Tag: Mixed Media card

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

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

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.

Messy masculine mixed media card

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.

Altenew Craft A Flower Open Peony

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:

Altenew Card Blog

Erin Thompson

Annemarie Caister

Seeka

Karen Brown You Are Here!

Claire Apostoloff Claire is Next!

Mindy Eggen

Fiona Duff

Karen Reátegui

Carol Hintermeier

Bobby Hagen

Michelle Short

Lorena Brougher

Michelle Burnier

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

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

Altenew November 2022 Simply Scientific Stamps/Dies/Stencils Release + Giveaway ($300 in Total Prizes!) 

Karen Brown19 Comments
A bright cheerful card using Altenew's Radial Circles Cover Die.

Altenew’s Radial Circles Cover Die

Hello and welcome to Altenew’s Simply Scientific Release and Blog Hop! There is lots of wonderfulness in this collection. I was instantly attracted to the Radial Circles Cover Die and I used it on three of my cards today.

I started by making a background using the “Direct To Paper” method. I used 8 colors of Altenew Crisp Dye Inks in blues, greens and aquas and I just swipped the ink cube over my cardstock. I wanted the edges darker than the middle but that was the extent of my plan. Don’t worry about blending, it will look great under the die cut panel. I love the bold vivid color from this technique.

Direct to Paper Background panel.
Direct to Paper Background

For the cover die, I used a metal shim for precise die cutting.

I thought a wreath would look pretty around the sentiment and I colored the leaves with my Altenew watercolor brush markers for a bright cheerful card.

A bright colorful card using Altenew's Radial Circles Cover Die and the Weekend Doodles Stamp and Die Bundle.

Products Used:

"Direct to Paper" background with blues and aquas using Altenew Radial Circles Cover Die,

Quick and Easy Card

If you want a quick and easy card with loads of impact, you can quickly make a background with the Direct to Paper technique described above and then just pop on a die cut cover panel and stamp a sentiment.

A quick and easy bold handmade card in blues, aquas and greens.

Altenew’s Chemistry Vases Stamp, Die and Coloring Stencil

For my next card, I used bright bold primary colors for a “school vibe”. My daughter is a scientist at a university and I made this card for her.

I started by making a background with strips cut from gel press prints. The background was easy to make and came together very quickly.

I used the Chemistry Vases stamp, coloring stencil and die for my beaker. I used Altenew Crisp Dye Inks in the following colors: Soft Lilac for the shadow, Coral Berry, Puffy Heart, Moon Rock for the beaker outline and Jet Black for the markings.

A handmade card using Altenew's Chemistry Vases stamp, die and coloring stencil bundle.

Products Used:

I love the adorably punny sentiments included in this set!

Handmade card with Bright Primary Colors for a School Vibe perfect for a teacher, professor, scientist or student.

For my last card, I combined Altenew’s Chemistry Vases Bundle with the Radial Circles Cover die. I have a friend who runs a medical laboratory and I thought this card would be perfect for her birthday. I used a taupe A2 card base, added a floral embellishment from the Bitty Bits Ephemera Kit and topped it with a pink enamel dot.

A birthday card for a scientist using Altenew's Chemistry Vases stamp, die and coloring stencil.

I think this Chemistry Vases set is perfect for students, teachers, scientists, professors, and medical professionals.

Altenew's Radial Circles Cover Die + Chemistry Vases Bundle.

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 11/06/2022 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 10/08/2022.

Blog Hop Order:


Altenew Blog

Anna Mahtani

Caly Person

Emily Midgett

Helen Kalb

Jaycee Gaspar

Jenny Colacicco

Karen Brown. You Are Here!

Nathalie DeSousa. Nathalie is next and I know you will love her post!

Therese Calvird

I am so pleased you stopped by!

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Using Colorful Paper Scraps on Handmade Cards

Karen Brown1 Comment
Using Colorful Scraps on DIY Rainbow Hued Grid Cards.

Rainbow Colored Grid Card

Hello and thanks for stopping by! I was in a mood to use my paper scraps again. My old square paper punch was out of whack so I purchased a new one and put it to use cutting squares from leftover colorful gel press scraps. I LOVE this bold rainbow hued look! I die cut an extra large sentiment: Altenew’s Mega Hello to finish the card.

Using Leftover Gel Press Scraps on handmade cards.

Thanks for popping 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

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Spellbinders + Cathe Holden’s Flea Market Finds

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Quick and Easy Vintage Card featuring Cathe Holden's Flea Market Finds Ephemera, printed die cuts and stamps.

Cathe Holden’s “Flea Market Finds” Ephemera

Hello! I am so excited to show you Spellbinders new product line from Cathe Holden called Flea Market Finds. Cathe is a well known fabric designer and collector of vintage miscellany and she just released a wonderful assortment of printed die-cuts, paper samplers, stamps and stencils in collaboration with Spellbinders. Cathe put so much thought into every product and they all work SO well together.

For the past week, I have been playing in my craft room and I’d like to show you what I created. Hold on, becuase I have seven cards to share with you today. The card above was so fun to make!

My Recipe For Card 1:

On this card, I used all the products “as is” with no distressing. I started with the background where I layered 2 different papers, one from the neutral palette and one from the Blue Green pack. Next, I started adding stickers and diecuts. The bird image is framed with a third paper from Cathe’s Neutral Sampler.

Vintage Shabby Chic Card

Vintage Shabby Chic handmade card using Spellbinders Cathe Holden stencil and die cut ephemera.
Vintage Shabby Chic Handmade Get Well Card

For my Shabby Chic card, I started by ink blending Tumbled Glass Distress Ink on my panel. I added Frayed Burlap Ink around the ages for a vintage feel. I let the panel dry and then added Grit Paste through stencil #1 of the Layered Vintage Floral Stencil. I really like how the background turned out. I wanted an even more vintage look so I ran my Tea Dye Distress Crayon around the edges of the background and die cut and then blended the pigment with my fingers. The card base was covered with paper from the Blue Green Paper Palette.

Cardmaking With Ephemera

Vintage Collage Style Card using Spellbinders Flea Market Finds die cuts, stamps and stickers.
Aren’t the little bakers just the cutest?

My third card is a collage style card pieced together with designer paper, printed die-cuts and stamps. I used 1.25″ squares of paper cut from the Neutrals and Blue Green Samplers for my background. I distressed my background panel and the die cuts with a Distress Crayon and then added lots of ephemera.

Grunged Up Vintage Look Card

Grunged up Mixed Media Card using Spellbinders Flea Market Finds Stamps and Stickers.

I started my grunged up card by making a background panel. I blended tumbled glass distress ink and then added a bit of frayed burlap. I then ink blended a second panel for my die cut circles. I used Antique Linen Distress Ink and then added a bit of frayed burlap. I let the panels dry and then added Distress Grit Paste through my bricked stencil. I wanted it to look rough and old so I didn’t cover the entire stencil. After the grit paste was dry, I rubbed a Distress Crayon around the edges and blended it out onto the panel with my finger. I also gently rubbed some on the top of the panel so you could really see the crackle finish. Next, I die cut my circles and rubbed distress crayon around the edges and then blended onto the top with my fingers. I added two stickers to two of the circles and then stamped over them. The middle circle is just the roughly stamped cute flower truck. The matting is from the blue green sampler.

Quick and Easy Vintage Look Card

Quick and Easy Vintage Look Handmade Card using Flea Market Finds Printed Die Cuts.

This was the fastest and easiest card to make. I started with a page from the Neutral Sampler for my Background. I then layered on 3 Happy Thoughts and 2 Home Arts printed die cuts. I stamped a sentiment onto the flower basket and added a fun little paper clip from my stash.

Stenciled Background on Vintage Look Card

Spellbinders + Cathe Holden Layered Vintage Floral Stencil for Card Background,
Stenciled Background

Cathe Holden included a beautiful stencil in her collection and I used it for my background on this card. I added 2 stickers and 1 stamp to complete the card.

Using Printed Die Cuts in Cardmaking

Using Cathe Holden's Flea Market Finds in cardmaking

This was another card that came together very quickly using die cuts and stickers.

Using Flea Market Finds Miscellany on handmade cards.

Here is a group photo of the seven cards I created.

Cathe Holden Flea Market Finds handmade cards.

I had so much fun creating these cards. If you have a moment, let me know which is your favorite.

Thank you!

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Crazy Quilt Mixed Media Card

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Colorful Crazy Quilt inspired background for my Mixed Media Paper Artsy Whimsical Tree card.

Just playing and experimenting today. I got the idea of making a bright colorful background inspired by crazy quilts.

My Process:

  • I started by painting a freehand grid using acrylic paints. No measuring, just eyeballing it. I was aiming to have each grid be about 1 1/4″ X 1 1/4″. Since I was playing, I custom mixed the colors.
  • Next, using Derwent Inktense pencils, I outlined each square in one or more colors. I also added some colored pencil squiggles, doodles and shapes.
  • A bit of stamping came next.
  • And I knew I wanted several colors of paint splatters.
  • Using Posca Pens, I added dots and other marks.
  • To finish the card, I stamped this whimsical tree from Paper Artsy on the background and then again on white cardstock. I fussy cut the trees and used foam squares to add dimesion to the project.
  • The sentiment is from Waffle Flowers: Rainbows Stamp Set.
Bright colorful whimsical painted grid mixed media card

This card was so fun to create! As always, thanks for stopping by!

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Altenew Inked Lotus + Custom Color Mixed Backgrounds

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Altenew's Inked Lotus Stamp + Custom Mixing Acrylic Backgrounds

Hello, a little playtime in my art studio today. My friend Paul has been encouraging me to create some small art pieces in addition to the cards I typically make. He suggested that I give them as gifts to my girls, so here goes my first and second attempt!

Framed collage Mixed Media art project
Here I framed Project 1 and put it on display

Custom mixing acrylic ink swatches to use on Mixed Media Art Backgrounds.

I decided to custom mix acrylic paint for my backgrounds and found it very addicting! In fact, I made more panels than I originally intended. The swatches remind me of the colorful paint chips you find at the hardware store.

How To Custom Mix Acrylic Ink Swatches.

MY PROCESS:

  • I put acrylic paint dabs of each of the three primary colors + white on a paper plate. You can use any hue of red, yellow and blue.
  • I started with yellow and added a tiny bit of red and blended. When I liked the color, I painted a rectangle onto Mixed Media Paper. I used a silcone brush, which added a fun bit of extra texture.
  • Next, I added white to the first orangey color I mixed. I added a lot of white to many of the subsequent colors for a softer more muted color. Those muted shades were the colors I chose to use on today’s projects, but I have lots of color swatches left over for future projects. I kept mixing and painting until I’d filled up a page. I think I created 4 pages.
  • For Project #1, I tore two strips for the main background. For Project #2, I tore each color into an individual rectangle so there are a lot more white seams visible.
  • Next, I pieced together my background with other interesting scraps and fodder that I had in my studio. I love UHU glue sticks for mixed media gluing. For Project #2, I also added a strip of Altenew’s Painted Grid Washi Tape to ground the panel.
  • My focal element, Altenew’s Inked Lotus, was stamped onto pages torn from an old cookbook. I used Ranger Archival Ink.
  • Using Derwent Watercolor Pencils, I shaded the lotus and then blended the color with a wet brush. When the flower was dry, I glued the bloom to my background.
  • Last, I added a few marks with Posca pens and Micropens.
Laying out Mixed Media Fodder.
Selecting the fodder papers to complete the look
Custom mixing acrylic paint for Mixed Media Backgrounds.
The background panels and focal elements

I couldn’t stop without making a card too, so I created a campanion birthday card to go with panel #2.

Altenew Inked Lotus Stamp + Acrylic Paint Blending

Thank you for visiting! If you have a moment, let me know which project you like best. Let me know what you think…I always love getting feedback.

Thanks,

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Visible Images “Live in the Moment” Stamped Dragonfly Cards

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Visible Images "Live in the Moment" stamped dragonfly sympathy card.

Don’t you just love Dragonflies? I really like how this sympathy card turned out. I heat embossed the dragonfly from Visible Images “Live in the Moment” stamp set on a gel press print and added a Rubbernecker Three Line Frame border.

Heat embossed dragonfly handmade card

My sister-in-law loves dragonflies too so I made this card for her birthday this month. I ink blended my background and then heat embossed the dragonflies and sentiment.

Handmade heat embossed dragonfly card with ink blend background.

I had a strip of background left over so I made a third card…I love bonus cards!

I am so glad you stopped by!

Karen

cardmaking · Mixed Media · papercrafting

Easy Gel Press Print Cards

Karen Brown2 Comments
Mixed Media card made with Gel Press Prints and floral die cuts: WPlus9 Doodle Buds.

Hello! I recently spent a most enjoyable afternoon making acrylic gel press prints and then I turned four panels into cards. For my first card, I used Altenew’s Bubble Wrap Stencil to add varation to my background. I die cut my background using The Greetery’s Crimped Frame die, and then die cut blooms using WPlus9 Doodle Buds stamp and die bundle. I drew in stems with paint pens and assembled my card with foam squares.

Mixed Media Acrylic Rainbow print turned into a card.

For my second card, I put 7 dots of acrylic paint on my gel press and brayered one direction horizontally so the ink would gently blend but would also maintain the bands of color. I brayered the excess ink onto a second page. I added a die cut bloom, stem and Hello sentiment.

Gel Press Printing using Altenew's Leaves and Berries Stencil.

The background on Card #3 used Altenew’s Leaves and Berries stencil. My bottom layer was orange, yellow and green. Next, I placed the stencil on the wet paint and blotted most of the orange that showed through onto a piece of copy paper. I let the paint dry a minute and then gently brayered on light blue acrylic paint, removed the stencil and pulled the print. I think the background is so beautiful for a floral card. The sentiment is from Altenew’s Birthday Greetings.

Mixed Media Card featuring Hero Arts I Am Puffer For You stamped fish.

The background on card #4 started with yellow and green paint on layer 1. I placed Simons Says Stamp’s Ring Cluster Stencil on the wet paint and then blotted most of the paint that showed through the stencil with a sheet of copy paper. I then brayered on light blue paint, removed the stencil and pulled the print. It was bright and fun and reminded me of the ocean so I went with an aquatic theme. The cute little puffer fish (Hero Arts I am Puffer For You) were stamped and fussy cut and a Hello sentiment was stamped on the background.,

Supplies:

Acrylic Paint Kit

Brayer Set

Gel Press Printing Plate

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen