April 2023 Inspiration Challenge feat. Special Guest Host Joy D’souza | 1 Stamp Set, 2 Ways!

Hello, crafty friends! This month's Inspiration Challenge is EXTRA special. We have invited a special guest host who will surely spark your creativity and inspire you to create with her gorgeous projects. PLUS, we've got some exciting news for you, so keep on reading!

Let's welcome the amazing Joy D'souza!

Hello, my crafty friends! Joy here, and I am super thrilled to host this month’s Inspiration Challenge.

Here’s the story behind the photograph. In 2013, I was going through a little bit of a rough phase. I had just quit my job to pursue photography, but I was unsure of what my future held. I was almost done with my photography course and was taking a little vacation at my grandma’s place before changing my career. For my final test, I had to submit a few photographs in 6 different categories.

I saw this beautiful rose blooming in the garden, and I felt it was perfect for my photography project. Though I have always loved making handmade cards since I was a child, I had never, in my wildest dream, imagined that this rose I had clicked for a different purpose would land up being the inspiration for me and all of you, my cardmaking family. Life has been a rollercoaster with ups and downs, but this rose reminds me of how I navigated through one of the toughest phases in my life and overcame it – how I found my joy, calm, and peace in card making. I hope this rose inspires you as much as it inspired me!

Card #1

First, I stamped the rose from the Rose Tea Stamp Set on an A2 watercolor cardstock using embossing ink. Then I sprinkled antique gold crisp embossing powder on it, dusted off the excess, and heat set it. Next, I embossed the sentiment from the Sentiments & Quotes Stamp Set using the gold embossing powder.

After that, I stamped the rose on a masking sheet, fussy cut it, and stuck it on the card panel. Then I inked the lower portion using Just Green, Hunter Green, Mountain Pine, Green Onyx, and Jet Black Crisp Dye Inks and an ink blending brush.

Next, I placed the Wavy Grid Stencil on it and stuck it in place with washi tape. After that, I dipped a paper towel in water and dabbed it on the card to lift off the ink. Then I removed the stencil and splattered water on the card front, and dabbed off the excess with a paper towel. For more texture, I splattered white gouache on the panel using a round brush.

Then, I removed the mask and colored the rose using Heart Beat Watercolor and the Fine Watercolor Brushes (sizes 1 and 4). As the last step, I stuck this panel on an A2 card base using the 2-in-1 Precision Glue Pen.

Card #2

I started by stamping the rose from the Rose Tea Stamp Set on an A2 alcohol marker-friendly cardstock using Permanent Black Crisp Dye Ink. Then, I masked it and stamped the images in the background using stamps from the Remember This and Paint-A-Flower: Rosa Floribunda Outline Stamp Set.

Next, I masked the images and inked the background using Just Green, Hunter Green, and Green Onyx Crisp Dye Inks. To add more texture to the panel, I splattered white gouache on it using a size 4 fine brush.

After that, I unmasked the images and colored them using the Artist Alcohol Markers Set A, C, H, and F:

Roses – Frosty Pink, Pink Pearl, Coral Bliss, Heart Beat, Vineyard Berry, Colorless Blender

Leaves – Minty Mint, Firefly, Just Green, Hunter Green, Evergreen, Colorless Blender

Then I stamped the sentiment from the Bold Sentiments Stamp Set using Obsidian Pigment Ink. Next, I trimmed it and stuck it on the card front. Lastly, I adhered the panel on an A2 card base.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I hope this beautiful rose inspires you to participate in this month's challenge, and I cannot wait to see all of your gorgeous projects.

~ Supply List ~

• Altenew products should be the focus, but other companies’ products can be used.
• Make sure to use our challenge image above in your blog post.
• Include a link back to the ALTENEW INSPIRATION CHALLENGE POST.
• When uploading your project, make sure you link your entry post, not your entire blog.
• You may enter the challenge as many times as you wish!
• Challenge ends on April 30th, 2023, at 11:55 pm EDT.

FREE Coloring Pages!

Don't have Altenew products but still want to play along? We've got you! You can now join the Inspiration Challenge with our brand-new Color It Up! (FREE Coloring Pages). These downloadable coloring pages can be used and colored as-is, fussy cut, embossed, mixed and matched with other designs, etc. – the creative possibilities are endless. GET YOUR COLORING PAGES HERE and start playing along!

After the challenge ends, FOUR WINNERS will be selected. Each will receive a $30 gift certificate to spend at www.altenew.com.

 

There's MORE! Each winner also gets a chance to receive never-before-seen Altenew products for FREE and join one of our future blog hops as a guest designer. Winners will be announced on May 10, 2023.

More Prizes! 

If you use #AltenewChallenge when you share your challenge entry on social media, you are instantly entered into a raffle to win a $15 gift certificate to our online store.

Feel free to use the badge above and let everyone know that you are participating in our Inspiration Challenge!

Good luck and happy crafting!