What a Great Weekend of Classes!

Every spring and fall I participate in Scrapbook and Cards Today Crop and Create Delivered Cardmaking classes. We get a huge box of dies, stamps, embossing folders, paper, etc. and then get three full days of classes. It is worth every penny and if you are interested, the sign up for the fall event is going on right now- but don't wait as it does fill up with thousands participating every year. Here is a link to the info and where you can sign up.

I am sharing the many cards I made here today and tomorrow. My favorite class cards were taught by the GOAT herself - Jennifer McGuire for Pinkfresh Studio. Her cards were so unique as was the dies and stamps from Pinkfresh Studio. To close,  there was an awesome MIx It Up Video where she took products from all the companies and taught  us more techniques and fun folds. 

LDRS Creative shared my favorite new product of the weekend classes - Aquaink Transfer Sheets which transfer easily with water on watercolor paper. I also loved the Star Octagon Eclipse dies and the Elegant Edge dies and I used all of them on the card above with a stamped and die cut sentiment from Pinkfresh Studio. Below is another eclipse card I made with that unique die set, two cardfronts from Pink & Main and a sentiment from Gina K Designs (all of whom participated in this weekend of classes.) 

And here are several more cards I made with the gorgeous Brilliant Blooms Aquaink Transfers: 

Concord & 9th's products were among my favorite too- after I got over the fact the stencils were not supposed to line up perfectly with the whimsical flowers. I also loved the stitched accents but if you don't like to stitch you can leave them as texture or so faux stitching with a thin marker. Here are the other two cards we made in this  class:

We have access to the classes forever so we can finish cards later or make more after watching again anytime. I did finish mine and will share more tomorrow here on my blog. 

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Back with New Sparkle and Washi Tape Picture

I just got back from an amazing crafty cruise learning from Karen Burniston and enjoying the amazing generosity of our host, Scrapp'n Savvy. We were gifted so many different products and I was so excited to win a package of AALL Create Layer It Up washi tape sets that I have been wanting to try. I also recently received a sample Sparkle Overlay from Brutus Monroe in my SCT Cardmaking Delivered box (classes on line this weekend!) and I had to order some right away. I like the sparkle of overlay foils but don't always want to pull out my MINC. These new Sparkle Overlays have adhesive on the back and can be used to add sparkle to just about anything. I combined those two new products on each of these cards. This AALL Layer It up is called Blueish Parlor and I die cut and embossed with a Spellbinders set I also won. The Brutus Monroe Sparkle was added to a patterned paper and die cut with another Spellbinders arches die.

My favorite of the AALL washi tapes that are torn to create a picture is this Painted Desert. Here is another card I made with it:

I tried to attach the Sparkle Overlay to an acetate card front but ended up with many bubbles, I don't recommend unless you have a different way of attaching. But I covered it up with the pretty desert scene and some dragonflies and the recipient will not even know. 

I watched Simon Hurley play with the Brutus Monroe Sparkle Overlays and he showed cutting them in strips and then blending ink over them, so I gave it a try. This beautiful AAL Layer It Up is called Studio Botannicals. 

Another lovely floral Layer It UP is this Peony Pinks which I attached to a piece of pink marble paper covered with a Sparkle Overlay with an eclipsed HBD message. 

I added 1/8 inch strips in between the Terrasse Fleurie washi strips, cut it down and layered on another Sparkle Overlay background. I also punched some butterflies out of the sparkle and washi tape extra pieces. 

The sparkle of the overlays is so hard to capture in still photos, so I filmed a short reel, but Blogger is not allowing me to upload??  You can go to my Instagram or Facebook Page (icons on the right) to see it. 

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Hero Arts Friends With Flair Jean Jacket Layering Stencil

I love layering stencils but to be honest I am so tired of flowers and love unique layering stencils like this new one from Hero Arts. It is called Jean Jacket Layering Stencil and is from the new Friends With Flair collection. I see it more like a shirt and cut this card to show the shape. There are 5 stencils in the set and it creates the front and back of the shirt or jacket. Here is a look at the back of this card:

Perfect for any guy! All of the sentiment stamps on these cards are from the new Totally Awesome stamp set also part of the Friends with Flair release at Hero Arts.

I made this card for my husband whose favorite color is orange for Father's Day. And here is another blue shirt card:

There are many views of all these cards because it was so fun to show the front and back of the jackets or shirts. I made a mini-video to show all those sides:

I love how all these cards turned out and hope they encourage you to give some of the products and ideas a try.

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Stepping Outside My Box with Jaycee's All My Senses Collection

Have you ever taken a class from or watched Jaycee Gaspar create? He is an amazingly talented designer, and I was very excited to see Spellbinders has teamed up with him and released a new collection of dies, stencils and Press & Foil Plates that he designed! Our styles are very different and that is OK- I have stepped outside my box and created some cards with his new collection and I love how they turned out! 

My favorite of the new collection is the Whisper Weave Press & Foil Plates with cutting dies for the sentiments. Press & Foil plates can be pressed with just ink of course, but I chose to add the sparkle of foil to the gorgeous ladies, butterflies and sentiments on the sides of this tri-fold card. The shaped pieces of the tri-fold were created with Spellbinders Essential Arches dies. I added some fun color to the right side with Jaycee's Ambient Aura stencil set. 

Here is another view of this tri-fold. The centerpiece beauty is Jaycee's Fragmented Gaze die cut lady with a few fussy cut butterflies from the Whisper Weave set. I added a couple more foiled images to the front and back of this card when it is closed to mail:

The pieces of the new die sets from Jaycee Gaspar and Spellbinders go together like a puzzle and create a really unique picture. This die set is called Sensory Facets. I embossed the finished image with Spellbinders Soaring Embossing Folder and added a "Chase Joy" sentiment. 

Is it time to step outside your box and create with something so different and fun like this collection? It is available now at Spellbinders here.

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Everyday MVPs Stitched Die of the Month from Spellbinders

Guess what happens the end of this month? Baseball season starts! This month's Stitching Die of the Month from Spellbinders is perfect for baseball lovers like my husband and my brother. It is also perfect stitched like I did above or unstitched like I did below:

I chose Milwaukee Brewers colors for both of these hats and layered them on card bases cut with Spellbinders Mirrored Arch Labels and embossed with Spellbinders Geo Screen embossing folder. 

If you love this Spellbinders Stitching Die of the Month and want it right away, you can visit the website here and join the monthly club. You have until the 27^th of the month to sign up to receive this set and then look forward to getting a new stitching die set each month. But if you can’t commit to a monthly club right now, you can check the website after the 10^th of next month to purchase. If not sold out, the monthly kit products are available to buy then. However, the cost is higher and shipping is not free.

I am a member of the Spellbinders Stitching Die of the Month club, so each month this year I will share cards made with that month’s die set on this blog, on my Instagram and on my Facebook page.

 Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

February Class Cards

Here are the cards I taught in February's class at Harts n Scraps locally. I featured Clear Views transparencies and different ways to frame them. 

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Super Spinners Cards

I don't play pickleball but I do know some pickleball fanatics and I am really proud of this card I created for a pickleball lover. The net lays flat to mail but is standing on a court I drew. The paddle, ball and stamp set are all from a set by Spellbinders called Born To Dink. Here is another pretty card I made with papers from 49 & Market and Simple Strips dies from Taylored Expressions:

Both are nice, but wait until you see this mini video of the spinner movement:

The amazing spinning movement is created with Dress My Craft Nano Spinners. It is even easier to see it in my new video where I show how easy they are to attach and many more cards with them. 

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen