Category: Mixed Media

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Altenew November 2022 Simply Scientific Stamps/Dies/Stencils Release + Giveaway ($300 in Total Prizes!) 

Karen Brown19 Comments
A bright cheerful card using Altenew's Radial Circles Cover Die.

Altenew’s Radial Circles Cover Die

Hello and welcome to Altenew’s Simply Scientific Release and Blog Hop! There is lots of wonderfulness in this collection. I was instantly attracted to the Radial Circles Cover Die and I used it on three of my cards today.

I started by making a background using the “Direct To Paper” method. I used 8 colors of Altenew Crisp Dye Inks in blues, greens and aquas and I just swipped the ink cube over my cardstock. I wanted the edges darker than the middle but that was the extent of my plan. Don’t worry about blending, it will look great under the die cut panel. I love the bold vivid color from this technique.

Direct to Paper Background panel.
Direct to Paper Background

For the cover die, I used a metal shim for precise die cutting.

I thought a wreath would look pretty around the sentiment and I colored the leaves with my Altenew watercolor brush markers for a bright cheerful card.

A bright colorful card using Altenew's Radial Circles Cover Die and the Weekend Doodles Stamp and Die Bundle.

Products Used:

"Direct to Paper" background with blues and aquas using Altenew Radial Circles Cover Die,

Quick and Easy Card

If you want a quick and easy card with loads of impact, you can quickly make a background with the Direct to Paper technique described above and then just pop on a die cut cover panel and stamp a sentiment.

A quick and easy bold handmade card in blues, aquas and greens.

Altenew’s Chemistry Vases Stamp, Die and Coloring Stencil

For my next card, I used bright bold primary colors for a “school vibe”. My daughter is a scientist at a university and I made this card for her.

I started by making a background with strips cut from gel press prints. The background was easy to make and came together very quickly.

I used the Chemistry Vases stamp, coloring stencil and die for my beaker. I used Altenew Crisp Dye Inks in the following colors: Soft Lilac for the shadow, Coral Berry, Puffy Heart, Moon Rock for the beaker outline and Jet Black for the markings.

A handmade card using Altenew's Chemistry Vases stamp, die and coloring stencil bundle.

Products Used:

I love the adorably punny sentiments included in this set!

Handmade card with Bright Primary Colors for a School Vibe perfect for a teacher, professor, scientist or student.

For my last card, I combined Altenew’s Chemistry Vases Bundle with the Radial Circles Cover die. I have a friend who runs a medical laboratory and I thought this card would be perfect for her birthday. I used a taupe A2 card base, added a floral embellishment from the Bitty Bits Ephemera Kit and topped it with a pink enamel dot.

A birthday card for a scientist using Altenew's Chemistry Vases stamp, die and coloring stencil.

I think this Chemistry Vases set is perfect for students, teachers, scientists, professors, and medical professionals.

Altenew's Radial Circles Cover Die + Chemistry Vases Bundle.

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 11/06/2022 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 10/08/2022.

Blog Hop Order:


Altenew Blog

Anna Mahtani

Caly Person

Emily Midgett

Helen Kalb

Jaycee Gaspar

Jenny Colacicco

Karen Brown. You Are Here!

Nathalie DeSousa. Nathalie is next and I know you will love her post!

Therese Calvird

I am so pleased you stopped by!

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Die Cutting With Watercolored Panels

Karen Brown2 Comments
Altenew's Craft A Flower Cosmos die cut kit die cutting using watercolored panels.

Altenew’s Cosmos Craft-A-Flower Kit is one of my all time favorite products and I wanted to combine it with Altenew’s 36 pan Watercolor Set for today’s card.  I used the watercolors for the background and the panels I die cut.  

I started by making a background using Altenew’s Narrow Brick Stencil.  I mixed Texture Embossing Paste and Shimmer Spray which I then tinted with diluted purple Watercolor from the 36 pan set.  I repeated this and added diluted pink watercolor to a second pile of embossing paste.  I then ran this over the stencil in random locations.  The two colors of brick are the same colors I used on the flowers.  

On two panels of watercolor paper,  I brushed on bold watercolors from the 36 pan set.  I dried the panels and added a second layer so I had really saturated color.  Above is a photo of the three panels I used to make this card.

I die cut my panels and then used liquid glue and Instant Dimension Foam Tape to assemble my card.  To finish, I added Tea Party Enamel Dots.

Altenew Craft A Flower Cosmos kit + mixed media card
Mixed Media · papercrafting

Spellbinders | Mixed Media Gift Tags with Cathe Holden’s Christmas Flea Market Finds

Karen Brown1 Comment
Spellbinders | Mixed Media Gift Tags with Cathe Holden's Christmas Flea Market Finds

Vintage Vibe Mixed Media Christmas Gift Tags

Hello! My post today features a favorite new Spellbinders collection from Cathe Holden called Christmas Flea Market Finds. Cathe included stamps, printed die cuts, paper and stickers and they are SO fun to create with!

Using printed die cuts in cardmaking.

I created three mixed media tags with a vintage vibe. For all three tags, I created backgrounds using ink sprays. I mixed Ocean Waves aqua, Shimmer Spray for extra sparkle and a little water spray to slightly dilute the color. I dabbed my tag in the mixture, dried and then repeated two more times.

Next, I worked on my layouts. I knew I wanted to stencil grit paste on one card and I wanted all of the tags to be distressed.

Vintage look Christmas Gift tag with stenciled grit paste background.

I love the texture and interest that the grit paste adds to the tag.

Adding texture and interest with grit paste and a stencil in cardmaking.

Two of the cards also include stamps. To get the vintage-look inky blue, I combined denim and brown inks. White paint splatters were added to two of the cards and I thought they added a wintry look.

Distressed Christmas gift tag with pre-printed die cuts, stamp and stickers with a hand dyed aqua background.

When I create this type of mixed media project, I love to pull out all my supplies and just start playing. I made a huge fun mess!

How to get a vintage look when stamping papercrafts.

Spellbinders/Cathe Holden Supplies Used:

Other Supplies:

Cathe Holden Christmas Flea Market Finds Vintage look distressed gift tags.

Last week, I added a post with Cathe Holden Christmas cards which you can read HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Spellbinders + Cathe Holden Christmas Flea Market Finds Cards

Karen Brown1 Comment
Spellbinders + Cathe Holden Christmas Flea Market Finds Card.

Quick and Easy Vintage Look Christmas Card

Hello! Spellbinders and Cathe Holden just came out with a Christmas Edition of her Flea Market Finds and it was so fun to create with! Today, I used her Home for the Holiday’s paper pad: (CH-021) and Jingle Bells Miscellany die cuts (CH-019). I had fun laying out each item and then coming up with combinations for my cards.

The first card was quick and easy but I love result. My background is made from 2 pages from the paper pad that I combined at the midpoint. Using craft foam for dimesion, I attached the background to an A2 card base. Then, I just popped on the Christmas Tree and sentiment with foam tape.

Vintage Look Christmas card made with die cut ephemera.

Cardmaking with Vintage Ephemera

Cardmaking with Vintage Christmas Ephemera from Spellbinders + Cathe Holden

My second card is a collage style pieced together with designer paper, printed die-cuts and stamps. I used 2 rectangles and two 1.25″ squares of paper cut from the Home for the Holidays paper pad for my background. I distressed my kraft card base, background panel and the die cuts with 3 different Distress Crayons (bronze, gathered twig and aged mohogany) and then added lots of ephemera from the Jingle Bells Miscellany die cut pack. I also used 2 stamps from Cathe Holden’s previously released stamp kit called Handle with Care and added a tiny little paper clip.

Grunged Up Mixed Media Vintage Collage and Ephemera Christmas card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Using Colorful Paper Scraps on Handmade Cards

Karen Brown1 Comment
Using Colorful Scraps on DIY Rainbow Hued Grid Cards.

Rainbow Colored Grid Card

Hello and thanks for stopping by! I was in a mood to use my paper scraps again. My old square paper punch was out of whack so I purchased a new one and put it to use cutting squares from leftover colorful gel press scraps. I LOVE this bold rainbow hued look! I die cut an extra large sentiment: Altenew’s Mega Hello to finish the card.

Using Leftover Gel Press Scraps on handmade cards.

Thanks for popping by!

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Masculine Mixed Media Card

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Masculine Mixed Media Card.

Masculine cards can be tricky, but I think using bold gel press prints with a mega sentiment works well for the men in our lives.

Mixed Media Collage Card with Gel Press prints.

I sorted through my gel press prints looking for colorful pages that would work well together. I then tore them into strips and pieces and added some doodling with gel pens and Posca pens.

Products Used:

Gel Press

Acrylic Paints

Mixed Media Pad

Mega Hello Die

Leaves and Berries Stencil

Narrow Brick Stencil

Gel Pens

Posca Pens

UHU Glu Stick

Craft Foam

Using Gel Press Prints in Cardmaking,

I am so glad you popped by!

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Altenew July 2022 Summer Love Collection Release Blog Hop + Giveaway ($300 in Total Prizes!)

Karen Brown43 Comments

Altenew Fantasy Emblem 3D Embossing Folder

Altenew's Fantasy Emblem 3D Embossing Folder done in faux metallic using an Antique Bronze Distress Crayon.

Hello and thanks for stopping by! Altenew just released a lovely collection of 3D Embossing Folders as part of their Summer Love Collection, and I made 3 very different projects. I started by making a very masculine card using the Fantasy Emblem 3D Embossing Folder. My inspiration was an antique metal medallion.

My Process:

  • I started by embossing a piece of black cardstock with the Fantasy Emblem 3D Embossing Folder.
  • Next I tinted white pigment ink with Ocean Waves Crisp Dye Ink. On my craft mat, I dabbed the pigment ink and then Ocean Waves Crisp Dye Ink next to the white and then I mixed the two together. I blended this all over the embossed panel to “age” the cardstock.
  • I colored Antique Bronze Distress Crayon on the raised areas and then blended with my finger.
  • I die cut my sentiment (Script Words Die) from kraft card stock and then attached my panel to a kraft base.

This card was quick and easy to make but looks so rich in person.

Masculine Faux Metallic Medallion handmade card + 3D embossing folder

Altenew Playful Circles 3D Embossing Folder

Altenew Playful Circles 3D Embossing Folder + Craft A Flower Garden Rose + Handmade Card

This embossing folder is definitely a new favorite that will work with so many papercrafting projects! Today, I combined Altenew’s Craft-A-Flower: Garden Rose with the very versatile Playful Circles 3D Embossing Folder. The embossing folder adds loads of texture and interest to the card. The embossed panel is very pretty on both sides….depressed and impressed.

Products Used:

Altenew Playful Circles 3 D Embossing Folder + Enchanting Washes designer paper pack.

Altenew Flower Vines 3D Embossing Folder

A "Shabby Chic" handmade card + Altenew's Flower Vines 3D Embossing Folder.

For my last card I went for a whimsical Shabby Chic look.

Altenew's Flower Vines 3D Embossing Folder handmade card.

Special Offer!

  • Receive a FREE Ultra Sticky Double Sided Tape ($11.99 value) on orders over $79 from 07/22/2022 at 12:01 am EDT until 07/24/2022 at 11:59 pm EDT. The free gift will be added to cart automatically. Find more details on the Promotions page.

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 07/28/2022 for a chance to win. 

Altenew will draw 10 winners randomly from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 07/29/2022.

Blog Hop Order

Altenew Card Blog

Jennifer McGuire

LauraJane

Maryám Pérez

Penny Pynnonen

Erum Tasneem

Teri Wilson

Virginia Lu

Dana Joy

Mindy Eggen

Laurie Patterson

Jenny Colacicco

Berina Rajakumar

Tenia Nelson

Adriana Arminio

Nathalie DeSousa

Angela Brennan

Terri Koszler

Bridget Casey

Michelle Burnier

Reiko Tsuchida ***Note: Due to strict regulations in Japan, you might not be able to leave a comment on her blog post.

Annemarie Caister

Linda Westfall

Karen Brown You made it to the end!

I love all three projects! Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Spellbinders + Cathe Holden’s Flea Market Finds

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Quick and Easy Vintage Card featuring Cathe Holden's Flea Market Finds Ephemera, printed die cuts and stamps.

Cathe Holden’s “Flea Market Finds” Ephemera

Hello! I am so excited to show you Spellbinders new product line from Cathe Holden called Flea Market Finds. Cathe is a well known fabric designer and collector of vintage miscellany and she just released a wonderful assortment of printed die-cuts, paper samplers, stamps and stencils in collaboration with Spellbinders. Cathe put so much thought into every product and they all work SO well together.

For the past week, I have been playing in my craft room and I’d like to show you what I created. Hold on, becuase I have seven cards to share with you today. The card above was so fun to make!

My Recipe For Card 1:

On this card, I used all the products “as is” with no distressing. I started with the background where I layered 2 different papers, one from the neutral palette and one from the Blue Green pack. Next, I started adding stickers and diecuts. The bird image is framed with a third paper from Cathe’s Neutral Sampler.

Vintage Shabby Chic Card

Vintage Shabby Chic handmade card using Spellbinders Cathe Holden stencil and die cut ephemera.
Vintage Shabby Chic Handmade Get Well Card

For my Shabby Chic card, I started by ink blending Tumbled Glass Distress Ink on my panel. I added Frayed Burlap Ink around the ages for a vintage feel. I let the panel dry and then added Grit Paste through stencil #1 of the Layered Vintage Floral Stencil. I really like how the background turned out. I wanted an even more vintage look so I ran my Tea Dye Distress Crayon around the edges of the background and die cut and then blended the pigment with my fingers. The card base was covered with paper from the Blue Green Paper Palette.

Cardmaking With Ephemera

Vintage Collage Style Card using Spellbinders Flea Market Finds die cuts, stamps and stickers.
Aren’t the little bakers just the cutest?

My third card is a collage style card pieced together with designer paper, printed die-cuts and stamps. I used 1.25″ squares of paper cut from the Neutrals and Blue Green Samplers for my background. I distressed my background panel and the die cuts with a Distress Crayon and then added lots of ephemera.

Grunged Up Vintage Look Card

Grunged up Mixed Media Card using Spellbinders Flea Market Finds Stamps and Stickers.

I started my grunged up card by making a background panel. I blended tumbled glass distress ink and then added a bit of frayed burlap. I then ink blended a second panel for my die cut circles. I used Antique Linen Distress Ink and then added a bit of frayed burlap. I let the panels dry and then added Distress Grit Paste through my bricked stencil. I wanted it to look rough and old so I didn’t cover the entire stencil. After the grit paste was dry, I rubbed a Distress Crayon around the edges and blended it out onto the panel with my finger. I also gently rubbed some on the top of the panel so you could really see the crackle finish. Next, I die cut my circles and rubbed distress crayon around the edges and then blended onto the top with my fingers. I added two stickers to two of the circles and then stamped over them. The middle circle is just the roughly stamped cute flower truck. The matting is from the blue green sampler.

Quick and Easy Vintage Look Card

Quick and Easy Vintage Look Handmade Card using Flea Market Finds Printed Die Cuts.

This was the fastest and easiest card to make. I started with a page from the Neutral Sampler for my Background. I then layered on 3 Happy Thoughts and 2 Home Arts printed die cuts. I stamped a sentiment onto the flower basket and added a fun little paper clip from my stash.

Stenciled Background on Vintage Look Card

Spellbinders + Cathe Holden Layered Vintage Floral Stencil for Card Background,
Stenciled Background

Cathe Holden included a beautiful stencil in her collection and I used it for my background on this card. I added 2 stickers and 1 stamp to complete the card.

Using Printed Die Cuts in Cardmaking

Using Cathe Holden's Flea Market Finds in cardmaking

This was another card that came together very quickly using die cuts and stickers.

Using Flea Market Finds Miscellany on handmade cards.

Here is a group photo of the seven cards I created.

Cathe Holden Flea Market Finds handmade cards.

I had so much fun creating these cards. If you have a moment, let me know which is your favorite.

Thank you!

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Using Tags on Handmade Cards

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Using die cut tags on handmade cards + Altenew Terrific Tags + Altenew Doodle Blooms

Hello and welcome! Don’t you just love bright summery colors? I recently posted about how to make your own glitter cardstock which I then turned into tags. I decided to take it a step further, and turned two of my tags into cards.

Handmade card with die cut Altenew Terrific Tags.
Can you see the pretty shimmer on the tag?

I used Altenew Supplies on these cards:

Altenew Doodle Blooms + Altenew Terrific Tags

I love how bright and happy the cards turned out.

Handmade glitter cardstock in cardmaking.

Tags are so versatile. Hang them on a wrapped gift, decorate a gift bag or box or turn the tag into a card.

I am so happy you stopped by!

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Crazy Quilt Mixed Media Card

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Colorful Crazy Quilt inspired background for my Mixed Media Paper Artsy Whimsical Tree card.

Just playing and experimenting today. I got the idea of making a bright colorful background inspired by crazy quilts.

My Process:

  • I started by painting a freehand grid using acrylic paints. No measuring, just eyeballing it. I was aiming to have each grid be about 1 1/4″ X 1 1/4″. Since I was playing, I custom mixed the colors.
  • Next, using Derwent Inktense pencils, I outlined each square in one or more colors. I also added some colored pencil squiggles, doodles and shapes.
  • A bit of stamping came next.
  • And I knew I wanted several colors of paint splatters.
  • Using Posca Pens, I added dots and other marks.
  • To finish the card, I stamped this whimsical tree from Paper Artsy on the background and then again on white cardstock. I fussy cut the trees and used foam squares to add dimesion to the project.
  • The sentiment is from Waffle Flowers: Rainbows Stamp Set.
Bright colorful whimsical painted grid mixed media card

This card was so fun to create! As always, thanks for stopping by!

Karen