Spellbinders July 2021 Amazing Paper Grace Club Kit of the Month: Home Sweet Home Pop Up 3D Vignette

July 3, 2021July 4, 2021 Karen BrownLeave a comment

Hello friends! I think these are probably the most adorable papercrafting projects that I\’ve ever made! These little pop-up houses are the July 2021 Amazing Paper Grace Die of the Month and they are just so cute.

Home Sweet Home Pop Up 3D Vignette

I used Dahlia pink cardstock for my first house and I think it is just scrumptious! Woudn\’t this make an adorable wedding card?

This is my first pop-up card and I will say that the assembly was very straight forward.

I used two enamel dots, one for the door knob and one for the flower center.

The details are just wonderful. You can see that there is embossing along the roof peak and also around two of the windows.

The house is designed to hold cards inside. I left this one blank as I am going to hand write a personal note to my friend.

I used Teal Topaz cardstock on my second house and I have to say it has been my favorite color to use this summer.

The houses are designed so they can be flattened for mailing, but they pop right back into position when you take them out of the envelop.

I am so pleased that you stopped by to see these fun houses!

Karen

papercrafting

Altenew Educators "Anything But A Card" Blog Hop and Linky Party + Giveaway

June 28, 2021July 3, 2021 Karen Brown25 Comments

DIY Gift Topper

Hello fellow papercrafters! The Altenew Educators are hopping and this time we are creating \”anything except a card\”. I enjoy gift wrapping and decided to craft a gift \”topper\”. Altenew\’s Craft-A-Flower releases are always one of my favorites so I wanted to make a layered die-cut flower using this month\’s Peruvian Lily. I crafted my bloom from some handmade gel press prints and a bit of glitter cardstock.

$Gift Wrap Topper featuring Altenew\'s Peruvian Lily layering die.$

I wrapped my gift in Tiffany blue gift wrap, added some ribbon and then topped with my die-cut Lily. I think this makes for a beautiful gift.

Prizes:

$200 in total prizes! Altenew is giving away a $35 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $20 gift certificate to 5 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 07/04/2021 for a chance to win.

There’s MORE! What’s a hop without YOU?! We have included an Inlinkz at the Altenew blog for you to enter your gorgeous Altenew “Anything But A Card” creations. We will pick 2 of our favorite handmade creations from those who joined the linky party and they will each receive a $15 Altenew gift certificate!

Altenew will draw 7 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 07/06/2021.

I am so pleased you stopped by!

Karen

Peruvian Lily

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Altenew Paint-A-Flower: Clematis Josephine Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

June 22, 2021 Karen Brown33 Comments

Altenew Paint-A-Flower: Clematis Josephine

Hello and welcome! Today, Altenew is releasing their June Paint-A-Flower called Clematis Josephine. The bouquet is substantial and fills up a card beautifully. Altenew releases a new Paint-A-Flower each month and you can subscribe HERE so you don\’t miss a single set and as a subscriber the price is just $12.99 per month.

I was in a coloring mood and these flowers are so fun to color! I used Altenew\’s Artist Markers Set F (Sunshine Valley Garden) and Set G (Water Garden). The kit has a bunch of wonderful sentiments and I selected Be Bold…

$Altenew\'s Paint A Flower Clematis Josephine$

Are You Ready For Some Prizes?

Altenew will draw 7 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on theAltenew Winners Page on 06/29/2021.

Blog Hop:

Karen Brown You Are Here! 🙂

Are You Ready To Shop?

Clematis Paint-A-Flower

Clematis Paint-A-Flower + 24 Pan Watercolor Bundle

Clematis Paint-A-Flower + 12 Pan Watercolor Bundle

I am pleased with the card and hope you like it too.

Karen

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Altenew Summer Adventure Stand-alone Dies Collection Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

June 17, 2021 Karen Brown31 Comments

Hello, I am so excited to introduce you to some of Altenew\’s gorgeous new stand-alone dies!

Die Cutting with Altenew\’s Tropical Leaf Mix Dies

Altenew\’s Tropical Leaf Mix dies are so beautiful and fun to create with! I started by cutting a 5 1/2\” square card base and then added some copper paint splatters.

Next, I gathered a bunch of gel press prints and started to die-cut and arrange a leaf flower. Once I started I realized I really liked the green panels with gold and copper. My flower needed a center so I used the cute little star flower from Altenew\’s Bride To Be Layering Set. This set makes such a lovely dimensial card.

For my next card, I die-cut leaves from a gold/copper gel print (above) and brown cardstock. The leaves are Altenew\’s new Tropical Leaf Mix dies. For the center, I again used the star flower from Altenew\’s Bride to Be Layering Set

Copper, Gold and Brown Metalic Gel Plate Print

I love how you can use the leaves individually or layer them.

Quick and Easy Die Cut Card

The new Peeking Leaves Cover Die is beautiful. I selected two colors of summery cardstock and die-cut the aqua panel. I glued the die cut to an A2 card base and used the edge of a ruler to straigthen the sides. The sentiment is Altenew\’s Simply Hello Die.

$Altenew\'s Peeking Leaves Cover Die card.$

Giveaway Prizes

$300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $25 gift certificate to 8 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 06/23/2021 for a chance to win.

Altenew will draw 10 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 06/25/2021.

Blog Hop:

Karen Brown You Are Here!

FREE GIFT PROMOTION:

Here are THREE ways to get a FREEBIE to kickstart your creativity! Free gift will be added to cart automatically.

Get a FREE brand new Summer Adventure Release Inspiration Guide (worth $5.99) with every order of high-value Summer Adventure release bundles. Shop Here! *Exclusions apply.
Get a FREE brand new Summer Adventure Release Mini Inspiration Guide with every order from 06/17/2021 through 06/19/2021. Shop HERE.

READY TO SHOP?

Link To Altenew Summer Adventure Stand Alone Die Collection.

I am honored that you stopped by my blog…thank you! If you have another moment, I would love to hear which card you like best.

Karen

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Altenew Craft-A-Flower: Peruvian Lily Layering Die Set Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

June 7, 2021 Karen Brown37 Comments

Altenew Craft-A-Flower: Peruvian Lily Layering Die Set

Hello friends! Today is release day for Altenew\’s June Craft-A-Flower: Peruvian Lily. I just adore each month\’s kit because there are so many die-cutting possibilities. You can subscribe HERE for a specially discounted price (plus you won\’t miss a single kit) or you can purchase the Peruvian Lily or you can buy the Peruvian Lily + the gradient cardstock bundle.

Each month I usually make my own paper for my craft-a-flower kit…sometimes I watercolor panels, or ink blend but this month I was in a gel print mood. With gel prints, you never know what you are going to get so I start with colors in mind and then start printing. These are pretty basic prints but they look so pretty when die-cut. For June I was thinking either an orange or pink bloom with a blue background so I laid out some prints. I love the blue background…kinda Monetish and I ultimately decided on an orange and yellow lilly. I will be using the pink panels soon.

These dies were easy to line up and the lily is big and showy. The sentiment is one of my favorites from the Essential Sentiment Die Set.

Giveaway Prizes

$200 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $20 gift certificate to 5 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 6/13/2021 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 7 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 06/15/2021.

Karen Brown < You Are Here

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy this month\’s kit as much as I have.

Karen

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Altenew Adventures Ahead Stamps/Dies/Stencils/More Collection Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

June 4, 2021 Karen Brown33 Comments

Hello! I was so excited and inspired by Altenew\’s June Adventures Ahead Stamp and Die Collection that I created 8 cards! So many ideas!

Die Cutting With Scraps

Altenew\’s Color Bands dies are wonderful and at a great price point! If you like to die-cut there are endless possibilites….I found them so addiciting! For this first card, I used brightly colored scraps of gel press prints. My inspiration was gum drops and I die cut 14 rainbow hued \”gum drops\” and adhered them to my card with foam tape. I crafted my slimline card using the Nesting Slim Rectangles Die Set.

Die Cutting With Gel Press Prints

I wanted rainbow colors for my \”squiggles\” card also. I used the same Color Bands Dies as above.

$Die cutting with Altenew\'s Color Band die set.$

I selected an assortment of simple gel press prints and started die cutting. I took a quick photo (below) of the print assortment I started with. I wanted lots of beautiful white space so I again used Altenew\’s Nesting Slim Rectangle Dies to make another slimline card.

3D Embossing Gel Press Prints

I don\’t think I can ever have too many brick elements to craft with so I was very excited about Altenew\’s new Brick Wall 3D Embossing Folder. For this card I took a gel press print and ran it through my embossing machine. I think this panel makes a beautiful background for my two Cosmos Die Cut Flowers.

Vintage Feel Scene Card

I was captivated by the new Seas The Day stamp and die bundle. I love a good scene card and thought it would be fun to create a vignette of a girl watching a boat race. I went with an off-white vintage feel and made two of these…one for my daughter and one to go with a graduation gift. And, don\’t you just love those animated Pelicans!

Four Quick and Easy Cards

I came up with an idea for a quick and easy masculine card. The lines on the Seas The Day sailboat are just beautiful and I thought a \”blueprint look\” would be very striking. I stamped the boat with Saphire from the Glacier Caves mini ink cube set. I then hand inked an accent panel and sentiment strip with the same Saphire ink and Altenew\’s Large Blending Tool and set this behind the sailboat to frame the top panel. I like the coordinating saphire sentiment band (Altenew Essential Sentiment Strips). Very easy, very striking and very masculine…a winning combination.

$A quick and easy masculine card featuring the sail boat for Altenew\'s Seas The Day Stamp set.$

It is graduation season so my last three cards are for the graduate. The detail on the Feathered Friends dies is beautiful! I die cut three from cardstock and then popped them on a white Brick Wall 3D Embossing Folder panel and added a die-cut Essential Sentiment Strips sentiment.

These next two cards came together very quickly! The backgrounds are from the Rainbow Blots 6×6\” Paper Pack which is filled with gorgeous papers with highly saturated color. These packs are at a great price point and with 24 sheets, you can make loads of projects.

Using the Rainbow Blots paper pack, I trimmed down two panels and then die cut two sets of sentiments using Altenew\’s new Reach For The Stars die. This sentiment definitely makes a statement!

I am sending these two cards with graduation gifts.

Are You Ready For Some Prizes?

Altenew will draw 10 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 06/11/2021.

You\’ve probably just seen Bridget Casey\’s lovely projects and you will love Laurie Willison\’s post.

BLOG HOP:

Altenew Card Blog

Are You Ready to Shop? Free Gift Oportunities:

Here are THREE ways to get a FREEBIE to kickstart your creativity! Free gift will be added to cart automatically.

· Get a FREE brand new Adventures Ahead Release Inspiration Guide (worth $5.99) with every order of high-value Exotic Garden release bundles. SHOP HERE! *Exclusions apply.

· Get a FREE brand new Creative Jump Start Class with every order from the new Adventures Ahead release collection from 6/04/2021 through 6/10/2021. SHOP HERE!

· Get a FREE brand new Adventures Ahead Release Mini Inspiration Guide with every order from 06/04/2021 through 06/06/2021. Shop HERE!

I am honored that you stopped by my blog…thank you! If you have another moment, I would love to hear which card you like best.

Karen

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Altenew Mixed Media Madness Hop

May 28, 2021 Karen BrownLeave a comment

3D Die Cutting + Acrylic on Mixed Media Paper

Hello! The Altenew Educators have a fun Instagram Hop called Mixed Media Madness currently underway. There are loads of prizes and lots of inspiring projects so I hope you can hop along with us. I drew my inspiration from my backyard. The two mixed media backgrounds are my interpretation of the water in my swimming pool and the layered die-cuts are based on my potted coral Hibiscus. I handcrafted all the paper used to die-cut my flowers.

I have been loving layering dies lately and wanted to get out an old favorite, Altenew\’s Hibiscus Garden as I think it is perfect going into summer. I used this set as the focal point for both of my cards.

I loosely mixed turquoise, white and pale yellow acrylic paint with a brayer for my background. The leaves are cut from painted acrylic panels of moss, spring green and pale yellow. The Hibiscus are cut from three panels: orange, orange + white and a panel of white with a hint of orange. The sentiment is from Altenew\’s Birthday Greetings stamp set.

The background for my second card is similar but there was leftover blue on my gel plate. I also added an additional layer of gold using my favorite Narrow Brick Stencil . This stencil just came out this spring, but it is already my most used stencil! I love the subtle texture and dimension it adds. I then die cut the panel using Altenew\’s Rounded Rectangles die. I added craft foam to the back of the panel and adhered the flower with foam tape.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

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Altenew 8”x11” Majestic Bouquet Stamp Set Release Blog Hop + Giveaway ($200 in Total Prizes)

May 11, 2021 Karen Brown45 Comments

Hello friends! Today we’re celebrating Altenew\’s Majestic Bouquet Layering Stamp release and I have three cards to share. This is a beautiful layering stamp set with 41 stamps (all made in the USA!) and lots of gorgeous detail.

If you arrived from Terri Koszler lovely blog, you’re right on track and you made it to the final post. If you want to start from the beginning, please visit the Altenew Card Blog. Be sure to scroll to the bottom for details about the hop and give away.

I love the vibrant blues in my first card! I used the darkest three colors in the Glacier Caves Mini Ink Cubes set and ink blended the accent panel with the darkest two colors. All of my sentiments are from the Birthday Greeting Stamp Set and the enamel dots are Glacier Caves Enamel Dots, which coordinate beautifully with the ink cubes. I kept this card simple because I wanted to empasize the bold colors and lovely floral stamp.

Altenew Glacier Caves Mini Ink Cubes + Enamel Dots

For the pink card, I combined the Majestic Bouquet Layering Stamp with the beautiful Majestic Blooms 3D Embossing Folder. I chose three pinks (Blush, Cotton Candy and Coral Berry) from Altenew\’s 48 Crisp Die Ink Collection for my stamping and then used Coral Berry to ink blend the circle background. I think this is such a lovely feminine card.

Altenew Pink Die Inks: Blush, Cotton Candy and Coral Berry

For my final card, I used the three lightest colors in the Seashore Mini Ink Cube Set. I then die cut my panel using the largest die from the Rounded Rectangles Set. The background panel was ink blended with Lagoon ink. To add a bit more texture, I used the Modern Squares 3D Embossing Folder for my background panel.

Products Available:

Altenew Majestic Bouquet Layering Stamp Set

Majestic Bouquet Die Set

Altenew Majestic Bouquet Stamp and Die Bundle

Are You Ready For Some Prizes?

$200 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $20 gift certificate to 5 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 5/16/2021 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 7 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 5/19/2021.

Join Us As We Hop!

Altenew Card Blog
Jaycee Gaspar
LauraJane
Erum Tasneem
Michelle Short
Tenia Nelson
Jenny Colacicco
Norine Borys
Anna Mahtani
Agnieszka Małyszek
Victoria Calvin
Linda Westfall
Emily Midgett
Sandhya Iyer
Laurie Willison
Preeti Chandran
Seeka
Mindy Eggen
Verity Biddlecombe
Carol Hintermeier
Erin Thompson
Helen Kalb
Joylita Dsouza
Keren Baker
Teresa Litchfield
Bridget Casey
Kelly Griglione
Nandini Karmarkar
Terri Koszler
Karen Brown Yay, made it to the end!

I am honored that you stopped by my blog…thank you! If you have another moment, I would love to hear which card you like best.

Karen

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Altenew Wildflower Paper Crafting Collection Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

April 29, 2021 Karen Brown43 Comments

Hello friends! I love paper, which I think is one of the many reasons I am a paper crafter. If you are fond of paper then I know you will appreciate Altenew\’s gorgeous new Wildflower Collection too. The release is full of beautiful colors, fun patterns and lovely floral papers plus two gorgeous ephemera packs. To celebrate, Altenew is hosting a blog hop with beautiful inspiration and fun prizes. Link To Blog Hop

Cardmaking with Altenew Ephemera and Printed Cardstock

I created three cards for this release. On my first card, all the colored paper is from the Wildflower Collection 6×6\” Paper Pack. I love Altenew\’s Hibiscus Garden 3D Layering Die Set and thought it would be fun to die cut the elements from different papers in the pack. I used two pages for the flower, two different pages for the leaves and then the soft green for the background. I added a bit of splatter with Altenew\’s Jet Black and Pure White ink sprays. I pulled the sprayer out and tapped the hose for pefect splatter each time. So much faster than mixing ink each time.

Altenew Hibiscus Garden 3D layering dies

The second card uses Bitty Bits Ephemera for a fast and colorful card. For the background, I again splattered a white card base with Pure White and Jet Black ink splatters. Next I used the Garden Trellis Cover Die and patterned paper from the Wildflower Collection 6×6\” Paper Pad to die cut a lovely background overlay. I then arranged and layered the ephemera and adhered with foam tape. The packet has loads of die cuts, so I have plenty left over for future projects. I finished off the card by adding Cherry Blossom Enamel Dots

My third card is similar with a Garden Trellis die cut overly cut from a page from the Wildflower Collection 6×6\” Paper Pad. The background is again a paint splattered page from the same pad. I then arranged and layered ephemera from The Pink Posy Pack. Lastly, I added Cherry Blossom Enamel Dots to the flower centers.

There is a great Wildflower Paper and Ephemera Bundle available as well as a Wildflower Paper Crafting Jump Start Class.

Giveaway Prizes:

Altenew will draw 7 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 05/07/2021.

Blog Hop:

Karen Brown You Are Here! 🙂

Ready to shop? You can access Altenew\’s Shop HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

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Spellbinder\’s Stained Glass Bouquet

April 25, 2021 Karen BrownLeave a comment

Hello! I\’ve been playing with Spellbinders new Stained Glass dies and found them to be really fun to create with! I have two cards to share with you today and I think they are both so happy and cheerful.

Inlay Stained Glass Die Cutting

I started by ink blending three panels for my stained glass in-lay:

a coral gradient of soft pink, hot pink and orange
two greens
aqua blue

I let the panels dry and then began die-cutting.

I used the square die to cut a 4 1/4\” square while at the same time using the circle die to cut an opening in the center. I stamped my sentiment near the bottom.
Using a tape runner, I adhered craft foam to the back of the square panel with the circle cut.
I folded a fabric softener sheet into fourths and then placed on top of the circle die cut so the small pieces would not stick to the die.
I then die cut the circle from black and then again from the three ink blended panels.
I carefully put the black frame in the circle and then added the aqua, pink and green inlay pieces. The tape runner adhessive was there to secure all the inlay pieces.
I made a 4 3/4\” x 4 3/4\” square card and then attached my stain glass panel.

I like that the pink/coral gradient gives subtly different tulip colors.

Supplies:

Spellbinders Tulip Trio Stained Glass Bouquet Etched Dies
Hand inked panels
Black Cardstock
Craft Foam
Tape Runner

I decided to make a second card using the remaining inkblended panels from card #1.

Papercraft Floral Inlay Diecutting Technique

I die cut the flower and leaf skeleton in white and then cut each base from white. I glued the skeleton to the base with a tape runner again.
I then cut the flower from the coral panel and the leaves from the green panel. With the colored pieces still in the die, I flipped the die over and guided the pieces into the corresponding cavities. This actually works really well for the small pieces.
I dry embossed the plaid background.
The accent strip was cut from the coral ink blended panel and then glued to the embossed panel.
I used the circle die from the first kit for a spotlight circle and then attached the elements with foam tape.Supplies:
Spellbinders Be Leave Me Stained Glass Bouquet Dies
Spellbinders Plaid Embossing Folder
Spellbinders Tulip Trio Stained Glass Bouquest Etched Dies (diecut circle spotlight)
Hand Inked Panels for Inlay
Craft Foam
Tape Runner
Enamel Dots

I love the clean bright white and warm summery colors on this card. I would love to hear which card you like best.

Karen