Living an Inspired Life: 2020

Dec 22, 2020

Altenew Paint-A-Flower: Tulips Outline Stamp Set & More Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hi there!

Welcome to ALTENEW PAINT-A-FLOWER: TULIPS OUTLINE STAMP SET & MORE RELEASE BLOG HOP + GIVEAWAY. You are arriving from -the always amazing- Laura Jane's blog. You can find a list of all the participants at the bottom of this post.

Today, Altenew is releasing a few fun products for your paper crafting needs. First of is the new PAINT-A-FLOWER: TULIP. In addition, they are releasing a new set of Conditioning erasers and gel pens that are plain amazing! Let me show you what I have created with all these goodies...

I decided to use my daughter's dress as inspiration to co color the tulips. I used black Obsidian ink to stamp the image at the bottom left corner of the layout, then stamped a border of the flowers on the right side of the layout,

I used the Woodless Watercolor pencils to help me bring color to the illustration to live. This was so relaxing, and the results are amazing!

Since the colorful blooms are embellishing the page already. I decided to keep the the rest of the embellishment to just a handful of stickers.

To finish my layout, I added a large sentiment from the Eucalyptus Jar stamp set. Just love how this turned out, and cannot wait to check what you create with the stamp, too. Remember you can have the PAF stamps sets delivers at your doorstep every month with a lower price. Check the subscription plan here.

Of course, you know what comes next.... GIVEAWAY

$200 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 1 lucky winner and a $15 gift certificate to 10 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 12/28/2020 for a chance to win.

Altenew will draw 11 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 12/30/2020

Good luck everyone!

Now it is time to continue the inspiration. You are off to visit Dana Joy's blog. You can always return to the Altenew card blog to start the hop. Here is a list of all the participants

Altenew Card Blog

Norine Borys

LauraJane

Nathalie DeSousa << YOU ARE HERE

Thanks for visiting,

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS, see you all in 2021!!

Dec 21, 2020

SANTA JOY - Simple Stories

Hello Simple Stories friends!

Nathalie with you today sharing a new layout that celebrates all the joyous memories of the season. This year's Christmas season might look a little different than most, so what better way to document your memories using the gorgeous SIMPLE VINTAGE NORTH POLE Collection from Simple Stories. The beautiful designs and feel of the collection will transport you to a familiar place of your past.

When the entire collection is so beautiful it is hard to cut apart pieces of it. Instead this time, I chose to play with paper layers and embellishments.

I am using the SIMPLE VINTAGE NORTH POLE ICE BLUE/FIR as the basis for my page. I added a bit of white paint to the paper to soften the tone of the paper a bit. I loved the design of the MERRY MEMORIES paper, it reminded me of an old book/newspaper. So, I decided to add the picture as if it was part of the paper. However, I cut one of the CHIPBOARD FRAMES ( I love this new embellishment ) and decided to frame the picture with it.

The idea for the page was to play with paper, so I added layers and pieces of the collection to create a "T" design for the page. In order to balance the large image on the chipboard, I decided to create an embellishment cluster at the top left corner of the picture.

I used the leftover piece of the chipboard frame to add as a layer at the top right corner of the papers. This gave me a perfect spot to add another cluster of embellishments. The simple paper fold of the paper just adds the pop of color to that corner.

There is already so much interest in the paper layers, and embellishments that I decided to keep the title very simple. I mixed one of the foam word stickers, cardstock stickers, and adhesive brads to complete my title work.

I love how this turned out. All the paper layers and cute embellishments do really bring cheer to our memories. Remember to check the SIMPLE STORIES' SIMPLE VINTAGE NORTH POLE collection.

Have a Merry Christmas, and may 2021 be a blessed year!

XO,

Nathalie

Dec 17, 2020

Altenew Bursting With Creativity Stand-alone Dies Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello there!

Welcome to ALTENEW's BURSTING WITH CREATIVITY STAND-ALOVE DIES RELEASE BLOG HOP + GIVEAWAY. You are arriving from Vicki Pappaioannou's blog. A list of all the participants is available at the bottom of this post for your convenience.

Today, Altenew is releasing a gorgeous new set of stand-alone dies that are sure to spark your imagination. In addition, this release also features the new Adhesive Sheets and Masking paper, and these are amazing!!! First of all they are a large format, so lots of use out of one sheet of paper, and of high quality! This was such a fun set of goodies to work with, I had fun putting a few projects together:

When this projects were created, I was in the midst of working on my Gratitude journal, so you will see a recurring theme on my projects. For my first layout, I chose the FLORAL DOODLES DIE SET. Such a fun and versatile set! The outline shape of the florals is so delicate, I decided to use the die to cut a few flower outlines from warm-tones cardstock.

To make sure that the delicate floral designs stand out, I cut the backing flower piece from vellum. This adds softness to the die cuts. This time, I used the florals and stems to add the interest to my journal page. The title sentiment comes from the Blissful Blossoms Stamp set.

I love edger dies, and the new CREATIVE EDGES: SCALLOPED SCALLOPS DIE SET is beautiful. This new set is perfect for all types of paper projects, including memory keeping. I used the dies to create the borders that frame this layout. I simply layered them together to create the delicate edge.

I used the new WOVEN HEART DIE SET to create a focal point for the page. This new die is so fun to use, all you need is a bit of glue to keep the strips in place. To finish the page, I added a small title made using the Paint-A-Flower: Poppy stamp set.

This layout was created with the new JUST LEAVES DIE SET. I used the die set to cut leaves from white, kraft, shimmer white and cream cardstock. There is so much movement in the design of the leaves that it was so easy to construct this page.

The new dies are just perfect for cardmaking. For my first card, I used the LAYERED WOOD FLOWER die set, SWIRL MOTIF DIE SET and JUST LEAVES DIE SET. So easy to mix and match the dies to create a simple design for your cards.

I used the SWIRL MOTIF DIE SET to cut a border out of marbled paper; the tone on tone design add texture to the panel. I set the motif on the card panel, then used some of the JUST LEAVES Die cuts as the base for the flower. I made sure the flower was created with vivid colors, so it serves as the focal point of the card. I completed the panel with a stamped sentiment (Blissful Blossoms Stamp set)

This card features the new TWIGTASTIC DIE set. I love the sort-of-messy/wild design of the twigs. I paired it with soft florals from the Kind Reminders Stamp/Stencil/Die set.

I layered two of the TWIGTASTIC Die cuts so that they cover a large part of the panel; then layered the flowers atop the twig die cuts with foam adhesive. A few sequin and a small sentiment from the PAF- Poppy complete the card.

For my last project of the day, I used a combination of many of the new released products, including the new MASKING PAPER and DOUBLE- SIDED ADHESIVE SHEETS. I started by creating the oval focal point for the card. I cut the oval from Masking Paper, and used the cut piece to mask the oval. A bit of ink blending (Ink Blending Tool, Northern Shore Mini Ink cube set).

I used the DOUBLE-SIDED ADHESIVE sheets to help me create the LINEAR CROSSROADS Die cut from wood grain paper. All I had to do was add the adhesive paper to the cardstock, cut the die cut, peel, and then stick another die cut. I stacked 3 die cuts to add texture to the card. Once again, I used a few of the JUST LEAVES Die cuts (kraft paper), then added a BAF:HAWAIIAN CORAL flower to create the focal point. A simple sentiment complete the card!

SO much to choose from, and as always so hard to chose a favorite, but the large masking paper might be at the top of the list. Remember to check all the new releases in the Altenew shop, and take advantage of this weekend's offers:

Of course, no release is complete without a GIVEAWAY!!

$250 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $15 gift certificate to 10 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 12/23/2020 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 12 random winners from the comments and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 12/25/2020.

Good Luck everyone!

Now, it is time to continue to your next stop, Jenny Colacicco. Remember you can always start the blog hop at Altenew's card blog. Here is the list of all the release blog hop participants:

Dec 11, 2020

Pinkfresh Studio December 2023 Press Plate Release

Hi there!

Welcome to PINKFRESH STUDIO DECEMBER 2023 PRESS PLATE RELEASE. Today, we are celebrating the first press plate release, and it is a beautiful one. You can find all the participants at the end of this post

I just love all about this release, and it was hard to pick and choose what to use for my project, but I narrowed it down to the new Beautiful Roses and Floral Octagon Frame Press Plate and Die sets.

I started by creating the embellishments for this page using the Beautiful Roses Press Plate and Beautiful Roses Die. I created each of the images with the Press Plate and Detail Black ink

Once, I had my images ready, it was all about using watercolor to detail all the images. I simply turned on Netflix and spent my time coloring all the flowers. While the watercolor dried, I moved onto creating the background for the page.

For the background, I am using the new Floral Octagon Frame Press Plate and Floral Octagon Frame Die with the darker tones of the Amalfi Coast Premium Dye Ink cube set. I set these onto white cardstock with a bit of foam adhesive, then trimmed the page to 9.5*11in before setting it on Vanilla cardstock.

I used tone of pink in the embellishments to complement the colors of the Beautiful flowers ( for most papers and embellishments). I wanted to bring the photo to a focal point, so I placed the flowers on the opposite direction of the background formation. A few embossed Small Butterflies and Gold Metallic pearls complete the page.

I love how this page turned out, and how much fun it was to create it all. I hope this layout gives you some inspiration for a project of your own using the new Press Plate release.

To celebrate the release, Pinkfresh Studio is hosting a generous giveaway:

- Pinkfresh Studio is giving away the full release on their blog and YouTube channel,

- in addition, they are giving away a total of TEN $25 gift cards along the hop. The winners will be selected from the comments left along the hop.

The winners will be announced on December 19, 2023 on Pinkfresh Studio Giveaway Page. Please check the list, and if you are a winner, then you will have two weeks to claim your prize.

Now, let's continue the celebration! You are off to visit the rest of the participants' blogs.

Thanks for stopping by!

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