holiday cards

Hello everyone and Welcome to the Altenew December 2018 Release Blog Hop! I’m so excited to join this hop!

You should have arrived from Lilith Eeckels. If not, you can start from the beginning at Altenew Card Blog.

Release

As always, there are lots of great products to pick from – new stamp sets, coordinating die! There are some absolute Must-Haves here!

Check out the entire new release here!

Projects

I’ve made 12 cards for you! I love different styles and techniques in card making and I like to use one product in different ways. So, this blog post is a very long post as I was very inspired by the beautiful new products. Grab a cuppa & enjoy!

Also, I filmed a video for you showing all the cards and my coloring process from start to finish. I’m hoping you’ll enjoy it!

Love Letters Stamp & Die Bundle

Let’s start with Love Letters Stamp & Die Bundle. When pressed for time, you can create something quick with these easy ideas. To make these cards I focused on negative and positive die cutting. Every time we create a die cut we have a positive piece (the die cut we created) and a negative (something we usually throw away). This technique allows you to use your dies in a whole new way. I want to show you different ways you can use negative and positive die cutting.

This is the perfect bundle for creating Clean&Simple cards. My first card is a long card featuring repeated negative die cutting technique using Love Letters Die Set.

I watercolored a slim background panel with Altenew metallic ink sprays in following colors: Lagoon and Orange Cream. I then used the dies to create a unique negative die cut piece. I glued my panel onto a white card base, stamped a sentiment and finished off the card with some sequins.

The next card I made with the same way but to make it more interesting I created a shaker card.

This time to color my panel I used the following colors for a color combo: Puffy Heart and Orange Cream. I die cut the hearts in the colored panel (I kept some positive die cuts and glued it on the panel ), adhered a layer of clear acetate from the back of the negative panel, outlined the opening with thick foam squares, added sequins, closed that shut with another layer of acetate and adhered my shaker element onto a white card base.

My next card is completely white and I love the way it looks. I really wanted to keep this card simple so the focus would be on the background small panel.

For this card, I decided to add a little color. I love how it turned out!

I used two colors of  Zig markers to color in the panel (red and black).

Happy Valentines Day Card

Flower Vine Stamp & Die Bundle

I’ve become quite a fan of dark backgrounds and “long” cards! I know that most people are afraid of them. Now seems like dark backgrounds are becoming trendy. This trend came mostly with pencil coloring and heat embossing technique. Using black for a card base can add a lot of contrast to the otherwise simple card. I used Flower Vine Stamp & Die Bundle to make these cards.

The first card is my favorite. It looks simple but elegant!

I made a panel out of black cardstock and heat embossed the flowers in the middle of the panel using the Antique Gold Embossing Powder.  I then stamped a sentiment in black ink onto a white cardstock stripe. I used thin foam adhesive and foam mounted the sentiment stripe onto the background and added some clear drops.

For the next card I did very simple coloring.

 

I started by stamping the flowers onto black cardstock using clear inks and gold heat embossed.

After I was done, I used the coordinating dies with the Mini Blossom Die Cutting Machine to die cut the images. I foam mounted flowers and leaves on my black card panel and cut out the excess.

I popped up a sentiment, gold heat embossed on black cardstock. At last, I glued my panel onto a white card base and finished off the card with July Crystals.

The next card is a long card. I love non traditional card sizes recently.

I heat embossed a floral background in white pearl embossing powder on white cardstock. Next, I stamped, colored in and die-cut images out of the cardstock and arranged them onto my panel.

I colored the images with copic markers: R20, R22, V12, V15, V17, BG13, BG49. I stamped the sentiment and added s some clear drops.

Bed of Roses Stamp Set

My next card is a simple one-layer card featuring the basic technique – Stamping. The Bed of Roses stamp set is a perfect for this technique.

I stamped the images using the set of Altenew inks, stamped a sentiment and added some sequins.

Engagement Wishes Stamp & Die Bundle

I love playing with new sizes. It’s different, I have more room, so I made a long, dimensional card. Flowers from the new Engagement Wishes Stamp set are just gorgeous and I love how it turned out. The size of the card is 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches.

I started working on the card by gold heat embossing the beautiful rose and leaves from the stamp set in Altenew Antique Gold Embossing Powder  onto a white card stock. Next, I watercolored the images with Zig Markers.

I used the coordinating dies with the Mini Blossom Die Cutting Machine to die cut the images.

I then gold heat embossed the images onto a card panel and made blending various colors of Altenew inks: mountain mist and  pink diamond. I arranged all flowers and leaves on a long folded card base.

The sentiment is from the same set was stamped on white cardstock. I finished it off with some sequins.

Mega Greetings 3 Stamp & Die Bundle + Love Letters Die

Do you like to get your fingers inky with inks? 🙂 My next card is a card with bokeh background. This technique requires only inks and masks.

I started with masking off lower part of a piece of white card stock and creating a bokeh effect with Altenew inks and Love letters Die. I then stamped sentiment using black ink and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. I added some sequins.

Wispy Begonia Stamp Set

I decided to do some pencil coloring for a a simple floral card featuring Wispy Begonia Stamp Set. I went with this image because of its size and the amount of white or open space. Whenever I do pencil coloring I make sure that the image I pick for my coloring is large enough so that I can actually do some color blending.

I heat embossed the flowers and leaves in white pearl embossing powder on gray cardstock and colored each with colored pencils. Coloring process went rather quickly and I can’t say it took me longer than 30-40 minutes.

I popped up a sentiment. At last, I glued my panel onto a white card base and finished off the card with Midnight Blue Crystals.

Wispy Begonia Stamp Set + Mega Greetings 3 Stamp & Die Bundle

Finally, here is my last card featuring masking technique. I know for some card makers it seems intimidating, but it’s really not hard. It just takes a little bit more time, but totally worth it in the end. A detailed process of the card you can watch in my video below.

I used my “dots” coloring technique (also, check out this and this post if you are new to my blog).

Supplies

Below you will find links to the supplies used to create the projects. Click on the letters to go to a favorite store: Ellen Hutson (EH), Altenew (AN), Studio Katia (SK), Amazon (AZ). Where available I use compensated affiliate links. This means that I receive a small commission when products are purchased through links I share here (at no additional cost to you).  Thank you so much!

Bed of Roses Stamp Set Shop at: AN	Flower Vine Stamp Set Shop at: AN	Flower Vine Die Set Shop at: AN	Midnight Blue, Studio Katia Crystals Shop at: EH | SK	Ranger Archival Ink Pad, Jet Black Shop at: EH | AZ
Tonic Comfort 8.5 Inch Guillotine Paper Trimmer Shop at: EH | AZ	Tim Holtz Tonic Mini Snips Shop at: EH | AZ	Zig Art & Graphic Twin Tip Marker, Set of 84 Shop at: EH | AZ	Hero Arts Embossing Powder, White Shop at: EH | AZ	X-Press It High Tack Double-Sided Tape Shop at: EH | AZ
Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Cubes, Red Cosmos Shop at: AN | EH	Essentials By Ellen Cardstock Shop at: EH	Neenah Cardstock Shop at: EH | AZ	Ranger Emboss It Ink Pad Shop at: EH | AZ	Hero Arts Embossing Gun Shop at: EH | AZ
Ranger Ink Blending Tool Shop at: EH | AZ	Ranger Ink Blending Tool Replacement Foam Shop at: EH | AZ	Scrapbook Adhesives 3-D Foam Squares Shop at: EH | AZ	Studio Katia Confetti, Satin Rainbow Shop at: EH | SK	TONIC STUDIOS Tim Holtz Stamp Platform Shop at: AZ
Altenew inks. Sea Shore Shop at: EH	Studio Katia Clear Round Drops Shop at: EH | SK	Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue, 0.88 oz Shop at: EH | AZ	Altenew Ink Cubes, Cool Summer Night Shop at: AN | EH	Altenew Embossing Powder, Antique Gold Shop at: AN | EH
Be creative Tape Shop at: EH	Altenew Ink Cubes, Green Meadows Shop at: AN | EH	Mini Die Cutting Machine Shop at: AN	Powder Tool Adhesive Deactivator Shop at: EH | AZ	Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils Shop at: EH | AZ
Studio Katia Crystals, July Shop at: EH	Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock Shop at: EH	Puffy Heart Metallic Shimmer Ink Spray Shop at: AN	Orange Cream Metallic Shimmer Ink Spray Shop at: AN	Lagoon Metallic Shimmer Ink Spray Shop at: AN
WOW Embossing Powder, Super Fine – White Pearl Shop at: EH	Love Letters Stamp & Die Bundle Shop at: AN	Engagement Wishes Stamp Set Shop at: AN	Engagement Wishes Die Set Shop at: AN	Wispy Begonia Stamp Set Shop at: AN
Mega Greetings 3 Stamp Set Shop at: AN	Mega Love Die Shop at: AN

 

Your support

Thank you for spending time with me! I can’t even explain how thankful I am for all of you who keep coming to see my cards and leaving me lovely comments! I love that my cards can bring joy and inspire you.

If you enjoy my projects you see here, I would be so grateful if you would consider using the links/banners listed (click an link/banner) when you are heading off to shop, at no cost to you whatsoever. Your support helps me to keep bringing you new projects and videos. You can help me running this blog.

Thank you to all of you who support me!

Prizes

To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 6 lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or Altenew Scrapbook Blog by 12/18/2018 for a chance to win. 6 winners will be announced on the Altenew blogs on 12/22/2018.

Giveaway

I will also choose one lucky winner from comments left on this post who will receive a $30 gift certificate to Altenew online store. Please leave a comment on this post by 12/18/2018 for a chance to win. I will announce the winner on 12/18/2018.

Blog Hop

I hope you felt inspired today! The next stop on the hop is Sveta Fotinia

Check out the full list below:

• Altenew Card Blog
• Jennifer McGuire
• May Sukyong Park
• Kristina Pokazanieva
• Therese Calvird
• Zsoka Marko
• Zinia Redo
• Laura Jane
• Virginia Lu
• Kathleen Graumüller
• Erum Tasneem
• Laurie Willison
• Svitlana Shayevich
• Emily Midgett
• Lilith Eeckels
• Alex Syberia  ***YOU ARE HERE***
• Sveta Fotinia
• Kelly Janes
• Nicole Picadura
• Reiko Tsuchida
• Altenew Scrapbook Blog
• Vicky Papaioannou
• Rubeena Ianigro
• Olga Moss
• Sandra Dietrich
• Dana Gong
• Agnieszka Malyszek
• Norine Borys
• Amanda Korotkova
• Kymona Tracey
• Cynde Whitlow
• Lydia Evans
• Isha Gupta
• Enza Gudor
• Aya Elsheshtawy

I hope you enjoyed my cards as much as I enjoyed making them, please follow me: YouTube | Instagram | Pinterest

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Don’t forget to leave a comment for the giveaways!  Thanks so much for stopping by!