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Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Altenew Crafty Friends Blog Hop


Hey everyone! Lydia here for the Altenew Crafty Friends Blog Hop! If you came here from Agnieszka's blog you're in the right place! We are getting together today just to celebrate our crafty community, and all the joy it has brought into our lives. I can't tell you how grateful I am to have so many amazing people come into my life over a little ink. Pure joy.

May Park is one of those friends. She is a complete treasure, and I never would have met her if it hadn't been for Altenew, so it's a lot of fun to be here today.

I have two very differently styled projects for you today - which is one of the things I love about Altenew's range - it has something for everyone.

The first project is a watercolor card using the Under the Cherry Blossom Tree stamp set. This is a layering set, but I didn't just want to stamp it because I do so love watercolored cherry blossoms. So first I stamped the branch image in Rocky Shore ink. Then I watercolored it to fuzz it out a bit.Then I repeated that with the blossoms in Cotton Candy ink. I did the same with the outline of the branch - this is cool because it also stamps the center of the flowers - in Espresso. Finally I added some Caribbean Sky around the branch. I love the soft look of this image when it's watercolored.

For my sentiment - I wanted it to blend in with the background, so I used their Calligraphy Alpha dies just to make it dimensional, but with no color. The watercolor paper is Fabriano.
 

The next one is from the VERY graphic and fun Modern Cat bundle. The stamps in this set are stunning and elegant, but I needed a sympathy card, and so I thought I could give a sense of absence to the card with just the matching dies.

Altenew is giving away a $100 Altenew prize pack to FIVE lucky winners. There are also 13 awesome companies/magazines who are offering the following prizes:


Create and Craft TV: £50 gift certificate
My Sweet Petunia: Mini MISTI
Ellen Hutson LLC: $30 gift certificate
Pretty Pink Posh: $30 gift certificate
Simon Says Stamp: $30 gift certificate
Chameleon Pens: 1 pack of 5 Chameleon pens
Tombow USA: 1 pack of 10 dual brush pens
WOW! Embossing Powder: $25 gift certificate
Butterfly Reflections Ink: $25 gift certificate
Freckled Fawn: $20 gift certificate
Papercraft Magazines: One copy of each of the latest issues of four magazines
Scrapbook & Cards Today Magazine: 1 year subscription

Also - Altenew is offering a special in conjunction with this hop, so click over and shop with free shipping!

https://ldli.co/e/xlmm74



Be sure to leave comments by Friday, October 27th, 2017 at 11:59 PM EDT for a chance to win! 20 WINNERS will be chosen at random from the comments left on all of these blogs listed below and will be announced on the Altenew Card Blog and Altenew Scrapbook Blog on October 28th, 2017.

Thanks for stopping by today - be sure to visit all the other hop stops for your chance to win - and be sure and send a card to someone today! Next stop is Tracey McNeely




181 comments:

  1. I love these, simple yet stunning!

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  2. Such thoughtful cards...thank you for sharing.

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  3. Just love the first card, so my style. Thank you for sharing it!

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  4. Beautiful card, I love the cherry blossom set- it’s going on the top of my wish list.

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  5. I love the softness of your watercolored branch... gorgeous.

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  6. LOVE your cards and this fun blog hop!!!

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  7. Wow, you're right, these are two totally different styles, but both extremely creative. Soft and elegant and bold. Great contrast.

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  8. I absolutely love your watercoloring, and I love cats too!

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  9. Beautiful cards!! I love the watercolored one!! That is a masterpiece!!

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  10. Love this card, I am so afraid of watercolors, I can't seem to get a good finished product. Love my Misti!

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  11. Beautiful cards and great blog hop with Altenew!

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  12. I am in love with the cherry blossom card. Thanks for the inspiration. You are amazing and i am glad for all your inspiration!

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  13. Love the first card especially. Just so calming.

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  14. I especially loved the watercolored card...that is a sweet spot for me.....the cat card was such a sweet way to send your sympathy message. Thank you so much for sharing your talents.

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  15. Beautiful cherry blossoms!... and a kind sympathy card!

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  16. Such soft colors on the first card.
    Losing a pet is so hard. Good choice.
    Thanks for participating in the blog hop.

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  17. Lovely cards! I love this crafting community and the fact that it can bring people together from all over the world. I have "met" some wonderful friends in places like Florida (USA) and even New Zealand!

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  18. Lovely cards!! Thank you for sharing with us :)

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  19. Two very different cards - both lovely! Thanks for participating in the hop - so fun to see this mix of talent and craftiness!

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  20. Beautiful cards! Love the great colors!

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  21. two wonderful card, Lydia - lovely colors!

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  22. Both cards are great! I love the first one!!

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  23. Great cards, love the modern cats set so adorable!

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  24. Love the soft watercolour effect on your first card. A beauty!

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  25. Beautiful cards. I love what you did with the cat card! Great idea to use just the die.

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  26. Sucb a beautiful watercolor technique - very pretty.

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  27. Making cards is so much fun and especially with friends. Love both your cards and am thankful for my crafting fiends! :)

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  28. Clever use of die and negative space on the pet sympathy card.

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  29. I love your cards! My favorite is with pink sakura cherry blossom šŸ˜

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  30. I love Cherry Blossoms! They remind me of my Dad. When he was in the Army, he was a photographer. We have a few of his B&W photos from Washington D.C. when the Cherry Blossoms were in full bloom. They are just as gorgeous in B&W as they are in full color. Your cards are both lovely.

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  31. I really like your idea for the cat sympathy card. I have both the stamp and the die, so I am going to try this. Thank you for the inspiration.

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  32. Your cards are wonderful. I like the idea of using the "missing" cat on the sympathy card for the cat lover's cat loss. (Boy that sounded weird.) Fab cards anyway!

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  33. Two awesome cards. Thanks for sharing...

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  34. The misti makes everything look so easy!! Thanks for sharing your ideas.

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  35. Love both of the cards but the cat gets a win. TfsšŸ’•

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  36. Wow. Two such very different cards! Great ideas!

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  37. how delicate the first card is! and sweet 2nd card!

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  38. Love the subtle HELLO on the first card and the graphic cat on the second.

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  39. Awesome cards! I love getting to know crafty people on their blogs!

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  40. I really like both of these cards. They are both so versatile by just switching out the sentiments. I sadly need to case the 2nd card for a friend. Thank you for sharing!

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  41. Cute cute cards! Thank you for the inspiration !

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  42. Your first card is watercolored so pretty! I really love that Cherry Blossom.

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  43. What lovely cards!! I like how you used the negative of the cat on the second card. So clever for a sympathy.

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  44. love the subtle white on white sentiment and the shadows on that negative die cut cat

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  45. Such different cards, but I love them both. The second is so graphic and the first so understated and sweet!

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  46. I love both of your cards. I especially love the thoughtfulness of sending a card to a friend if they lose their pet! This is speaking from experience of losing a pet I loved.

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  47. Both cards are fantastic, love the first ones color combo and sentoment, thanks for the inspiration!

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  48. Love how there is such versatility within Altenew and love your showcasing two great cards with different styles!!

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  49. I love May as well! Her cards are so crisp and simple. I love your cherry blossom card very delicate!

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  50. Can't wait to be making cards! beautiful!

    lor_m18@hotmail.com

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  51. Love the watercolor Cherry Blossoms. I just got this set and what a neat way to use it. I'll try it out.. Thank you

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  52. These are both great cards Lydia, esp. the cherry blossom card. Well done!

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  53. Love the softness of our first card.

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  54. This is a lovely sympathy card! I think you did a great job showing a sense of absence using just the dies! TFS!

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  55. So sweet and lovely card. Love this blossom

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  56. Beautiful and very different style of cards, love them both!

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  57. LOVE the cards, especially the 1st one, amazing

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  58. I love the first card. But the symbolism of the cat card is very sweet.

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  59. Love your watercoloured cherry blossoms! Thanks for sharing such an awesome technique.

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  60. Very pretty cards. Thank you for sharing your crafty friend story.

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  61. The watercolouring on the first card is simply elegant. How sweet to make a card for someone who has lost a pet too.

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  62. Such a sweet card, Sympathyy cards are always difficult, but even more so for the loss of a pet. Great job on this one! Thank you for the inspiration, as well as for your sponsorship of this fabulous hop

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  63. That cherry blossom branch is gorgeous with the watercoloring. Great cat sympathy card, too. Your MISTI is one of my favorite tools and works so well with layering stamps.

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  64. Love the two different styles!! Makes the cards so special!

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  65. Such a beautiful simple card. Love the white space.

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  66. Really cool designs, thanks so much for sharing and inspiring, and for supporting the hop with your wonderful prize, too!

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  67. This has been a great blog hop series. Thanks for sharing your work

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  68. Fantastic cards! Love the water color look on the fist one. So soft and feminine. The cat die-cut window is super cool. Fun blog hop! Love crafty friends! :)

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  69. I really like the cat sympathy card, beautiful colors. Thanks for sharing!

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  70. Beautiful cherry blossom card and I like the graphic border on the cat card.

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  71. Love that card making and scrapbooking brings women together and we make lifelong friends from it! I too am in love with my Misti and even had my friends buy theirs.
    Am headed to a weekend retreat with my dear friends! Thanks for the fresh inspiration to get us motivated!
    Great cards Lydia!

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  72. I love this stamp set, as my parents have a cherry tree in the garden and I used to sit under colouring as a child, your card reminds me of that memory, thank you x

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  73. These are both great cards! I really like the dimensional hello on the first card :)

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  74. These cards are very unusual! Thanks for inspiring me!

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  75. Great cards Lydia, I esp. love the cherry blossom card. So pretty!

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  76. Loving the messy cherry blossom... So pretty!

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  77. Wow, the bough you did is just beautiful. Wish I could see how on a video quickie. Really -- lovely.

    Also love your cat and the sentiment (not an easy one to find but all too easy to need).

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  78. Beautiful blossom branch. Perfect sympathy card for a fur baby.

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  79. I love the watercoloring on that first card.... so soft, so inviting, and the font for the 'hello' is pretty.

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  80. Great image with the
    watercoloring. I love
    how you used the die
    on the cat card,
    wonderful idea.
    Carla from Utah

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  81. Beautiful cherry blossom card! So soft and delicately done. Loving this hop celebrating crafty friends.

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  82. The pink blossoms against the blue sky are so pretty.

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  83. Loved the Cherry Blossom card. At first glance, I thought the edge of the branch had been stitched and you had used Flower Soft on the blossoms. It is a really cool effect.

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  84. I love what Lydia has done with both cards, but anytime a card she makes involves her getting out a paintbrush, magic happens! The cherry blossom card is just stunning!

    Altenew stamps and the MISTI really are two products made to go together. Whenever I have stamps with layers(and Altenew makes the best!),it is MISTI to the rescue!

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  85. The apple tree branch (assume it is an apple tree) looks just like one in my backyard where I grew up. If it's a cherry tree it looks nice also but that old apple tree is where I spent time reading books as a kid so that's where my head goes. The card is just beautiful.

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  86. I love the soft colors on the cherry blossom card and the vibrant colors on the cat card

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  87. Thanks for posting this give away!

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  88. Love the Under the Cherry Blossom stamp.

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  89. woww stunning the first card
    it looks like you painted the flower
    adorable sentiment placement too
    sweet beautifully made
    hugs
    Monika

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  90. I don't remember seeing the cherry blossom stamp but will definitely look for it. It is so beautiful, and now that I have seen yours, I can't imagine it another way! And I somehow missed the alpha dies too. They make quite a statement! I haven't needed to send a card like the cat card since I have started papercrafting. I like the effect of the layered die-cuts. Thank you for sharing your very considerable talent! ( I actually just finished a card for a friend...with supplies she gave me after cleaning out her craft cabinet! It seemed the perfect way to say "thank you!"

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  91. Love the "fuzzing" of the cherry blossom branch!

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  92. Wonderful projects. Your first card is colored perfectly and your second is very heart warming. TFS

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  93. Beautiful cards. Love the white hello on white.

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  94. I love the Under the Cherry Blossom card. It has such a serene feeling to it.

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  95. Love that gorgeous cherry blossoms card & the pet sympathy card is beautiful.

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  96. Two very different cards but the simple design of each is so eye catching. tfs

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  97. Your first card is so soft and lovely. Your second card is fun and funky - I'm not sure if that's the right way to describe a sympathy card, but I like the card.

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  98. Love your cards! Thanks for the inspiration and chance to win. :D

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  99. I love the watercolor card. Those colors are fabulous. The graphic cat card is awesome and I think it would be appreciated.

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  100. Lydia, I love both of your cards and they couldn't be any more different! But they both work perfectly. Thanks to My Sweet Petunia for supporting the Crafty Friends hop and Altenew! Crafty friends ARE the best!

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  101. Lovely cards, I Dom love the water colour effect

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  102. I loved the simple design of your card. It is understated but very elegant. Thanks for sharing.

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  103. Love the contrast between your two card designs, Lydia. They are both gorgeous and just highlight the many, many ways our community finds to express itself!

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  104. Great color choices on both cards!

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  105. Your first card is just Beautiful. The second card is perfect for the loss of a cat. I have a friend that lost one of her beloved cats last year and wish I would have had a card like this for her. I think I'll have to case your card in the future. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  106. Beautiful cards and stunning colouring!!!

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  107. The flowers on your branch are so delicate

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  108. Wow, wonderful cards! Gorgeous and elegant vs bold and fun.

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  109. I like the designs on both of your pretty cards. The watercoloured branch and the negative space for the die cut are both great ideas. Thank you for sharing! :)

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  110. Lovely cards! I love the watercolor effect on the cherry blossom branch.

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  111. Simple cards but so fantastic.
    thanks for sharing.

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  112. The cherry blossom card is so pretty and elegant!

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  113. Stunning cards! Love the colours you used, both in the muted one and the bright one!

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  114. These are both so elegant! I love the offset cat and the nearly invisible sentiment with that gorgeous watercolor!

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  115. Love both your cards. Simple designs with big impact. Great fan of altenew stamps and dies and wouldnt be without my two misti stamp positioners for layering.

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  116. Two beautiful cards.
    I love the watercolouring of the first one !
    Thank you for sharing your creations.

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  117. Your cards are awesome! I love how different each is, really shows how altenew has stamps and dies for every occasion!

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  118. I love the watercolor effect on that cherry blossom stamp! Beautiful cards.

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  119. Both cards are very beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

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  120. Two fabulous cards! I love the soft water color look of those cherry blossoms! And the negative die cut is a genius idea for the sympathy card.

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  121. First I have to say--I love my Misti! While I could make these cards without the, the Misti helps me create beautiful crisp stamping. Your designs for thuus hop are beautiful.

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  122. Pretty. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  123. Two very awesome cards. I really love the water color cherry blossom card.

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  124. I love the watercolor cherry blossom card. The cat is very nice as well just sad.

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  125. Two really different cards with completely different feels. The watercolored card is sweet and classic; the cat card is modern and graphic. Thanks for sharing.

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  126. Lovely cards! Beautiful cherry blossoms, and a sweet cat card!

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  127. Something for everyone. You are right. These are both great cards, but the first one is more my style...soft and simple...TFS!

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  128. Yes - I love that about Altenew. So many different styles. So much fun!

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  129. Great cards and I love the watercolor branch so pretty and soft. Beautiful job.

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  130. Beautiful cards. I love the watercolor card, so elegant. The sympahty card shows how sweet you are. Thanks.

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  131. Nice Cards!
    Good to have cat sentiments
    for hard times like that.

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  132. Both are beautiful Lydia! My favorite is the first one, its softness just calls my name. TFS!

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  133. Wow. Your cat sympathy card is stunning with the effect you created with those dies.

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  134. Beautiful cards..Loved the cherry blossom stamp and also the cat!!!

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  135. Such fantastic cards! The watercoloured cherry blossoms are absolutely beautiful!

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  136. I love the watercoloring of the cherry blossom! Great idea to double cut the cats on your second card:)

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  137. Those are are fabulous and sweet.
    I love them. Thank you for the inspirations!

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  138. Beautiful cards. Nice layouts, and nice color combinations.

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  139. Great cards. Love the beautiful cherry blossoms.

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  140. Both cards are very beautiful. Especially love the soft feel of the first card.

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  141. love both cards but cherry blossoms are my favorite

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  142. Beautiful cards! Love the cherry blossoms; so elegant and clean.

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  143. First one with the blossom looks cool, i like coloring.

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  144. Beautiful cards. Love the cherry blossoms.

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  145. This is so pretty and soft! Love the watercoloring!

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  146. Gorgeous cards! The first one is so cute!

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  147. Stunning Cherry Blossom card! The Cat card is simple but darling for a sympathy card. Great work!

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  148. Your first card is simply gorgeous! Not a lot going on but very dynamic! Love it!!

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  149. The branch looks amazing on the first ...wonderful cards.

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Thank you for taking the time to comment.