Altenew Inspiration Challenge
November 2023
Good day, fellow crafters. Today I present to you my entry into the November 2023 Inspiration Challenge from Altenew. I really love these challenges because they push me outside of my normal boundaries and make me think of new and creative ideas using colors, layouts, or themes that I may never have considered. This challenge runs the whole month long so there is plenty of time to join if you are inspired. I hope you enjoy my submission to this challenge.
To create this card I first began by collecting my supplies and organizing my work space. Then starting with some white watercolor paper that I placed in my Misti stamping tool I aligned the stamp for my focal point. This stamp came from the Altenew Poppy Arrangement stamp set, featured left. I next inked the stamp with clear embossing ink and then stamped the image with even pressure across the entire stamp. To ensure that I had a complete transfer I repeated the process.
I then used some Pearl Embossing Powder from Reflections in the color they call Snow to cover the ink. Once covered I made sure to remove any excess powder and then set the powder with my heat tool. As a note, you may look at the above image and say to yourself that you thought I used a silver color, however, that is purely a trick of the light as it shines off the pearlescence of the embossing powder which looks amazing in person.
The next step in the process was to add the color to my card. If you have read my posts before you will know that I love to watercolor, and will also have read why I like to emboss first. However if you are new to my blog, welcome by the way, the reason for embossing before adding watercolor is that embossing powder is made up of a combination of resins and plastics, which is why it melts so easily onto your card. The combination also has another unique feature, it becomes a resist to inks along with creating a “well” for which you can add color more easily. My process to do just that is to do what is called smooshed ink water coloring. This is when you take the colored ink pad of your choice and smoosh a bit of it onto a glass mat. Then you spritz with a little water which gives you the consistency of a watercolor medium. I then used my watercolor brush pen to pick up the color and fill in the image. After the image was completed I used the Altenew Puffy Heart in the same method to very lightly color in the rest of the paper. For a bit more interest I used some black acrylic paint and the flick method from a stiff brush to get a splatter effect on the card. Finally, I used some black pigment ink and a sentiment from the same stamp set to add my message.
The last stage was assembly. I trimmed the background panel down to its final dimensions and then using double-sided tape adhered it to a black mat for added visual appeal. I then adhered the composite to a white card base. With that I called the card complete.
