Monday, February 26, 2018

Altenew Build-A-Flower Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello everyone!
I'm so happy and excited to be a part of today's Altenew Build-A-Flower Anniversary Blog Hop! You should have arrived here from the talented, Svitlana Shayevich's blog. If you're starting the hop from my blog, then no worries. I have the full blog hop list at the end of my post. 

I have two projects to share today, I made using the Altenew Build-A-Flower Peony Blossom set.


To create my card, I first stamped the solid image of the flowers from the Peony Blossom set on Neenah Solar White Classic Crest 110lbs cardstock using Lagoon ink. I then stamped the second layer of the flower, which was the detailed layer, using Volcano Lake ink and they were then die cut using the coordinating die.

I wanted to give the flowers a 3D look, so I embossed all the petals using an embossing ball tool. I layered two die cuts together to create one flower. The centres of the flowers were die cut out of white cardstock and then colored green using Bamboo ink.

The green leaves are also from the Peony Blossom set which were stamped on white cardstock using inks from the Tropical Forest collection. I also added some small fillers which were die cut from the Altenew Create A-Wreath die set out of silver glitter paper. I added some enamel dots on them to make them look like berries :) The small floral bunch on the right is from the Altenew Build-A-Flower Rose set and was stamped in black on white cardstock, die cut, and then colored using teal brush markers. 

The sending is a part of a sentiment stamp from the Altenew Adore You set, while the love die is from the Altenew Script Words die set. I die-cut the word thrice out of black cardstock, and layered one on top of the other, to give it a raised look.

I die cut the Cube Cover die to create the background for my card. I did some grey ink blending on the background using inks from the Rock collection. I matted the cube cover plate die cut over the grey background, and then finally matted that over some silver glitter paper to complete my card.


My next project is a small gift box. I wanted to create some Foamiran flowers using this die set and was really happy with the results. (In case you're wondering what Foamiran is, it's a very thin sheet of foam, generally 0.6 mm or 0.8 mm and comes in a wide variety of colors. They are extremely malleable and once heat set, retain their shape). I cut the Peony Blossom die out of White Foamiran sheets and inked them using Altenew Puffy Heart and Pinkalicious inks. I then heat embossed and curled the petals to give it the shape of a rose.

I made three roses, all in the same way and layered them together to create a cluster on my gift box. For the foliage, I used the Create-A-Wreath set again, which was cut out of silver glitter cardstock. I added enamel dots in teal and blue on the branches, just like I did in my card above. The green leaves are from the Peony Blossom set, and were stamped on white cardstock using inks from the Tropical Forest collection, and then die cut using the coordinating die.

The sentiment is from the Altenew Sketchy Floral set. I added few enamel dots and clear droplets to embellish my gift box.


Now for the most exciting part  - GIVEAWAYS! This time Altenew has two big giveaways.

Altenew Giveaway 1
Altenew is giving away a $30 gift certificate to six lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or Altenew Scrapbook Blog by Friday, March 2nd for a chance to win. Six winners will be announced on the Altenew blogs on 3/4/2018.
Altenew Giveaway 2
Place an order from the Build-A-Flower Collection from 2/26/2018 until 3/2/2018, and you will automatically be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a big prize! One lucky winner will be chosen to win a prize pack valued at over $120 including one Original MISTI stamping tool, Artist Markers Set C, and Soft Pastel 6 Mini Cube Set. No minimum purchase needed! A winner will be announced on March 4th on the Altenew Blogs.


Additional Giveaway:
I will also be giving away a $20 gift certificate to the Altenew store. For your chance to win, simply leave a comment below. I will announce the winner on my blog on March 2nd, 2018.

Blog Hop Order:
The next stop on the hop is Donna Mikasa's blog.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Spellbinders Blog Hop Winner

Hello everyone!
I'm here to announce the winner of the $25 gift certificate from the Spellbinders 19th February Blog Hop. Thank you so much for leaving such lovely comments on my cards. They always bring a big smile to my face :)

I used random.org for selecting the winner.



The lucky winner is 
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Congratulations to you, Sharada! Please e-mail Spellbinders at socialmedia@spellbinders.us with the subject line Spellbinders February 2018 Blog Hop Winner from Hussena's blog to claim your certificate.


Thank you once again, everyone.

Monday, February 19, 2018

Spellbinders February 19th Blog Hop

Hello everyone!
I am really excited and honored to be a part of the Spellbinders hop today. You must have come here from the super talented, Vanessa Menhorn's blog. If not, I do have the full blog hop list at the end of the post, so you can start from the beginning.

I will be showcasing the range of Die D-Lites by Spellbinders. These dies are the cutest, and I loved creating with them. I have a total of three cards to share today, so let's get started :)


For my first card, I used the Dainty Florals Etched dies. This set comprises of three different floral dies, and I decided to do some inlaid die-cutting with them.

I die cut the floral image four times out of some black textured cardstock, and Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110 lbs cardstock. I colored the white die cuts using different inks.

The yellow panel was made by taking my Distress Oxide ink pad and directly smooshing it on the paper. This is how I got the gradient on the panel. (The darkest to the lightest color)

To add some texture to my card, I scored the black panel using my Score Board and created the vertical lines. I then added some paint splatters, sequins, and a sentiment to complete my card.


My next card, is my personal favorite as I love creating my own handmade flowers.  I have used the Lady Bug Garden Etched dies for this card. I started by doing some stenciling on my card panel using White Embossing paste and a stencil.

Next, I created the flowers and foliage. They were cut using the small flower die from the set. I die cut, watercolored, and then embossed them to give a 3D look. I did the same for the leaves.

The tiny buds were made by snipping off one petal from the flower, and then embossing and rolling it to give it the shape of a bud. The centres of the flowers were hand painted by me.

I also added a gold oval frame to compliment my floral arrangement. For the finishing touches, I added some sequins and black paint splatters.


My third card is pretty simple and I used the Picket Fence Etched dies and Lady Bug Etched dies on this card.

I started by die-cutting the fence, grass and tulips out of some Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110 lbs cardstock. I colored the tulips and grass using markers, and kept the fence white to balance the colors.

I created a little scene on my card front by inking the background using Distress Oxides and Distress inks, as well as, stamping and fussy-cutting the grey houses.  I popped the tulips and the white square frame on some foam tape for dimension. Finally added a sentiment to complete my card.


Now for the exciting part - GIVEAWAYS!
To celebrate this release, Spellbinders is giving away a $50 gift certificate to THREE lucky winners. Please leave a comment on Spellbinders blog by Wednesday, February 21st 11:59 pm EDT for a chance to win. The winners will be announced in the blog hop post on Spellbinders blog the following day.

Additional Giveaway:
I am also giving away a $25 gift certificate to Spellbinders blog. For your chance to win, please leave a comment below telling me which card is your favourite. I will announce the winner on my blog on 21st February.

Next stop on the blog hop is Rebecca Luminarias's blog. Click HERE to go to her blog.

Here's the full blog hop list incase you have missed any blog or are starting from my blog.


Thank you so much for taking out time and visiting my blog. I truly appreciate it!

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Congratulations | Card

Hello friends,
I have a card to share today which I made to participate in this month's Altenew challenge hosted by the incredibly talented, Erum. The colors and inspiration for this month are absolutely gorgeous, and here's my take on it :



To create this card, I have used the Rose Flurries 3D Die Set dies, and for the background, I have used the  Watercolor Stripes Cover die to emboss my card panel rather than die cut it. As you can see, the results are just as amazing :)

I first die cut a bunch of roses and leaves from the Rose Flurries 3D Die Set dies from some watercolor cardstock and did watercoloring on each layer using Altenew inks.

Since Altenew inks come in color family shades, this made my work really easy. I am listing all the ink shades I used - for the shades of pink, I used Cherry Blossom Mini Cube Set, for the yellows, I have used Pocketful of Sunshine Mini Cube Set, for the orange, I have used Warm & Cozy Mini Cube Set, and for the greens, I have used my all-time favorite green ink Tropical Forest Mini Cube Set.

This card is pretty simple to put together and I really loved using the layered dies to create this.

Linking my card to the Altenew 2018 Inspiration challenge.

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. I would love to hear what you think of my card :)

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Altenew January 2018 Release Blog Hop | Winner

Hello everyone,
I'm here to announce the winner of the $30 gift certificate from the Altenew January 2018 Release Blog Hop. Thank you so much for the AMAZING response to my projects and leaving me such lovely and encouraging comments. I totally loved this release and am super glad to know you did, too!

I received a total of 188 comments and I used random.org for selecting the winner.



The lucky winner is 
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Yay! Congratulations to you, Shylaa Shree! Please e-mail Altenew at winner@altenew.com with the subject line Altenew January Release Blog Hop Winner from Hussena's blog to claim your certificate.


Thank you so much, once again everyone! I'll be having more giveaways in future so stay tuned.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Altenew January 2018 Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello friends,
I'm super excited to be a part of the Altenew January 2018 Release Blog Hop. Altenew is releasing a fabulous new range of dies this month which you wouldn't want to miss. If you have arrived here from Justine Hovey's blog, then you're on the right track. I am the last stop on this hop :)

I have a LOT of projects to share today, so let's get started :


Card 1

I have used the fabulous, new, Peony Dream 3D Die set on this card. If you have been following my work for a while now, you must be knowing that layered florals are my all-time favorite and I was really excited when Altenew sent me these layered floral dies. They are absolutely brilliant to work with!

I cut the Peony Dream die set out of five different shades of pink textured cardstock to create my flower and two different shades of green cardstock for the leaves. I also used the new Cube Cover Die Set on this card. Instead of die-cutting it, I simply used my Tan Mat so as to get an embossed impression of the die. I love how it looks. What do you think?

I then assembled the flower and the foliage to create a floral cluster. The small filler flowers are die-cut from the Rose Flurries 3D Die set while the additional foliage is from the Create-A-Wreath Die set. The sentiment was heat-embossed in white on black cardstock and is from the Altenew Painted Butterflies set. I also added black paint splatters to finish off my card.


Card 2
For this card, I used another layered floral die called the Rose Flurries 3D Die Set. This is a very intricate and detailed die set and there are a LOT of flowers and leaves included in this set. 

I decided to create my own custom-colored cardstock, by coloring the die-cut pieces using Altenew Dye Inks. I inked each of the flowers using the inks from the Cherry Blossom set and then stacked them together to create the complete flower. 

The leaves were created the same way. I used the Altenew Tropical ink set to color them. For my background, I die-cut the Watercolor Stripes Cover die out of white cardstock and colored it lightly using Altenew Sea Shore inks. I have created an ombre look from bottom to top.

The sentiment is from the Altenew Sketchy Floral stamp and was stamped on white cardstock. I added few enamel dots and black paint splatters to complete my card.


Card 3 

This card is one of my personal favorites, but the photographs don't do justice to it. I love the soft shabby-chic look of the creams and the pinks combined with the background lace.

To start with, I die-cut the Creative Edges: Lace die out of cream cardstock. I aligned the die to create a double-sided border as the scalloped side is the one which cuts when it's run through your die-cutting machine. I die-cut these laces twice to add to the bottom of my card.

Next, I die-cut the oval frame from the Create-A-Wreath set out of gold foil cardstock. The leaves are from the Rose Flurries 3D Die set while the delicate foliage is from the Create-A-Wreath set again. The florals used here are from one of the most favorite stamp sets from Altenew called the Vintage Roses. They were stamped on white cardstock using the Red Cosmos inks and then die-cut using the coordinating dies.

I assembled everything together. The flowers and frame are popped using foam dots for dimension. The love die-cut is from the Altenew Script Words die set. I have tried to give it a pink ombre look and offset it with gold foil cardstock to give it some interest. The 'sending' sentiment has been heat embossed in white on black cardstock and is from an Altenew stamp set.


Card 4 

I have used the Altenew Caps Bold Alphabet die set to create this card. The letters HAPPY were cut out of white cardstock and then lightly inked on the bottom using the Altenew Frosty Pink ink.

The flowers are from the Altenew Rose Flurries 3D Die set. This time, I used the Inlaid Die-Cutting technique for the flower on the left as I wanted to give the die-cut letters the proper dimension. The roses and the leaves were cut out of colored cardstocks and then layered.

I die-cut the letters using White Foam to give them some dimension. You can see it clearly in the picture below.

The word anniversary is from the Altenew Vintage Roses stamp and has been heat embossed in white.

I added strips of black diagonal stripes to balance my card design. I also added few clear sequins to complete my card.


Now moving on to my last two projects. I have made a Bag and Tag using the new dies.  These dies are so versatile, I can't stop using it on all my projects, be it gifting options, be it cards, and much more.

On this bag, I have combined several dies together.

The flower has been created using the Rose Flurries 3D Die set. I have cut it out of different shades of dark pink textured cardstocks. The leaves were cut out of green textured cardstocks as well as ink blended using the Altenew Green Fields inks.

The foliage was cut using the Create-A-Wreath die set. I have added also some foliage cut using gold foil cardstock.

I used the Creative Edges: Lace die to make my own custom top of the bag as well as to add a die-cut strip on the bottom of the bag. I think it looks very elegant and pretty :)


I have used the Rose Flurries 3D Flower set again here. I think you can tell by now that this die is my absolute favorite from this release :D

I have also added few light inked brown laces using the Creative Edges: Lace to the tag. The foliage and leaves are from the Create-A-Wreath and Rose Flurries set. The tag has been cut using the negative of the Create-A-Wreath circle die.

The top-most layer of the flower is cut out of gold foil cardstock.

A closer-look at the tag!


Lastly, I would like to share a small organization tip for the Altenew Rose Flurries 3D Die set. When you receive the package, all the dies will come joined together in one piece and you will have to separate them using scissors or metal snips.

Since this is a multi-layered floral die set with a lot of elements in it (five different types of flowers and three different types of leaves), it may at first feel a bit confusing as to which flower layers with which, so it's better to separate them in individual zip lock bags by the flower type and label the zip lock bags. You can do the same for the leaves too. This will save you a lot of time later when you sit down to create projects using this die set.

I am sharing a picture below to help you understand what I mean.


Prizes:
To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to SIX lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and Altenew Scrapbook Blog by Monday, January 15th for a chance to win. Six winners will be announced on the Altenew blogs on 1/17/2018.

Optional Giveaway:
Altenew has very generously offered me to giveaway a $30 gift certificate to one of my lovely readers. To be eligible to win, please leave a comment here on my blog by Sunday, January 14th. I will announce the winner on my blog on Tuesday, January 16th.

Blog Hop Order:
I am the last stop on this hop. Incase, you are starting from my blog, then your next stop is the Altenew Card Blog

Friday, January 5, 2018

Altenew | A Year in Review Blog Hop Winner

Hello everyone!
I'm here to announce the winner of the $20 gift certificate from the Altenew: A Year in Review Blog HopA big thank you to everyone who took out time and left me a comment. I loved reading each and every one!

I received a total of 73 comments and I used random.org for selecting the winner.



The lucky winner is 
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Yay! Congratulations to you, Karthikha. Please e-mail Altenew at winner@altenew.com with the subject line Altenew A Year in Review Blog Hop Winner from Hussena's blog to claim your certificate.


Thank you so much, once again everyone! I'll be having more giveaways in future so stay tuned.