Happy Arty Days: October 2020

Tuesday, 27 October 2020

Elle's Studio: October Product Focus: Jewel Polka Dot Paper

Hi Friends!

Welcome back for more Elle's Studio inspiration!

Today I am shining the product spotlight on the gorgeous new Jewel Polka Dot 6 x 8.5 inch Paper Stack! It's no secret that I love a good patterned paper, but polka dots in all the colors?! Oh yes, please!!!

Inspired by my Autumn days family photograph, and all the Fall feels, I created a very warm and cozy, patchwork style layout with the Jewel Polka Dot papers...

"Heart Full"

How sweet is this?!

SO cute for Fall!

Elle's Studio Supplies: October 2020 Kit, Autumn Tiny Shapes & Dots Puffy Stickers, Autumn Wood Veneers, Acrylic Leaves, & the Jewel Polka Dot 6 x 8.5 inch Paper Stack.

Other Supplies: Bazzill Cardstock - Avalanche, Sewing needle & thread.

Let's take a closer look at this fun design!

October always evokes those warm & cozy feels, thankful thoughts and lots of family time. Literally, my 'heart is full of gratitude' and this little sentiment (a die cut from the October 2020 Kit) inspired my patchwork design to incorporate a heart pattern.

To prepare this layout, I trimmed a mix of the Jewel Polka Dot papers into 3" x 3" squares, and then sliced them into half diagonally to create my triangle 'patches'.

Top Tip: Like all good quilters will tell you, this design requires precision! Measure twice, cut once! Be sure to line up all your squares & triangles before gluing into place.

I used warmer colors to mimic the fallen leaves in my photograph, and arranged them into a geometric heart design on my white cardstock base. I really liked the notion of my heart is full, exploding if you will, with gratitude and hence my decision to keep the heart slightly oversized, stretched out to the very edges of my page.

I glued all the triangles into position, and then chose to hand sew a chunky, straight stitch around the heart. This stitching not only creates definition and interest to the heart, but also enhances that quilted look. Love it!

I backed my 6" x 4" photograph with the green Jewel Polka Dot paper as this color features in my photograph and it also contrasts beautifully with the colors in the heart. I also layered the 6" x 4" woodgrain journal card from the October Kit behind my photo, and tucked in that sweet family time sentiment too! I positioned my photo cluster onto the center of my heart, and embellished with a mix of Autumn Wood Veneers & Acrylic Leaves.

I loved how that green Polka Dot paper 'popped' on the heart, so I decided to cut out a few triangles in the green paper to surround the heart design and enhance the look of the 'quilted square'. This really trimmed my page and brought the whole look together.

For finishing touches, I foam mounted that 'Heart Full of Gratitude' die cut and layered it onto my photo.

Autumn creating made oh so lovely with the Jewel Polka Dot 6 x 8.5 inch Paper Stack papers!

I hope it inspired you!

Thanks so much for visiting,

til next time,

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo

Tuesday, 20 October 2020

Hip Kit Club: October Mood Board Inspired Layout

Hi Friends!

Welcome back to the Happy Arty Days blog!

I can't wait to share another super pretty September 2020 Hip Kits project with you all!

My latest HKC Design Team assignment was to create a scrapbook layout inspired by the October mood board and include a creative custom title - so.much.fun! But before we get started, here's a quick look at this month's mood board designed by our amazing Morag Cutts!

Such a fabulous mood board! I had so many ideas for this one that I decided to challenge myself & incorporate every image from it into my layout! Here's what I came up with,

"Music ON, World Off"

Talk about fun! This is so super playful and cute! I created this page with a mix of the September 2020 Main Scrapbook Kit, Embellishment & Cardstock Kits! So many pretties this month - I couldn't resist using a little (or a lot!) from these fabulous Kits! Let's take a better look at it all....

The first image in the mood board features all those amazing framed pictures. Needless to say, this image inspired me to 'frame' my own layout using that wonderful striped paper from the Crate Paper: Maggie Holmes Marigold collection.

The second image has a pink background, and those incredible Fall leaves suspended from a line of string. So no surprises that I decided to recreate that image, as well as use the Tutu Pink Bazzill Cardstock (from the September Cardstock Kit) as my layout base. To enhance my string of leaves, I centered my photo through the string line, and added the golden bows from the Marigold Lovely Phrase Stickers to 'tie-off' the ends. I love how effective this looks!

I mounted my darling girl's photo onto one of the Pinkfresh Studio Days of Splendor Stitched Elements tags, and layered a chipboard bow from the Embellishment Kit onto both my photo & the string line.

Pardon the pun, but this bow literally 'ties' my design together! The remainder of the string line is decorated with a mix of ephemera, sticker & wood veneer leaves to mimic the mood board. So cool!

If you look closely at my darling girl's photo you'll spy that she is 'plugged-in' and listening to her tunes. We had headed to the beach to shake off a heavy day, and talked about switching her music on and the world off.... and so that is the simple story behind my layout title. To customize it in a creative way, I was inspired by the mixed fonts quote on the mood board. You'll notice that it features a plain & simple font in capitals, as well as a pretty cursive font. I replicate this in my custom title, using simple, fussy cut capital letters from the Heidi Swapp Old School patterned paper Weekend Vibes, as well as the golden cursive Delightful Alphabet Stickers. To add a little more interest to the hand cut woodgrain alphas, I machine stitch them into place. This not only looks great, but also adds texture and movement to the overall design. Love it!

Such a terrific custom title!

To add balance to my layout, I anchor the base of the page with a mix of fussy cut, chipboard & sticker houses - similar to the row of houses image in the mood board. This trims the page perfectly, and looks really sweet too! For finishing touches, I add a sprinkling of gold sticker hearts from the Pebbles: Jen Hadfield The Avenue collection and last but by no means least, I add that tiny gray 'this feels good' chipboard from the Pinkfresh Studio Days Of Splendor collection. This last little adornment is inspired by the circular, gray acorn in the final image on the board. Quite unintentionally, that last image also reflects the color scheme I used too!

And there you have it!

Lots of beautiful images inspiring lots of different elements on my page today!

I hope I have encouraged you to play along with the October mood board, and get creating with our amazing Hip Kits!

Thanks so much for visiting,

til next time,

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo

Monday, 19 October 2020

Altenew Winter Essentials Stand-alone Dies Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hi Altenew Friends!

Welcome to the Happy Arty Days blog!

I am so super excited to be participating in today's

Altenew Winter Essentials Stand-alone Dies Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Yippee! There are SO many gorgeous new products to get creative with, & you'll be wanting them all!

If you just arrived here from the super inspiring Virginia Lu's blog, then you're in the right place! If not, or you're feeling a lil unsure, here's the full blog hop list for you:

Wow! That's quite a talented line up to inspire you!

Like all good blog hops, there are some fantastic giveaways happening....

To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $30 gift certificate to 3 lucky winners!

Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog by 10/25/2020 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 (featured above).

All winners will be announced on the Altenew Winners Page on 10/27/2020.

PLUS

Altenew are also offering a

FREE Gift (brand new Winter Essentials release mini inspiration guide) with every order from 10/19/2020 at 12:01 am EDT until 10/21/2020 at 11:59 pm EDT or while supplies last. Shop HERE

The free gift will be added to cart automatically.

*Not valid on online class, workshop, print media orders.

With all the formalities taken care of, let's get onto the beautiful projects!

First up is this super pretty page,

"Happy"

Oh my heart! Could it get any prettier?!!

Altenew Supplies: Jumbo Garden Picks Layering Die Set, Lacy Panel Die, Happy Holidays Script Die Set, Essential Sentiment Strips Die Set, Enjoy The Ride Scrapbook Collection, Enamel Dots Sea Shore.

Here's a closer look at this pretty page...

SO.much.gorgeousness!!!

I can't decide which stand alone dies I love the most - they're all so fabulous!

The Lacy Panel behind my photo is pretty cute....

But so are those leaves and flowers from the Jumbo Garden Picks Layering Die Set!

And look at how versatile the Happy Holidays Script Die Set is! Clearly, not just for seasonal sentiments!

Love it!

Such a soft & delicate page with these beautiful Die Sets!

My second project is another super pretty scrapbook page titled,

"Beautiful Moments"

Beautiful indeed!

Altenew Supplies: Altenew Watercolor Garden Layering Die Set, Linear Pathway Alpha Solid Die Set, Linear Pathway Alpha Outline Die Set, Trellis Stencil, Ink Blending Tool, Enamel Dots Tropical Forest, Enjoy The Ride Chipboard Stickers.

Let's take a closer look....

Isn't this just divine?!!

The Watercolor Garden Layering Die Set is errrrrrything!

Seriously, those florals are to die-cut for!

Loooooooooove!

They really do layer perfectly together!

And how about those amazing Linear Pathway Alphas!

So many creative possibilities with these lovelies!

Just exquisite!

And how about a lovely lil Christmas Card to finish with?

"Happy Holidays"

Oooooh! I am loving this! So rich & warm, & elegant for Christmas!

Here's a closer look at it...

Altenew Supplies: Happy Holidays Script Die Set, Jumbo Garden Picks Layering Die Set, Ink Blending Tool, & Enamel Dots-Tropical Forest.

So beautiful!

I do hope that my projects have inspired you!

You can shop ALL the new release amazingness HERE

***Please remember to leave a comment to go in the giveaway prize draw***

Time to send you hopping over to the amazing Jaycee's blog HERE

Thanks so much for visiting,

& Good Luck!

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo

Saturday, 10 October 2020

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

Hi Friends!

Welcome back for more Elle's Studio awesomeness!

It's the 10th of the month which means a brand new kit reveal, plus a ton of fabulous new products in the shop as well! Yay!!!

Here's a peek at the October 2020 Kit

Oh wow! Just look at those fabulous die cuts & journal cards - SO good!

The new products for October are pretty amazing too....

WHOA!!!

Totally awesome!

And last, but by no means least, the October Autumn Printables & Digital Cut Files....

So many creative possibilities with these!

Infact, I was so inspired by the October Autumn Printables that I have used them for both my projects today!

Here's what I came up with,

"AUTUMN"

Whoa! How awesome is that large feature title?!! LOVE!

Elle's Studio Supplies: Autumn Printables, Bright Polka Dot 6 x 8.5" Paper Stack, Love Is 6 x 8.5" Paper Stack & Everyday Tabs Stamp.

Other Supplies: Bazzill Cardstock - Avalanche, Sequins, Staples, Machine Stitching, Staz On - Black.

Let's take a closer look at this super fun Fall page!

That title is errrything!!!

I selected the journal card with Autumn on the side of it, printed it at as an A4 size photo onto some white paper & then fussy cut out the letters. I machine stitched the letters into position and then embellished them with a variety of fussy cut Fall leaves from another of the journal tags. Here's a close up of this fab title...

Seriously SO cool! Such a terrific way to incorporate the Autumn Printables into your memory keeping!

More fussy cut pieces embellish my photo cluster too, as well as a couple of the Autumn Printables labels!

Such a simple page, and yet so perfect for Fall!

My second layout is a sweet 8.5 x 11" layout,

"My Boy"

How cute is this?! I just adore it!

Elle's Studio Supplies: Autumn Printables, & Jane Alphabet Stickers-Black.

Other Supplies: Bazzill Cardstock - Avalanche, white tissue paper, wooden peg.

Here's a better look at my page....

For this sweet page I printed the journal card as an A4 photo on white cardstock. This created the appearance of a patterned paper background for my 8.5 x 11" page. I trimmed the base of my page with more fussy cut labels, and used a mix of fussy cut pieces to embellish both my photo and page.

I used some journal cards to layer beneath my photo as well as some white tissue wrap from my stash.

Those fussy cut leaves are really cool!

The Jane Alphabet Stickers combined with that fussy cut, printed heart were perfect for my title!

And there you have it!

Two very different, but both very awesome layouts, created mostly with the

Elle's Studio: October Autumn Printables.

***Shop ALL the new products HERE***

Be sure to stop back a lil later in the month for more Elle's Studio October Kit inspiration!

Thanks so much for visiting today!

til next time,

Happy Arty Days,

Amanda xo

Monday, 5 October 2020

Altenew Cozy Creatures Stamps/Dies/Stencils Collection Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hi Altenew Friends!

Welcome to the Happy Arty Days blog!

I am so super excited to be participating in today's fabulous

Altenew Cozy Creatures Stamps/Dies/Stencils Collection Release Blog Hop + Giveaway!

If you just arrived here from the crazy talented Tania Ahmed's blog, then you're in the right place! If not, or you're feeling a lil unsure, here's the full blog hop list for you....

Start here---> Altenew Card Blog

You are here ---> Amanda Baldwin

Like all good blog hops, there are some amazing giveaways happening....

Giveaway Prizes:

To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 3 lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog by 10/11/2020 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 (featured above).

All winners will be announced on the Altenew Winners Page on 10/14/2020.

And as if that wasn't enough, Altenew have a few special offers & promotions too!

There are THREE ways to get a FREEBIE to kickstart your creativity!

Get a FREE brand new Cozy Creatures Stamp & Die Release Inspiration Booklet (worth $5.99) with every order of high-value Cozy Creatures release bundles. Shop HERE! *Exclusions apply.
Get a FREE brand new Online Cardmaking Class with every order from the new Cozy Creatures Stamp & Die Release collection from 10/05/2020 through 10/11/2020. Shop HERE!
Get a FREE brand new Cozy Creatures Stamp & Die Release Mini Inspiration Booklet with every order from 10/05/2020 through 10/07/2020. Shop HERE

Plus, you can always visit the Altenew Promotions page for the very latest deals and promotions!

With all the blog hop details taken care of, it's time to get onto the inspiration!

Here's what I've created with the amazing new products!

"Darling"

Oh my heart! Absolutely stunning!!!

Altenew Supplies: Simple Roses Stamp Set, Simple Roses Die Set, Permanent Black Crisp Ink, Enjoy The Ride Scrapbook Collection, Enamel Dots: Warm & Cozy, Watercolor 36 Pan Set: Rubellite.

Let's take a closer look at this pretty page....

I instantly fell in love with the Simple Roses Stamp & Die Sets as soon as I laid eyes on them!

I heart them so much that they are my #1 must-have items from this release - SO good!

I used Permanent Black Crisp Ink to stamp the roses around the edge of the Enjoy The Ride scrapbook paper. I also stamped up an array of the roses and leaves onto some smooth white paper, and proceeded to color them in with artist pencils. Once colored, I used the Simple Roses Die Set to cut them out, and arranged them in a wreath style, around my darling girl's photo. For added interest & dimension, I foam mounted my photo wreath into the center of the Enjoy The Ride paper.

SO gorgeous!

I used the fabulous Enjoy The Ride Chipboard Alphas to form my curved title, 'Darling'. I love how effective this title looks!

Beneath my photo wreath, I stamped the sentiments, 'never forget that you are amazing' and then finished my layout with a sprinkling of the Warm & Cozy Enamel Dots and Rubellite watercolor splatters.

Those hand colored Simple Roses are errrrything!

SO incredibly beautiful!

Such a simple page design, but oh-so-beautiful!

The Simple Roses Stamps & Die Sets are really something!!!

Get yours HERE before they sell out!

Next up is another gorgeous floral page,

"Happy"

Oh how pretty!!!

Altenew Supplies: Sweet Flowers Stamp Set, Sweet Flowers Die Set, Enjoy The Ride Washi Tape Set, Enjoy The Ride Chipboard Sticker Set, Permanent Black Crisp Ink, Cherry Blossom Mini Cube Set, Enamel Dots: Shades of Purple.

Here's a better view....

Wow! Those Sweet Flowers are perfectly named, don't you think? Super sweet, indeed!

I stamped up 3 of them using a mix of the Permanent Black Crisp Dye Ink and the Cherry Blossom Mini Cubes, before die cutting them with their coordinating metal die. I also stamped (& die cut) up a ton of the smaller bloom as well.

I arranged them horizontally across my lilac cardstock base, and then layered my photo onto the Sweet Flowers. SO pretty!!!!

For added interest, I also trimmed around the edges of my cardstock base with one of the spectacular Enjoy The Ride Washi Tapes.

I stamped the Sweet Flower sentiments around the floral cluster, added an Enjoy The Ride Chipboard title and a scattering of the Shades of Purple Enamel Dots. For finishing touches, I flicked some white acrylic paint splatters around the Sweet Flowers too!

Here's a few close ups for you....

Those flowers are just divine!

So very beautiful!

You can shop the Sweet Flower Stamp & Die Set HERE

And last, but by no means least, here's a couple of elegant Christmas Cards.....

Just stunning!

Altenew Supplies: Festive Clusters Die Set, Persian Blue Crisp Dye Ink, Ink Blending Tool - Small (set of 4).

The new Ink Blending Tool is aah-may-zing!!!

Super silky, soft bristles and an absolute joy to use!

I used mine to create that beautiful blue base for both my cards, & the end result: a creamy blend of dye inks that are simply perfection!

Here's a few close ups of both cards....

The Festive Clusters Die Set is so intricate, and yet it cuts like a hot knife through butter - yay!

I love intricate dies, but I especially love when they are a dream to use!

I cut a couple of them with dark red card and then fussy cut them to trim the edges of the ink blended paper. I also cut one in gold glitter cardstock, and then paper pieced some of the segments to 'fill' the poinsettia. I love how elegant this looks!

For this CAS (clean and simple) card, I used the same techniques but reduced the color scheme to make the gold Festive Cluster an even greater focal point.