July 2026 Inspiration Challenge

Each month, a member of the Altenew Design Team (or guest designer) selects a photo that they have taken and then uses that as inspiration for a project. We want to share the fun, of course, and so we invite YOU to use your own creativity to make a project inspired by this month's photo. This month's host is Ishani. 

It's Ishani here, and I am absolutely thrilled to be hosting this month's Altenew Inspiration Challenge! Honestly, I'm still pinching myself. Going from eagerly participating in these monthly challenges to actually hosting one is truly an honor. I cannot wait to see how this month's beautiful inspiration photo sparks your own creativity and paper crafting projects.

This month's inspiration photo holds a very special place in my heart—it was taken at my cousin's wedding. While I don't claim to be a professional photographer, I absolutely love capturing photos of flowers and beautiful event décor. The moment I saw the lovely colors in this image, I knew it would be the perfect spark for our community's next crafting adventure.

For my guest host project, I decided to create a clean and simple card directly inspired by the soft, elegant colors in the wedding photo. As I was brainstorming design concepts, I realized I wanted this specific card to reflect my personal love for Altenew and my journey within the crafting community.

To bring that vision to life, I paired two iconic paper crafting products that hold a deeply special meaning for me:

• Garden Picks 3D Die Set: This is one of the oldest and most treasured floral die sets in my collection. It has been an absolute favorite of mine ever since I first fell in love with Altenew’s signature layering dies.

• Gothic Arches Die Set: This versatile geometric die set was featured in an Altenew Academy class that I had the absolute privilege of teaching!

Bringing these two products together felt like the perfect way to tie my personal Altenew journey into a single project—evolving from discovering and falling in love with these products as a hobbyist, to later sharing that passion as an instructor. Combined with the wedding inspiration photo, this handmade card became a true celebration of both beautiful memories and meaningful milestones.

If you know me, you know that one of my absolute favorite paper crafting techniques is die cutting. Layering flower dies add an incredible amount of depth, dimension, and realism to any handmade card design.

A Little Crafter's Secret: Between us card makers, I always get a secret thrill when someone looks at a finished project and asks, "Wait... did you cut all of that intricate detail by hand?" Let's keep the magic and ease of high-quality layering dies as one of our favorite little crafting secrets!

I am constantly amazed by how these paper blooms come to life with just a few simple layers of cardstock.

To replicate the gorgeous tones from the inspiration photo, I curated a specific palette using premium cardstock:

• For the Flowers: I layered Rubellite, Coral Bliss, Rouge, and Blush cardstock to create a soft, gradient effect.

• For the Foliage: I selected Olive cardstock to give the leaves a natural, muted tone.

• For the Elegant Accents: To add a touch of sophistication and sparkle, I incorporated Brushed Gold Cardstock from the Glitter Cardstock Set – Gilded. This perfectly echoed the warm metallic details from the original wedding photo.

For my card background, I wanted to keep the overall aesthetic clean and minimal while still introducing texture. I achieved this by layering two identical die cuts from the Gothic Arches Die Set to create subtle, shadow-like dimension.

The architectural arch adds beautiful detail and visual interest to the backdrop while still letting the vibrant floral arrangement take center stage. It perfectly frames the flowers, giving the card an elegant, clean-and-simple look without cluttering the design.

To finish the card, I stamped a simple, classic "Congratulations" sentiment. This keeps the focus entirely on the dimensional florals and elegant gold accents.

I just can't get enough of these soft blush, coral, and green tones. Paired with the elegant Gothic Arch, they capture the exact beauty and charm that first caught my eye in that wedding photo.

I truly hope this project gives you a spark of inspiration for your own handmade cards and paper crafts. Now, it's your turn! Put your favorite layering flower dies to use and join us in this month's challenge.

Have a beautiful day, and happy crafting!

— Ishani

Ready to share your own masterpiece? We love seeing how different artists interpret the same photo. To make sure your entry is eligible for our prizes, please follow these simple guidelines:

• 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.
• When uploading your project, make sure you link your entry post, not your entire blog.
• If you don't have a blog, feel free to upload your entries to the Crafter's Gallery and get the link to your photo.
• You may enter the challenge as many times as you wish!
• The challenge ends on June 31st, 2026, at 11:55 pm EST.

We love rewarding our community! After the challenge ends, FOUR WINNERS will be selected. Each will receive a $30 gift certificate to spend at www.oltonew.shop. Winners will be announced on August 10th, 2026 on the Altenew Instagram account.

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

Now it’s your turn!

Whether you’re inspired by a color palette, a shape, or a feeling, I can’t wait to see how you interpret this month’s challenge theme. Will your take be bold and graphic, or soft and true to life? Either way, be sure to link up your project and share your creative journey with us!

Click the blue button below to link your entry (or entries!). Good luck and happy crafting!