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.
I just love bright happy colors and I think they pair so well with Spring cards. Today I am sharing two Dogwood themed cards from Spellbinders new collection called Susan’s Garden Favorites.
DIY Glitter Paper Background
My Process:
I started by making pale pink and green Gel Press prints for my flowers and leaves. The branch is cut from a copper gel print because I thought brown was too plain.
I also wanted a bright fun background so I made my own glitter paper. First, I taped some watercolor paper to a hard board and brushed water over the surface. Then I mixed Salty Ocean and Mermaid Lagoon Distress Inks with Shimmer Spray (no water was added) and I painted it on the watercolor paper. I wanted an intense color so I applied three layers but I didn’t bother to let it dry in between. The background is so pretty in person but its hard to see the sparkle in the photos so I added a quick video below.
I die cut the blooms/leaves and then, using a bone folder, I molded and shaped them.
I started by making a bunch of yellow and green Gel Press prints for my flower and leaves. I’ve inlcuded a photo of some of my prints below.
I also wanted a bright fun background so I taped some watercolor paper to a hard board and brushed water over the surface. Then I mixed Salty Ocean and Mermaid Lagoon Distress Inks with Shimmer Spray (no water was added) and I painted it on the watercolor paper. I wanted an intense color so I applied three layers but I didn’t bother to let it dry in between. The background is so pretty in person but its hard to see the sparkle in the photos.
I die cut the bloom three times for each sunflower. Using a bone folder I shaped the blooms and leaves.
The flower center is die cut from and a brown gel press print and a specialty “football” paper that has the texture of a football
Valentine’s Day is coming up so I thought it was time to get busy and start creating. I love making gel press prints and thought this year it would be fun to make a batch of collage style valentines. Each one is embellished with die cut hearts.
My process was the same for each card:
I flipped through my gel press prints and pulled out some fun, busy, messy designs.
I added paint splatters and stamping to some of the gel prints.
I also used some book pages and added stamping and ink blending with stencils.
I tore pieces off the prints and played around with layouts. For each, I left the top left corner for my sentiment.
I used UHU glue stics to adhere the torn pieces to cardstock. This glue works great! It dries quickly and fully adheres so there was no need for liquid glue.
Using my silicone shaper brush, I applied a thin layer of gesso to the top left corner of the card and along the seams of the torn prints. I also added a watercolor wash to these areas.
I die cut hearts in a variety of sizes from brightly colored gel prints and then distressed the edges with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and a finger dauber. I glued these down to my panel.
I added +s, dashes and doodles with Inktense pencils, Gel Pens, Posca Acrylic Pens and distressed the edge of the card panel with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and a finger dauber.
I added a quick stamped sentiment, framed with black cardstock and added to an A2 card base.
The card above has more neutrals which I thought would be perfect for my husband.
I like the two stencils I used on the gel press prints for the card above.
My Valentine Quartet
These collage style valentines were SO fun to make! And, since they have a messy casual look, mistakes actually add to the appeal.
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!
The detail on these dies is just beautiful and I found the dies are so versatile! The three cards I made are all A2 sized, but the dies could easily make bigger cards too.
As many of you know, I love to create my own colored papers to use in my projects. On my first card, I created a panel by adding shimmer powders (I used Tonic Brand) to watercolor paper. The result was bold colors with a bit of subtle shimmer.
Shimmer Powder Panel
My Process:
I made three panels, one for each curlicue die cut plus smaller panels for the floral elements. One panel was shimmer powder on watercolor paper and the rest of the panels were watercolor on watercolor paper. For the watercolor, I applied the color, dried and then applied a second coat for a more saturated look. Prior to applying color, I did tape the watercolor paper to a hardboard to minimize warping.
For two cards, I die cut the curlique backdrop from the colored panels. For the third, I die cut it from white card stock and placed it over the aqua water-colored background. I like the card both ways! The backdrop was then adhered to the card with foam tape for lots of beautiful dimension.
I used a wax tip embellishment wand and Bearly Glue to adhere white gems to the flower centers. I have tried a lot of liquid glues and found for small die-cuts that Bearly Glue is the best. The flowers were attached to the card with foam tape.
Closeup of the lovely detail on the die cuts.This card has the colored panel behind the die cut.This card was die cut from watercolored panels.Watercolor Panels
I was SO excited when I opened The November 2021 Amazing Paper Grace Kit! When I saw those lovely Christmas Tree dies and the assortment of gift boxes I knew the projects would be just stunning and I couldn’t wait to get started. One of the first things I do when planning a card is to think about the colors I want to use. Traditional green and red would be so beautiful but I decided to go with teal and pink. Since it is Christmas, I also wanted to add some sparkle so I used some festive glitter cardstock as accents. In person, the glitter cardstock just shimmers and shines.
I have been looking for a good glue for small die-cuts and I just purchased some Bearly Glue and it is a game-changer! The nozzle offers precise application and doesn’t seem to clog like other applicators I’ve tried. I used Bearly Glue for the first time on this post.
“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 friends…happy Monday! I spent part of my weekend creating with this lovely geranium and antique bucket die set designed by Susan Tierney-Cockburn. I’ve always loved geraniums so this was an especially fun project for me.
Card Details
I wanted a lot of color variation in my geraniums so I started by “ink smooshing” four panels of watercolor paper.
I liberally inked a 6×6″ acrylic block with Distress Inks. I wanted an ombre gradient look so went in rows across the block.
I very liberally sprayed the inked block with water then “smooshed” the block onto a piece of watercolor paper.
I weighted the ink/block with a book for 5 minutes.
Next, I uncovered the panel and If the ink pooled, I dabbed the excess ink with a paper towel.
For the geranium buds, I used two shades of red on the top half of the panel and two shades of pink on the bottom. The colors mixed and mingled and gave me the color variation I was looking for. Panel #2 for the basket was done with a light tan and brown. Panel #3 for the leaves mixed three shades of green. And the background panel was created with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink.
Once my panels were dry, I started die-cutting with the dies from Spellbinders Geranium and Antique Wooden Bucket from Susan’s Garden Club. I used brown, pink and green watercolor markers to go around the edges of the bucket, blossoms and leaves. I then gently shaped the leaves and buds. To finish the blooms I added a dot of pink glimmer lacquer to the centers.
For the background, I used longtime favorite Spellbinders Essential Rectangles Etched Die on my blue background panel for a little subtle interest. I then mounted my bucket with foam tape and then glued on my leaves, blooms and sentiment,
This geranium die set is beautiful, artistic and very versatile. I can see using it for birthdays, Mother’s Day, Sympathy cards, Thank You Notes etc.
Flowers + Die-Cutting….one of my favorite combos! Susan Tierney-Cockburn created the most delicious collections of holiday dies and I had so much fun playing with them!
Amaryllis are always a favorite of mine, so I was excited to create a project. For my card, I made all my own papers using a gel press. I made six monoprints for my die-cuts: dark blue, medium blue, light blue (background), green and yellow-green (stamins) and tan.
Once the panels were completed, my card came together very quickly! The buds were very easy to shape for a lovely 3D effect. Both of my cards are 5 x 7″.
Susan’s collection is for the holidays, but I think the flowers are so versatile! I made the Amaryllis into a lovely birthday card by heat embossing my sentiment on the basket.
Die Cut Christmas Cactus Holiday Card
I have a Chistmas Cactus that is 25 years old so I really wanted to create a paper twin using Susan’s kit.! I have no idea how old cacti can live my mine is still hanging in there.
I again made my own gel press prints for this Christmas card. I made a blue panel for the background + two green prints, a pink coral and used the other other half of the tan monoprint for my basket. I added some pink glimmer lacquer to some of the tips for my buds.
I love both of these cards and can’t decide which is my favorite! Thanks for popping in to take a look at my post.
Kenny's Cards 