Tag: thank you card.

Thanks a latte thank you card featuring House Mouse. Cute Coffee Theme Thank You Card Featuring House Mouse
cardmaking · Stamping

Cute Coffee Theme Thank You Card Featuring House Mouse

Karen BrownLeave a comment

Today I’m sharing a cute square coffee-themed thank you card featuring the House Mouse Brew-tiful Day rubber stamp from Spellbinders. I can never resist a coffee pun, so I went with “Thanks a latte” for my sentiment—one of my all-time favorites!

Key Products Used:

Cute square "thanks a latte" thank you card featuring the House Mouse Brew-tiful stamp.

I stamped the adorable image and colored it with Copic markers:

Copic Colors Used:

  • Cup & Spoon: YG01, YG03, YG05
  • Coffee: E55, E25
  • Glass: BG00, B00
  • Mouse: E40, E21, R20
  • Shadows: N0, N1

Before stamping, I simply trimmed the included sentiment using my Spellbinders Shears so only “Thanks a latte” remained—super easy! The little scene includes our sweet mouse taking a sip from a giant (to him!) latte cup, with a coffee bean canister behind him. Such a cute little tableau!

I die-cut the panel with the Hero Arts Rounded Jewel Infinity Dies—I think this soft shape fits the cozy vibe perfectly. Then I added craft foam behind the panel and mounted it onto a ColorWheel Rainforest green A2 card base.

Stamped House Mouse scene card featuring a mouse sipping coffee from a giant latte cup.

This card comes together very quickly and is so fun to color. House Mouse is always popular with card recipients—every little mouse scene just makes you smile!

I’ll link to several other House Mouse posts I’ve created, because I just can’t resist these sweet little critters. You can see House Mouse is a definite favorite!

Thanks a latte for stopping by today! ☕🐭

Copic colored House Mouse sipping a big coffee in a cute thank you card with “Thanks a Latte” sentiment on a green card base.
Foodie theme die cut brunch card. Bold Color Block Brunch Theme Card | Spellbinders November Kit
Cardmaking Kit · Die cutting · papercrafting

Bold Color Block Brunch Theme Card | Spellbinders November Kit

Karen Brown1 Comment
Handmade brunch-themed card with bold color-block rectangles in pink, green, lilac, and blue, featuring die-cut egg, bacon, champagne glass, and waffle with stick arms and legs, plus a 'Thanks a Brunch' sentiment.

Let’s Do Brunch! | Spellbinders November 2025 Small Die of the Month

If you love playful cardmaking and adorable food-themed dies, this month’s Spellbinders Die of the Month — Let’s Do Brunch — is going to spark so much joy! This clever die set is packed with cheeky breakfast and brunch icons, complete with arms, legs, and serious personality. Think cute eggs, dancing bacon, bubbly champagne… all ready to brunch and boogie.

And the sentiment?
“Thanks a Brunch.”

Brunch food theme die cut card created with Spellbinders November 2025 Die of the Month Kit.

My Bold + Graphic Brunch Card

For today’s project, I leaned into a bold, graphic color-block look to really spotlight each quirky character. I trimmed and pieced together four vibrant cardstock quadrants to create a modern grid background. The clean, high-contrast shapes make the little food friends shine!

✨ Card Details

  • Theme: Foodie / Brunch / Thank You
  • Style: Modern color-block + cute character die cuts
  • Colors:
  • Characters:
    ✅ Smiling sunny-side-up egg
    ✅ Dancing bacon strip
    ✅ Cheerful champagne glass (cut from vellum for fun transparency!)
    ✅ Sweet little waffle

Each food item gets tiny stick arms and legs — a charming little detail that gives them so much life.

📐 Measurements

To create the crisp color-blocked effect:

  • Cut four rectangles: 2 1/8″ x 2 ¾” each
  • Tape all four from the back
  • Adhere the full panel to an A2 card base to stabilize

Simple steps, big visual impact!

Close-up of smiling die-cut breakfast characters on a modern graphic card with vellum champagne glass and bright pastel cardstock blocks

Design Tips

  • Vellum = perfect for glasses, bottles, and any glass objects
  • Foam Squares behind your food characters adds dimension and personality
  • Mixing playful images with clean graphic lines = fresh modern design

Don’t Miss This Kit!

If you’ve been looking for a unique, fun die set that works for birthdays, thank-yous, brunch invites, foodie friends, or just-because cards — this one’s a winner.

Be sure to check out my post for the November Stitching Die of the Month too — my favorite stitching kit of the year!

Thanks a brunch for stopping by today — and tell me, which cute brunch buddy is your favorite?

Helpful Links:

Two handmade cards featuring stenciled and foiled gifts. Rainbow Ink Stenciled Cards with Foil Accents | Year-Round Inspiration
cardmaking · Hot Foiling · stitching

Rainbow Ink Stenciled Cards with Foil Accents | Year-Round Inspiration

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Two cards in soft pinks and other pastel colors that are stenciled, hot foiled and die cut. The theme is gift wrapped packages and the elements can be used for Christmas, thank you cards, birthdays, showers and graduations.

The new Hero Arts October 2025 Best Gift Ever Collection is here, and I couldn’t resist creating with the Best Gift Ever Boxes Bundle. These products are incredibly versatile—you can use them for birthdays, Christmas, graduations, showers, or anytime you need a festive card. I went with pastel rainbow colors and magenta foil for two cheerful and celebratory designs.

Handmade pastel rainbow card with hot foiled, stenciled and die cut gift packages with magenta foil perfect for a birthday or shower.

✨ Card Process

  1. I began by hot foiling the ribbon and bow details from the Wrap It Up LetterPress + Foil Plates in Magenta Foil on Deluxe Smooth Cardstock. This cardstock gives crisp foiling and smooth ink blending results.
  2. Next, I pulled out the Gorgeous Gifts Layering Stencils to add sherbet-like rainbow colors to my packages.
  3. Once stenciled, I die cut the gifts with the Gift Boxes Die Set. I repeated steps 1-3 twice to create enough pieces for two cards.
  4. For the sentiments, I again hot foiled in magenta foil:
  5. I arranged the die-cut gifts and sentiments into a loose square composition, mounting them with foam squares onto a white scalloped square panel (from the Square Scallop Infinity Dies). Finally, I adhered them to a pale pink card base.

The result? Two pastel, rainbow-inspired cards with a touch of elegant foil shine. These gifts are perfect for any season or occasion—and I love how the foil details elevate the look for something extra special.

💡 Foiling Note: I own two foiling machines, but I consistently get my best results with the Spellbinders Glimmer System. In fact, I haven’t reached for my other machine since 2023! This is, of course, just my personal experience, but I thought it might be helpful to share if you’re curious about foiling systems.

Handmade thank you card in rainbow pastel colors using Hero Arts Best Gift Ever Collection. Hot Foiling, Layered Stenciling and die cutting techniques used.

I am also participating in an Instagram Hop for this release, and we’d love for you to pop by! You can find all the details HERE.

Interested in another post on foiling? Click HERE.

BetterPress Modern Botanicals handmade card. Spellbinders | BetterPress Modern Botanicals
BetterPress · cardmaking

Spellbinders | BetterPress Modern Botanicals

Karen BrownLeave a comment
Trio of Spellbinders Modern Botanicals BetterPress cards in blues, tans, yellows and oranges.

Today I’m sharing a beautiful trio of cards I created using the new “Flourishing” BetterPress Plate Set from the Modern Botanicals Collection by Dina Wakley. This versatile 6-piece set features flowy greenery, abstract dots, three simple circles, and a funky half-arch — all perfect for building modern, artsy compositions with minimal effort. I trimmed each card down with Hero Arts Postage Stamp Nesting Dies.

Set of three modern handmade cards using Spellbinders Flourishing BetterPress plates with unique color combos and layouts.

While this set includes a layout template, I had fun going off-script and creating my own designs. I loved mixing up the colors, rotating the elements, and trying out different sentiments. These cards were fast, satisfying, and perfect for mass producing — ideal for gifting, sending, or just building your stash.

If you’d like to see a side by side comparison of Better Press and Glimmer Hot Foil, click HERE.

I was out of BetterPress paper (gasp!), so I reached for a nice creamy watercolor paper from my stash — and it worked wonderfully!

Key Products Used:

Card 1: Modern Thank You

A fun modern BetterPress thank you card in Azalea, Hyrdrangea blue, tan, and brown.

Inks: Hydrangea, Azalea, Tawny Brown, Saffron
Sentiment: Stylish Script – Thank You Glimmer Plate

Yes, Glimmer plates play beautifully with the BetterPress system, and vice versa! I used the Stylish Script Glimmer Plate for a touch of shiny elegance.

Modern look BetterPress letterpress thank you card with hand drawn shapes and leaves.

Card 2: Coastal Tones

Spellbdiners Modern Botanicals "Flourishing" BetterPress thank you card in muted blues, tans, yellow and orange.

Inks: Coastal, Tawny Brown, Saffron, Azalea

This one has more muted blue tones, but still feels fresh and uplifting — a great example of how changing the color palette shifts the mood.

BetterPress letterpress thank you card with a leaf, 3 circles, cluster of dots and a half circle lined arch.

Card 3: Warm Hello

Modern BetterPress letterpress card with greenery, circles, lined arch and Hello Hello sentiment.

Inks: Clay, Black, Coastal, Saffron
Sentiment: BetterPress Plate BP104 – A Friend Like You

I love how the black adds a strong graphic contrast to the natural shapes, while the warm tones bring energy and warmth.

Bold graphic Spellbinders Modern Botanicals card with Clay, Black, Coastal, and Saffron BetterPress inks and a 'Hello' sentiment

I’ll link to my popular BetterPress tutorial for tips on how to get clean, crisp impressions every time.

If you’re looking to make beautiful modern cards quickly, Flourishing is a winner. Whether you follow the included layout template or experiment like I did, you’ll end up with satisfying results and minimal mess. Modern, minimal, and totally mailable — what more could you want?

A trio of BetterPress letterpress Modern Botanical cards.
BetterPress · cardmaking · Tutorial

Quick and Easy BetterPress Notecards | Spellbinders

Karen BrownLeave a comment
BetterPress Tutorial detailing how to create easy and elegant letterpress notecards using Spellbinders Florals Through the Year Collection.

Nothing says thoughtful elegance like a handcrafted notecard. I really enjoy the letterpress process and I wanted to create some notecards to have on hand for the coming year. Spellbinders recently released their Florals Through the Year Collection and I think it is quite beautiful. There are 12 plates…one for each month.

I have a detailed tutorial below.

Products Used:

A Year in Bloom

Handmade BetterPress letter press floral Morning Glory card.

May Morning Glory: Symbolizes love and affection.

BetterPress takes the art of letterpress and makes it accessible for all. Its crisp impressions and sophisticated designs bring timeless beauty to your cards. Plus, the ease of use means you can create a dozen cards in a single sitting—perfect for stocking up or gifting!

Better Press Tutorial:

  • I started by using Best Ever Craft Tape to attach my BetterPress card panel to the top plate of my BetterPress System.
  • I tried several types of paper (BetterPress, Watercolor and Cardstock) and they all worked with the BetterPress. I liked cottony paper the best. My preferred paper would be the BetterPress cotton paper or a handmade watercolor paper. 
  • The magnetic lower plate works really well to hold the BetterPress impressing plate in place. 
  • I was careful to ink the impressing plate really well. I did a “Tap and Twist” technique where I tapped the ink on the plate and then twisted the ink pad a few degrees. Don’t smash and smoosh or you will wind up with little pieces of ink pad on your plate and project. I ink well because I only like to roll through the press once for each panel.
  • For smaller sentiment plates, I tapped but didn’t twist. When I twisted smaller plates they tended to move out of alignment. If the plate moves it is easy to reposition with a pair of tweezers.
  • Roll your sandwich slowly through the die cutting machine. I think “Super Slo-Mo” while doing this to help me remember to go VERY slowly. 
  • You will want a good stamp cleaner for the BetterPress and plates. I’ve used Hero Arts Ultra Clean for years and it works great.
  • Waterproof or Hybrid inks well. I used the specially formulated BetterPress Inks. Pigment ink is not recommended. You want a faster drying ink. 
  • I found that my guillotine paper trimmer worked better than my Fiskar’s SureCut on cotton paper.
Handmade BetterPress letterpress Florals Through The Year Violet (Feburary) hand crafted notecard using Spellbinders plates.

February Violets: Elegant and full of love for Valentine’s Day

Spellbinders BetterPress letterpress Floral Through the Year handmade card: Lily of the Valley for May.

Lily of the Valley: A nod to nature’s beauty in full bloom.

With a unique card for every month, you’ll always have the perfect notecard ready for any occasion. Which month’s design are you most excited to try?

Karen

BetterPress · cardmaking

Spellbinders | Every Occasion Floral Alphabet | BetterPress Letter Press Cards

Karen Brown1 Comment
BetterPress Letterpress monogram K thank you notes in various shades of blue.

Spellbinders just released the lovely Every Occasion Floral Alphabet and I had so much fun handcrafting a pile of cards. Each kit comes with the floral uppercase letter + a separate corresponding sentiment. You can buy the complete alphabet or individual letters.

It’s my birthday today and I wanted to create some elegant thank you notes. I love the beauty and texture of letterpress so I used the Floral K to make a set of monogrammed cards in various shades of blue. The K also comes with a sentiment, You Are So Kind, but I did not use it on my cards.

I inked the plates well and rolled just one time through my BetterPress Machine for a nice crisp impression.

I have another post “9 Tips, Tricks and Insights for Spellbinders BetterPress Machine” that you can read HERE.

Products Used on My Monogram K Cards:

Versatile “For You” Card

Spellbinders Every Occasion Floral Alphabet F For You BetterPress letterpress card.

I love how versatile the “F For You” plates are so I pressed Clay ink onto creamy Bisque cardstock panel. In person, the ink is a beautiful copper color. I used the December 2022 Die of the Month Kit for the background. The mat is from PaperTrey’s Perfect Match cardstock sampler.

Elegant With Sympathy Card

Elegant With Sympathy BetterPress letterpress card.

I like to keep Sympathy cards on hand and the “W With Sympathy” plates are so elegant. I used Mulberry Ink on Bisque panels and added Crystal Gems to some of the flower centers.

Best Supplies for BetterPress Projects:

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Uncategorized

Altenew Academy: Easy Die Cutting

Karen Brown1 Comment

Hello and Welcome!  I just finished the Altenew Academy class titled Easy Die Cutting.  Yana Smakula was the instructor and she shared six wonderful lessons.   I chose to write this blog post about lesson #5:  Inlaid Die Cutting, which I found very inspirational.  I just purchased this large beautiful scripty thank you die (Altenew\’s Simply Thank You) and thought it would work great with the inlaid die cutting technique.  I learned to save all the pieces from both panels so you can can create two cards from the positive and negative die cutting.  Don\’t you just love two-for-one projects!  🙂

My Process:
I started by ink blending a bright colorful gradient on Bristol cardstock.  I didn\’t want it to smear so I let it dry overnight.  The next day I die cut the \”thank you\” from the inked panel.  I also die cut the same sentiment  from a white panel.  Then I just swapped the sentiments and glued the white die-cut into the opening on the inked panel and glued the inked sentiment onto the white panel.  I was careful to save all the die cut pieces so I could piece everything back together.  Voila…two cards!  Yana also loves embellishments so I felt encouraged to add buttercream jewels to the white background.  
These cheerful cards will come in so handy on my next thank you notes.
I am so pleased that you stopped by!
Karen
Uncategorized

WWC253 – Karen\’s Challenge: Anything Goes With A Feminine Twist

Karen Brown7 Comments
Hello and welcome!  I can\’t believe it is a new year…and a new decade.  This week we are making \”feminine\” cards at The Watercooler Wednesday Challenge Website and I am the hostess.

I ordered some Altenew Mega Alphabet dies and the Altenew Large Thanks sentiment so I could make some thank you cards.  I wanted a bright happy card so I decided to do some \”ink smooshing\”. 

 I started by making two inked panels.  Here was my technique:
  1. I liberally inked an 6×6\” acrylic block with Distress Inks.  I wanted an ombre gradient look so went in rows across the page.
  2.  I sprayed the inked block with water 
  3. \”Smooshed\” the block onto a piece of watercolor paper
  4. Weighted the ink/block with a book for 5 minutes
  5. Uncovered.  If the ink pooled, I dabbed with a paper towel.
  6. 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.    I had never done this before but I like having a softer but coordinated background for my card.  
Panel one was made with Peacock Feathers, Cracked Pistachio, Twisted Citron and Mustard Seed.  

Panel two (thanks) was Abandoned Coral, Carved Pumpkin and Mustard Seed.

After the panels were dry, I die cut the \”T\”, thanks and floral images (Spellbinder\’s Month 7 Die of the Month and Newton\’s Nook Flower Trio die). I also die cut Sunny Studio\’s Frilly Frame to go over my second generation background.  I used Gina K Connect glue to adhere everything to the A2 card.    

I am pleased with this bright vibrant card.  

I am entering this card in:
As You Like It Thanks Challenge

Dies R Us Challenge I used Spellbinders floral dies.

Always Fun Something New Challenge  I made a second generation ink smooshing panel to coordinate with my die cuts.  I had never thought to coordinate like this in the past.  

Alphabet Challenge Try Something New I made a second generation ink smooshing panel to coordinate with my die cuts. I had never thought to coordinate like this in the past. 

UPDATE:  I was very pleased to be chosen \”Top 3\” at As You Like It!


I would love to see YOUR creation in our challenge.

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen
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Uncategorized

WWC251 – Dawn\’s "All About Occasions" Challenge

Karen Brown12 Comments
Hello and welcome. This week we are making \”Occasion\” cards at The Watercooler Wednesday Challenge which means holiday cards to birthday cards to sympathy cards…the list is vast.  Dawn is our talented hostess.
I chose to make some thank you cards to use during the holiday season.  I wanted bright, festive and fun so I opted to go with my Zig markers.  

I stamped, colored and die-cut my wreath.  My wreath has five Christmas colors. I wanted a clean and simple look but with a bit of interest on the background so I dry embossed an A2 panel.  I liked that the planks look snow covered when embossed on white paper. I also wanted a small sentiment that would fit inside the wreath and within the boundaries of the plank so I looked through my sentiments and found this cute little one.

I like the top folding cards I see online but I had never made one until this card. I do think it adds a fun little twist to cards.  While I was at it, I made a batch of top folding cards so I will be making more in the future.

ZIG Clean Color markers in 036, 031, 033, 053, 041, 200, 202, 029
Supplies:
Weekend Doodles Stamp and Die Bundle
Tim Holtz Alterations Wood Planks Embossing Folder
Bristol Cardstock
Zig Markers:  036, 031, 033, 053, 041, 200, 202, 029 + blender
Versafine Black Ink for wreath
Gerda Steiner Hedge Hog Sentiment (with Archival Jet Black ink)

I am submitting my card to:
As You See It \”Holiday Joy\”
Bright happy colors raise my spirits and bring me joy.  

Make My Monday \”Anything Christmas\” Challenge

Time Out Merry and Cheerful Challenge

Happy Little Stampers December Die Challenge

UPDATE:  My card was selected as a Top Pick at The As You See It Challenge:

Thank you for stopping by!
Karen
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Uncategorized

WWC250 – Helen\’s Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

Karen Brown4 Comments
Hello and welcome. This week we are making \”feminine\” cards at the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge. Talented Helen is our hostess. 
I wanted to do a pretty thank you card so I started by stamping,  coloring and die cutting this favorite wreath.  I wanted a subtle white on white backdrop so I die cut a basket weave panel and affixed to an A2 card base. I love the pretty little sentiment which I heat embossed. 

Supplies:
Avery Elle – Festive Wreath stamps and dies
Frantic Stamper Basket Weave die.
Bristol Cardstock
Zig Clean Clear Markers (May Green 47, Pale Green 45, Lt. Carmine Red 21, Red 20, Light Blue 36, Cobalt Blue 31). 
Sentiment:  Photoplay Paprika

I am pleased to be entering my card in:
 Sunday Stamps \”Feeling Festive\” Challenge

Just Us Girls \”Anything Goes\” Challenge
A Place to Start December Challenge

Shopping Our Stash – Happy Holidays Challenge

UPDATE:  My card was selected as a \”Top Cup\” at The Sunday Stamps Challenge:



Thanks for stopping by!
Karen
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