Happy Anniversary, Altenew! It’s the 5th Anniversary Blog Hop!

Hi friends! Please join me in wishing Altenew a very happy anniversary! I’m delighted to be part of this blog hop—if you’ve just arrived from Raquel Bowman’s blog, then you’re in the right place.

I’m really pleased to share this easy birthday design with you, featuring Indoor Garden, one of my favorite Altenew stamp sets. Keep reading to see how I made this card, then be sure to check out the special offers, prizes and other creative inspiration in this hop!

Altenew Cactus Happy Birthday Card, what you need—

Altenew Cactus Happy Birthday Card, how to make it—

Use Moon Rock to stamp the bench onto white cardstock, and stamp the outline of the cactus planter and sentiment with Jet Black. Stamp the cactus layers with Parrot and Aqualicious.

I often find a little spattering of ink adds some fun dimension to a clean and simple design, so I made a watery wash of Lava Rock on my craft sheet, then used the Watercolor Brush to spatter the design. Grab a few sticky notes before you do this, if you want to mask off your stamped images!

Step 1: Stamp your image and sentiment.
Step 2: Cover the cactus and words with sticky notes (or scrap paper).
Step 3: Press Lava Rock onto your craft sheet.
Step 4: Add water and make a wash of ink with the waterbrush.
Step 5: Load the brush with the watery ink, then hold it over the stamped piece and tap the barrel of the brush to spatter the ink. Let dry, then remove the sticky notes.

Note: You can use this technique with different ink colors to get a different effect. Try black for a crisp, defined look.

I added a super-tiny rhinestones to accent the cactus flowers, and adhered a few more among the spatters on the background too. The rest of the card is really simple: Just mat and layer with coordinating cardstock, and add a bit of baker’s twine for contrast.

Thanks so much for joining me on this blog hop! Be sure to keep reading to find out more about the special offers and more inspiration from Altenew!

Special offers!

Enjoy FREE U.S. shipping with code HAPPY9M or $5 OFF international shipping with code SHOPPING9M at checkout. Offer valid from 4/2/2019 at 12:01 am EDT through 4/5/2019 at 11:59 pm EDT. Not valid on prior purchases. Cannot be combined with other promo codes.

Prizes! (yes, there are prizes!)

Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 5 lucky winners and one Altenew Academy class to 10 lucky winners. There are also 14 awesome companies/crafty friends who are celebrating with us, and they are offering the following prizes:

Be sure to leave comments by 4/12/2019 for a chance to win! 33 winners will be chosen at random from the comments left on any of the blogs in this hop (see below for more!) and will be announced on the Altenew Blog on 4/20/2019.

Keep on hopping for great inspiration!

Altenew

Kathy Racoosin

Therese Calvird

Pretty Pink Posh

Nicole Picadura

Flora Monika Farkas

Norine Borys

Emily Midgett

Butterfly Reflections Ink

Jessica Frost-Ballas

Lisa Spangler

Jen Schow

Nancy McClelland

Raquel BowmanS

Janette Kausen

Kim Jeffress

Seeka

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173 thoughts on “Happy Anniversary, Altenew! It’s the 5th Anniversary Blog Hop!

  1. Great card – something about a cactus always makes me smile 🙂

  2. Happy 5th Anniversary
    I love your products. I am hooked on the markers so easy to blend and shade.

  3. Great Birthday card! I love the colors. The splatters add to the overall look. Thanks for sharing.

  4. I love all the layers on this one! You’re card is GREAT! I pinned it for future inspiration. Happy Anniversary to Altenew!!!

  5. Great CAs card Sara. Thanks for the inspiration and happy anniversary to Altenew!

  6. Great layout for your cactus plant and great color combo too…
    Well done Sara and tfs

  7. Gorgeous creation! Altenew, CONGRATULATIONS on your 5 year anniversary! What an awesome celebration!

  8. Happy Anniversary Altenew!
    This card makes me want to break out the Indoor Garden set – thanks for the sweet inspiration Sarah!

  9. I love blog hops and Altenew because they inspire me to create as do all the amazing artists. Thank you.

  10. Nice card – love the colors and the layering. Thanks for sharing in the anniversary celebration.

  11. Beautiful, thanks for sharing with us. Congrats on 5 years Altenew

  12. Super cute! I love anything cactus. Thanks for sharing and congrats to Altenew!

  13. This is very cute. I love just a little spattering on my cards, too! LOL!

  14. Love your blooming birthday cactus card! Happy 5th Birthday to Altenew! Thanks for sharing your talent.

  15. Congratulations to Altenew for five years of amazing products and inspiration!

  16. I love this cactus card! Great matting and the twine accent is great!

  17. This is so awesome!!, a change from all the florals! I just love that layered mat look and the splatters in the background behind the cactus! Awesome job

  18. What a cute card. Never thought of doing the background with watercolors.

  19. I love this sweet card! The unexpected blue in the cactus is great! Thank you for sharing it!

  20. So I actually own the watercolor brush but have never used it. I’ve only worked with ink and acrylic and watercolor has been a little scary for me. I know I know, I just need to do it. And I will. Loved seeing your card and the info about using the watercolor brush!

  21. I like the versatility of Indoor Garden for almost any occasion. Very cute card!

  22. Oh, Robin, I think you’ll love using that waterbrush! I’m addicted to mine! (But I rarely use it as intended, where you fill the barrel with water.) I just love using it as a paintbrush because it’s so sturdy and won’t break or split like a wooden brush will. x Sara

  23. I love the indoor garden stamp set, and you gave me more inspirations for it. Thank you.

  24. Such a pretty card Sarah. Love that cactus with it’s sweet little flowers. The splattering looks great! Happy Anniversary to Altanew!

  25. Cute card! I don’t know why but I have never used a cactus on anything. It’s so versatile on any occasion. ps. this comment form doesn’t look right, atleast for me. The words in front of the asterisks are white on white.

  26. Such a cute little card, Sarah! Loving the great cactus! Thanks so much for sharing and for your wonderful inspiration!

  27. What a cute card! Thanks for breaking it down on how you did. Lovely job. Thanks for sharing your creativity!

  28. Gorgeous card Sara, I love the colours you used.
    Thank you for your inspiration and participating in this great Altenew 5th Anniversary party.

  29. Very cute card…loved the color combination. Thank you so much for sharing. Great job!

  30. Adorable cactus card, Sara! Love how you added the twine…perfect little accent!

  31. One of my favorite parts about bloghops like this is seeing the favorite stamps/products of the different designers, because I discover or rediscover stamp sets I hadn’t really looked at. For instance, I was not at all familiar with this stamp set, but it’s so sweet! Thanks for sharing with us.

  32. Love the layering and stamp set! Thanks for joining in on Altenew’s 5th Anniversary blog hop!

  33. I’m in awe of that tiny spatter on such a clean and simple card.

  34. Simple and cute. The card layers and masking with drops all add a nice touch!

  35. CAS style wins in my book. What a difference it makes wehen the background papers match the inks you use so perfectly. Thanks!

  36. Even though I love all the floral cards, this clean and simple card really appeals to me. The layers really make it pop.

  37. This is such a fun masculine birthday card. You don’t see many cards for men in blog hops, so this one is very special! Love your stamping, and appreciate the time you took to explain your process. Happy 5th!

  38. Love the clean style of your card! I’m actually not familiar with this stamp set, but it has some really great images. Your color choices are very pretty!

  39. Nice constructed card, it’s got a nice masculine quality to it. Thanks for sharing and Happy Anniversary Altenew!

  40. Beautiful, elegant birthday card !
    Thank you for the photo-tutorial !
    Spring greetings from Belgium.

  41. LOL, Bunny, I “blob” sometimes too! 🙂 This is where a waterbrush works really well! Also, be sure you add lots of water to your ink (or paint) to get a finer misting, and hold the brush several inches away from the cardstock. Plus, as with most things, practice makes perfect! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! xSara

  42. Love the layering. The simple
    design of the cactus is wonderful.
    thanks for sharing
    txmlhl(at)yahoo(dot)com

  43. Love your card. Great colors for a cactus card. Thanks for the inspiration!

  44. Thanks for showing your simple to follow instructions. I love all the matting you did. I have to admit
    I didn’t notice the small rhinestones until you pointed them out.

  45. I have a weakness for cactus and succulents and you did such a good job on this card. I will have to try one too.

  46. Great card! After visiting Phoenix for the first time last year, I am a big fan of cacti. I fell in love with the saguaros there and was amazed at the size of a lot of them. I like the spatters and tribe that you added. It gives a great touch of texture and design.

  47. CUTE card!
    LOVE your colour combo and pretty layers, great tutorial too … I NEED to be more adventurous and try masking & splattering!
    Thank You for sharing and INSPIRING 🙂

  48. Sweet card. Love all the layered mats and the way they draw your focus to the cute cactus. Thanks for sharing!

  49. Precious little card! Very cute! I think I may need that little stamp set… lol….

  50. What a great birthday card! I love blues and greens together – an this one works for either male or female! Great design! Happy Birthday, Altenew. May we enjoy many many more with you!

  51. Your card is so cute! I like all the frames surrounding the main focus. Thank you for describing and showing pics! Happy Anniversary Altenew!

  52. I didn’t even realize Altenew had a cute cactus stamp set! This is an adorable birthday card with very happy colours

  53. Love the use of different color cardstock for matting your background. Beautiful card. Thank you for posting.

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