cardmaking · papercrafting

Happy Birthday Spellbinders!

Karen Brown1 Comment
Spellbinders Stitched Fringe Cake (S3-452) + Cheerful Occasions Paper Pad (SCS-191) handmade card

Happy 20th Birthday Spellbinders! I just love Spellbinders wonderful papercrafting products so I wanted to create a few projects using their new Birthday Collection to help them celebrate.

Spellbinders Stitched Fringe Cake

I started with the Stitched Fringe Cake die set, which I think makes such a festive confection! For both backgrounds, I used Spellbinders new 6×6″ paper pad (Cheerful Occcasions Paper Pad), which is full of beautiful designs! I added a bit of gold stitching to the cake to finish off the look.

Products Used:

Spellbinders Balloon Party Animal

Spellbinders Balloon Party Animal (S3-450) + Cheerful Occasions Paper Pad (SCS-191) handmade card

For my second card, I used light ink blending on my white die cuts to simulate the look of balloons. I think the balloon animal would also be adorable for a baby shower.

  • Balloon Party Animal Die Kit
  • Cheerful Occasions Paper Pad (I used 3 pages for the background)
  • Ornamental Labels for the white die cut (retired)
  • Sugar Coated Sentiments (retired)
  • Tumbled Glass Distress Ink (for ink blending the balloon animal)
  • Blue Glaze Gel Pen for the accents

Well that’s it for today…thanks for stopping by!

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

cardmaking · papercrafting

Altenew Background Check – It’s All About the Background

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Altenew's Majestic Bouquet layering stamp and die bundle card in blues.

The Educators at Altenew are hopping on Intstagram and the theme is “Background Check – it’s All About the Background“!  I wanted to combine fun backgrounds with Majestic Bouquet, my favorite floral stamp layering set from the past year. I think it is just gorgeous done in blues!

For my background I used Altenew’s Cross Stitch Cover Die . I ran the cover die through my die-cutting machine and then cut out a tag using Altenew’s Terrific Tags die set. The little perferations add just the right amount of interest to showcase the beautiful floral bloom.

Altenew Majestic Bouquet + Terrific Tags + Cross Stitch Canvas Cover die in Glacier Caves Blues.

Supplies used card #1:

Other than the enamel dots, all that was needed was a bit of ribbon or twine.

Handmade card with Altenew Terrific Tags background and Altenew Majestic Bouquet floral die cut.

If you would like to see my first post using Altenew’s Majestic Bouquet, click HERE. My Majestic Blooms Instagram post made my “Top 9” for 2021. 🙂

Adding texture to Altenew die cut Terrific Tags + Majestic Bloom 3D Embossing Folder.

For my second card I went BOLD! I love the gorgeous red against the white textured background. I die cut the tag first and then embossed the tag so I wouldn’t loose the lovely detailed embossing. I got a great impression by embossing on 80# cardstock

Supplies Used for Card #2:

Altenew Majestic Bouquet + Majestic Bloom 3D Embossing Folder handmade card.

Adding twine or ribbon is easy: Double the twine and poke the two ends through the hole. Next, slip the ends through the looped middle and then pull flat. Neat, easy and functional.

Altenew Majestic Bouquet Layering Stamp set + Red Cosmos Ink Set.

It was good seeing you today!

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Altenew Inked Lotus + Custom Color Mixed Backgrounds

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Altenew's Inked Lotus Stamp + Custom Mixing Acrylic Backgrounds

Hello, a little playtime in my art studio today. My friend Paul has been encouraging me to create some small art pieces in addition to the cards I typically make. He suggested that I give them as gifts to my girls, so here goes my first and second attempt!

Framed collage Mixed Media art project
Here I framed Project 1 and put it on display

Custom mixing acrylic ink swatches to use on Mixed Media Art Backgrounds.

I decided to custom mix acrylic paint for my backgrounds and found it very addicting! In fact, I made more panels than I originally intended. The swatches remind me of the colorful paint chips you find at the hardware store.

How To Custom Mix Acrylic Ink Swatches.

MY PROCESS:

  • I put acrylic paint dabs of each of the three primary colors + white on a paper plate. You can use any hue of red, yellow and blue.
  • I started with yellow and added a tiny bit of red and blended. When I liked the color, I painted a rectangle onto Mixed Media Paper. I used a silcone brush, which added a fun bit of extra texture.
  • Next, I added white to the first orangey color I mixed. I added a lot of white to many of the subsequent colors for a softer more muted color. Those muted shades were the colors I chose to use on today’s projects, but I have lots of color swatches left over for future projects. I kept mixing and painting until I’d filled up a page. I think I created 4 pages.
  • For Project #1, I tore two strips for the main background. For Project #2, I tore each color into an individual rectangle so there are a lot more white seams visible.
  • Next, I pieced together my background with other interesting scraps and fodder that I had in my studio. I love UHU glue sticks for mixed media gluing. For Project #2, I also added a strip of Altenew’s Painted Grid Washi Tape to ground the panel.
  • My focal element, Altenew’s Inked Lotus, was stamped onto pages torn from an old cookbook. I used Ranger Archival Ink.
  • Using Derwent Watercolor Pencils, I shaded the lotus and then blended the color with a wet brush. When the flower was dry, I glued the bloom to my background.
  • Last, I added a few marks with Posca pens and Micropens.
Laying out Mixed Media Fodder.
Selecting the fodder papers to complete the look
Custom mixing acrylic paint for Mixed Media Backgrounds.
The background panels and focal elements

I couldn’t stop without making a card too, so I created a campanion birthday card to go with panel #2.

Altenew Inked Lotus Stamp + Acrylic Paint Blending

Thank you for visiting! If you have a moment, let me know which project you like best. Let me know what you think…I always love getting feedback.

Thanks,

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Easy DIY Glitter Cardstock

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Easy DIY Glitter Cardstock tutorial.

Don’t you just love bright summery colors? I’ve been thinking about making a shimmery rainbow hued tag set and I thought now was the perfect time. Recently, I started making my own glitter cardstock, and I have been loving the subtle sparkle it adds to my projects!

Rainbow Colored Gift Tags + Altenew Terrific Tags dies

The process is easy and fun…all you need is some ink and Altenew Iridescent Shimmer Ink Spray.

How to make your own glitter cardstock

How To Make Your Own Glitter Cardstock

  • I taped some watercolor paper to a hard board and brushed water over the surface with a #18 brush.
  • Next, I mixed Altenew Dye Inks with Iridescent Shimmer Spray (no water was added) and I painted the mixture on the wet watercolor paper. I wanted an intense color so I applied three layers but I didn’t bother to let it dry in between.
  • I stamped, colored and die cut a bunch of floral elements from Altenew’s Doodle Blooms stamp and die bundle.
  • I let my shimmer panels dry overnight so that they would die-cut well, but you could speed up the drying with your heat tool.
How to make glitter cardstock using Altenew Shimmer Spray.

Next, I die cut my tags using the largest finned die from Altenew’s Terrific Tags die set and worked on my layouts

How to make your own gift tags with Altenew Terrific Tags.

To finish off the cards, I added an Enamel Dot to each flower center.

Altenew Enamel Dots for flower centers.

The background is so pretty in person but it’s hard to see the sparkle in the photos so I added a quick video below:

Video clip showing shimmer on DIY Glitter Cardstock

Adding twine or ribbon is easy: Double the twine and poke the two ends through the hole. Next, slip the ends through the looped middle and then pull flat. Neat, easy and functional.

Aqua Altenew Terrific Tags + Doodle Blooms stamp and die bundle

I love how the tags turned out so I’ve included some closeup photos.

Pink Altenew handmade gift tag

There is a detailed list of the inks, supplies and enamel dots used below.

Altenew Orange Cream Glitter gift tag.
Pink Altenew Glitter cardstock gift tag.

The tags are so happy and cheerful together and I think they would make a great gift for a friend.

DIY rainbow hued gift tags made with Altenew Terrific Tags and Doodle Blooms stamp and die set.

Ink Used:

Stamps, Dies and Supplies:

Enamel Dots Used:

Sentiments:

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

cardmaking · papercrafting

Handmade DIY Mother’s Day Card

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Altenew Bird of the Woods Mother's Day Card combined with Majestic 3D Embossing Folder background

I am getting ready for Mother’s Day and am so excited about this whimsical yet elegant card. I used Altenew’s Bird of the Woods layering stamp and dies.

Altenew Bird of the Wood Layering Stamp and Die Bundle handmade card

I used an assembly line method which I write about below. For my Mother’s Day card I used the following:

My Process:

  • I wanted to make a bunch of cards so I set up an assembly line. I cut cardstock panels to fit in my Misti Stamping Tool and stamped one bird on the left, rotated the panel upside down, reinserted the panel and then stamped a second bird on the clean half.
  • I stamped my outlines with Pigment Ink for a nice dark outline and let them dry overnight so there was no risk of smearing. You could also heat set to speed up the process.
  • I then positioned the layering stamps in two Mistis. I was careful to line up the stamps so I could then stamp quickly. I put the first layering stamp on the left in Misti 1, the second layering stamp went on the right in Misti 1 and the third layer went in Misti #2. This way I was able to stamp all the cards in assembly line fashion.
  • I repeated this technique with the two layering stamps for the bird’s head.
Ink Color Combinations for Altenew Bird of the Woods Layering Stamp set.
7 ink color combinations

While I had my supplies out, I made a companion birthday card.

Whimsical Bird Birthday Card.
  • Colors used for stamping the birthday card: Peach Perfect, Orange Crush, Brown Paper Bag, Mountain Mist, Volcano Lake.
  • I made a sparkly custom background by mixing Volcano Lake ink with Shimmer Spray. I applied three layers to wet watercolor paper. You can’t see the shimmer in the photos but it is beautiful in person.
  • Altenew Essential Sentiment Strips
Handmade card with colorful stamped bird.

I have a blog post with two other bird cards HERE.

I am so glad that you stopped by!

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Visible Images “Live in the Moment” Stamped Dragonfly Cards

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Visible Images "Live in the Moment" stamped dragonfly sympathy card.

Don’t you just love Dragonflies? I really like how this sympathy card turned out. I heat embossed the dragonfly from Visible Images “Live in the Moment” stamp set on a gel press print and added a Rubbernecker Three Line Frame border.

Heat embossed dragonfly handmade card

My sister-in-law loves dragonflies too so I made this card for her birthday this month. I ink blended my background and then heat embossed the dragonflies and sentiment.

Handmade heat embossed dragonfly card with ink blend background.

I had a strip of background left over so I made a third card…I love bonus cards!

I am so glad you stopped by!

Karen

cardmaking · papercrafting

Altenew 8th Anniversary Blog Hop Day 5 + Giveaway (over $2,000 in Total Prizes)

Karen Brown168 Comments

Happy 8th Anniversary Altenew! I am so happy to be participating in Altenew’s Birthday Hop again this year! You probably arrived from Bridget Casey’s lovely BLOG. If not, you might want to start at the beginning with Altenew’s BLOG.

Altenew's Bird of the Woods layering stamps + burlap texture die background handmade card

I’ve been a bit obssessed (see below) with the Bird of the Woods Layering Stamp set and coordinating dies and wanted to make a few cards for the hop. This bundle is so fun and very versatile.

Card featuring Altenew's Bird of the Woods Layering Stamp + Textured Burlap background.

I stamped 8 different color combos and have two in this blog post. I will be blogging about a few more variations in the future.

For the card above, I used the following:

Altenew Bird of the Woods Layering Stamp + Garden Trellis Cover die on a handmade card

I love this springy clean card too! I think this would make a wonderful Mother’s Day card.

Whimsical handmade Mother's Day Card with adorable stamped bird

Supplies for Card 2:

Altenew Bird of the Woods ink color combinations
I created 8 different ink color combinations

Giveaway Prizes: Look at all the lovely prizes from the Hop Sponsors:

Over $2,000 in total prizes! Altenew is giving away a $80 Gift Certificate to 5 lucky winners and one Altenew Academy Online Class($8.95 value) to 15 lucky winners. There are also 26 awesome companies/crafty friends who are celebrating with us, and they are offering the following prizes:

Be sure to leave comments by 4/15/2022 for a chance to win one of 50 prizes! To make the hop more exciting, start your comment with “Hi from (city or country where you’re from)!” 50 winners will be chosen at random from the comments left on any of the blogs listed below and will be announced on the Altenew Card Blog on 4/21/2022.

And a free gift with purchase:

Blog Hop Order:

Altenew Blog

Craft Stash

Kari VanNoy

Fiona Duff

Jaycee Gaspar

Amy Hill

Amber Rain Davis

Bridget Casey

Karen Brown You Are Here! 🙂

Rosie Neustaedter

Ann Taylor

 Auzz Trinklets N Krafts

Terri Koszler

Rachael Shedeed

Natasha Davies

Roteja Galvan

Eva Bussom

Nenette S. Madero

Lana Taber

Penny Pynnonen

Tenia Nelson

Sue Busada

Teri Stokes

Thank you so much for stopping by! Your next stop is: Rosie Neustaedter.

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Easy Gel Press Print Cards

Karen Brown2 Comments
Mixed Media card made with Gel Press Prints and floral die cuts: WPlus9 Doodle Buds.

Hello! I recently spent a most enjoyable afternoon making acrylic gel press prints and then I turned four panels into cards. For my first card, I used Altenew’s Bubble Wrap Stencil to add varation to my background. I die cut my background using The Greetery’s Crimped Frame die, and then die cut blooms using WPlus9 Doodle Buds stamp and die bundle. I drew in stems with paint pens and assembled my card with foam squares.

Mixed Media Acrylic Rainbow print turned into a card.

For my second card, I put 7 dots of acrylic paint on my gel press and brayered one direction horizontally so the ink would gently blend but would also maintain the bands of color. I brayered the excess ink onto a second page. I added a die cut bloom, stem and Hello sentiment.

Gel Press Printing using Altenew's Leaves and Berries Stencil.

The background on Card #3 used Altenew’s Leaves and Berries stencil. My bottom layer was orange, yellow and green. Next, I placed the stencil on the wet paint and blotted most of the orange that showed through onto a piece of copy paper. I let the paint dry a minute and then gently brayered on light blue acrylic paint, removed the stencil and pulled the print. I think the background is so beautiful for a floral card. The sentiment is from Altenew’s Birthday Greetings.

Mixed Media Card featuring Hero Arts I Am Puffer For You stamped fish.

The background on card #4 started with yellow and green paint on layer 1. I placed Simons Says Stamp’s Ring Cluster Stencil on the wet paint and then blotted most of the paint that showed through the stencil with a sheet of copy paper. I then brayered on light blue paint, removed the stencil and pulled the print. It was bright and fun and reminded me of the ocean so I went with an aquatic theme. The cute little puffer fish (Hero Arts I am Puffer For You) were stamped and fussy cut and a Hello sentiment was stamped on the background.,

Supplies:

Acrylic Paint Kit

Brayer Set

Gel Press Printing Plate

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen