Cards By Carol

Friday, May 7, 2021

Altenew Craft-A-Flower: Buttercup Layering Die Set Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Welcome to the blog hop celebrating the release of Altenew's gorgeous Craft-A-Flower: Buttercup!

You should have arrived here from the blog of Jenny Colacicco. If you need to start at the beginning, head over to the Altenew Card Blog.

If you love the Craft-A-Flower: Buttercup as much as I do you will want to check it out! You have three ways to add this beauty to your crafty stash! Click the photos for more information.

The Craft-A-Flower: Buttercup Layering Die Set w/included layering guide.

The Craft-A-Flower: Buttercup Die Set & Gradient Cardstock Bundle (save 5%):

The Craft-A-Flower Monthly Subscription Plan (at a special discounted price):

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I'm always amazed at how gorgeous Altenew's layering die sets are and this Craft-A-Flower: Buttercup is another awesome set! I love the layers of this sweet flower and the included layering guide makes lining them up a snap!

I created my card base first by stenciling Dark Night ink through the Halftone Stencil with a blender brush. Then I trimmed it to 4" x 5-¼". Next I inked up the edges of a top-folding card with Dark Night ink and adhered the stenciled panel to it.

I think it's awesome how there's a layering sentiment included in this set! I inked up a piece of scrap card stock with Dark Night ink and die cut the sentiment shadow. I die cut three "thank you" sentiments, adhered them together and attached them to the shadow.

To create the flowers I began by die cutting the layers from the lightest cardstock that's in the Summer Afternoon Gradient Cardstock set. Then I used a few yellow alcohol markers to add shading to each layer before adhering them together. I die cut the leaves from a few different green colored card stock in my stash. Then I created my flower arrangement on the card and adhered it with foam tape and liquid glue.

I love how this turned out and will definitely be using this beautiful Craft-A-Flower: Buttercup a lot!!

Your next stop on the hop is the awesome blog of Ardyth Percy-Robb!

Check out the awesome Giveaway Prizes:

$200 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $20 gift certificate to 5 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 05/13/2021 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 7 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 05/15/2021.

Blog Hop Order:

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Hydrangea Birthday Card & Treat Box | Honey Bee Stamps

Happy Wednesday crafty friends! Today I'm sharing a card I made with some NEW products from Honey Bee Stamps newest release called Let's Celebrate! I'm using the gorgeous Lovely Layers: Hydrangea Honey Cuts! I have lots of photos for you and hope it helps you to see how I created this gorgeous set!

To begin I created some inky watercolor background pieces. I used watercolors in my stash in shades of a pinky red, purple and lavender on two pieces of watercolor card stock. On a third piece, I watercolored in two shades of green. I set these aside to dry.

Then I used the same pinky red watercolor and added droplets to my card front. While that was drying, I cut a strip of black striped paper from the new Funfetti Birthday 6x6 paper pad and added it to a black layer. Then I adhered that to my card front.

Next I die cut the same black striped paper with the Hexagon Box Cover die. I centered and taped the window dies in place before die cutting the paper. Next I trimmed the tabs so they wouldn't show in the windows and adhered them together. You can add acetate to the windows, but Honey Bee now carries these heavy weight acetate boxes that coordinate perfectly with the die cuts! I assembled the acetate box and slipped my decorative cover over it. To hold it in place I added dots of glue along the top inside edge of the paper.

Now it's time to have fun creating the hydrangeas! There are four layers for the hydrangea and I die cut the pink watercolor background with these. I also die cut the three extra single flowers from the pink paper. I die cut several leaves and the flower centers from the green watercolor background.

After you have the layers die cut, if you look at the center of each layer, you will see a shape that all of them have in common to help you in your layering. Check out this next photo to see what I mean.

I added foam squares between each layer to give it lots of beautiful dimension! I adhered the hydrangea and the leaves to my card front with Bee Creative glue. I glued the little flower centers on and added a drop of Nuvo Sunlit Meadows Glitter Drops.

Next I created the little floral topper for my treat box. I used the single flowers and snipped a few apart. For the base I die cut the lid from the Hexagon Box Cover die set from white card stock and cut the tabs off. Then I intertwined a few of the petals and gluedthem together. I adhered these to a 1" circle of white card stock and added a foam circle to the back. Then I adhere it to the hexagon. I arranged the remaining flowers, snipping some apart, and gluing them around the top piece until I was happy with the look. Here's a look at my pieces and the top flower cluster.

I adhered the flower piece to the treat box with Bee Creative glue.

I used the new Bitty Buzzwords stamp set and coordinating Honey Cuts for my sentiment. These are the same buzzwords that Honey Bee has but in a smaller size!! I love these!!

I absolutely love the dimension you can achieve with this Lovely Layers: Hydrangea!

I hope you've enjoyed the process of making this beautiful dimension card! Be sure to check out the full Let's Celebrate release! Thank you so much for stopping by!

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Altenew Exotic Garden Stamps/Dies/Stencils/Embossing Folders Collection Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Welcome to the blog hop celebrating Altenew's Exotic Garden release! This amazing release is jam packed with so many incredible new products!

You should have arrived from the blog of Emily Midgett. If you need to start at the beginning, head over to the Altenew Card Blog. I have the entire hop list at the end for you as well.

Of course, Altenew has some freebies for you with your order! Here are THREE ways to get a FREEBIE to kickstart your creativity! Free gift will be added to cart automatically.

Get a FREE brand new Exotic Garden Stamp & Die Release Inspiration Guide (worth $5.99) with every order of high-value Exotic Garden release bundles. Shop HERE! *Exclusions apply.
Get a FREE brand new Creative Jump Start Class with every order from the new Storybook Fantasy release collection from 05/04/2021 through 05/10/2021. Shop HERE!
Get a FREE brand new Exotic Garden Stamp & Die Release Mini Inspiration Guide with every order from 05/04/2021 through 05/06/2021. Shop HERE!

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I have four cards to share with you today, so let's get started!

For my first card, I created my card base by die cutting the Grid Cover Die from some 80# white card stock. Then I adhered it to a top-folding A2 card base. I love the white-on-white background for a beautiful and elegant look!

I stamped the sentiment that's included in the Simply Spring Outline stamp set with Azurite ink. I trimmed it down and popped it up on the card front.

I stamped the beautiful butterfly from the Dovetail Butterflies set, first with Eastern Sky ink, and then the little dots at the bottom of the wing with Ultramarine and Azurite inks. (These are found in the Lapis Lazuli Dye ink set.) I used the coordinating Dovetail Butterflies Die to cut it out and added foam tape to the back.

Next I stamped a portion of the so gorgeous Simply Spring Outline stamp onto an A2 card panel with clear embossing ink. I sprinkled on silver embossing powder and heat set it. Then I used the coordinating Simply Spring Outline die to cut it out. I added foam tape to the back and adhered it in the bottom right corner of the card. I added the butterfly and a few blue crystal gems for a touch of sparkle!

My next card was so fun, and easy, to make!

For my card base, I swiped the Chamomile mini ink cube (from the Golden Sunset ink cube set) across an A2 card panel. Then I added a strip of Many Dots Washi Tape and a thin black card stock strip. I adhered this to an A2 top-folding card base.

I stamped the large butterfly from the Dovetail Butterflies set and the extra wings following the very helpful layering guide. I used inks from the Lapis Lazuli ink cube set and Sunray ink (also in the Golden Sunset ink cube set). I stamped the top layers with Jet Black ink. Then I used the coordinating Dovetail Butterflies dies to cut them out. After adhering the blue winks onto the yellow butterfly, I added foam tape to the back and popped it onto the card front.

I stamped the sentiment from the Dovetail Butterflies stamp set in clear embossing ink onto black card stock. Then I sprinkled on white embossing powder and heat set it. After trimming it down, I popped it up onto the card. Can you tell I like dimension on my cards? Haha!

My next card uses the gorgeous Bitterroot Layering Stencil Set. Never did I think I could make such a beautiful card with just stencils! There is a coordinating Bitterroot Flower Die Set that I didn't use as I wanted to make a one-layer card this time.

I followed the included layering guide on the stencil packaging to help me layer up the flowers. I used an ink blending brush and Rose Quartz and Puffy Heart inks from the Rose Petal Mini Ink Cube set for the flowers. I also used Fuchsia and Magenta inks for the darker flower layers. Then I used the greens from the Green Fields Mini Ink Cube set for the leaves. These layers are just so gorgeous!!!

I used a sentiment from the Build-A-Flower: Coneflower stamp set that I thought was just right for these pretty flowers. I stamped it in Jet Black ink.

For my final card I used the beautiful Sweet Ginkgo Layering Stamp Set along with the Sweet Gingko Simple Coloring Stencil. There is also a coordinating Sweet Gingko Die set that I can't wait to use the next time I use this set.

For this card I started with a 3-¾" x 5" white card panel. I stamped the gingko leaves all over with the base layer stamp in Frayed Leaf Ink. Then I used the Sweet Gingko Simple Coloring Stencil and blended Forest Glades and Evergreen inks over it to get a dimensional look. Then I stamped the top layer of the gingko stamp in Jet Black ink. I just love how this turned out!

I thought this sentiment from the Sweet Gingko stamp set was perfect for this card. I stamped it in clear embossing ink onto black card stock. I added white embossing powder, heat set it, and trimmed it into a thin strips. I added a few foam squares to the back to pop it up.

I hope you've found some inspiration here today! Thank you for stopping by!

Your next stop on the hop is the awesome blog of Norine Borys!

Giveaway Prizes

$300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $25 gift certificate to 8 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 05/10/2021 for a chance to win.

Altenew will draw 10 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 05/12/2021.

Blog Hop Order

Carol Hintermeier << that's me

Monday, May 3, 2021

Spellbinders - May 2021 Card Kit of The Month - Beach Day

Hello friends! I"m so excited to have been invited to create with Spellbinders' Card Kit of the Month! The May 2021 kit, called Beach Day, is right up my alley as there's no place I'd rather go than the beach!

I created three cards to share with you today. I've used some of all the elements from the kit, and there's still LOTS left to make many more cards!

Until I received the kit, I had absolutely no idea how much product is included!! The die cut shapes pack is stuffed with two each of all the images! Everything is so well coordinated from the paper pack, the solid cardstock to the dies and stickers! Be sure to check it out on their website by clicking this photo:

All you need to create these cards is included in the kit! There's even a small roll of double-sided adhesive and some dimensional foam squares. The only thing I used that was not included was some black ink, a small strip of gray card stock from my stash, and my A2 Matting Basics A and A2 Matting Basics B die sets!

Here are some close up photos of my cards. FYI, I used the beautiful patterned paper from the kit on each card! There really isn't much to explain on how to make these, so my description(s) will be brief!

I had lots of fun putting this collage of die cut shapes together. I do have a tip to make this easy: create your arrangement of the shapes on your craft mat and then use some Press N Seal to pick them all up together. You can then add your desired adhesives to the back!

I LOVE the color green and I just had to use these gorgeous product for this next card!

I totally love the touches of gold on the patterned papers and die cut shapes!

My final card uses all of the fabulous dies that are included! I die cut them from the pink and green card stocks and used a few Copic markers to shade some of the pieces. I love the silver mirror card stock that's included too!

I die cut white card stock with an A2 Matting Basics die and used a couple of the sentiments from the stamp set that comes with the kit. I think this card is perfect for a few of my beach loving friends!

I hope I've given you some inspiration for this amazing Spellbinders Card Kit! Thank you so much for stopping by!

Saturday, May 1, 2021

Spellbinders Stained Glass Bouquet Collection

Hello my friends! I was thrilled to get to create with two products from Spellbinders Stained Glass Bouquet Collection by Becca Feeken. There are several other gorgeous sets in the collection that you can check out here.

My first card features the stunning die set called Be Leave Me. I went with a feminine color scheme that makes this perfect for sending to your BFF!

I used a 5-½" x 4-¼" white card base and added pink and patterned paper panels that I die cut with my Spellbinders Platinum machine using the largest dies in the A2 Matting Basics A and A2 Matting Basics B die sets.

Next I die cut the large leaf cluster and the two leaves from white card stock. I got lucky when I saw that all of the little pieces remained in place after I die cut them! To keep them in place I added some purple tape to the back and then removed the white frames. Next I die cut just the solid layer of both. I used a few Copic markers to color the pieces and then adhered the solid layer, the frame, and then the inlay pieces together.

I repeated these steps for the sweet flower; however, first I die cut it from pink card stock, and again from white card stock. I used one Copic marker to add a bit of shading to the pink pieces.

Next I used glue and foam squares to add the elements to my card base. I stamped the sentiment onto the banner and popped it up with a foam strip. It's hard to see from my photo, but there's a fun bit of sparkle on the flower and leaves that I added with a Wink of Stella.

My second card features the gorgeous Tulip Trio die set. I Copic colored some vellum for this sweet stained glass look. Read on for the details.

First I created a 5" square white card base. I used the outer square die in the Tulip Trio die set to cut a piece of pink card stock, added foam tape to the back and attached it to the card. Then I die cut the detailed square from white card stock and adhered it to the pink layer.

Next I centered the tulip circle die into the circle die and put some purple tape on them to keep them together. I placed it on some white card stock and ran it through my Spellbinders' Platinum die cutting machine. Then I used just the circle die to cut a vellum circle. I adhered the detailed tulip circle to the vellum circle with some dots of liquid adhesive. Then I used two Copic markers (RV25 and RV13 to color the tulips on the back of the vellum. I used G28 and YG17 for the leaves. TIP: Color your lightest color first, then flick on the darker shade--don't try to blend!! It will make a hot mess! LOL!! Next I attached the piece to the card base.

I used the same steps and pink Copic markers for the decorative corners. I did use the solid corner die to cut four white corner pieces and adhered them to the top layer. I decided that this is just too pretty to add any sentiment! I'll add one inside when I have an occasion to send the card to a friend!

Thank you all so much for stopping by! I hope you're getting to have a fun and crafty weekend!

Altenew Build-A-Flower: Indian Lotus Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello friends! Welcome to the Altenew Build-A-Flower: Indian Lotus blog hop!

You should have arrived from the blog of super talented Emily Midgett. If you need to begin at the start, head on over to the Altenew Card Blog. The entire hop list is at the end--so much beautiful inspiration!

The gorgeous Build-A-Flower: Indian Lotus is available in the Altenew shop with three different options: Indian Lotus Layering Stamp & Die Set; Indian Lotus Layering Stamp & Die Set & Ink Bundle (save 5%); or the Build-A-Flower Monthly Subscription Plan (14% off). Click the images to go to the shop for all the details:

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Now onto my card! I love this gorgeous set and wanted to use the various layers of the set. I created a beautiful watery background for the images--read on for the details!

I began by taping around the edges of a 4" x 5-¼" watercolor panel with masking tape. First I used a wide brush to add water to the entire panel. Then I did a swirly wash of color by using Lagoon from the 36 Pan Watercolor Set creating a watery ombré background. I set this aside to dry. Once dry, I slowly peeled off the masking tape. I love how this turned out!

Next I stamped the Indian Lotus flowers in shades of pink from the Rose Petals Dye Ink Cube set. I stamped the greenery with greens from the Green Fields Dye Ink Cube set. To give the images somewhat of a "no-line" look, I also stamped the outline stamp in a medium shade from those ink cube sets.

I used the coordinating Indian Lotus dies to cut them all out. Then I added foam tape to the back of the flowers.

I stamped the sentiment that's in the Indian Lotus set in black ink and trimmed it with my paper trimmer.

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you've enjoyed my card and will leave a comment below for your chance to win!

Your next stop on the hop is Amber Rain Davis!

Giveaway Prizes

$200 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $20 gift certificate to 5 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 05/06/2021 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 7 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the

Altenew Winners Page on 05/08/2021.

Blog Hop Order:

Carol Hintermeier <<< that's me