Altenew | May 2025 Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello there, I am delighted to be joining Altenew today to celebrate the May 2025 release with a fun blog hop. The release is full of lovely stamps, dies, embossing folders and more, and I have three cards to share today using a few of the new products. 

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

MAGNIFICENT MAGNOLIAS

First up is the beautiful Altenew Craft Your Life Project Kit: Magnificent Magnolias. This is a fun kit because there is a stamp set which has sentiments and the branch for the magnolias, the die set which has the flowers, the embossing folder which has vases for the flowers to be in, and the stencils which you can use to colour the vases and the stems/leaves. 

I started off my card by stamping the branch from the stamp set onto a panel of Altenew Crafty Necessities: Jet Black Cardstock using Altenew Embossing Ink. I applied Altenew Pure White Crisp Embossing Powder and heat set. It was then adhered to an A2 sized black card base. 

I die cut the flowers from the die set from white cardstock and then added ink blending to them. I used Altenew Bubblegum Dreams Fresh Dye Inks for the petals and Altenew Golden Sunset Fresh Dye Inks for the centres. I then assembled them using the keyhole system and liquid glue. They were adhered to the card using more liquid glue. 

I then stamped a sentiment from the stamp set onto Altenew Crafty Necessities: Jet 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 with Altenew Instant Dimension Foam Tape. To finish, I embellished with Altenew Clear Enamel Dots. 

IN THE WOODS

My next card uses the fabulous new Altenew Creative Cuts: In the Woods Layering Die Set. I started off by die cutting the tree stump from the set from Altenew Crafty Necessities: Sand Dunes, Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate and Espresso Cardstock. The layers were adhered together using liquid glue and then it was adhered onto an A2 sized black card base using Altenew Instant Dimension Foam Tape. 

I die cut the foliage from Altenew Crafty Necessities: Limeade, Bamboo and Parrot Cardstock. I added a little ink blending to them using Altenew Green Valley Fresh Dye Inks. They were adhered (and popped behind) the tree stump. The flowers were die cut from Altenew Crafty Necessities: Soft Lilac and Deep Iris Cardstock. 

I added ink blending to these using Altenew Shades of Purple Fresh Dye Inks and adhered them to the card using foam tape. I stamped and heat embossed a sentiment from Altenew Craft Your Life Project Kit: Magnificent Magnolias and cut it into a strip. It was adhered to the card with thin foam tape. To finish, I embellished with Altenew Clear Enamel Dots. 

LILY OF THE VALLEY

My last card uses the beautiful Altenew Craft A Flower: Lily of the Valley Layering Die Set. I die cut the flowers, stems and leaves from white cardstock and added ink blending on top. I used Altenew Shades of Purple Fresh Dye Inks (Lavender Fields) for the flowers and Altenew Green Valley Fresh Dye Inks for the stem piece and leaves. 

I took an A2 sized black card base and splattered Altenew Titanium White Gouache on top (mixed with a little water) and set it aside to dry. Once dry, the leaves were adhered on top using liquid glue. The stem with flowers was then adhered on top, I added a little foam tape behind each flower head for some dimension. 

I stamped a sentiment from Altenew Craft Your Life Project Kit: Magnificent Magnolias onto Altenew Crafty Necessities: Jet 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 with more Altenew Instant Dimension Foam Tape.

MINI BLENDING BRUSH STORAGE

Before I go, I just wanted to share the new Altenew Crafter's Showcase Mini Blending Brush Storage with you. It officially releases in June but is available for pre-order now. 

This acrylic sided container has a lid (yay!) and a bamboo base that holds 40 Mini Blending Brushes. I have made a quick video showing the unboxing and how I have set it up:

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

BLOG HOP:

As mentioned, this post is part of a fun, inspirational blog hop with prizes. Please click on 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, 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 15th May 2025 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's Blog Hop Post on 16th May 2025. 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 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 marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

As you can see, I am loving how colours pop off dark card bases at the moment! Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful rest of the day!

Spellbinders | Blow Out the Candles!

Hello there, today I have a card to share using the House Mouse Top Notch Birthday Stamp Set. It is quite rare that I make a completely one layer card but for today, it just seemed to make sense to do so! 

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

I started off by stamping the Spellbinders House Mouse Top Notch Birthday Stamp Set (both the image and the sentiment) onto a panel of white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. 

I coloured the image using Copic Markers. The colours that I used are listed below the supplies list for reference. The panel was then simply adhered onto a 4" x 5.5" white card base with tape runner adhesive. 

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 marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

COPIC MARKERS: Mouse - E59, E57, E55, E53/R12, R01, R000. Cake - E37, E34, E33, E31/RV04, RV02, RV000. Candles - V09, V17, V15, V01/Y17, Y15, Y11, Y000. Hat - V09, V17, V15, V101/RV04, RV02, RV000. 

It is quite rare that I do not add anything extra to a card but I wanted the image to shine and it seemed to suit a more CAS design. Thank you so much for stopping by today, I hope you have a wonderful day! 

Spellbinders | Yana's Daisies

Hello there, today I have two cards to share using the fabulous new collection from Spellbinders and Yana Smakula called Yana's Daisies. I know that daisies do come in a few different colourways, I am not sure if aqua is one of them, but I thought it looked pretty so went with it! 

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

I am using the Daisy Trio Press Plate, which can be pressed or hot foiled. You can also purchase it along with a stencil which colours in the image with ink blending and also adds a shadow to the background. I just used the plate today, but wanted you to know there are other options! I am also using the super pretty Yana's Daisies Etched Die and Crafty Hugs Sentiments Press Plates. 

For my first card, I pressed the Spellbinders Daisy Trio Press Plate onto Spellbinders BetterPress Porcelain A7 Cotton Card using Spellbinders BetterPress Black Ink and the Spellbinders BetterPress Letterpress System. It was then coloured using Copic Markers (the colours that I used are listed below the supplies area). 

Copic Markers are not recommended when using this ink as it can bleed, but I wanted the vibrancy of them for my card. The yellows did bleed a bit for the flower centres but the rest weren't too bad! I die cut the panel using the second largest die in the Spellbinders Essential Arches Etched Dies set. I created a white card base using the same arch dies (using the hinge method) and then adhered the pressed panel on top with thin foam tape. 

I pressed the 'happy birthday' sentiment from the Spellbinders Crafty Hugs Sentiments Press Plate & Die Set using Spellbinders BetterPress Black Ink and die cut it out using the coordinating die. It was adhered to the card with more thin foam tape. To finish, I embellished with Spellbinders Onyx Color Essentials Gems. 

PEASE NOTE: The photos are showing the pressed ink to be a bit splotchy, it actually isn't in real-life at all! It is quite difficult to get a perfect press with these solid plates sometimes but this one actually came out really nicely. Shame the photos don't show that!  

For my second card, I started off by die cutting the Spellbinders Yana's Daisies Etched Dies (main die) from white cardstock, I added tape to the back to keep all the pieces in place and coloured the flowers using Copic Markers (the colours that I used are listed below the supplies area). I then die cut the die again from white cardstock, but this time popped all the pieces out and adhered it over the top. 

I decided that I didn't like the outline being white, so I die cut it again, but this time from Hero Arts Pitch Black Cardstock. It was adhered over the top of the white one. I then created an arch shaped card base like I did for the first card in black cardstock. I splattered on Spellbinders Splatter White Opaque Watercolor and let it sit to dry. 

Once dry, the daisies were adhered on top using thin foam tape. I pressed the 'just a note' sentiment from the Spellbinders Crafty Hugs Sentiments Press Plate & Die Set using Spellbinders BetterPress Black Ink and die cut it out using the coordinating die. I also cut another of the die and adhered it behind the pressed one for added dimension. It was adhered onto the card with liquid glue. 

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 marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

COPIC MARKERS: Petals - BG13, BG11. Flower centres - Y17, Y15, Y13, Y11. Stems/leaves - G28, YG17, YG23, YG01. 

I really like how the daisies pop from the dark backgrounds! Thank you so much for stopping by to see me today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful day! 

Spellbinders | Jump for Joy

Hello there, I hope you are well! I am delighted to be over on the Spellbinders Blog today sharing three projects using the Jump for Joy collection. This is a small collection but oh so cute! As the name may suggest, it features a frog/toad that can be used for lots of different occasions! 

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

For this peek, I created a shaped card using the cloud die from the Spellbinders Frog Prince Etched Dies set. The frog, mushroom and flowers are also from the set, die cut using Spellbinders ColorWheel Cardstock. The sentiment is from the Spellbinders Jump for Joy Sentiments Clear Stamp Set. This was such a fun collection to play with! I love that little frog! 

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 marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

For more information on how I made the card, as well as the other projects I created, please head over to the Spellbinders Blog HERE. Thank you so much for stopping by today, I hope you have a wonderful week ahead! 

Hero Arts | Hero Studio May 2025 Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello there, I am delighted to be joining Hero Arts today for a fun blog hop to celebrate the Hero Studio May 2025 release called Flower Shoppe. Out today is the Card Kit of the Month, Stamp & Cut of the Month, Dies of the Month, Layering Stencils of the Month, and Cling of the Month. You can also purchase the Whole Studio which includes all of the kits and a free gift. Today, I am focussing on the Card Kit and the Stamp & Cut of the Month. 

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

HERO STUDIO CARD KIT OF THE MONTH

I started off my card by taking the BoHo Bouquet Layering Stencils in the Hero Arts Hero Studio May 2025 Card Kit of the Month. I held them down, one by one, onto a panel of Hero Arts Deluxe Smooth White Cardstock and added ink blending using Blending Brushes. 

I used Hero Arts Core Inks in Paradise, Bermuda and Indigo for the flowers, and Kiwi, Green Hills and a little Bermuda for the leaves. It was then die cut out using the coordinating die. I die cut another of the die from white cardstock and adhered that behind for extra stability. 

I stamped the the can image from the Vintage Blooms Stamp Set, which is also in the kit, onto Hero Arts Deluxe Smooth White Cardstock with Hero Arts Intens-ified Black Ink. It was fussy cut out using scissors. I then added ink blending to colour it in. I used Hero Arts Pitch Black Core Ink and Hero Arts Intens-ified Black Ink and a Small Blending Brush. 

I die cut two of the coordinating can die from Hero Arts Deluxe Smooth White Cardstock and on one, I added a score line at the top to create a hinge, and cut a little off the bottom so that the card would stand up. I added adhesive to the hinge and adhered it to the other die cut. This created a mini card base. I adhered the stamped and ink blended can image on top with liquid glue and then the flowers were then adhered at the top. 

I stamped the 'thank you' sentiment onto more Hero Arts Deluxe Smooth White Cardstock with Hero Arts Intensified Black Ink and die cut it out using the coordinating die. I cut the die another two times and adhered the die cuts to the back of the stamped one for added dimension. It was then adhered to the card. To finish, I added Spellbinders Capri Blue Color Essentials Gems to some of the flower centres.

WHAT’S IN THE KIT?

The Hero Studio May 2025 Card Kit of the Month includes:

Vintage Blooms 6x8 Clear Stamp Set

Vintage Blooms Die Set

Flower Delivery Truck Die Set

BoHo Bouquet Layering Stencils

BoHo Bouquet Stencil Frame Cut

18 Sheets of Cardstock (2 of each color), 5.5" x 8.5" (Rainforest, Blue Spruce, Waterfall, Seaside, Cascade, Mulberry, Dahlia, Carrot, Beeswax)

HERO STUDIO STAMP & CUT OF THE MONTH

I started off my card by taking a panel of watercolour paper and stamping two of the flowers from the Hero Arts Hero Studio May 2025 Stamp & Cut of the Month on top using Hero Arts Intens-ified Black Ink. I then spritzed the panel with water and added in drops of Hero Arts Liquid Watercolors. 

I used Mulled Wine, Purple, Indigo and Dark Teal. I then spritzed it again to move the paints and went over some of the areas of the flowers with a brush. It was then set aside to dry. Please note the Hero Arts Liquid Watercolors are being discontinued, so if you like them, please grab them while you can! The panel was adhered to a white US A2 sized card base with thin foam tape. 

I stamped a 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 cut into a strip and adhered to the card with more thin foam tape. To finish, I added white gel pen dots. 

WHAT’S IN THE KIT?

The Hero Studio May 2025 Stamp & Cut of the Month: Flowers Bloom includes a 4" x 6" Clear Stamp Set with flowers and sentiments. It also includes coordinating dies for the flowers. 

BLOG HOP:

For the hop, you should have arrived here from the fabulous Michelle Lupton. Next on the hop is the fantastic Mindy Eggen. If you get lost along the way, or want to start the hop from the beginning, please head over to the Hero Arts Blog. 

GIVEAWAY:

Hero Arts will give away a $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by 6th May 2025 at 11:59pm PST, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week. Leave a comment on all stops for more chances to win!

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 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 wonderful rest of the day! 

Simon Says Stamp | Congrats & Best Wishes

Hello there, today I have two more projects to share with you using the Simon Says Stamp You Are My Favorite release. I shared my first card here yesterday. Today I am using the She Said Yes Stamp Set, Petal-Tipped Labels Dies and Scalloped Floral Tag Dies, which Simon Says Stamp kindly sent me. 

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

For the card, I started off by stamping the champagne glasses and champagne bottle from the Simon Says Stamp She Said Yes Stamp Set onto white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. I lightly coloured them with Copic Markers and then fussy cut them out using scissors (there are dies available if fussy cutting isn't your thing!). 

I die cut the largest of the Simon Says Stamp Petal-Tipped Labels Dies twice from white cardstock to create a shaped card base. On one, I cut a little off the bottom (to help it stand up) and scored a line at the top to create a hinge. I adhered the hinge onto the back of the front piece to create the card base. I then splattered a little Tim Holtz Hocus Pocus Mica Stain on top. 

The champagne and glasses were adhered with thin foam tape. I then stamped the sentiment from the  Simon Says Stamp She Said Yes Stamp Set onto more white cardstock using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink. Once dry, it was fussy cut out with scissors and adhered to the card with more thin foam tape. 

For the tag, I stamped the envelope and invitation stamp from the Simon Says Stamp She Said Yes Stamp Set onto white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. Before stamping, I masked off the invitation, so that I just had the envelope. I then drew in the line from the envelope that was missed with a Copic Multiliner. I also stamped the leaves from the Simon Says Stamp Beautiful Blooms Stamp Set. 

They were all coloured using Copic Markers and fussy cut out using scissors. I die cut the Simon Says Stamp Scalloped Floral Tag from white cardstock and adhered the leaves on top with liquid glue. The envelope was adhered with thin foam tape. 

I stamped the sentiment from the Simon Says Stamp She Said Yes Stamp Set using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and fussy cut it out using scissors. It was adhered to the tag with more thin foam tape. To finish, I added twine through the top of the tag and tied in a bow and embellished with Spellbinders Orchid 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 marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

The She Said Yes set is geared more towards engagements, but as you can see, I kept my projects a little more generic today. Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have wonderful day! 

Simon Says Stamp | The Beautiful Couple

Hello there, I hope you are well. Today I have a card to share using a couple of new products from the Simon Says Stamp You Are My Favorite release, which is out now. They kindly sent me the new Mosaic Petals Stencils, as well as the She Said Yes Stamp Set and I am using both on my card today. 

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

I started off my card by taking a panel of Hero Arts Pitch Black Cardstock and prepping it with an anti-static powder tool. I then placed the first stencil from the Simon Says Stamp Mosaic Petals Stencil set on top. I held it in place with low-tack tape while I pounced Versamark Ink on top using a Tim Holtz Tiny Blending Tool. I removed the stencil and applied Hero Arts Ultra Fine Clear Embossing Powder and then heat set. 

I repeated the steps until all the stencil layers were completed in the same way, except for the last stencil layer (the flower centres) which I did not use. I then adhered the panel onto a US A2 sized black card base. I die cut the Simon Says Stamp Layered Bird Bunch Dies from Spellbinders ColorWheel Cardstock - Snowdrift, Raven, Fairy Tale, Lavender and Lilac, and adhered the layers together to create two birds. 

I stamped a sentiment form the Simon Says Stamp She Said Yes Stamp Set onto more black cardstock using Versamark Ink. I applied white embossing powder and heat set. It was cut into a strip using the Simon Says Stamp Sentiment Labels Dies and then adhered to the card with thin foam tape. The birds were adhered above. To finish, I die cut two Simon Says Stamp Mini Hearts from Lilac cardstock and adhered them one on top of each other and then onto the card between the birds. 

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 marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

It's really difficult to capture the heat embossing in the background in the photos (sadly!) but in real life, it looks really pretty! Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I will be back tomorrow sharing two more projects using the She Said Yes set. Wishing you a wonderful day! 

VIDEO | Hot Foiling vs. Letterpress

Hello there, today I have two cards to share using the same design but different techniques - one uses hot foiling and the other, letterpress. I thought it would be fun to see which one I liked best. 

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

The plate I am using for my sentiment is from the Hero Arts Love + Thinking of You BetterPress + Foil Plates set. These plates are designed to both hot foil and press. You can watch the video below to see the process for both techniques. 

For my first card, I hot foiled the sThinking of You sentiment onto Hero Arts Deluxe Smooth White Cardstock using Spellbinders Silver Glimmer Hot Foil Roll and the Glimmer Hot Foil System. 

I then cut the panel down to 4.25" x 5.5". Using Ink Blending Brushes, I blended Hero Arts Kiwi and Green Hills Core Inks at the bottom of the panel. It was then adhered to an A2 sized white card base. 

For the pressed one, I took the BetterPress Letterpress System and pressed the Thinking of You BetterPress + Foil Plate onto Spellbinders A7 Porcelain Cotton Card with Spellbinders Betterpress Black Ink. 

The panel was cut to 4.25" x 5.5" (although this time in a landscape orientation) and I added ink blending with the same Hero Arts Kiwi and Green Hills Core Inks at the bottom. It was then adhered to an A2 sized white card base. 

For both cards, I die cut flowers from the Hero Arts Spring Garden - February 2025 Fancy Dies of the Month set. I used Hero Arts Mist & Paradise Cardstock for the crocus, Hero Arts Peony & Ultra Pink Cardstock for the tulips, Hero Arts Passion Flower & Amethyst Cardstock for the hyacinths, Hero Arts Canary & Spellbinders Beeswax Cardstock for the daffodils, and Spellbinders Peridot and Rainforest Cardstock for the leaves and stems. 

The flower layers were adhered together using liquid glue and then adhered to the cards with thin foam tape. The stems and leaves were adhered with liquid glue only. I cut the stems and leaves overhanging off the bottom of the cards with scissors, but left the sides overhanging slightly. To finish, I embellished with Hero Arts Clear Enamel Dots. 

VIDEO:

Here is the video showing how I made the cards:

If you are viewing this 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 marked with an asterisk (*) which were kindly sent to me to use. You can read my full disclosure here.

Which do you like best? I know it's not an exact comparison as the sentiments are a different colour but I do think I like the pressed one slightly better. However, I think that may be more to do with the design of the card, than the actual sentiment itself, although I do think the black pops a little more than the silver! Thank you so much for stopping by today, I really do appreciate it. I hope you have a wonderful day!