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.
I used an assembly line method which I write about below. For my Mother’s Day card I used the following:
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.
7 ink color combinations
While I had my supplies out, I made a companion 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.
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.
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.
Hello everyone, Karen Brown here! This post is on the Altenew Mixed Media blog and I also wanted to post it on my site as well.
I am so excited to show you how I created my stenciled DIY gift wrap. I love wrapping gifts and wanted to make some custom packaging for my daughter’s birthday and I knew Altenew stencils would be perfect for my projects. I spent an enjoyable afternoon creating the paper and wrapping my gifts. I used three favorite Altenew stencils: Bubble Wrap, Mega Bloom and Leaves and Berries.
HOW I CREATED MY GIFT WRAP:
I had two colors of kraft paper plus a Gable Box in my craft room so I used them as the base for my projects. I sorted through my Altenew stencils and picked three that I thought would be beautiful on gift wrapping:
I used painters tape to adhere my stencil to the kraft paper.
I selected six bright fun shades of acrylic paint and squirted a dollop of each onto a plate. Using a stencil brush, I dipped the brush into the paint and then dabbed the brush on a paper towel. Too much paint on the brush will result in smeared stenciling. Next, using a circular motion, I applied the paint through the stencil opening. I went both clockwise and counter clockwise. I found the smaller brushes worked better than the larger sizes and I used one brush for each color.
On the Bubble Wrap project, after I filled the stencil, I carefully lifted up my stencil and lined it up and filled it three more times so I would have a big enough sheet to cover the journal I was going to wrap.
PRO TIPS:
I found using high-contrast colors made for bright fun wrapping. I selected colors that stand out from the kraft background.
The stencils work best when when the paint is not too wet. I loved working with it right before it dried out.
My daughter wanted a new journal so I made the Bubble Wrap paper specifically to wrap this cute bee themed gift. All it needed was a simple twine bow.
I really enjoyed creating this custom gift wrap and I hope you found some inspiration. I love reading your comments so if you have a moment, let me know what you think about the gift wrap. Thanks for stopping by!
Hello everyone, Karen Brown here and I am so happy you are “hopping” with The Altenew Educators! This Altenew hop is all about “new” and I am so excited to show you a technique new to me…paper weaving.
Paper Weaving + Card Making
It is a little gloomy outside so I wanted to make a bright fun project that incorporated paper weaving. I cut my paper strips and then sat by the fire doing my weaving. I think I am already for Spring to arrive!
I selected 8 colors of cardstock and cut 1/4″ strips with my paper trimmer. I then cut one end of each strip into a point so that it would be easier to weave.
In rainbow order, I wove all the strips going one direction and then wove the cross pieces.
I die cut Altenew’s Simply Hello sentiment three times from black cardstock and then glued them together for a substantial looking sentiment.
With a paper trimmer, I trimmed the woven panel down and then glued it to the card base. I adhered the frame with foam tape and added the sentiment.
I had a strip of paper weaving left over so I made a quick “Two-fer” Bonus card. The sentiment is Birthday Greetings and the two windows were cut with the die from the Mini Paintbox. I also added three enamel dots to the white space.
Prizes:
$130 in total prizes! Altenew is giving away a $20 gift certificate to 3 lucky winners and a $15 gift certificate to 4 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 01/09/2022 for a chance to win.
There’s MORE! What’s a hop without YOU?! We have included an Inlinkz at the Altenew blog for you to enter your gorgeous Altenew “New Favorite” creations. We will pick one of our favorite handmade creations from those who joined the linky party and they will receive a $10 Altenew gift certificate!
Altenew will draw 7 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 01/10/2022.
Didn’t you just love Bridget’s “Hugs” card? Neha is next with some lovely creations.
I really enjoyed weaving this card and I hope you found some inspiration. I love reading your comments so if you have a moment, let me know what you think about my project. Thanks for stopping by!
Hello and welcome! You likely arrived from Juhi’s blog….don’t you just love her collection?
I am so excited to be participating in Altenew’s 2021 A Year in Review Blog Hop! I really enjoyed looking back through my projects and selecting some of my favorite creations. This first card was my most popular Altenew creation on Instagram and I still have it setting on a bookshelf in my studio. I love how bright, happy and cheerful the card is. I used The Tall Tales stamp and die set and you can read my original blog post HERE.
This mixed media card was by far my most popular blog post of 2021! I created my own color palette with gel press prints and die cut my blooms using Altenew’s Cosmos Craft-A-Flower. If I had to pick one favorite 2021 product it would be this Cosmos kit. You can read my original post HERE. I have another favorite card below that also uses this Cosmos kit.
I love the Mega Alphabet Collection and I have several letters that I use frequently. This is a card I made for my friend Kathy. I used the ink smooshing technique and I really like how this project turned out. The Garden Trellis Cover Die is so versatile and I love the pop of white it provides on this card. You can read my original post HERE.
I discovered the joy of gel press printing this year and I love how this project turned out. The Peruvian Lily Layering Dies create a big showy bloom that is absolutely beautiful! Altenew’s Essential Sentiment Strips Dies are also a favorite of mine. You can read my original blog post HERE.
Weekend Doodles may be my all time favorite Altenew stamp set! On this card, I combined the Weekend Doodles with Altenew Artist Markers (I used Water Garden Set G on this card) and Cross Stitch Cover Die for a crisp clean look. You can read my original post HERE.
As I said above, Altenew’s Cosmos Craft-A-Flower Layering Die Set is my favorite 2021 crafting product. On this card I watercolored panels for my die-cutting. This was my second most popular 2021 blog post and you can read it HERE.
I adore the The Doodle Blooms Stamp and Die Set! The stamps are whimsical and just make me happy. I again made gel press prints for all the elements of this card. You can read my original post HERE for all the details on how I created this project. I’d like to add that my favorite embellishment is Enamel Dots. I find they really add beautiful detail to projects and I always like to have a variety of colors on hand.
Altenew’s Hibiscus Garden is the first layering die set that I ever bought and it is still a favorite! The potted hibiscus plants around my pool were the inspiration for this mixed media card created from gel press prints. You can read more about this project and a companion card HERE.
Sometimes a mini stamp can have a big impact on a card and I think this Bee Kind stamp and die set is adorable and at a great price point. I added a simple watercolor background combined with a Garden Trellis die cut and three enamel dots. My Bee Kind blog post with additional companion card can be found HERE.
Altenew is giving away a $30 gift certificate to 5 lucky winners and a $15 gift certificate to 4 lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog HERE or share Altenew projects with #AltenewBest2021 on social media by 01/06/2022 for a chance to win. 9 winners will be announced on the Altenew Winners Page on 01/08/2022.
Additional Chance to Win:
WINNER: Marisela Delgado YOU are the winner of a $10 Altenew gift certificate! Please email winner@altenew.com by 01/18/2022 with the subject line Altenew 2021 Year In Review Blog Hop Winner from Karen Brown’s Blog.
I also have a $10 Gift Certificate to GIVEAWAY to the Altenew Online Store. I will choose a random winner from the commentors on this post and announce it here at my blog on 1/08/2022.
You made it to the end! I don’t have one favorite card but these are what I consider my “Best of 2021”. I’d love to hear which is your favorite card in the comments section. If you like what you see, consider following me on Instagram: @karens_mini and my blog (see the subscription bar at the top right corner of this post). Thank you for stopping by!
Glitter and shine….sometimes it is fun to add a little sparkle to a card! Today I used some Glitter Cardstock to make an ultra girly card. I used glitter cardstock as the bottom layer on my blooms, flower centers and sentiment. I created this card to be part of Altenew’s Educator Instagram Hop and we’d love for you to “hop” along with us. You can start at @altenewllc and my IG hande is: karens_mini. Hope to see you!
My Process:
I started by creating my own color palette with watercolors. I took two full sheets of 9 x 12″ watercolor paper, taped them to hardboard panels and then applied watercolors (3 pinks, 2 yellows, 2 oranges and 4 greens) with Altenew’s 36 Pan Watercolor Set and an 18 Brush. I let the watercolor dry and then added a second layer for vibrant color. I let the panels dry overnight so they would die cut well.
The next morning I die cut the bottom floral layers from Altenew’s Pink Brilliance Glitter Cardstock. The bottom layer from the flower center was cut from Gilded Glitter Cardstock. The top two floral layers and greenery were die cut from the watercolor panels that dried overnight. I assembled the blooms with liquid glue.
Washi tape can make a very dramatic background. For this card, I ink blended my circle die-cut with Warm Sunshine using my Large Ink Blending Tool. I added two additional layers of ink around the outer edge to darken the perimeter. The background is the Many Dots Washi Tape adhered at an angle.
Using Washi Tape as an Accent
For my second card, I added my favorite Painted Grid Washi Tape along two sides of the card to partically frame my flowers. The flowers are Altenew’s Paint-A-Flower Clematis stamp, which is GORGEOUS and so fun to create with. I finished the card off with a couple of pearl grey New Day Enamel Dots.
Giveaway Prizes
$200 in total prizes! To celebrate this occasion, Altenew is giving away a $100 gift certificate to 1 lucky winner and a $20 gift certificate to 5 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 11/17/2021 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 6 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 11/19/2021.
“K” is for…..Karen! I was inspired to make an initial notecard for Altenew’s “Alphabet Name Game” Blog Hop. I love to make my own paper so I started by coming up with a color palette. I wanted a bright happy card so I selected aqua, green, yellow, pink and tangerine.
Ink Smooshing Technique
I started by making three inked panels. Here was my technique:
I liberally inked an 6×6″ acrylic block with Altenew Inks. I wanted an ombre gradient look so went in rows across the block.
I very liberally sprayed the inked block with water
“Smooshed” the block onto a piece of watercolor paper
Weighted the ink/block with a book for 5 minutes
Uncovered. If the ink pooled, I dabbed with a paper towel.
I made a “second generation” panel for the background by taking a piece of Bristol Cardstock and soaking up the excess ink on my work space.
$200 in total prizes! Altenew is giving away a $35 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $20 gift certificate to 5 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 10/09/2021 for a chance to win.
There’s MORE! What’s a hop without YOU?! We have included an Inlinkz at the Altenew blog for you to enter your gorgeous Altenew “Alphabet Name Game” creations. We will pick 2 of our favorite handmade creations from those who joined the linky party and they will each receive a $15 Altenew gift certificate!
Altenew will draw 7 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 10/11/2021.
Hello paper crafters! Altenew just released some GORGEOUS glitter cardstock and it is just wonderful for cardmaking. I love the sparkle that it adds!
For my first card I used three colors of blue glitter cardstock (Moonlight, Blue Apatite and Starlight) from the Ocean Reflection combo pack. I used Altenew’s Rippling Rings Border Die to die-cut three strands of circles and then glued them to a white panel. I wanted a bold high-contrast sentiment so I inked a scrap of cardstock with Purple Wine Ink from The Rose Petal Mini Cube Set and then die cut my Simply Hello Sentiment. This card came together very quickly but is just lovely!
You can see the shimmer a bit better in this second photo.
Last month I made a rainbow Gum Drop card that I just loved so I thought I would do a sparkly variation using glitter cardstock. The “gum drop” is from Altenew’s Color Band Die Set.
$200 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $20 gift certificate to 5 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 07/13/2021 for a chance to win. Altenew will draw 7 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 07/15/2021.
Ready to shop? Check out Altenew’s New Collections Here. The Glitter Cardstock is selling very quickly so if it sells out by the time you order remember to sign up for the back-in-stock option so you will be notified by email when it arrives.
I am so very happy that you stopped by! I love reading your comments so if you have another moment, let me know what think about my post.
Kenny's Cards 