Altenew inks

Under the Cherry Blossom tree

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Hello again. After the huge and colourful flowers and huge card the other day, I have gone for a more clean and simple look for the card today. The inspiration for the colours and choice of stamp set is from the current Card Concept photo inspiration.

The branches and blossom fill-ins are from Altenew ‘Under The Cherry Blossom Tree‘, using Altenew inks. Die-cut using the matching die set, and arranged as you see – some cutting and faffing along the way.

The blue section is Distress Oxide blended and softly coming down to nothing. The sentiment is from the same stamp set.

I have still been going through some Altenew Academy classes, and I plan on playing a little this weekend, but for now this is the offering for today.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

The Card Concept – photo inspiration

Always Fun Challenges – CAS

Addicted to Stamps and More – CAS

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – anything goes

Ornamental Flower

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Hello again. I must ask – has anyone seen this stamp set from Altenew yet? The Ornamental Flower? OMG! Good grief! Hubba hubba! (and all other statements of wow!)

I received a delivery from Seven Hills Crafts, forgetting this was in it, and when I saw it – I played straight away. I am so loving this flower, and I want to stamp it in all my colours. The first sets of colours are as you see here, as I wanted purples for the Just Us Girls challenge, a mixture of purples and pinks for the current Altenew challenge, and decided to use the sketch from Crazy 4 Challenges. All-in-all I am pleased how this turned out.

I cut my Altenew Watercolour Stripes Cover Die out of black card stock, and cut it into the shape of the sketch. I then stamped some of the leaves from the Ornamental Flower stamp set in the lightest purple Altenew ink on the remaining white space.

Then it was the flowers…….I just can’t say any more than I have already….. The leaves I stamped using my new set of Green Meadows inks from Altenew (turning into an Altenew card, innit?) Now these greens are GREEN! They are definitely for the more vivid and colourful cards you put together.

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I’m off to use more colours for this flower now, and to see where that takes me.

I will be entering the following challenges:

Just Us Girls – prominently purple

Crazy 4 Challenges – sketch

Altenew April Inspiration Challenge – photo inspiration

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – flower power

Fusion Inspiration Challenge

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Hello again. Here is another card I started at the weekend, and finished tonight to enter the Fusion Card Challenge.

Here is the inspiration – sketch and/or photo:

I decided to use both the sketch and the photo as inspiration for this card.

The flowers are Altenew Gardenia and stamped with the grey inks, but one of them using the darker colours, and the other two with the lighter three inks. The leaves were also using Altenew inks and I went for the more teal as opposed to green.

I die cut the Avery Elle Polka Plate die twice out of grey card stock, and trimmed it to fit the card width underneath the circle die cut.

The circle was half embossed with another die from Crafters Companion – I didn’t want it too obvious, but did it because I thought the white circle would otherwise have been too plain. The sentiment is from Stamps By Me.

This card is the last of my weekend card making marathon, and I really enjoyed sharing them with you. Here’s to continuing mojo…….

You are awesome

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Good evening everyone. I couldn’t resist posting this card today. I couldn’t wait until tomorrow, as it is for the current challenge at Color Throwdown, and it finishes tomorrow, but I have a long day at work and may not have time to post.

The challenge colours are red, green, and white – I think I managed to stick to those colours……

I began by stamping the outline flower from Altenew ‘Beautiful Day‘ all over an 8 inch square panel, in a red Altenew ink. I then took some of the smaller leaf images from that same stamp set and filled in the gaps with a green ink. I wanted a veritable feast of flowers on this card, but not solid flowers. I trimmed it down slightly and put onto a white card base.

I then took the same stamp set, and used Altnew inks to stamp all four layers of the flower but this time I stamped the outline in black, as I wanted it to stand out from the background when I added it. I also did some of the leaves with three layers of the green inks. This is one of the stamp sets I don’t have the matching dies for – virtually unknown for me! – so I cut them out by hand. :(

I then took the sentiment from Altenew ‘Super Script’ and cut that out four times in black card, and added the stamped and die cut sentiment on the top. This way it is a bold and dimensional sentiment.

As the card is so busy, I didn’t add any other embellishments – not even Nuvo drops!

Another thing I tried with this card that I learned from an Altenew online class – putting a piece of 3D foam under the outermost leaf when sliding the inner part under the main flower. I thought I’d try it:

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It looks better in real life…..

As mentioned previously, this card is to enter into the current Color Throwdown Challenge – using Red, Green, White

stripes and beauty

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Hello again everyone. I have a fairly simple card which came about completely unexpectedly. I went to try another technique from my Altenew class, and kinda got swept away with making this card.

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I took a piece of white card and die cut a large tag shape from Sue Wilson’s ‘Alexandra’ die set. After die cutting the Reverse Confetti ‘Vertical Stripes‘ out of black card – now horizontal stripes(!!) – I stuck it down on the back of the tag die cut piece, and stuck them both down onto a white base card.

I took a spare Altenew ‘Spring Daisy‘ that was just sitting there on my table, and matched that with the three layer leaves from Altenew ‘Perennial Beauty‘. I did want to use the Perennial Beauty flower, but it doesn’t matter what card I use, or what inks I use, it always comes out a hot mess. It looks nothing like a flower to me, but as the words and sentiments in that stamp set are fabulous – I’m going to keep it. I may try a colouring technique with it, as I think stamping the flower is a little too, well, messy, for me, but if I colour it, I may like to define things a little more.

I took the sentiments from Perennial Beauty and stamped in Versafine black onyx. No sequins, no Nuvo drops, no other additions – just the card as it is.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

QKR Stampede – anything goes

Just Us Girls – use black and white stripes

Stripes water-coloured

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Hi there. I have had a go at the embossing and water-colouring again. I am still inspired from Laura Bassen and her Altenew class…..

This time, I took inspiration from the current challenge at The Card Concept. I used the pinks and yellows for the flowers, the stripes for the background, but I did that in blue – as you see – to tie in some of the blue you can see in the picture. I thought the pink flower was enough pink, – for me, anyway.

The background is using the Concord and 9th ‘Stripe Builder’ stamp. this is a large square stamp – hence the card being square. I have used this in the past, and it is notoriously difficult to stamp a solid image from, especially without using a stamping tool. So, knowing this, I used it on a piece of card with Ranger Perfect Medium, not really taking great care to stamp it properly, and heat embossed in clear. I then added one of the narrower wavy lines in the middle of each large stripe.

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I wanted a distressed stripey background and I think I achieved that look.

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I then took some Gansai Tambi light blue and – using the Tim Holtz mat again(!) – brushed the blue over the background. Again, I wasn’t too careful, and I knew the embossing would resist, but because the embossing wasn’t solid, I got some of the blue in the stripes too. A plan and coming together is the phrase in my mind at the moment.

The flowers are Altenew ‘Gardenias‘ from the stamp and die bundle of the same name, and inked using Altnew inks. They were glued to the background with 3D glue – again allowing positioning – and the leaves slotted underneath.

Three pink sequins, and again taking a hint and tip from the class video, I slid them slightly under the flowers. The phrase is also Altenew, and in a dramatic black to highlight how delicate and pretty the rest of the card is – I think!

I also didn’t worry about leaves hanging over, as I can make my own envelopes to fit anyway. I have made cards in the past where this happens, and it just means another day sitting and getting the envelopes together, or even boxes in some instances.

I may move away from the embossed and water-coloured backgrounds tomorrow….depending on what the classes show to me today!

Challenges I shall be entering:

The Card Concept – inspiration photo

Allsorts Challenge – spring flowers (or showers)

Time Out Challenges – Spring

Spring Daisy

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Hi there. I have been playing with new techniques today. I finally – finally – got around to watching some of the Altenew Academy classes I bought over the past, well, months, if not years.

These two cards were an attempt from inspiration from Laura Bassen and the ‘Clean, Simple, and Colorful techniques‘. That lovely woman certainly knows how to inspire – and don’t you just love her chat? I am laughing, and giggling, and learning – all in one go. Her attempt at the New York accent? Had me in stitches – though it is probably much, much better than I could do. Love it.

I decided to try the water-colour resist technique. I think that’s what it’s called….

I took the three colours from the current challenge at Color Throwdown and set to creating. I first stamped and heat embossed with clear the Altenew ‘Pattern Play – Hexagon‘ onto water-colour card. I then took Catherine Pooler’s ‘Aquatini‘, smooshed it onto my brand new Tim Holtz Glass Mat ink area (Yippee! and Yay!), wet down the water-colour card and used a water brush to dot and spread and generally mess around colouring the panel.

I added some extra depth of colour in some places, and I really liked how the ink worked in this way.

Whilst that was drying, I stamped the flowers using Altenew inks, not realising there are only two layers – the outline and one shading. I decided to go over the stamped and shaded flowers with another yellow from my Zigs, and it still kept some of the detail in the flowers, I did the same with the leaves.

I used 3D glue gel to stick them onto the card base, stamped and adhered the sentiment, added some clear dew drop thingies, and there we are.

I am sure tomorrow will be spent looking st some more of the classes I haven’t got around to, if this is where they lead me.

I will be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdown – yellow, aqua, green, white

Water Cooler Challenges – Occasion

Aud Sentiments challenge – birthday

Addicted to Stamps – make your mark

Time Out Challenge – Spring (option of one layer – not used)

Believe CASE card

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Hi everyone. I have a card – with additional variation on the theme later in the posting – for the current challenges at Simple Less Is More and CASology.

I used a layering stamp set from Just Rite for the flowers, along with a little masking, and Altenew inks. I must say that I watched a You tube video last week – can’t remember who from – and they said to let the ink dry between layers to achieve a crisper effect. I tried this – and it works! I do love when a plan comes together.

The sentiment is from Stamps By Me and heat embossed in silver detail powder. I chose this sentiment to go with the CASology challenge, but also because I like the way the word kinda fades out at the top. Even though it is bold, it also doesn’t seem to cover much of the main image.

Some Tonic Nuvo drops were added for interest, and then this piece attached to a white base card.

I have a whole stack of 300 gsm white card for base cards. I use this as it doesn’t take inks well, it doesn’t like blending inks, and it doesn’t like being coloured with anything! So, white sturdy base cards for quite a while!

Here is a version with some Clearly Besotted stamps:

I got carried away with the blue and silver combination…..

Challenges I will be entering:

Less Is More – CASE the card

CASology – Believe

3 cards

Hello there everyone. I have had a lot of opportunity to craft in the past 24 hours, and I have three cards to share with you today. I could post some tomorrow – but I have my bestie coming round for take-away, drink, and movie – so I am sure I have made the right choice in not posting tomorrow!!

This first card is inspired by the current CASology challenge

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It took me a little while to think of things. I was thinking cars, jobs, baby, weddings, then I remembered the most recent Catherine Pooler Stamp of Approval, and a paper aeroplane in there……..

I took some water-colour card and used 2 colours of Distress Oxides to blend together at the bottom, using a piece of paper to maintain a fairly straight and clean edge, then spritzed with water. My idea of the water was for it to look like clouds…..

The sentiment, dots and plane are from the same collection, and stamped in Versafine black onyx.

This second card was inspired by Time Out Challenges and 4 Crafty Chicks (flowers):

I took the colours of the flowers and vase stand. The Altenew layered plaid cover plate A and B were cut out and stuck together, and after putting onto a base card, I used some black splatters – I felt the urge for a little mess!

The yellow flowers are from Altenew ‘Amazing You‘, and I stamped the outline in a darker yellow from one of their ink sets, embossed with clear embossing powder, then water-coloured with a Zig yellow and an orange.

After die-cutting them I arranged in a huddle, using 3D glue gel – helps me to position – and added the sentiment from the same stamp set.

I then decided to add some Tonic Nuvo black drops extra to the splatters – I thought the white background card was a little plain!

This third card is inspired by the current challenge at The Library Challenge, and Just Us Girls:

I took the cover of the book and used the black, white, and red – some grey leaves for artistic license – and stamped some flowers from a Stamps By Me set I have had for a while.

I used Catherine Pooler ‘Rockin Red‘ (I must get the ink re-fill next time I order anything) and embossed with clear embossing powder. Some masking – which doesn’t scare me now, even when I don’t have the matching dies – and then thought about how to make a curvy black side.

I turned to my Avery Elle ‘Snow Caps’ dies and used one of the curves twice.

The sentiment is also from Stamps By Me, and I was looking for a bold sentiment to join the Just Us Girls challenge, and heat embossed in white – like the title of the book.

Thank you for your perseverance, and I hope to be back with you soon. :)

Blue Floral Birthday

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Hi everyone. I was able to craft a little more yesterday, and was inspired by several challenges.

I started by stamping all three flowers and all the leaves from W Plus 9 ‘Petunia Builder’ using Altenew inks for the flowers, and Catherine Pooler inks for the leaves. I like the way the leaves turned out – using Lime Rickey and and Grass Skirt. These two colours may well be a combination I will use in the future.

Once I had used the latching dies, I then tried to come up with a layout I liked. I play doing this for quite a while usually, but it is something I enjoy – particularly when I have stamped and cut many images.

The square I placed the flowers on is embossed with a Tattered Lace embossing folder, to add some interest to the background. I started by using 3D glue for the flowers, then inserting the leaves underneath using a wet glue.

The sentiment was stamped in Versafine black onyx and adhered flat to the card.

I shall be entering into the following challenges:

Addicted To Stamps and More – photo inspiration

Always Fun Challenges – Happy Birthday

Seize the Birthday – Birthday (option of birds not used)

loopyloocards