Tag: Best Of

Best Of · cardmaking

Best and Favorite Cards of 2024: The Year’s Most-Loved Designs

Karen BrownLeave a comment

As the year comes to a close, I’m taking a moment to reflect on all the creative projects I’ve shared across my Blog, YouTube channel, and Instagram. The journey has been filled with color, craftiness, and, most importantly, connecting with all of you!

Many of these items featured on my “Fan Favorites” list are currently on sale too!

  • Find Hero Arts New Year’s Eve sale items HERE
  • Hero Arts Final Sale items can be found HERE.
  • Shop Hero Arts HERE
  • Shop Spellbinders New Year’s Eve Sale HERE
  • Find Spellbinders Clearance Sale HERE
  • Shop Spellbinders newer collections HERE.

YouTube’s Card Tutorial: Most Watched Video

Best and Most Popular YouTube Cardmaking Video in 2024.

On YouTube, it was all about bringing techniques to life. Here is the tutorial that flew the highest:

Blog Post Link: Shimmery Snowflake Backgrounds 3 Ways

YouTube Link: Shimmery Snowflake Backgrounds

I created this video for HeroArts Blog and YouTube channel but I also posted on my YouTube Channel for my followers as well.

Top Blog Post in 2024

This year on my blog, I focused on techniques that ranged from beginner-friendly to advanced, and your feedback has been the cherry on top! My most read blog post this year was:

9 Tips, Tricks and Insights for Spellbinders BetterPress Machine

I received a BetterPress LetterPress system for Christmas in 2023, and I had lots of fun learning and experimenting with my new crafty toy. You can read my original blog post by clicking on the link above.

Best, Favorite, Most Popular Cardmaking Blog Post of 2024,

Instagram Reels: Quick Crafting, Big Inspiration

Favorite and Most Popular Instagram Reel in 2024.

This year, Instagram Reels became a go-to for sharing bite-sized creativity. These short videos were packed with techniques, tips, and a splash of fun. Here is my most popular 2024 Reel.

Instagram Reel Link: Floral Trove Stenciled Friend Card

Corresponding Blog Post Link: Stunning Stenciling Magic with Rainbow Colors

Instagram Highlights: Most-Liked and Commented on Creations

Instagram brought quick inspiration and behind-the-scenes sneak peeks to your feeds. Here are the top posts.

For Spellbinders, these were the fan favorites. You can find links to the corresponding blog posts below:

Best Handmade Spellbinders Cards in 2024.

And here are my most popular Hero Arts Instagram posts along with links to the correstponding Blog Posts:

Best Hero Arts Handmade Cards in 2024.

I’m so grateful to share this journey with all of you. Your comments, likes, and creations inspire me every day. Here’s to an even brighter, more colorful 2025 filled with new techniques, bold designs, and, of course, plenty of fun! Let me know in the comments—what were your favorite projects this year? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy crafting, and see you in the new year! ✨☕

Karen

Best Of · cardmaking · Die cutting

Spellbinders | Best Cards of 2023

Karen BrownLeave a comment
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

Karen BrownLeave a comment

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 | The Best of 2022

Karen Brown2 Comments

LINK TO MY INSTAGRAM

At the end of the year, I enjoy looking back through my projects and this year I decided to write a post about my most popular Spellbinders projects. I loved so many of my creations, but these are the crowd favorites for 2022.

Spellbinders Layered Floral Card Creator

This first card was my most popular card on Instagram, was my most “pinned” card on Pinterest and my most read blog post! I used the November Small Die of the Month Club Kit called Layered Floral Card Creator. This set was so popular that it is sold out. Because of this, I suggest that you join the club of your choice as club members are guaranteed to receive each month’s kit. Of course, you can cancel at any time. You can see all the subscription kit options HERE.

If you would like to read my original post, you can find it HERE. I also have four other cards that were very well received in that post.

Christmas card from Spellbinders Winter Tales Collection designed by Zsoka Marko.  Magical Deer: S4-1215.

My most popular Christmas card was from the Winter Tales Collection that was designed by the talented Zsoka Marko. I was instantly attracted to this die kit called Magical Deer: S4-1215. I love the Nordic look and used Scandanavian red and blue as accent colors to give the neutrals some pop.

You can read my original blog post HERE.

Spelllbinders Fan Motif Embossing Folder

Embossing folders have become so popular, and this Fan Motif was much loved by my readers and followers.

 You can read my original post HERE.

Patchwork Petals Quilt die from Becca Feekens Quilted Ccollection.

Becca Feeken’s Quilted Collection was just released this month but was wildly popular! There are so many possibilities and combinations and I think the dies really speak to papercrafters. On this card, I used the Stained Glass Inlay Technique with the Patchwork Petals Quilt Die Kit: S5-537

You can read my original post and see 3 other cards HERE.

Spellbinders Quilted Heart Valentine

The Blooming Heart kit has been so popular on my blog, Instagram and Pinterest.

You can read my original post HERE.

Spellbinders Strawberry Patch die kit

This Strawberry Patch die kit can be used for so many occasions and makes such a bright happy card!

I created three cards using this set that you can see in my original post HERE.

Spellbinders Stitched Ornament kit 34-1231

Stitched cards were crazy popular this year and this Stitched Ornament Kit # S4-1231, continues to be pinned and liked.

You can read my original post HERE.

Susan Tierney-Cockburn's Letter Box from The Winter Garden Collection.

The Winter Garden Collection by Susan Tierney-Cockburn was so fun and this  Letter Box is so versatile….you can use the mailbox by itself….add Christamas gifts or letters….or turn it into a birthday card by changing the colors and sentiment. 

You can read my original post HERE.

Spellbinders Stitched Fall Leaves

Here is another very popular stitched kit called Stitched Fall Leaves. The leaves are gorgeous stitched or unstitched.

You can read my original post HERE.

Spellbinders Stylized Floral Kaleidscope Slimline Kit

The Stylized Floral Kaleidscope Slimline Kit is gorgeous!

I have three cards made with this kit in my original post HERE.

Spellbindders Balloon Party Animal Die kit: S3-450

This card was so well received! I used the following products:

You can see my original post HERE. One of my closest friends loved this card and asked me to make one for her daughter-in-laws baby shower, so I have a 2nd card HERE.

Shabby Chic Christmas Tags + Cathe Holden's Christmas Flea Market Finds

These tags win the “Most Fun to Create” award. I wanted a vintage shabby chic vibe and used Cathe Holden’s  Christmas Flea Market Finds. 

You can find my original post HERE.

I love that you stopped by today and would love to hear which is YOUR favorite creation.

I hope to see you soon!

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Altenew: A Year In Review: Crafters’ Edition Blog Hop + Giveaway 

Karen Brown39 Comments

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

Rainbow paper weaving with Altenew's Garden Trellis Cover Die.

This first card was my most popular Altenew card on Instagram and I detailed how I created my rainbow paper weaving. You can see my original post HERE. I used Altenew’s Garden Trellis Cover Die as the base for my weaving.

Layered Stamping on a cute little bird: Bird of the Woods by Altenew.

This year, I was a bit obssessed with the Bird of the Woods Layering Stamp set and coordinating dies and I made a bunch of cards using this bundle! This POST was by far my most popular blog post of 2022.

Altenew's Precious Doodles Layered Stamping Floral Dies

I fell in love with the Precious Doodles Bundle…when “doodles” is in the title, I know it is going to be a favorite of mine! This is a darling stamp layering set and you can find my original post HERE.

Altenew Coloring Book watercolor page framed artwork.

I received so much positive feedback on this watercolor piece! I LOVE Altenew’s watercolor products and I used them on my framed project. I started with the Poppy from Altenew’s Coloring Book and I painted it with the 36 Pan Set and Artists Brushes. You can see my original post HERE.

Messy masculine mixed media card

I love mixed media, and this card was my 2nd most popular post on Instagram. You can see my original post HERE. I got really messy and used tons of fun products to create this masculine birthday card.

Clean and Simple + Gel Press Printing Rainbow Grid Card

If there is such a thing as CAS Mixed Media, then this is it. I love the clean white contrast with the rainbow colored gel press die cut squares and the giant black Altenew Mega Hello sentiment. You can see my original post HERE.

Altenew Craft Your Life Always Sunshine Kit card

I love all of the Craft Your Life releases but this Always Sunshine Kit was especially popular with my blog readers. You can read my original post HERE: I love coloring with stencils and that is the technique I used on this card.

Altenew Craft A Flower Open Peony

I always love Altenew’s Craft-A-Flower kits and this Open Peony was my favorite Craft-A-Flower in 2022. You can read my original blog post HERE.

Altenew Timeless Tulips with coordinating ink blend background.

Who doessn’t love a floral bouquet? Altenew’s Timeless Tulips premiered in August and I think it is a gorgeous set with two big beautiful floral stamps. You can read my original post HERE.

Altenew Summer Wishes stamp, die and coloring stencil card.

I will finish with Altenew’s Summer Wishes Bundle which is oh, so fun! I created a cozy little beach scene comprised of an adirondack chair, umbrella, radio and flip flops. This is such a happy card and I know I will pull out this bundle year after year. You can find my original post HERE.

Prizes:

Over $500 in total prizes! Altenew is giving away a $100 gift card to 1 lucky winner, 3 $50 gift cards, and 27 $10 gift cards. Winners will be chosen from both blog hop #1 and blog hop #2. Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog HERE by 12/27/2022 for a chance to win. 

Wait, there’s MORE!

We would also LOVE to see YOUR favorite handmade cards, layouts, home decor, etc. featuring Altenew products! Feel free to share them on social media or on your blog using the hashtag #AltenewBest2022. You may also add a link by clicking the blue button below.

FOUR lucky crafters will each win a $15 gift certificate to our store! Winners will be announced on the Altenew Winners Page on 12/29/2022. We are looking forward to seeing your beautiful creations!

Blog Hop Order:

Altenew Card Blog

Erin Thompson

Annemarie Caister

Seeka

Karen Brown You Are Here!

Claire Apostoloff Claire is Next!

Mindy Eggen

Fiona Duff

Karen Reátegui

Carol Hintermeier

Bobby Hagen

Michelle Short

Lorena Brougher

Michelle Burnier

I am so pleased that you took a moment to stop by! If you have time, I’d love to hear which project you liked best.

Wishing all my crafty friends a healthy and happy 2023!

Karen

cardmaking · papercrafting

Altenew: A Year In Review Blog Hop + Giveaway ï¿¼

Karen Brown48 Comments

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.

Altenew Tall Tales Bookcase Slimline Card in rainbow colors.
Tall Tales Stamp and Die Set

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.

Altenew Cosmos Craft A Flower card die cut from gel press prints.
Cosmos Craft A Flower Layering Die 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.

Altnew Mega Alphabet K ink smoosh card with Garden Trellis cover die background.
Mega Alphabet Collection & Garden Trellis Cover Die

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.

Altenew Craft a Flower Peruvian Lily die cut from gel press prints.
Peruvian Lily Layering Die Set

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.

Altenew Weekend Doodles card.
Weekend Doodles

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.

Altenew Craft a Flower Cosmos card.
Cosmos Craft A Flower Layering Die Kit

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 Doodle Blooms card die cut from gel press prints.
Doodle Blooms

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.

Altenew Garden Hibiscus card die cut from gel press prints.
HIbiscus Garden 3D Dies

I really like the simplicity of this card made with The Modern Squares Embossing Folder, white pigment ink and The Fancy Celebrate die. You can read the original post HERE.

Altenew Modern Squares Embossing Folder and Fancy Celebrate die.
Modern Squares Embossing Folder and Fancy Celebrate Die

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 Bee Kind Mini Stamp + Garden Trellis Cover Die.
Bee Kind Mini Stamp Set and Garden Trellis Cover Die

Prizes:

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.

BLOG HOP:

Altenew Card Blog 

Alex Syberia

Amy Hill

Annemarie Caister

Bridget Casey

Cheryl Espie

Dana Joy

Daniel Diaz

Danielle Dunlop

Emily Midgett

Erin Thompson

Erum Tasneem

Fiona Duff

Helen Kalb

Ishani

Jaycee Gaspar

Jenny Colacicco

Joylita Dsouza

Juhi Khanna

Karen Brown You Are Here! 🙂

Kari VanNoy

Keren Baker

LauraJane

Laurie Willison

Lilith Eeckels

Linda Westfall

Maryam Perez

Michelle Short

Mindy Eggen

Nancy Souza

Nandini Karmarkar

Natasha Davies

Nathalie DeSousa

Nicole Watt

Norine Borys

Pam Boedeker

Preeti Chandran

Reiko Tsuchida

Rosie Neustaedter

Sande Woodson

Sandhya Iyer

SathyaKala Sankaran

Seeka

Tenia Nelson

Teresa Litchfield

Teri Wilson

Therese Calvird

Vicky Papaioannou

Virginia Lu

Yasmin Diaz

Yoonsun Hur

Next stop is Kari and her beautiful florals!

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!

Wishing you health and happiness in 2022.

Karen