Altenew Build-a-Flower: Japanese Mum Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello Folks! I'm SUPER excited to participate in this blog hop for the newest Bulid-a-Flower release from Altenew, the Japanese Mum! You may have come from the blog of the lovely Reiko Tsuchida, but if not feel free to start at the beginning on the Altenew Card Blog.

 

I cannot even describe how much I LOVE the whole Build-a-Flower concept! I know coloring in all forms (pencils, markers, watercolor, etc.) is super popular now, but sometimes you're looking for a fool-proof way to have a colored flower without having to think about what to shade, where to shade, how to shade, how many different colors to use, etc. Not only do these Build-a-Flowers take all the guesswork out of coloring your flower, but once you have it all set up you can easily stamp many of these in a row, allowing you to show off nice, full bouquets of multiple flowers on your card.

Here's how I get the layers to line up perfectly ...

I start by penciling two perpendicular lines on a sheet of copy paper. Then I place the first layering stamp in the middle. I use a straight edge and an ultra fine tip permanent marker to make the same perpendicular lines on the back of the stamp, adding an arrow at the top so I know which direction to line the stamp up. Then I ink it up and stamp this first layer, taking care to make sure both lines match up.

I repeat the same process with the remaining layers.

For each new layer I carefully line it up on the stamped image, using this layering guide (also on the back of the package) as a reference.

Once I'm happy that it's in the correct place, I make two perpendicular lines on the back of the stamp (with the arrow pointing to the top) and stamp.

Now I'm ready to stamp multiple flowers! All I need to do is draw the two perpendicular lines on my cardstock and then line each stamp up.

I made a set of cards with three flowers, one of which I mounted on foam tape for some dimension. The leaves are not as involved, so I didn't bother making guidelines on those stamps. I just eyeballed the layers.

The background panel was made with one of my top two most-used stencils: Feeling Dotty. I sprayed some Antique Gold Metallic Ink Spray (which is on sale now!) through the stencil which was loosely laid over the paper. This allowed some of the bigger drops to puddle through, giving it it a less precise look. Having the gold metallic throughout the card really gives it a nice sparkle.

In the middle of the main mum I added pink sequins for some extra sparkle

For this card I just used three of the same colored flowers ... all picked from the same bush : )

The sentiments that I embossed in white on the black cardstock are from the Scribbled Flowers stamp set. Looking at all the mums in this photo reminds me how much I love the ease of getting perfectly lined up layers once I add my guidelines to the stamps.

One more card, this one started with my perpendicular lines right in the middle of the card base. Once I built up the layers in the center floral I got out my other most-used stencil: Elegant Swirls. With a circle placed over the Mum, I blended ink through the stencil, and then directly onto the card. This left a nice white circle, or "O" around the Mum.

I thought this would be the perfect Mother's Day card if I made the MUM into a "MOM" : ) Having large letters like the Classic Alphabet Dies would be ideal, but if you don't have those then just try the letters yourself with a marker!

Finished off with a sentiment from Scribbled Flowers across the design.

All this fun and I only used a few shades of pink for the mums. Can't wait to try out some different color combinations!

Subscription Plan
There is now a monthly subscription plan for the Build-A-Flower sets! When signed up, you are guaranteed a spot in the monthly Build-A-Flower releases (which often sell out) and will receive the stamp and coordinating die set at a specially discounted price ($35.00 →$29.99). See the Altenew site for further details.
 
Prizes:

To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $30 gift certificate to 6 lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or Altenew Scrapbook Blog for a chance to win. Three winners will be announced on the Card Blog, and other three winners will be announced on the Scrapbook Blog on 2/9/2019.

My Giveaway:

The folks at Altenew have also generously provided a $20 gift certificate for one lucky follower/commenter on my blog! To be eligible, please 1) follow my blog and 2) leave a comment on this post before February 6th, 2019. I will announce the lucky winner on my blog on the 6th.

Your next stop on this hop is the Altenew Scrapbook Blog

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Enjoy all the wonderful inspiration from these amazing crafters!

Kelly


At no cost to you, affiliate links may be used.

If you get lost along the way, here is a complete list of the hop:

Altenew Card Blog 
Vicky Papaioannou 
Virginia Lu 
Kristina Pokazanieva

Zinia Redo

Rubeena Ianigro

Patricia Roebuck

Erum Tasneem 
Laura Jane
Reiko Tsuchida

Kelly Griglione <---you are here!

Altenew Scrapbook Blog

Laurie Willison

Seeka

Therese Calvird

Gayatri Murali

Emily Midgett

Svitlana Shayevich