My favorite time of the month are these special, surprise releases from Altenew. This month Altenew is releasing some special dies. I have a lot of projects that I would like to share with you. If you are hopping along with us, you have just come from Tenia Nelson. Your next stop is Emily Midgett. 
Are you a fan of using dies on your cards? What is the way you use dies? Let me know in the comments. 

Starlight Die
I love abstract and modern designs. The Starlight Die is both. In this die set is a die that cuts the intricate details of the die and one that cuts out a star shape. I used both to create this card.  I cut out the intricate Starlight Die from Altenew Gold Mirror cardstock. I then used a partial die cut technique to cut the flaps of the card. I inserted a piece of navy cardstock between the flaps. On this piece of navy cardstock, I embossed You Are and the sub sentiments from the You Are stamp set with Antique Gold embossing powder. I love imagining the surprise of the person when they get this card. 

Edged Wildflower Die
The name of this die is exactly that - it cuts out a border of lovely flowers. I die cut this from a piece of Altenew Pink Brilliance cardstock in Tourmaline. The glitter and shine and detail from the die cut are beautiful and the photo just does not do it justice. There is so much detail and shine from the die and the paper, I decided to keep the sentiment simple. 

Wispy Feathers Die 
This die set features two large intricate feathers and the dies to cut them out for a total of 4 dies. I decided to pair this die with the Happy Dreams stamp set and a galaxy background. First, I used one of the intricate feathers to foil onto my paper. I then white heat embossed stamped images from the Happy Dreams stamp set. I masked the feather off and blended bright colors and then blended over them all with Jet Black ink. The final touch was white splatters. The overall effect is dreamy and a nice pairing with the foiled feather. 

Grand Anemone Die Set
This is a beautiful layered floral and I paired it with the Starlight die to give the flower a place to rest. I die cut the pieces from paper that I blended with inks from the Spring Bouquet set and Warm and Cozy inks. I love the graphic nature of this card so I paired it with a simple white heat embossed sentiment. 

Magnolia Ballerina
Have you been to one of the Altenew Retreats? This stamp, die and stencil set was part of the January 2022 Altenew retreat. I taught a class during that retreat where I showed how to color in this image using the Woodless Coloring Pencils. The next retreat is at the end of March, make sure to check it out! We would love to see you there. 

Thank you for joining us today to celebrate this special release. Emily Midgett is your next stop. I would love to know your favorite ways to use dies in your projects and if there are any dies you would like to see in a future release. Have a great day. 

Hello and welcome to the Altenew PAF Dahlia Bright Eyes hop. I love Dahlias because of how many different color combinations they come in and what huge blooms they have. If you are hopping along with us you have just come from Virginia Lu. Your next stop is Bridget Casey. 
Today for my two projects, I played with different coloring mediums. Let me know in the comments below if you have a favorite coloring medium.

Altenew just came out with Woodless Coloring Pencils. I have to admit, I am loving working with these pencils. The blend, the vibrant colors...I do not feel like I have to work very hard when coloring my image. When I start coloring a floral image, I start with the leaves. When I was coloring this image, I liked all the green and yellow tones so I decided to color the petals the same. Spicy Yogurt cardstock is a wonderful complement when using the Woodless Coloring Pencils. There is enough color in the paper to help your image stand out, but not too much. I like the speckled background which adds interest to the overall composition. 

I like to watercolor because it is easy and there is a need to let go of control and allow the pigment and water to work. I also like how easy it is to blend different colors when using the Watercolor Brush Markers. The Altenew Artist Brushes are a great complement as well as the Altenew Watercolor paper. I stamped the image in Permanent Black ink before wetting the image with water and then dropping in color. To finish the image, I added some black splatter. 

Did you know that a  new Paint-A-Flower is released monthly? You can sign up for a subscription and receive a new floral image to color in whatever medium you choose every month. And the subscription is less than if you bought the stamp by itself. 

Thank you so much for joining me today to celebrate the Paint-A-Flower Dahlia Bright Eyes. Your next stop in the hop is Bridget Casey. If  you would like more information or want to see more inspiration, check out theAltenew Card Blog. Let me know in the comments your favorite coloring medium. 

Welcome to the Color Therapy Blog Hop. Coloring is such a great way to destress and zone out for a bit. Wherever I go, I always have some sort of coloring medium with me. I love using colored pencils which are easy to color with on the go, alcohol markers or watercolor. 
If you are hopping along with us today, you have just come from Virginia Lu and your next stop is: LauraJane. For more information or to start the hop over, check out the Altenew Card Blog. 

Altenew has a series of coloring books which are perfect to take on the go. I really like the Exotic Blooms set. There is a marker version and a watercolor version. The paper that the floral images is printed on is very high quality. Each book has the same floral image in both a no line version and a lined version. 

This flower is from the Exotic Blooms marker coloring book. I love that the image is already pre printed so I don't need to worry about selecting a stamp, worrying about which ink it should be stamped. I can just pull out my Altenew Artist Markers and color. Magnolia flowers are some of my favorite flowers. 

The images between the two coloring books are the same so I wanted to show the same image colored with the Altenew Woodless Watercolor pencils and Artist watercolor brushes. When watercoloring on the go, these watercolor pencils paired with the watercolor brush are easy ways to get in some watercolor time. 

Thank you for joining me on today's hop. Your next stop is: LauraJane. I'd love to know in the comments if coloring is your way to take a break and destress. Happy coloring and have a great day!

Welcome to the newest Craft Your Life Kit: Never Stop Dreaming. If you are hopping along with us, you came from Maryam Perez and your next stop is Virginia Lu. Check out the Altenew Card Blog for more information and inspiration. 
For today's projects I continued my exploration of the Altenew Watercolor Brush Markers.  Thanks for stopping by and let me know your favorite way to watercolor. 

My exploration into Altenew Watercolor Brush Markers continues. If you’ve been following along with my posts this month, I’ve been using the Altenew watercolor brush markers to add color and detail to the amazing releases from Altenew.

Each Craft Your Life kit has been amazing and the Never Stop Dreaming kit has this big beautiful floral that I decided to focus on. The image was heat embossed with antique gold embossing powder onto Altenew watercolor paper. The embossing makes little chambers for the ink to settle. Having the chambers means that there is less flow of the paint but it also means the detailed image lines are preserved.

When I watercolor, I add water to the image and then drop in ink from at least two analogous colors. One lighter to cover the image and one darker for detail. The result is an ethereal look with variation throughout the flower and leaves. Painting blue around the image helps it to stand out from the background.

Did you know there’s a subscription program? Yes that’s right you can get one of these amazing kits every month chock full of products that will keep you crafting all month long.

Thank you for joining me today on the hop. Your next stop is Virginia Lu. Let me know if you like to watercolor using embossing powder or not. Have a crafty day.

Welcome to the Craft a Flower: Magnolia Blog Hop and Giveaway. This is a beautiful addition to the CAF family. If you are joining in the hop today you have just come from Therese Calvird and your next stop is Maryam Perez. If you would like more inspiration or would like to start over on the hop, please visit the Altenew Card Blog. For my project today, I used the Alcohol Ink Background paper pad from the February Release. Let me know if you like to use pattern paper when making die cut flowers.

The Craft a Flower releases are one that I look forward to every month. The realistic looks from layering paper are just amazing. For the Craft a Flower: Magnolia, I paired the new Alcohol Ink Background paper to provide even more texture to the die cuts. 

The flower and leaves:  The flower and leaves were made from die cutting the pieces from the Alcohol Ink Background patterned paper. I like using pattern paper for the pieces because of the added interest to the flower. The center and details of the leaves comes from Gilded cardstock. 

Background: The card base was made from folding a piece of 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" paper at 2 1/8" from each side to make a gatefold card. The background is from swiping the Limestone ink cube over the paper. I repeated this technique for the belly band. I added the Mandala diecut from white cardstock to add even more texture.

Thank you! for hopping along. I would like to know if you use patterned paper on your flower die cuts. If you are continuing with the hop, please check out wunderkind Maryam Perez for more inspiration. Have a crafty day!

Thank you for joining us on the hop for the February release. This collection is jam packed with some great products. In addition to showing the products, I’m showcasing the versatility of the Altenew Watercolor Brush Markers. If you are hopping along with us today, you have just come from the amazing stylings of Nathalie DeSousa. Your next stop is the absolutely lovely, Terri Koszler. Please visit the Altenew Card Blog for more information and inspiration from the amazing Lydia Evans. 

One of my favorite Altenew tools are the watercolor brush markers. There are currently four sets that mirror the seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn. These markers are highly pigmented and easy to use on the go. Today I wanted to show you different ways of using the Altenew watercolor brush markers and to show off the different colors from each set.

All Watercolor. All the Time:
Good paper makes all the difference and Altenew watercolor paper is good paper. I heat embossed the new Quaint Blooms stamp and sentiment in Antique Gold embossing powder and then colored the images using a wet on wet technique. Using the embossing powder helps to keep the ink in place instead of moving all over the place.

Soft Backgrounds
Although these markers are highly pigmented, when I want a soft look, I add some ink from the markers onto a palette, add more water and then paint. I like the soft look of this background made from repeatedly stamping the smaller flower from the Quaint Blooms set. The background pairs perfectly with the graphic text sentiment from You Are. The You Are is die cut from gold mirror cardstock. 

Scene coloring
This stamp, Grown with Love, is adorable and the watercolor brush markers can be used for shading and adding dimension to flat images. To achieve the most control over the pigment, I add the ink to a palette. I also heat embossed the image in Copper embossing powder to keep the image outlines sharp and to prevent the ink from spreading too much. There is a metallic silver brush marker within the Winter pack. I used this marker to add shine to the metal jugs in the image.

Thank you for joining me today on this blog hop. I am interested to know if you have used the Altenew Watercolor Brush markers and your favorite way of using them. Next on your hop is: Terri Koszler. Have a wonderful day!

Welcome to the Altenew hop! It has been pretty snowy and cold here in New England. I have been waiting for Narcissus to pop up in my yard as they are the harbingers of spring in New England. If you are hopping along,  you have just come from the truly inspiring work of Reiko Tsuchida. Your next stop is my fellow New England Crafty Girl, Bridget Casey. If you get lost along the way, visit the Altenew Card Blog for more information. I'd love for you to check out my card design today. Let me know what you think about this month's Build a Flower, Narcissus. 

I think I love every Build a Flower Altenew releases each month. It is the amazing, realistic layered flowers that made me an Altenew fan so many years ago. The Narcissus this month is stunning. 

The flower was stamped with inks from Red Cosmos ink set and the leaves from Tropical Forest for the stem and Green Valley for the leaf. To set my flower apart from the background, I masked off a rectangle and blended Ocean Waves ink onto the background. I then ran the panel through my die cut machine using the Dotted Starburst Debossing Cover Die. This debossing die doesn't cut the paper but instead adds a dotted design. I then added a rectangle from the Tiny Backgrounds Foil plate. The sentiment is heat embossed with Antique Gold embossing powder on black cardstock. 

Did you know that the Build a Flower is offered as a monthly subscription? Not only would you get an amazing layered floral each month, but you would get it at a discount! Check out Altenew.com for more information. 

Thank you for hopping along. Your next stop is the amazing Bridget Casey. I hope you have an amazing day today. 

Welcome to the Altenew A Year in Review Blog Hop. I feel lucky to be a part of this review of amazing inspiration from the Altenew designers and guest designers during this year. If you are following along the hop you have just come from the amazingly talented Alex Syberia and your next stop is my fellow Altenew Educator, Annemarie Caister. If you want to check out the whole hop list or want more information, check out the Altenew Card Blog. Read on to check out my top Altenew projects of 2021!

As every year winds down, I find myself to be more contemplative and then excited to look towards the next year. This past year I’ve been lucky to guest design for Altenew, teach virtual workshops and host livestreams on the Altenew YouTube and Facebook channels.

The projects I chose for my top Altenew projects of 2021 focus on different ways to create backgrounds. From stamping focal images, watercoloring or blending with stencils, I love creating backgrounds and Altenew products make it easy.

One of my favorite ways to build a focal point on a card is by stamping. Having either a block stamp, full background stamp or making your own background by repeat stamping. Check out some examples...which one do you like best?

I really love coloring using any media. I find using watercolors so easy to get a subtle wash or bold look. Either washing a background and adding die cuts on top or washing over a embossed image.

Stenciling is such an easy way to add interest and color to a project. Coloring stencils are a great way to add depth to an image or stencil a background and add a die cut on top. 

Thanks for hopping along. I'd love to see how Altenew has inspired your creativity this year. Post your projects on social media using the #Altenewbest2021 and me: #sevenscrafts so we can see what you made using your Altenew products. I hope that myself and Altenew continue to inspire you in 2022! 

Thank you so much for stopping by on this blog hop to celebrate the newest Paint-A-Flower release. If you are hopping along with us, you just came fromTherese Calvrid and have reached the end! If you would like some more information on the release or the hop, check out the Altenew Card Blog. My post will be focusing on another amazing new product, the Woodless Coloring Pencils. Check out my post about these wonderful pencils and why they are the newest must have in your craft room.

Altenew is adding another product to their coloring line. Honestly, I have been looking for this for such a long time. I love coloring using coloring pencils because I feel that I have more control over the shading. Coloring Pencils are easy to travel and since I do most of my coloring on the go, pencils are typically my go to option. 

The Altenew Woodless Coloring Pencils have a nice grip to them and I did not get hand fatigue when using them. The color is very vibrant and was easy to blend. When I first get a set, I swatch my colors. I like the 32 colors Altenew chose to be in this set. There are enough pinks, blues, greens and yellows to color in any image. 

In my card example, I colored a previous Paint-A-Flower release: Paeonia Japonica. When I color images, I like large florals so I can really shade and blend. I also start out with the darker shade and get into the nooks of an image. I then blend the dark out to the lightest. To finish off the card, I heat embossed one of the sentiments from the set onto a strip of vellum and added that to the card base. 

If you are unfamiliar with the Paint-A-Flower series from Altenew, this is a great monthly subscription. Every month on the 22nd, Altenew releases a new floral image that is perfect for coloring in any medium. Signing up for the subscription means that you will never miss out on a lovely floral to color. Not sure if you will like the month's flower? Altenew sends you a preview email with the image and you can choose to accept or cancel that month's order with no penalty. 

Thank you so much for hopping along and making it to the last stop! You can start all over again at the Altenew Card blog or head over to Altenew to check out the wonderful Woodless Colored Pencils for yourself. Have a wonderful day!

Hello and thank you for joining me on this super extra blog hop celebrating Washi Tape. Altenew has some really beautiful Washi Tapes and I would like to share some ideas of how to use these to make some amazing crafty projects. 
If you are hopping along with us, you have just come from a fellow amazing Altenew Educator, Natasha Davies and your next stop is yet another amazing Altenew Educator, Nancy Souza. If you get lost along the way or want to check out details about the hop and the giveaway, head over to the Altenew Card blog. 

Washi Tape is so very versatile. I love the bold designs that stand out on a card, the soft washes that act as a great background and thin washi tapes that act as a border. Let me show you some different ways I have used the Altenew Washi Tapes.

For each of the examples below, the Washi works as a background. I typically pair the backgrounds with die cut shapes or letters. See the captions with each image for products I used. 

Looking for a way to finish off a card? Want a hint of color or shine that is not too overpowering? Grab that Washi tape and add just enough to complement your design. 

Special Offer!
​Right now Altenew is offering 40% off their Washi collection. Head over and grab this great deal before it is gone. 

Thank you so much for joining me today on this Washi extravaganza hop. If you are following the hop, please head over to Nancy Souza or the Altenew Card blog. I would love to know in the comments if you regularly pull out your Washi tapes and use them or do you collect them?