cardmaking · Die cutting · Stamping

Spellbinders | Simon Hurley’s Big Hugs 5 Ways

3 Simon Hurley Big Pug Hugs Birthday Cards.

Can you have too many dog stamps? I think not! I am loving Spellbinders + Simon Hurley’s new Big Hugs stamp and die bundle. These cute critters – Pug dog, Panda bear and Zebra – are sure to be favorites in my family. I love this set so much I went a little crazy making cards! 

Pug Dog Masculine Birthday Cards

Spellbinders Big Hugs Pug Birthday Scene Card

My first card is for my husband and I wanted to make a quick little scene. I stamped and Copic colored my Pug (complete with a festive party hat), embossed a brick wall, ink blended a background and heat embossed a cute sentiment.

Products Used:

Simon Hurley's Big Hugs Pug Birthday Card

This card is for my dog loving son-in-law. I think the Pug stamp has so much personality!

Products Used:

Quick and Easy Stamped Get Well Card

Sending Pug Hugs Handmade Card

I like to keep Get Well cards on hand and this card is sure to make the recipient smile.  This card came together very quickly. I stamped and Copic colored my Pug and added a blue mat for interest. Just two Copic markers!

Products Used:

Simple Pug Dog and Panda Bear Cards

I heat embossed my last two cards. Quick and easy but the heat embossing adds so much interest. 

Two Easy Pug Dog and Panda Bear Cards with Minimal Supplies

I added a quick die cut party hat to this simple card.

Simple Heat Embossed Pug Dog Card

Easy Beginner One Layer Panda Bear Card

Easy One Layer Panda Bear Card

Products Used:

Thanks for stopping by! I’d love to know which card you like best.

Karen

BetterPress · cardmaking · Tutorial

9 Tips, Tricks and Insights for Spellbinders BetterPress Machine

9 Tips, Tricks and Insights for Spellbinders BetterPress Letter Press Machine System.

Hello! I am so excited about my new BetterPress Letter Press machine! I had a very crafty Christmas and received a BetterPress Letter Press System, Wax Seal Starter Kit and a new Platinum 6 die cutting machine. Today I want to share two cards I made with the BetterPress. I feel like I am gushing, but I LOVE the look and results I achieved with my new toy. I adore the lovely elegant high-end stationary look. You get an engraved like impression combined with ink stamping. 

I wanted to share a few of my insights:

9 Tips, Tricks and Insights for BetterPress Printing

  • I started by using Best Ever Craft Tape to attach my BetterPress card panel to the top plate.
  • I tried several types of paper (BetterPress, Watercolor and Cardstock) and they all worked with the BetterPress. I liked cottony paper the best. My preferred paper would be the BetterPress cotton paper or a watercolor paper. 
  • The magnetic lower plate works really well to hold the BetterPress impressing plate in place. 
  • I was careful to ink the impressing plate really well. I did a “Tap and Twist” technique where I tapped the ink on the plate and then twisted the ink pad a few degrees. Don’t smash and smoosh or you will wind up with little pieces of ink pad on your plate and project. I ink well because I only like to roll through the press once for each panel.
  • For smaller sentiment plates, I tapped but didn’t twist. When I twisted smaller plates they tended to move out of alignment. If the plate moves it is easy to reposition with a pair of tweezers.
  • Roll your sandwich slowly through the die cutting machine. I think “Super Slo-Mo” while doing this to help me remember to go VERY slowly. 
  • You will want a good stamp cleaner for the BetterPress and plates. I’ve used Hero Arts Ultra Clean for years and it worked great.
  • Waterproof or Hybrid inks well. I used the specially formulated BetterPress Inks. Pigment ink is not recommended. You want a faster drying ink. 
  • I found that my guillotine paper trimmer worked better than my Fiskar’s SureCut on cotton paper.

Better Press Kaleidoscope Garden Cards – BP-119

Spellbinders Kaleidoscope Garden Better Press plate + Bark ink on a letter press handmade card..

Products Used:

Using Spellbinders BetterPress letter press system on regular cardstock.

Products Used:

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Die cutting · Tutorial · Wax Seals

18 Tips and Tricks for Making Wax Seals | Spellbinders

18 Tips and Tricks for Making Cards with Wax Seals.

My Husband gave me Spellbinders Wax Seal Starter Kit for Christmas, and I have been having SO much fun! I also received a Platinum 6 Die Cutting Machine and I have to say I loved the results!

In today’s post, I used three beautiful new wax bead colors: Pistachio, Velvet Rose and Ink.

Tutorial + 18 Tips and Tricks for Making Wax Seals:

  • With a Sharpie marker, I put a dot on my seal so it was easy to keep track of where the top of the design is.
  • I read that it helps reduce soot if you trim your tea candle wick, so I did this.
  • I put 4 beads in the warming spoon and it took 2 minutes to melt.
  • I poured the wax and found it is easy to make a circle pattern, but I do like seals that aren’t perfectly round.
  • Don’t press the seal into the wax, just gently position and allow gravity to work.
  • After experimenting, I found that if I wanted a thicker, more button like seal you should pour the wax and then wait 15-30 seconds before gently dropping the seal into the wax. The card with the pink seal was done this way.
  • If you like a thinner seal with a higher rim then place the seal immediately after pouring.
  • I found if I used just my thumb and pinky or middle finger that I was better able to center the seal more precisely. 
  • I left the seal in the wax anywhere from 15 to 90 seconds. The time didn’t seem to matter and no wax was ever left on the seal itself.
  • I also found it helps to move your pours around on the silicone mat so you don’t get warm spots on your work surface.
  • I also let my seal cool in between pours.
  • If you don’t like a seal, you can remelt it.
  • You can mix colors for a lovely marbled look. I really love the blue and green combination that I made which is shown in the upper left of the first photo. I also love blue and gold together and you can see two with that combination in the upper right corner on the blue card.
  • You can add flakes, glitter or pearls to the melted wax.
  • I used a paper towel to clean the spoon when changing wax colors.
  • I used a Decocolor marker on some of my seals (see the card with the green seal). I have Gold but wish I had bought silver too. Just lightly go over the raised ridges.
  • I experimented using Posca Pens too. They work, but I did like the result of the Decocolor markers better. The navy wax seal was highlighted with a silver Posca.
  • I love the Sealed Twine Die for a perfect twine look every time!
Quick and Easy Die Cut Card with Custom Handmade Wax Seal.

Each seal is so beautiful and unique!

Floral card with blue and purple flowers and Ink Navy blue Wax Seal Element.

Once, my seals were made, I got out two favorite die sets – Sealed Wildflower, and Autumn Sealed Sprigs – and started creating my floral designs. I also used the Sealed Twine die on all of my cards.

How to use wax seals on handmade greeting cards.

For two of my cards I embossed a background panel for added interest.

I’ve enjoyed my Wax Seal Kit so much that I signed up for the Wax Seal of the Month Kit.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Cardmaking Kit · Die cutting · Stamping

Hero Arts | My Monthly Hero January 2024 Release + Blog Hop

January 2024 My Monthly Hero Premium Kit Card

Have you seen the wonderful new Hero Arts My Monthly Hero Kit for January 2024? The theme is Love, Flowers and Friendship…so versatile!


The Classic Kit is a $70 Value for $36.99
The Premium Kit is a $106 Value for $49.99

Premium Subscription Kit

I can’t seem to get enough of the fun florals in this month’s Premium Kit! (If you would like to see my first card featuring these dies, click HERE. ) I love the fresh look of these blooming dies and I so enjoyed creating and working on the layout for this card.

Die cut floral "Hello Friend" card in aqua, orange, navy and grey.

I’ve listed the products used below:

January 2024 Add-On Cards:

This month’s Add-On Collection is just wonderful! You can see the entire collection HERE. I have two Add-On cards that I wanted to share today.

Love You So Much Die Cut Valentine

Love You So Much rainbow die-cut valentine made using the inlay technique + cover plate die.

The instant I saw this Love You So Much cover die, I knew I wanted to do layers of rainbow color for each band. If you wanted to mass produce cards you could easily change up the color order and do 7+ cards in no time. I used Coral, Peacock, Paradise, Kiwi, Canary, Papaya, Amethyst and Passion Flower cardstock.

Hero Arts Arts Love You So Much Cover Plate + rainbow Valentine - DF-188

Products Used:

Valentine Wreath in Scandinavian Blue

Quick and Easy stamped and die-cut valentine wreath in Scandinavian blue.

This Valentine Wreath die is SO beautiful! It has the simple yet elegant look of Letter Press and I thought it would be quite striking with a fresh bright blue and clean white color palette. I stamped the wreath with Indigo Core Ink and then die cut the wreath, an extra floral cluster (which I added to the bottom of the wreath) and the sentiment. I cut down an A2 Top Folding Card Base to 4 1/4 x 4 1/4″ and adhered my die cuts with foam adhesive squares.

Hero Arts Valentine Wreath square card - SB-397 and CM-753

Products Used:

BLOG HOP:

Hero Arts will give away a $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, January 14th at 11:59pm PT, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

Blog Hop Links:

Hero Arts

Hero Arts Creative Team:

Charlene Madrid

Michelle Short

Karen Brown    You Are Here!

Rachel Kleinman

Lydia Fiedler

Dana Joy

Rosie Lopez

Ilina Crouse

Seeka

Natasha Vacca

Mindy Eggen

Channin Pelletier

Jeannie Lieu

Natasha Polite

Heather Ruwe

Pocono Pam

Special Guests:

Nichol Spohr

Emily Midgett

Kelly Taylor

Essie   

I am so glad you could join us for this hop!

cardmaking · Die cutting · Give Away

My Monthly Hero | Countdown to Creativity

My Monthly Hero January 2024 Premium kit card with clean and simple die cut flowers in blue, orange, gray, aqua and pink.

Hello and welcome to the January My Monthly Countdown as we approach Hero Arts first kit release for 2024! I must say, this kit is a beauty full wonderful products that I know you will love. The kit goes live tomorrow (Monday, January 8th) so stay tuned. Meanwhile, sit back and enjoy some inspiration, sneak peeks and giveaways.

WIN A KIT BEFORE YOU CAN BUY IT: Just leave a comment on this (and every) Countdown to Creativity post. Hero Arts will randomly draw one lucky winner from comments left across all countdown posts on the Hero Arts blog. The winner will be announced first thing Monday morning, January 8th, before the kit launches at 10am Pacific. The more you comment, the more chances to win. Good luck!

Clean and Simple Die Cut Floral Birthday Card.

MMH January 2024 Premium Kit

My project today features The Premium Kit and boy did I have fun playing with it! I started off by die cutting this delightful breezy flower in five of my favorite colors and then I lined them up in a row so they formed a border at the bottom of my card. Clean and simple die-cutting, but I think it has a lot of interest.

I’ve listed the products used on card below:

Be sure to stop by and visit the Hero Arts Blog for more inspiration and then I will be back on Monday with another post featuring the Premium Kit + some great Add-On Products. 

Cardmaking Kit · Die cutting · papercrafting

Spellbinders Card | Stitching Die of the Month | January 2024

Spellbinders January 2024 Stitching Die of the Month - Bee Stitched - Tutorial

Bee Stitched

I am so excited about the 2024 Spellbinders Clubs! Today I am sharing a fun Bumble Bee themed card using the January Stitching Die Club Kit and it is perfect for Spring, Birthdays, Get Well and Hello cards…I think it is so fresh and fun! This Club Kit is now available for individual purchase HERE.

I created this card over the holidays and it was ideal to work on while I sat around the fire and visited with family. 

Stitched Die Cut Card Tutorial

Stitching Tutorial:

  • The kit has 13 dies and I started by die cutting all my pieces. I wanted translucent wings, so I used nice thick Vellum Layering Paper. For the body I used Gold and Navy Cardstock. The floral pieces are from Pesto and Coral cardstock and the background panel uses Brushed Gold plus a die from the December 2022 Small Die of the Month Kit.
  • Spellbinders has a nice selection of stitching accessories in their shop that you can find HERE.
  • When I started stitching, I took two strands of Gold Floss (DMC 725), separated them one at a time, brought them together and then stroked and lengthened them until they seemed tame and ready to use.
  • I like to use 1/8th inch double sided liner tape to attach my floss to the die cut.
  • Remember to keep your floss taught as you stitch.
  • When I move from one area to the next, I run the floss through the just finished stitched area to keep the thread secure. This gives a nice look on the finished project.
  • Don’t stitch with threads that are too long or they are likely to knot. This is a lesson I relearned on this card.
  • When I was done, I added a bit of Bearly Glue to the ends so that they will stay in place. You can also add a backing by die cutting another Bee body. Your backing can be a different color to add more interest. 
How to make a Stitched Die Cut Greeting Card.

A Few Notes About Spellbinders Club Kits

  • Clubs Preview on the 1st of each month.
  • Club members can cancel, upgrade or change clubs from the 1st-5th of each month. Popular Clubs frequently sell out during this period so club members get first dibs on everything.
  • NEW for 2024: Club Members get EARLY access to new releases on the 6th!
  • On the 6th, Clubs become available to non-members.
  • On the 27th, Club registration closes for the current month.
  • If a club did not sell out, you can buy under “Shop Past Clubs”. Past kits are available on the 10th of the FOLLOWING month.

Helpful Links:

Thanks for stopping by!

Best Of · cardmaking · Die cutting

Spellbinders | Best Cards of 2023

Best Spellbinders Cards of 2023

I enjoy looking back through my projects, and as we end the year, I wanted to write a post about my most popular Spellbinders cards. I loved so many of my creations, but these are the crowd favorites for 2023.

Fan Favorite 2023 Card

By far, my most popular card on Instagram, Pinterest and my blog was this pink Be Bold Blooms Hello card. I wrote a blog post on how to use this kit three ways, and all the cards were well received. You can read my original post HERE.

Be Bold Blooms Hello Card

Products Used:

Simon Hurley’s Snow Globe Christmas Card

Best Christmas Card

My most popular Christmas card in 2023 was my Simon Hurley teal Snow Globe. I call it a CAS Die Cut Card….limited color palette but high visual impact. You can read my original post HERE.

Products Used:

Awesome Oval Shaped Cards

Best Shaped Card

Shaped dies can really change the look of your cards and projects so I loved Spellbinders Stylish Ovals Collection. You can see 4 cards I created with this collection HERE.

Products Used:

Unique Bow Shaped Card

Best Card for Female Friends

This giant die cut bow kit was one of my favorite releases this year! So versatile…..perfect for the holidays, birthdays, showers, graduation etc. You can read my original post HERE.

Products Used:

I’d like to wish you a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Karen

Best Of · cardmaking · Rainbow Colors

The Best of 2023 | Altenew

Hello friends! I am so excited to be participating again in Altenew’s A Year In Review Instagram Hop. I really enjoyed looking back through my projects and selecting some favorite creations.

Rainbow Color Cards

Best Handmade Cards of 2023

Interestingly, all of these cards were in blog posts I created in March! The first three were part of Altenew’s March Release, which I think knocked it out of the park. This was also my most popular blog post for 2023.

The first card (above) makes a “2 For 1” card and you can read the post HERE plus see the second card.

Products Used:

Best cards with watercolor markers

This Sweet Blossoms Layering Die Set is a real beauty and is definitely a new favorite!

Rainbow Arch Hugs card,

Altenew’s  Archway Die Set is so fun and is perfect for mass producing cards.  All you need to do is change up the order of each rainbow arch.

Tips for Making Vibrant Colorful Cards

The next two cards were from a blog post I wrote called Tips for Making Vibrant Colorful Cards, and you can find that post HERE.

This Hello card was so easy to make and it was my #1 card on Instagram.

Best card with rainbow stripe background

Products Used on This Card:

Best Hello Friends Card

Products Used:

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Spellbinders | House Mouse Candy Hearts Vintage Look Valentine Card

There’s something undeniably captivating about a vintage valentine, where every delicate stroke of ink and carefully chosen sentiment carries a timeless charm. This new House Mouse Candy Hearts rubber stamp had a very retro look to me, so I went with an old-timey mixed media vibe.

Spellibinders House Mouse Candy Hearts (RSC-022) handmade Mixed Media Valentine Card.

Easy One Layer Vintage Look Mixed Media Valentine Tutorial:

  • I started by creating my background. I masked off a border and then used two shades of tan Distress Ink to ink blend my background. (Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap)
  • With the masking tape still on the cardstock, I then used the same tan inks to stencil and stamp bits and pieces on the background. Most of the stamping was “second generation” where I stamped first on a scrap and then onto my background so that the pattern would be subtle. I also added light stenciling to the background. Cathe Holden has some great stamps and stencils that I added here and there. I also used a bit of stamping with white pigment ink, but it is hard to see in the photograph. To finish I added a touch of Gold Wax to a few places around the border.
  • Carefully remove your masking tape. I used Post It Tape, which is the best!
  • After my background was dry, I stamped the Valentine Mouse with Versafine Black Pigment Ink.
  • PRO TIP: For a crisp look, keep the stamp in your Misti stamping platform and restamp the image after you are done coloring. You won’t believe how much this one step will elevate your project!
  • I used Faber Castell Polychromo Colored Pencils to color the mouse and candy hearts.
  • Remember to restamp the image and let dry.
  • The cute sentiment is included with the stamp set and finishes off my one layer valentine.

House Mouse Products:

One layer mixed media valentine featuring a cute mouse laying in a pile of candy hearts.

If you like this card, you might also want to visit my blog post on House Mouse Designs 3 Ways.

Thanks for stopping by!

Interested in more…You can also find me at these spots too:

@karens_mini on Instagram

Pinterest: @karenabrown

FaceBook: Karens_Mini

YouTube: Karen Brown

cardmaking · Video

Video | Quick and Easy Monogram Gift Tags

Quick and Easy DIY die-cut monogram Gift Tags

Hi everyone, Karen Brown here!  I am one of the new members of Hero Art’s Creative Team and I am excited to share my new video (see below).  I am loving the new Hero Arts Alphabet Letter Dies  and I thought they would be fun and festive on my gift tags.  

Watch below or on The Hero Arts YouTube Channel:

These tags combine some favorites of mine:

  • Die Cutting
  • Bright Bold Colors
  • Rub-On Hero Transfers
  • Interesting Die Cut Accents
Aqua Red and White gift tags featuring die cut Upper Case Die Cut letters that are personalized monograms for gifts.

Using the the Nesting Tag dies, I die cut  5 tags from Paradise, Cherry and Dove White Cardstock.  My first card I call “Joy to the World” and I chose to use the “J” die from DF167.  I cut the “J” three times from Cherry Cardstock and glued them together for a nice substantial element.  For a quick sentiment, I trimmed “Joy to the World” from the White Holiday Collage Hero Transfers kit and then rubbed onto the bottom of my tag.  I think it is the kid in me, but I just love doing this!

R is for Robert and I used DF168 to die cut the R.  For interest, I also die cut two linear accent strips using The Hole Punch Edge Fancy Die.

B is for Brown (my last name) and since I love rub-ons so much, I covered the top tag with a Hero Transfer with text from A Christmas Carol.  The “B” die is included in Letter Die set DF165.

Products Used:

If you like this color combo, you might want to see this post too.

I hope you enjoyed my blog post and video!

 Interested in more? Recent Instagram Posts for @Karens_mini