Hi crafty friends! Thank you so much for joining us on the Altenew Stand Alone Die and Stencil release blog hop. You should have gotten here from Amber Rain Davis blog.

You can find the full hop list just below the supply links at the end of this post. We've got lots of inspiration for you today and I'd love to just jump right in to a couple projects that I've created with some of the new products available today.

My first project features the brand new Open Bloom layering die. I have to admit that this is a fast favorite of mine. The detail of this blooming flower comes together so beautifully as the colors of each layer adds more dimension. For these blooms on this card I decided to use the Red Cosmos card stock gradient pack, but I skipped the third color because I wanted a more muted color palette with darker shadows.

To create a background for these florals I ink blended a light layer of Ocean Wave ink from the center out to form a vignette around the edge of the card.  This helps to draw attention to the center of the card from which will then pull the eyes up and down the length of the card with the stems for the flowers. By using a simple one layer sentiment, the focus can stay on the images on the card which is especially great with a layered die cut card. 

My next card features the beautiful Fancy For You Die and Dotted Starburst Die, which is an embossed design background die. These embossing background dies are so great to add lots of design and interest into a card without adding color or layers. It's great for when you want a beautiful outcome but still keeping simplicity.

I decided to use a bright color for my card front since I'd be keeping this card very simple. For contrast with the pink color I used a fresh white card stock to cut the Fancy For You die, and did so 4 times to stack on top of one another to create a chipboard sentiment for dimension. Just to add a little more individuality I curved the sentiment stamp "Here for you always" just under one of the flourishes. It didn't turn out perfectly, but sometimes aspects of my designs don't and its something that I've learned (still learning) to accept. 

Thank you again for stopping by today! I hope that you'll continue hopping along and leaving comments for your chance to win. Your next stop on the hop is the incredible LauraJane.

 You can find the full hop list below the supply links. I'll see you again real soon!

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for joining me today on the Pinkfresh Background Stamp blog hop. I am so in love with all of these stamps and I know that you've been getting lots of inspiration from our team and guests while on the hop so I'm just going to 'hop' (ha!) right into my project for today.

Today I'm using the Floral Diamond background stamp to create this spring-y/Easter type card. I love how the pattern adds so much to the design without taking away from the main image, which in this case is the gorgeous, large lettered sentiment from the No One Compares To You stamp set. The center oval shape is die cut with the largest of the Braided Oval die set and give a fun, subtle egg shape and Easter look to the card.

Pinkfresh is giving away $25 on each stop along the hop. Just be sure to comment here and on every stop for the most chances to win! The winner will be announced on the Pinkfresh giveaway page on February, 24th.

I used gold embossing powder for both the sentiment and background stamp. To add a little more color I used Sparkling Rose ink to blend outward from the oval die cut. I also decided to turn this into a fun shaker card with some of my favorite colors of the Pinkfresh jewels, just to add a little more sparkle and color in there. 

I hope that you've gotten some inspiration for the Floral Diamond background stamp from the newest Pinkfresh release. I'd love to know your favorite from this bundle! Again, be sure to leave a comment and keep hopping along for your chance to win and more inspiration! You can find the full hop list just below the supply links.

BLOG HOP LIST LINKS: https://fresh.inlinkz.com/party/3dd19223453945fea56003279f8b4761

Hello, there! Thank you so much for coming to my stop on the Altenew release blog hop for February 2020. I'm so excited to introduce you to some of the new stamps and dies available this month, but I'm most exited for the brand new Artist's Watercolor palette. Before we get started on some of the projects I created, I'd love to share this video showing how I create custom swatch guides for my watercolor palettes and why I rank this among my top tips for improving your watercoloring skills.

I love creating these charts to get to know the formula better, which enables me to have a better idea of how to go about creating the correct hues and consistency of each pigment I'll use.

Here is a project I created using the new Artist Watercolor palette. I love the way these pigments blend out seamlessly and build to create thicker or more transparent colors. This stamp set is also a new release this month called the New Beginnings stamp set. I love the detail of the florals included in this set and they are a great size for adding several florals to a card front. I paired it here with the Versatile Vases stamp set for a pretty arranged bouquet design. 

Another of my favorite sets from the release is a layered set called Watercolor Blooms. The loose layers make it simple to create these watercolored designs with no painting at all. It has coordinating dies that allow for simple arrangements, like the open wreath as seen in the project above.

Thank you, again, for stopping by my blog today! Don't forget to leave a comment on each stop along the hop for your chance to win $50 to Altenew. Your next stop on the hop is the incredible Jennifer McGuire.

You can find the full hop list just below the product links. Using my affiliate links helps to support my blog and youtube channel at no cost to you. It is always appreciated!

Hello crafty people! I'm so excited to be sharing some inspiration from the newest Waffle Flower release with you today. Before we get started, please remember to leave a comment on each stop along this blog hop for your chance to win $25 to the Ellen Hutson shop! Be sure to comment by February 18th at 11:59pm PST. The winner will be notified by email.

Today I'm sharing an example using the adorable new Little One stamp and die bundle. I have a few friends that are expecting, so I knew this set would be well used around here! In the set there are 7 individual babies, each with their own personalities and physical traits just to make the set THAT much cuter. There are also two elaborate frame designs with intricate dies that display the babies beautifully, like the one in my example. 

I chose this adorable baby with a bow as a card for a friend who's expecting a girl. I stamped the baby image in no-line ink to give a softer look, however, I will not lie, no-line coloring humans is HARD. This is not my first or second but my third attempt at coloring this baby. I first used Copic Markers to put down a base of smooth color and then went over it with some soft colored pencil coloring. On my first few attempts I tried to create more intricate shading but decided in the end that the more simple approach would work best for this image.

The swaddle on the stamp image is covered in polka dots but I decided to change the design to hearts with a white gel pen to add a little more individual style to the design.

For the greenery and floral frame I first stamped it in black ink using my MISTI and colored it in with Copic markers. Because I used my MISTI, I was able to re-ink and stamp the image again in Versamark ink and emboss it in gold embossing powder to add some more softness and a little bit of shine to the card. After die cutting the baby and floral frame out, I arranged all of the elements onto a piece of card stock cut to 3 3/4" by 5" and used a corner chomper to create rounded edges for a unique look. I chose a kraft card stock for my base because I thought it brought cohesion to the sketched look of the elements on the card.

Thank you so much for joining us today on this inspiration hop celebrating the newest Waffle Flower release! Be sure to continue hopping along and comment for your chance to win. Find the full hop list below the product links. You can find all of the links to the products below!

By making purchases through my affiliate links you help support my blog and youtube channel at no cost to you. It is so greatly appreciated!

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Hello everyone! Thank you, thank you for joining me today for my first hop as an Ellen Hutson Creative Ambassador! Today we're celebrating the brand new release from Avery Elle with this inspirational blog hop. Please follow along, be sure to comment, and check out the Avery Elle promo over at the Ellen Hutson shop. 

One random & lucky commenter will win $25 to the EH shop! To enter for a chance to win, make sure to leave comments at each stop along the hop! Comment before Thursday, February 13th at 11:59pm PST. Winner will be notified by email.

If you're familiar with my style at all (even for just a day) you'll know that I love white space and florals. All the florals, all the time. So I knew this would be a challenge for me, but when I saw this happy Unicorn I just knew I had to go for it. My 6 year old daughter is completely obsessed with anything unicorn at the moment, so this was a no brainer. 

I started by stamping the ferris wheel image onto the bottom left hand corner of a piece of 3 3/4" x 5" card stock. I decided to use a medium brown shade to stamp my images to give it a lighter, sketched look as oppose to how bold of an outline that a black ink would give. This looks a bit like a storybook page to me, so I continued with the theme and used bright, bold colors to draw attention to the different aspects of the image. 

First, I want to clarify that this awkward angle is brought to you by my sheer pride of at last pulling my glossy accents out from the deepest depths of my drawers. 

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's move on with the card details. To color, I first used Copic markers to create my shading and dimension, and then used Prismacolor colored pencils to add some texture and further shading. I also love the way the pencils add to the storybook look of my card. Because it's a Unicorn, and Unicorns are magical, I chose a purple color for my sky and simply blended that around the outer edges of the card front. It gives a great vignette and serves as an understated sky without taking away from my intended image.

Thank you again for stopping by today! As always, links for all of the products I used are below, as well as the link to the full Avery Elle release in the Ellen Hutson shop. Your next stop on our hop is the incredibly talented Michele Ferguson. You can find the entire hop list just below the supply list.

Using my affiliate links to make purchase helps me to support my blog and Youtube channel at no cost to you. It is SO appreciated when you use my links to shop. Thank you!

SUPPLY LIST

Hello, friends! Welcome to my first post as a part of the Ellen Hutson Creative Ambassador team. I'm so excited to be included in this group of extremely talented creators and I can't wait to share upcoming releases and inspiration with you all. For today, I'm focusing on one of my favorite sets from the Essentials by Ellen collection, the Mondo Wildflower stamp set. 

Ellen is known for releasing some of the most beautiful flowers in there Mondo floral sets, and this one may be my favorite. I love the feature of the three different types of flowers bunched together and the possibilities of colors for each of them. I chose some spring-y colors for my bouquet because I'm willing warmer weather into my life. Boston is frigid this time of year, so maybe if I speak it into existence, it will be so!

I first stamped the bouquet in Ink On 3's Fadeout No-Line ink and started no-line coloring with Copic markers. I originally wanted to do some watercoloring, but, I realized I am out of watercolor paper. So, that was it for that plan. Haha. Often my first thought for no-line coloring is watercolor but I'm glad I was pushed in the direction of Copic coloring here. I love the texture and vibrancy of the markers. As always, I start with my darkest shade at the base of the petal, then move up to my mid tone, and finish off with my lightest shade on the tips of the petals. Occasionally, I will add an even darker tone to the very base of the petals and in between where the petals touch, just to add some more depth and dimension to the flowers. 

To get this texture, I use a flicking motion upward from the base of the petal with each shade EXCEPT my lightest shade, which I flick downwards from the top of the petal. This leaves some small spaced of little to no saturation between colors which serve as great highlights, adding dimension and realism to the flower. After die cutting the bouquet out, I realized I wanted to add some more interest to my white card base so I pulled out my Braided Oval die from Pinkfresh Studio and used foam tape to pop that up from my A2 sized card base. I also popped my florals up with foam tape before adding my sentiment "What a gift, to see you grow". 

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope that you've gotten some inspiration for how you can use the Mono floral sets from Ellen Hutson. Links to all of the products used are below! I'll see you again soon!