Altenew | October 2023 Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello there, I am delighted to be joining Altenew today to celebrate the October 2023 release, which is out now! There are lots of stamps, dies, embossing folders, ink pads and more releasing this month. For my projects today, I am using a new set plus the new ink pads. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

For my card, I started off by stamping the poinsettia and leaves from the Altenew Linear Life: Poinsettias Stamp Set onto white cardstock using Altenew Obsidian Pigment Ink. I placed the Altenew Linear Life: Poinsettias Stencil on top and added ink blending using an Altenew Mini Blending Brush. 

I used Altenew Rock Collection Fresh Dye Inks (Limestone) for the flower petals and Altenew Fall Harvest Crisp Dye Inks (Butternut and Pumpkin Pie) for the centres. For the leaves, I used Altenew Sea Shore Fresh Dye Inks (Mountain Mist and Volcano Lake). They were then die cut out using the Altenew Linear Life: Poinsetias Die Set. 

I placed the Altenew Stripe Builder Stencil on to a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" panel of white cardstock and added ink blending in the bottom right hand corner using Altenew Jet Black Fresh Dye Ink. The stencil was removed and the panel adhered to a US A2 sized white card base. The leaves were adhered on top with Altenew Glue Tape and the poinsettias with Altenew Instant Dimension Foam Tape. The sentiment was stamped with Obsidian Pigment Ink and die cut out before adhering to the card with more foam tape. 

If you have followed me for a while, you know that I cannot resist a tag! I stamped a poinsettia and two leaves from the Altenew Linear Life: Poinsettias Stamp Set onto Altenew Vellum Translucent Paper using Altenew Embossing Ink. I applied Altenew Pure White Crisp Embossing Powder and heat set. They were die cut using the Altenew Linear Life: Poinsetias Die Set.

I stamped the sentiment from the set onto black cardstock and heat embossed in white also. It was also die cut with the dies. I die cut a tag from the Altenew Terrific Tags Die Set and using an Altenew Small Blending Tool, blended Altenew Rose Peal Fresh Dye Inks on top. 

The leaves were adhered to the tag with small dabs of liquid glue. I adhered the sentiment over the flower, I hid foam tape behind, before adhering to the tag. To finish off, I added  a few Bubble embellishments and twine through the top of the tag. 

BLOG HOP:

This post is part of a fun, inspirational blog hop with prizes. Please click the links/pictures below for the other participants in the hop. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

GIVEAWAY:

$300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $100 gift certificate to 1 lucky winner and a $50 gift certificate to 4 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 10th October 2023 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 5 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 12th October 2023. *The winners of the $100 gift certificate will be chosen from comments left on the Altenew blog. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the projects. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except those from Clearly Besotted, Hero Arts or those marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a lovely time on the rest of the hop and a great rest of the day too! Take care! 

Spellbinders | Dancin' Christmas

Hello there, today I have two cards to share with you using the Spellbinders Dancin' Christmas Collection. These dies are really fun as you can have it so their legs move from side to side (like they are dancing!) or not. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

I started off my first card by die cutting the Spellbinders Dancin' Figgy Pudding Etched Dies from various colours of cardstock. I then added ink blending to them with Altenew inks and blending brushes. The parts were then assembled and adhered using using Bearly Art Glue. 

I took a panel of white cardstock and ran it through my Spellbinders Platinum Six inside the Spellbinders Flurry of Snowflakes 3D Embossing Folder. It was adhered to a US A2 sized white card base with tape runner adhesive. The legs for the figgy pudding were then placed on top and I added a piece of foam tape to the top piece to hold them in place. 

I placed some foam tape on to the top part of the top of the figgy pudding and adhered it on top. I found that because of the 3D nature of the embossing folder, the legs did not move much unfortunately. So I ended up adding some Bearly Art Glue behind the feet and adhered them flat to the card. 

I took the sentiment from the Spellbinders Comfort & Joy Sentiments Hot Foil Plate & Die Set and foiled it onto white cardstock using Spellbinders Champagne Foil. It was cut out using the coordinating die and adhered to the card with foam tape. To finish off, I added a few Spellbinders Gold Mix Color Essentials Gems. 

My next card uses the Spellbinders Dancin' Penguin Etched Dies. I die cut the penguin from various colours of cardstock (they are linked in the supplies list) and adhered together with Bearly Art Glue. I thought it would be fun to make him a look a little more Christmassy, so I die cut the holly leaves from Spellbinders Christmas Blooms and the berries from Spellbinders Delicious Decorations and adhered them to his scarf. 

I took a panel of white cardstock and placed it inside the Spellbinders Ski Lodge Embossing Folder and ran it through my Spellbinders Platinum Six. It was adhered onto a US A2 sized white card base with thin foam tape. I placed the skates/legs on top and added a foam piece at the top. I added thin foam tape to the top of the penguin and adhered it on top of the legs. This time they do move! :) 

I stamped a sentiment from the Spellbinders Dancin' Christmas Clear Stamp Set onto black cardstock using Spellbinders Clear Embossing & Watermark Ink. I applied Spellbinders White Embossing Powder and heat set. It was cut into a strip and adhered to the card with more thin foam tape. To finish off, I added a few Spellbinders Silver Mix Color Essentials Gems. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the projects. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except those from Clearly Besotted, Hero Arts or those marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

These cards were really fun to make and I am sure they will put a smile on the recipients faces! Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a great day! 

Hero Arts | My Monthly Hero October 2023 Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello there and welcome as we celebrate the release of the Hero Arts October 2023 My Monthly Hero Kits and add-ons. The theme this month is serene winter scenes. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

For my first card, I started off by die cutting the large scene dies from the Hero Arts October 2023 My Monthly Hero Classic Kit from Hero Arts Pitch Black Cardstock. One of the layers has a night sky (moon and stars) on it but I cut that off, to just have the trees. 

I took a panel of Hero Arts Deluxe Smooth White Cardstock and added a mask on top that I had cut using the Hero Arts Cloudy Sky Scene Dies from masking paper. I added ink blending to the panel using Hero Arts Core Inks in Passion Flower, Orchid, Amethyst, Grape Juice and Pitch Black. I removed the mask and blended a little Antique Ivory and Sand onto the moon. 

I adhered the panel to a US A2 sized white card base and then adhered the scene panels on top with thin foam tape. I took the Fox Peeking Fancy Die from the Hero Arts October 2023 My Monthly Hero Premium Kit and cut it from white cardstock before colouring with Copic Markers. It was adhered so that it looked like it was peeking from behind the tree. 

I stamped a sentiment from Hero Arts Message Strips Stamp & Cut XL onto Hero Arts Pitch Black Cardstock using Hero Arts Clear Embossing & Watermark Ink. I applied Hero Arts White Detail Embossing Powder and heat set. It was cut into a strip and adhered to the card using thin foam tape. There are lots of sentiments in the kit, but I wanted a more generic one, rather than holiday. 

Although I was not going for it, my card did end up having a bit of creepy vibe to it. I think it would make quite a fun Halloween card! 

My second card uses the Hero Arts Winter Trees Bundle, which is an add-on this month. I started off by die cutting a panel of Hero Arts Deluxe Smooth White Cardstock using a Hero Arts Hexagon Infinity Die. I then blended Hero Arts Core Inks on top. I used Ultra Pink, Amethyst and Indigo. 

I stamped the trees from the Hero Arts Winter Trees Stamp Set towards the bottom with Hero Arts Intens-ified Black Ink. I stamped the sentiment from the set onto Hero Arts Pitch Black Cardstock using Hero Arts Clear Embossing & Watermark Ink. I applied Hero Arts White Detail Embossing Powder and heat set. It was die cut using the coordinating dies. 

I die cut the die again and adhered it to the back of the stamped one, for added dimension. It was adhered to the hexagon panel using Hero Arts Precision Glue. I then adhered the the panel to a US A2 sized white card base with thin foam tape. To finish off, I added white gel pen stars to the sky. 

HERO ARTS MY MONTHLY HERO CLASSIC KIT:

The Hero Arts October 2023 My Monthly Hero Classic Kit contains:

3 Large Scene Fancy Dies

4 Fancy Word Dies

Swirl Snow Clear Stamp Set 3" x 4"

4 Sheets Pitch Black Cardstock 5.5" x 8.5"

4 Sheets Each White, Slate, Winter Blue & Frosted Blue Cardstock 5.5" x 8.5"

White Acrylic Spray

The kit is valued at $71 but you can get it for $36.99 ($34.99 if you are a monthly subscriber, $32.99 if you subscribe for 6 months). 

HERO ARTS MY MONTHLY HERO PREMIUM KIT:

The Hero Arts October 2023 My Monthly Hero Premium Kit contains:

3 Large Scene Fancy Dies

4 Fancy Word Dies

Swirl Snow Clear Stamp Set 3" x 4"

4 Sheets Pitch Black Cardstock 5.5" x 8.5"

4 Sheets Each White, Slate, Winter Blue & Frosted Blue Cardstock 5.5" x 8.5"

White Acrylic Spray

3 Mini Peeking Fancy Dies

Nordic Layering Clear Stamp Set 4" x 6"

20 Vellum Snowflakes

The kit is valued at $103 but you can get it for $49.99 ($47.99 if you are monthly subscriber, $45.99 if you subscribe for 6 months).

You can also now purchase the Premium Kit Elements separately. This includes just the extra elements in the Premium Kit. It does not include the Classic Kit elements. 

ADD-ONS:

There are lots of add-on products released each month. These work alongside the kit, or work on their own too. These can be purchased from Hero Arts when you order a kit, on their own or from your favourite Hero Arts retailer (these are not exclusive (unlike the kit) and are restocked if sold out). Here is a look at them:

BLOG HOP:

This post is part of a fun, inspirational blog hop with prizes. For the hop, you should have arrived here from the fantastic Lydia. Next on the hop is the amazing Mindy. If you get lost along the hop, or want to start it from the beginning, please head over to the Hero Arts Blog. 

GIVEAWAY:

Hero Arts are giving away a $50 gift card to the Hero Store, drawn from the comments left across all the stops in the hop. Enter by 8th October 2023 at 11.59pm PT. The winner will be announced on the Hero Arts Blog the following week. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the projects. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except those from Clearly Besotted, Hero Arts or those marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a lovely rest of the day. Take care!

Artistry by Altenew | Watercolor Tubes Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello there, I am delighted to be joining Artistry by Altenew today to celebrate the release of new watercolor tubes and paper. In case you did not know, Artistry by Altenew is the sister company to Altenew. They sell Altenew colouring mediums and tools. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

Whilst these products are marketed towards fine art artists, I am predominantly a card maker (although I do dabble in fine art from time to time), so I made a card today. 

I started off by stamping the Altenew Gracious Peonies Stamp Set onto hot pressed watercolour paper (I did not have the new Altenew paper at the time of making my card, so I used my own) using Altenew Embossing Ink. I applied Hero Arts Satin Pearl Embossing Powder and heat set. 

I then took the new Artistry by Altenew Watercolor Tubes and added some of the paint onto a ceramic palette. Using a number 6 Artistry by Altenew Fine Watercolor Brush and water, I coloured the image. I used Artistry by Altenew Watercolor Tubes in Quinacridone Magenta and Quinacridone Violet for the flower petals and Phthalo Green and Dark Cyan for the leaves. 

The image was die cut out using the Altenew Gracious Peonies Die Set. I took a US A2 sized white card base and added ink blending on top with Altenew Rose Petal Crisp Dye Inks and an Altenew Small Ink Blending Tool. I then splattered Artistry by Altenew Titanium White on top. Once dry, the image was adhered on top with Altenew Instant Diemnsion Foam Tape and the excess cut off the sides. 

I stamped a sentiment from the Altenew Sentiment Strips Stamp Set onto black cardstock using Altenew Embossing Ink. I applied Altenew Pure White Crisp Embossing Powder and heat set. It was cut into strips and adhered to the card using more foam tape. To finish off, I added a few Bubbles embellishments. 

ARTISTRY BY ALTENEW WATERCOLOR TUBES

Artistry by Altenew have released 10 colours of watercolour tubes. These colours are labelled with the true pigment names (and numbers) and apart from a couple of colours, have excellent lightfast ratings. You can purchase them in various bundles, including the Palette Perfection Bundle (which is all the colours) or separately.  

I have swatched the colours below on Artistry by Altenew Hot Pressed Watercolor Paper. 

Whilst I am unable to give a proper review on these paints (since I haven't had them long enough to really test them out) I did want to share my first thoughts on them. These are marketed towards fine art artists, however personally, I think they are more suited to crafters. They have excellent transparency (apart from Titanium White which is opaque) which is perfect if you are colouring stamped images.

The colour selection is a little lacking in my opinion (and pretty vibrant/bright) but they are planning on releasing more colours in the future and they do mix well together, so you can create new colours fairly easily. 

The new products are currently exclusive to the Artistry by Altenew site at the moment, but I believe that will release on the Altenew site at some point. 

BLOG HOP:

This post is part of an inspirational blog hop. Please click the links below to visit the other participants in the hop. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

GIVEAWAY:

$300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Artistry by Altenew is giving away ONE $100 gift certificate to 1 lucky winner and a $40 gift certificate to FIVE winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 3rd October 2023 for a chance to win. Artistry by Altenew will draw 6 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 5th October 2023.*The winner of the $100 gift certificate will be chosen from comments left on the Altenew blog. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except those from Clearly Besotted, Hero Arts or those marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a lovely time on the rest of the hop and a great rest of the day too! Take care! 

Altenew | September 2023 Marvelous Monthly Series Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello there, I am delighted to be joining Altenew today to celebrate the release of the September 2023 Marvelous Monthly Series with a fun blog hop. There are lots of products being released today like Build-A-Garden, Dynamic Duo, Mini Delight and much more! For my project today I am using Craft-A-Flower: Japanese Camellia. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

I started off by die cutting the Altenew Craft-A-Flower: Japanese Camellia Layering Die Set from white cardstock. Using an Altenew Mini Blending Brush, I blended inks on top. I used Altenew Sweet Dreams Fresh Dye Inks for the flower petals, Altenew Golden Sunset Fresh Dye Inks for the flower centres and Altenew Frosted Foliage Fresh Dye Inks for the leaves. 

The flowers were then assembled and adhered using liquid glue. I took a US A2 sized white card base and cut off just over 1/4" from one side to accommodate the overhanging leaves. I then applied Altenew Dotted Washi Tape to the the bottom at an angle. The leaves were adhered on top first (to hide the edge of the washi tape) and then the flowers added on top. 

I took the sentiment from the Altenew Sincere Sentiments Stamp Set and stamped it onto black cardstock using Altenew Embossing Ink. I applied Altenew Pure White Crisp Embossing Powder and heat set. It was cut into a strip and adhered to the card using Altenew Instant Dimension Foam Tape. 

BLOG HOP:

As mentioned, this post is part of a fun, inspiration filled blog hop with prizes. Please click the links below for the other participants in the hop. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

GIVEAWAY:

$300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $100 gift certificate to 1 lucky winner and a $40 gift certificate to 5 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 25th September 2023 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 6 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 27th September 2023. *The winner of the $100 gift certificate will be chosen from comments left on the Altenew blog. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except those from Clearly Besotted, Hero Arts or those marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really appreciate it. I hope you have a great time on the rest of the hop and a wonderful rest of the day too! 

VIDEO | SPOILER! Spellbinders 12 Days of Stitchmas Day 6

Hello there, today I have two cards to share with you using the Spellbinders 12 Days of Stitchmas Advent Calendar. If you do not want to see what is behind day 6 of the calendar, please do not scroll any further! I am also using the 12 days of Stitchmas Stitch Along Add-on Kit for my projects. You can see a non-spoiler look at these HERE. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

So what is behind the door of day 6 on the Spellbinders 12 Days of Stitchmas 2023 Advent Calendar? A gift! The set of dies consist of the outside/base layer of the gift box, the stitching details for the gift box, the top of the gift box, ribbon and a bow. Not only can this gift box be used for Christmas and the holidays, it can be used all year round for birthdays and any other gift/present giving occasion, which is really cool! 

A LITTLE GIFT FOR YOU

I started off my first card by taking the gift die and die cutting the stitching layer twice, from Spellbinders Cosmic Sky Cardstock (from the Spellbinders 12 Days of Stitchmas Stitch Along Add-on Kit). They were adhered together using Bearly Art Glue for added stability. In my opinion, this makes stitching so much easier! For the stitching, I used the DMC needles and Gold Diamant Metallic Thread from the kit.

I secured the thread to the back of the piece using Spellbinders Best Ever Craft Tape. I adhered the gift topper piece, also cut from Cosmic Sky Cardstock twice, at the top and then adhered the backer piece behind using double sided tape, to hide the thread. I die cut the ribbon/bow twice from Spellbinders Brushed Gold Cardstock (also in the kit), adhered them together first (for added dimension) and then onto the gift.

I adhered the gift to a white 4 ¼” x 4 ¼” card base using thin foam tape. I hot foiled a sentiment from Spellbinders Glitter Wishes Glimmer Hot Foil Plate & Die Set onto white cardstock using Spellbinders Champagne Foil. It was cut into a strip and adhered to the card using foam tape. To finish off, I embellished with Spellbinders Gold Mix Color Essentials Gems.

I thought this card would work well as a gift card/money holder. Perfect for the holidays, but also for birthdays and other occasions too!

SEASON FILLED WITH JOY

For my second card, I wanted to keep to the same colour palette, but reversed! I die cut the gift from Spellbinders Snowdrift Cardstock (in the kit) twice and adhered them together. For the stitching this time, I used the Variegated 121 Delft Blue Floss from the kit. I focussed on the darker shades (the darkest blue and slightly lighter blue) of the floss to really make it pop from the white.

I separated the floss to three strands thick and stitched the gift so that the darker of the floss was in the top left and bottom right, and the slightly lighter shade was in the bottom left and top right. I adhered the gift together as per the first card but left off the bow at this point. I wanted to add some foliage from the Spellbinders Snowflake Card Creator Etched Dies behind for a more Christmassy look!

I die cut the branches from vellum and the holly leaves from Brushed Gold Cardstock. For the card base, I hot foiled a sentiment from Spellbinders A Merry Little Christmas Sentiments Glimmer Hot Foil Plate onto Spellbinders Cosmic Sky Cardstock using Spellbinders Champagne Foil. I added ink blending around the edges using Spellbinders Betterpress Inks (Cosmic Sky and Letterpress Black) before adhering to a US A2 sized card base made from Cosmic Sky Cardstock. The gift was adhered on top using thin foam tape and the foliage adhered with Bearly Art Glue. To finish, I embellished with Spellbinders Gold Mix Color Essentials Gems.

VIDEO:

Here is the video showing how I made the cards:

If you are viewing this blog post via email subscription, you can watch the video HERE on YouTube. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the projects. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except those from Clearly Besotted, Hero Arts or those marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

I am looking forward to creating more projects using the advent calendar! For more inspiration using the other days, please head over to the Spellbinders Blog. Thank you so much for stopping by today, I very much appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful day! 

Alex Syberia Designs | Bokeh Balloons

Hello there, today I have a card to share with you using another new product from the Alex Syberia Designs September 2023 release. I shared my other projects HERE if you missed them. Today I am using the Bokeh Balloons Stencil which can be used in so many different ways, but I thought I would create a galaxy sky type look for my card today. 

PLEASE NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. Please see below for my full disclosure.

I started off with a panel of Tim Holtz Distress White Heavystock and added blobs of ink blending on top, in a random way, with Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Wilted Violet, Mermaid Lagoon and Picked Raspberry. I then went over the panel with Tim Holtz Black Soot Distress Ink, trying not to cover too much of the colours. 

I placed the Alex Syberia Designs Bokeh Balloon Stencil on top and added ink blending inside the balloons using Hero Arts Unicorn White Pigment Ink. I did this a few times with the different sizes of balloons to cover the panel. I then splattered on some water, followed by Dr. Ph. Martin's Bleed Proof White Paint and set it aside. 

I die cut the letters from the Alex Syberia Designs Foxtrot Alphabet Die Set three times and stacked them up one on top of another (for dimension) before adhering to the panel. The panel was then adhered to a US A2 sized white card base with thin foam tape. 

SUPPLIES:

 

Here are the links to what I have used on the project. Affiliate links are used on some products. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I truly appreciate your support when using these links. Please click on the logo below the product to shop at your favourite store. All products were personally purchased except those from Clearly Besotted, Hero Arts or those marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

Although different, I do like how it turned out! Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful day!