wonderful things will happen - Altenew May Inspiration Challenge

hey crafty friends!

Here today with my take on Altenew's May Inspiration Challenge hosted by the amazing Jaycee Gaspar

After rummaging through my Altenew supplies, and then realizing I had no lily stamps in my arsenal (note to self: buy lily stamps ... why don't you own any lily stamps, you love lilies?!)

So, no lilies, but I thought some of my new Altenew products would give me the look I wanted for this card.

I started with Altenew's Happy Hummingbird 3D embossing folder then used Altenew's Sweet Honeysuckles simple coloring stencils to ink blend the embossed image.

I then fussy cut the image and adhered it within a Pink Fresh Studio die cut circle, then adhered it to a Spellbinders embossed panel, which I had splattered with some Altenew inks.

The sentiment is from Altenew's new Dynamic Duo: Luscious Flora sentiment, which I heat embossed in white embossing powder.  Interesting note -  I did not have the correct size tag, so I die cut a tag from Altenew's Terrific Tags set and just cut it down to the size I needed.

This was a fun challenge, thanks Altenew for the inspiration!!

Supply List:

Altenew Sweet Honeysuckles simple coloring stencil

Altenew Happy Hummingbird 3D embossing folder

Altenew Dynamic Duo: Luscious Flora sentiment

Altenew dies: Cross stitch canvas, Terrific Tags

Altenew Inks: limeaid, lime, fresh leaf, forest glades, shadow creek, soft lilac, lavender fields, wisteria, hydrangea, deep iris, ultraviolet, snapdragon, jet black

Altenew enamel dots - shades of purple

Pink Fresh Studio diagonal stitched circles

Spellbinders diamond plaid embossing folder

Brutus Monroe alabaster white embossing powder

Other: black/white twine; cardstock: black, white; foam tape

I also posted this on my Instagram, feel free to give me a follow, as I post most of my creations there - Instagram: raekryc  

Appreciate you stopping by!!

xoxo

rae

You are strong

Hello there!

Playing along with the latest sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches #586

and was inspired by the photo prompt at Inspired By

Here is what I came up with....

I started by heat embossing the floral image on vellum, layered some yellow patterned paper over an embossed white panel, and another yellow layer. I added the bold embossed sentiment and the black butterfly from my ancient stash of embellishments.

Love how bright and cheery this one turned out :)

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo

rae

let's celebrate | freshly made sketches

Hi there! Got some crafty time in this weekend, and decided to play along with some of my favorite challenges to keep the creative juices flowing ;)

First challenge I worked on was Freshly Made Sketches #574

Here is the card design I came up with....

I started with a white card base and added some cardstock strips from Altenew's Sea Shore gradient cardstock set. Then I ran the panel through Spellbinders diamond plaid embossing folder, taking special care to align the stripes of the panel with the plaid pattern of the embossing folder.

Next I stamped the sentiments and adhered them to the card base, the larger sentiment was adhered with foam tape for dimension/interest. I'm not much of an 'embellisher', so I just added some die cut hearts and a few dew drops.

This was a good challenge for me, since I don't typically put sentiments on the diagonal - I felt that the small sub-sentiment strip worked well diagonally with the focal sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo - rae

Supplies:

Altenew: Sea Shore gradient cardstock set

Spellbinders: diamond plaid embossing folder

Simon Says Stamp: XL Birthday Greetings stamp & die

the Greetery: Sentiment Suite: birthday stamp & die

Concord & 9th: Big on You heart die

Other: Tsukineko onyx black ink; white cardstock; Studio katia dew drops; white heart puffy sticker; foam tape

hello

 Playing along with the latest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches #572

Here is my take on the sketch

I used Altenew's Statement Flower stamp set for this one - I watercolored the flowers and leaves with Altenew watercolors. I fussy cut the flower, then layered and adhered them with foam tape to an embossed leaf paper strip edged with a piece of metallic gold cardstock. The card base is an embossed plaid. The sentiment was embossed in gold, and some gold sequins were added for interest. 

I don't watercolor much, I really enjoyed it, but definitely need some practice LOL.

Supply List

Altenew: Statement Flowers stamp; watercolors; brushed gold metallic cardstock

Pink Fresh: Perfect Sentiments stamp and die

Spellbinders: leafy and diamond plaid embossing folders; gold sequins

Brutus Monroe: gilded embossing powder

Other: black, white cardstock; foam tape

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo ~ rae

hello | Altenew January 2023 Inspiration Challenge

hey there!

Time for another awesome Altenew Inspiration Challenge

Altenew's January 2023 Inspiration Challenge | spring inspired card

Who wouldn't be inspired by these colors?! This is one of my all-time favorite color combinations, so I was eager to get creating! Since I don't own any stargazer lily stamps... note to self, get some!!... I chose a flower that had a similar petal shape... can't help my literal interpretation of photo prompts sometimes! LOL

I chose Altenew ink colors that I thought most resembled those in the lily, and kept one of the flowers solid light pink as a nod to the pretty rose in the inspiration photo. 

The card layout is courtesy of the latest sketch at Freshly Made Sketches #570 - love the sketch, it made the card design come together easily!

I finished the card off with a bold black embossed sentiment - I'm always a sucker for bright, bold colors paired with crisp white and bold black... I'm all about that color pop ;)

Also entering this card in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes :)

Altenew Supplies:

Stamps/Dies: Fabulous Florets stamps; Hello & Hugs stamp and die

3D Embossing Folder: checkered diamonds

Inks: baby pink, pinkalicious, rubellite, limeaid, lime, chamomile, marigold

Other Supplies:

PinkFresh Studios: stitched scallop rectangles

Brutus Monroe: raven ultra fine embossing powder

Spellbinders: gold sequins

Tsukineko: onyx black ink

Other: white cardstock, foam tape

Thanks so much for stopping by today, appreciate your visit!!

xoxo

rae

always & forever

 Hello there!

Played along with a new challenge today.... As You See It Challenge #291

I was intrigued by this color combination, so I pulled together some inks and went to work, and this is what I came up with...

For my design, I opted to go with highlighting the bold colors and added different shapes and textures to give the card interest and dimension (lots of foam tape action going on here too!).

Supply List:

Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Inks: kitsch flamingo, festive berries, broken china, faded jeans

Pink Fresh: nested hexagon dies; stitched scallop rectangles

Hero Arts: nested hearts dies

Simon Says Stamp: etched linear heart die

Waffle Flower: love thanks sentiment and die

Spellbinders: diamond plaid embossing folder

Tsukineko: onyx black ink

Other: white cardstock; black/white striped ribbon; foam tape

Really enjoyed this challenge! Thanks so much for stopping by!

xoxo

rae

happy birthday | CTD 726

Back today with a card made for Color Throwdown challenge 726 | grey, navy, white

I was excited about this challenge for several reasons - for one, it's a color combination that I don't think I have ever worked with, and secondly, I was inspired by the photo prompt itself - the minimalism, the single image on a solid background. 

So here is what I designed...

Although I did experiment with embossed/pierced backgrounds, I felt that the simple, solid grey background helped the line drawn flowers embossed in white on navy cardstock pop and serve as the focal point of the card. The sentiment was stamped in grey and I die cut an extra sentiment shadow in navy to serve as a shadow behind the sentiment to create a visually pleasing navy 'triangle' on my card front.... interesting what the eye sees when you're creating, right? 

I just love the look of the white embossed line drawn flowers on the navy..... yum!

Supply List:

Simon Says Stamp: Sketch Lotus Flowers stamps and dies; XL Birthday Greetings stamps and dies

Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink hickory smoke

Misc: Cardstock: grey, navy, white; grey/white bakers twine; white embossing powder; foam tape

Thanks for stopping by today, appreciate your visit!

xoxo

rae

Altenew November Inspiration Challenge

 hello hello!

Back today with another challenge card... my uber talented friend Tenia is hosting this month's Inspiration Challenge over on the Altenew blog - I swear I love every single card this girl makes, always so very inspiring! 

So here is the Altenew November Inspiration Challenge prompt

Here is what I came up with:

Not gonna lie, initially I struggled a bit with this challenge - I tried some background watercoloring with my Altenew watercolors, and it just wasn't giving me the results I was looking for, so I scrapped that idea and ended up going with the die cut strip background instead!

The cardstock strip colors were pulled from the inspiration photo and the stamped leaves are a nod to the beautiful trees... I ♥ fall!! I die cut the circle greeting into the card base then die cut it again out of Altenew's brushed metallic cardstock, then cut off the sentiment and adhered it to the card base.

Here are the Altenew supplies I used to make this card:

Altenew 3D deck planks embossing folder

Altenew Beautiful Day stamp & die (leaf)

Altenew Circled Greetings: thanks die

Altenew Hello & Hugs stamp set

Altenew brushed gold metallic cardstock

Other supplies: Distress Oxide Ink- ground espresso; gold sequins; gold cord; white cardstock; colored cardstock; strip dies

In the end, I think the card is a good reflection of the inspiration photo :)

Thanks for stopping by, appreciate your visit!!

xoxo

rae

World Cardmaking Day 2022

Hooray for World Cardmaking Day!!!!

I spent WCMD playing along with 5 fantastic challenges offered at Scrapbook and Cards Today.

So, let's get started with the challenge cards...

Challenge #1: Stencil challenge

For this card I used my (new to me) Altenew's Golden Days stencil and just LOVE that big, beautiful bloom! Supply List: Altenew products: Golden Days stencil, Fancy celebrate die, mini ink cubes (sunray, chamomile, snapdragon, marigold, dark chocolate); Ranger Distress Mica Spray tarnished brass; The Greetery Sentiment Suite: Birthday stamp and die; May Arts jute twine; black cardstock; My Mind's Eye patterned paper

Challenge #2: Color Challenge

We were presented with this color inspiration photo:

Initially. I wasn't sure how I was going to mesh the blue and yellow, but thanks to distress inks, I think I found a way! I watercolor painted die cut leaves with distress inks and also created the blue panel using two different blue distress inks and an embossing folder. Supply List: Distress oxide inks: squeezed lemonade, mustard seed, frayed burlap, broken china, uncharted mariner, walnut stain; Simon Says Stamp: Tattered Leaves die, Sparking Facets embossing folder, kraft woodgrain cardstock, stitched banners die; Pinkfresh Studio Heart Smiles sentiment stamp and die; Cardstock: kraft, dark brown; May Arts jute twine; foam tape 

Challenge #3: One Stamp

Never have I ever created a stamped background... but thanks to this challenge, now I can say that I have!!! I used a stamp from Altenew's Simple Beauty set to create the background design on white cardstock. I knew I wanted to keep the design crisp and simple, so I just added a bold sentiment and solid cardstock pieces. Supply List: Altenew Simple Beauty stamp; Concord & 9th Big on You stamp set and die; cardstock: white, aqua, black; foam tape

Challenge #4: Layers

So, not gonna lie, this card is my favorite :) Love the gold, the soft muted colors, and I guess after making it I realized that my typical go-to style is definitely 'layering'! Supply List: Pinkfresh Studio products: diagonal stitched circles dies; modern script sentiments and die; dainty plaid rubber background stamp; Pinkfresh/Altenew Celebrate Us stamp and die; Altenew branches and berries die set; American Craft gold embossing powder; Echo Park colored cardstock; Simon Says Stamp white woodgrain cardstock; Other supplies: kraft cardstock, May Arts jute twine, Versafine vintage sepia ink, foam tape

Challenge #5: Paper

This challenge called for paper weaving... another new technique for me! After looking at the end result (weaving), I see some things that I'd change up next time, but all in all, it was definitely a fun challenge to attempt!! Supply List: Pinkfresh Studio: Shaker Hearts dies; Concord & 9th Big on You stamp set and die; Simon Says Stamp white woodgrain cardstock; Echo Park colored cardstock; Other Supplies: heart embellishments (for shaker heart), May Arts jute twine, foam tape

I am so grateful to have come across these World Cardmaking Day challenges, thank you Scrapbook and Cards Today for giving me a great reason to 'celebrate' OUR special holiday!!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

xoxo

rae

Freshly Made Sketches #555

Another fabulous sketch is up at Freshly Made Sketches, so of course I had to play along, being World Cardmaking Day (weekend) and all....

So, initially I was a little stumped about the rectangle element of the sketch ... me, with my literal interpretation of everything... lol. After digging through my supplies I came across the Celebrate Us Altenew/Pink Fresh Studio stamp and die and thought, voilà, there's my 'rectangular' element! The rest of the card just sort of fell in to place after that!

I used Pinkfresh Studio plaid background stamp and gold embossing powder to create the circle background, matted with kraft cardstock. The flower element was also heat embossed in gold. I added some cardstock strips to ground the circle element. Being a berry fanatic, I added some die cut berries from the same colored cardstock. The sentiment was stamped in vintage sepia.

This was a fun one to create, grateful for another great FMS sketch to get me started!!

Supply List:

Pinkfresh Studio products: diagonal stitched circles dies; modern script sentiments and die; dainty plaid rubber background stamp; Pinkfresh/Altenew Celebrate Us stamp and die

Altenew branches and berries die set

American Craft gold embossing powder

Echo Park colored cardstock

Simon Says Stamp white woodgrain cardstock

Other supplies: kraft cardstock, May Arts jute twine, Versafine vintage sepia ink, foam tape

Thanks for stopping by!!

xoxo ~rae

Color Throwdown challenge #711

 Back with another challenge card...

this time I played along with the gorgeous color challenge over on The Color Throwdown blog

Love those vivid sunflowers in the inspiration photo!! Unfortunately I don't have any sunflower stamps, so I used another flower stamp and the vivid yellow to mimic them.

As per usual, I took a rather literal interpretation of the inspiration photo, I enjoy pulling supplies together in the recreation effort.

Supply List: 

Altenew: Flower Pop stamp set, Branches & Berries die set, Basic Plaid 3D embossing folder, Mini Ink Pads: sunray, chamomile, frayed leaf, forest glades

PinkFresh: Modern Script sentiments stamp set & dies

Other supplies: patterned paper from stash, white twine, Versafine onyx black ink, foam tape

Thanks for stopping by! 

xoxo - rae

hello my sweet friend

 hello hello!

I love everything about fall/autumn, so it only makes sense that I absolutely fell in love with the color palette of Altenew's September challenge: Fall inspired card and knew I wanted to capture those changing leaf colors.

As I often do, I tend to take a literal interpretation of challenge inspiration photos...

I used Altenew's Checkered Diamonds embossing folder to create the background panel and then used some hickory smoke distress oxide ink to paint the raised embossing of the diamonds to resemble the chain link fence in the inspiration photo.

I then die cut, stamped and inked leaves from Altenew's Beautiful Day stamp/die set. I really wanted to recreate the leaves that were turning beautiful colors in the inspiration photo, so I had a fun time blending colors from Altenew's mini ink cubes until I achieved the look I wanted - colors used: blush, rouge, pink pearl, coral bliss, fuchsia, magenta, frayed leaf, firefly, fresh leaf.

I used Altenew's circled greetings hello die paired with Pinkfresh blanket stitch circled die to create the sentiment focal point, inked in black soot distress oxide ink. I added 'my sweet friend' from Altenew's Hello and Hugs stamp set and mat the sentiment with some pale pink cardstock.

Finished the card off with a few gem sprinkles from Lucy's Cards crystal collection (glamorous sparkly shaker mix) and a twine bow.

Recap of Altenew products used:

Checkered Diamonds 3D embossing folder

Beautiful Day stamp/die set

Mini Ink cubes: blush, rouge, pink pearl, coral bliss, fuchsia, magenta, frayed leaf, firefly, fresh leaf

Circled Greetings Hello die

Hello and Hugs stamp set

I really enjoyed the process of creating this card and the combination of techniques - embossing, die cutting, stamping, ink blending - that led to the finished card.

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo

rae

You're the best

 I was inspired by the latest sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches

Here's my card...

I was excited to try out my new Pepperberry embossing folder and dies from Simon Says Stamp for this card. I used the embossing folder to create the background panel and the berries were die cut from cardstock and patterned paper. I also used a sentiment from my new Pinkfresh Modern Script Sentiments stamp & coordinating die set - I just love this unique font/set!

Other card elements: some random kraft cardstock tags from my stash, thin burlap-esque ribbon, and some twine.

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo

rae

thinking of you my sweet friend

 hello & happy Monday!!

today I have a challenge card based on Color Throwdown #611

In addition to the challenge colors themselves, I was really inspired by the photo itself....

The main elements of my card were greatly influenced by specifics in the inspiration photo: 

-the beautiful varying shades of green inspired the green stripes anchoring the sentiment panel

-all of the lines in the latticework and the grey shelving inspired the patterned paper I chose for the die cut sentiment

The color challenge was completed with the addition of the white embossed sentiment on kraft paper.

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

xoxo

Rae