Happy Holidays

I know it's the end of March but I just couldn't help but make a Christmas card. I kid you not, as I was taking the photos I was singing Christmas carols lol. It truly is my favorite time of the year and any excuse to create a holiday card I'm on it.

This is for the Seasonal Scene Building class over at Altenew. The only set I really had that would make a great scene was the Retro Ornaments.  I've had this set for a while but I never get tired of using it.

I used the Nesting Frames Dies to create the framed scene. I cut out three frames and glued them together and then added in a base piece that I sponged frayed leaf color onto and then stamped the branches in evergreen.  I then drew in strings to make them "hang".

This class had a bunch of great ideas for making different scenes and I can't wait to dig through the rest of my stamps and dies to see what other kinds of scenes I can make up.  Make sure to come back soon to see what I come up with.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stencil Cards

Who has tons of stencils in their stash? I do!! I have so many that it was actually hard to choose some for these projects. I love stencils but I tend to forget to use them.  With this stencil class on Altenew called Celebration Stencil Techniques it gave me some great new ideas.

My first card is a stencil overlaying a watercolor background. I had a lot of fun making this one. Just adding the watercolor using two inkpads was so cool. I never thought to use ink pads! This picture shows the watercolor background getting the stencil inked over it. 

I really like how the watercolor shows through the inked stencil image and gives just a bit more depth to my finished card. I colored the images with my artist markers ink similar and contrasting colors so they'd really pop off the card. 

Here's a closer look. I added a sentiment to vellum in embossing ink and then embossed with white embossing powder. This has been one of my new favorite techniques. 

I did make a second card using a different stencil and technique. This one used embossing paste in white. I let it dry while I created the above card. Once it was dry I used four different inks and colored in the background

I stamped the flower image onto vellum and colored it from the back side.  I then used a stitched rectangle die to cut it out and attached it to my embossed background. The vellum helps soften the background just a bit more.

I used antique gold pigment ink and stamped the sentiment onto black cardstock and trimmed it down and attached it to the front.  It took me a few minutes to figure out just where I wanted it to go. 

Thanks for stopping by!!

So Grateful

I am having so much fun learning to watercolor.  I have always steered clear of it thinking it was just to much to learn.  I've recently discovered I love it!

I made this for the Let it Shine class I just finished. I didn't realize just how quick and easy it is to add just a touch a glamor to my projects and how much of the supplies I have just sitting in my craft room waiting to be used. 

The shine I added to this card is home made glitter paper. I have so much loose glitter that it just seemed fitting to create custom paper. I used a larger piece as my layer under my watercolor image and then cut out the hello from the left over pieces. I then cut the hello again in black to give the sentiment a little pop.

I hope this picture gives you a good idea of the shimmer. It's so pretty in real time.  

Thanks for stopping by!

March 2020 Altenew Inspiration Challenge

I spent some time today doing some more work with my mom's old photos. I found the March 202 Inspiration Challenge over at the Altenew Blog and thought I'd give it a go.  The colors are perfect for spring and go well with my black and white photo.

I wish I had some succulent stamps, as I would have loved to incorporate them into the design.  

Here is my finished layout.  I used clear gesso in the middle so I could stencil and paint without warping my cardstock. This is the first time I tried this and am pretty happy with it.  I knew I wanted to use the sentiment from the Bloom & Grow stamp set as a title. My mom and her siblings were very close and stayed close for quite a long time. 

I used Delicate Tiles to create the half border on the left hand bottom edge and then cut strips from the Reflection paper pack to give a little separation.  The woodgrain pattern really helps break up all the blues. I added some splatter using the silver spray. I made a mess when I started adding them lol. 

Here is a closer look at the painted dahlia made using the new Bursting Dahlia stencil from Altenew. I don't even mind that the blue paint "bled" a little. It helps make it look more watercolored.  I used silver encore ink to stamp the sentiment on black cardstock and then fussy cut it out and added pop dots.

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!!!

For the Guys Birthday Card

Another Altenew Class under my belt for the Educator Program. This class was all about the guys. I'm a huge fan of flowers and girly stuff so making male themed cards is a bit of a task for me.  Even though I have two sons and only one daughter even my scrapbook pages go more towards the female way lol.

This class was great as it showed me how to use my stamps in different ways and put things together that I wouldn't have thought to do before.  My first card has unique color combos and nice big Happy.

The inks I used were orange cream, velvet, ultramarine, limeade, mountain mist, wisteria, blush, marigold and jet black.

Here's a closer look at the different panels and the added dimension. I did a size card that I haven't done before (4x4) so it gives me another chance to make an envelope. 

I used the new Tartan stamp set to create the four different panels and Garden Sunset for the sentiment.  I'm really liking how this turned out!

Easy Ink Blending Cards

My next card is for the Altenew Easy Ink Blending Card Technique Class. I really enjoyed this one. I love ink blending and how it looks and I learned some new ways to make it look more seamless and it flows together so much better. 

I ended up making two almost identical cards because I forgot to stamp the first one on watercolor cardstock so I could do some "fake" water coloring. That's okay though, I have two cards to send out now instead of one and it really didn't take much more time.

This first picture is of both cards. The one on the left is the "watercolor" card and the one on the right is regular ink blending. The watercolor card blended more smoothly together and when I added the spray of water The Altenew inks I used blended together even more.  I then stamped some of each color onto my media mat and using a paint brush I added just a tad more color to the dry cardstock. 

Here is a closer picture of each of the cards.  To give some dimension I used some cardstock that I couldn't use as part of a project and layered them behind my panels. This gave some great depth and I didn't have to waste the useless cardstock. 

I used the Larkspur stamp set as my main focal point and stamped them with embossing ink and embossed with white embossing power. I stamped each flower individually so that I could over lap them a bit. I also used halftone hello for both sentiments.  The inks I used were fresh lemon, frayed leaf, aqualicious, hydrangea and jet black. 

C &S Boutique Cards

Today I'm sharing some projects from my latest Altenew Academy class Clean & Simple Boutique Cards.  I have to say this class flustered me just a bit. There were some great new techniques that I've never done before and it did make me a bit nervous.  I chose the two I had supplies on had for and got crafting.

I've never made an envelope before so I was happy to pull out my envelope punch board and get making.  It was surprising easy and I ended up making two (I still need to make a card for the second one).

I started with this card first. I used pink cardstock for the base.  I pulled out my favorite Altenew cover die dainty blooms and cut it out of silver shiny cardstock. I did have a bit of issue getting some of the smaller pieces out so I left them in.  To keep it on the simple side I stamped the Canterbury bells largest image, die cut it out and adhered it to the front. To finish off the card I stamped my sentiment from Ranunculus stamp set and embossed in silver and popped it up.

I used a smaller image from the Canterbury stamp set and stamped two corners on the front of the envelope and a even smaller image on the back flap.

And here is a closer look at the front of the card.

My next card is a truly clean and simple card.  I used Daffodil stamp set and just two layers of each stamp to create the front focal point of my card.  This card came together quite fast and would be an easy one to make in multiples and send to friends. 

And here is a closer look at the stamping.  I used my black LePen drawing pen .5 to draw around the leaves and add some interest.

Amazing Happy Memories

I finally took a break today from card making to create a layout using some old photos from when I was a kid.  I'm putting all of my mom's photos together in a book since they were originally in magnetic photo albums and most are so discolored that I don't want them to get damaged more.

I love flipping through these photos and picking the ones to work with.  Looking back I had no idea I spent so much time with my one aunt (she always said so, but littles don't remember). She is and has always been my favorite so it's neat to see these and know why I always felt so close.

I was three in these photos and my sister was five. We still look the same just all grown up lol.

For the layout I decided to use a die cut file from Hip Kit Club. I've been enjoying their videos and the monthly club is amazing. I really wanted to use some of the paints that I received so I decided to paint behind the flower. I think I should have used a black pen and marked around the flower cut (I might still do so) to help it pop off the background better.

Here is a close up of the top embellishment cluster and some of the painting I did.  The purple and blue have some shimmer and the pink is a flat paint. They really worked well together and went on the paper really well.

Just For You

I am getting crafty again here today (really, I have nothing else to do). I'm really enjoying the new class by Altenew called Layering Dies 3d and More.  Today I pulled out one of my 3d die sets and got to work. I had to figure out what colors I was going to use first, so thankfully I have a whole tower of different scraps to choose from.

I cut two leaf images out of my base piece and added green behind it. I then layered cut out the rest of the leave images and layered them on top. This gave me a inlay look so that I could pop up my flower and one more leaf image.

I love how this turned out. For my first try I am pretty darn happy with it.  The only thing I'd change for next time is doing the sentiment on a separate piece of cardstock and popping it up.

Here is a close up of the 3d images and inlaying I did.  I added some sequins to give a little sparkle.

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!!

Congrats Grad-layering dies lesson 1

So, I am just having a blast with all the different classes at Altenew and when they offered the Layering dies 3d and more class I couldn't wait.  I have quite a few of the 3d dies from Altenew and learning how to use those as well as other dies in my stash is awesome. 

I so want to be able to grab any of my dies and just create. I have such a hard time using them for anything other than what they were made for.  I like that this class gives some out of the box ways to use them. 

For my first card I decided to use two different cover plates and layer them to create my background. I used the lots of dots and dainty blooms cover plates.  I decided on all white to keep it simple and clean. I also used the framed congrats die for my sentiment. 

Here is a close up of the cover plates. I really love how these two look together! My next purchase will be some of Altenew's two step cover plates.  I can't wait to give those a try!!

Altenew Academy All About Layering 2 Class

Hi everyone! I'm back with two new projects for the All About Layering 2 class that I finished this morning (being home on quarantined really helps).  I'm really enjoying learning about all the different kinds of layering stamp sets Altenew has to offer.  I had no idea!!


I've been purchasing mostly new products that have been getting released lately that I haven't had time to look through the older stamps that were released. Taking these classes is helping me fall in love with not just flowering sets but other types as well.  I can't wait to get my hands on a few and share them here!

Here are the two cards I created for this class.  They came together pretty quickly and the layered look is so pretty.  I tried to used some different ink colors to showcase how well Altenew's ink pads blend together to create one of a kind projects.

For my first card I created a cluster of different flowers from the Garden Treasure stamp set.  Once I stamped and cut out my images I clustered them together and then took some other images and stamped them directly to my card for a larger cluster and a bit more interest.

For my second card I used Beautiful Day stamp and dies. I started with the image directly on the card base and decided it just wan't enough. I stamped and die cut another flower and some leaves and used dimensional's to "pop" up the images and then used the antique silver spray. I had a piece of marsh land washi tape left from a different project and added it to the two edges.

All About Layering 1 Project Fun

Hi everyone! I just finished taking All About Layering 1 and wanted to share my finished projects.  This is a great class teaching how to use all your different layering stamps and the different things you can do with them.  

The simplicity of this first card made it come together quickly.  I wish I would have stamped the larger leaf cluster with a darker green and a bit off set but I can always do that next time. 

I used a medium grey for my base card and popped up the three flowers and two ferns.  I then went in  with a smaller stamp and stamped some extra leaves around the images. After stamping the sentiment I finished off the card with some sequins.  I love how they add just a little sparkle to the design. 

A close up of the dimension. I really like how this looks. I always feel like I need big images on my cards. Now I know I can so have smaller ones and have a beautiful card. 

I must admit this card gave me a bit of trouble. I was able to stamp and layer the larger flower but the smaller one just didn't want to work for me.  It took me a few try's before I finally got this card.  I triple layered the white behind the black happy and adhered it to my card. I added a few sequins to give a bit more flair. 

This stamp set is one of my new favorites. Spring Daisy has such beautiful blooms and the script on the two sentiments is so pretty.  I stamped two of the flowers in the lighter blue and one in the darker. For the smaller closed blooms I used a water color brush and ink pad to color in since they don't have a second image. 

I have to say out of all the cards I made this one is my favorite. I used jet black and stamped off four different times to get the greyish looking flower.  I will definitely be doing this technique again

I've never been one for masking. I always thought it was to much work.  During this class we did masking on a couple of the cards and this was one of them.  I love how it turned out. I always thought the detail image was supposed to be in black but now I tried it using the darkest color in the color family and it turned out great. That left the black open for using on the sentiment. 

My final card is using a newer stamp set called Watercolor Blooms. It took me two tries to get the arrangement the way I wanted. The first sample I did I ended up with two even rows lol.  Not what I was going for. This one turned out way better. I stamped the image in embossing ink and used the gold embossing power to make it pop.  I added some gold sequins to finish it up 

Thanks for taking the time to look at my projects. I hope you'll come back again to see what I create in the next level of All About Layering 2!!

Artist Watercolor 101 Lesson 4 Miss You

Back at it in the Altenew Academy working on my Artist Watercolor 101 class. This week I learned the wet on wet technique.  I loved doing the background as it was basically just adding colors to make it look like tye dye.  Coloring the flowers in, on the other hand, was a lot harder for me. 

Learning what colors go well together and how to blend them is going to take me some time to get the hang of but I'm happy with how my card turned out. 

Love & Hugs

Hi. I'm back with another card using a new set (to me) that I got this week. I am having so much fun making these beautiful flowers and can't seem to get enough of stamping! 

I was watching a bunch of Altenew youtube videos yesterday and got a great idea to leave some white space on one of my flower to give it a little different look. I love how it gives the flower a little added dimension. The pictures make it look as if I used blue hues but I used purple. 

I wanted to use some of the new washi tape that Altenew came out with this month and I have to say, I love it!! The sweet pea palette is such a pretty tape with a hint of gold to it. Unfortunately, my flowers cover most of it up so I'll have to use it on a different card soon.

I took this close up to show a bit more of the dimension that I created using foam tape and one less color on the upper flower. I did this on a couple sets of the leaves as well.  I used the two lightest colors of the green family and, for me, it didn't give enough of a contrast. Next time I'll do the lightest and the third darkest. 

Supplies: All By Altenew unless otherwise stated (these are affiliate links at no cost to you)

Stamp/dies: Build-A-Flower: Ranunculus

Ink: enchanted oval crisp die set, green valley oval crisp die set, jet black oval crisp die

Access: marsh land washi tape, sweet pea palette washi tape

I had a lot of fun making this card. I hope you found something you liked and think about adding it to your next card or layout!