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WWC267 – Karen\’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 I am so pleased to be this week\’s hostess.  I needed a card for a friend having cancer surgery and I came up with this design.
 Baby Giraffe by Impression Obsession is one of my all time favorite stamps and I thought the sincere look on the giraffe\’s face could convey my well wishes.

I started by making an A2 top folding card using cold press watercolor paper.  I then heat embossed the giraffe in brown.  I mixed my own water color browns by combining purple with yellow and orange and then went to work painting.  I think the monochromatic colors work well for a man (or woman).   I am pleased with the clean CAS look.

I used a Visible Image sentiment stamp inside \”Life can be tough but darling so are you.\”

UPDATE:  I was so pleased to see that my card was chosen as the \”winner\” for the Addicted to CAS challenge.

Challenges:
Addicted to CAS: Code Word Animal
As You Like It Challenge: Animals or People  I love to use animals in cards and giraffes are a favorite.  One of my favorite things to do is hand feed giraffes and I have done this at zoos all over the US.  

Always Fun Challenge – CAS  I am excited about this CAS theme!

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge – E is for…  Embossing.  I used brown embossing powder for my watercolor giraffe.

I am so pleased you stopped by!
Karen
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WWC266 – Heidi\’s Challenge: All About Occasions

Karen Brown11 Comments

Hello and Welcome!  This week we are making occasion cards at The Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and our hostess is Heidi.  There are so many occasions to send cards, but I chose to make a birthday card.

I started by making a card base out of Arches Cold Press watercolor paper.  Next I grabbed several floral stamp sets and planned my layout using a mixture of stamps.  I painted the stamped images with my Kuretake watercolors.  This was a project I packed to work on at the beach.  I stamped a bunch of designs on watercolor paper and then worked on the batch during slow times on vacation.  It was nice because I didn\’t need to pack many supplies this way.  

I like the natural look of a one layer card on watercolor paper.

CAS Watercolour \”Spring Flowers\” Challenge


Allsorts \”Something Old…\” Challenge  I dug through and found some of my oldest floral stamps for this watercolor card.

Inkspirational – Spring Challenge




I am so pleased you stopped by!
Karen 
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WWC265 – Marsha\’s Challenge: Anything Goes With a Feminine Twist

Karen Brown3 Comments
Hello and Welcome!  Today we are making feminine cards at The Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.  Marsha is our hostess.
Simon Says Stamp Sketchy Lines Background die and emboss resist technique.
I combined two ideas I had, making personalized initial notecards and using alcohol ink on watercolor paper (as opposed to Yupo paper).  

My Process:
  1. I started by stamping a background stamp onto watercolor paper.  I used Versamark ink and then heat embossed with white embossing powder.  
  2. I added three colors of alcohol ink (sunshine yellow, sunset orange and flamingo) plus blending solution.   I blended the colors with a felt blending tool.
  3. I added some pops of Gold with Jacquard Pinata Rich Gold.
  4. After my panel was dry, I glued craft foam on the back and die cut the K.  The great thing is that you wind up with two cards.  
  5. I made two A2 top folding cards and glued the K on the card base.  The K die cut looked a little small so I trimmed one card base down to 4\” x 5 1/4\”.

I really like the cards and plan to make some batches for gifts.  I\’ve ordered some additional initials and hope to post some variations in the future.

Supplies:
Altenew Mega Alphabet die
SSS Sketchy Lines Background stamp
watercolor paper
Ranger Alcohol Inks
Blending Solution
Ranger Alcohol Ink Mini Applicator Tool
Jacquard Pinata Rich Gold
Craft Foam

I am entering this card in:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Spring Mood Board Challenge

I am so glad that you stopped by…stay safe and stay sane!
Karen
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WWC264 – Helen\’s Challenge: All About Occasions

Karen Brown10 Comments
  Hello and Welcome.  Today we are showcasing \”Occasion\” cards at The Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and Helen is our hostess.  I wanted to make a birthday card for my daughter. Megan\’s beloved \”Tank\” is her baby so I went with a dog themed card.  
I was at a card making convention and I saw a stamp that looked just like Tank so I put together a little birthday scene and  I colored the dog to look like Tank.  Since it is for my daughter, I wanted to make it special so I included a \”pop-up\” dog inside.

I Copic colored all the stamped images, added gel pen accents and used Nuvo Crystal glaze on the cake frosting and balloons.  I fussy cut most of the images but did die cut the pop up.  The tone on tone details didn\’t photograph well, but the background was made using an embossing folder.  

Supplies:
Stamps of Life:  Friends 4 Cookie stamp
Janes Doodles:  Party Time stamps (cake and gifts)
Mama Elephant:  Playful Pups (pop-up)
Sunny Studio Quilted Hearts Embossing Folder (background)
SSS Birthday Word Mix 1 sentiment

I am entering this card in:
Time Out\’s 6th Birthday Challenge  Happy Birthday Time Out!  I \”twisted\” and did both fussy cutting and die-cutting.  🙂

Allsorts \”Animal Kingdom\” Challenge

Always Fun \”Birthday Wishes\” Challenge

Shopping our Stash #216 \”Happy Birthday!\”

Simon Says Stamp\’s Wednesday \”Anything Goes\” Challenge

Day of the Month Card Club \”National Puppy Day\”  Happy First Birthday!   I entered that inaugural challenge last March.  🙂


I am so pleased that you stopped by!
Karen
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WWC263 – Tristan\’s Challenge: Anything Goes With a Masculine Twist

Karen Brown7 Comments
Hello!  I am so pleased you stopped by.  Today we are making Masculine cards at The Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and Tristan is our hostess.
In my family, boys/men enjoy humorous animal cards so that was my starting point.  I stamped, Copic colored and die cut the animals and greenery.  Next I die cut the sentiment and then assembled the scene with foam tape.  I thought the monkey swinging from the sentiment was fun.

Supplies:
Photoplay We Bought a Zoo stamps and dies
Mama Elephant Wild Meadow stamps and dies
Copic Markers
Lawn Fawn Celebrate Sentiment
Neenah cardstock
Coordinations Color Core \”Whitewash\” cardstock for the background

Seize the Birthday \”A Touch of Green\” Challenge I used a soft green textured background and lovely green foliage to showcase these party animals. 


As You See It \”Preferences\” Challenge  My favorite type of card to send is Birthday cards.  I have a monthly calendar with friends and family\’s birthdays so I never miss a birthday.  

Inspirational: Designer\’s Choice \”Animal\” My card features a playful trio of animals.


Alphabet Challenge – Something for Youngsters  I think animals are always a popular option for the youngsters in our life.

UPDATE: 
 I was so pleased to see this card was selected \”top 3\” at The Alphabet Challenge!

My card was also The Top Pick at As You See It.

Thank you for visiting my blog.
Karen
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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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