Altenew Paint-A-Flower: Spider Mums & Craft Your Life Apron Release Blog Hop + Giveaway





 Hi Friends! 

Welcome to the Happy Arty Days blog! 

I am super excited to be joining in on today's fabulous 

Altenew Paint-A-Flower: Spider Mums

& Craft Your Life Apron Release Blog Hop + Giveaway!

Yay!!!

So.much.gorgeous inspiration!

If you've just arrived here from the amazing Svitlana Shayevich's blog, then you're in the right place!

If not, or you're feeling a lil lost, here's the full blog hop line up for you...

Start here ---> Altenew Card Blog

Norine Borys

LauraJane

Erum Tasneem

Jenny Colacicco

Nathalie DeSousa

Svitlana Shayevich 

You are here ---> Amanda Baldwin

Keisha Charles

Kelly Griglione

Victoria Calvin

Dana Joy

Tenia Nelson

Nenette S. Madero

Terri Koszler

Amy Hill


Wow, that's a whole lotta talent, and amazing inspiration for you!

This release is going to knock your socks off!  


Oh.my.heart!!! Just divine!


Before I get too carried away though, let's talk giveaways & special offers! 


To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $30 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners!

Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog by 11/28/2020 for a chance to win.

Altenew will also draw a winner to receive a $15 gift certificate from the comments left on each designer’s blog on the blog hop list displayed above.

All winners will be announced on the Altenew Winners Page on 11/30/2020.

Good Luck!


To avoid FOMO, and save yourself some money,

join the exclusive Altenew Paint-A-Flower Club HERE



is another great way to save! 
Check out the special bundle price in Altenew shop HERE

With the formalities taken care of, it's time for some inspiration....


Wow! How gorgeous is the new Craft Your Life Apron?!
Seriously, florals.for.the.win!!!
Here's another view of it...


That front pocket is perfect for holding all your crafting essentials!
Pretty and functional! I LOVE it!

And let's not forget the beautiful Paint-A-Flower: Tulips....



Oh so pretty!!!


Let's take a better look at this month's Paint-A-Flower release....


Isn't it just divine?!
Life truly is, too short to be anything but HAPPY!
Such a terrific stamp & sentiment!


Despite being a 'paint' a flower, I couldn't resist pulling out my coloring pencils for these sweet Spider Mums! I love how effective the pencil looks!


The Shades of Purple Enamel Dots were the perfect finishing touch too!


Ga ga gorgeous!!!



I hope my projects have inspired you! 
***Don't forget to leave a comment on this post to go in the giveaway draw***

Time to send you hopping over to the incredible Keisha Charles blog,
she has some wonderful things to share with you!

Thanks so much for visiting!

til next time, 

Happy Arty Days & Good Luck!

Amanda xo 

Hip Kit Club: Recipe Challenge with a Thankful Theme




 


 

Hi Friends!

 Welcome back for more October 2020 Hip Kit awesomeness! 

Today I'm sharing my take on the Recipe Challenge happening over in the Hip Kit Club Facebook Group. The  Design Team also have the additional challenge of including a Thankful theme, yay! I love a good challenge, and this one is tons of fun! 

Check it out...

 

Told you it was fun! Here's what I came up with... 

"Thankful For You"


 Oh my heart! Could he be any more adorable?! Thankful beyond measure for this cool kid! 

And how amazing are the October 2020 Hip Kits?!! I mean seriously, SO gorgeous! You'll spy the October 2020 Main, Embellishment and Cardstock Kits here, and let me tell you, I had a hard time deciding what to use -  I just LOVE it all! 

Let's take a better look at my layout....

 From his adorable face to that sweet Simple Stories fox, (and let's be honest - everything in between) this page just makes my heart so happy! I love documenting the season of Fall & the Thankful theme is just an added bonus! Giving thanks, showing gratitude & being grateful are such important values in our  everyday family life, so that really makes this challenge perfect for me!

For the stitching element, I ran my sewing machine through the reverse side of the Hip Kit Club exclusive Grandma's House - Softly Quilted paper. I left the cotton threads attached, and distressed the base of this paper for added texture and interest too! So effective! Beneath it is a trim of the reverse side of Crate Paper's Fresh Bouquet, Wild Rose. The strong contrast of warm florals against crisp blue polka dots is really striking and made this the perfect place to position my sweet boy's photos.

To incorporate more patterned papers into my page, I mounted his photographs onto a couple of tags which I fussy cut from the Simple Stories, Cozy Days Tags paper.  I hole punched these tags and tied some natural twine bows  to them as well, which created a more authentic look.  And while I had my fussy cutting scissors handy, I just had to cut out some of the foliage from the Crate Paper Fresh Bouquet Wild Rose paper, as well as the Simple Stories Cozy Days Harvest Wishes paper. Those fussy cuts are stunning! Actually, I think it's pretty safe to say that every paper from the Main and Paper Kits are stunning! It almost hurt to cut them into pieces!

 When it came to  enhancing the falling leaves photo cluster,  I just had to use all.the.things from the  October 2020 Embellishment Kit!  You'll spy a few of the Pebbles: The Avenue Floral Ephemera, the Sticker Book stickers and those divine Gold Puffy Leaf Stickers. There's also those amazing Amy Tangerine: Late Afternoon Tortoise Shell Hearts (I removed the paper clips with my craft pliers to make them more versatile) & the Simple Stories Cozy Days Foam Phrase Stickers. Here's a closer look for you...

 I really adore those Amy Tangerine Tortoise Shell Hearts!

As the challenge called for Chipboards, I added a few small chippie hearts to the embellishment cluster, as well as that darling fox from the Simple Stories Cozy Days Chipboard Stickers. That striking Simple Stories Washi Tape (another amazing item from the Embellishment Kit) is used to trim the base of my layout, and really supports that rich Gold Puffy Phrase Stickers title. For finishing touches, I flicked a bit of vermillion red paint from my stash. Those splatters really complete the page!

I hope that my take on this week's Hip Kit Club Recipe Challenge has inspired you to play along! See more  challenge inspiration, and upload your entry, in the Hip Kit Club Facebook Group HERE. I can't wait to see what you create!

Thanks so much for stopping by today,

til next time,

Happy Arty Days, 

Amanda xo

 

Altenew Mini Delight Polar Bear Instagram Hop






Hi Friends! 

Today I’m joining in on a fun Instagram Hop with Altenew to celebrate the release of

Altenew’s Mini Delight: Polar Bear Stamp & Die Set!

Isn't this the sweetest?! 
Did you know that Altenew have an exclusive Mini Delight Club? 


Never suffer FOMO again! This subscription saves you 20% off, too! #winning!

This Mini Delight set is so super cute that I just had to create a couple of cards to share with you! 

Here's what I came up with....


Sigh! Such sweet cards!

Altenew Supplies: Mini Delight Polar Bear, Mountain Scene Stencil, Crisp Dye Inks, Ink Blending Tool-Small, 2 in 1 Precision Glue. 

Let's take a better look at each individual card...


Isn't this just divine?!
I know it's a Polar Bear set, but I really wanted to showcase how versatile this lil stamp and die set could be! I just adore the Great Outdoors vibes that this card evokes! Kinda has me dreaming of the Canadian Rockies!
You'll spy that I used the new Altenew Blending Tool with the Mountain Scene Stencil to create that awesome wilderness background. I also mixed the Crisp Dye Inks with a bit of water on an acrylic stamping block, and painted that very pretty skyline. Just gorgeous!


Beary sweet, indeed! 


The use of both light and dark Kraft cardstock really enhanced the warmer tones, and nature feels of this card! LOVE it!

My second card is more predictable, but just as lovely....


Winter Wonderland perfection! 
Aren't those Polar Bears errrrrything?!


To give a more Arctic feel, I created a very subtle Northern Lights sky using the Crisp Dye Inks and my watercolor brushes. I altered the Mountain Scene Stencil so that it appeared more like a glacier and frozen lake too. Simple, and yet so effective!


I think you'll agree that this really is the sweetest mini stamp & die set around! 



Looking for more inspiration, or wanting to join in on the prizes, giveaways & instagram hop fun?!
Start the Instagram hop over at @altenewllc

What are you waiting for? Gorgeous project inspiration and fun prizes await you!

Thanks so much for visiting!

til next time,

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo

Elle's Studio: Document December Album Preparation




 Hi Friends! 

Welcome back for more Elle's Studio inspiration!

Can you believe it's already November?! Where has this year gone? 

Time to start prepping our Elle's Studio Document December albums! 

Last year I used this super cute 4 x 4inch album which I really loved,

 Except, sometimes I found myself wanting just a bit more space to document the story. 

So, this year I'm opting for a larger 6.5 x 9inch album (Citrus Twist Kits: Life Crafted Album) so that I can have a mix of pockets, TN pages and even mini scrapbook pages! 

To help me prepare for the upcoming Season, I have already downloaded and printed the 

Elle's Studio: Document December Prompts Printable

 and placed it inside my album cover to help keep me inspired! 

This is such a helpful lil printable, and best of all, you can get pick one up in the Document December section of the shop for FREE here! 

I've also printed a few of the Merry November 2020 Printables to include in this year's album too! Having printed a few note cards and base pages will really help me to save time in putting my album together during the Festive season! 



SO cute already! Love it!

And because I just couldn't resist putting a few pretties together, 

here's a sneaky peek at my opening page too...


LOVE!!!

You'll spy that I'm really channeling the pink and red again this year, so needless to say my album preparation has also included color sorting my supplies! It's bound to save me time, right?

I hope my sneaky peek has inspired you to get thinking and preparing your DD 2020 album! 
Haven't got your supplies organized yet?

Thanks so much for visiting, 
til next time, 

Elle's Studio: More November Kit Love!




Hi Friends! 

Welcome back for more Elle's Studio inspiration!

Today I am sharing some memory keeping love with the gorgeous November Kit and new release items! It's true, I'm a biased fan of all thing Elle's Studio, but let me tell you why....

Every month, regardless of the season or any holiday theme, there's always plenty of products to document your everyday stories. Elle's Studio products are so varied and non-specific that they appeal to me for all types of creating; scrapbooking, card making, pocket pages, mini albums, and off the page items, & most importantly, they are non-gender specific. I am able to tell everyone's stories with Elle's Studio monthly kit - YAY! 

Why is that important? 

Well, take today's project and the somewhat Christmassy vibe of the November Kit (and new releases) and you'll understand exactly what I'm talkin' 'bout....



Other Supplies: Bazzill Cardstock-Avalanche, & sequins.

This is awesome! 
Not a Christmas layout, no pink to be seen and yet I used the very same November Kit and new release items that I also created these 2 very pretty in pink Christmas pages with...




Wow, talk about versatility! See why I LOVE all things Elle's Studio?! It's all about balance, beautiful colors & patterns, high quality, varied products and a chance to document my stories, my way! 

Speaking of documenting stories, let's chat about today's layout! 



First up, I had quite a long title that I wanted to feature on my page. The solution? I wrapped my title around my photo cluster to create more space for all the words. I also mixed my alphas for 3 key reasons; 1. So I had enough of each letter/numeral required, 2. So the words would all fit (the smaller Jane Tile Alphabet Stickers were perfect for the Show's long name) & 3. To create interest and keep you reading!  


I love how effective that long, circular title looks! 

Secondly, at the time of creating this page, I only had the one small photograph to work with. With such a big title, my photo was bound to get lost. The solution? I created a large base of mixed 3 x 4inch notecards from the November Kit, and Fa La La papers to mount my photo onto. To make my photograph appear 'bigger', I cut the 3 x 4" cards into half, and fanned them out behind my photo. This not only created a point of interest, but also widened my image. 


For my layout color scheme, I chose colors that featured in my photograph. This created a more cohesive look and unified all the different elements throughout the page. 


Those Acrylic Christmas Trees were the perfect adornment to my photo cluster. You'll spy that trees are featured in my photo background, the Show name is all about forest life, the trees coordinated with my color scheme and they aided in the widening of the cluster's appearance. Awesome! 
Did I mention that I love the versatility of Elle's Studio embellishments?! I also used a Holiday Foodie Sticker, and the Very Merry Chipboard Stickers to emphasize my photo cluster despite having no relevance to food or Christmas! See what I mean about every month being so varied and suitable for all kinds of creating and story telling? Love it! 


The Currently Labels happened to feature 'watching, listening and singing' and yes, you guessed it, worked with my color scheme. Needless to say I just had to use them, but to make them stand out that tiny bit more, I foam mounted them all for good measure! 


The tiny yellow stars are from the Acrylic Christmas Trees, & I couldn't resist sprinkling them around my title. If you look closely, there's a pop of yellow in my photo background, and those tiny stars really enhanced this! Simple, well considered placement of embellishments makes all the difference! 

And there you have it! 
Another handful of reasons as to why I think Elle's Studio products are the very best, 
and another fabulous layout to add to my sweet son's album! 
Wasn't he cute as 'Ratty'?

Thanks so much for stopping by today! 
I hope I have inspired you! 
til next time, 


Elle's Studio: November Kit & New Releases Inspiration!




 Hi Friends! 

Welcome back for more Elle's Studio amazingness! 

I say it every month, but truly, you're going to swoon when you see how fabulous this month's exclusive Kit and new releases are! Check them out...

November Kit


Oh my stars! Told you it was good!!!

& the new releases are just as spectacular...

W.O.W!!!

& let's not forget the awesome monthly digitals! 


LOVE!!!

Yep, it's another month of creative bliss at Elle's Studio! 


Now for a couple of projects to inspire you with...

First up, a super cute & playful 12 x 12" Christmas page, 

"Merry & Bright"


So.much.fun!!!

Other Supplies: Bazzill Cardstock - Avalanche, Spiegelmom Scraps Sequins & baker's twine. 

Let's take a closer look at this Festive page!


Fa La La, this page literally sings Holiday Cheer! 
With such a fun & silly Christmas photograph, it seemed only fitting to create a really playful page! 

Need I mention, those Acrylic Christmas Light Bulbs?!
Could they get any cuter?! So adorable for December documenting! 


The crisp candy cane and peppermint color scheme really enhances the layout, and with so many cool embellishments to decorate with - well, it was as much fun to make as it looks! 
I offset the freshness of this design with that divine Merry & Bright Wood Veneer title. 
The warmth & richness of this veneer creates both balance and interest to the eye! 
Another of my 'must-have' items this month! 


All these pretty embellishments teamed with the November Kit and that cute candy cane pattern Fa La La paper make this page perfection!

My second page is an 8.5 x 11" number, and is also Christmas themed....

"Oh What Fun!"


Oh what fun, indeed!

Other Supplies: Bazzill Cardstock - Avalanche, Black, Pink & Red stamping ink, sewing machine, & sequins. 
Here's a better look at this pretty in pink Christmas tree page...


Sigh! This is just divine! 

One of my daughter's favorite Christmas gifts last year was that tiny blush pink Christmas tree. She really loves pink, and I wanted to document this for her personal album.
Her tree inspired me to fussy cut my own from the pink polka dot Christmas Basics pattern paper. I machine stitched it into place and decorated it with my photo, sequin baubles, Very Merry Christmas Chipboard Stickers and the Christmas Baking Stamp sprinkles - so effective! 


That striking red title, 'Oh, what fun!' is one of the November Kit 3 x 4" note cards that I trimmed up & stitched into place. So cool!


This really is a magical page!
I'm thinking a smaller version would look terrific in this years DD album! 


SO fun!


I hope my projects have inspired you! 
Please visit the Elle's Studio blog tomorrow for more of my inspirational ideas with the November Kit!

Thanks so much for stopping by, 
til next time,