Altenew July InspirationChallenge
Good day, fellow crafters. Today I am excited to promote my entry into the Altenew Inspiration Challenge for July 2023. I absolutely loved the colors in the inspiration image above and had to participate. I did my best to match the colors as close as I could with inks already in my Altenew ink collection and I feel I got really close. The colors I choose to use you will find reference further along in this post. I hope you find inspiration in the card I created or you're inspired by the image itself to create something and join in the fun. I hope you enjoy.
To create this beautiful card, I first started with the foreground element. To do this I chose to use the following materials: the Altenew Castle Garden stamp set (ALT7000), premium watercolor paper, my Altenew Crisp inks in the colors Lime, Cotton Candy, Baby Pink, Firefly, and Lavender Fields, black embossing powder, clear embossing ink, Misti stamping tool, and a heat gun to set the embossing powder.
Once I had all the materials ready, I used the Misti and aligned my chosen stamp to fit onto the watercolor paper, aiming to maximize the amount of leftover scrap for future projects. Saving and reusing scraps is an economical way to create new crafts. After finding the best position, I inked up the stamp with clear embossing ink and firmly stamped it onto the watercolor paper multiple times, ensuring complete coverage. Next, I applied the black embossing powder and used the heat gun to set it. You may wonder why I go through this process. As you may already know if you follow this blog, the answer is simple: I'm going to watercolor!
On a serious note, embossing powder is made of a combination of thermoplastics and resins. When heated, these materials melt together, creating a plastic barrier that acts as a resist to other media. In my case, it prevents pigment bleed between embossed areas. You can also ink on top of embossed surfaces and easily wipe away the excess with a microfiber cloth to achieve a similar effect. This technique proves very useful in my card-making, so I incorporate it frequently.
Moving on to the next step, it's time to infuse colors into the project, and once again, I'll be using watercolor techniques. However, instead of traditional watercolor pigments, I'm opting for Altenew Crisp Inks on the right to create the desired colors. Here's how I proceed: I start by dabbing a small amount of ink onto my glass mat and spritzing it with water. Using a water brush pen, I carefully pick up the diluted pigment and apply it to the desired areas. Once I finish, I allow it to dry completely. Then, using a crafting pen blade, I skillfully fussy cut the colored image.
Now it's time to assemble the card. I position the colored image onto a purple cardstock that beautifully complements the reference image. Although it looks good, I feel that it needs an extra touch. To provide more visual impact to the background, I select a lighter shade of purple and pink as offset mats. I trim them to the desired dimensions and also create a unifying black mat for the entire composition. Finally, I adhere the whole arrangement onto a pre-cut A2 white card base.
Once again, at this stage, although I'm satisfied with the progress, I believe it needs some dimension. I notice that the flower centers are longing for attention, so I decide to use black Nuvo Crystal Drops, and I'm thrilled with the outcome. This choice brings life to the areas that needed it. Additionally, I add some white Crystal Drops, introducing shimmer to the background.
To complete the card, I include a sentiment from the same Altenew stamp set, which I heat embossed in black. I then cut out the sentiment using a sentiment die. To add depth, I opt to raise it up using pop dots or foam adhesive.
