New Beginnings & Fond Farewells: Altenew Design Team Update + Giveaway

Today we’re celebrating both new beginnings and heartfelt farewells within our Altenew Design Team. As we welcome two incredibly talented crafters, Nicki Baxley and Lea Lawson, we also take a moment to express our deepest gratitude to five amazing designers who have shared their creativity and passion with our community.

Our Design Team has always been the heart of inspiration here at Altenew — bringing fresh ideas, innovative techniques, and beautiful projects to life. We’re thrilled to introduce the newest members of our creative family while honoring those whose artistry has left a lasting mark on us all.

There are three things you should know about Lea Lawson — she loves coffee, cards, and dancing…the order changes by the hour. Born and raised in Montana, Lea and her husband were able to return to the state where they first met, and are now building their forever home on their own little piece of it.

Lea stepped into the papercrafting world in 1998, when her aunt gifted her a scrapbooking kit for graduation. She documented every moment that summer and beyond, and she’s been creating ever since. She shifted to cardmaking exclusively in 2009 while completing an intensive photography curriculum. After more than seven years as a marketing director, she stepped into full‑time freelance creative and educational work in 2025.

Outside of her creative career, Lea loves staying active through dancing, paddleboarding in the summer, and working on her hiking endurance in both length and elevation. She enjoys reading, spending time with her husband, family, and friends, and savoring a fancy cocktail every now and then.

You can find Lea Lawson Creates on her Blog, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

Nicki Baxley is a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner who chose to step away from clinical practice during COVID to stay home with her children. What began as a season of slowing down quickly became a turning point.

Encouraged by her husband to pursue the creative spark she had always loved, she leaned into cardmaking and launched her YouTube channel, Nicki Hearts Cards. That leap of faith transformed into a thriving creative business, and she hasn’t looked back since.

Through Nicki Hearts Cards, she shares detailed tutorials, livestreams, and technique-driven projects designed to help cardmakers stretch their supplies and build confidence. Her teaching style blends practical instruction with an encouraging, down-to-earth approach that makes both beginners and seasoned crafters feel capable and inspired. From embossing folders and die cutting to heat embossing and mixed media, she is known for breaking techniques down step by step while adding her own creative twist.

At home, she is a proud mom of two teenage boys who frequently serve as her unofficial design consultants, especially when it comes to creating the “coolest” masculine cards.

Above all, Nicki loves to experiment. She is constantly testing products in unexpected ways, layering techniques, and asking “what happens if…” Her curiosity and willingness to try something new are at the heart of her creativity and the reason her audience keeps coming back for more.

You can find her on her Blog, Instagram, and YouTube.

Please join us in warmly welcoming Nicki Baxley and Lea Lawson to the Altenew Design Team — we can’t wait for you to see the creativity and inspiration they’ll bring!

We also want to take this opportunity to say that we are incredibly grateful to our departing Design Team members - Hannelie, Tenia, Svitlana, Reiko, and Bibi - for the countless card ideas, techniques, tips, and creative inspiration they’ve shared using Altenew products. Through their artistry and passion, they’ve helped spread the joy of creating to our community and customers around the world. 

Their creativity, dedication, and generous spirit have truly made a lasting impact, and we thank them wholeheartedly for being such an important part of our journey!

We’d love to hear from you! Drop a warm welcome for our new Design Team members in the comments below for a chance to win one of TWO $30 Altenew gift cards. 

Winners will be randomly chosen from the comments left on this post — don’t miss out!