Author: Karen Brown

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WWC262 – Marsha\’s Challenge: All About Occasions

Karen Brown14 Comments
Hello and welcome!  This week we are creating occasion cards at The Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and Marsha is our hostess.
I wanted to make a spotlight background for this joyful girl. I started by drawing (in pencil) an off-center circle.  With a brush, I filled in the circle with clean water and then dropped in three different watercolors (yellow-green, green and blue-green) and let them blend.   I wanted the background to be mostly green as I associate that color with March.  After the panel dried, I erased the pencil line.  I stamped, Copic colored and fussy-cut my girl and then adhered on the watercolor.  I popped on an embossed sentiment and my card was complete.

Supplies:
Picket Fence Studio Sweet Dear Friend Stamp
SSS Birthday Mix 1 Sentiment
Watercolor Paper
Kuretake Watercolors


I am so pleased that you stopped by!

Karen
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Personalized Initial Notecards for the Altenew March Inspiration Challenge

Karen Brown1 Comment
I loved the colors in the March Altenew Inspiration Challenge.  I decided to use alcohol inks on watercolor paper.  I thought the look would be softer than Yupo paper and more in keeping with the spring theme for the challenge.
Alcohol Inks on Watercolor Paper using the embossed resist technique.
My Process:
  • I laid a stencil over the watercolor paper and inked it with Versamark ink.  Then I heat embossed with white embossing powder.  
  • Next, I used the three colors of alcohol ink from my collection that best matched the photo.  I used felt blenders and blending solution to move the color around.  I thought a few pops gold would be nice so I added that at the end.
  • After the watercolor panel was dry, I die cut the \”K\” from Altenew\’s Mega Alphabet die collection.  
  • I made two top folding A2 cards and adhered the panel with foam tape for dimension.  The \”K\” die cut was so beautiful that I added it to the second card.   Since the \”K\” was a bit smaller I trimmed down the second card to 4\” x 5 1/4.
I made these personalized initial notecards for myself, but like them so much I am going to make more for gifts.  

Here is the inspiration photo:  
I love those spring greens, blues and lavenders.
Be sure to pop on over to the Altenew March Inspiration Challenge Website.

I am so pleased that you stopped by!
Karen
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WWC261 – Kath\’s Challenge: Anything Goes With a Feminine Twist

Karen Brown12 Comments
Hello and welcome!  This week is our always popular \”feminine\” challenge at Watercooler Wednesday.  Kath is our hostess.
Altenew Espresso Crisp die ink
I made this card for my sister\’s birthday.  I heat embossed,  watercolored then die-cut this beautiful floral image from Altenew.  I used watercolor paper for the painted panel and the card base as I liked the continuity of texture across the card.  I am not sure you can tell in the photograph, but I really like the textured look in person.   I also went with a brown sentiment for a more natural look.

Supplies:
Altenew Weekend Doodles stamp and die
Altenew Espresso Crisp die ink
Watercolor paper
White Embossing Powder
Kuretake watercolors

I am pleased with the card and look forward to popping it in the mail to my sister.

I am entering this card in:
Paper Players \”Turn Up the Heat\” Challenge

Make My Monday \”In The Pink\” Challenge

The Flower Challenge – Anything Goes

AAA Birthday Challenge – Flowers

I am so pleased you stopped by!
Karen
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WWC260 – Karen\’s Challenge: All About Occasions

Karen Brown3 Comments
Hello and welcome! This week we are making occasion cards at The Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.  I am excited because it is my week to host.  I chose to make a bright watercolor card.
Simon Says Stamp Birthday Word Mix 1 Circle Happy Birthday sentiment.

A friend gave me this die cut (Paper Roses Blooming Flowers). I used a tape runner to glue down the die cut panel to a card base.  Next I watercolored in each segment and then I attached the die cut sentiment (Simon Says Stamp Birthday Word Mix 1).  I love how bold the card turned out.  

I\’ve entered this card in Simon Says Stamps \”Anything Goes\” Wednesday Challenge

I am so pleased that you stopped by!
Karen
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WWC259 – Dawn\’s Challenge: Anything Goes With a Masculine Twist

Karen Brown6 Comments
Hello and welcome.  This week we are making masculine cards at The Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and Dawn is our hostess.
Handmade Santa Fe Style Birthday card
Last summer my husband and I went on an old-fashioned driving vacation of the American Southwest.  It was a wonderful trip and when we were in Santa Fe, New Mexico I found a stamp shop that stocked designs by local artists. I combined three stamps to create this Santa Fe scene.

I stamped my scene, watercolored and then heat embossed a sentiment.

Supplies:
B&J Art Stamps by Judy Duke (Las Cruces, NM):  

  1. Santa Fe Gate
  2. Sunflowers
  3. Pear Cactus
Kuretake Watercolors
Brutus Monroe Aqua Pigment Paper
Versafine Onyx Black ink

I am entering this card in:
The Alphabet \”W for Anything you Wish Challenge\”  I wished to make an outdoor scene card.

Shopping Our Stash \”The Great Outdoors\” Challenge  I enjoyed making this outdoor scene card.

A Place To Start Masculine Challenge I think the rugged gate makes for a nice masculine card.  

Addicted to Stamps \”Make Your Mark Challenge\”   I made my mark with watercolors and ink.

I am so pleased that you stopped by!
Karen
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WWC258 – Marsha\’s Challenge: All About Occasions

Karen Brown15 Comments
Hello and welcome!  This week is all about occasions at the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge Website and Marsha is our hostess.
I wanted to make a CAS watercolor valentine for my husband this year.  With pencil, I drew a heart shape in the bottom right corner of a Brutus Monroe Aqua Pigment panel.  Next, with a brush,  I filled the heart in with clean water and then dropped Kuretake watercolors into the heart.  I wanted the pinks and purples to blend.  After the panel was dry, I heat embossed the sentiment (My Monthly Hero,  January 2019).  I erased the pencil lines, trimmed with a stitched rectangle die and mounted onto a top folding A2 card that I had made.
I am very pleased with the valentine and hope Mark likes it too!

I am entering this valentine in:
Clean and Simple on Friday: #173 Love  I made this card for my husband.
Casology #361: Sweetheart I made this card for my sweetheart…my husband.
AAA Cards #158: Up to 1/3 + Optional Hearts I added the optional twist of a heart.
The Card Concept: Be Mine Valentine My card is a CAS/Clean and Graphic valentine.  I was inspired by the heart theme and the large \”love\” sign.
A Place to Start – Masculine Card I made this valentine for my husband
Allsorts – Add a Heart A heart plus a simple sentiment

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

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WWC257 – Heidi\’s Challenge: Anything Goes With a Feminine Twist

Karen Brown19 Comments
 Hello and welcome! This week we are making feminine cards at the Watercooler Challenge and Heidi is our hostess. 
xoxo hugs and kisses from Hero Arts Year Round Sentiments.
I had a lot of fun making this valentine for my daughter.  I started with a piece of wet watercolor paper and then I applied pink, purple, red and a hint of yellow Kuretake watercolors to the panel.  I swirled, blended and then heat dried the paint and then repeated the process so I wound up with layer upon layer.  Because I added several layers, the watercolor appears much more vibrant than most watercolors I have done in the past.  After the panel was nice and dry I die cut a bunch of hearts in three sizes.  I stamped the sentiment, played with the layout and came up with this random pattern that I liked.  I adhered the hearts with foam tape so there is lots of dimension to the card.  

Supplies:
Kuretake Watercolors
Brutus Monroe Aqua Pigment Paper
Sentiment:  Hero Arts Year Round Sentiments
Gemini \”Loving Tags\” dies
Kuretake watercolors

I am entering this card in the following:

Inspired By Challenge: XOXOXO 

The Paper Players: PP476 

Make My Monday: I Heart You 

The Rainbow Card Challenge #14 – Fiercely Fuschia

UPDATE:  I am so pleased that this card was chosen as \”A Cut Above\” by The Paper Players Challenge!!!

I am so pleased that you stopped by!
Karen
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WWC256 – Kath\’s Challenge: All About Occasions

Karen Brown2 Comments
Hello and welcome.  This week is all about \”Occasion\” cards at The Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and Kath is our hostess.  
I started by making an \”ink-smoosh\” panel.  Here was my technique:

  1. I liberally inked an 6×6\” acrylic block with Distress Inks.  I wanted an ombre gradient look so went in rows across the page.  I used Mermaid Lagoon, Salty Ocean and Twisted Citron.  
  2.  I liberally sprayed the inked block with water 
  3. \”Smooshed\” the block onto a piece of watercolor paper
  4. Weighted the ink/block with a book for 5-6 minutes
  5. Uncovered.  If the ink pooled, I dabbed with a paper towel.
The next day, after the panel was dry, I die cut the B using the Altenew Mega Alphabet \”B\” die.  I heat embossed the birthday sentiment and die cut a cover frame using Sunny Studio \”Frilly Frame Stripe\”.  I glued the striped frame, B and sentiment to an A2 card.  I like the clean simple lines of this card.

I am entering this card in Simon Says Stamp\’s Anything Goes Challenge

I am so pleased you stopped by!
Karen
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WWC255 – Marsha\’s Challenge: Anything Goes With a Masculine Twis

Karen Brown10 Comments
Hello and welcome!  This week, at The Watercooler Wednesday Challenge, we are creating cards  for the men in our lives.  Marsha is our talented hostess.  I made this card for a male friend that turns the BIG 60.
Simon Says Stamp Big Birthday Wishes stamp set.
This card is all about the background and sentiment.  I used Hero Arts Bold Tribal Print background stamp and Catherine Pooler\’s Blue Suede shoes to stamp the background.  After cleaning off the stamp, I restamped with the background stamp using clear embossing powder and then heat set.  This created a lovely shiny blue pattern.  After the background cooled, I ink blended Twisted Citron onto the card base using blending brushes.  This filled in all the white areas.

On Fog grey cardstock, I stamped the sentiments (SSS Big Birthday Wishes) and then die cut.  I adhered the sentiments with craft foam for some nice dimension.

I think the end result is a bold masculine card with nice shine and texture.

I am entering this card in:  
Allsorts Challenge #555 – More than a single word.  I wanted the emphasis on the words so I used two sentiments for this card.  

Always Fun Challenges The challenge this week is use your favorite stamp so I used my favorite background stamp.  Masculine cards are always a bit harder for me and I find this bold background stamp works well for a lot of cards for the men in my life.  

Shopping Our Stash – Winter Blues  Lots of blue on this card.  I just received Catherine Pooler\’s Blue Suede Shoes ink and wanted to try it out.  

Sisterhood of Crafters \”New\” Challenge I just received Catherine Pooler\’s Blue Suede shoes ink and wanted to give it a try on a card.  

Update:  I was so pleased to discover that this card was a \”winner\” in the Always Fun Challenge. 

I am so pleased that you stopped by!
Karen
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WWC254 – Tristan\’s Challenge: All About Occasions

Karen Brown8 Comments
Hello and welcome!  This week it is all about occasion cards at The Watercooler Wednesday challenge website and Tristan is our talented hostess.  

I had some lovely left over alcohol ink scraps that I wanted to use on a background.  I trimmed the pieces to a variety of widths and then pieced them together to make a solid background.  Blue, aqua and lime is a favorite color combination of mine.  My original intent was to cover the background with a circle die cut panel and sentiment, but I thought that looked a little plain so I added some interest with Simon Says Stamp\’s wonderful Outline Clustered Leaves die.  I cut the leaves from some Recollections embossed paper.  I like the end result and gave this card to one of my girlfriends.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
Addicted To Stamps – Make Your Mark

Just Us Girls – Dimension.   

Southern Girls \”Anything Goes\”

Happy Little Stampers \”Die\”


I am so pleased that you stopped by!
Karen
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