Tag: Hello Card

cardmaking · Die cutting

Spellbinders | Rocky the Dancin’ Yeti | Monster Friends Collection

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Adorable female die cut Yeti handmade card in oranges and purple.

Imagine receiving a cheerful Yeti card to brighten your day—whether it’s a simple “hello” or a get-well wish, this handmade card will surely bring a smile. This die set is called Rocky the Dancin’ Yeti, buy I’ve renamed my set “Roxy” since I created a sweet furry little girl. Rocky is a new Spellbinders Paper Arts release.

Yetis are mythical Himalayan Abominal Snowmen, but this cutie from the Monster Friends Collection is not frightening at all! Using die-cutting techniques, you can easily bring this charming character to life. This die set is great for playing card-making dress up. The kit includes lots of extra accessories like scarves, ear muffs, knit caps etc.

Creating This Card:

  • I started by die cutting my Yeti components using my compact Scout Machine. I love small sets that work well with table die-cutters. I used Persimmon, Peridot and Sunshine from the Happy Day Cardstock Pack. I used Amythest for my base, and I really like the contrast. The other colors came from my scrap drawer.
  • I frequently use Sarah Renae Clarks Color Cubes Volume 1 and Volume 2 for color inspiration. I received mine for my birthday and they are a great gift!
  • My background and mats were die-cut using my Scallop Edge Infinity Dies.
  • I chose a fun font sentiment from Hero Arts Birthday Animals Stamp.
  • TIP: Some of the pieces are small so I found using a fine tip glue worked well. I used Bearly Glue.
Rocky the Dancin' Yeti die cut Hello handmade card from Spellbinders Monster Friends kit.

Happy crafting, and I hope Roxy the Yeti brought you a bit of cheer!

Karen

cardmaking · Die cutting · Stamping

Altenew | Layered Stamping with the Bird of the Woods Set

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Creating with Altenew's Bird of the Woods Stamp and Die Bundle using blue and yellow inks.

Today, I’m thrilled to share with you some delightful inspiration featuring Altenew’s enchanting Bird of the Woods Layering Stamp set and coordinating dies. This bundle is so fun and versatile and the color possibilities are endless!

Altenew is hosting an Instagram Hop with loads of prizes and this is the card I made for the Hop. Click HERE if you’d like to join us! The hop ends April 1st.

Altenew’s StampWheel is just perfect for this project because you can easily stamp your outline and then do your layer stamping. The sticky mat holds everything perfectly in place. I put my layered stamps all around the top so that once I had everything positioned, I could set up an assembly line and rotate for multiple cards.

My background is another old favorite called Burlap Texture die.

Cardmaking with Altenew Bird of the Woods stamp and die bundle.

Products Used:

So grab your favorite cardstock, ink pads, and embellishments, and let’s get crafting! Join me as we explore the endless creative possibilities of Altenew’s Bird of the Woods stamp and die kit. Happy crafting!

Karen

BetterPress · cardmaking · Rainbow Colors

Spellbinders | Using Rainbow Colored Ink with Spellbinders BetterPress System

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Using Rainbow Colored ink on Spellbinders Mirrored Arch BetterPress plates.

Rainbow Colors + BetterPress

I am still in love with my BetterPress System! For my first card, I decided to create a rainbow effect with Spellbinders new plates called Mirrored Arch Nested Sprigs. They are from the Mirrored Arch Collection.

I used Mulberry and Cosmic Sky inks from The Regal Tones Ink set, Apricot from the Desert set and French Blue, Wild Berry and Saffron from Nature Tones. I didn’t have a green so I used Mowed Lawn Distress Ink and it worked just fine.

The Mirrored Arch Nested Sprigs has one main plate plus three frames that you can use to mix and match. I used all four plates for my card. I inked the plates with all my rainbow colors and ran through my BetterPress machine just once. This ensured there was no shifting. I used Porcelain Better Press paper.

I have a Blog Post titled 9 Tips, Tricks and Insights for Spellbinders BetterPress System that you can read HERE.

Combining BetterPress with Embossing Folders
Spellbinders BetterPress Copperplate Hello, Coastal Blue ink and Luxe Backdrop and Border Emboss and Cut folder.

Spellbinders just introduced an elegant new line called CopperPlate. I love the simplicity of this line and I combined the Hello with a beautiful Emboss and Cut Folder that has two patterns plus an edge cutting die.

For my BetterPress panel, I used Coastal Blue from the Desert Ink set on Porcelain Cardstock.

I embossed two panels with the Luxe Backdrop and Border folder as I wanted to layer them so I had a second edge peeking out of the bottom. I then cut both panels with the coordinating die. I added some craft foam for added dimension.

Products Used:

Cardmaking Kit · Die cutting · Stamping

Hero Arts | My Monthly Hero January 2024 Release + Blog Hop

Karen Brown32 Comments
January 2024 My Monthly Hero Premium Kit Card

Have you seen the wonderful new Hero Arts My Monthly Hero Kit for January 2024? The theme is Love, Flowers and Friendship…so versatile!


The Classic Kit is a $70 Value for $36.99
The Premium Kit is a $106 Value for $49.99

Premium Subscription Kit

I can’t seem to get enough of the fun florals in this month’s Premium Kit! (If you would like to see my first card featuring these dies, click HERE. ) I love the fresh look of these blooming dies and I so enjoyed creating and working on the layout for this card.

Die cut floral "Hello Friend" card in aqua, orange, navy and grey.

I’ve listed the products used below:

January 2024 Add-On Cards:

This month’s Add-On Collection is just wonderful! You can see the entire collection HERE. I have two Add-On cards that I wanted to share today.

Love You So Much Die Cut Valentine

Love You So Much rainbow die-cut valentine made using the inlay technique + cover plate die.

The instant I saw this Love You So Much cover die, I knew I wanted to do layers of rainbow color for each band. If you wanted to mass produce cards you could easily change up the color order and do 7+ cards in no time. I used Coral, Peacock, Paradise, Kiwi, Canary, Papaya, Amethyst and Passion Flower cardstock.

Hero Arts Arts Love You So Much Cover Plate + rainbow Valentine - DF-188

Products Used:

Valentine Wreath in Scandinavian Blue

Quick and Easy stamped and die-cut valentine wreath in Scandinavian blue.

This Valentine Wreath die is SO beautiful! It has the simple yet elegant look of Letter Press and I thought it would be quite striking with a fresh bright blue and clean white color palette. I stamped the wreath with Indigo Core Ink and then die cut the wreath, an extra floral cluster (which I added to the bottom of the wreath) and the sentiment. I cut down an A2 Top Folding Card Base to 4 1/4 x 4 1/4″ and adhered my die cuts with foam adhesive squares.

Hero Arts Valentine Wreath square card - SB-397 and CM-753

Products Used:

BLOG HOP:

Hero Arts will give away a $50 gift card, drawn from the comments left across the hop. Enter by Sunday, January 14th at 11:59pm PT, and the winner will be announced on the Hero Arts blog the following week.

Blog Hop Links:

Hero Arts

Hero Arts Creative Team:

Charlene Madrid

Michelle Short

Karen Brown    You Are Here!

Rachel Kleinman

Lydia Fiedler

Dana Joy

Rosie Lopez

Ilina Crouse

Seeka

Natasha Vacca

Mindy Eggen

Channin Pelletier

Jeannie Lieu

Natasha Polite

Heather Ruwe

Pocono Pam

Special Guests:

Nichol Spohr

Emily Midgett

Kelly Taylor

Essie   

I am so glad you could join us for this hop!

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 · 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

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 · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Masculine Mixed Media Card

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Masculine Mixed Media Card.

Masculine cards can be tricky, but I think using bold gel press prints with a mega sentiment works well for the men in our lives.

Mixed Media Collage Card with Gel Press prints.

I sorted through my gel press prints looking for colorful pages that would work well together. I then tore them into strips and pieces and added some doodling with gel pens and Posca pens.

Products Used:

Gel Press

Acrylic Paints

Mixed Media Pad

Mega Hello Die

Leaves and Berries Stencil

Narrow Brick Stencil

Gel Pens

Posca Pens

UHU Glu Stick

Craft Foam

Using Gel Press Prints in Cardmaking,

I am so glad you popped by!

Karen