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:
Jennifer McGuire Ink: 3 class spots at Online Card Classes
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!
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!
Beautiful cards, so clean and crisp
ReplyDeleteI love these, simple yet stunning!
ReplyDeleteSuch thoughtful cards...thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteJust love the first card, so my style. Thank you for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful card, I love the cherry blossom set- it’s going on the top of my wish list.
ReplyDeleteI love the softness of your watercolored branch... gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteLOVE your cards and this fun blog hop!!!
ReplyDeleteCute, cute cards.
ReplyDeleteWow, you're right, these are two totally different styles, but both extremely creative. Soft and elegant and bold. Great contrast.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love your watercoloring, and I love cats too!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cards!! I love the watercolored one!! That is a masterpiece!!
ReplyDeleteLove this card, I am so afraid of watercolors, I can't seem to get a good finished product. Love my Misti!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cards and great blog hop with Altenew!
ReplyDeleteI am in love with the cherry blossom card. Thanks for the inspiration. You are amazing and i am glad for all your inspiration!
ReplyDeleteLove the first card especially. Just so calming.
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cherry blossoms!... and a kind sympathy card!
ReplyDeleteSuch soft colors on the first card.
ReplyDeleteLosing a pet is so hard. Good choice.
Thanks for participating in the blog hop.
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!
ReplyDeleteLovely cards!! Thank you for sharing with us :)
ReplyDeleteTwo very different cards - both lovely! Thanks for participating in the hop - so fun to see this mix of talent and craftiness!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cards! Love the great colors!
ReplyDeleteStunning water coloring!
ReplyDeletetwo wonderful card, Lydia - lovely colors!
ReplyDeleteBoth cards are great! I love the first one!!
ReplyDeleteGreat cards, love the modern cats set so adorable!
ReplyDeleteLove the soft watercolour effect on your first card. A beauty!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cards. I love what you did with the cat card! Great idea to use just the die.
ReplyDeleteSucb a beautiful watercolor technique - very pretty.
ReplyDeleteMaking cards is so much fun and especially with friends. Love both your cards and am thankful for my crafting fiends! :)
ReplyDeleteClever use of die and negative space on the pet sympathy card.
ReplyDeleteI love your cards! My favorite is with pink sakura cherry blossom š
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteYour 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!
ReplyDeleteTwo awesome cards. Thanks for sharing...
ReplyDeleteThe misti makes everything look so easy!! Thanks for sharing your ideas.
ReplyDeleteLove both of the cards but the cat gets a win. Tfsš
ReplyDeleteWow. Two such very different cards! Great ideas!
ReplyDeletehow delicate the first card is! and sweet 2nd card!
ReplyDeleteBoth very pretty designs!!
ReplyDeleteLove the subtle HELLO on the first card and the graphic cat on the second.
ReplyDeleteAwesome cards! I love getting to know crafty people on their blogs!
ReplyDeleteI 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!
ReplyDeleteI love this soft card!
ReplyDeleteCute cute cards! Thank you for the inspiration !
ReplyDeleteYour first card is watercolored so pretty! I really love that Cherry Blossom.
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely cards!! I like how you used the negative of the cat on the second card. So clever for a sympathy.
ReplyDeletelove the subtle white on white sentiment and the shadows on that negative die cut cat
ReplyDeleteLovely cards!
ReplyDeleteSuch different cards, but I love them both. The second is so graphic and the first so understated and sweet!
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteBoth cards are fantastic, love the first ones color combo and sentoment, thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteNice designs.
ReplyDeleteLove how there is such versatility within Altenew and love your showcasing two great cards with different styles!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful
ReplyDeleteGreat cards!
ReplyDeleteYour designs are brilliant!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love May as well! Her cards are so crisp and simple. I love your cherry blossom card very delicate!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to be making cards! beautiful!
ReplyDeletelor_m18@hotmail.com
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
ReplyDeleteThese are both great cards Lydia, esp. the cherry blossom card. Well done!
ReplyDeleteLove the softness of our first card.
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely sympathy card! I think you did a great job showing a sense of absence using just the dies! TFS!
ReplyDeleteSo sweet and lovely card. Love this blossom
ReplyDeleteThese are two great cards !!!
ReplyDeleteGreat cards.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and very different style of cards, love them both!
ReplyDeleteI like the cat shadow cat!
ReplyDeleteLOVE the cards, especially the 1st one, amazing
ReplyDeleteI love the first card. But the symbolism of the cat card is very sweet.
ReplyDeleteLove your watercoloured cherry blossoms! Thanks for sharing such an awesome technique.
ReplyDeleteVery pretty cards. Thank you for sharing your crafty friend story.
ReplyDeleteThe watercolouring on the first card is simply elegant. How sweet to make a card for someone who has lost a pet too.
ReplyDeleteSuch 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
ReplyDeleteThat 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.
ReplyDeleteLove the two different styles!! Makes the cards so special!
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful simple card. Love the white space.
ReplyDeleteReally cool designs, thanks so much for sharing and inspiring, and for supporting the hop with your wonderful prize, too!
ReplyDeleteThis has been a great blog hop series. Thanks for sharing your work
ReplyDeleteFantastic 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! :)
ReplyDeleteI really like the cat sympathy card, beautiful colors. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGreat cats! I love the cat!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cherry blossom card and I like the graphic border on the cat card.
ReplyDeleteLove 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.
ReplyDeleteAm headed to a weekend retreat with my dear friends! Thanks for the fresh inspiration to get us motivated!
Great cards Lydia!
Really cool projects. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI 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
ReplyDeleteThese are both great cards! I really like the dimensional hello on the first card :)
ReplyDeleteThese cards are very unusual! Thanks for inspiring me!
ReplyDeleteGreat cards Lydia, I esp. love the cherry blossom card. So pretty!
ReplyDeleteLoving the messy cherry blossom... So pretty!
ReplyDeleteWow, the bough you did is just beautiful. Wish I could see how on a video quickie. Really -- lovely.
ReplyDeleteAlso love your cat and the sentiment (not an easy one to find but all too easy to need).
Very pretty designs!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blossom branch. Perfect sympathy card for a fur baby.
ReplyDeleteI love the watercoloring on that first card.... so soft, so inviting, and the font for the 'hello' is pretty.
ReplyDeleteGreat image with the
ReplyDeletewatercoloring. I love
how you used the die
on the cat card,
wonderful idea.
Carla from Utah
Beautiful cherry blossom card! So soft and delicately done. Loving this hop celebrating crafty friends.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful card...
ReplyDeleteThe pink blossoms against the blue sky are so pretty.
ReplyDeleteLoved 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.
ReplyDeletelovely cards - very unusual :)
ReplyDeleteLovely cards!
ReplyDeleteI 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!
ReplyDeleteAltenew 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!
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.
ReplyDeleteI love the soft colors on the cherry blossom card and the vibrant colors on the cat card
ReplyDeleteSo creative
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this give away!
ReplyDeleteNicely done.
ReplyDeleteLove the Under the Cherry Blossom stamp.
ReplyDeletewoww stunning the first card
ReplyDeleteit looks like you painted the flower
adorable sentiment placement too
sweet beautifully made
hugs
Monika
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!"
ReplyDeleteLove the "fuzzing" of the cherry blossom branch!
ReplyDeleteWonderful projects. Your first card is colored perfectly and your second is very heart warming. TFS
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cards. Love the white hello on white.
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely cards!
ReplyDeleteI love the Under the Cherry Blossom card. It has such a serene feeling to it.
ReplyDeleteLove that gorgeous cherry blossoms card & the pet sympathy card is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteTwo very different cards but the simple design of each is so eye catching. tfs
ReplyDeleteSweet cards!
ReplyDeleteYour 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.
ReplyDeleteLove your cards! Thanks for the inspiration and chance to win. :D
ReplyDeleteI love the watercolor card. Those colors are fabulous. The graphic cat card is awesome and I think it would be appreciated.
ReplyDeleteLydia, 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!
ReplyDeleteLovely cards, I Dom love the water colour effect
ReplyDeleteGorgeous cards!
ReplyDeleteI loved the simple design of your card. It is understated but very elegant. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLove 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!
ReplyDeleteGreat color choices on both cards!
ReplyDeleteSupercute project, love it!
ReplyDeleteYour 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!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cards and stunning colouring!!!
ReplyDeleteThe flowers on your branch are so delicate
ReplyDeleteWow, wonderful cards! Gorgeous and elegant vs bold and fun.
ReplyDeleteI 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! :)
ReplyDeleteLovely cards! I love the watercolor effect on the cherry blossom branch.
ReplyDeleteSimple cards but so fantastic.
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing.
The cherry blossom card is so pretty and elegant!
ReplyDeleteStunning cards! Love the colours you used, both in the muted one and the bright one!
ReplyDeleteThese are both so elegant! I love the offset cat and the nearly invisible sentiment with that gorgeous watercolor!
ReplyDeleteLove 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.
ReplyDeleteTwo beautiful cards.
ReplyDeleteI love the watercolouring of the first one !
Thank you for sharing your creations.
Your cards are awesome! I love how different each is, really shows how altenew has stamps and dies for every occasion!
ReplyDeleteI love the watercolor effect on that cherry blossom stamp! Beautiful cards.
ReplyDeleteBoth cards are very beautiful. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteTwo 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.
ReplyDeleteLovely watercolor blooming branch!
ReplyDeleteFirst 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.
ReplyDeletePretty. Thanks for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteTwo very awesome cards. I really love the water color cherry blossom card.
ReplyDeleteI love the watercolor cherry blossom card. The cat is very nice as well just sad.
ReplyDeleteTwo really different cards with completely different feels. The watercolored card is sweet and classic; the cat card is modern and graphic. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLovely cards! Beautiful cherry blossoms, and a sweet cat card!
ReplyDeleteLovely cards! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteLovely cards! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSomething for everyone. You are right. These are both great cards, but the first one is more my style...soft and simple...TFS!
ReplyDeleteYes - I love that about Altenew. So many different styles. So much fun!
ReplyDeleteGreat cards and I love the watercolor branch so pretty and soft. Beautiful job.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cards. I love the watercolor card, so elegant. The sympahty card shows how sweet you are. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteNice Cards!
ReplyDeleteGood to have cat sentiments
for hard times like that.
Beautiful cards! I love the blossom!
ReplyDeleteBoth are beautiful Lydia! My favorite is the first one, its softness just calls my name. TFS!
ReplyDeleteWow. Your cat sympathy card is stunning with the effect you created with those dies.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cards..Loved the cherry blossom stamp and also the cat!!!
ReplyDeleteVery creative and so diverse!
ReplyDeletePretty cards...
ReplyDeleteSuch fantastic cards! The watercoloured cherry blossoms are absolutely beautiful!
ReplyDeleteSo very beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI love the watercoloring of the cherry blossom! Great idea to double cut the cats on your second card:)
ReplyDeleteThose are are fabulous and sweet.
ReplyDeleteI love them. Thank you for the inspirations!
Beautiful cards. Nice layouts, and nice color combinations.
ReplyDeleteGreat cards. Love the beautiful cherry blossoms.
ReplyDeleteBoth cards are very beautiful. Especially love the soft feel of the first card.
ReplyDeletelove both cards but cherry blossoms are my favorite
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cards! Love the cherry blossoms; so elegant and clean.
ReplyDeleteFirst one with the blossom looks cool, i like coloring.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cards. Love the cherry blossoms.
ReplyDeleteThis is so pretty and soft! Love the watercoloring!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous cards! The first one is so cute!
ReplyDeleteStunning Cherry Blossom card! The Cat card is simple but darling for a sympathy card. Great work!
ReplyDeleteYour first card is simply gorgeous! Not a lot going on but very dynamic! Love it!!
ReplyDeleteThe branch looks amazing on the first ...wonderful cards.
ReplyDelete