Author: Karen Brown

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Bridal Shower Card

Karen Brown2 Comments

Hello and thank you for stopping by.  I am going to a bridal shower and did some brainstorming.  I wanted to make a dramatic alcohol ink background and came up with the idea of using a white wedding dress die cut in a stitched circle spotlight.

Alcohol ink background using flamingo, sunset orange and sunshine yellow.

 The dress is from the My Monthly Hero April 2017 kit, which is a favorite of mine.

I started by making an alcohol ink background with flamingo, sunset orange and sunshine yellow.  I set the panel aside to dry and went to work die-cutting the wedding dress and stitched circle frame.  After my background panel was dry, I assembled my card and stamped my sentiment.  I am very pleased with my card.

I am entering this card in the A Blog Named Hero CAS Challenge.

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Altenew Garden Grow Birthday Card

Karen Brown4 Comments

Hello and thank you for stopping by!  I was asked to be a \”Guest Designer\” for the CAS on Friday \”Butterfly\” Challenge.

Altenew\’s Garden Grow stamp set is a longtime favorite so I thought it would be fun to have a gardening vignette with pink and yellow butterflies landing on the watering can and potted plant.

I started by making a simple blue watercolor background.  Next, I stamped and used Copics to color my gardening trio.  I wanted a spotlight circle so I used a stitched circle die.  I assembled the card and added a birthday sentiment.

This card is for my mother-in-law who loves butterflies and gardening.

I am entering this card in:
Altenew\’s April Inspiration Challenge.  I used the pink, yellow, blue color scheme for my background and butterflies and used the rainbow colors for the flowers in my pot.  I just adore this Altenew Garden Grow stamp and die set.  Every spring I seem to pull it out and make loads of cards.

Allsorts Blossoms, Butterflies and Bugs Challenge.  I chose to focus on the blossoms and butterflies for my spring gardening card.
Grab our logo

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.  I love the spring mood board this week and thought my garden vignette worked well.

Karen

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WWC217 – Michelle\’s Masculine "Anything Goes" Challenge

Karen Brown2 Comments

Hello and thank you for stopping by!  This week the theme for Watercooler Wednesday is Masculine \”Anything Goes\”.  Michelle is our hostess.

Once a quarter, I take a Copic class with Laura Griffin.  Recently, instead of coloring with Copics, we used Copic refills to make alcohol ink backgrounds.  I\’ve been playing with alcohol inks, but had never tried re-inkers.  Reinkers make a vibrant glossy creation!
For this card we layered on three different colors of Copic ink and used straws to move the ink around on the Yupo paper.  When we were satisfied with the result, we added a bit of gold.  Then we die-cut our sentiments (Papertrey \”Count My Blessings\”.  I used bold jewel tones that I thought would be suitable for sending to a man yet still fun and festive.
I am, entering this card in Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Mood Board Challenge
Karen 
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WWC216 – Dawn\’s "All About Occasions" Challenge

Karen Brown4 Comments

Hello and welcome to Watercooler Wednesday\’s All About Occasions Challenge.  Dawn is our hostess this week.

Lawn Fawn\'s Perfectly Plaid designer paper.

I needed an Easter card so I challenged myself to use patterned paper with limited stamping.  I chose  bright cheery Lawn Fawn \”Perfectly Plaid\”.  I used one pattern to cover an A2 card and then selected a second pattern to die-cut SSS\’s Plush Carrot.   The carrot top is die cut from green embossed paper for some added texture.   I think this would make a darling stuffed ornament, but I needed a card.  Next, I embossed Rubbernecker\’s Three Line Frame on sherbet colored card stock.  I assembled the card using craft foam and Gina K connect glue and then added Lily of the Valley Jewels from Little Things from Lucy.

I am entering this card in:  The Paper Players Plaid or Checks Challenge

Thanks for stopping by?
Karen
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Handcrafted Easel Card

Karen Brown4 Comments

I came up with an idea to combine two of my favorite Hero Arts sets:  My Monthly Hero January 2019 kit and Hero Arts Fun in the Rain.

The Paper Company Football Paper

The pup from this set looks like my mini-Aussie so I colored her with markings like my \”Scout\”.  I think it is so cute that she has a raincoat on and I thought this would be perfect for a Spring card.

Since this is an easel card, I die cut some thick leathery textured paper from The Paper Company.  I used black paper to simulate a blackboard and then heat embossed with a bold birthday sentiment to get that chalkboard look.

I am really pleased with the way this card came together.

I am entering this card in:

A Blog Named Hero Embossing Challenge

Cardz4Guyz \”Let\’s Get Messy\” – For me, I always make the biggest mess with embossing powder.  No matter how neat I try to be, little bits of powder wind up all over my work surface!
Cardz 4 Guyz Logo
The Male Room \”Spring\” Challenge – This cute pup is sporting her raincoat for the spring showers.

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

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Ombre with Alcohol Inks

Karen Brown12 Comments

I have been somewhat obsessed with alcohol inks for the last month or so.  I used the \”side to side\” method where I put blending solution on yupo paper and then added three lines of alcohol ink  and tilted side to side until the colors were blended.  Lots of fun and very quick. You want to blend quickly so that the colors flow into one another.

Papertrey Yellow Sunshine Die
Sunshine Yellow, Sunset Orange, Flamingo

I set the yupo paper aside to dry and then die cut using Papertrey\’s Yellow Sunshine.  I added a quick sentiment and the card was done.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:
Addicted to CAS \”Ombre\” Challenge

AAA \”Made in Minutes\” Challenge

Casology \”Burst\” Challenge – I was going for a sun\”burst\” look with my alcohol inks.

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

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WWC215 – Donna\’s Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

Karen Brown4 Comments
Hello and welcome to Watercooler Wednesday\’s Feminine \”Anything Goes\” Challenge.  Donna is our hostess this week.
Feminine cards are so fun to create and I really enjoyed making this one.  My daughter is a scientist with the Environmental Protection Agency and I wanted to make a special card for her.  
Test tubes embellished with Tonic Nuvo Crystal Glaze.

I started by stamping the image and sentiment from Stamping Bella\’s \”Sage the Scientist\” onto XPress It paper.  I then selected fun bright Copic colors and colored away.  I wanted the test tubes to stand out so I added a coating of Nuvo Crystal Glaze to each of them.  I used MFT\’s Die-namics stitched die and then popped it on a bright green note card.

Head over to the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge website for all the details.

I am entering this card in Simon Says Stamp Animal AnticsChallenge.  Aren\’t those little lab assistants adorable?

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

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Giraffe Baby Shower Card

Karen Brown5 Comments

I am going to a baby shower and the theme is giraffes.

Simon Says Stamp Stacking Animals giraffe
My friend\’s daughter is having a little girl so I went with a pink and yellow color theme.  SSS\’s Stacking animals is one of my favorite stamps sets and the giraffe always makes me smile.
I started by watercoloring a background panel with Rose Madder on Ranger Watercolor paper.  I colored the silly giraffe with Copic RV04, Y00, Y06 and Y08 and then die cut.  
My idea was to have the giraffe peeking out of a circle die cut window with the pink background.   I stamped the Stamping Bella (Baby Carriage) sentiment added some Pretty Pink Posh jewels and paired with a bright pink envelop.  This card came together very quickly.
I am entering his card in:
CAS on Friday \”Baby\” Challenge
Make My Monday \”Circles\” Challenge
Southern Girls \”Someone Special\” Challenge
Alphabet \”A is for Animals\” Challenge
Simon Says Monday \”Play With Paint\” Challenge
Looking forward to taking this card to the shower.
UPDATE:  I was excited to learn that this card was selected as the CAS on Friday Winner!  I will be a guest designer in an upcoming challenge.
Thanks for stopping by,
Karen
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WWC214 – Marsha\’s "All About Occasions" Challenge

Karen Brown9 Comments

 Easter is getting closer so I thought is was time to make a card or two.  This week\’s Watercooler Wednesday Challenge is \”All About Occasions\” so this was the perfect time to get started.

Easter bunny card.

This was a cute little \”freebie\” stamp I received from Stamps of Life (Somebunny).  I  thought these small images would be very cute stamped and flipped in a pattern stamp background.    I stamped using a block and then colored with copics (RV00, RV23, YG00, YG01, B0000, B00, Y00, Y08 and W0 for the ears).  I added a few gel pen accents and Pretty Pink Posh jewels in coordinating colors.  I embossed the darling sentiment and adhered with some foam tape.

I am entering this card in Tuesday Throwdown\’s Pastel Color Challenge, Simon Says Stamp Wednesday \”Anything Goes\” Challenge, Sisterhood of Crafters Spring Challenge

Update:  My card was selected as a Tuesday Throwdown \”Top Pick\”!  Many thanks to this fun challenge.

Thanks for stopping by,

Karen

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WWC213 – Karen\’s Masculine "Anything Goes" Challenge

Karen Brown9 Comments

What a day….it is my turn to host Watercooler Wednesday\’s Anything Goes Masculine Challenge!  I am very excited.  🙂

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I recently purchased a die cutting machine (Gemini Junior) and ordered this fun die cutting set from Spellbinders.  This card is for my new son-in-law.  He drives a pick-up truck, so I thought this would be perfect for him.

I started by die cutting a kraft card base (Sugar Pea Design Builder).  I used Nuvo Hot Cholcolate embossing powder for the sentiment (Ranger Letter It Birthday).  Next, I cut out all the truck pieces using Bohemia Blue Bird \”All Boy\” card stock (coordinating double sided paper).   I enjoyed the die cutting and paper selection.  I wanted dimension so I used foam tape for the truck body and then an additional layer of foam tape for the license plate and bumper.  I tucked in a few gifts die cut from scrap paper I had left over.  The ribbons on two of the packages are light green but they did not photograph well.

Spellbinders October 2018 Large Die Kit

Masculine card featuring a blue truck.

I am entering this card in:
Cardz 4 Guyz \”To Die for Challenge\”  I lost track of how many dies I used on this card, but I think my son-in-law will really like the card.
Cardz 4 Guyz Logo
 Happy Little Stampers \”Die\” Challenge  I\’ve never made a card with so many dies before, it was kind of like doing a fun puzzle.

The Male Room \”Do It Yourself Challenge\”  This card is for my son-in-law. He drives a pickup and for Christmas he asked for tools so he could do maintenance and repairs himself.  So we got him a variety of DIY tools.

Brown Sugar Transportation Challenge – A pick-up is my husband\’s primary mode of transportation.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge  I think this little pick-up is as \”cute\” as can be!

Thanks for stopping by!  I truly hope to see your masculine creation on the Watercooler Website.

Karen