Altenew January 2016 Blog Hop!

Hey!

Happy Monday! I'm kicking off the working week celebrating the Altenew January 2016 release as part of a fabulous blog hop. You won't want to miss out as there's prizes to be won along the way! You should have arrived here from my talented friend, Aga. If you haven't then be sure to start out at Altenew HQ. :)

Well. Where's a gal to start? With 10 brand-new stamp sets released I was spoilt for choice! However, one set really hit a soft spot with me: Teachers Rule. Before my day job as an editor of two papercrafting magazines,  I used to teach and support students in a secondary school. I just couldn't resist inking this set up. :)

The multi-step stamp sets that Altenew are renowned for, now come in the form of an apple! I love this idea and wanted to show a different look you can achieve with this concept by stamping the shadow layer with VersaMark ink and dusting it with gold Perfect Pearls.

I added a little shadow to ground the apple by painting below it with Altenew's Frosty Pink ink mixed with water. I also added some splashes of Perfect Pearls mixed with water too for a fun, inky, shimmery look too. It's hard to capture in a photograph but trust me, it's there!

So, what's next? Well how about some lollypops? You may know them as popsicles, but they're ice lollies over here!

This background and sentiment are stamped from the adorable Way Too Sweet stamp set. Containing a fun mix of sweet treats and punny sentiments, this set is so sweet it's giving me toothache!

This was a super-quick card to create and could be made in a variety of colours. I can't wait to stamp the yummy cupcakes from this set in the future. :)

My final project for this blog hop (believe me, I couldn't have made way more but you've got hopping to do!) features the versatile Mini Blossoms stamp set.

I love the scale of flowers in this set – perfect for creating both focal points AND backgrounds. I used a rock 'n' roll technique with Altenew inks to ink up the flowers and leaves with darker edges. It's such a simple technique, but adds so much dimension.

Well, that's your lot from me today, but before you hop along, make sure you leave a comment on the Altenew blog by Friday 22nd January as they're giving away $50 gift certificates to THREE lucky winners! It's also worth commenting on this post as I'm giving away a $30 gift certificate too! Please leave comments here by Friday 22nd January to be in with a chance of winning.

Right, I must let you hop along as there's plenty more to see! Next on your hopping adventure is the fabulous Anna Kossakovskaya. :)