Altenew Academy – Treasures In Letters

Altenew Educators “Favorite Old/New Altenew Stamp” Blog Hop and Linky Party + Giveaway

Hello and welcome to Treasures in Letters. Today I am part of the Altenew Educators “Favorite Old/New Altenew Stamp” Blog Hop and Linky Party + Giveaway. If you have been following along the hop list then you just arrived from Helen Kalb . Altenew has some great prizes if you want to follow along and enter to win one of them. All the details are below.

Prizes:

Altenew is giving away a $20 gift certificate to 5 lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog by 4/4/2021 for a chance to win.

We’ll also draw a winner to receive a $15 Altenew 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 4/6/2021.

There’s MORE! What’s a hop without YOU?! We have included an Inlinkz at the Altenew blog for you to enter your gorgeous Altenew “Old/New Favorite Altenew Stamp” creations. We will pick 2 of our favorite handmade creations from those who joined the linky party and they will each receive a $15 Altenew gift certificate!

My two cards today feature the Altenew Pinstripe Stamp. It is a background stamp that I use over and over again when I need to fill in empty spaces on a card or turn it and make little diamonds/squares.

My first card features Altenew’s Pinstrip Stamp and Layered Plaid Cover Die A.

So easy to make, this card is clean & simple, striking and bold. To recreate it, begin by stamping a 4 1/4″x 5 1/2″ card face with Altenew’s Pinstripe stamp with Obsidian black pigment ink. Then die cut, out of black cardstock, the Altenew Layered Plaid Cover Die A (a favorite of mine 🙂 ). For added depth you can cut the cover die out another 2-3 times and glue them together. Die cut the “hello” using Altenew’s Hello and Hugs Die Set using Altenew Red cardstock and the shadow out of white cardstock. Cut the “hello” another 2-3 times to add depth and glue all layers together. Cut a vellum circle just slightly larger than the hello die cut (appx 2″ circle). It’s just that simple. 🙂

Altenew’s cardstocks are gorgeous in color and a great weight. If you have not given them a try, I highly recommend them. All supplies will be listed at the end of my blog post.

My second card features the following Altenew products: Pinstripe Stamp, Candy Cane Stripe Cover Die, Floral Art Stamp and Die Set, and Waterbrush Hello Die. All supplies will be listed at the end of the blog.

This card was a lot of fun to make. I started out by stamping Altenew’s Pinstripe Stamp using Altenew’s Antique Gold Pigment ink and heat embossing with Altenew’s Antique Gold embossing powder. See the detail in this photo.

I then stamped the Pinstripe stamp on a white card face with Altenew Antique Gold Pigment Ink. Once it was dry, I turned the stamp and stamped it again on the card face. This created a crisscross look on the face of the card. I used the Candy Cane Stripe Cover Die and cut the crisscross face card with the cover die. I cut the cover die two more times out of plain white cardstock and glue the three layers together leaving some of the thinner lines loose with little to no glue on them (they will be held down by the flower and sentiment). Glue down the layered die cuts to the heat embossed panel you made in step 1.

Cut the sentiment 3 times out of black card stock and glue the three layers together. Stamp the largest flower from the Floral Art Stamp Set. Stamp the outline out of Antique Gold Pigment Ink and heat emboss with Altenew Clear embossing powder. Stamp first layer with Antique Gold Pigment Ink, repeat if necessary. Stamp center of flower with the Antique Gold ink but then heat emboss with Rose Gold embossing powder. Place flower in lower right corner of card front and glue sentiment down. I hope you liked the cards.

Your next stop will be: Roteja Galvan

Hop list:

Please add a link to the person before and after you in your post. You are encouraged to include the full list as well.

Altenew Card Blog

Bridget Casey

Colleen Balija

Teresa Litchfield

Katrina Howe

Rosie Neustaedter

Terri Marie Koszler

Tenia Nelson

Pam Boedeker

Nandini Karmarkar

Nenette S. Madero

The following links are affiliate links. They will take you directly to the product and if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at NO cost to you. Thank you so much for your support.

Affiliate links are used

Altenew Obsidian Ink Shop at: ALT	Altenew Crystal Clear Embossing Powder Shop at: ALT	Altenew Red Card stock Shop at: ALT	Altenew Vellum Translucent Paper Shop at: ALT
Altenew Embossing Ink Shop at: ALT	Altenew Antique Gold Pigment Ink Shop at: ALT	Altenew Pinstripe Stamp Shop at: ALT	Altenew Layered Plaid Cover Die A Shop at: ALT
Altenew Hello & Hugs Die Set Shop at: ALT	Altenew Candy Cane Stripe Cover Die Shop at: ALT	Altenew Floral Art Stamp & Die Set Shop at: ALT	Altenew Waterbrush Hello Die Shop at: ALT
Altenew Antique Gold Embossing Powder Shop at: ALT	Altenew Rose Gold Embossing Powder Shop at: ALT

Thanks A Bunch: featuring Altenew’s Pressed Leaf Die

I am so excited about my card today! Ever since I got Altenew’s Pressed Leaf Die I could picture it with alcohol inks. Well, I finally had a chance to play with it and use some alcohol inks with it. My inspiration came from fall leaves and how they can have multiple colors displayed in them as they change and get ready to fall off.

This card is square and larger than usual. It is 5 1/2″ x 5 1/2″.

I began this card by stamping my vase with one layer of Altenew’s Autumn Blaze Crisp Dye ink and 2 layers of Altenew’s Firebrick Crisp Dye ink. I then used a finger sponge dauber to apply Altenew’s Antique Gold Pigment ink to the stamp and stamping it over the Firebrick. I repeated this process (with the antique gold pigment ink) a couple of times until it looked the way I wanted it to. I then die cut the vase so that I could use it to plan the rest of my card.

Using a 6″x6″ piece of white card stock, I stamped 2-3 times using Altenew’s Rustic Linen Stamp and embossing ink. Once this was dry I planned where my leaf branches would be cut and die cut them. When doing this, you do cut into the left and right branches just a bit. It does not affect the finished product. Cut down your card front to 5 1/4″ across and 5 1/8″ down.

Next I chose some alcohol inks in colors that I see in fall leaves, some Yupo paper and 91% isopropyl alcohol and started moving the colors around with an air brush. I used a couple of sheets of Yupo paper until I had some designs that I thought I could use. Taking the Altenew Pressed Leaf Die, I cut the image out 3 times from the alcohol inked Yupo paper and then fussy cut the whole branch out. I also creased the center of each branch where the die cut leaves an impression. Each branch is then glued to the white card stock that was cut earlier. I glued the center branch last.

I tied a small bow at the mouth of the vase using gold thread then mounted the vase onto the card front using foam tape. The sentiment was made with Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil System and Rose Gold Foil (vintage matte finish). I then mounted the card front to a piece of black card stock 5 1/2″ x 5 1/2″. This was then mounted onto a 5 1/2″x 5 1/2″ #110 white cardstock base.

The supplies I used are as follows: Altenew Mod Vases Stamp & Die; Altenew Rustic Linen Stamp Set; Altenew Pressed Leaf Die; Altenew Embossing Ink; Altenew Antique Gold Pigment Ink; Altenew Crisp Dye Inks – Autumn Blaze and Firebrick; Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil System; Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil Plate: Everyday Sentiments II; Yupo paper; Lawn Fawn Every Day Sentiment Banners; Marabu Alcohol Inks: Agave, Cinnamon, Metallic Copper; 91% Isoproply Alcohol

The links below are affiliate links to some of the products I have used. If you click on the links they will take you directly to the product. If you purchase a product I will receive a small commission at NO cost to you. Thank you so much for stopping by and for your support.

Affiliate links are used

Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil System Shop at: SPLBDRS	Spellbinders Quick Trimmer Shop at: SPLBDRS	Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil Plate: Everyday Sentiment II Shop at: SPLBDRS	Altenew Mod Vases Stamp & Die Shop at: ALT
Altenew Rustic Linen Stamp Shop at: ALT	Altenew Pressed Leaf Die Shop at: ALT	Altenew Embossing Ink Shop at: ALT	Altenew Antique Gold Pigment Ink Shop at: ALT
Altenew Warm & Cozy Crisp Dye Ink Cubes Shop at: ALT

Altenew Educators “Floral with Geometric Elements” Blog Hop and Linky Party + Giveaway

Altenew Blog Post

Welcome to Treasures in Letters! Thank you for stopping bye and being a part of the Altenew Educator’s “Floral with Geometric Elements” Blog Hop and Linky Party + Giveaway.

You have almost made it to the finish line!! Well done, my friend. 😉

If you have been working thru the blog list then you will have come from Rosie Neustaedter and will finish off with Virginia Lu. I hope you have enjoyed the blog hop.

My inspiration for this card was one of the trellises I use in my garden every summer for my Clematis. One of my daughters commented that it reminded her of the rose in the glass in Disney’s Beauty and The Beast movie. My card features a three layer hand-cut arch and Altenew’s Pinstripe Stamp, Cherished Memories Stamp & Die Set, Altenew Fine Frames Diamonds Die, and Altenew Alcohol Ink Refills: Green Fields. See the full list of Altenew products that I used below the second photo.

Supplies: Altenew Fine Frames Diamonds Die Set, Altenew Cherished Memories Stamp & Die Set, Altenew Pinstripe Stamp, Altenew Obsidian Ink, Altenew Alcohol Markers Frayed Leaf, Forest Glades, Evergreen, Grapevine, Ruby Red, Coral Berry, and Frosty Pink; Altenew Alcohol Ink Refills: Forest Glades, Frayed Leaf, Altenew Clear Embossing Powder, Altenew Embossing Ink, Altenew Thank You Builder Stamp, Altenew Cardstock: Apple Red, Green Meadows Gradient Card Stock, White, Altenew Black Card stock, Clear Acetate.

Highlights: I measured out the size of the trellis that I wanted. I used a cutting knife to cut the inside of the arch and a cutting board to do all the straight edges. The beauty of having the pinstripe stamped background is that you cannot tell where the curved top of the arch is a little bumpy. It is completely invisible to the naked eye. 😉 I cut my piece of clear acetate just a hair smaller than the trellis and used spray adhesive on the back of the cut diamonds to stick them to the acetate. The acetate was then adhered to the pinstripe background (stamped and turned and stamped again) using black foam tape. The flower was adhered to the acetate/diamond center using foam tape and liquid glue. The back of the acetate was painted using Altenew’s alcohol ink refills before adding the diamonds (to the front).

This background was made in August 2019 and I really liked it but I didn’t know what I wanted to do with it. When they announced the blog hop would have geometric elements, I was excited to find a way to incorporate this background.

Highlights and Supplies: This background was made using Altenew Ink Sprays: Jet Black, Dusk and Pure White, sprayed in a diagonal fashion over the Altenew On The Plus Side stencil. The Cherished Memories Stamp and Die was colored using a “negative space” mask and ink blending from the bottom up using a blending sponge. Other Altenew products used: Altenew Obsidian Ink, Altenew Black Card Stock, Altenew White Card Stock, Altenew Ink Blending Tool, Altenew Crisp Dye Inks: Desert Night, Dusk, Turquoise, Cloudy Sky; Altenew Fine Frames Cover Die, Altenew Pure White Embossing Powder, Altenew Embossing Ink.

This card features Altenew Fine Frames Circle Die, Fine Frames Cover Die, and Fine Frames Diamond Die with a hand written message.

Supplies: Altenew Fine Frames Circle Die, Altenew Fine Frames Cover Die, Altenew Fine Frames Diamond Die, Altenew Green Meadows Card Stock, Altenew Black Card Stock, Altenew White Card Stock, Altenew Cool Summer Night Ink Set, Altenew Obsidian Ink, Altenew Dusk Ink Spray, Altenew blending tool, Altenew Cherished Memories Stamp & Die.

Highlight: Dry embossing with Altenew Bubble Wrap Stencil and blending Altenew Misty Morning Ink create the soft background to this vibrant flower.

Supplies: Altenew Leaf Clusters Stamp (sentiment); Obsidian Ink, Altenew Crisp Dye inks: Frayed Leaf, Evergreen, Forest Glades, Desert Night, Dusk, Ocean Waves, Misty Morning Ink; Cherished Memories Stamp & Die, Altenew Bubble Wrap Stencil, Altenew Ink Blending Tool, Altenew Fine Frames Cover Die, Altenew White Card Stock, Altenew Black Card Stock.

I pictured this card with and without a sentiment. I am not sure which way to go.

Supplies: Altenew Cherished Memories Stamp & Die Set, Altenew Obsidian Ink, Altenew Clear Embossing Powder (card with sentiment), Altenew Bubble Wrap Stencil, Altenew Shattered Triangle Die Set, Altenew Ink Blending Tool, Altenew White Card Stock, Altenew Black Card stock, Altenew Blender Tool, Altenew Embossing Ink.

This sentiment was temporarily added because I am still undecided on what I want to do with the sentiment. 🙂

Prizes:

Altenew is giving away a $30 gift certificate to 1 lucky winner! Please leave a comment here on the Altenew Card Blog by 12/21/2020 for a chance to win.

There’s MORE! What’s a hop without YOU?! We have included an Inlinkz on the Altenew blog for you to enter your gorgeous Altenew “Floral with Geometric Elements” creations. We will pick 2 of our favorite handmade creations from those who joined the linky party and they will each receive a $15 Altenew gift certificate!

Hop list:

Altenew Card Blog

Nenette S. Madero

Kari VanNoy

Helen Kalb

Teresa Litchfield

Colleen Balija

Rachael Shedeed

Pam Boedeker

Nandini Karmarkar

Amber Rain Davis

Neha Aggarwal

Amy Hill

Teri Wilson

Terri Marie Koszler

Eva Bussom

Sandra Woodson

Irina Fonina

Jaycee Gaspar

Roteja Galvan

Teri Stokes

Michelle Ochoa Murray

Rosie Neustaedter

Patty Mello

Virginia Lu

Altenew: “Giving Thanks” Blog Hop and Linky Party + Giveaway

Welcome to Treasures in Letters! If you’ve been following the blog hop then you’ve just come from Amber Rain Davis and you’re last stop will be Virginia Lu.

This is no ordinary hop! We want you to join in on the fun as well. There is a Linky Party going on at the Altenew Card Blog. All you have to do is link up your creations based on the theme of the hop, which is, “Giving Thanks” and mention that you are taking part in the Altenew Educators Blog Hop and Linky Party. So what are you waiting for?! Link up!

This card features a wreath that is stamped flat on the left side and fussy cut and mounted with foam tape on the right side. It is rich in color and sparkly with sequins.

I really enjoy trying some new techniques for blog hops. Today I am using a few new ideas in my cards. I hope you enjoy them!

We are also celebrating “Giving Thanks” in our blog hop today. Years ago I started a “Thank You” journal. Every January 1st I begin a new journal and every morning, I start my day writing out at least 3 things I am thankful for from the day before. This helps me start the day with a positive attitude and a thankful heart. My initial goal was to have 1,000 entries by the end of the year. By keeping this journal every year, for many years now, it has made me a much more positive person …and I far exceed 1,000 entries each year. I don’t know about you, but this Corona Virus pandemic has been quite a challenge to get used to. Despite it all, I have found myself grateful for so many things…including a new job that I got just as the quarantines were starting, and the job was in the “essential” category! So thankful to God! I never thought I would be so thankful for Skype and Zoom and the different ways we can “face time” with out families and friends. Then there are all the MDs, nurses, paramedics, police, fire/rescue squads, teens and college students who’ve worked in supermarkets and retailers. The moms and dads who’ve committed to teaching their children at home and have spent quality time with their kids despite having to “work at home” at their jobs. What about all the outreaches? People handing out food to the elderly and less fortunate. People have become so creative in the ways that they can help and serve others. It all makes me thankful. What are you thankful for today?

This bold YOU die cut from the backgroud has been highlighted around its edges with the Altenew Cosmic Berry alcohol ink pen….which was also used to color the background of the sentiment and to color the little embellishment balls. Altenew Fine Frames were stacked and heat embossed to give the frame some definition and texture.

Supplies for both of these cards: Altenew Dotted Diamond Stamp; Altenew Caps Bold Alphabet Die; Altenew Thank You Builder Stamp; Altenew Bountiful Branch Stamp; Altenew Fine Frames Cover Die; Altenew Crisp Dye inks: Dark Night, Grape Agate, Pumpkin Pie, Yellow Ochre, Sicilian Amber, Misty Morning, Cloudy Sky, Nimbus, Plum; Altenew Crystal Clear Embossing Powder, Altenew Pure White Embossing Powder; Altenew Antique Gold embossing powder; Altenew Embossing ink; Altenew Cosmic Berry Alcohol ink pen and foam tape.

This card background was made with Altenew’s Thank You Builder stamp set organized in such a way that I made my own “turnabout” stamp. The first stamping , purple wine, has 3 layers of clear embossing powder on top of it, the 2nd turn, has 2 layers of clear embossing on top, the 3rd turn has one layer of clear embossing, and the 4th turn has no clear embossing. This really adds some fun and texture. This card also has a “floating” vellum circle. There is foam tape between the flower cluster and the vellum and the vellum and the card background.

This card also features my home-made turnabout stamp using Altenew’s Thank You Builder Stamp. I also did the multi-level clear heat embossing that I did on the previous card.

Supplies used on both cards: Altenew Thank You Builder Stamp; Altenew Tulip Stamp; Altenew Moroccan Mosaic; Altenew Mod Vases Stamp and Die Bundle; Altenew Perfectly Perfect Stamp, Altenew Milky Way Stencil, Altenew Spring Daisy Stamp & Die; Altenew Crisp Dye Inks: Permanent Black, Limestone, Silver Lake, Gray Denim, Cloudy Night, Charcoal Suit, Purple Wine; Altenew Crystal Clear Embossing Powder; Altenew Pure White Embossing Powder; Altenew Artist Markers Set D; Altenew Embossing Ink; Vellum, Foam Tape, Wink of Stella Glitter Pen; Gelly Roll pen black and white, Black cardstock.

Prizes:

Altenew is giving away a $30 gift certificate to 3 lucky winners! Please leave a comment here on the Altenew Card Blog by 6/17/2020 for a chance to win.

We’ll also draw a winner to receive a $15 Altenew gift certificate from the comments left on each designer’s blog on the blog hop list below. All winners will be announced on the Card Blog on 6/21/2020.

There’s MORE! We will pick 2 of our favorite handmade creations from those who joined the linky party and they will each receive a $15 Altenew gift certificate!

Special offer:

FREE U.S. shipping with code HAPPY6T or $5 OFF international shipping with code SHOPPING6T at checkout on orders over $29. Offer valid from 6/10/2020 at 12:01 am EDT through6/11/2020 at 11:59 pm EDT. Shop HERE! Not valid on prior purchases. Cannot be combined with other promo codes. Not valid on Altenew Academy Classes and Virtual Workshops.

Hop list:

Please add a link to the person before and after you in your post. You are encouraged to include the full list as well.

Altenew Card Blog

Nenette S. Madero

Christine Pennington

Vicki Finger

Amy Hill

Nandini Karmarkar

Nancy McClelland

Neha Aggarwal

Terri Marie Koszler

Rosie Neustaedter

Hello: You’re the Best

New Altenew Academy Class: Runway Inspired Card Making – Line

Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve last blogged! I hope you have all enjoyed your summer as much as I have. Even though I haven’t been blogging, I was still actively making some cards in between bike rides, BBQ’s, and beach time. 🙂

But now, as the temperatures start to cool off a bit and become more comfortable (for those of us who do not have air conditioning), it’s time to get back to the fun of sharing some card making pleasure.

Today I am sharing a card I made for an Altenew Academy class called Runway Inspired Card Making. The first lesson was on “line” and my inspiration came from one of Giambattista Valli’s Fall 2019 fashion line (featured in Vogue.com).

Giambattista Valli’s Fall 2019 Fashion Line

Supplies: Altenew Obsidian Pigment Ink, Altenew Crisp Dye Inks: Marigold and Morning Frost, Altenew Pinstripe Stamp Set, Altenew Layered Medallions Cover Die A, Altenew Crystal Clear Embossing Powder, Simon Says Stamps Basic Stripes Stamp, Craft Foam, The Stamp Market Hello Serif Die, Birch Press Kindness Tile Stamp, Foam Tape, Black Card stock, Neenah Solar White Classic Crest #80, #110, Masking Paper, Temporary tape adhesive, Misti Stamping Tool.

How I made it: Start by taking a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2″ piece of white card stock and masking the lower 2/3 of the card. Using Obsidian pigment ink and Altenew Pinstripe stamp, stamp the pinstripe onto the top 1/3 of your white card stock. Set aside to dry.

Using your craft foam (4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″) , die cut the Altenew Layered Medallions Cover Die A out. The craft foam may flatten a bit but that will not affect what you will be using it for. Put some temporary tape adhesive on a couple of spots on the back of the craft foam background. Have ready your dry pinstriped card stock and 1 more piece of Neenah Solar white classic crest #80, cut to 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″. Put temporary adhesive on a couple of spots on the back of these 2 card stock pieces. Place the pinstripe card stock piece into the Misti and press down so that the temporary adhesive holds it in place. Now place the craft foam die cut background, right sides together, on top of the pinstriped card stock. Close the Misti cover so that the temporary adhesive (on the back of your foam) sticks to the Misti and you now have the craft foam acting as your stamp.

Cover the craft foam with Morning Frost ink and stamp onto the card stock. If you missed a spot or two just close the Misti door again and press down in that area to get more coverage. If necessary, ink the foam again but lightly, as you do not want this to get too dark. Repeat this process for the second piece of card stock (which will not have the pinstripe stamping on it).

As the ink dries, die cut your Hello letters from the newly stamped background you just made (the piece without the pinstripe). Out of black card stock die cut the shadow Hello.

Using Simon Says Stamps, Basic Stripes Stamp and your pinstriped card stock, place your thick stripes wherever you would like them and stamp with Marigold ink. You will have to do these one at a time. With the black stripes, do the same. Have fun deciding on spacing and thickness, there does not have to be a pattern to the layout.

Once all the ink is dry, used a scrap piece of black card stock (cut to about 1/8″ wide) to place a line between the pinstripe and the non-pinstripe section. Using the Morning Frost ink make some matching card stock by smudging the ink onto some white card stock a little larger than the area you will need to stamp and cut out your sentiment. Let the ink dry before stamping your sentiment on top of it. Stamp the sentiment on with Obsidian ink and heat emboss with Altenew Crystal Clear embossing powder. Mount the sentiment with foam tape. Mount the Hello sentiment with liquid glue.

The Marigold background was made by rubbing the stamp ink pad on the edges of a 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ piece of Neenah Solar white #80 card stock. Cut down the card base so that you can layer the black card stock, Marigold card stock and still have the white of your card base showing. My card face was cut down to 3 3/4″ x 5 1/8″. The black card stock was cut 1/8″ around the face card, the marigold base was 1/8″ larger (all around) than the black card stock, then there was about an 1/8″ of the white card base showing.

Below is a list of some of the products I used in my card today.I am still new at all of this so bare with me. 🙂 Click on the link to go directly to the product. Where available, I use compensated affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

Affiliate links are used