Altenew Educators “Alphabet Name Game” Blog Hop, Linky Party + Giveaway

October 4, 2021October 5, 2021 Karen Brown27 Comments

“K” is for…..Karen! I was inspired to make an initial notecard for Altenew’s “Alphabet Name Game” Blog Hop. I love to make my own paper so I started by coming up with a color palette. I wanted a bright happy card so I selected aqua, green, yellow, pink and tangerine.

Ink Smooshing Technique

I started by making three inked panels. Here was my technique:

I liberally inked an 6×6″ acrylic block with Altenew Inks. I wanted an ombre gradient look so went in rows across the block.
I very liberally sprayed the inked block with water
“Smooshed” the block onto a piece of watercolor paper
Weighted the ink/block with a book for 5 minutes
Uncovered. If the ink pooled, I dabbed with a paper towel.
I made a “second generation” panel for the background by taking a piece of Bristol Cardstock and soaking up the excess ink on my work space.

Panel one and the background were made with Seashore Mini Ink Cube Set (Lagoon & Volcano Lake), Rainbow Prism Mini Ink Cube Set (Parrot & Warm Sunshine). Panel two was Coral Berry and Orange Cream.

I let the panels dry overnight and then I started my die-cutting. The “K” is from Altenew’s Mega Alphabet Collection and the grid background uses Altenew’s GardenTrellis Cover die, which is a favorite of mine.

Altenew Garden Trellis Cover Die + Ink Smooshing Technique.

Here is a closeup of the card.

Prizes:

$200 in total prizes! Altenew is giving away a $35 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $20 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 10/09/2021 for a chance to win.

There’s MORE! What’s a hop without YOU?! We have included an Inlinkz at the Altenew blog for you to enter your gorgeous Altenew “Alphabet Name Game” creations. We will pick 2 of our favorite handmade creations from those who joined the linky party and they will each receive a $15 Altenew gift certificate!

Altenew will draw 7 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 10/11/2021.

Hop list:

Michelle Ochoa Murray

Irina Fonina

Penny Pynnonen

Anna Patricia Mahtani

Karen Brown (You made it to the end!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

cardmaking

Altenew Craft-A-Flower: Daffodil & Glitter CardstockRelease Blog Hop + Giveaway

July 7, 2021July 8, 2021 Karen Brown24 Comments

Using Glitter Cardstock in Cardmaking

Hello paper crafters! Altenew just released some GORGEOUS glitter cardstock and it is just wonderful for cardmaking. I love the sparkle that it adds!

For my first card I used three colors of blue glitter cardstock (Moonlight, Blue Apatite and Starlight) from the Ocean Reflection combo pack. I used Altenew’s Rippling Rings Border Die to die-cut three strands of circles and then glued them to a white panel. I wanted a bold high-contrast sentiment so I inked a scrap of cardstock with Purple Wine Ink from The Rose Petal Mini Cube Set and then die cut my Simply Hello Sentiment. This card came together very quickly but is just lovely!

Altenew's Ocean Reflections Glitter Cardstock + Rippling Rings Border Die

You can see the shimmer a bit better in this second photo.

Altenew's Ocean Reflections Glitter Cardstcok + Rippling Rings Border Dies.

Last month I made a rainbow Gum Drop card that I just loved so I thought I would do a sparkly variation using glitter cardstock. The “gum drop” is from Altenew’s Color Band Die Set.

Altenew's Glitter Cardstock + Color Bands Dies

I used Glitter Cardstock from the following sets:

There are also some wonderful bundles available:

Sparkling Florals Glitter Gradient Layering Dies Bundle
Bedazzled Flowers Glitter Gradient Layering Dies Bundle
Floral Dazzle Glitter Gradient Die Cutting Bundle
Sparkle Dazzle Glitter Gradient Bundle

Giveaway Prizes

$200 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 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 07/13/2021 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 7 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 07/15/2021.

BLOG HOP:

Ready to shop? Check out Altenew’s New Collections Here. The Glitter Cardstock is selling very quickly so if it sells out by the time you order remember to sign up for the back-in-stock option so you will be notified by email when it arrives.

I am so very happy that you stopped by! I love reading your comments so if you have another moment, let me know what think about my post.

Thanks,

Karen

papercrafting

Altenew Educators "Anything But A Card" Blog Hop and Linky Party + Giveaway

June 28, 2021July 3, 2021 Karen Brown25 Comments

DIY Gift Topper

Hello fellow papercrafters! The Altenew Educators are hopping and this time we are creating \”anything except a card\”. I enjoy gift wrapping and decided to craft a gift \”topper\”. Altenew\’s Craft-A-Flower releases are always one of my favorites so I wanted to make a layered die-cut flower using this month\’s Peruvian Lily. I crafted my bloom from some handmade gel press prints and a bit of glitter cardstock.

$Gift Wrap Topper featuring Altenew\'s Peruvian Lily layering die.$

I wrapped my gift in Tiffany blue gift wrap, added some ribbon and then topped with my die-cut Lily. I think this makes for a beautiful gift.

Prizes:

There’s MORE! What’s a hop without YOU?! We have included an Inlinkz at the Altenew blog for you to enter your gorgeous Altenew “Anything But A Card” creations. We will pick 2 of our favorite handmade creations from those who joined the linky party and they will each receive a $15 Altenew gift certificate!

Altenew will draw 7 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 07/06/2021.

I am so pleased you stopped by!

Karen

Peruvian Lily

Uncategorized

Altenew Paint-A-Flower: Clematis Josephine Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

June 22, 2021 Karen Brown33 Comments

Altenew Paint-A-Flower: Clematis Josephine

Hello and welcome! Today, Altenew is releasing their June Paint-A-Flower called Clematis Josephine. The bouquet is substantial and fills up a card beautifully. Altenew releases a new Paint-A-Flower each month and you can subscribe HERE so you don\’t miss a single set and as a subscriber the price is just $12.99 per month.

I was in a coloring mood and these flowers are so fun to color! I used Altenew\’s Artist Markers Set F (Sunshine Valley Garden) and Set G (Water Garden). The kit has a bunch of wonderful sentiments and I selected Be Bold…

$Altenew\'s Paint A Flower Clematis Josephine$

Are You Ready For Some Prizes?

Altenew will draw 7 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on theAltenew Winners Page on 06/29/2021.

Blog Hop:

Karen Brown You Are Here! 🙂

Are You Ready To Shop?

Clematis Paint-A-Flower

Clematis Paint-A-Flower + 24 Pan Watercolor Bundle

Clematis Paint-A-Flower + 12 Pan Watercolor Bundle

I am pleased with the card and hope you like it too.

Karen

Uncategorized

Altenew Summer Adventure Stand-alone Dies Collection Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

June 17, 2021 Karen Brown31 Comments

Hello, I am so excited to introduce you to some of Altenew\’s gorgeous new stand-alone dies!

Die Cutting with Altenew\’s Tropical Leaf Mix Dies

Altenew\’s Tropical Leaf Mix dies are so beautiful and fun to create with! I started by cutting a 5 1/2\” square card base and then added some copper paint splatters.

Next, I gathered a bunch of gel press prints and started to die-cut and arrange a leaf flower. Once I started I realized I really liked the green panels with gold and copper. My flower needed a center so I used the cute little star flower from Altenew\’s Bride To Be Layering Set. This set makes such a lovely dimensial card.

For my next card, I die-cut leaves from a gold/copper gel print (above) and brown cardstock. The leaves are Altenew\’s new Tropical Leaf Mix dies. For the center, I again used the star flower from Altenew\’s Bride to Be Layering Set

Copper, Gold and Brown Metalic Gel Plate Print

I love how you can use the leaves individually or layer them.

Quick and Easy Die Cut Card

The new Peeking Leaves Cover Die is beautiful. I selected two colors of summery cardstock and die-cut the aqua panel. I glued the die cut to an A2 card base and used the edge of a ruler to straigthen the sides. The sentiment is Altenew\’s Simply Hello Die.

$Altenew\'s Peeking Leaves Cover Die card.$

Giveaway Prizes

$300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $25 gift certificate to 8 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 06/23/2021 for a chance to win.

Altenew will draw 10 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 06/25/2021.

Blog Hop:

Karen Brown You Are Here!

FREE GIFT PROMOTION:

Here are THREE ways to get a FREEBIE to kickstart your creativity! Free gift will be added to cart automatically.

Get a FREE brand new Summer Adventure Release Inspiration Guide (worth $5.99) with every order of high-value Summer Adventure release bundles. Shop Here! *Exclusions apply.
Get a FREE brand new Summer Adventure Release Mini Inspiration Guide with every order from 06/17/2021 through 06/19/2021. Shop HERE.

READY TO SHOP?

Link To Altenew Summer Adventure Stand Alone Die Collection.

I am honored that you stopped by my blog…thank you! If you have another moment, I would love to hear which card you like best.

Karen

Uncategorized

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

June 7, 2021 Karen Brown37 Comments

Altenew Craft-A-Flower: Peruvian Lily Layering Die Set

Hello friends! Today is release day for Altenew\’s June Craft-A-Flower: Peruvian Lily. I just adore each month\’s kit because there are so many die-cutting possibilities. You can subscribe HERE for a specially discounted price (plus you won\’t miss a single kit) or you can purchase the Peruvian Lily or you can buy the Peruvian Lily + the gradient cardstock bundle.

Each month I usually make my own paper for my craft-a-flower kit…sometimes I watercolor panels, or ink blend but this month I was in a gel print mood. With gel prints, you never know what you are going to get so I start with colors in mind and then start printing. These are pretty basic prints but they look so pretty when die-cut. For June I was thinking either an orange or pink bloom with a blue background so I laid out some prints. I love the blue background…kinda Monetish and I ultimately decided on an orange and yellow lilly. I will be using the pink panels soon.

These dies were easy to line up and the lily is big and showy. The sentiment is one of my favorites from the Essential Sentiment Die Set.

Giveaway Prizes

$200 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 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 6/13/2021 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 7 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 06/15/2021.

Karen Brown < You Are Here

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy this month\’s kit as much as I have.

Karen

Uncategorized

Altenew Adventures Ahead Stamps/Dies/Stencils/More Collection Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

June 4, 2021 Karen Brown33 Comments

Hello! I was so excited and inspired by Altenew\’s June Adventures Ahead Stamp and Die Collection that I created 8 cards! So many ideas!

Die Cutting With Scraps

Altenew\’s Color Bands dies are wonderful and at a great price point! If you like to die-cut there are endless possibilites….I found them so addiciting! For this first card, I used brightly colored scraps of gel press prints. My inspiration was gum drops and I die cut 14 rainbow hued \”gum drops\” and adhered them to my card with foam tape. I crafted my slimline card using the Nesting Slim Rectangles Die Set.

Die Cutting With Gel Press Prints

I wanted rainbow colors for my \”squiggles\” card also. I used the same Color Bands Dies as above.

$Die cutting with Altenew\'s Color Band die set.$

I selected an assortment of simple gel press prints and started die cutting. I took a quick photo (below) of the print assortment I started with. I wanted lots of beautiful white space so I again used Altenew\’s Nesting Slim Rectangle Dies to make another slimline card.

3D Embossing Gel Press Prints

I don\’t think I can ever have too many brick elements to craft with so I was very excited about Altenew\’s new Brick Wall 3D Embossing Folder. For this card I took a gel press print and ran it through my embossing machine. I think this panel makes a beautiful background for my two Cosmos Die Cut Flowers.

Vintage Feel Scene Card

I was captivated by the new Seas The Day stamp and die bundle. I love a good scene card and thought it would be fun to create a vignette of a girl watching a boat race. I went with an off-white vintage feel and made two of these…one for my daughter and one to go with a graduation gift. And, don\’t you just love those animated Pelicans!

Four Quick and Easy Cards

I came up with an idea for a quick and easy masculine card. The lines on the Seas The Day sailboat are just beautiful and I thought a \”blueprint look\” would be very striking. I stamped the boat with Saphire from the Glacier Caves mini ink cube set. I then hand inked an accent panel and sentiment strip with the same Saphire ink and Altenew\’s Large Blending Tool and set this behind the sailboat to frame the top panel. I like the coordinating saphire sentiment band (Altenew Essential Sentiment Strips). Very easy, very striking and very masculine…a winning combination.

$A quick and easy masculine card featuring the sail boat for Altenew\'s Seas The Day Stamp set.$

It is graduation season so my last three cards are for the graduate. The detail on the Feathered Friends dies is beautiful! I die cut three from cardstock and then popped them on a white Brick Wall 3D Embossing Folder panel and added a die-cut Essential Sentiment Strips sentiment.

These next two cards came together very quickly! The backgrounds are from the Rainbow Blots 6×6\” Paper Pack which is filled with gorgeous papers with highly saturated color. These packs are at a great price point and with 24 sheets, you can make loads of projects.

Using the Rainbow Blots paper pack, I trimmed down two panels and then die cut two sets of sentiments using Altenew\’s new Reach For The Stars die. This sentiment definitely makes a statement!

I am sending these two cards with graduation gifts.

Are You Ready For Some Prizes?

Altenew will draw 10 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 06/11/2021.

You\’ve probably just seen Bridget Casey\’s lovely projects and you will love Laurie Willison\’s post.

BLOG HOP:

Altenew Card Blog

Are You Ready to Shop? Free Gift Oportunities:

Here are THREE ways to get a FREEBIE to kickstart your creativity! Free gift will be added to cart automatically.

· Get a FREE brand new Adventures Ahead Release Inspiration Guide (worth $5.99) with every order of high-value Exotic Garden release bundles. SHOP HERE! *Exclusions apply.

· Get a FREE brand new Creative Jump Start Class with every order from the new Adventures Ahead release collection from 6/04/2021 through 6/10/2021. SHOP HERE!

· Get a FREE brand new Adventures Ahead Release Mini Inspiration Guide with every order from 06/04/2021 through 06/06/2021. Shop HERE!

I am honored that you stopped by my blog…thank you! If you have another moment, I would love to hear which card you like best.

Karen

Uncategorized

Altenew Mixed Media Madness Hop

May 28, 2021 Karen BrownLeave a comment

3D Die Cutting + Acrylic on Mixed Media Paper

Hello! The Altenew Educators have a fun Instagram Hop called Mixed Media Madness currently underway. There are loads of prizes and lots of inspiring projects so I hope you can hop along with us. I drew my inspiration from my backyard. The two mixed media backgrounds are my interpretation of the water in my swimming pool and the layered die-cuts are based on my potted coral Hibiscus. I handcrafted all the paper used to die-cut my flowers.

I have been loving layering dies lately and wanted to get out an old favorite, Altenew\’s Hibiscus Garden as I think it is perfect going into summer. I used this set as the focal point for both of my cards.

I loosely mixed turquoise, white and pale yellow acrylic paint with a brayer for my background. The leaves are cut from painted acrylic panels of moss, spring green and pale yellow. The Hibiscus are cut from three panels: orange, orange + white and a panel of white with a hint of orange. The sentiment is from Altenew\’s Birthday Greetings stamp set.

The background for my second card is similar but there was leftover blue on my gel plate. I also added an additional layer of gold using my favorite Narrow Brick Stencil . This stencil just came out this spring, but it is already my most used stencil! I love the subtle texture and dimension it adds. I then die cut the panel using Altenew\’s Rounded Rectangles die. I added craft foam to the back of the panel and adhered the flower with foam tape.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Uncategorized

Altenew Wildflower Paper Crafting Collection Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

April 29, 2021 Karen Brown43 Comments

Hello friends! I love paper, which I think is one of the many reasons I am a paper crafter. If you are fond of paper then I know you will appreciate Altenew\’s gorgeous new Wildflower Collection too. The release is full of beautiful colors, fun patterns and lovely floral papers plus two gorgeous ephemera packs. To celebrate, Altenew is hosting a blog hop with beautiful inspiration and fun prizes. Link To Blog Hop

Cardmaking with Altenew Ephemera and Printed Cardstock

I created three cards for this release. On my first card, all the colored paper is from the Wildflower Collection 6×6\” Paper Pack. I love Altenew\’s Hibiscus Garden 3D Layering Die Set and thought it would be fun to die cut the elements from different papers in the pack. I used two pages for the flower, two different pages for the leaves and then the soft green for the background. I added a bit of splatter with Altenew\’s Jet Black and Pure White ink sprays. I pulled the sprayer out and tapped the hose for pefect splatter each time. So much faster than mixing ink each time.

Altenew Hibiscus Garden 3D layering dies

The second card uses Bitty Bits Ephemera for a fast and colorful card. For the background, I again splattered a white card base with Pure White and Jet Black ink splatters. Next I used the Garden Trellis Cover Die and patterned paper from the Wildflower Collection 6×6\” Paper Pad to die cut a lovely background overlay. I then arranged and layered the ephemera and adhered with foam tape. The packet has loads of die cuts, so I have plenty left over for future projects. I finished off the card by adding Cherry Blossom Enamel Dots

My third card is similar with a Garden Trellis die cut overly cut from a page from the Wildflower Collection 6×6\” Paper Pad. The background is again a paint splattered page from the same pad. I then arranged and layered ephemera from The Pink Posy Pack. Lastly, I added Cherry Blossom Enamel Dots to the flower centers.

There is a great Wildflower Paper and Ephemera Bundle available as well as a Wildflower Paper Crafting Jump Start Class.

Giveaway Prizes:

Altenew will draw 7 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 05/07/2021.

Blog Hop:

Karen Brown You Are Here! 🙂

Ready to shop? You can access Altenew\’s Shop HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Uncategorized

Altenew 7th Anniversary Blog Hop Day 4 + Giveaway (over $1,400 in Total Prizes)

April 11, 2021 Karen Brown234 Comments

Happy Birthday Altenew! I am honored to be celebrating this day along with such a talented group of designers and sponsors.

Die Cutting Floral Images From Acrylic Gelli Plate Prints

Recently, I spent a fun day making Acrylic Gel Press Monoprints and thought it would be fun to die-cut some of the images and make a few high contrast colorful birthday cards. I used my favorite Altenew Craft-A-Flower kit, Cosmos Layering Dies for each of my projects.

I sorted through my prints and selected bright colors that I thought would look nice on a card. The first print was loosely brayered with turquoise and brown acrylic ink. The flowers were die cut from three monoprint panels: orange/red/gold; olive/yellow/gold and the whitish elements were cut from panels where I brayered off ink in between prints, so they have more white areas. My sentiment is from an ancient labeler I had at the house.

I love the background on this next card! I put blue, yellow and olive on my press and then brayered gold over the Narrow Brick Stencil, which gives a beautiful textured look. I used the Rounded Rectangles Die Set to trim down my panel.

The flower was die-cut using the Cosmos Craft-A-Flower Kit.

For this last card, the background is from the same panel as card 1. I again used the Rounded Rectangles and Cosmos Layering Die Set. The sentiment is from the Essential Sentiment Strips,

I think this makes a happy card.

Giveaway Prizes

Over $1,400 in total prizes! Altenew is giving away a $70 gift certificate to 5 lucky winners and one Altenew Academy classto 15 lucky winners. There are also 19 awesome companies/crafty friends who are celebrating with us, and they are offering the following prizes:

Altenew: 5 $70 Altenew gift certificates
Jennifer McGuire Ink: $100 Altenew gift certificate
Gina K. Designs: $100 gift certificate
My Sweet Petunia: $100 gift certificate
Spellbinders Paper Arts: $100 gift certificate
CiLi in Papers: €75 gift certificate
Lawn Fawn: $75 gift certificate
Online Card Classes: 3 online class spots
Altenew Academy: 15 online class spots
Auzz Trinklets N Krafts: $50 gift certificate
Concord & 9th: $50 gift certificate
Hero Arts: $50 gift certificate
My Little Attic: $50 gift certificate
Scrapbook.com: $50 certificate
Simon Says Stamp: $50 gift certificate
Pinkfresh Studio: $50 gift certificate
Bumbleberry Papercrafts: £25 gift certificate
Waffle Flower: 1 prize bundle valued at $32
Butterfly Reflections Ink: $25 gift certificate
Ellen Hutson LLC: $25 gift certificate
Scrapbook & Cards Today: 1 copy of Scrapbook & Cards Today Spring 2021 issue

Be sure to leave comments by 4/18/2021 for a chance to win one of 41 prizes! To make the hop more exciting, start your comment with \”Hi from (city or country where you\’re from)!\” 41 winners will be chosen at random from the comments left on any of the blogs listed below and will be announced on the Altenew Card Blog on 4/24/2021.

So happy to see that you are hopping! If you arrived from Auzz Trinklets N Krafts, then you are right on track.

Auzz Trinklets N Krafts

Karen Brown You Are Here!

Ellen Hutson LLC

Seeka

Katrina Howe

There is plenty more loveliness, so keep hopping…. Ellen Hutson LLC is next!

Ready to shop? Be sure to use the free shipping code below:

Special Offer

Enjoy FREE U.S. shipping with code HAPPY7TH or $5 OFF international shipping with code ANNIV21 at checkout. Offer valid from 4/8/2021 at 12:01 am EDT through 4/11/2021 at 11:59 pm EDT. Shop here: https://altenew.com/ Not valid on prior purchases. Cannot be combined with other promo codes.

I am so pleased you stopped by and would love to hear which card you like best!

Thanks,

Karen