Thursday, November 29, 2018

Altenew Crafty Friends Blog Hop Day 1 + Giveaway


Hello dear friends,

I'm so excited to be joining the Altenew Crafty Friends blog hop today! You should have arrived here from Jessica's blog.

Over the years I've received many amazing opportunities in the paper crafting industry, which I am so very grateful for! However, what I am most grateful for is the friendships I have made through crafting. I wouldn't be here without the constant support of crafty friends, who cheer me on, are not jealous of my success and are there for me when I'm down. 

I've made several good friends through crafting, some of them I talk to daily. I will only mention the two closest, otherwise I'll never finish this blog post hehe! Both of these Ladies I've been friends with for about 3 years. One is Altenew's very own Enza Gudor, who besides being a talented crafter, is also an amazing person! We are the same age, grew up with the same values, we have quite similar way of thinking. Fun fact (she will kill me for this), as much as we have in common on the inside, we couldn't be more different on the outside. Apart from the fact that she is a brunette with gorgeous Italian olive skin, I'm blond and have very fair skin - I'm pretty tall, and she is tiny (I won't say how tiny cos she really WILL kill me), so I often tease her that we are TWINS. You know like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito :D. My dear Peperina, if you read this, I love you lots!

And then there's this crazy chick that calls herself the crazy paper lady, Thi Tran, who I started talking to on a Facebook platform all those years ago. She loves crafting but doesn't  share a lot of her work online. We talk a lot about life, crafting and Netflix hahaha! I actually met her in person because she lives in one of my fave places in the whole world, New Orleans! We visited last year and of course Thi took me to all the craft stores! She is just such a funny, cheerful, down to earth person - I love her! By the time this post goes live, she will just have delivered her 3rd baby! I'm so excited for her!

THANK YOU to all my crafty friends for making my life better - you know who you are <3. I can only hope you feel the same way! 

I promise I'm getting to my projects too :). Right now!
Here's what I've created:


These cards are my type of cards. They incorporate everything I love: stamps, dies, flowers, fussy cutting, embossing, color, texture, dimension and and and...

I made two top folding, A2 size card bases. I created two A2 size panels which I embossed in gold. The two stamps I used for this: the Rustic Linen and the Dainty Swiss Dots stamp sets. I then die cut  two panels from white card stock, using the Watercolor Stripes Cover die. 


I then assembled my cards and stamped the sentiments directly onto the card fronts. I stamped and die cut the word YOU twice, using the super stunning Botanical You stamp and die bundle. I placed these above my stamped sentiments and popped them up with pop dots. 

I fussy cut out a bunch of flowers from the Glitter Flurries washi tape and arranged them on my cards the way I liked them. Once I was happy with the way they looked, I glued them down. And this finishes off my cards for today!


Promotions and Giveaways: 

Altenew is offering free US shipping with code CRAFTY18 or $5 OFF international shipping with code FRIENDS18 at checkout. Offer valid from 11.29.2018 at 12:01 am EST through 12.01.2018 at 11:59 pm, EST. Not valid on prior purchases. Cannot be combined with other promo codes.


Prizes:
Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 5 lucky winners and one Altenew Academy Class to 5 lucky winners. There are also 12 awesome friends who are celebrating with us, and they are offering the following prizes:


Be sure to leave comments by Sunday, December 9th, 2018 for a chance to win! 37 winners will be chosen at random from the comments left on all blogs listed below and will be announced on the Altenew Card Blog and the Altenew Scrapbook blog on December 15th, 2018. 

I will also draw a winner here on my blog, to receive a $20 gift certificate. So comment away!

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GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED!

Thank you all for your sweet comments! I apologize for not answering all, I'm only able to answer from my phone and it takes ages. For some reason answering from my PC hasn't worked for months and I can't figure out why :(. I'm really sorry!

So the winner is Melissa Smith! Congratulations! Please contact me at mzs6666@googlemail.com so I can tell you how to pick up your prize!

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I hope you like today's inspiration! Thanks so much for stopping by today! Your next stop is Meghann Andrew! I'm going to include the full blog hop list down below!

Have a wonderful day!

X




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Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Altenew November 2018 Stencil/Ink Spray Release Blog Hop + Giveaway


Hello crafty friends,

Welcome to yet another wonderful Altenew release blog hop! This time it's all about fun new stencils and gorgeous ink sprays!

You should have arrived here from the amazing Aga's blog!

Let's see the cards I've made with the awesome new products! With the exception of 2 cards I actually kept to the color scheme of the new ink sprays because I loved how well they worked with each other. 

I've used a top folding, A2 card base for all of my cards. On my first card duo I used the Handpicked Bouquet stamp and die set from the November release as well as the Beveled Squares, Square Weave Pattern stencils and the Mountain Mist, Lagoon metallic shimmer ink sprays. Gosh, the shimmer in these sprays! So gorgeous! I just lightly sprayed my backgrounds and let them dry. I stamped the sentiments directly on these panels. I used the coordinating oval ink pads to stamp my flowers, then using the coordinating die, I die cut them. I added some foam adhesive to their backs and tuck tangled, metallic thread behind them before adhering them to the card front. Last but not least, I attached some sequins here and there.


Next up is this duo! I sprayed a bunch of white card stock with all 6 shimmer sprays: Mountain Mist, Lagoon, Puffy Heart, Cosmic Berry, Sunkissed and Orange Cream. Using my favorite Layered Floral Elements die set, I die cut lots of flowers and foliage. I adore these colors! I lay the stencil on an A2 size white card stock and dry embossed it using my die cutting machine. I did this with both stencils I used above. To be honest I wasn't sure this was going to work, I've never done it before, but I love the result. I love the texture it adds to the card stock! I then arranged the flowers and glued them down, some with liquid glue, some with foam dots - just to add some dimension. I white embossed some sentiments on black card stock. For a final touch, I splattered some ink on my cards. 


I also wanted to try the stencils with modelling paste. For this, I colored some white paste with two of the ink sprays, then applied them onto white card stock. For the orange one I used a new stencil called Skylight. While these were drying, I stamped YOU with matching inks, then die cut it. I white embossed the rest of my sentiments and cut them into thin strips. Time to assemble my cards! I adhered the orange panel to my card base, added the sentiment and some twine, et voila! For the other one, I trimmed off some of the stencilled panel, then attached it to the card base. I decorated this card with some lace trimming and twine. 


On my next card I went old school! I used the Flowing Hearts stencil just like I would in my childhood: As a template. I drew in the lines with a black pen, then painted the hearts using the Puffy Heart and Cosmic Berry ink sprays. I attached this panel to the card base and splattered ink all over it. I popped up my sentiment and glued it down. I generally don't go for one layer cards, but I kind of like how this turned out anyway. 


I think I should have kept to my color scheme, because these last two cards now look a bit out of place! I dry embossed some blue card stock using the Square Weave Pattern and Flowing Hearts stencils. I created a shaker window on one of the cards, and filled it with a mix of blue and red sequins. I stamped a star from the Peace Love Joy stamp set and adhered it to the acetate window.  I stamped my sentiment on a white strip, using red ink. To finish this card, I wrapped some twine around it. 

I fussy cut out my hearts and stamped another heart, which is also from the Peace Love Joy stamp set.  I glued the two embossed hearts onto my card front and popped up the stamped heart. I tucked some tangled thread behind the heart before attaching it to the card front. I stamped the sentiment in red ink and added some red sequins! Done! 


And now...Giveaways, yay! Read on to find out how you can win! Good Luck!

Prizes: 
1. To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 6 lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card blog and/or Altenew Scrapbook blog by 12/03/2018 for a chance to win. 6 winners will be announced on the Altenew blogs on 12/07/2018!

2. I will also draw a winner to receive a $30 gift certificate! I will announce the winner on 12/03/2018.  Comment away!!!

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GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED!

Thank you all for your sweet comments! I apologize for not answering all, I'm only able to answer from my phone and it takes ages. For some reason answering from my PC hasn't worked for months and I can't figure out why :(. I'm really sorry!

The winner is Handmade by Hanneke! Congratulations! Please contact me at mzs6666@googlemail.com so I can tell you how to pick up your prize!

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Thanks so much for stopping by today! Your next stop is TaeEun Yoo's blog. Enjoy!

X



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Monday, November 26, 2018

Card inspiration - DT projects for Pinkfresh Studio

Hi lovelies,

I'm back today with my monthly card inspiration post for Pinkfresh Studio!

Today I'm showing you 3 very different cards, topic and style wise too! Not on purpose, it just happened this way :).

I wanted to use some sets I haven't had time for yet... First up is the adorable Squirrel stamp set (coordinating dies are also available)! I created an A2 size top folding card base and added a piece of white glitter paper to it. I stamped my sentiment using WOW embossing pad and embossed it with WOW Primary Apple Red embossing powder. Considering how red is my least favorite color, I sure use it a lot during holiday season! And loving it too!


I die cut a circle from white card stock and dry embossed it to add some interest and dimension to my background. I popped this up on the card front, using foam tape. I then selected a couple of patterned papers from the Holiday Vibes and the Indigo Hills 2 collections and stamped my little squirrels on them. I fussy cut them out and did a bit of paper piecing so I could have sweaters on them. 


I embossed their scarves with WOW Primary Apple Red embossing powder, the sleigh with WOW Gold Rich Pale and fussy cut these out too. I assembled the squirrels and glued them down on the circle. Finally, I added some red and white twine to my card.


Next up is one of my favorite stamp sets, Train Ride (coordinating dies are available)! I have used this set once before but that was a Christmas card. Now I decided to go with a birthday theme! And if kids birthdays, then rainbows! I love colors! So I went with a rainbow color scheme on this simple, one layer card.


For this one I created another A2 size, top folding card base, but in landscape orientation. I first stamped the train and the animals. Now that I'm looking at it, I really should have used a darker shade of purple for my little critter on the last car, he is barely visible!


I then stamped a lot of lollipops and presents in coordinating colors. I added a Birthday sentiment using black ink so it stands out, as well as some black and white twine. To finish it off, I glued down a slim strip of patterned paper from the Indigo Hills 2 collection at the bottom. 


On my last card I used the beautiful Fancy Blooms stamp and die sets my friend Ruby designed. Now, I don't particularly love coloring nor am I any good at it, but I do love Ruby, so the least I could do was try and come up with something! 


I made another A2 size top folding card base (landscape orientation) and glued down a strip of black card stock in the middle, then layered a slightly smaller strip of gray patterned paper (Indigo Hills 2 collection) on top of it. I stamped 2 groups of flowers and some leaves in Versafine black ink, then colored them in. The weather here is quite depressing, gray skies and all, so I wanted something colorful that reminds me of summer. Hence the bright colors!


Once done, I checked where I want to add my flowers exactly, so that I know where to stamp my sentiment. This sentiment comes from the My Favorite Things to Say stamp set, which is simply fantastic. It's full of great sentiments and I love the various fonts. Especially the one they used for Enough (on my card). Then using foam tape, I added my flowers in two opposite corners. As a final step, I placed some enamel dots here and there.


That's it for today guys! I hope I could inspire you in some small way!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!

X


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Friday, November 23, 2018

Focus on Sparkles glitter - DT project for WOW Embossing Powder

Hi guys,

I'm stopping by to share my latest projects for the WOW! Embossing Powder Design Team! 

This month our theme is "Sparkles" and I took it quite literally, using SPARKLES glitter ha! I have never used glitter in my life if you can believe it, so I actually had to check what to do with it hahaha!  I went with the same idea as on my other two cards I've created for our monthly challenge on Facebook (you can see them in this album).


Basically I just added adhesive (different types: glue dots, double sided adhesive and liquid glue). I then poured SPARKLES on my die cuts - I've used  Stroke of Midnight on these cards! I didn't trust the glue to hold forever so I added a thick layer of Nuvo Crystal Glaze. It turned out pretty cool, like  a silicon type material, totally bendable!

I made two A2 size, top folding card bases and added the two stamped panels I had made before. I used the awesome Happy Plaids stamp to create my backgrounds. I didn't have Christmas on my mind when I was working on these cars as you can see. 


I think this is by far the most unusual color combo I've ever used on a Christmas card but I love it! I stamped a lot of backgrounds with this same Concord and 9th stamp and when I put the blue ornament on these I just thought it fit so well! The ornament by the way is also from Concord and 9th, it's called Ornamental. You might be lucky and get discounts today on Black Friday! Check it out!


I used foam tape to add both the ornament and the big label on my cards. I wasn't sure how to add a sentiment to my ornament without covering it up too much; in the end I went with a couple of tags which I die cut from white card stock. I've used the Handmade Tags die set from Altenew for this. To finish off both cards, I added some crystals here and there.


That's it folks! I hope you like today's inspiration! If you have any questions, please shoot! I apologize if this post is not very well structured, I'm half asleep as I'm writing this.

Thanks for stopping by today!
I wish you an awesome day!

X

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