Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #492 - Beautiful Friendship Card

Good morning, crafty friends!  Happy Friday.  Here in the US, we are getting ready to celebrate our Independence Day.  It is usually a weekend of picnics, barbecues, block parties and fireworks. In our area, fireworks are banned due to the risk of wildfires.  I am relieved, honestly, as the fireworks always upset the farm animals, and the dogs too.  

Today, I am sharing a card that I made to enter into the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #492.  I love square cards, but rarely make them, and I am not sure why.  I was really excited to see the sketch was a square!  

When I saw the sketch, I knew exactly which stamp set I wanted to use.   I started by embossing the poppy outline images in black.  I then stamped solid layers.  This was tricky, as it took some work to fill in the entire image, because the embossed edges interfered.  TIP:  Start with the colored layers and embossed the outline last.  This will ensure complete coverage of the stamped layers. 

Once I was happy with my floral images, I die-cut them using the coordinating dies and set them aside to work on my background panel.   I placed my largest white panel in my stamping platform and lined up a few of the small flower images, taking care to ensure that they were partly off the edge to give a more random background.  I then rotated my panel 90 degrees to make sure that the images would line up where I wanted them on all sides.   Once I was satisfied with how they would stamp, I inked them up with embossing ink and black embossing powder and heat set them.  Doing it this way made this a quick process.  I then lined up my images again to fill in the rest of the space and repeated the process.  Note:  Because I knew I would be placing a panel over the center of my card, I did not bother with embossing the center space, saving time and materials!  

I heat embossed my sentiment in white on a left over strip of black card stock and then trimmed it down just a bit.  When that was complete, I set about arranging my elements.  

I adhered my embossed panel to a 5 1/4" x 5 1/4" black card base.  I also adhered a 3" x 3" white panel to a slightly larger black panel and then attached them to my card front.  I struggled a bit with arranging my floral images (this always seems to be a challenge for me), so I looked at some card samples for inspiration and decided to focus them in the lower left corner.  I then attached my sentiment strip with foam tape.  Lastly, I added a few black rhinestones to draw the eye in.  

I really love how this card is simple (but not), yet makes a HUGE statement!  The coral flowers really stand out against the black and white backdrop! 

Products Used: 

• Recollections 110# Card Stock:  Black
• Neenah Crest 80# Card Stock:  Solar White 
• Altenew Build A Flower:  Poppy Stamps and Dies
• Altenew Crisp Dye Ink:  Forest Glade, Pink Pearl, Heart Beat, Industrial Diamond, Pure Graphite
• Versamark Watermark Ink Pad
• Stampin' Up Embossing Powder:  Black
• WOW! Embossing Powder:  Opaque Bright White
• Foam Tape

I hope that you have found something to inspire you and get the opportunity to spend some time getting crafty today.  Thanks so much for popping by.  Please leave me a comment and tell me what you think!  

If you are celebrating this weekend, please be sure to have fun and stay safe! 🇺🇸

Hello Card - Scribble and Spritz Watercoloring

 Hello again, friends!  I guess today is a two-fer!  I saw a post by the incredible Erum (@glitternswirls) on the Altenew blog and I had to try it out!  (Blog post here).  If you know anything about me, you know watercoloring is my nemesis!  I just cannot seem to get the hang of it, no matter what I do.  You may also know that I am in awe of Erum's amazing talent, so I wanted to give this a try. 

This card uses the Scribble and Spritz Technique, and it looked like something I might be able to achieve some success with.  I started by heat embossing my very favorite stamps onto watercolor paper using clear embossing powder.  These floral images were perfect for some simple watercoloring, as they really don't need any detail added to them.   I then cut them apart so that when I added water, it didn't spread to the other flowers.  

Using the glorious Altenew Woodless Watercolor Pencils, I scribbled my color in very lightly and when I was done, spritzed the image with water.  To note, I was not careful in the least... I set the image aside to dry and moved on to the next.  Once they were done, if I wasn't happy with how the color moved, I added color directly from the pencil to a wet brush and applied it to the paper.  Once they were all dry, I die-cut them with the coordinating dies and set them aside to work on my card panel. 

To create my background, I lightly scribbled on a watercolor panel with my pencils.  I then spritzed it with water.  I think I added too much water, as there was very little color left on the panel.  Oops!  I added more with my paint brush and then used my heat tool to dry it.  I added some black liquid watercolor splatters to the panel. 

I arranged my flowers on the panel, and using Press 'N Seal to keep the arrangement in place, adhered them down to my card panel.  I embossed a sentiment from the Altenew Painted Butterflies stamp set onto a black strip and trimmed it down.  I adhered my panel to my card front and then added my sentiment strip with foam tape to give some dimension.  Lastly, I added some clear sequins for a bit of sparkle.  

Products Used:

• Recollections 110# Card Stock:  White, Black
• Altenew BAF: Coneflower Stamps and Dies
• Altenew Painted Butterflies Stamp Set
• Arches 300 gsm/140# Cold Press Wateecolor Card Stock
• Altenew Woodless Watercolor Pencils:  Crimson, Rubelite, Heart Beat, Coral Bliss, Ultramarine, Lavender Fields,  Grass Field, Shadow Creek, Maple Yellow, Orange Cream, Dew Drops, Mountain Mist
• Versamark Watermark Ink Pad
• PinkFresh Liquid Watercolor:  Black
• Wow! Embossing Powder:  Clear, Opaque Bright White
• Simon Says Stamp Clear Sequins
• Foam Tape

I am so excited to have found a watercolor technique that even I can make look pretty!  If you haven't checked out Erum's video, be sure that you do. 

Thank you for stopping by!  Have a fabulous weekend.  Happy Stamping! 

 

Altenew Academy - Creative Coloring With Erum - Lesson 1

 Hello, crafty friends!  This evening I am taking a break from my AECP courses to share a project from the newest Altenew Academy course - Creative Coloring With Erum.  This course covers advanced coloring techniques, and I have to admit, it is a bit intimidating, as I consider myself mostly a beginner with coloring; however, I jumped at the opportunity to learn from Erum.  If you have not seen her work, you need to!  You can find her on Instagram here.

Anyhow, today’s lesson was all about adding to layered stamps using alcohol markers.  Did I mention how intimidating this is for me?   I decided that I would just trust the process and give my best effort.  I am so glad that I did! 

Now, you all know that I love Altenew’s layering floral stamps and use them often.  I had no idea that by spending some time and adding detail with markers would produce results like this.  For my card, I used Altenew’s You Are Beautiful stamps and dies.  I stamped the solid image in Blush and the detailed image in Crimson.  The below photo shows what the image looked like when I started and what it looked like when I finished.  I added detail using the Altenew Alcohol Markers in the Red Sunset family.  For the stamen, I stamped the two images in Sunray and Snapdragon.  I then stippled the center using Stampin’ Blends in Mango Melody, Pumpkin Pie, and Bronze.  This was a very slow process for me, as I have never done it before, but it was well worth the time invested. 

Using the same process, I stamped the leaves in Bamboo and Moss, and added the detail using my Stampin’ Blends in (using both light and dark pens) Granny Apple Green and Mellow Moss.  The leaves were much more difficult for me to figure out the right way to add the detail.  Once I had all of my images colored, I die-cut them using the coordinating dies and set them aside.   

Using a Decorative Mask from Stampin’ Up, I created a subtle background using Rouge, Coral Bliss, and Crimson inks.  I added Crimson ink to the edges of my card panel by running the ink pad directly along the edges. I stamped my sentiment from the same set in Black ink on a scrap of white and trimmed it down.  I arranged my flowers on my panel and adhered them.  I trimmed any areas that hung over the edge using my scissors.  I used foam squares behind my sentiment to add a bit of dimension, and finished up by adding some clear sequins.

While I know that I have a lot to learn (and lots of practicing to do), I am unbelievably proud of myself.   This was definitely a labor of love, but one I am thrilled with. 

Key Learnings

• Don’t be afraid to try - even when the challenge seems daunting, the effort will be worth it. 
• I found that turning my image as I worked was really helpful, as it allowed me to “flick” away from my body and I seemed to have more control.
• I can do this!

Products Used:

• Recollections 110# White Card Stock
• Stampin’ Up Whisper White Card Stock
• Altenew You Are Beautiful Stamps and Dies
• Stampin’ Up Basic Decorative Masks
• Altenew Crisp Dye Ink:  Blush, Rouge, Coral Bliss, Crimson, Bamboo, Moss’ Sunray, Snapdragon
• Memento Tuxedo Black Ink
• Altenew Alcohol Markers (Red Sunset Color Family):  Blush, Rouge, Crimson, Velvet
• Stampin’ Blends (Light and Dark):  Mango Melody, Pumpkin Pie, Granny Apple Green, Mellow Moss, Bronze
• Blending Brush
• Foam Squares
• Simon Says Stamp Clear Sequins

Thanks so much for popping by!  Happy Stamping! 

Easy Die-Cutting Techniques - AECP Level 1

Good evening!  I hope that you have had a great weekend and managed to find time to do something you love.  Tonight, I am sharing a few projects that I completed for the next course in my AECP journey - Easy Die-Cutting Techniques with Yana  Smakula.  If you are not familiar with her work, you need to be!  Seriously! 

I really enjoyed this course.  I learned several new techniques and had a lot of fun experimenting with them. Some of these techniques blew my mind - I learned several new ways to use the supplies I have on hand that I never would have thought of.

In Lesson 1, we focused on using stamps and coordinating dies in the traditional manner.  I took my inspiration from Yana’s sample, using vellum for the die-cut images, rather than card stock. 

I began by heat Embossing the single flower and a few leaves from Altenew’s Vintage Garden stamp set in white on vellum.  I added Bamboo and Dew Drops ink to the vellum on the back using my ink-blending tool and set them aside to dry.  I cut a 4.25” x 5.5” panel of pale blue card stock that I had on hand.  Using the coordinating dies, I die-cut my embossed images and set them aside.

I cut a 1” x 5.5” strip of brushed silver metallic card stock and another white panel that was 3.25” x 5.5”.  I smooshed (I just love that word) some Teal Cave ink onto an acrylic block and picked the ink up with a wet paint brush, which I used to splatter onto the smallest white panel. Once my splatters were dry, I heat embossed my sentiments from the Altenew Fresh Cut Roses stamp set in silver. 

To complete my card, I adhered the blue panel to my card base, and adhered my silver strip followed by the sentiment panel.  I added a small amount of Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue to the backside of the vellum images where it would be hidden by the embossing and attached them to my card front. To add some dimension, I added some Honey Bee Stamps Clear Dew Drops.  Lastly, I trimmed my vellum flowers along the edges with scissors.

In Lesson 4, we learned how to emboss with our dies.  I didn’t even know that was a thing!  I am so excited about the avenues that this will open up, as I love embossed images, but don’t always have just the right embossing folder.  That is no longer a concern.

For this lesson, I made a small note card.  I wanted to use a watercolor panel, so I pulled out my liquid watercolors from Pink Fresh Studios and created a watercolor wash on a piece of watercolor paper.  Once it was dry, I embossed the panel using the Altenew Dog Rose Panel A Die.  I trimmed it down and adhered it to a 3” x 4.25” card base.

I did-cut a “hello” sentiment in black from the Altenew Signature Words Dies and glued it to my card front and finished with a few Black enamel dots,  This was a really quick and easy note card to whip up.

My last card is from Lesson 5 - Inlaid Die-Cutting.  Again, this is a technique that I had never tried, but I really enjoyed it. 

For this card, I began with a 4.25” x 5.5” white panel.  I stamped the outline of the leaf image from the Altenew Crown Bloom stamp set in black ink.  I stamped the solid image in Frayed Leaf and the two detail images in Forest Glade and Evergreen,  I filled in some of the white space with the littlest stamp. On a scrap piece of card stock, I stamped the outline of the flower, the solid image in Pink Pearl, the next image in Coral Bliss, and the center images in Arctic and Iceberg.

I die-cut the flower using the coordinating dies and set it aside. I then die-cut two of the leaves from the stamped panel and set the leaves aside. 

I adhered the stamped panel (minus the leaves that I die-cut out) to the card front.  I then added some foam squares to the leaves and placed them back into the same spot that I cut them from. I embossed the Happy Birthday sentiments from The Greetery’s Opposites Attract stamp set and die-cut the “happy” using the coordinating dies.   I adhered my sentiment strip and added foam squares to the back of the flower image and the “happy” sentiment and popped them up.

Key Learnings:

• Pay attention to the supplies you have on hand.  They can be used in so many different ways!
• When stamping and die-cutting, don’t limit yourself to just card stock.  There are all sorts of different surfaces that can be used.

Products Used:

• Recollections 110# White Cardstock
• Recollections 65# Black Card Stock
• Recollections Brushed Silver Metallic Card Stock
• Neenah 80# White Card Stock
• Arches 300g/140# Cold Pressed Watercolor Paper
• Vellum
• Altenew Vintage Garden Stamps and Dies
• Altenew Crown Bloom Stamps and Dies
• Altenew Fresh Cut Roses Stamp Set
• The Greetery Opposites Attract Stamps and Dies
• Altenew Signature Words Dies
• Altenew Dog Rose Panel A Die
• Altenew Crisp Dye Ink:  Permanent Black, Bamboo, Dew Drops, Teal Cave, Frayed Leaf, Forest Glade, Evergreen, Pink Pearl, Coral Bliss, Arctic, Iceberg
• PinkFresh Studio Liquid Watercolor: Bubblegum and Lavender
• Stampin’ Up Black Enamel Dots
• Honey Bee Stamps Clear Dew Drops
• Foam Squares
• Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue

As always, thanks for dropping by!  Happy stamping! 

Special Request Birthday Card - Garden Hydrangea

 I was asked to make a birthday card with blue hydrangeas.  My mind immediately went to Altenew's Garden Hydrangea layering stamps and dies. 

This amazing stamp set includes four layering stamps for the blossoms and three layering stamps for the leaves.  I decided to pair it with the Altenew Icy Lake and Green Fields Crisp Dye Ink Collections.

I stamped the outline image of the hydrangea in Sapphire, the solid image in Iceberg, and the two detail images in Persian Blue and Ulramarine.  I used Evergreen for the leaf outline and stamped the solid image in Frayed Leaf and the detail image in Forest Glade.  Once my images were stamped, I used the coordinating Dies to die-cut them out, and I set these aside. 

Next, I took a panel of Neenah 80# White Card stock and trimmed it to 5.5” x 4.25”.  Using my ink-blending tool, I began to lay down some ink to the left side of the panel.  For this, I used Arctic.  Once I was satisfied with the color, I set this panel aside to dry,  Using another panel of the same size, I used one of the Dies from Stampin’ Up’s Quite Curvy Dies to die-cut the left side of the panel.  

After making sure that all of my card pieces were safely out of the way, I smooshed some Ultramarine ink onto a clear acrylic block and used a wet paint brush to pick up some ink.  I splattered this randomly over my die-cut card panel.  I learned the hard way to make sure my work surface is clear before splattering ink, as I realized that I don’t have as much control over where the ink ends up as I think I do.  

I had a strip of scrap white card stock on hand, so I trimmed it to the size that I wanted and I stamped the “It’s Your Day...’ sentiment from Stampin’ Up’s Happiest of Birthdays stamp set in Azurite.  I trimmed the ends into a banner and using the “direct to paper” technique, I added Azurite ink around the edges of the banner. 

I adhered my ink-blended panel to the card base, followed by my die-cut panel.  Once these were dry, I added the leaves and the blossoms. I popped the sentiment banner up on foam squares to give it some dimension. Lastly, I added a few clear sequins to give it a little bit of sparkle. 

Products Used;

• Recollections 110# White Card Stock
• Neenah 80# White Card Stock
• Altenew Garden Hydrangea Stamps and Dies
• Stampin’ Up Happiest of Birthdays Stamp Set
• Stampin’ Up Quite Curvy Dies
• Altenew Crisp Dye Inks:  Azurite, Ultramarine, Sapphire, Persian Blue, Iceberg, Arctic, Frayed Leaf, Forest Glade, Evergreen
• Tim Holtz Mini Ink Blending Tool
• Simon Says Stamp Clear Sequins

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Happy Stamping! 

All About Layering - AECP Level 1

 Today, I am sharing a card that I made for the Altenew Academy All About Layering Class.  This course was especially helpful for me, as I have a number of layering stamp sets, but have found lining them up to be quite a challenge.  I am sure that many of you can relate! 

If this is a struggle that you face, Nicole shares tons of tips and tricks for finding just the right way to identify what points you can utilize to stamp a beautifully layered image. 

For this card, I took my inspiration from multiple lessons; however, I chose to focus on Lesson 4.  In this lesson, Nicole uses masking to obtain a beautiful one layer image.  Masking is not something that I had done much of (mostly because I am lazy and can't be bothered to stamp my image and then have to fussy cut it each time I want to mask an image), and I was really wanting to give it a try.  I have to say that using the Altenew Masking Paper completely changed my opinion of masking.  More on this later!    I generally die-cut my images and then layer them, so I was really excited to learn and practice a new (to me) technique which will open up all sorts of options in my card-making journey! 

I just received my order from Altenew today, and I was really excited to give the masking paper a try!  I have tried using the Post-It Note method before (once or twice) and my results were never good, so as I mentioned earlier, I just decided die-cutting my images was easier.  Holy cow!  The masking paper made all the difference in the world!  It is a low-tack adhesive paper.  You stamp your image, cut it out, remove the backing and place it over the stamped image that you want to mask.  This allows you to stamp images "behind" the masked image, and not muddy the image.  The best part is, your mask is reusable!  I stuck the backing on it and put it in with my stamps until the next time I need it. Mind blown! 

I wanted to continue on with my Clean and Simple (CAS) efforts, since this has been such a challenge for me.  I had a concept in my mind, using the Build-A-Flower: Bellaroma Hybrid Tea Rose, but I wasn't sure if it would work.  I must admit that I am thrilled with this card! 

I began by playing with how I wanted my main image to appear on my card layer.  To be honest, I originally planned this out to be a top-fold vertical card, but after I had completed my stamping, I cut a new card base, as I thought it would look better as a horizontal card, and then I changed my mind again, and made a side-fold card.  

I stamped the outline of the rose in the darkest color of the Tea Party color family - Vineyard Berry, rather than in black, as I wanted a softer look.  I then stamped the solid layer in the lightest color - Pink Pearl.  I followed with stamping the largest detail stamp in Heart Beat, and the smallest detail layer in Coral Bliss. 

I placed my mask over my rose image and I lined up my leaf image where I wanted it and inked it up with Moss -  the darkest color of the Tropical Forest Color Family.  I cleaned the stamp and then determined where I wanted the second leaf cluster and again inked it in Moss and stamped it.   I then stamped the second (solid) leaf layer with Olive.  To be honest, I had intended to use Bamboo, but on the second leaf cluster, I accidentally picked up my Olive Ink Pad, so I went back and re-stamped over the Bamboo with the Olive.  I actually love the result, as it gave a really rich shade of green.  Lastly, I stamped the leaf detail image in Moss.

I wanted a very simple sentiment that would not detract from the rose, so I used the Best Sentiments Stamp Set and stamped it in Memento Tuxedo Black. I trimmed down the edges and adhered it to my card front. 

After adhering my panel to the card base, I added a little bling, because who doesn't love some sparkle?! This class was so incredibly helpful for me, as it has allowed me to embrace the layering stamps that I love so much and not be quite so fearful of them!  Some key learnings for me:  

• Take the time to become familiar with the stamps and identify the points on each of the images that will help me to line them up.  
• Mistakes can be miracles.  Embrace them!  
• I can do Clean and Simple!  It is still a challenge; however, it was even easier this time!  I am learning to love white space, rather than fear it! 

Products used in this card:

• Recollections 110# Card Stock - Dove White
• Altenew Build A Flower: Bellaroma Hybrid Tea Rose stamps set
• Altenew Best Sentiments Stamp Set
• Altenew Crisp Dye Ink: Vineyard Berry, Heart Beat, Coral Bliss, Pink Pearl, Parrot, Olive, Moss
• Memento Ink: Tuxedo Black
• Altenew Masking Paper
• Recollections Adhesive Backed Gems
• Tombow Liquid Glue

Thanks so much for visiting!  I hope that you found something to spark your creativity!