Tag: Card

Cardmaking Kit · stitching

Spellbinders | Stitching Die of the Month | May 2024

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Hand stitched Pineapple card with an embossed background and accent opal gems.

Aloha! Delight in the sweet essence of tropical charm with my latest crafting adventure using this month’s Spellbinders Stitching kit! I am diving into the art of hand-stitching to create a whimsical pineapple card that’s as vibrant as it is heartfelt. So, grab your needle, thread, and a sprinkle of creativity as we embark on this delightful journey together!

The Deluxe Caboodle

I also wanted to mention what a wonderful deal the Deluxe Caboodle Kit is. You save 60% off all TEN kits for the month + you get a bonus gift. So, if you are thinking about multiple kits, consider the Caboodle. The current cost is $120 but the kit value is $315, which is 60% off!

Stitched Pineapple Handmade Card

Die cut and hand stitched pineapple card in yellows, golds, and greens.

My Cardmaking Process:

  • The kit has 6 cutting dies and I started by cutting all my pieces with my Platinum 6 die cutting machine. I used the Happy Day Assorted Cardstock Pack + a sheet of Pesto for a 4th shade of green.
  • Spellbinders has a nice selection of stitching accessories in their shop that you can find HERE. I used a bronzy gold thread for my pineapple.
  • When I started stitching, I took two strands of floss, separated them one at a time, brought them together and then stroked and lengthened them until they seemed tame and ready to use.
  • I usually stitch with size 22 Tapestry needles.
  • 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. 
  • When I was done, I added a bit of Bearly Glue to the ends so that they would stay in place.
  • To finish my project I embossed white cardstock with the my longtime favorite embossing folder: Intertwined Lattice.
  • I hot foiled my sentiment with Yana’s Special Glimmer Sentiments and my Glimmer Hot Foil System.
  • I added 6 Opal Gems around the pineapple with my Ninja Pickup Tool.

Helpful Links:

Spellbinders Club Info:

  • 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.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

BetterPress · cardmaking · Tutorial

9 Tips, Tricks and Insights for Spellbinders BetterPress Machine

Karen Brown13 Comments
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

cardmaking · Die cutting · papercrafting

Spellbinders New Serenade of Autumn | Colorful Die Cut Cards

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Colorful Die Cut Autumn Cards using Spellbinders Serenade of Autumn Collection

Hello papercrafters, I am back with some lovely seasonal die-cut cards for Fall! I chose some traditional autumn colors and then added beautiful pops of blue. Spellbinders just released this fun collection called Autumn Serenade and I used the Autumn Sealed Sprigs dies along with the coordinating Chipboard Stickers and pre-printed Die Cut Shapes for my cards. I found the stickers and shapes to be real time savers when assembling my cards.

I just got back from a trip to Colorado, and I found the changing folliage was so inspirational for these projects.

Using Pre-Printed Stickers and Die Cut Shapes for Quicker DIY Cards

For my first card I used the Sprigs die kit and then added a sentiment plus heart die-cuts to finish my card. This Die Cut Shapes Kit includes 138 pre-printed pieces with lots of sentiments, botanicals, pumpkins, butterflies etc.

Seasonal Thinking of You Card with die cut leaves, Wheat and flowers.

For card #2 I used this showy Chipboard Hello Banner Sticker to complete my fall bouquet. The Chipboard set includes 27 chipboard stickers pre-printed with a variety of sentiments, gold embellishments, butterflies, birds, pumpkins, leaves and flowers. I love this little package and will be using it on future projects.

This Sealed Sprigs Collection reminds me of one of my 2022 Favorite Die Sets called Floral Reflections and you can see that Blog Post HERE.

Using Pre-printed Chipboard stickers for Quick Seasonal die cut cards.

My Process:

  • I started by selecting colors for my two cards. I used colored paper from two different sampler packs (listed below).
  • Next, I die cut my leaves and botanicals. I played around with layouts and then used the Press and Seal Method to keep my arrangement in place as I flipped it over and added foam adhessive squares to the back.
  • I knew I wanted a banner across the “crossed stems” on each card. The HELLO is a lovely chipboard sticker and the “Thinking of You” is a preprinted die cut. The gold accents add a nice bit of shine to the cards.

Products Used:

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 · papercrafting

Paper Artsy Mixed Media Cards

Karen Brown4 Comments
Paper Artsy Whimsical Tree Mixed Media cards.

Happy New Year! I recently received a lovely package from Paper Artsy and had a fun day in my studio. I created two cards with slightly different takes. Both cards have gel press print backgrounds made with Paper Artsy’s Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic paint. This was my first time using Chalk Acrylics and I think the end result is beautiful. I used Hey Pesto green, Butternut orange and white for both backgrounds.

For the cards, I stamped and heat embossed the Paper Artsy tree on watercolor paper and colored them with watercolor markers. I then fussy cut the images. The sentiment is Ranger Letter It: Greetings.

Paper Artsy Whimsical Tree with Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic Background

For this first card, I also stamped the tree with a script background stamp to enhance the whimsical feel. The card background was stamped with the tree and then my fussy cut panel was added with foam squares for a nice dimensional feel.

Paper Artsy Fresco Finish Gel Print background in Hey Pesto green and Butternut Orange.

For this second card I went for layers. I stamped the tree directly onto the gel print, then added the fussy cut tree on top using foam squares. I also stamped and watercolored a third panel and then fussy cut four aqua segments. These four pieces were adhered on top, so that in some places, the tree has three layers of dimension. I hope you can see that from the photo above.

Paper Artsy Whimsical Tree with Gel Press Print background

Multi-Media Collage Companion Card

Multimedia Gel Press Collage Card with Paper Artsy Chalk Acrylic and stamps.

I had some gel press prints leftover and decided to make a quick collage card. I tore off three pieces of paper (you can see the same green top right and orange bottom edge) and glued it to my panel (3.5″ x 4.75″) with UHU Gel glue stick. This glue stick works amazingly well, I didn’t need to use any liquid medium. I added some gesso, lots of stamping, paint splatters, dots-dashes-coloring (with Inktense pencils). On the top left corner I applied gesso, then did a bit of loose messy watercoloring plus the sentiment.

Paper Artsy Chalk Acrylic Paint and stamps on a multi-media gel press collage card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen