Notable Nest

Monday, October 5, 2020

Altenew Cozy Creatures Stamps/Dies/Stencils Collection Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hi Friends! For this Altenew release we've got some traditional Altenew floral products, as well as some not so traditional Altenew products, and I'm happy to share a little bit of both in this post!

You may have come from the blog of Norine Borys, but if not feel free to start at the beginning with the Altenew Card Blog.

One of the non-traditional Altenew sets is the Friends Forever stamp set and the coordinating Friends Forever die set that features a favorite beverage container, straws, several things to put on the sleeve, and a host of fun sentiments.

I like that you can either color the container or the sleeve. I made masks for each section to make the coloring easier. For the red container on the right I actually used the recent BAF: Peony layering stamp set because it's very large and just one set covers the entire coffee cup. This is a great way to stretch your stamps!

I split up the sentiment so it would fit the card better, and the background is smooshed ink.

This card is a little more traditional in that it features a floral image, but instead of stamps it's entirely a stand-alone die. This Festive Clusters die is all one piece, and I'm happy to say if you run it back and forth thru the die cutting machine a few times in a row, all the tiny pieces just fall out when you run your fingers over it.

I did some super quick and easy copic coloring on the flowers and leaves. In fact, the coloring was so quick, that I don't even think I did any blending on this.

It's a fun look for something different. There are actually two different dies that come in this set so you have the option of using both of them on your card.

Next is the Baby Shower Coloring Stencil. Funny story: as I was picking products to work with for this release (which is often times super difficult to do because you want them all!!) I only saw the stencil, not a coordinating stamp set, but the image was so cute I just had to get it. It wasn't until quite awhile after completing this card that I realized there was actually a stamp set that went with this coloring stencil, hahaha!

So I built this scene by placing the stencils where I thought each would go, blending ink thru to color, and then with the back of the stencil packaging as a guide, going back with a regular pencil to add the details freehand.

It was a little challenge, but I think it turned out pretty decent without having the actual stamp!

My final card features the Simple Roses stamp set and Simple Roses stencil set. Let me tell you this could not be easier to color. After masking the images, it was so fun to mindlessly blend ink into the negative space of the stencil.

Keep blending, you get darker shades. Or blend with similar, but not the same colors. I can tell this will be a ton of fun to play around with, especially since there are such large areas for the florals. This is the type of image that's great for trying out new techniques.

The stencil is definitely not necessary, but I have to say it's awfully nice to have everything cut and ready for you to use! The stencils certainly help speed up the coloring when you can just blend the ink inside the sturdy plastic.

Here are THREE different ways to get a FREEBIE to kickstart your creativity!

Get a FREE brand new Cozy Creatures Stamp & Die Release Inspiration Booklet (worth $5.99) with every order of high-value Cozy Creatures release bundles. Shop HERE! *Exclusions apply.
Get a FREE brand new Online Cardmaking Class with every order from the new Cozy Creatures Stamp & Die Release collection from 10/05/2020 through 10/11/2020. Shop HERE!
Get a FREE brand new Cozy Creatures Stamp & Die Release Mini Inspiration Booklet with every order from 10/05/2020 through 10/07/2020. Shop HERE!

Giveaway Prizes:

To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 3 lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog by 10/11/2020 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 the Altenew Winners Page on 10/14/2020.

I am now pleased to send you to the blog of Svitlana Shayevich who has something wonderful to share with you!

The full list of hop participants is here for your reference:

Thanks so much for stopping by!
-Kelly

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

Friends Forever Stamp Set

Baby Shower Simple Coloring Template

Festive Clusters Die Set

Simple Roses Stamp Set

Simple Roses Stencil Set

Sunday, October 4, 2020

More of the Cutest Stamps Ever! Colorado Craft Company and Anita Je ram's New Line!

Hi Friends! I promised I'd be back with more cards made from the new line of Anita Jeram stamps at Colorado Craft Company. There are so many cute illustrations to pick from, that it took me quite awhile to pick this next Birthday Wishing set to work with.

The birthday wishing bunny totally reminds me of the bunny in the Guess How Much I Love You book, so that's how I tried to color him.

I love how they both have their arms open, because, like the sentiment says, they are celebrating you today! So very charming!!

Another thing I like about these images is how open and loose they are. You are totally free to watercolor them however you'd like. Going the simple way like I have here will let you do several cards like this at once, especially if you arrange the stamps together on the misti.

Here's a recap of both cards I've made so far. I can't wait to add more to my collection!

Don't forget to leave a comment on my first post to be entered into the $35 gift card giveaway. Good luck!

-Kelly

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

(PREORDER) Birthday Wishing by Anita Jeram, Colorado Craft Company Clear Stamps	(PREORDER) Birthday Wishing by Anita Jeram, Colorado Craft Company Dies	(PREORDER) Kittens & Mittens by Anita Jeram, Colorado Craft Company Clear Stamps	(PREORDER) Kittens & Mittens by Anita Jeram, Colorado Craft Company Dies
Black Jack, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad	Stamp Shammy, Lawn Fawn	36 Pan Set, Altenew Watercolor Paint	Gold, Lawn Fawn Embossing Powder
VersaMark Ink Pad

Saturday, October 3, 2020

The Cutest Stamps Ever! Colorado Craft Company and Anita Jeram's New Line!

Hi Friends! I'm beyond excited to share a project from the brand new line of stamps designed by a very special artist ... Anita Jeram, illustrator of one of my family's favorite children's book Guess How Much I Love You! Colorado Craft Company has been working behind the scenes with Anita for over a year to bring this new line of stamps to life, and they have definitely been worth the wait!

This entire line of ten stamp sets and coordinating dies is worth your consideration for a couple reasons:

1) Anita Jeram's style is unmistakably distinctive and easily recognizable;

2) Her watercoloring style is loose and free, so you don't have to be an expert watercolorist to achieve a similar look;

3) If you are an expert watercolorist, your cards are going to look amazing; and

4) These characters are FAMOUS! Her book has sold over 43 million copies, published in 57 different languages, and has been read to children for over 25 years. A true modern-day classic. We already know these images are not going out of style, so these sets will be an investment in your next 25 years of cardmaking!

It was so hard to pick an image out of all the sets to start with, but this is the first one that called to me. This trio of kitties is from the Kittens & Mittens set. It's a little hard to see but there is the cutest snow stamp that's also included in this set.

The think I like about watercoloring cats and other similar critters is that they come in all sorts of colorings. There is no wrong way to color them! You can have fun adding more color, different colors, whatever you like.

I truly love everything about this image, especially the middle kitty with his little head down stepping nice and big through the fresh snow. One thing to note is that all of the images include Anita's signature in the lower left corner, which I think adds a bit of sophistication to your card. Plus, it lets the lucky recipient of your card know how special it is.

I'll be sharing more projects over the next week, like this adorable Birthday Wishes card, so please stay tuned!

There is a very large gang of crazy-talented people who are all participating in this release. Please also stop by and see what amazing treats they have created!

Adrienne Kennedy
Angelica Conrad

Prize Alert: The generous folks at Colorado Craft Company have given me a $35 gift certificate to give to one of you! To enter, please 1) follow my blog and 2) leave a comment on this post by midnight October 7th. I will pick a winner at random and post them on my blog This certificate can be used on any item at Colorado Craft Company, including Anita's new line! Good luck!!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

- Kelly

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

(PREORDER) Kittens & Mittens by Anita Jeram, Colorado Craft Company Clear Stamps	Black Jack, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad	VersaMark Ink Pad	Gold, Lawn Fawn Embossing Powder
36 Pan Set, Altenew Watercolor Paint	Stamp Shammy, Lawn Fawn

Thursday, October 1, 2020

Altenew Build-A-Flower: Peony Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hi Friends! You may know I'm all about efficiency, and the Build-a-Flower for this month's Altenew release is a Peony, which is large enough to practically fill an entire card by itself! In addition to the project I'm sharing in this post, I've already used this large peony in two other projects just because it covers so much area so quickly.

You may have come from the blog of Tenia Nelson, but if not fee free to start at the beginning with the Altenew Blog.

Build-a-Flower Peony

Oh goodness. These big beauties are fabulous! The three layers for the flower are easy to line up since there aren't tiny detailed areas to match. I made these three flowers but quickly figured out two are plenty for the card. Because of the two flowers I thought this would make an appropriate anniversary card, and picked a simple sentiment from the Sentiment Strips stamp set.

I wanted to pair this large, bold flower with tiny detailed texture. Since the Burlap Texture Die has been out of stock since the week (day?!) it was released, I went for some REAL burlap. It's always going to be hard to beat anything that's real, but I have to say the nice thing about the Burlap Texture Die is that paper adheres to the card base much better than this fiberous burlap fabric. One tip for working with actual burlap though is to either use a ton of adhesive like I have here, or adhere it with a tiny stapler.

Another nice thing about this set is the layered centers that you can add. They are small in relation to the large bloom, but just being able to introduce a few more colors to the florals is great.

The quickness to end up with a finished card with this set is immensely satisfying. And that it's a beautiful floral is another big plus to keeping this one in my "often used" shelf.

Giveaway Prizes

To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $30 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog by 10/06/2020 for a chance to win. Altenew will 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 the Altenew Winners Page on 10/07/2020.

You have made it to the end of the hop! I am your last stop. So happy you've joined us and stopped by. Here's the whole list in case you need to revisit anyone's blog: