July 2025 Inspiration Challenge | Butterfly Greetings

Get ready to be inspired! Our  July 2025 Inspiration Challenge has officially begun, and we're diving into cool tones this month chosen by our amazing host, Hannelie Bester! Get inspired with some of the inspo photos and projects she created for you today. 

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. Let's hear it from Hannelie! 

Hello Altenew friends. Hannelie here to welcome you to this month’s Inspiration challenge! I am so excited to host the challenge with a picture I took in our garden a while ago. Sometimes, as I walk through our small garden, I can hardly believe we live in a desert. It's incredible how water can transform even the driest landscape into something lush and green—our very own little oasis.

Sometimes inspiration finds us in the most unexpected places, like this quiet morning moment I had in our garden. So, for this month’s challenge, I took that fleeting encounter with a butterfly, and translated it into two cards: one a literal interpretation of the scene, and the other a more playful, creative spin on the colors and mood. Whether you're drawn to realism or abstract expression, I hope this challenge encourages you to see the beauty in everyday details and let that spark your creativity!

For my first card, I leaned into a more realistic approach, recreating the soft sky, leafy greens, and butterfly wings in a way that closely echoes the original photo. The second card, however, gave me the chance to stretch my imagination and interpret the inspiration through color, shape, and movement. It’s always fascinating to see how the same image can lead to such different creative outcomes!

So, let’s get to the details of the cards I made:

1. White card stock
2. Jet Black Cardstock
3. Die-cutting machine
4. Leafy Splendor 3D Embossing Folder and Simple Coloring Stencil Set
5. Rectangle mask. (You can create your own mask using a rectangle die or use a pre-made one from a craft store.)
6. Butterfly from the Wings & Petals Layering Die Set.
7. Eastern Sky, Fresh Leaf & Vanilla Cream Fresh Dye Ink for the background and the butterfly. I added a touch of Milk Chocolate Ink to the top part of the butterfly wing.
8. Blending Brushes: Mini & Micro
9. Stampwheel
10. Pocket Sentiments Stamp & Coordinating Die Set
11. Obsidian Black Ink
12. Instant Dimension Foam Tape
13. Mother of Pearl Gem Sparkles

Step By Step Instructions to make the first card with realistic look.

1. Trim a piece of white cardstock to A2 size. Then, trim and fold a card base that you’ll use to adhere the finished panel to.
2. Use the Leafy Splendor 3D Embossing Folder and your die-cutting machine to emboss the card panel. Refer to the photos for guidance on the placement of the embossed design.
3. Secure the embossed card panel to the sticky mat of the stampwheel.
4. Use the rectangle mask to mask off a framed area and ink blend the background by using Eastern Sky Fresh Dye ink to mimic the sky, and Vanilla Cream to mimic the architectural element.
5. Use the Leafy Splendor stencil with Fresh Leaf ink to add color to the embossed image. A mini blending brush will give you the best overall result, while a micro blending brush can be used to deepen the color at the base of the leaves for added dimension."
6. Die-cut the different layers of the butterfly. For the top, detailed layer, I used Jet Black cardstock. For the bottom layers, I used white cardstock and blended the colors, mentioned above, matching the shades of the butterfly in the reference photo. Assemble the butterfly following the instructions provided on the package insert.
7. Stamp the sentiment using the Stampwheel and Obsidian Black Ink
8. Die cut the sentiment.
9. Adhere the butterfly and sentiment to the card front using Instant Dimension Foam Tape.
10. Embellish the card with Gem Sparkles for added interest.
11. Adhere the card front to the card base created in step 1

1. White card stock
2. Die cutting machine
3. Stampwheel
4.  Flutter and Bloom Stamp Set
5. Eastern Sky, Fresh Leaf  & Vanilla Cream Fresh Dye Ink
6. Dotted Mandala Stamp Set
7. Pocket Sentiments Stamp & Coordinating Die Set
8. Obsidian Black Ink
9. Instant Dimension Foam Tape
10. Mother of Pearl Gem Sparkles

1. Trim a piece of white cardstock to create an A2 size card.
2. Position the folded card onto the sticky mat of the Stampwheel.
3. Stamp the Dotted Mandala as a background, using each of the different stamp layers with one of the colors mentioned above.
4. Remove the card base from the Stampwheel and place a new piece of white cardstock onto the sticky mat. Choose one of the colors from your palette and stamp one of the layers from the Dotted Mandala stamp set to create a colored layer for the butterfly.
5. Stamp the butterfly with Obsidian Black ink over the colored area. Remove the panel from the Stampwheel and use the coordinating die to cut out the butterfly.
6. Stamp the sentiment using the Stampwheel and Obsidian Black Ink
7. Die cut the sentiment.
8. Adhere the butterfly and sentiment onto the card base using Instant Dimension Foam tape.
9. Embellish the card with gem sparkles.

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!

Introducing our FREE Coloring Pages , a collection of printable coloring sheets that you can use for the Inspiration Challenge. Color them with your favorite medium or combine them with other designs in your stash—the creative possibilities are endless! Get more designs here .

After the challenge ends,  FOUR WINNERS  will be selected. Each will receive a $30 gift certificate to spend at  www.altenew.com  . Winners will be announced on August 10th, 2025. 

If you use  #AltenewChallenge  when you share your challenge entry on social media, you are instantly entered into a raffle to win a $15 gift certificate  to our online store.

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

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