be the stars of the show. Let’s get started with the details!

My first card highlights the stunning greens from the Frosted Foliage quartet. I used blending brushes to blend the Frosted Foliage inks with the Meadow Burst layering stencil on a mini slimline card front. This stencil has lots of foliage, which makes it a perfect companion for the silvery green Frosted Foliage inks. Don’t they layer beautifully? Such gorgeous shades of green that will surely be staples at my desk with all of Altenew’s floral layering sets! I also added some charming blue flowers using the new Water Hyacinth and adding touches of Crystal Violet ink to add some color variation for the flowers.

I also created some custom colored cardstock (say that three times fast!) for my greeting using the Indigo Skies ink, which is the darkest shade of the Blue Mountains ink quartet. I simply die cut both the detail and background layers of the “for you” sentiment from the Sweet Sentiments die set, reserving the negative outline. I placed my sentiment detail layer back inside the negative space, then used a blending brush to blend Indigo Skies on the entire die cut. Placing this intricate die cut back inside of the negative space helps to keep it stable when you’re ink blending! I adhered them together and added them to my stenciled card front using some foam adhesive, adding some simple accents with some shiny sequins.

My second card features the Woodland Escape inks, this time blended onto each layer of a layering flower die cut! This is a great way to create your different layers if you don’t keep a ton of colored cardstock around. I simply die cut each of the layers from the small peony from the Peony Dream layering dies, then used a blending brush to blend each of the four inks from Woodland Escape on the four die cut pieces. Because these inks are designed to layer together, they work beautifully for the layers on layering dies, as well! I used the same technique on the foliage, using the lightest two shades of the Frosted Foliage quartet and adhering all of the die cut pieces together using liquid adhesive.

To create a simple background for my colorful peach peony, I hot foiled the frame from Adorned Frame Hot Foil Plate + Die set using some metallic gunmetal hot foil. I adhered it to a white card front using some thin foam tape squares. I added my peony and foliage with some thicker foam adhesive to add some extra height, then added a foiled greeting from the Sweet Sentiments Hot Foil and Die set, foiled using the same gunmetal foil as the frame. A simple card, but I love how that peach peony just pops from the simple background!

Well, that’s all for my projects today! Now for some fun giveaway information:

$300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $25 gift certificate to 8 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 11/19/2022 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 10 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 11/21/2022.

Your next stop is Nathalie DeSousa. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!

Altenew September 2022 Enchanted Winter Collection Release Blog Hop + Giveaway ($300 in total prizes)

September 22, 2022

Hi there! The new Enchanted Winter standalone stencil and embossing folder collection is now available over at Altenew, and we’re hopping along to inspire you with these beautiful new goodies! You can start the hop at the Altenew Blog. You should have arrived here from Bridget Casey, and your next stop is LauraJane.

The theme of this release may be Enchanted Winter, but I was still in summer mode when I created these projects! I kept the color scheme light and cheerful, using beautiful blue ink from the Lapis Lazuli ink quartet and crisp Hunter Green for the foliage. I kept the colors cohesive on both cards to create a thank you note set!

My first card features the beautiful new Blooming Flower Beds Layering Stencils. I found these stencils super quick and simple to line up, especially when paired with the color layering guide included with the stencil set. I kept the color palette cool and elegant with the Lapis Lazuli and Hunter Green inks, blending them with the small blending brushes.

Once I had finished my stenciling, I used the Mega Thanks die to cut directly in the center of the stenciled panel, reserving the centers of the h, a, k, and s. I also die cut three more Mega Thanks die cuts from plain white cardstock, layering them all together with liquid adhesive. I adhered the stenciled panel to a white, A2 card base, then inlaid the dimensional die cut. This peekaboo die cut creates such a lovely subtle background on this stenciled card front!

I added a more obvious sentiment from the Many Thanks stamp set, stamped onto a silver holographic foiled banner from the Sentiment Banners hot foil plate and die set. I popped up the sentiment banner with some foam adhesive to help it pop from the busy background a bit better!

My second card features the same color scheme, this time focusing on the large, beautiful Daisies Simple Coloring Stencil Set. This set is intended to work in conjunction with the Daisies Embossing Folder bundle, but I loved it on its own so much that I used it to make the patterned paper for my card front! I used the same Lapis Lazuli and Hunter Green inks to create a super unique, chunky, graphic daisy background.

I trimmed the stenciled daisy panel down slightly and matted it on a coordinating panel of green A2 cardstock so that it was framed with emerald green. I also added some white Fine Frames die cuts to add some delicate interest to the card front.

For the greeting, I die cut a detailed thanks from white cardstock, adding the outline in some heavyweight vellum from the Sweet Sentiments die set. I adhered it to the stenciled card front using some clear foam adhesive, accenting it with another greeting from the Many Thanks stamp set, stamped in blue and matted with some silver glitter paper. I added a few iridescent white gems for a touch of sparkle!

Well, that’s all for these projects. Now for some fun giveaway information!

$300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $25 gift certificate to 8 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 09/28/2022 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 10 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 09/29/2022.

Your next stop is LauraJane. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and happy hopping!

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