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Ink Smooshing with Altenew Mega Alphabet Die

I felt inspired by Altenew\’s November Inspiration Challenge and those lovely pink flowers.  I just received several Altenew Mega Alphabet dies plus Altenew\’s large thanks die and wanted to play with them.  I was thinking thank you notes and personalized stationary.


I decided ink smooshing on the Mega \”T\” die would be interesting.  I applied two shades of distress ink: Spun Sugar and Pickled Raspberry to a 6×6\” acrylic block and then sprayed with water.  I put the spun sugar at the bottom and the pickled raspberry at the top because I wanted gradient color.  I put the ink/water side onto watercolor paper, weighted it down with a book and let it sit for 5 minutes.  When that was done, I took a piece of cardstock and sopped up the remaining color for my background panel. I wanted the same colors but in a more muted watercolor look.  There is a bit of pinkish linen in the color swatch so I did the same smooshing technique with Antique Linen.  After the watercolor paper was dry, I die cut the \”T\”.  I also die cut the \”Thanks\” die cut from Elm Green textured paper that matched the color in the inspiration color swatch.  I then die cut small flowers from the antique linen, and pink watercolor panels.  The leaves were left over from a previous project and I thought they added to the layout. 


I assembled the card by putting the second generation sopped up ink smooshed panel behind a die cut cover and then arranged the die-cut elements.  

I always give my mom a packet of cards for Christmas and I think I am going to include this one.  


I am pleased to be entering this card in Altenew\’s November Challenge.


I am so pleased that you stopped by!
Karen

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WWC240 – Kath\’s "All About Occasions" Challenge

Hello and Welcome!  This week it is \”all about occasions\” at the Watercooler Wednesday Website and Kath is our hostess.
I\’ve been playing around with Dare 2B Artzy stamps and dies and Zig markers.  I stamped the bloom on Bristol cardstock and then used my favorite Zig colors.  I stamped the sentiment and leaves, die cut the bloom and then adhered with foam tape.

Supplies:
Dare 2B Artzy Flowers for Mom stamp
Dare 2B Artzy Joyful Flowers Die
Bristol Cardstock
Pool envelop

Zigs:
202 Peach Pink
200 Sugared Almond
050 Yellow
052 Bright Yellow
031 Cobalt Blue
036 Light Blue

Dare2BArtzy Favorite Color Challenge  I love bright colors and I would have to say \”aqua\” blue is my favorite. Zig calls it Cobalt Blue and Light Blue. 

Thanks for joining us at Watercooler Wednesday!
Karen
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Tropical Pineapple Thank You Card

Hello and Welcome!  I came up with the idea for a CAS framed thank you card.  I love the pineapple form Sunny Studio Tropical Paradise and thought it would be cute in a tall skinny  stitched frame. I added the small flower, leaf and lemon wedge as a cluster.
I used Bristol card stock, colored with Zig Markers and cut with coordinating dies.  I die cut the sentiment to complete the card.  I added some white gel pen accents.  This card came together very quickly.  

I am entering this card in:  
Thanks for stopping by!
Karen
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Guest Designer for Craft Stamper Magazine

I am so pleased to have been selected to be the Guest Designer for Craft Stamper Magazine this month!  Hop over to their July \”Take It or Make It\” website for some inspiration or to enter your stamped creation.
Heat embossed seahorse
Since it is summer I went with a bold nautical card.  I won the Visible Images Create Your Own Calm stamp set in a card challenge and this is what I crafted.  The background is watercolored with three colors of blue/blue-green watercolor paints.  I wet the watercolor paper and then dropped in colors randomly and let them blend as they pleased.  I then white heat embossed the darling seahorse and rings.  I trimmed the panel down so that I would have a contrasting white strip when I mounted on a white A2 card.  I heat embossed the sentiment on vivid blue card stock and then trimmed it with a stitched die.  

I hope you like this card and that you will submit your creation to Craft Stamper Magazine\’s Take It Make It Challenge.

I am entering this card in:
The Rainbow \”Blue Breezes\” Challenge

Country View Blues and Greens Challenge
Help yourself to our buddy button


Thanks for stopping by!
Karen
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WWC217 – Michelle\’s Masculine "Anything Goes" Challenge

Hello and thank you for stopping by!  This week the theme for Watercooler Wednesday is Masculine \”Anything Goes\”.  Michelle is our hostess.

Once a quarter, I take a Copic class with Laura Griffin.  Recently, instead of coloring with Copics, we used Copic refills to make alcohol ink backgrounds.  I\’ve been playing with alcohol inks, but had never tried re-inkers.  Reinkers make a vibrant glossy creation!
For this card we layered on three different colors of Copic ink and used straws to move the ink around on the Yupo paper.  When we were satisfied with the result, we added a bit of gold.  Then we die-cut our sentiments (Papertrey \”Count My Blessings\”.  I used bold jewel tones that I thought would be suitable for sending to a man yet still fun and festive.
Karen 
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Create A Smile Guest Designer – Spring Citrus

It\’s citrus season here in Texas and that inspired me to make a bright cheery citrus themed card.  I was invited to be a Guest Designer for Create-A-Smile stamps and I used one of my favorite stamp sets, Fruit Salad.  For this card, I chose to use only the citrus stamps.  The theme for their current challenge is \”Stamp a Background\”.

Watercolor stamped background in yellow and lime green.

I started by embossing the three citrus images on Brisol cardstock.  Next, I used my Kuretake Watercolors to paint a watery lemon-yellow base and then dropped in more concentrated lemon yellow.  I wanted a messy watercolor background so the lime green (sap green light) was placed here and there.

I let the panel dry overnight and then I used a stitched die to trim the card down slightly.  I also cut an interior stitched frame out of white cardstock.  I glued the white frame and the watercolor panel to a white A2 card.  I die cut the \”thanks\” sentiment twice, glued them together and placed it at the bottom of the frame.

Rainbow Card \”Yellow Challenge\”  My first time to enter this challenge…mostly yellow with a bit of yellow-green splashed in.

Pile it On Favorite Color Challenge I just love the color yellow because it is so happy and warm.

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge It is citrus season in Texas so it is sunny and warm.  🙂

I love how bright and happy this card turned out.

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

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WWC206 – Anything Goes Challenge

Its time for another Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and this week is the bonus 5th week of the month so we have our broad \”Anything Goes\” prompt.  To find out more, please pop on over to the Watercooler Wednesday website.

A while back I watched a Jennifer McGuire video about one layer \”Framed Stamping\” and thought I would give it a try.  I loved the last card she did where there was coordinating outline stamping outside the frame.  Jennifer McGuire Framed Stamping Video link.

I used the Create the Smile Botanical Love (love that daisy!) and In Bloom sets and then hand drew in the black frame.  For the outline outside the frame I used pink dye ink   I then colored with Copic markers. Pretty effect.
I am entering this card in the following challenges:
Create a Smile Challenge  L is for (Botanical) LOVE!  Create-a-Smile florals are definitely favorite stamps sets.
Thanks for stopping by!
Karen
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Warm and Cozy Thank You Note

Pink and Main Christmas Mugs was my favorite new (to me) holiday stamp set this year.  I stamped the mug, colored with Copic markers, embellished with gel pens (berries, candy and straw) and Wink of Stella on the whipped cream and done!  Clean, simple, easy and pleasing to the eye.
The shine doesn\’t show up in the photographs, but the card has a pretty sparkle in person.
I paired this with a bright red envelop, took a couple of quick pictures and am ready to enter some challenges.  
Clean and Simple Challenge #147  I love a good CAS card.
For your blog

Coffee Loving Cardmakers Fall/Winter Blog Hop I cant figure out why, but I was unable to copy their graphic without an error message.  Such a fun hop though!

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #459 Sprinkle and Sparkle – Love this bright festive prompt!

Stamping Sensations Winter Sparkle My winter sparkle comes from the Wink of Stella on the frothy whipped cream.
Please grab our logo

Paper Players Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas Challenge – Love this bright Christmasy inspiration!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

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Modern Christmas Thank You Note

I am trying to stay ahead so I began creating my holiday thank you notes.   The idea for this card came to me over several days.  I won a challenge this summer and the prize was a gift certificate to Visible Images.  I selected several stamp sets and thought it would be fun to do a modern card using some of the circles and spheres that came in the sets.  Aqua and red are perfect  for this time of year.

Modern CAS Christmas Card

I embossed all the images in silver on watercolor paper and used just two watercolor hues.  I changed the shades by adding more water to the areas I wanted less intense, so while I had just two colors on my pallet, I had several pools of aqua and red in varying shades to work from.  I added a strip of aqua to the edge to accent the colors.  I love the shine and shimmer from the silver embossing powder.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

Color Throwdown #519 Challenge  I got my color inspirations from this challenge.  I had been pondering aqua and apple green, but when I saw this challenge I knew I wanted to use red and aqua.

Simply Less is More #384 Metallics Challenge  I love their metallic prompt!

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

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Elegant Card That Could Be Easily Duplicated

I found some beautiful thick deep red A2 cards and thought they would be so pretty embossed.

I chose Pink and Main Christmas Mugs.  I loved the mugs last year when I saw them on Instagram and I ordered them for myself this fall.

Pink and Main Christmas Mugs homemade card.

This is a rich elegant looking card that would be easy to mass produce.  I put a liner inside to make writing more legible.

I am entering this card in:
Less is More \”Metallic\” Challenge

Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge and I went with the optional CAS twist!

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen