Hello crafty peeps! Thanks for joining me for the first “Smash Your Stash” Facebook Live of the winter crafting season!! I used Altenew Artist Markers to tint Tim Holtz paper dolls, as well as showed you my “pro-tip” for getting a quick and easy ink-blended look for layering dies 😉 If you missed the live, head over to the Facebook page Stamp the Fun Up, scroll down and you will find it there to re-play. My “Smash Your Stash” Facebook Live’s will be every Thursday at 7 pm EST until spring, so make sure to follow the Facebook page so you don’t miss any! In the meantime, follow me on Instagram @scrappystampthefunup to catch all my crafty shenanigans, and tag me if you try any of the tricks and techniques you see me do-I would love to see your work! You can purchase some of the items I used last night by clicking the link below to the Altenew shop (however, as my Live shows are all about using up what you have, not all items you see me use will be available, but I know you will be able to find alternatives!)
Featuring Altenew Educators and Altenew Artist Markers
Click the “Ink & Inspire” link below to check out the specially curated kit for this retreat, then click the link below that to sign up through Bridget Casey.
Happy November everyone! Can you believe it’s time for another Inspiration Station Challenge?? Doesn’t this month’s inspiration photo give you all the cozy fall feels? Nothing says cozy like a warm cup of something yummy, and that’s what inspired me from this month’s inspiration photo.
My project is an A2 size card on a standard fold card base of 80lb Neenah solar white cardstock. I chose Altenew Fresh Dye inks in colors from my 2024 Fall palette: Raspberry Sunset, Melted Butterscotch, Amber Blaze, Lemonade Stand and Rhodolite.
The “flannel” panel on the front is Altenew craft cardstock cut to 4 x 5 1/2″. I used the Wavy Grid stencil from Altenew, and tilted it so it has a bit of movement, like a blanket. Starting with Raspberry Sunset and working thru Melted Butterscotch, Amber Blaze and Lemonade Stand, I blended over the stencil. The craft cardstock showing thru the squares helped to warm up the cozy factor with these colors.
I used tape runner to attach this to the front of the card base.
Next, I chose the Afternoon Delights mini delight stamp and die set from the Altenew monthly mini delight subscription (ask me why this is the best subscription EVER 🙂
The stamp in the set is a lovely outline flower cluster. Using the Rhodolite ink I off-set stamped this image onto the stenciled panel.
Next piece to make was the teacup. First, I chose the cardstocks for the pieces: Andromeda and Brushed Gold cardstock from Altenew and a scrap of white and craft cardstock.
On the cup front and plate piece, I used Antique Gold embossing powder from Altenew and the flower stamp from this set to give the cup some elegant detail. I also brushed over the “tea” with a very light coat of Rhodolite.
The final elements were stamped and die cut flowers from the Regal Beauty stamp set from Altenew. This is a layering stamp set, so i used my same ink palette for the stamped layers. Pro tip: the large flower in the background is attached by a spot of glue I dabbed in the middle of the back of it, then pressed it down. I didn’t put any glue out towards the petals. This way, as the glue dries, it will pull up the paper fibers and give the petals a little lift. This gives you depth without having to use extra foam dots. The smaller flower and the teacup I did use foam dots for. The final step was adding the sentiment from the Regal Beauty stamp set in the Rhodolite ink.
I hope you enjoyed this month’s inspiration project! Remember, if you try any of these techniques, tag me on Instagram @scrappystampthefunup I would love to see your take on this month’s inspiration photo! Remember to click the link at the top of this post to follow along the hop over at Inspiration Station! See you all soon!
To snag any of the Altenew products I used in this project, click the link below!
Hi everyone! I wanted to do a follow up post to give you my tips and tricks I used on this month’s project! This is a 5×7″ card with a panel of 110lb cardstock on top for stability. If I am going to do card projects with beefy fronts like this one, I always add a layer of 110lb cardstock to the face of the card base.
The sentiment banner across the top is cut to fit the added panel, and it is from Altenew brushed gold metallic cardstock-sentiment banners are great ways to use up scraps and to showcase a simple sentiment. To give it some sophistication, I used the Altenew Morning Flowers stamp set, just the leaves layer, and embossed gold leaves across the banner with Altenew Antique Gold embossing powder. Nothing says seasonal sophistication like tone-on-tone gold! I also tried the Rose Gold metallic with Peach embossing powder, which really paired well together, but ultimately decided on the gold.
I really wanted to give this card a 3D effect using stenciled flowers and layering die-cut flowers. I always tend to go overboard with flowers, so to reign it in a bit and give the flowers a grounded area on the card, I used concentric oval dies to cut a large oval from Altenew craft cardstock, and a smaller oval from the Altenew crafty necessities cardstock pack in “Andromeda”. This oval I embossed with the Garden Harmony embossing folder. For interest in the final composition, I adhered both ovals together, then as one piece I off-set them to the right of the 110lb panel so it hung off the edge just a bit. Then I snipped off the overhanging part. Since I had the craft cardstock out, I also cut some random leaves to add in for filler and to break up the bright flowers-neutral accents are a great way to break up over the top flower arrangements.
The background flowers are stenciled from the Bitterroot Flowering layering stencil set, directly onto the 110lb panel. I stenciled three flowers for good composition and let two of them come off of the panel, so your eye is drawn into the finished arrangement.
For the 3D flowers I used two layering die sets: Charming Foliage and Craft-A-Flower Cape Marguerite. To add interest and depth to all the layers of the flower dies, I inked up two scraps of 110lb cardstock: one with oranges and one purples-I inked the cardstock with reds first, then added blue ink over this, rather than using straight purple ink. This gives more depth to the colors I was looking for. After inking I spritzed them with water, this tones down the hues and gives the over-all tone of worn-out color.
I used my heat gun to dry these and also let them set up a bit longer after the drying-I had really saturated the paper fibers. But once thoroughly dried, I cut out my flower pieces and created the finished arrangement.
I hope you enjoyed learning my tricks on this card! Leave me a comment, let me know what you think, and if you try any of these techniques, tag me on Instagram @scrappystampthefunup I would love to see your work! Until next month, have fun getting artsy!
I was so inspired by the color palette in the inspiration picture for this ‘month’s challenge, specifically the black. Immediately I decided to incorporate black glitter cardstock into my project-I don’t get many chances to use glitter cardstock, let alone black glitter cardstock. I also chose orange glitter cardstock as well as crimson red and honey yellow.
The card base is a 5″x7″ base out of black cardstock. From my stash I grabbed a die-cut frame with more rustic Halloween colors and cut to fit a piece of black glitter cardstock which I adhered to the backside of the frame. I added black ink around the edge of the frame as I always like to finish the edges of die-cuts. Although there are no browns in my finished project, the browns in this frame pick up on the organic elements from the inspiration photo.
The card front has multiple layers. The first layer that I adhered to the card base is the orange glitter cardstock cut to 6 7/8″ x 4 7/8″. To the back of the framed black glitter, I attached a layer of crimson cardstock.
But before adhering it to the orange on the card base, I set it onto the magnetic cutting pad of my embossing/cutting machine and placed the framed black glitter cardstock over it. Using a silhouette pumpkin die, I cut thru both layers of the black glitter and crimson cardstock beneath it.
Now I adhered this panel to the front of the card.
To give the cut-out pumpkin a classic jack-o-lantern face, I used black cardstock over the honey yellow and cut out two triangles and a raggedy mouth. For the nose I used a paper hole punch.
I cut notches out of the black triangles and the black circle to give the shadow look. For the mouth I just off-set the yellow over the black.
For finishing touches that mimic the inspiration photograph, I stamped and die cut leaves out of the crimson and honey yellow cardstock. I assembled clusters at each corner and attached some gourd stickers from my stash. A simple stamped sentiment pulls the look together.
I had so much fun putting this project together and I can’t wait to see how this month’s inspiration photo inspires your Holiday projects! Be sure to tag me on Instagram @scrappystampthefunup to share your creations! And don’t forget to head over to inspiration station to join this month’s hop challenge! Good luck and I’ll see you next month!
Wow, so, first of all, I cannot believe we are already at this time of the year! I was so inspired by this month’s inspiration photo, not by the essence of the season that it portrays, simply because I am not ready to acknowledge that summer is almost over, but, by the colors. I was inspired to incorporate the colors into a subtle nod to the season, using the Changing Leaves stamp and die set from Stampin’ Up!.
The first order of business was to establish the color palette, based on the inspiration photo. Of course I hit my scrap stash.
I started with a 5×7″ card base of craft cardstock. This helped set the tone.
I used the largest die to cut out the lower right corner of the top of the card base.
I did snip off the bits from the die cut that would interfere with the final stamped image. Next, I added a patterned cardstock on the inside of the card to give some contrast to the stamping I did thru the die-cut area.
Next, I used red and blue cardstock scraps to glue to the front of the card. I used my snips scissors from Stampin’ Up! to cut out the area from the blue cardstock.
Using black ink again, and the stamps in the stamp set, I layed out an artsy-fartsy background. I added the yellow band to hide where the red and blue met on the face of the card. Next, using coordinating patterned cardstock I used the dies from the stamp set bundle to cut out a bunch of leaves. I glued these into the center of the card face, then used the round die from the set to cut the centerpiece for a sentiment.
Finally, using one of the sentiment dies from the set, I cut and stamped a secondary sentiment. This over hung the corner cut out, so i did have to go in with my snips and trim it out.
After creating this card on the fly, I realize there were some things I could have done different to make this project go smoother, but in the end, I liked the result, regardless.
If you try this project, let me know what you think, or if you came up with some other ways to accomplish a similar result! As always, thank you for playing along with the monthly Inspiration Station Challenge. Can’t wait for next month!
The bright colors in the inspiration picture really inspired the retro in me lol. I recalled the fuzzy shorts we used to have in the 80’s with colorful strips on them lol So, the first part of creating this project was picking out the color palette to pull off my vision:
I made a 6 x 6″ card base from pale yellow cardstock. I then cut a panel of darker yellow at 5 3/4″x5 3/4″. Then I cut strips of the colored cardstock in varrying widths between 1/4″ and 1/2″. I glued them to the yellow panel on a diagonal and in a rainbow pattern:
I set a large acrylic block over this so the glue set up, then I trimmed the overhanging strips. Next, I chose three sizes of round dies, laid them out over the strips and ran them through my die cutting machine. I next stamped the sentiments on the panel. (I used the Dynamic Duo: Fruitful Fun stamp and die set from Altenew for this project and used Altenew Fresh Dye Ink in Passion Poppy).
For each of the cut-out areas, I chose the orange, lemon and strawberry die and cut each out of coordinating colored cardstock scraps. I then stamped them with their coordinating steps. I did have use Tombow marker #243 to draw on the leaf of the orange:
I used adhesive foam dots to add each fruit inside a circle. I then attached the decorated panel to the cardbase:
I hope you enjoyed learning how I made this project! I can’t wait to see what inspired you from the inspiration photo. If you try your hand at this project, tag me on Instagram @scrappystampthefunup I would love to see your work! Until next month, have fun crafting!!
To get the Dynamic Duo: Fruitful Fun stamp, die set and coordinating stencils, head over to the Altenew shop via the link below 🙂
Let’s talk coloring within the lines. I am definitely team acrylic marker when it comes to Paint-by-Numbers. I have been experimenting with these panels with all kinds of media and I definitely like the acrylic markers the best. So, first thing you notice with a paint-by-number is the numbers. They correspond to the colors to use from the instruction sheet. I started with the lightest color and did all those spaces first. I do this because as you go thru the colors, it’s easier to cover up a light-colored boo-boo with the darker colors than to cover up a dark colored boo-boo with a lighter color. To begin, I use the tip of the marker to scrub out the number. Then I color in the area. I do this for all colors before switching to the next color, etc… Now, the tips of the markers are a bit wide to get into all the tight areas of the images. To get a handle on this, I used a hash-mark approach. I went into each tiny area, and, in a hash-mark approach, I added the color. I did to all areas going in two directions. So instead of coloring a small area all at once, I would place the tip of the marker into the area, make a small hash mark to one side of the area, then place the tip of the marker at the top of the area again and make a small hash mark along the other side of the area.
Once you get these small areas covered, then you can fill in the area solid. Once all the area are filled in solid, I let the panel sit so the paint will set. After about 20 minutes, you can go over the entire panel with your fingers and brush off the fuzzy bits that accumulated from the scrubbing of the numbers. Next, I used Altenew fine tip pen in black and Fine Liner #01 to go over the image lines.
Now, this in itself makes the image look amazing! But, if you want to push yourself to get a bit more artistic, you can enhance the colors with colored pencils. Using the Altenew woodless colored pencils, I created swatches of colors. I laid out all the colors used in each panel on a scrap of cardstock. Then I played around to find colored pencil colors that enhanced and matched the marker colors.
Again, starting with one color at a time, I used a corresponding colored pencil to outline each segment of the image and then lightly shade the pencil around the area.
Also, by going over the painted areas with colored pencils, you can get into the little nooks and crannies you may have missed with the marker:
Honestly, when it comes to working with paint-by-numbers, you really want to keep it simple. Remember, you are in control of the medium, and the markers are an extension of you. Be patient, have a plan and, if you don’t like what you did, you can always paint over it or use other media, like colored pencils, to fudge boo-boo areas.
So, now you have the pro-tips to make paint-by-numbers a relaxing, fun project. But let’s take it up a notch. I love fussy cutting the images out to use as embellishments to my projects. Adding the colorful images to simple, neutral backgrounds really makes them pop and really elevates the craft.
A few pro tips: After you fussy cut the image, use Altenew Artist Markers in coordinating colors to run along the edges of the cut image. Then, flip the image over, and using the end of your bone folder, run it along the edges of the cut areas to flatten them out (fussy cutting can kind of bend the edges). You can also paint the backs of the images with the markers and then use a pencil or round barrelled object to curl the leaves and petals. This makes your image really look cool if you add dimensional foam tape to it on the back:
For a final added touch, I used Altenew metallic watercolor in clear to add some sparkle to the flowers, and I used a Black Onyx Gen Sparkle for the eye of the bird.
If you choose to fussy cut the images out, they can be easily adapted to use in scrapbooks, planners, framed art, etc… the options are limited only to your imagination! Below are the ways I added my images to backgrounds. Let me know what you think! And, once you try Altenew’s new Paint-by-Numbers, remember to tag us on Instagram @scrappystampthefunup and @altenewllc we would love to see how you play with these! Have fun with it!
You can grab your paint-by-numbers from the Altenew shop via the link below. Thanks for stopping by! I’ll see you soon!
Hi crafty peeps! Once again, I am excited and honored to be a guest designer for the July Release of Artistry By Altenew’s Paint-by-Numbers Instant Artist sets! I cannot remember the last time I did a paint by number…. lol, probably back when I was a kid, so holy cow was this a fun release! It brought back all the feels 🙂 I used the Altenew Acrylic markers on both of these patterns, however, I did a lot of mixed media experimenting with the Lillies. These two sets, Feathered Foliage and Artistic Blooms are 8″ x 10″ sheets, perfect for framing, or you can cut them down to card size as I did. The sheets are made of 140 pound water color cardstock (so it will hold up to pretty much anything you put on it-and trust, me, I used as many media as I could!) If you are unsure on your ability of using the acrylic markers, or don’t trust your own hand to follow the lines, let me tell you, turning the Lillies into a mixed media project really changed the game of following the lines. I layered acrylic markers, watercolor, woodless watercolor pencils, and the dual tip pens. I finished it off with a coat of iridescent spray. If anything, these are a great way to practice layering media which is a huge crafty passion of mine.
The third card is from the smaller Blossoming Florals set. I paired the tulips sheet with the Tulips stencil and embossing folder. After coloring the paint by number sheet, I cut the flowers and leaves out and layered them over the embossed background, using bits of foam tape to add depth.
I really love the options with these sets! Head on over to the Altenew store to get yours, just click the link below:
I hope you consider giving these a try! If you do, don’t forget to tag @altenewllc and me @scrappystampthefunup on Instagram, we’d love to see your work!
Artistry By Altenew Paint-by-Number Instant Artist Artistic Blooms
Artistry By Altenew Paint-by-Number Instant Artist Feathered Foliage
Scrappy here, dropping in with a Stampin’ Up! update! I will be posting monthly host codes as the beginning of each month right here on the website blog so make sure you click on the “create account” tab and enter your email, so you get that update and any and all updates of all my up-coming crafty shenanigans. What you’ll do is, go to Stampinup.com, create your order and on your order, you will see an area to enter a host code. This code is good for any order under $150. IF YOUR ORDER IS OVER $150, do not enter it online, email it to me at stampthefunup@yahoo.com because when your order is $150 or more you get free stuff!!
This month’s host code is: NPECURRY
Also, July is Bonus Days! For every $50 you spend, you will get $5 to use in August. And let me tell you, right now I highly recommend heading to the website and checking out the online exclusive page-it’s basically its own catalog of super cool new items that are only available online.
If you haven’t checked out my YouTube page in a while, head on over there now and subscribe so you can catch all my new content. I am happy to announce that I can now do voice-over videos so I can get more crafty goodness out to you 🙂
That’s all for now, but stay tuned, another post will be coming tomorrow 😉
