Altenew Educator - Last Minute Holiday Cards

Hello everyone!  I am back today with a few cards from my most recent class at Altenew - "Last Minute Holiday Cards" taught by Julia Alterman.  I have three different cards for you today!

One of the things Julia talked about the first day is how to go from very simple to very elegant by just making a few changes in your card.  She also talked about using Holiday images from your stamp sets to make other types of cards, thereby stretching your stamping dollars for more than just a single occasion.  I have a Christmas Card, a Thank You card and a more fun and festive card for you to send to a friend today.  The first two were from Day 1 of class and the last one happened to be from the bonus day of class.  I was enchanted with the way Julia used a Holiday Stamp for another type of card and knew that I wanted to try this.  All three of my cards use the Altenew Majestic Mistletoe Stamp Set.

As you probably know, I really enjoy cards with a lot of "white" space for the most part.  That also makes for quicker cards if you keep it very simple.  Majestic Mistletoe happens to be one of my favorites for Holiday Cards and is now one that I will reach for to create other occasion cards as well, like those Thank You notes for all the Holiday gifts you received?  I used just four  Altenew Crisp Inks for the first two cards of this post.  I chose the Green Meadows collection and I have to say I really love how vibrant these colors are.  The only color I did not use from this collection was Minty Mint but I brought in a cardstock that was a good color match it to use for a part of my background panel.  The colors I did use are Sweet Leaf, Just Green and Hunter Green.  I actually stamped 6 panels since I had everything lined up in my MISTI and a small stack of A2 Panels sitting right there.  For this, I used my Original MISTI and set the first layer up on the far bottom left corner, then set the next layer up using the far right bottom corner.  For the first panel, after I stamped the first two layers, I rotated my cardstock 180 degrees and did it again.  That way I could cut the piece on the diagonal to create two different cards.

I wanted to dress them up a little so I stamped the third layer of the greenery and then stamped the berries in Ruby Red Ink.  I could have gone ahead and stamped in the detail layers for the berries, but I knew that I wanted to use some Nuvo Drops for the berries, so stamping in the color was just a guide for where to place the Nuvo Drops.  I used Tonic Jewel Drops in the color Rosewater.  I let that dry overnight and then added just a touch of white to the top of each berry for a highlight.

Next, I took the panel and cut it diagonally then attached it to a piece of Mint Cardstock. I wanted to add a strip of glitter, so using Scor-Tape, I adhered that along the diagonal line. Once it was adhered, I die cut it with a stitched rectangle die.  This one happens to be a die that has been discontinued but it is 4 1/8th by 5 3/8th inches which leaves a very narrow border all the way around your front panel. I did this for both of the pieces.

After die cutting, I removed the release paper from the Scor-Tape and sprinkled gold glitter all along that diagonal line, then burnished it in with my bone folder.  This created instant elegance on my card.  Then because I wanted to create a card for two different occasions, I die cut a large word from Gold Cardstock - "believe" and "Thanks".  For the Believe card, I also added a smaller sentiment along the bottom of where that die cut would go.  It's important to do the heat embossing before you apply the die cut to eliminate the possibility of damage to your die cut.  The cardstock I used on these has a light layer of plastic film on the top to protect it.  This works great if you get a dab of glue where you don't want it because a tiny bit of alcohol on a Q-Tip will remove it.  But not so well if you melt the plastic coating during the heat embossing process.  Go ahead, ask me how I know this. *Ü*

Simply add the die cut word to your card front, attach that to a card base and voila, you have a clean and elegant single layer card that's easy to mail. I''m not sure if I have ever mentioned it before, but working on an A2 panel serves two purposes; 1) if you mess up during the stamping then you only destroyed a panel rather than a whole card, and 2) for some reason this makes the card stand up easier.  I like to do top folding Tent cards so they can be displayed if desired.  This is an important concept if you happen to be a card maker.

My third card for today used the Sea Shore Mini Ink Cube Collection although I only used three of the colors; Volcano Lake, Lagoon and Emerald.  If you look carefully, you can see that the stamp I used for this was the same all the way around and is also from the Majestic Mistletoe Stamp Set.  It is the top detail layer stamped all the way around using a mask to protect the center of the card.    Since I was planning to cover my circle area with the Teal Cardstock, I didn't have to use a mask, but if I had wanted to pop the circles up on foam tape, it would have been important to me for it to look cleanly stamped all the way around.

Julia did this card in a rainbow for the Bonus Lesson of this class and I just love it.  I'm planning to make a few larger cards for some upcoming birthdays that I will mail in a 5x7 envelope.  I learned a lot about looking at other ways to use a single stamp set in this class and really enjoyed it very much.

The sentiment for this last card is from the Gina K Designs All About You Stamp Set.  I stamped it with Versamark and heat set it with Antique Gold Embossing Powder.  The little hearts are from an older die from Simon Says Stamp called Mini Hearts.  There are three different hearts in three sizes each on this die and it's one I used to use a lot and will again now that it is back on my desk.

Thank you so much for stopping by today to see my projects.  I always appreciate it when you do.  I have just a few more classes now so I'll be back in a day or two with my next project for my next class.  Be sure to stop back by and check it out!

ETA:  I just had to try this last technique on a larger format card and share it with you as well!

And one more for your viewing pleasure.  Love these! 

Altenew Educator - Masking Unleashed

THIS POST HAS BEEN EDITED TO ADD CONTENT!

Hello everyone!  I am here today with my last project for the Altenew Educator Certification Program Level II Classes.  Once this is submitted I will be assigned my class project for my "final" exam.

My project for today uses very simple masking to create the look of a flower with a lot of foliage behind it.  I used Versamark to stamp and heat emboss all of the outline images in this set and that can get super tricky as your mask will leave some sticky residue on your image, so you must use lots of powder between each stamping to make sure your image stays nice and clean.  I also did mine on Arches Hot Pressed Watercolor Paper because it is smoother for heat embossing and stamping.

Because I have RA, I have a difficult time cutting masks by hand, so I kept my card very clean and simple so I only had to cut one mask for the bloom.  I love the bloom and the leaves in this set, so I still stamped the additional layers but after that was done I took a plain water brush and blended all the color around.  The leaves first and then the bloom.  It just makes it so the lines are softened out a bit and the color blends a bit more.  For my leaves, I used Sweet Leaf and Just Green Inks and the bloom was done in Rose Quartz and Pinkalicious which are all from Altenew.  I wanted something very soft for the bloom which is why I chose to blend everything out with a water brush.  It gives it the look of watercolor without the work.  I'm not very good with watercolor and I haven't had much time to practice this year, but I have a couple of classes that I plan to go back and revisit with the colder temperatures setting in.

I did not get a very good picture of my card this time before the sun moved (with the shorter daylight hours) into my window, so I apologize for the image quality this time around.  For a touch of sparkle, I added some Ballerina Pink sequins with some gems in the center and also some Tonic Nuvo Shimmer Pen to the bloom and leaves.

Thank you so much for stopping by today and checking out my project.  I hope you'll come back soon.  Wishing all of my American friends a very Happy Thanksgiving weekend.  I'm both dreading and excited to see what the Black Friday or Cyber Monday Sales bring to us this year.

I have sent about 80 Christmas Cards today and still have a few more to make to finish up for the season plus I have the Keeping Christmas Blog Hop and the Papertrey Ink Blog hop on the 25th so I'll be back soon with more projects for you to see.

*Edited 11/22/2018:  So after sitting on my desk for a few days, I decided I really needed more color and contrast in my focal image.  Using my stamping as a guideline, I went back in with my Pink Zig Clean Color Real Brush Marker and added some additional color and details to my water-brushed image.  I like this much better.  I would encourage you to try adding some color if you aren't satisfied with the way an image turns out.  In my case, the greens seemed very vibrant while the bloom was too soft and pastel to compete with the leaves.  I'm much happier with the way the bloom looks now.

Share Handmade Kindness

I'm participating in a month long event that was developed by and started yesterday over at the Jennifer McGuire, Ink blog.  I've mentioned before that she is my absolute favorite paper crafter to follow.  There are several bloggers that I like and follow, but Jennifer's style more closely matches my own and I also relate to her because, like me, she doesn't come from an art background.  Also like me, she started when she was making scrapbooks for her family.

The challenge is to make something (anything) by hand with love.  It could be dinner, dessert, cookies, taking photos, creating a scrapbook page or a card or just a handwritten note.  People just love to get "real" mail and for some of us, the joy is in creating those things.  I know I groan every time I see how much junk is in the mailbox and what a delight it is anytime I get something besides a bill or junk.

I have someone special that I want to reach out to for this challenge.  This person makes an impact on so many lives but she has no idea just how much!  I'm sending a card that I made to say thanks and to try and tell her how much she has impacted my life in a positive way.

I made this card with the same technique that I used to make the Audrey Blue Ornament Card. Using a piece of chipboard that came in a package of paper, I cut the heart out for my mask this time.  First I used a Mini Ink Blending Tool and Simon Says Stamp Thistle Ink to color in the heart.  I stamped the flourish in the heart and heat embossed it using WOW! White Pearl Embossing Powder. Since my ink was already down, it gave the flourish a tone on tone look.  I applied Versamark using a Mini Sponge Dauber all over the heart, then I used Interference Red Perfect Pearls over that.  A very light misting of water helps to set the Perfect Pearls. As you blend in the Perfect Pearls, the color looks different depending on what light is shining on it.  The Interference Red gets a beautiful kind of rose colored shimmer in the right light and I like that it changes as the light does. I wanted to make the heart seem like an ornament, so I used the ornament topper die from another set.  I wasn't sure it would work, but it was perfect.  I ran the rose colored ribbon through that ornament topper to make it look like it was hanging.

I used the Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangles in the largest size to cut the background panel and then the next largest for the card front panel and tucked the ribbon behind the background panel with a couple of glue dots.  Then I cut and added my sentiment.  This is my favorite "thanks" die from Mama Elephant cut from the same Bazzill Marshmallow as the front panel for a perfect match.  I cut all the little hearts in some Creative Memories Thistle colored paper that I had also added the Interference Red Perfect Pearls to using the Simon Says Stamp Holiday Shapes Hearts and Stars die and the Simon Says Stamp Large Holiday Shapes Hearts and Stars die.  Those two die sets give you 8 different sizes of each shape and are something I use frequently.   Once I had everything assembled I added the hearts to my card front using Ranger Multi Medium Matte.  For my final touch I gave all of the hearts a coat of Ranger Glossy Accents to give the hearts a little dimension, then set it aside to dry for a couple of hours.

I hope some of you who are reading this will go check out Jennifer McGuire Ink (link on the right hand side) and join in the Share Handmade Kindness Challenge.

Audrey Blue

I love Audrey Hepburn.  I think she had style and class that not many could equal.  In fact, the only other person who comes to mind is Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.  I have no idea if the Simon Says Stamp Ink and Card Stock were selected with Audrey Hepburn and Tiffany & Co. Jewelers in mind, but that is immediately where my mind goes whenever I hear this name.  It is a gorgeous shade of blue and Simon Says Stamp has captured my undying loyalty to this color.

Even though I have all the Stampin' Up! ink colors that were available when I bought mine a few years back, I loved the Audrey Blue Card Stock that I bought to make my grandson's wedding card so much that I gave in and bought this ink pad and a few others of the Simon Says Stamp Ink collection this past week.  So far I have not been disappointed.  I find these ink pads to be very "juicy" and easy to use for Ink Blending.

The technique I am using today is called "Pearlized Blending".  I'm participating in a challenge over at Papertrey, Ink Blog where I learned this technique.  I'll also enter this over at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge for "Anything Goes".  I still have a number of Christmas Cards to make and I'm pretty sure this one will get made several times and in several colors.

I started by cutting a 4.25 x 5.5 mask from some pretty heavy chipboard that came out of a package of paper.  I lined up my ornament die in this mask and cut that shape out. I used Post-It Tape to cover my white cardstock panel with the mask.  Using a stamp from the Baroque Motifs Stamp set by SU!, I stamped part of that image as a design on my ornament.  I heat set that using a White Pearl Embossing Powder from WOW!.

Next I used a Tim Holtz Mini Ink Blending Tool with my Simon Says Stamp Audrey Blue Ink and worked the color into the ornament shaped opening of the mask.  Once I had the color on, I went over that with some Versamark using a sponge dauber.  Using a soft paint brush, I took my Perfect Pearls Pigment Powder and dusted the image with that.  After Brushing off the excess,  I polished up the ornament with a clean dry paper towel.  This left a beautiful shimmer on my ornament.  I looped some sheer narrow ribbon through the top piece of my ornament to make it appear to be hanging.

I cut the sentiment in silver foil card stock using a scrap from a set of dies that I bought last winter from Papertrey, Ink.  Then I assembled my card.  The background panel is cut from Simon Says Stamp Audrey Blue Card Stock using the Stitched Rectangles Die.  The paper was treat with some Tattered Angels Dazzling Diamonds Spray before I cut it.  This is another of Simon's great 100# solid color card stocks.  Next I cut the ornament panel with the next size down of the Stitched Rectangle Dies.  I adhered those two pieces then pulled the ends of the ribbon over the top of the background panel and attached them with a glue dot on the back since it wouldn't show once I assembled my card.

Finally I adhered my sentiment using Ranger Multi Medium Matte.  Like Audrey Hepburn, I think this card is simply elegant and classy.  I hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know you visited.

Trick or Treat

Today I set out to create a Halloween Card for 3 of my favorite little boys using the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge as my color inspiration.  Their Momma loves Halloween and I know she will also enjoy this card.  I tried some new techniques that I've seen done but hadn't ever tried myself.  I will definitely try this masking technique again.

I took a 4 x 5.5 inch water color card stock and planned out my scene.  Next I used a piece of 2 inch wide Post-It Tape to create the landscape.  I have found Post-It tape to be a great resource for masking etc. and I use the pieces over and over again with my die cuts until it will not stick even one more time.  I just did a free hand cut with a couple of swells to mimic a hilly ground.  I saved the top part of the Post -It Tape for when I needed a mask so I could ink up the grassy part.  I cut a good sized circle out of a piece of card stock and adhered it using temporary adhesive where I wanted my moon to appear on the panel. Using a Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool with Night of Navy, I went in a circular motion beginning at the top of the panel to lay some ink down.  I wanted the sky to be lighter at the top and darker near the ground.  As I moved towards the center of the panel I continued with the Night of Navy and then to deepen the intensity, I added Elegant Eggplant over the top.  This gave me the night sky I was seeking.

Next, I removed the lower mask and pulled out the top part to mask the sky I had just made.  I took my time and lined it up carefully.  I used Garden Green to color in the grassy area and added a bit of Night of Navy over the green to make it darker just as it would be in the night sky.  Next, I removed the mask from the moon, inked up the bare tree from the Sheltering Tree SU! set using Versamark then heat set it using Ranger Super Fine Detail Black Embossing Powder.  I cut three very small ovals to make up the pumpkin and added a leaf from something I had previously cut.  I heat embossed the greeting in Ranger Opaque White Embossing Powder on a strip of black card stock and cut the swallow tail ends on the left side.  I attached that using foam squares for a bit of dimension.  That panel was attached to a mat of Eggplant card stock and then onto an A2 white card base.

When I was finished, I remembered a Wrought Iron Fence Die that I've had for quite a while.  It never seems to be the right size, but it was absolutely perfect for this card.

That's it for today.  For not having any Halloween type stamps sets (only the greeting) I think this card turned out very well.  Please feel free to comment or ask any questions you may have.  Have a great rest of the weekend!