Altenew Ultimate Watercolor Lovers Blog Hop + Giveaway

February 11, 2021 Karen Brown58 Comments

Altenew Watercolor Coloring Book and Watercolor Brushes

Hello and welcome! I\’ve had a delightful weekend playing with Altenew\’s new Watercolor Coloring Book and Watercolor Brushes (Bundle). The coloring book is such a great idea! There are 12 designs…24 printed pages on good quality watercolor paper. Each design has a black outline and a \”no-line\” outline. I am going to the beach soon and this coloring book will be making the trip as it will be so packable. Grab the book, brushes and watercolors and I am set for hours of creating. I also think this would make a great gift.

I used Altenew\’s 36 Pan Watercolor Set for all of my painting. For the Lilly, I wanted to work on mixing watercolors. I started with the salmon pinks but did a lot of custom paint mixing with my pinks and greens.

With both paintings, I went slow and added layer upon layer of color. For me, this is the secret to watercolor painting. Add color and blend with a damp brush with clean water, let dry and repeat. The quality of the paper in the coloring book allowed me to add lots of layers without any worry about the paper breaking down.

I liked the Lilly so much that I framed it and set it on the ledge around my bath tub.

This no-line Poppy was loads of fun to paint! I didn\’t mix the paints but used the color right out of the pans. Lovely and feminine. I did add a few accents to the flower\’s center with a black pen and white gel pen.

Altenew Round and Detail Watercolor Brushes

Altenew also just released Round and Detail watercolor brushes which pair so well with the Watercolor Coloring Book! You can also order the Brush bundle at a discount.

Altenew how to watercolor detail brushes

If you want to up your watercoloring, consider taking Emily Midgett\’s Watercolor 101 Class. I took it last fall and it improved my watercoloring skills more than any other class I\’ve taken.

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Special Offer

To celebrate the release of the watercoloring book, Altenew is running a free gift promotion for a limited time. Receive a FREE brand new Poppy Arrangement Stamp Set (worth $23.99) with every order of the new Florals Coloring Book and Watercolor Bundle from 2/11/2021 at 12:01 AM EST until 2/14/2021 at 11:59 PM EST. Free gift will be added to cart automatically.

Giveaway Prizes

$300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $20 gift certificate to 10 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 02/16/2021 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 12 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 02/19/2021.

LINK TO BLOG HOP

Hello! You likely came from the beautiful post by Nathalie DeSousa and after me, you are on to Tenia whose cards are always an inspiring treat.

Karen Brown You are here!

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

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WWC308 – Tristan\’s Challenge: All About Occasions

February 10, 2021 Karen Brown2 Comments

Hello and welcome! We are making \”Occasion\” cards this week at Watercooler Wednesday and Tristan is our hostess.

I created a simple silhouette card using Altenew\’s just released Tall Foliage set. I masked the edges of my slimline panel and then ink blended my background. After the panel was completely dry I black heat embossed this pretty sketchy flower. This is a pretty card that was fairly quick to make.

We would love to see your card in our GALLERY.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

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Altenew Craft-A-Flower: Cosmos Layering Die Set Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

February 7, 2021 Karen Brown48 Comments

Altenew Cosmos Craft-A-Flower Layering Die

Hello and welcome to Altenew\’s Craft A Flower Blog Hop and Release! I am so excited to be participating this month as we craft beautiful Cosmos die-cut flowers (Cosmos/Gradient Cardstock Bundle). I was very inspired by this release and I think you will be too! You can subscribe HERE so you don\’t miss a single set.

Let\’s get started! I used one of my favorite color combinations on this card. I began by watercoloring several panels of watercolor cardstock in pink, coral, orange and green. I put several colors on each panel so there would be a lot of variation in color which I think adds a lot of interest. I like that watercolor paper is a bit thicker and has more texture and makes a rich substantial diecut.

Next, I diecut the components of my card. These Cosmos dies cut very well and layered easily. Before I begin die-cutting I like to take a permanent pen and mark the layering dies with a #1 and #2 for each flower. It just takes just a minute but then it is so much easier to keep up with the little pieces. After I die cut, I also write the corresponding number on the back of the die-cut in pencil in case they get mixed up on my workspace. Be sure to save all the left over cardstock for next month\’s Craft-A-Flower.

Altenew Cosmos Layering Die cut floral images.

I cut the Hello sentiment from black mirror cardstock which makes it really pop.

I knew I wanted a white background with some interest so I mixed embossing paste with Irredescent Shimmer Spray and then used a pallette knife to spread in random areas around my cardstock. I then sprinkled Crystal Clear Embossing Powder on the damp embossing powder and heat set. This adds a lot of shimmer and shine to the background.

I used liquid glue to adhere the flowers but concentrated the glue in the middle with no glue at the outer edges so that I could slightly curl up the flower petals for some added dimension. I also did the same with the grassy leaves.

GIVEAWAY PRIZES:

$200 in total prizes! To celebrate this release,Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 1 lucky winner and a $15 gift certificate to 10 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 02/12/2021 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 11 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on theAltenew Winners Page on 02/15/2021.

BLOG HOP LINK

You likely came from talented Teresa Litchfield\’s blog and I am your final stop!

Karen Brown You made it to the end! 🙂

This is a beautiful kit that makes a very showy card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

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Altenew Love & Friendship Stamps/Dies/Stencils/Embossing Folders Collection Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

February 3, 2021 Karen Brown36 Comments

Altenew Love and Friendship Blog Hop

Hello and welcome! I am so excited to be hopping along with Altenew for their February 2021 Release! They have so many beautiful new products! I was very inspired by this Collection and I think you will be too.

I would love to show you three projects…so keep scrolling. There are also loads of prizes so check the details below and start hopping!

Altenew Tall Foliage Stamp, Die and Coloring Stencil

The first card is a valentine that I made for my husband using The Tall Foliage Bundle. I positioned the two die cuts so that to me, they looked like they were dancing. I ink blended a slimline panel using Altenew\’s Large Ink Blending Tool. While that panel was drying, I stamped and colored the two elements using the coordinating coloring stencil and Small Ink Blending Tool. I love the Lagoon leaves (The Rainbow Mini Cube Set) against the green background. The \”So Glad I Found You\” sentiment is included in this stamp set.

TIP: The first thing I did was make a stamp guide template. I die cut each element out of sturdy cardstock and then used this as a template to layout my stamp so that everything lined up well. The stamp is tall and this method worked well for me. You only have to make the template once and then I just store it with my bundle.

The The Tall Foliage bundle is gorgeous and includes the stamps along with loads of sentiments, the coordinating dies, the coloring stencil and I used all three on my two cards. Altenew also included a multipanel inspiration guide that was very helpful. These two stamps are large…the tall foliage is 7 3/4\” tall and the flower is 6 3/4\” and adds a lot of impact to your projects.

For my second card, I wanted a dramatic background to contrast with the white and green folliage, so I used the \”direct to paper\” inking method. I selected 8 different colors of ink pads in shades from turqouise to dark blue. I rubbed each color in sections of the cardstock and I kept the middle softer and the edges darker. At first, the background looked like a terrible mess but as you add layers it turns into a bold and complex panel.

I used the coloring stencil, Small Ink Blending Tool and Green Valley Mini Ink Cube Set (Shadow Creek) to shade parts of the leaves. The sentiment is from the Inked Lotus Bundle.

I wanted to make a coordinating background for my roses and found the The Organic Linen 3D Embossing Folder from this release was perfect! The end result was a subtle textured background with a hint of color in the valleys of the panel.

Organic Linen 3D Embossing Folder

I dabbed a generous amount of pink pigment ink on my work surface and then ran a brayer across the ink. I then ran the brayer across the embossing folder, placed a sheet of cardstock in and then closed. I found that I liked the result best when I inked the embossing folder side with the sticker. Either, side works, but I liked that pattern the best. The sandwich I used was one embossing plate + embossing folder + magnetic shim + plastic shim. Note, I only used ONE embossing plate, not two. This sandwich was recommended by Jennifer McGuire in a video I watched last year. I did make some other panels using dye ink that I will use in a future blog post.

The roses are from The Bellaroma Hybrid Tea Rose BUILD A FLOWER that was released last week. I wanted to make a valentine for my mom, so I chose pink for the blooms and vivid green for leaves. I used The Green Valley Mini Ink Cube Set. and used the middle two colors, Green Fields and Shadow Creek. I added a small piece of Painted Grid Washi Tape to the top of my sentiment for a little added interest.

Here is a Link to Altenew\’s Love and Friendship Blog Hop.

Click HERE to see the entire Love and Friendship Collection.

GIVEAWAY:

$300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $20 gift certificate to 10 winners! Please leave a comment on theAltenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 02/08/2021 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 12 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 02/11/2021.

Altenew is also running a free gift promotion:

BLOG HOP:

Karen Brown You are here! 🙂

Therese Calvird

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

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WWC307 – Heidi\’s Challenge: Anything Feminine Goes

February 3, 2021 Karen Brown6 Comments

Hello and welcome. This is my design team card for this week\’s Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and Heidi is our hostess.

I love succulents and cacti and thought a row of them would make a cheerful get well card. I colored with my trusty Copic markers.

We would love to see your card in our gallery. You can reach the challenge website here.

Supplies: Fiskars \”Stuck on You\” and Papertrey sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

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Altenew Mini Flan Cake

February 2, 2021 Karen BrownLeave a comment

I have a quick blog post for my two newest cards using Altenew\’s Mini Flan stamp and die set. For my first card, I used my Large Blending Tool to blend Sand Dunes and Mocha from The Coffee Break Ink Cube Set onto some textured watercolor paper. I then stamped, used water color markers and die cut the flan. My sentiment is from new favorite Essential Sentiment Strips.

I used watercolor markers on my second card as well. The sentiment is from Essential Sentiment Strips. I also added three enamel dots from the New Day set.

I am so pleased that you stopped by!

Karen

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Altenew Build-A-Flower: Bellaroma Hybrid Tea Rose Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

February 1, 2021 Karen Brown74 Comments

Altenew Build-A-Flower Bellaroma TeaRose Release

Hello, hello and welcome! I am so excited to be part of Altenew\’s February Build-A-Flower Release and Blog Hop. This month\’s flower is the Bellaroma Hybrid Tea Rose and it is a real beauty. Layering stamps are lovely, easy and fun to use and I especially enjoyed creating with this set. Altenew has a new Build A Flower release each month and you can subscribe HERE so you don\’t miss a single set.

Let\’s get started! I was so inspired that I stamped and die-cut a ton of flowers! I mass produced the flowers and leaves using two sections of two stamping platforms that I rotated through the four stations. I have three cards in this post and will be using The Tea Rose in another post next week….please stop by to see that one too.

The Yellow Rose of Texas

I live in Texas, so my inspiration for this card was \”The Yellow Rose of Texas\”. I wanted a dramatic background to contrast with the yellow so I used the \”direct to paper\” inking method. I selected 8 different colors of ink pads in shades from turqouise to dark blue. I rubbed each color in sections of the cardstock and I kept the middle softer and the edges darker. At first, the background looked like a terrible mess but as you add layers it turns into a bold and complex panel.

As far as stamping the rose, I experimented and found I liked a monochromatic color scheme using similar hues with this set. The front rose has three shades of yellow. I wanted more contrast with the background, so for the back rose I didn\’t stamp the base layer but chose to leave some white space. I wanted a neutral leaf so I selected two shades of grey.

I adore Altenew\’s Burlap Texture Die and knew it would be a striking backdrop for a single rose bud. I wanted some contrast and variation on the die cut so I hand inked a background panel using all the colors in the Coffee Break Mini Ink Cube Set. Be sure to let the panel dry before you die cut so you get a crisp cut. I wanted vivid green leaves so I used The GreenValley Mini Ink Cube Set. I used the middle two colors, Green Fields and Shadow Creek.

Altenew Simply Hello with copper mirror card stock.

The sentiment (Simply Hello Die) is so reasonably priced and was die-cut from copper mirror cardstock. To finish the card I added three yellow dots from New Day Enamel Dots, which I love because the set contains a beautiful variety of colors.

For this card I wanted to add a pink rose as well. I wanted a clean look so I skippped the bottom layer stamp on the two roses and leaves and I love the way it looks!

The Cross Stitch Canvas Die is a beautiful way to add texture and interest to your background without distracting from the beauty of your focal point. I added a small piece of Painted Grid Washi Tape to the top of my sentiment for a little added interest.

Click Here to go to The Blog Hop.

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GIVEAWAY:

$200 in total prizes! To celebrate this release,Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 1 lucky winner and a $15 gift certificate to 10 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 02/07/2021 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 11 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Pageon 02/09/2021.

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BLOG HOP:

Karen Brown You are here 🙂

Justine Hovey

Emily Midgett

Kelly Latevola

You should have come from Verity Biddlecombe\’s lovely blog and talented Justine Hovey is next on the hop.

I am so pleased you stopped by! Happy Hopping!

Karen

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WWC306 – Michelle\’s Challenge: All About Occasions

January 27, 2021 Karen Brown4 Comments

Hello and welcome. For the The Watercooler Wednesday Challenge, I\’ve created a mixed media card for my design team project and I love the shimmer and shine it has in person. This card was so fun to make!

My Process:

I tore three snippets of book text from a dictionary and then glued them to a card panel with gesso and a wet brush. I used gel medium then the page and then another layer of gel medium.

I added a layer of gesso over the top and dried.

Next I added some pencil scribbles and doodles.

I dipped the panel in a combination of die ink mixed with shimmer spray. Dried then repeated. This gives gorgeous shine to the card.

I heat embossed the image and sentiment and mounted on a colored A2 card base.

Supplies:

Altenew Best Mom stamp

Altenew Iridescent Shimmer Spray

Dye Ink

Gesso

Multimedia Gel

Embossing Powder

Text from a Dictionary

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

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Altenew Monstera In Vase

January 24, 2021 Karen BrownLeave a comment

Altenew Monstera in Vase Stamp and Die

Hello and welcome. I just popped in for a quick post about Altenew\’s new mini stamp \”Monstera in Vase\”. This set is perfect for quick CAS cards.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

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WWC305 – Helen\’s Challenge: Anything Masculine Goes

January 20, 2021 Karen Brown5 Comments

Hello! It is the third Wednesday so we are making masculine cards here at The Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and Helen is our hostess. I made this card for my brother.

I used a gel press, three colors of ink and brayer to make a blue background. I then stenciled over the background for a festive masculine look.

Supplies:

SSS Ring Cluster Stencil

SSS Happy Birthday Sentiment

Spellbinders Essential Rectangle die

I hope to see your card in our gallery.

Karen