Tag: Enamel Dots

Easy to make Get Well card featuring a cup of noodles. Best Quick & Easy Get Well Card
cardmaking · Die cutting · Stamping

Best Quick & Easy Get Well Card

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Clean and modern handmade get well card featuring a stamped soup cup, blue chopsticks, black enamel dots, and a yellow die-cut circle window.

The December 2025 Hero Arts Stamp & Die Kit of the Month is called Cup of Love, and it’s perfect for creating quick, modern, and heartfelt get well cards. I always need get well cards on hand, so I love having clean and simple designs that I can mass produce—and this one definitely delivers.

This month’s kit features a charming soup cup, chopsticks, labels, and warm “feel better” sentiments that make it easy to whip up comforting cards for friends and family who need a little cheer.

Clean + Modern Design With Easy Stamping

A simple and easy handmade get well card with a die cut yellow recessed circle that showcases and cup of noodle soup, crossed chopsticks and 5 black enamel dots.

For today’s card, I leaned into a fresh white and yellow color palette with pops of crisp black stamping and a hint of blue. The combination feels clean, modern, and cheerful—just the mood you want in a get well card.

Key Products Used:

How I Made the Card

  • I stamped the “cup of noodle soup” image in black ink for sharp contrast.
  • Next, I stamped the round yellow label with Lemon Drop Ink. I waited a minute for the ink to dry, stamped the sentiment “feel better soon” and die cut the image.
  • I stamped and colored the blue chopsticks, die cut them, and crossed them for a playful finishing touch.
  • For the background, I die cut a circle from the center of a white A2 cardstock panel using my Hero Arts Nesting Circle Dies.
  • I layered this white panel over a yellow A2 card base, popping it up with craft foam for dimension.
  • In the recessed yellow circle, I glued the soup cup and chopsticks.
  • Finally, I added five black enamel dots. These tiny accents brought so much contrast and visual interest to the finished design.

The result? A clean and cheerful get well card with modern charm and just enough shading and dimension to feel special—without slowing you down.

Interested in two other recent Get Well Cards I created? Click HERE.

Tip for Mass Production

If you want to make a full batch of these cards (and I definitely recommend it!), simply die cut a yellow circle and adhere it directly to a white card base. Or alternatively, you could ink blend a yellow circle. You can skip the popped-up window panel and still get the same bold pop of color.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hero Arts September 2025 Card Kit Inspirational cards. Hero Arts September 2025 Club Kit Release: Fall into Fall
Cardmaking Kit · Die cutting

Hero Arts September 2025 Club Kit Release: Fall into Fall

Karen Brown18 Comments
Two fun homemade cards created with the September 2025 Hero Studio card kit and Fancy Dies Kits.

Hello friends! It’s time for the Hero Arts September Club Kit Release, and this month’s theme is Fall into Fall. 🍁 Autumn crafting is one of my very favorite seasons, and this release is packed with stamps, dies, and sentiments perfect for cozy, colorful cardmaking. I have two very different projects to share with you today—one-layer stamping and coloring, and a layered die cut scene—that both capture the warmth of fall.

Card 1: One-Layer Stamped + Colored Fall Scene

One-layer fall card featuring stamped and colored pumpkins, mushrooms, acorns, and leaves with the sentiment “Fall is my Favorite Color” created with Hero Arts September 2025 Card Kit of the Month. Embellished with enamel dots.

The September Card Kit includes gorgeous fall imagery: pumpkins, acorns, mushrooms, leaves, and more. I wanted to let the stamps take center stage, so I designed a one-layer background that doubles as the focal point.

I stamped a scattering of pumpkins, mushrooms, and leaves across a white card panel, then brought them to life with alcohol marker coloring in classic fall hues:

  • Oranges and yellows for pumpkins
  • Warm tans and browns for acorns
  • Fresh greens, yellows and oranges for leaves

The finishing touch is the sentiment, “Fall is My Favorite Color,” stamped boldly in black. A few enamel dots (also included in the kit!) add just the right amount of shine.

This card is simple, flat, and easy to mail—but still rich in detail and warmth.

Hero Studio September 2025 stamped one layer card featuring alcohol marker colored pumpkins, fall leaves, acorns and mushrooms + a few enamel dot embellishments.

What’s Included in the September Card Kit?

  • Fall is my Favorite 6×8 Stamp Set
  • Fall is my Favorite Coordinating Dies
  • Treehouse Die Set
  • Sunset Enamel Dots
  • Brown Twine, 1 yard
  • 10 Sheets of Cardstock- 1 of each color, 5.5″ x 8.5″ (Truffle, Merlot, Cinnamon, Terra Cotta, Carrot, Coral, Bellini, Beeswax, Saffron, Tuscan)

Receive a FREE adorable Cozy Kitty Die Set when you purchase The Whole Studio!

Hero Arts has many different Monthly Kits that you can subscribe to including:

🦊🐻 Card 2: Cozy Critters Fancy Die Scene

Adorable die cut scene card featuring an adorable brown bear and red fox snuggling in a brass bed with their stuffed animals. Created with the Hero Arts September 2025 Fancy Die Kit of the Month: Cozy Critters.

Next, I dove into the September Fancy Dies: Cozy Critters. This set has my heart! I created a cozy little bedtime scene featuring a brown bear and an orange fox tucked into a brass bed with a green quilt.

  • The bear is snuggling with a little stuffed duck.
  • The fox is holding the sweetest bunny.

The scene is playful, heartwarming, and perfect for fall—but I think it would also make an adorable Valentine’s Day card!

Die cut scene card featuring a brown bear and orange fox tucked into a brass bed with a green quilt. Bear snuggles a duck, fox holds a bunny. Sentiment “Wishing You a Cozy Fall” with a subtle stenciled wallpaper background.

The sentiment, “Wishing You a Cozy Fall,” comes from the September Clear Stamp & Cut Set and fits perfectly with the theme. For the background, I added a touch of subtle pattern using the Retro Rainbow Stencil with Contour Ink. The soft “wallpaper” design adds depth without competing with the cozy critters in bed.

Love this die set? I have another adorable creation that you can see HERE.

Charming Die Cut Scene card featuring cozy die cut critters from the September Hero Studio Club Kits.

Blog Hop

Hero Arts is celebrating this release with a Blog Hop full of inspiration from the creative team. Hero Arts will give away a $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Friday, September 5th at 11:59pm PT, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week. Leave a comment on all stops for more chances to win!


Hero Arts Creative Team:
Anna Mahtani
Channin Pelletier
Charlene Madrid
Jeannie Lieu
Jennifer Kotas
Karen Brown You Are Here!
Lea Lawson
Lisa Tilson
Michelle Lupton
Michelle Short
Mindy Eggen
Natasha Polite
Nichol Spohr
Rachel Kleinman
Rosie Lopez
Seeka

Cardmaking Video

Video Hop | Easy, Fun & Festive Birthday Cardmaking: Color, Shine, Celebrate!

Karen Brown1 Comment

Can you ever have too many birthday cards? I think not! Today, I’m sharing a fun, modern, and eye-catching birthday card featuring the Hero Arts Celebrate Stamp & Stencil Set—perfect for anyone on your list!

Click link to see the Hero Arts Spring Collection.

You can watch the video above, or you can click the link HERE to watch on YouTube.

Plus, this video is part of a Video Hop, so be sure to check out the other fabulous creators linked below.

A vibrant handmade birthday card featuring four colorful stenciled banners with flowers, created using the Hero Arts Celebrate Stamp & Coloring Stencil Set and Glitz Inks.

Bold Colors & Easy Techniques

For this card, I started with a large focal stamp of four birthday banners—such a fun and festive design! Instead of traditional coloring, I brought in Glitz Inks and Color Layering Stencils to add French Pink, Naples Yellow, Byzantine Green and Egyptian Blue to the banners. These inks add beautiful shimmer that makes the design pop without needing extra embellishments (but you know I couldn’t resist a few black enamel dots in the flower centers!). This is totally optional, but I used my Rounded Rectangle Infinity Dies to round the corners and trim down my panel.

Pro Tip: Glitz Inks are not only stunning, but they’re also super easy to clean up! A quick rinse, and your brushes are good as new.

Festive Birthday card perfect for men, women and children. The card features 4 birthday banners stamped and colored with layering stencils in pink, yellow, aqua and green.

Organizing My Stamps & Dies

I also wanted to share a quick tip on storing stamps and dies. I use Hero Arts Magnetic Sheets and Storage Sleeves, which help keep my dies neat, tidy, and easy to find. No more hunting for that one missing die—it’s all in one place and ready for my next crafting session! I also love their Stamp Storage Sleeves. More details in the video.

Key Products Used:

Join the Celebration! Blog Hop Order:

This card was a joy to make, and I hope it inspires you to break out your Glitz Inks and stencils! Be sure to check out the Video Hop and leave a comment on my video—I’d love to hear what you think! And tell me… do you think it’s possible to have too many birthday cards? (Spoiler: I don’t!) 🎉

cardmaking · papercrafting

Cheerful Shine Bright Card | Spellbinders

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Shine Bright layer stenciled card with bold die cut sentiment all from Spellbinders.

Hey crafty friends!

Are you ready to let your creativity shine? Today, we’re making a fun project that will have you glowing—literally! We’re going to create a stenciled and die-cut handmade card themed “Shine Bright.” Perfect for birthdays, encouragement, or just because, this card is sure to brighten anyone’s day. And I wanted to mention that the Shine Bright Collection was created by the great Carissa Wiley!

Colorful Analagous Stenciling

Analagous stenciling on a bright, happy, colorful chandmade card perfect for many occasions.

This card came together quickly!

  • I used the Layered Shine Bright Stencils to create my base, and I have to say the stencils lined up perfectly! I used Lemon Drop on layer 1, Creamsicle on #2, Fruit Punch on layer 3 and Taffy with the final stencil. I preplanned my colors and labeled my chosen color on each stencil so I wouldn’t get confused during my stenciling. I used Best Ever Craft Tape to both label my stencils and secure them to my craft mat.
  • Next I die cut my gorgeous sentiment. I die cut the black shadows three times and glued the layers together for nice dimension. I die cut the letters once from white cardstock. I used my Crystal Katana to pick up and place the letters.
  • I finished by using Sunset Enamel Dots embellishments.

You can buy the Shine Bright Bundle (stencil and die) or the Sentiment Dies separately.

Shine bright, and let your creativity light up the world!

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!

Karen

cardmaking · papercrafting

Spellbinders | Home Sweet Quilts

Karen Brown3 Comments
Spellbinders Patchwork Petals Quilt Card. S5-537

Patchwork Petals Quilt Cards: S5-537

Becca Feeken has done it again with her Home Sweet Quilt Collection! I had so much fun planning and creating these colorful cards.

For my first card, I wanted a stained glass effect so I used the inlaid die cutting technique.

Achieving a stained glass effect with inlaid die cutting.

My Stained Glass Inlaid Die Cutting Technique

  • I started by cutting my Patchwork Petals (S5-537) frame out of navy cardstock and then die cut 5 more colors (aqua, lime, lavender, pink and orange).
  • I die cut two backgrounds: 5″ x 5 1/2″ and then die cut a square into one of the backgrounds so I could inlay the design.
  • Stamp your sentiment on the panel with the square opening. I used Ranger Denim ink to stamp my Waffle Flowers Rainbow sentiment. I think the sentiment has been discontinued, but it is a set I still love using.
  • Glue the background with the square opening and sentiment onto the second background.
  • Inset/glue the navy frame into the square opening. I used liquid glue.
  • Inset/glue each piece of the quilt.
  • Using craft foam, glue your card panel to a 5 1/2″ x 6″ card base.
Stained glass inlaid die cutting technique.

I had lots of extra pieces left over so I created a bright sympathy card by die cutting a white panel (frame and background) and then using three colors from my leftover pieces.

Die cut Sympathy Card with Spelllbinders Layered Windmill Quilt: S5-545

I added a hot foil sentiment: Spellbinders Mini Everyday Sentiment (GLP-260) with Pink Foil (GLF-006).

Spellbinders Layered Windmill Quilt Cards: S5-545

Layered Windmill Quilt Cards: S5-545

For the Layered Windmill, I created an Octagon shaped card, again with inlaid diecutting. I followed the same process as in Card #1, but then I trimmed the card’s edges with my paper trimmer so that I had a card with 8 sides.

Spellbinders Layered Windmill Quilt Octagon Cards: S5-545

I made two versions, one is white, blue, lime and orange and the other is blue, lime and white.

Products Used:

Octagon Shaped Quilt card with inlaid die cuttting in blue and lime.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

cardmaking · papercrafting

Altenew | Linear Life Tropical Garden

Karen Brown2 Comments

I love the modern look of these loose sketchy outline flower stamps! They are very versatile and would work great on clean and simple projects but I also plan to use it on some mixed media cards.

I started again by ink blending my background. I used the three lightest colors in Altenew’s Glacier Cave Mini Cube Set. I masked off a frame with washi tape and then started in the bottom right with Arctic and then moved darker toward the top left corner. I stamped the flowers and leaves with black pigment ink. Once the outlines were dry, I stamped the flower centers with Caribbean Sky Crisp Dye Ink. I die cut the blooms, assembled with foam tape and then added Glacier Caves Enamel Dots to finish the project.

Altenew Linear Life Tropical Garden Stamp and Dies + Handmade Card
Altenew Carribean Sky Crisp Dye Ink + Ink Blended Background

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

cardmaking · papercrafting

Spellbinders | Floral Reflections Collection

Karen Brown3 Comments
Spellbinders Sealed Wildflower Die kit for clean and simple die cut cards.

Sealed Wildflower Die Kit (S4-1255)

I am so happy you stopped by! Spellbinders new Floral Reflections Collection is live and I LOVE how fresh the collection is. I made two cheerful cards, one for a friend’s birthday the second is ready to send for a get well.

Spellbinders Sealed Wildflower Kit S4-1255 die cut card.

For my first card, I used the Sealed Wildflower die kit (S4-1255). I felt like clean and simple was the way to showcase these lovely die cuts so I selected Waterfall cardstock for my backdrop. I kept my color palette simple: aqua, melon, dark green and white and added coordinating enamel dots to my flower centers. My sentiment was hot foiled and die cut using GLP-260: Mini Everyday Sentiments. Using an A2 top folding card base, I added my waterfall panel with craft foam for a bit of dimension.

Spellbinders "Sealed Wildflower" kit (S4-1255) on a die cut handmade card in aqua, white and orange.

Flower Frenzy Embossing Folder (E3D-048)

I adore the lovely texture on the new Flower Frenzy Embossing Folder (E3D-048). I embossed a panel of Waterfall cardstock and then die cut a tag. I die cut a second tag in white which acts as a shadow backdrop.

All I needed was one sweet grouping of flowers to embellish the tag and I again used the Sealed Wildflowers die kit. My base is an A2 top folding card and then I added a kraft background mat and enamel dots to the flower centers and mounted my tags using foam tape for dimension.

I love the texture that the embossing folder adds to the card, but by using a tag, the overall feel is still clean and simple.

Flower Frenzy Embossing Folder (E3D-048) die cut handmade embossed tag and card in aqua, orange and kraft.

I like to keep Get Well cards on hand so they are ready to send when the need arises. This card is in my desk drawer ready to go.

Embossing tags for handmade cards.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek at my die cut cards.

Karen

cardmaking · papercrafting

Altenew July 2022 Summer Sunshine Collection Release Blog Hop + Giveaway ($300 in total prizes)

Karen Brown55 Comments

Altenew Summer Wishes Stamps, Dies and Stencils + Handmade Card

Hello friend! I am excited to show you some of Altenew’s new products in their wonderful July release. To kick off the release, Altenew is hosting a fun Blog Hop and we hope you will visit each stop.

Altenew’s Summer Wishes Stamps, Dies and Stencils

I’d like to start with the Summer Wishes Bundle which is oh, so fun! For my first card, I created a cozy little beach scene comprised of an adirondack chair, umbrella, radio and flip flops.

I started by ink blending my background with Altenew’s Large Blending Tool + Ocean Waves Crisp Dye Ink. Next, I stamped the elements with black pigment ink and let them dry. I colored the images with the coordinating stencil. I really like the effect of ink blending through stencils and it is so easy to do! To set the stage, I cut a frame using the Rounded Rectangles Die Set. I then die cut each element and assembled my card with foam tape.

Die Cut Beach Scene Card with Adirondack Chair, Umbrella and Flip Flops
Beach Themed Card with Adirondack Chair and Umbrella

Products Used:

Altenew Summer Wishes Die Cut Sea Shells + Handmade Card.
Beach Themed Card with Die Cut Sea Shells

I made a companion card with the rest of the Summer Wishes shells. The background was again ink blended with Ocean Waves Dye Ink from the Cool Summer Nights Mini Ink Set.

Additional Products Used:

Clean and Simple Beach Themed Card.

Altenew Linear Life Tropical Garden

I love the modern look of these loose sketchy outline flower stamps and I know this set will become a favorite that I use over and over again. It is very versatile and would work great on clean and simple projects but I also plan to use it on some mixed media cards.

I started again by ink blending my background. I used the three lightest colors in Altenew’s Glacier Cave Mini Cube Set. I masked off a frame with washi tape and then started in the bottom right with Arctic and then moved darker toward the top left corner. I stamped the flowers and leaves with black pigment ink. Once the outlines were dry, I stamped the flower centers with Caribbean Sky Crisp Dye Ink. I die cut the blooms, assembled with foam tape and then added Glacier Caves Enamel Dots to finish the project.

Altenew Linear Life Tropical Garden Stamp and Dies + Handmade Card
Altenew Carribean Sky Crisp Dye Ink + Ink Blended Background

Altenew Mod Fruit Bowl Stamps and Dies

I LOVE citrus, so I couldn’t wait to get this set! I have three Meyer Lemon Trees that are like little babies to me and they were the inspiration for this project.

I wanted a bright happy card so I went with rainbow colors. I started by cutting cardstock into identically sized pieces so I could set up an assembly line for stamping the citrus elements. I stamped the segmented portion on the left side of my Misti and then I moved the panel to the right side and added the rind. With this assembly line, I had all the colors stamped very quickly. All I needed to do was wipe off the ink in between colors. My Mini Blossom Die Cutter made die-cutting a snap. I find it so handy to use on my desk for die cutting smaller elements. I attached the die-cuts (spaced 2″ apart) to a 6 1/4″ x 3 3/4″ panel and added my sentiment.

Altenew Mod Rainbow Fruit Bowl + Handmade Card
Rainbow Hued Handmade Citrus Card
Rainbow hand stamped Citrus Lemon, Lime, Orange Card

Free Gift

Get a FREE brand new Summer Sunshine  Mini Inspiration Guide with every order from 07/01/2022 through 07/03/2022. Shop HERE!

Get a FREE brand new Summer Sunshine  Stamp & Die Release Inspiration Guide Ebook  (worth $5.99) with every order of high-value Sweet Moments Bundles. Shop HERE! *Exclusions apply.

Get a FREE brand new Online Cardmaking Class with every order from the new Summer Sunshine  Stamp & Die Release Collection from 07/01/2022 through 07/07/2022. Shop HERE!

Giveaway Prizes

$300 in total prizes! To celebrate this release, Altenew is giving away a $50 gift certificate to 2 lucky winners and a $25 gift certificate to 8 winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or each designer’s blog post on the blog hop list below by 07/17/2022 for a chance to win. 

Altenew will draw 10 random winners from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 07/19/2022.

Blog Hop:

Altenew Blog

Jaycee Gaspar

Vicky Papaioannou

Erum Tasneem

Mindy Eggen

Jenny Colacicco

Caly Person

Nathalie DeSousa

LauraJane

Michelle Short

Bridget Casey

Terri Koszler

Karen Brown You Are Here!

Laurie Willison

Dana Joy

Virginia Lu

Tenia Nelson

Therese Calvird

Lilith Eeckels

Reiko Tsuchida ***Note: Due to strict regulations in Japan, you might not be able to leave a comment on her blog post.

Michelle Burnier

Agnieszka Małyszek

Angela Brennan

Emily Midgett

Linda Westfall

Maryam Perez

Laurie Patterson

Svitlana Shayevich

Annemarie Caister

Tania Ahmed

Penny Pynnonen

Adriana Arminio

Berina Rajakumar

I really enjoyed creating these cards. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Karen

cardmaking · papercrafting

Spellbinders Die Cut Dogwood Blossom Card

Karen Brown2 Comments
Spellbinders Susan's Garden Favorites Dogwood Card.

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.
  • The flower center is an enamel dot.
  • I wanted to anchor the background so I die cut a frame using Spellbinders Essential Rectangles from 80 lb. cardstock.
  • I assembled the card with liquid glue (frame) and foam tape for the leaves, blooms and sentiment.
Quick Video to Show the DIY Glitter Paper
Die Cut Dogwood Blossom Card with DIY handmade glitter paper background.

I changed the position of the branch on the second card and also let the background peek around the edges of the frame.

Die Cut Floral Card + Gel Press Prints

The shimmer is so much prettier in person. I think when I post to Instagram I will do a little reel so you can see the sparkle better.

Using Gel Press Prints in die cutting + How to Make DIY Glitter Cardstock

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

cardmaking · papercrafting

Spellbinders Adoring Fleurette Card Builder Dies

Karen Brown2 Comments
Mixed media card using Spellbinders Adoring Fleurette Card Builder dies from the Classically Becca Collection.

Hello! I have a mixed media card I created using Spellbinders Adoring Fleurette Card Builder dies from the Classically Becca Collection.

I started by sorting through my gel press prints. I really liked the blue print for my background and thought pink and green would look great as accent colors. The lattice die is so beautiful and I wanted to show it off so I went for a high contrast look. I like that the lattice die is the focal point of the card.

My Process:

  • The lattice die is both intricate and delicate, so I ran it through my die-cutting machine three times to ensure a crisp clean cut.
  • I die cut flowers and leaves. The tulips are from the this kit and I added flowers and greenery from Spellbinders Petite Floral Potpourri, which is a favorite of mine.
  • I also die cut (2X) the Adoring You sentiment included in this kit.
  • I wanted an A2 card so I cut my background down to 4 x 5 1/4″. I added a layer of craft foam to my card base and then attached my background.
  • Next I layered the elements of my card using the fine tip of Bearly Glue.
  • To finish the card I added enamel dots to the flower centers. I used the lightest color from Shades of Purple. I think enamel dots really help finish a project and they are probably my most used embellishment.
Spellbinders Adoring Fleurette Card Builder kit.

Thanks so much for visiting!

Karen