Thursday, August 8, 2019

A Survival Manual For Conference Calls + Giveaway

Since there's already ample proof out there that the only thing worse than a meeting is a meeting that takes place over the phone, I will not expound on that too much.

Being on the phone for any reason is already terrible. I just am no good at it. Even if it's just a quick call to schedule an appointment, I am so antsy and have to be doing something else - most of the time just wandering around the house like a nervous cat.

On longer calls - the ones I have each week - I have to be doing something with my hands, and the one thing that really calms me down and helps me not scream during calls is zentangling.

The latest release from Altenew is literally saving lives, because it is perfect for that zentangle style. The whole collection has a very graphic feel that's perfectly in line with tangling.

So yesterday, while I was on a conference call I took this large, whimsical flower set and I zentangled. The time just flies by, and the cool thing about zentangling is you can still concentrate on the conversation.

I've noticed that certain cardstock finishes take different markers in different ways - some markers combined with some cardstocks bleed a bit, which you don't want with a nice clean zentangle. On this one, I actually ended up using a very fine Stylemark pen, since it was in the pen holder next to my computer. All that to say - test the combo of paper and pen before starting an ambitious zentangle on your next conference call.

After I was done with this and off the phone I took the Evening Gray marker that is in their essentials set and added a few shadows. The sentiment is from this set - isn't it adorable?

You know how it takes a while to find your personal style?

It took me forever to get to mine - or it felt like forever. Clean and simple (CAS) is really my favorite. But I would also add CAB (clean and bright) and CAQ (clean and quirky) to my style.

This new Polish-inspired bundle hits all those notes! It's a layering set AND a builder set that lets you build intricate, bold patterns. 

And if you've stopped in before - you know what that means I'm going to do - that's right. Red and aqua. IT'S A COMPULSION. I CANNOT HELP IT. The simple sentiment makes me happy. 

Tips: use the long side of your MISTI to stamp, shift, stamp your images so they are perfectly lined up. Also, I found it easiest to build these images starting with the small red teardrop on the center image, then the aqua, then the largest red image. Super fun. 


Keeping with the clean and simple theme, I made a little set of notecards with this gorgeous halftone set, that has other bold graphic geometric elements, as well as some fun dot grid squares that would be great in your planner or for dot grid zentangle. I think these subtle, stippled images are dreamy for CAS notecards.

One important note about Altenew - don't throw away the packaging! Their insert with the stamp set is a full color, trifold brochure with instructions, card designs and ink names and combinations. It's incredibly valuable! I pop them into my stamp pockets and refer to them frequently. Their color combos on the Antique Roses set I bought last month were so beautiful I simply recreated them.



Wonderful Wycinanki Stamp & Die...
[ ALTN ]
Dot Art Stamp Set — Altenew
[ ALTN ]
Wavy Roses Stamp & Die & Mask Stencil...
[ ALTN ]
Altenew Latest Release
[ ALTN ]
Amazon.com : FORAY Porous Point Pens,...
[ AMZUS ]
Artist Markers Primary Essential Set...
[ ALTN ]
Mermaid tidy towel case and glue...
[ ETS ]
Sakura CLASSIC WHITE Fine Line 05...
[ SSS ]
Art Anthology BIG CRAFT MAT 24x36 311473
[ SSS ]
Heavy Base Weight Card Stock- White
[ GNK ]
MISTI Stamping Tool
[ MSP | HA | SSS | ELH | MFT | UNT ]
Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -...
[ BLIC ]
LightView 2in1 LED Magnifier for...
[ BRG ]
Mudder 10 Pack White Buffer Sanding...
[ AMZUS ]
Xyron ADHESIVE ERASER 23675
[ SSS | ART | AMZUS ]
Teflon Bone Folder - Ellen Hutson LLC
[ ELH | SSS ]
Crafter's Companion GEMINI...
[ SSS ]
Essentials by Ellen Storage...
[ ELH ]
Die Storage - Clear Storage Pockets...
[ CHC ]
XL Stamp Storage Pockets
[ ELH ]
Lawn Fawn STAMP SHAMMY Cleaner LF1045
[ SSS | CST ]
Airtable: Organize your stamps & dies
[ ART ]
Antique Roses Stamp & Die & Mask...
[ ALTN ]


Today I'm taking part in the Altenew August Release Hop! Their stuff is always irresistible - I had placed a big order right before Junkie Fest, and yet somehow, I need ALL THE THINGS again.

So hop around through the amazing list below for inspiration, and leave me a comment for your chance to win a $20 gift certificate unique to me, and one of 6 $50 gift certificates they are giving away. They will draw all six winners and announce them on the Altenew blog on August 17th!



66 comments:

  1. Haha I totally get your point on attending long calls! I sometimes write my name in different fonts to keep myself occupied :) Your cards are beautiful and I love the zentangle work! :)

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  2. LOVE your cards - the first card is amazing - so distinctive :)

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  3. Love your beautiful zentangled roses. Also love the CAS look of the dotted art cards.

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  4. The zentangled card is gorgeous

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  5. your zentangle is inspiring - and awesome

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  6. Once again it is the dotted leaves that are drawing my eye

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  7. Love the Zentangle! You put a nice spin on the die cuts!

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  8. Thank you for your continued inspiration--and quirky stories!

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  9. Zentangles! Never would have thought to use the stamps for that - but it's great!! Thanks!

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  10. I simply love these release projects every month! The projects are always so bright and beautiful and most of all inspiring! Thank you for keeping us crafty!

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  11. i love the simplicity of the cards

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  12. Thanks for sharing your amazing projects, Lydia! Great inspiration for this fabulous new release.

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  13. Lydia...I love the tangled card!! I, too, love to Zentangle!! So relaxing!

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  14. Really nice work, I love your blog

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  15. These are awesome and the zentangled card is amazing. I think many Altenew flower designs lend themselves to this technique and this one is perfect! Love that dotted leaf pattern too!

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  16. Love the new dotted floral stamps.

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  17. I like to "Tangle" as well, but I find I get impatient...maybe I need to make some conference calls! I am also not as good at it as you are, but this has inspired me to look at stamps to "Tangle"! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  18. I love your CAS designs! The black and white is soooo cool!

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  19. Love the zentangle rose. Very creative!

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  20. I love your cards! They are so elegant!

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  21. Fabulous designs Lydia! I especially love the Dot Art trio. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  22. The dot art stamp set is a must have.

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  23. So fun, I so enjoy your CAS. CAB, and CAQ designs!!

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  24. I love the zen tangle - and the red and aqua combo - oh my gracious!!

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  25. Great release and awesome inspiring projects.

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  26. Great use of your time, talk and create! Your cards are so interesting and cool!

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  27. Gorgeous cards! Beautiful clean designs. Love the zentangle and the teal and red is a fabulous color combo.

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  28. Wowza, awesome cards, all of them! I really love the first one - so modern looking and unique!

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  29. There's something about those dots...I just love that new set and will buy it if I win! (maybe even if I don't)

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  30. Awesome cards - I especially love your trio of clean and simple dot art cards!

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  31. I love the Polish inspired designs. They are a folk style that I did a lot of crewel work in many years ago but haven't seen in a very long time. I hope it's coming back into favor! Love the red and aqua too!

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  32. Clean and simple is so hard for me so I appreciate your cards.

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  33. You definitely are CAS girl !! Your cards are proof ,CAQ..yes a bit and I loved it too along with all your cards.

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  34. Clean And Amazing (CAA) would be my style from your cards and Altenew's sets as I always want to copy the wonderful works from you both! Thanks for all the inspiration!

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  35. I doodle when I'm on the phone but don't get
    the results you got. I'm not fit to be
    so structured so my doodles go all over
    and aren't really recognizable as
    something. Love the flowers.
    thanks for sharing
    txmlhl(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  36. What great cards! Altenew always comes out with the most gorgeous stamps. The Leaf Canopy is one of my favorite stamp & die sets.

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  37. Lovely cards. Especially the set with the dotted leaves.

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  38. Love the zentangle! And the rose is the perfect stamp for it! Thanks for the idea - plus the idea of time on the phone!

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  39. Pretty cards. Love the zentangle idea, and that little bit of shading really makes a big impact in the finished look of the final image.

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  40. Love these cards, Lydia! And, I love the new release from Altenew.

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  41. Well now! I must go look at my line art stamps differently and try to tangle them!!! Love YOURS!!!!💜🌵

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  42. My daughter is exactly the same way you are on long phone class...she literally walks circles through the house from room to room! She absolutely cannot sit still! Love your style “acronyms” ... especially CAQ 😁 my favorite sets from this release are the dot art & antique rose...but the other sets aren’t far behind !

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  43. Such wonderful cards! A great release...
    Thanks for sharing.

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  44. Wonderful cards. I am the same as you on phone calls--maybe I should try to zentangle.

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  45. Love your cards. They are so sweet and simple. And I agree with you on the subject of phone calls. I really have to force myself to make them.

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  46. Fabulous cards!! Love the zentangle!!

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  47. Very nice clean and simple cards!! Classy!!

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  48. Fabulous cards! Love the Zentangled floral design, and the Polish style card in red and aqua! That's one of my favorite color combos too!

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  49. I, too, love clean and simple, and your cards are beautiful examples of the versatility of this wonderful Altenew release.

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  50. Love what you did! Your zentangle is amazing... I wonder who came up with that word, Zentangle? Whoever they were they might’ve been looking at your design. What are we even doing here if we are being creative, right?
    CAT. Casual and terrific !
    JS1225HH@gmail.com

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  51. Hi Lydia :) Your zentangled card is absolutely unique...love it...and had not thought about a stamp for it!!! Your other cards are simply amazing as well! Thank for inspiring me :)

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  52. The cards are amazing. I will be following your blog from now on. Thank you for the inspiration.

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  53. Hahaha!!! I remember "Tangeling" when I was still working! And, conference calls were the worst! So happy to be retired! Your creations are amazing, and would certainly take the monotony out of any daunting task. Thanks so much for sharing. 😂😂😂

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  54. Your cards are so beautiful! I love the clean designs and the zentangle is so cool.

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  55. I love the simple designs of your cards. :)

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  56. Wonderful cards! I love the design with the dot art stamps!

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  57. What beautiful cards! Especially loved your note card set using the Dot Art. I have always liked your style.

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  58. Love your clean and simple style for these lovely cards, and your zentangling is AWESOME!!!
    Love the new dot stamp set....so creatively useful for cardmakers and scrapbookers alike.

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  59. Wow great idea to zentangle like that! Very nice cards too!

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  60. These are fantastic! I am such a fan of zentangle. I always enjoy seeing the different styles people use. I am huge fan of this new dotted stamp set. Your use of it is lovely.

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  61. Your cards are great. The dotted leaves are beautiful and I love the colors you chose. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  62. Love how you Zentangled the wavy rose stamp!! So clever of you!

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