Altenew + The Daily Marker Watercolor Therapy Blog Hop & Giveaway

Hi Friends! I'm pleased to be joining the Altenew Watercolor Therapy Blog Hop, where the theme is to "color something daily, even if it's a few minutes." This is very similar to my new theme of "exercise something daily, even if it's a few minutes" hahaha. Quite a challenge for me. But, like exercising, if you stick with it, it's amazing how much better you get as the days and weeks go by!

We are super excited to participate with the one and only Kathy Racoosin in her legendary daily coloring challenge! Aside from being ridiculously talented, Kathy is a such a great motivator and cheerleader to so many of us crafters! Her heart is like gold : )

You may have come from Nina-Marie Trapani but if not feel free to start at the beginning with the Altenew Card Blog.

Statement Flowers Stamp Set

This card uses the new Statement Flowers set from the April release, which is just gorgeous, and PERFECT for practicing coloring methods. Here I've used the new 24 pan watercolor set to color these blooms.

One of Kathy Racoosin's famous tips is to darken the nooks and crannies. There might not be a lot of crannies in these flowers, but I really wanted to focus on the darkening aspect of this advice as it relates to the fuchsia. So whenever I thought I was done, I went back and added more fuchsia! I was really surprised with how intense the Altenew watercolors can get if you load your brush up. Definitely not the same results as when I was using my kids' school watercolor sets!

For the center I also concentrated on adding more color variety, and leaving some white space for contrast. It's subtle when you look at the whole card, but I like the extra interest it gives.

While focusing on adding more dark color to the card, I also wanted to focus on keeping more white on the card. So I guess you could say CONTRAST is what I was really trying for here : ) This has been a new concept for me ... not coloring to the edges of everything. I think it gives a more modern and loose vibe, and is a fun way to switch up your style.

The sentiment is from the newly released Sentiment Strips 2.

Even though I made these cards awhile ago, this one is still out on my desk because I love it so!

PRIZES

Altenew is giving away a $30 gift certificate to 6 lucky winners and Kathy from The Daily Maker is also giving away a goodie bag (worth $30) to 4 lucky winners. Please leave a comment here on the Altenew Card Blog by 5/6/2020 for a chance to win.

We’ll also draw a winner to receive a $15 gift certificate from the comments left on each designer’s blog on the blog hop list below. All winners will be announced on THIS POST on 5/9/2020.

Your next stop is the super talented Norine Borys!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
-Kelly

Supplies Used (affiliate links, thanks so much for your support!!)

Statement Flowers Stamp Set

Watercolor 24 Color Pan Set

Sentiment Strips 2

Mother's Day Cards Colored Inside and Out with the Essentials by Ellen Leading Ladies

Hi Friends! Wanted to let you know I have a Mother's Day card post on the Ellen Hutson blog today! I'm featuring four different cards made with the Essentials by Ellen Leading Ladies sets.

 

Two of them are colored inside the lines, and two of them are colored outside the lines, for something a little different. If you'd like to see more, head to the blog post where I share tips for each one!

Thanks so much for stopping by : )

Kelly

Supplies Used (including affiliate links, thanks for your support!)

Leading Ladies - Teacher Lady By Brandi Kincaid, Essentials By Ellen Clear Stamps Leading Ladies - Teacher Lady By Brandi Kincaid, Essentials By Ellen Designer Dies Leading Ladies - Grand Lady by Brandi Kincaid, Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps Leading Ladies - Grand Lady by Brandi Kincaid, Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies Leading Ladies - Cat Lady by Brandi Kincaid, Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps Leading Ladies - Little Lady By Brandi Kincaid, Essentials By Ellen Clear Stamps Leading Ladies - Hot Mess Lady By Brandi Kincaid, Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps Totally Random Sayings Vol. 3 by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps That Thing You Did, Essentials By Ellen Clear Stamps Winterscapes by Julie Ebersole, Essentials By Ellen Clear Stamps Wonky Backdrops By Julie Ebersole, Essentials By Ellen Clear Stamps Clouds, Essentials By Ellen Designer Dies Classic Block Alpha by Julie Ebersole, Essentials By Ellen Designer Dies Black Jack, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad Aquatini, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad Lemongrass, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad Tiki Torch, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad Samba, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad Uni-ball Impact Gel Pen, White Gold, Coats Metallic Thread Bluish Gold, Gansai Tambi Single Color

A Quick Mother's Day Card for Grandma - Essentials by Ellen

Hi Friends! Mother's Day this year is certainly going to look different for many families compared to prior years. Even if you're not under some sort of quarantine order, I'm guessing you may not be able to get together to celebrate the older female members of your family. Until we can see our grandparents again, our cards will just have to do!

This card is part of a compilation of Mother's Day cards made by the fabulous Ellen Hutson Design Ambassadors.

I made a set of three Mother's Day cards with several of the Essentials by Ellen Leading Ladies for an upcoming EH blog post. As I was packing up my craft desk I noticed the Grandma and Little Lady randomly stamped on a scrap piece of paper and liked how they looked together in the corner. So as long as all the supplies were out I stamped them on a card.

Then I needed a focal point. Don't have something? No worries! Just fold some copy paper in half and cut out a heart like you used to do in second grade! After doing this I brushed a rainbow of ink in my homemade stencil. 

I did put a mask (also made from copy paper!) over the ladies before stenciling the heart. While I had the heart stencil on my paper I added some gold spatter.

The spatter just above the little lady's thumb was too juicy and ended up dripping (TIP: don't let your cards dry in an upright position, hahaha!) That's when all the sequins were added!

The "i love you" and the "grand" sentiments are actually from different sets, but I love how they go so well together. Not a bad little card for the last 5-10 minutes of a crafting session!

Don't forget to check out the Ellen Hutson blog for all the other wonderful Mother's Day cards made by our talented team!

Also, I'll be sharing three more Mother's Day cards on the EH blog on Monday!

Thanks so much for stopping by : )

-Kelly

Supplies Used (including affiliate links, thanks so much for your support):

Leading Ladies - Grand Lady by Brandi Kincaid, Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps Leading Ladies - Grand Lady by Brandi Kincaid, Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies Leading Ladies - Little Lady By Brandi Kincaid, Essentials By Ellen Clear Stamps Totally Random Sayings Vol. 3 by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps Black Jack, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad Lemongrass, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad Tiki Torch, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad Samba, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad Bluish Gold, Gansai Tambi Single Color

Altenew Paint-A-Flower: Hydrangea Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hi Folks! Welcome to the latest Paint-a-Flower hop for Altenew!

This month is the beautiful Paint-a-Flower Hydrangea and I've got two cards to share. You may have come from the blog of Norrine Borys, but if not feel free to start at the beginning with the Altenew Card Blog.

This first card uses the gorgeous floral embossed in gold. As one who's not always super confident with watercolors, I think it's so much easier to paint the individual petals when you emboss the stamp, as the embossing creates all those nice "wells" for you.

I added two of the sentiment strips from Sentiment Strips 2 which was just released last week in the April release.

And to finish it off, I added the Painted Grid washi tape and the new white sequins. This tape might be small, but boy is it useful for adding small bits of design to a card. Love how you can slightly see thru the washi tape as well.

I still can't get over how adorable the new sequin packaging is!!! That cork!

The second card uses the florals in the opposite, or negative, way. I stamped the hydrangeas 3-4 times on the front of the card, like fitting them into a puzzle. It was pretty fun!

Then I just used a marker to color in all the negative spaces. Love creating a patterned paper like this. And with all the details in the hydrangea itself, I don't feel you need much else for the card. The sentiment comes with this set. Such a pretty font!

Paint-a-Flower Hydrangea

Prizes:
To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $30 gift certificate to 5 lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog for a chance to win. We'll also draw a winner to receive a $15 gift certificate from comments left on each designer's blog in the blog hop. All winners will be announced on the Altenew Blog on 4/30/2020.

You're next stop on the hop is my talented friend Ashlea Cornell!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
-Kelly

Supplies used (with affiliate links, thanks so much for your support!)

Paint-a-Flower Hydrangea

Sentiment Strips 2

Painted Grid Washi

White Sequins