HOMEWORK

Last week I took another class from Altenew Academy - this one was taught by Lydia Evans and every day had a wonderful die cutting technique.

For the first card, we learned how to do hinged letters using the Bold Alphabet dies - I did a very simplified version with only patterned paper behind my die cut letters.

The second card used die cuts on a piece of acetate for a lovely see through effect - I CASED Lydia's card using some die cuts from Winnie and Walter (Maggie's Blooms) as I didn't have the Altenew Rose Filament dies.  I used spray adhesive for the first time to adhere the dies cuts - worked really well. I needed another valentine, but think this would make a beautiful wedding card - it was pretty fiddly to make but love how it turned out.

I have enjoyed every class I've taken from AA and would highly recommend them - great price point too!

Thanks for stopping by...

THINKING OF YOU

Just getting in under the wire for Ellen Hutson's PInsights challenge for this month.  

 

I used the EH sentiment from the Mondo Hydrangea set and the flowers are from Alternew Fantasy Florals. Paint chips (Glidden Panetone colors) were used for my florals - so really authentic colors.   There's some Spectrum Noir on the flowers - it didn't go on very well cause the paper has a slight sheen to it, but in the right light, it's really quite pretty.

 

Thanks for your visit today...

 

 

BE MY VALENTINE

Yesterday I had a lot of fun playing with Jennifer McGuire's alcohol ink lifting technique.  So today made a card for the The Paper Players sketch challenge using one of my hearts.

The heart was die cut from one of the HA Infinity Hearts and added to the doily embossed background.  Finished it off with a little sentiment and some gold thread (haven't used thread in a long time and forgot how much it adds to a card).  

Just finished this card so decided to add to this post - it was done with leftover inks from when I was doing the alcohol lifting.  Jennifer shows how to do this in her video.

Glad you stopped by today and always appreciate your kind comments.

LOVE

The challenge this month at Concord & 9th is to use your first set from them.  Unfortunately, I don't have my first one any longer (Tree Ring) - I gave it to a blog friend when I was destashing.  So I used the next one that I bought and it worked out perfectly for a Valentine (really need to get more done anyway).

I made a peachy pink blend of Kuretake Gamsai and loosely watercolored a background and then die cut the piece with a wonky rectangle.  In this piece I die cut the C & 9th Layers of Love.  From the center leftover piece I cut another heart.  Put this all together on a cream card base.  Added the sentiment, some gold Nuvo drops and a gold thread double bow.

This week the Wednesday challenge at SSS is "layer it up" and using Concord & 9th products, so will enter my card there also.

Thanks for visiting and always love to read your kind comments.

OMBRE LOVE YOU

While a blizzard was blowing around Nebraska yesterday, I hibernated and created some Valentines which fit into a couple of challenges.  CAS Mix-Up wants us to use cling wrap and Addicted to CAS's theme is ombre.  These also fit into The Paper Players "love notes" challenge.

I first created the background for the pink card with Tsukineko frost ink and sponged the ombre background with picked raspberry distress oxide ink.  Made it into a shaker using Altenew's bold alpha dies.  For the second card, I gave the letters left over from the first card a little more color, mounted them on a soft gray background and added the little silver embossed flowers from Altenew's Adore You stamps.  A few silver Nuvo drops finished it off.  For the CAS Mix-Up challenge these cards use cling wrap plus die cuts, sponging, stamping and embossing.

Thanks for visiting today and your kind comments are so appreciated.

PRETTY IN PINK

Did just a simple birthday card for another entry in the January CAS Watercolour challenge.

Stamped my flowers in black and then watercoloured with my Zigs (light carmine and tea rose - love these two together!). Used haze blue to give a shadow effect around the flowers. Die cut the piece with a wonky rectangle and mounted on a pale gray base.  Added the little sentiment and a few light pink Nuvo drops and done.

Thanks for dropping by today and your kind comments are so appreciated.

PAINT SWATCH FLORALS

I have had a lot of fun playing with my new Fantasy Floral dies from Altenew and wanted to use them to make a set of cards for a gift.  My problem was I didn't have a great variety of coordinating colors - so off to the paint store to pick up some paint swatches.  They were so much fun to pick out and already were arranged in a gradation of colors - easy peasy!!  The new Pantone colors of the year were even there.

Also grabbed a bunch of different greens for leaves.  So now have a great selection of card starters.  The only problem I had with the paint swatches was that if you need to rub off some glue the color comes with it - I used a fine tip glue pen to put my flowers together and only messed up one flower.  Most of these colors are from Glidden paints and have a rather shiny finish on the paper.  Think I'll check out some other paint departments for a matte finish paper.

Have a good weekend.  Going to see the new movie "The Post" and out for pizza after with a bunch of friends.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER...

I made my red bird card for the Merry Monday challenge this week which was to use red and turquoise on a Christmas card.  When I finished, decided to use the little bird and ferns on another card so it would qualify for Darnell's Twofer challenge (feathers).  The birds will also fit into SSS Monday challenge (birds of a feather)

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My sweet little bird is an old MB die, the ferns are from PTI's Meadow Greens and the little sentiment is from Altenew's Beautiful stamp set.  Nuvo drops were used on both cards for a little accent.  I didn't put a sentiment on the outside of the red bird card because I felt it would distract from the design and it's easy to see it can be a holiday card.  Distress inks were used on both cards.

Thanks for stopping by and your comments are so appreciated.

TWOFER CHALLENGE

Darnell has started a new challenge called the Twofer challenge and it truly was a challenge for me - don't know why - maybe I just made too much of it.  The first card (sympathy) came together easily, but it took a lot of playing around to come up with the second one.  The challenge is to make two different cards with the same stamp for two different occasions and according to the challenge theme (feathers).

The sympathy card was silver embossed and then watercoloured with distress inks.  The happy card is an "in and out" card using Jennifer McGuire's technique - I had done cards like this before, but not as a trifold.  I left the inside sentiment off and will add birthday or some other suitable sentiment when the need arises.  Used an old Hero Arts feather stamp for both cards.

I am also going to enter this in A2Z "new to me" challenge as making a trifold card was a first for me and haven't used that feather stamp in ages and also entering in SSS Monday challenge (birds of a feather).

Thanks for stopping by and hope you like my cards.

FLORAL FANTASY

I have had the Altenew Fantasy Floral dies since before Christmas and just now am getting around to trying them out.

I die cut the flowers and leaves with watercolour paper and then used my Kuretake watercolours.  Used my pale gray Zig and water to do the shadowing around the flower.  Put it all together on the wonky die cut rectangle and then onto a pale gray card base.  Added the little white embossed birthday sentiment and a few rosewater Nuvo drops.

Am entering this in CAS Watercolour birthday challenge.

Thanks for stopping by and love to read your kind comments.

SPOTLIGHT

The challenge this month on The Flower Challenge is to "spotlight" - stamp the image in black and white and then to only color a portion.  

Colored my pink flower with alcohol markers, die cut with a wonky border, added the little sentiment and mounted with foam on a pale gray base.  Added a few Nuvo drops for accent and done. 

Thanks for stopping by and love to read your kind comments.

ONE FOR TWO

The CAS Watercolour theme challenge this month is birthday and the CAS Mix-Up challenge is to use cling wrap - so combined the two challenges for my card today.

The background uses cling wrap and Tsukineko frost ink (see how to here) - when dry I sponged iced spruce and broken china distress inks over all.  The background was die cut with stitched rectangle frames and mounted on a pale gray card base - outer edge of the frame is popped up with foam tape.  The flower was watercoloured with my Zigs - added the little sentiment and a few Nuvo drops - and done.

i used embossing, stamping and die cutting as extras on my card for both challenges.

Thanks for visiting today and your kind comments make my day!

THINKING OF YOU

This month the Ellen Hutson Mix It Up challenge is partnering with Concord & 9th.  One of my newer stamp sets is Hello Lovely from C & 9th, so paired that with a sentiment from Ellen's Mondo Hydrangea.

I stamped the flower with Versamark and gold embossed - then fussy cut around the one side.  This was adhered to a piece of pp, the sentiment added and foam mounted on a pale gray base - added gold and silver Nuvo drops and done!

Thanks for dropping by today and love to read your kind comments.

MERRY MONDAY #271

It's been ages since I entered a Merry Monday challenge - but was inspired by this week's hostess (Linda) to use embossing (it's been ages since I used dry embossing too!).

Actually, I used both dry and heat embossing on my card as the sentiment was stamped in black and then heat embossed with clear.  So the first 2018 Christmas card is done!!

Thanks for stopping by and love to read your kind comments.