August 2026 Guest Designer of the Month

Hi crafty friends!

I'm Justin Adkins from Just a Note by Justin, and I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the Altenew Blog as the August Guest Designer! It's truly an honor to be here.

Here is a little bit about me! I live in the Chicago Suburbs with my husband and our Pit Bull Winnie, and I've been creating cards since 2018. One of the things I love most about paper crafting is taking everyday moments and turning them into heartfelt cards. Whether I'm working with bright florals, playful critters, or scenic die cuts, I enjoy combining simple techniques like ink blending, die cutting, and layering to create projects with lots of dimension and color.

One of the things that has always drawn me to Altenew is the thoughtful product design. The products work beautifully together, making it easy to build detailed, polished cards while still leaving plenty of room to make each project your own.

Blog: https://justanotebyjustin.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justanotebyjustin

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justanotebyjustin

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@justanotebyjustin

For today's project, I wanted to create a peaceful outdoor scene that captures the feeling of relaxing around a campfire after sunset. The Fireside Escape Die Set immediately inspired me to build a warm evening landscape, and I paired it with the Stylish Greetings Die Set to create a simple sentiment that keeps the focus on the scene.

• Fireside Escape Die Set
• Stylish Greetings Die Set
• Fresh Dye Inks
  • Amber Blaze
  • Blush Rose
  • Ultraviolet
  • Arctic Mountain
  • Moon Rock
  • Lava Rock
  • Paper Bag
• Rock Collection Enamel Dots

The first step was creating the colorful evening sky. I blended Amber Blaze, Blush Rose, Ultraviolet, and Arctic Mountain Fresh Dye Inks to create a sunset that transitions into a deep twilight sky. Once the ink blending was complete, I added water splatter followed by white acrylic paint splatter to create the look of glowing stars scattered across the night sky.

Next, I turned my attention to all of the die-cut elements. I cut the fire pit from colored cardstock and enhanced each layer with Moon Rock and Lava Rock Fresh Dye Inks to add realistic shading and depth to the stonework. The Adirondack chairs were die cut from cardstock and softly blended with Paper Bag Fresh Dye Ink, giving them the warm appearance of natural wood.

To give the finished card a polished look, I trimmed the ink-blended background to 3¾" × 5" and matted it onto a slightly larger light gray panel measuring 3⅞" × 5⅛". That subtle border helps frame the vibrant sky while tying in the gray tones from the stone fire pit. The completed panel was then adhered to an A2 card base.

Finally, I assembled the scene using foam tape behind both the campfire elements and the sentiment to create subtle dimension. A few Rock Collection Enamel Dots finished the design while reinforcing the cool gray tones throughout the card.

I love how this card feels both peaceful and nostalgic. Sometimes the simplest scenes tell the biggest stories, and I can easily imagine two friends gathered around the fire, catching up beneath a sky full of stars. It's the kind of card that could be sent to someone you haven't seen in a while, reminding them they're missed and always welcome around the campfire.

Thank you so much to the wonderful team at Altenew for inviting me to guest design this month. It has been such a joy creating this project, and I hope it inspires you to pull out your favorite inks and dies to create a cozy scene of your own.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, and I hope you'll visit again soon for more cardmaking inspiration.

Happy crafting!

Justin Adkins

Just a Note by Justin