Spellbinders | Simon Hurley’s Big Hugs 5 Ways

January 19, 2024 Karen BrownLeave a comment

3 Simon Hurley Big Pug Hugs Birthday Cards.

Can you have too many dog stamps? I think not! I am loving Spellbinders + Simon Hurley’s new Big Hugs stamp and die bundle. These cute critters – Pug dog, Panda bear and Zebra – are sure to be favorites in my family. I love this set so much I went a little crazy making cards!

Pug Dog Masculine Birthday Cards

Spellbinders Big Hugs Pug Birthday Scene Card

My first card is for my husband and I wanted to make a quick little scene. I stamped and Copic colored my Pug (complete with a festive party hat), embossed a brick wall, ink blended a background and heat embossed a cute sentiment.

Products Used:

Big Hugs Stamp and Die Bundle (BD-0824)
Big Hugs Stamp Set
Blending Brush
Blue Ink
Brick Wall Embossing Folder
Copic Markers (E31, R20, B24, B29, YG25)
Distress Gathering Twigs Crayon (used on the brick wall)
Platinum 6 Die Cutting Machine

Simon Hurley's Big Hugs Pug Birthday Card

This card is for my dog loving son-in-law. I think the Pug stamp has so much personality!

Products Used:

Big Hugs Stamp and Die Bundle (BD-0824)
Big Hugs Stamp Set
Essential Stylish Ovals Infinity Die (S5-562)
Blending Brush
Blue Ink
Platinum 6 Die Cutting Machine
Copic Markers (E31, R22, B24, B29, YG25)

Quick and Easy Stamped Get Well Card

I like to keep Get Well cards on hand and this card is sure to make the recipient smile. This card came together very quickly. I stamped and Copic colored my Pug and added a blue mat for interest. Just two Copic markers!

Products Used:

Simple Pug Dog and Panda Bear Cards

I heat embossed my last two cards. Quick and easy but the heat embossing adds so much interest.

Two Easy Pug Dog and Panda Bear Cards with Minimal Supplies

I added a quick die cut party hat to this simple card.

Easy Beginner One Layer Panda Bear Card

Products Used:

Thanks for stopping by! I’d love to know which card you like best.

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

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

December 21, 2022December 29, 2022 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.

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.

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:

Karen Brown You Are Here!

Claire Apostoloff Claire is Next!

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 · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Die Cutting + Mixed Media Cards

November 24, 2022 Karen Brown1 Comment

Distressed Mixed Media card using die cut leaves from Altenew's Tropical Mix set.

Shabby Chic Mixed Media Cards

Welcome! I had the idea for a messy mixed media card with fall-color die cut leaves on a brick embossed background. I have to say, this was a really fun creative journey.

The first card is for my friend Paul who thinks I am a mixed media artist and is always encouraging me to do more art. I especially like how the blue panel shows through the leaves on the birthday card.

Using metallic shimmer ink sprays on mixed media cards.

My process:

Using Altenew’s Tropical Leaf Mix Dies and Essential Sentiment Strips, I die cut three leaves and two sentiments from kraft card stock.
On my craft mat, I made three puddles of ink: Orange Cream Metallic Shimmer Ink Spray + Water, Warm Sunshine Metallic Shimmer Spray + water and Infusions Frankly Scarlet Colored Stain. I then dabbed portions of each die cut into each puddle of ink. I did this 2 or 3 times until I was happy with the colors.
Using a panel of Neenah 110 cardstock, I dabbed some Espresso Ink onto my craft mat, spritzed with a bit of water and then dabbed in my cardstock. I did the same thing with a panel of kraft paper.
On the Neenah panel, I repeated the process with Ocean Waves Metallic Shimmer Ink Spray plus water.
Using Altenew’s Brick Wall 3D Embossing Folder, I embossed the kraft panel.
I painted on some distressing to the brick wall panels using the left over yellow, orange and red inks. You can see I used more red on the birthday card and I really like how that panel turned out.
Next, I added lots of spatters using the left over red, orange and yellow ink. I also added white (Pure White Ink Spray) and black (Jet Black Ink Spray).
After the splatters dried, I distressed the edges with more Espresso Ink and a finger dauber.
I made a brown top folding A2 card base and then assembled my card. I glued the brick panel directly to the card base but used Instant Dimension Foam Tape to adhere the blue panel to the bricks. I glued the leaves at a jaunty angle and added a small bow.

Altenew's Bricked Wall 3D Embossing Folder on Mixed Media cards.

I love the grungy vintage look of these two cards.

Shabby Chic grungy distressed mixed media card with die cut leaves.

Thank you for stopping by!

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Masculine Mixed Media Card

August 26, 2022August 17, 2022 Karen BrownLeave a comment

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:

Leaves and Berries Stencil

I am so glad you popped by!

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Altenew July 2022 Summer Love Collection Release Blog Hop + Giveaway ($300 in Total Prizes!)

July 22, 2022July 24, 2022 Karen Brown43 Comments

Altenew Fantasy Emblem 3D Embossing Folder

Altenew's Fantasy Emblem 3D Embossing Folder done in faux metallic using an Antique Bronze Distress Crayon.

Hello and thanks for stopping by! Altenew just released a lovely collection of 3D Embossing Folders as part of their Summer Love Collection, and I made 3 very different projects. I started by making a very masculine card using the Fantasy Emblem 3D Embossing Folder. My inspiration was an antique metal medallion.

My Process:

I started by embossing a piece of black cardstock with the Fantasy Emblem 3D Embossing Folder.
Next I tinted white pigment ink with Ocean Waves Crisp Dye Ink. On my craft mat, I dabbed the pigment ink and then Ocean Waves Crisp Dye Ink next to the white and then I mixed the two together. I blended this all over the embossed panel to “age” the cardstock.
I colored Antique Bronze Distress Crayon on the raised areas and then blended with my finger.
I die cut my sentiment (Script Words Die) from kraft card stock and then attached my panel to a kraft base.

This card was quick and easy to make but looks so rich in person.

Masculine Faux Metallic Medallion handmade card + 3D embossing folder

Altenew Playful Circles 3D Embossing Folder

This embossing folder is definitely a new favorite that will work with so many papercrafting projects! Today, I combined Altenew’s Craft-A-Flower: Garden Rose with the very versatile Playful Circles 3D Embossing Folder. The embossing folder adds loads of texture and interest to the card. The embossed panel is very pretty on both sides….depressed and impressed.

Products Used:

Altenew Playful Circles 3 D Embossing Folder + Enchanting Washes designer paper pack.

Altenew Flower Vines 3D Embossing Folder

A "Shabby Chic" handmade card + Altenew's Flower Vines 3D Embossing Folder.

For my last card I went for a whimsical Shabby Chic look.

I started by ink blending my panel with Altenew’s Ocean Waves Crisp Dye Ink.
After the ink dried, I embossed the panel with the Flower Vines 3D Embossing Folder.
Using a Mini Ink Blending Brush, I very lightly inked the raised floral elements with Dusk Dye Ink.
I gently applied clear pigment ink to portions of the panel and then sprinkled on Golden Peach Embossing Powder. I brushed most of the embossing powder off but left the powder in and around the embossed crevices. I heat set the powder.
I inked the sides of the panel with clear pigment ink, applied Golden Peach Embossing Powder and then heat set.
I die cut my sentiment, Altenew’s Thanks Die, and gently inked the die cut with Ocean Waves Crisp Dye Ink to “age” it a bit so it wasn’t so white. I popped it on a card base and was done.

Altenew's Flower Vines 3D Embossing Folder handmade card.

Special Offer!

Receive a FREE Ultra Sticky Double Sided Tape ($11.99 value) on orders over $79 from 07/22/2022 at 12:01 am EDT until 07/24/2022 at 11:59 pm EDT. The free gift will be added to cart automatically. Find more details on the Promotions page.

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 07/28/2022 for a chance to win.

Altenew will draw 10 winners randomly from the comments left on each stop of this blog hop and announce the winners on the Altenew Winners Page on 07/29/2022.

Blog Hop Order

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

Annemarie Caister

Linda Westfall

Karen Brown You made it to the end!

I love all three projects! Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

cardmaking · papercrafting

Fun Masculine Birthday Card

February 18, 2022January 31, 2022 Karen Brown4 Comments

A humorous masculine card featuring Photoplay Fetch and Simon Says Stamp Stacking Animals.

This card is for my future son-in-law. Masculine cards can be difficult and my go-to for men is fun and whimsical. I achieved that by using two old favorites: Photoplay Fetch combined with Simon Says Stamp Stacking Animals. I love that bird!

My Process:

I started by stamping the silly dog and bird, then colored them with Copics and lastly die cut them.
The background is both fun and vibrant. I ink blended distress ink onto watercolor paper and then I “bleached” circles for a bokeh look. For the bleaching, I took a circle stamp, painted water on with a paint brush and then stamped the circle onto my background.
I then made a frame using Altenew’s Rounded Rectangle Dies and stamped my sentiment.
I assembled using lots of foam tape.

Photoplay Fetch + Simon Says Stamp Stacking Animals bird for a dog themed birthday card.

The “Fetch” Dog Stamp is also available on Amazon:

Photoplay Paper PhotoPlay Photopolymer Stamp-Fetch,

Thanks for stopping by today!

Karen

Uncategorized

Altenew Adventures Ahead Stamps/Dies/Stencils/More Collection Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

June 4, 2021 Karen Brown33 Comments

Hello! I was so excited and inspired by Altenew\’s June Adventures Ahead Stamp and Die Collection that I created 8 cards! So many ideas!

Die Cutting With Scraps

Altenew\’s Color Bands dies are wonderful and at a great price point! If you like to die-cut there are endless possibilites….I found them so addiciting! For this first card, I used brightly colored scraps of gel press prints. My inspiration was gum drops and I die cut 14 rainbow hued \”gum drops\” and adhered them to my card with foam tape. I crafted my slimline card using the Nesting Slim Rectangles Die Set.

Die Cutting With Gel Press Prints

I wanted rainbow colors for my \”squiggles\” card also. I used the same Color Bands Dies as above.

$Die cutting with Altenew\'s Color Band die set.$

I selected an assortment of simple gel press prints and started die cutting. I took a quick photo (below) of the print assortment I started with. I wanted lots of beautiful white space so I again used Altenew\’s Nesting Slim Rectangle Dies to make another slimline card.

3D Embossing Gel Press Prints

I don\’t think I can ever have too many brick elements to craft with so I was very excited about Altenew\’s new Brick Wall 3D Embossing Folder. For this card I took a gel press print and ran it through my embossing machine. I think this panel makes a beautiful background for my two Cosmos Die Cut Flowers.

Vintage Feel Scene Card

I was captivated by the new Seas The Day stamp and die bundle. I love a good scene card and thought it would be fun to create a vignette of a girl watching a boat race. I went with an off-white vintage feel and made two of these…one for my daughter and one to go with a graduation gift. And, don\’t you just love those animated Pelicans!

Four Quick and Easy Cards

I came up with an idea for a quick and easy masculine card. The lines on the Seas The Day sailboat are just beautiful and I thought a \”blueprint look\” would be very striking. I stamped the boat with Saphire from the Glacier Caves mini ink cube set. I then hand inked an accent panel and sentiment strip with the same Saphire ink and Altenew\’s Large Blending Tool and set this behind the sailboat to frame the top panel. I like the coordinating saphire sentiment band (Altenew Essential Sentiment Strips). Very easy, very striking and very masculine…a winning combination.

$A quick and easy masculine card featuring the sail boat for Altenew\'s Seas The Day Stamp set.$

It is graduation season so my last three cards are for the graduate. The detail on the Feathered Friends dies is beautiful! I die cut three from cardstock and then popped them on a white Brick Wall 3D Embossing Folder panel and added a die-cut Essential Sentiment Strips sentiment.

These next two cards came together very quickly! The backgrounds are from the Rainbow Blots 6×6\” Paper Pack which is filled with gorgeous papers with highly saturated color. These packs are at a great price point and with 24 sheets, you can make loads of projects.

Using the Rainbow Blots paper pack, I trimmed down two panels and then die cut two sets of sentiments using Altenew\’s new Reach For The Stars die. This sentiment definitely makes a statement!

I am sending these two cards with graduation gifts.

Are You Ready For Some 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 06/09/2021 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 06/11/2021.

You\’ve probably just seen Bridget Casey\’s lovely projects and you will love Laurie Willison\’s post.

BLOG HOP:

Altenew Card Blog

Are You Ready to Shop? Free Gift Oportunities:

Here are THREE ways to get a FREEBIE to kickstart your creativity! Free gift will be added to cart automatically.

· Get a FREE brand new Adventures Ahead Release Inspiration Guide (worth $5.99) with every order of high-value Exotic Garden release bundles. SHOP HERE! *Exclusions apply.

· Get a FREE brand new Creative Jump Start Class with every order from the new Adventures Ahead release collection from 6/04/2021 through 6/10/2021. SHOP HERE!

· Get a FREE brand new Adventures Ahead Release Mini Inspiration Guide with every order from 06/04/2021 through 06/06/2021. Shop HERE!

I am honored that you stopped by my blog…thank you! If you have another moment, I would love to hear which card you like best.

Karen

Uncategorized

WWC309 – Dawn\’s Challenge: Anything Masculine Goes

February 17, 2021 Karen Brown4 Comments

Masculine Get Well Card

Hello and welcome! This is my design team card for this week\’s Watercooler Wednesday \”Masculine\” Challenge and Dawn is our hostess.

I made a cheeky get well card using Simon Says Stamp Stacking Animals and this big bold sentiment from the Ranger Letter It Greetings stamp set. I also added a bit of Nuvo Crystal Glaze to the two beaks.

We would love to see your card in our gallery.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Uncategorized

WWC285 – Karen\’s Challenge: Anything Goes with a Masculine Twist

August 19, 2020 Karen Brown8 Comments

Hello and welcome! I am so pleased to be hosting this week\’s \”Masculine Challenge\” at the Watercooler Wedenesday Challenge. My husband\’s birthday is coming up and this is the card I created for him. I was going for a playful summery card.

My process:

I started out by inkblending over a stencil to create the background panel.
I then ink blended another small panel for the circle die-cut inserts. I let both panels dry for a few hours.
I die cut the decorative wave border and then three circles from a piece of white card stock.
I then die cut three ink-blended circles from the small panel.
I stamped, Copic colored and die cut the animals.
I adhered the white panel to the blue background using foam tape. I also used foam tape to add the colored circle inserts for an inlaid look. I popped on the animals with foam squares and added the sentiment.

My husband loves animal die-cuts so I think he will really like the card.

Supplies Used:

My Favorite Things Lucky Dog

Simon Says Stamp Stacking Animals

Sugar Pea Designs Element Builder (wave border)

Simon Says Stamp Grid Stencil

Simon Says Stamp Stitched Circle dies

Distress Ink

Bristol Card Stock for ink blending

XPress It Card Stock for the animals

Copic Markers

I am also playing along with:

Inspired By “Critters” Challenge My husband loves critters, dog etc. so that is the theme of my birthday card.

AAA Birthday “Tic Tac Toe” I went with bright (summery colors), embossing (sentiment) and masculine (for my husband).

Allsorts Summer Fun Challenge

UPDATE: I was so pleased to see my card was selected \”Top 3\” at The AAA Birthday Challenge.

I am so pleased that you stopped by!

Karen

Uncategorized

WWC280 – Kath\’s Challenge: Anything Goes with a Masculine Twist

July 15, 2020 Karen Brown8 Comments

Hello and welcome. We are making \”masculine\” cards this week at The Watercooler Wednesday and this is my design team card. I was in need of some masculine get well cards and came up with this idea.

I started by stamp block inking, but I used a minimal amount of water to get this speckled look. I made a similar background (same ink color but more water here). I trimmed the panel down and then inked the edges with the same ink as the background to give the panel a bit more definition. I added a sentiment and then stamped, Copic colored and die cut the plant and snail and attached with foam tape. I like how the card turned out.