Miss You

Hi everyone! Ready for the weekend? :)

I'm on the Altenew blog sharing a couple of cards. I used the beautiful Painted Flowers set and watercolored them. It was the first time I had ever used this set (why??), but I loved it! I went pretty CAS with these cards. :)

Here's a close-up:

There is a picture of the other card and more details on the Altenew blog. I hope you check it out!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

Marinade for Each Other

Hi everyone! I'm sorry I've been MIA....we went on vacation. :) School starts next week--ahhhh!!

I'm up on the Altenew blog today with a set of cards using the new Raise the Steaks set and Crate Paper's Open Road papers. I hope you'll check out the whole set here. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Stamping on Patterned Papers

Hi everyone! How's your week going?

I'm up on the Altenew blog today with a card using the Wild Hibiscus stamp set. I also have a few tips for stamping on patterned paper. I hope you'll check it out! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day.

Wild Hibiscus

Hi everyone! Can you believe it's the end of July? I'm glad we still have six more weeks before school starts, but time is flying!

I'm up on the Altenew blog showing three different projects using the new Wild Hibiscus set. It's one of the prettiest stamp sets I've seen! I hope you'll check out the post!

Have a great day. Thanks for stopping by!!

Altenew July Release Blog Hop

Hi everyone! It's Friday--woo hoo!

Today, Altenew is having a blog hop to celebrate its July Stamp Release! Yeah! The July release includes nine new sets, which are available now in the Altenew store. If you're hopping along, you should be coming from May's blog. Here's the complete list:

Altenew
Laura Bassen

May Sukyong Park 

Jocelyn Olson <-- You are here.
Agnieszka Malyszek

Marika Rahtu

Yana Smakula
Anna Kossavoskaya

Melania Deasy

I made two projects with the new stamps:

First up, I used the new Layered Lily set. This gorgeous flower has a whopping five layers (I only used four). Taking inspiration from Aga's card, I inked up the layers in lighter Altenew inks. I fussy cut the flower and inked up the leaf in the set.

I stewed over what to do with the background, but it dawned on me to stamp one of the lily layers in Frosty Pink. It made a cool background! I finished the card off with the sentiment from the same Layered Lily set. Here's a close-up:

For my second card, I went cute:

Seriously, folks, I think I would buy the set just for this sentiment. :) I used the new Halftone Happy set, which is full of fantastic and different sentiments (like the one I used in my card).

I stamped the "happy" in Coral Berry, fussy cut the word, and stitched it to the Studio Calico patterned paper. Next, I stamped the second sentiment (also from Halftone Happy) and layered it with foam tape. Here's a close-up:

I used two of the nine new sets, so be sure to hop along and see the other sets. :)

Prizes: There are two ways to win!

To celebrate this release, Altenew will draw three winners who will each receive a $50 gift certificate to their online store. Please leave a comment on the Altenew blog by Friday, July 31st 11:59pm EST for a chance to win. The winners will be announced on Saturday, August 1st.

Altenew is also offering a $30 gift certificate for comments on this blog post. For a chance to win this extra gift certificate, please leave a comment on my post by Friday, July 31st at 11:59pm.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Next up on the hop is the fabulous Aga. I'm sure you're in for a treat!

Supplies
Lily Thanks
Stamps: (sentiment, flower, leaf from Layered Lily) Altenew
Ink: (Frosty Pink, Coral Berry, Buttercream, Jet Black) Altenew; (Coral Brilliance) Tsukineko; (white Mister Huey's) Studio Calico; (gold mist) Lindy's Stamp Gang
Embellishments: (chipboard frame) Crate Paper; (sequins) Studio Calico; (white cord) Hemptique

Happy World
Stamps: (sentiments from Halftone Happy) Altenew
Ink: (Coral Berry, Jet Black) Altenew
Patterned paper: (cloud from a Studio Calico kit); (polka dot from Summertime) October Afternoon
Embellishments: (yellow and white cord) Lawn Fawn

To the Moon for You

Hi everyone!

I'm up on the Altenew blog with a card and a tutorial on making the nighttime sky. I hope you check it out! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day!

Stamping on Patterned Vellum

Hi! Happy Wednesday!

I'm on the Altenew blog today sharing a card and some tips for stamping on patterned vellum. I hope you check it out!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day!

Supplies

Stamps: (Super Script, Floral Motifs) Altenew

Ink: (Jet Black) Altenew; (Brilliance Lightning Black) Tsukineko; (gold splatter) Lindy's Stamps Gang

Patterned paper: (grid 6x6) Studio Calico; (vellum from All That Glitters) Webster's Pages; (stripe from Shimelle) American Crafts

Embellishments: (Gold Metallic, Flat Gold, Lime sequins) Neat & Tangled; (Strawberry Burst, Clear 4mm) Pretty Pink Posh; (gold puffy heart) Studio Calico

Many Thanks

Hi everyone! I hope you're having a great week!

I'm up on the Altenew blog today sharing a card using the Doodle Blooms set. I stenciled the background of the card, which may be my new favorite way to make a background. ;) Anyhoo, I hope you check out the post (HERE).

Thanks for stopping by!

Smile + a Winner

Hi everyone! I hope you're having a lovely weekend!

I'm up on the Altenew blog today with positive and negative die-cutting. I hope you swing by and see the full card! :)

I'm also very tardy to announce the winner of the Altenew Dye Ink Blog Hop. The winner of the $30 gift certificate to Altenew is:

Kristie Larsen

Congratulations, Kristie! Please drop me an e-mail (see the "Contact Me"). Thank you to all who commented!

Altenew Ink Pad Blog Hop

Hi everyone! It's Friday--yeah!

It's also the release of the new Altenew Dye inks. Yeah! To celebrate, we're having a special blog hop. If you're hopping along, you should be coming from May's blog. Here's the complete list:

Altenew

May Sukyong Park 

Jocelyn Olson <-- You are here.

Marika Rahtu

Yana Smakula

Melania Deasy
Anna Kossavoskaya

I made two projects showing the inks. First up, a card:

I used the Vintage Flowers Stamps and Vintage Flowers Dies for the flowers and leaves. The new inks are made to work with multi-step flowers--there are four coordinating red inks and four yellow. Plus, there are three coordinating green inks that are perfect for leaves and a black. I've used 11 of the 12 inks on this card.

For the pink flower, I used Ruby Red, Coral Berry, and Frosty Pink. For the yellow flower, I used Caramel Toffee, Warm Sunshine, and Buttercream. On both cards, I stamped off the final (fourth) layer (Frosty Pink and Buttercream). The Jet Black I used for the Label Love sentiment is very dark and has great coverage.

Here's another close-up:

I also stamped and fussy cut a butterfly from the Painted Butterflies set. For the outline, I used the Grapevine ink. It's a gorgeous color and unlike any other I have. Behind the panel, I did a little watercoloring using the Coral Berry and Buttercream inks to look like a shadow.

Next, I have a CAS tag:

I used the dye inks to watercolor the Peony Scrolls flower. I used all three of the yellow inks (Buttercream, Warm Sunshine, and Caramel Toffee) and a small amount of Coral Berry. Now I'm not a stellar watercolorer, but I wanted to show how well the colors blend together.

I have to say, these inks are fantastic! They are very crisp, dry quickly, and I only had light staining from the darkest reds. Something that drives me nuts about some dye inks is ink transfer between colors (even after cleaning). Fortunately, I didn't have any problems with discoloration with the Altenew inks. The coverage is fantastic, even on solid stamps. I typically use pigment inks, but I would definitely buy all of the Altenew inks.

Prizes: There are two ways to win!

To celebrate this release, Altenew will draw three winners who will each receive a $30 gift certificate to their online store. Please leave a comment on the Altenew blog by Friday, May 22nd 11:59pm EST for a chance to win. The winners will be announced on Saturday, May 23rd.

Altenew is also offering a $30 gift certificate for comments on this blog post. For a chance to win this extra gift certificate, please leave a comment on my post by Friday, March 22nd at 11:59pm.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Next up on the hop is the incredible Marika. I'm sure you're in for a treat!

Scrappy Cards

Hi all! Happy Wednesday!

I'm up on the Altenew blog today with a couple of cards using the Lacy Scrolls set.

The first cards was inspired by THIS mini album Claudia Shadler. I'm such a fan of her work! I cut into my new Crate Paper Poolside papers (gorgeous!) and added a strip of Maya Road Coud Lace Tape for the background.

For the layering, I used the Lacy Scrolls stamps and matching dies. For the Maya Road chipboard frame, I painted and added glitter over it. and a sentiment from Floral Motifs.

My second card is up on the Altenew blog. I'm sneaking the new Altenew inks on that card (woo hoo for new inks!).

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day!

Howdy

Hi everyone! Happy Wednesday!

I'm over on the Altenew blog today sharing an artsy card. If you have a chance, I'd love it if you swung by for a look. :)

It's my husband's birthday today. The kids and I are looking forward to cake. ;)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Bejeweled Card Set

Hi everyone!

I'm on the Altenew blog today with a card set using the Bejeweled stamp set. I did some simple layering (using items that were within reach of my desk) and kept the same design to coordinate the set. I used some older Notes & Things chipboard frames from Crate Paper.

Here's a close-up of one of the cards:

To see the rest of the set (in different colors and frames), swing by the Altenew blog. Thanks!!

Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Floral Stamps Two Ways

Hi everyone! How's your week going?

I'm sharing a couple of cards over on the Altenew blog today using the Striped Florals set. Here are some sneaks:

If you want to see the cards, the post is HERE. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Altenew March Blog Hop

Hi everyone! Sorry to be so absent....I was on an 11-day work trip. Yikes! Now that I'm home, I'm trying to catch up on posts. Today, I'm participating in a special Altenew blog hop:

Yep, Altenew is releasing dies and new antique trims! Altenew is releasing 12 stamp-matching dies this month, and the antique trims include foiled frames. You can check them out in the shop HERE. To celebrate, we're having a blog hop. If you're hopping along, you should be coming from May's blog. Here's the complete list:

Altenew

May Sukyong Park 

Jocelyn Olson <-- You are here.

Marika Rahtu

Yana Smakula

Melania Deasy

I made two projects, both using the Vintage Flowers Dies. First up, a card:

Truth time: I don't stamp too many floral multi-step stamps, and therefore I don't have go-to ink combinations. So, I played around with pretty much every dye ink I own and stamped several flowers. Okay, maybe 50. ;) Here are the inks I used (all combinations are from the darkest layer to the lightest layer):

• Yellow: Hero Arts Butter Bar, Stampin Up! YoYo Yellow stamped off once, SU! Barely Banana
• Pink: Hero Arts Pale Tomato, Hero Arts Pale Tomato stamped off once, SU! Pink Pirouette
• Darker pink: SU! Strawberry Slush, Hero Arts Pale Tomato, SU! Pink Pirouette

I used the Vintage Flowers Stamps and Vintage Flowers Dies for the flowers and leaves. The dies make these flowers easy to use and are perfect for layering flowers. For the sentiment, I used the new Birthday Greetings set. In the background, I watercolored some stripes with a (ground-down) Silver Gelato.

Here's a close-up:

See the gold Vineleaf Frame? I trimmed the inner layer of the frame, and now I have a second frame for a future project. :) This frame is a pretty rich-gold color that's so popular right now.  They're great for layering, or you could add a sentiment for a CAS card.

Next, I have an altered hoop:

It's been a while since I've made a hoop, but I wanted to make one for my daughter. I used the same Vintage Flowers stamps and Vintage Flower dies for the flowers and leaves. For the sentiment, I masked off two sentiments from To the Moon.

The ink colors I used here were:

• Yellow: Hero Arts Butter Bar, Stampin Up! YoYo Yellow stamped off once, SU! Barely Banana
• Pink: My Favorite Things Razzle Berry Hybrid, Hero Arts Bubblegum stamped off once, SU! Pink Pirouette

I painted the hoop and then followed THIS tutorial for the background. Once I had the base completed, I added the die-cuts and a few embellishments. The flowers are so cheerful!

Prizes: There are two ways to win!

To celebrate this release, Altenew will draw three winners who will each receive a $30 gift certificate to their online store. Please leave a comment on the Altenew blog by Friday, March 20th 11:59pm EST for a chance to win. The winners will be announced on Saturday, March 21st.

Altenew is also offering a $30 gift certificate for comments on this blog post. For a chance to win this extra gift certificate, please leave a comment on my post by Friday, March 20th at 11:59pm.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Next up on the hop is the incredible Marika. I'm sure you're in for a treat!

Some Super Exciting News!

Hi everyone! I'm on the road this week and next, but I had to pop on to share some super exciting news I've been waiting to share (eek!):

I'm joining the Altenew Design Team! I think I nearly fell off my chair when Tasnim contacted me. Holy cow! I love their stamps! They always have such cool and new designs. Love that!

Jen and Tasnim have put together an incredible team, and be sure to check out the Altenew blog this week to see the team announcements.  :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Joy Mini Album

Hi everyone! We're starting Spring Break today. I always find it amusing that Spring Break is before Valentine's Day (especially in South Dakota). But I'm looking forward to sleeping in for a few days! :)

I'm up on the Maya Road blog today with a mini album. 

I used a lot of altered Maya Road supplies, the October Afternoon Girl Talk collection, and a few stamps from Altenew's Figure Effects set. I hope you'll swing by and check it out! :)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

100 Videos and 2500 Subscribers Video Hop

Hi everyone! Today I'm taking part in a special hop!

Emily is such an awesome and supportive friend. I'm excited for her to be celebrating 100 videos and 2,500 subscribers! She has some great sponsors, too (with prizes--woot!).

To start at the beginning of the hop, start at Emily's post. The link to my video is HERE.

Here's the card I made:

I used a technique of whitewashing the background [Check out the video below!]. For the background and the flowers, I used Altenew's Lacy Scrolls set.

Here's a close-up of the background:

I used a sentiment from Altenew's Figure Effects set. The awesome transparency butterfly is from Maya Road.

Here's another close-up:

We're having a video hop, and I have a video. :) To leave a comment on the video, please click on the YouTube icon in the corner of the video. Thanks!

As part of the hop, there are prizes from these fab sponsors:

For a chance to win, you must hop along and comment on the videos. Comments below will not be entered. I hope you'll check out the videos of all of the hoppers!

Next up is the super sweet Heather Campbell!

Altenew Blog Hop

Hi everyone! Welcome to the Altenew premier blog hop!

Altenew is the latest stamp company to open its doors to the paper crafting community. The stamps that you will see here will be available for purchase on April 7th (that's this Monday--woot!). You should be coming from Jennifer's blog.

I'm sharing two sets today, the Magnolia and the Figure Effects. First up is the Magnolia:

I used two of the flowers from the Magnolia set and a sentiment from the set. I stamped the flowers on some new Webster's Pages' Our Travels vellum. The background has some simple watercoloring with mists.

Here are some close-ups:

Yep, pretty much swooning over the flowers. The background patterned paper is from the same Our Travels collection.

Next, I made a smaller layout using the Magnolia set and also the super cool Figure Effects set:

I've been liking making Handbook-sized layouts (6"x8")--I got the idea from Emma_KW (what a cool idea, no?). They seem less daunting as a card maker and I like that the albums are smaller.

I stamped the magnolia on linen vellum. All of the sentiments are from the Figure Effects set. I'm going to be using this set constantly--the sentiments are fantastic (and in a good font).




Aren't they the perfect typewriter font? Here's a close-up of the flower from the Magnolia set:

Want to win some Altenew? To celebrate the grand opening of their store, Altenew is giving away prizes! Three lucky winners will win five stamp sets of their choice. The winner will be chosen from comments left at the Altenew blog.

Plus, I'll choose a winner from the comments left on my post, and Altenew will send the winner the Magnolia and Figure Effects sets.

You may leave up to three comments here:

• Comment on the project/stamp you would like to see in future stamps.
• Like Altenew on Facebook.
• Follow Altenew on Pinterest. 

Here's the rest of the line-up:

Altenew

Cristina Kowalczyk

Elena Roussakis

Iwona Palamountain

Jennifer McGuire

Jocelyn Olson <--You are here

Laura Bassen

Thanks for stopping by! Next up is the super-talented Laura!