What's Your Sign? Shaped Cards with Spellbinders BetterPress/Glimmer

What's your sign? Most of us know our astrological sign and Spellbinders has a new way to personalize our cards with the zodiac sign of the recipient. The sign for most of February and March is Pisces, and I created this card for a special Pisces. 

The Block Print Zodiacs are BetterPress Plates/Glimmer Plates and I used copper foil and my Glimmer Machine to make this card. You can use the plates with your BetterPress Machine and any color ink or choose to hot foil with a favorite color of foil as I did. I find shaped cards so much more interesting than traditional cards and so I used Spellbinder's Essential Arches on several of the cards I am sharing. I also added some Tangled Threads (also from Spellbinders) for texture and fun on this easel card. 

My twin brother has a birthday the end of March so he is an Aries. I created this card for him with the new Aries Block Print Zodiac BetterPress/Glimmer plate and Spellbinders Mirrored Arch Labels. 

I also chose the Sagittarius Block Print Zodiac image because I know someone very special who has a birthday early in December. I used three Essential Arches dies from Spellbinders- one to cut the shaped card, and two for the card front. The center arch is raised on pop dots for dimension and the image continues from the background into the raised center. The image is from a Card Front Set by STAMPlorations. 

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Love Card With Two Step Embossing

Aren't the texture and different shades on this card amazing? Valentine's Day is just around the corner and weddings or anniversaries can be any day. I created this card with my favorite cardstock from CutCardStock - Stardream Metallic in the Azalea pink color. 

I used a 3D embossing folder from Honey Bee Stamps with a heart die cut and embossed in the center. This step is messy, but so worth it when the heart is embossed with white pigment ink on the background. 

Aren't the different shades on that heart gorgeous? The layered love die from Gina K Designs was die cut out of white cardstock and vellum. 

I hope this card encourages you to give the technique and products a try. 

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

More USA Divinity Designs Slatted Eclipse Cards

 

I just got my new Slatted and Eclipse Dies from Divinity Designs this week and made all the cards I share in my new video with the 4 different shapes in just a day. As I show, it is so easy to make gorgeous eclipse cards with these dies, some skinny double sided foam strips and two pieces of identical paper. This card was made with Divinity Designs Watercolor Forests A2 Card Fronts and a circle Happy Birthday die from Creek Bank Creations. I turned the slats at an angle to make it even more interesting. 

Any scenery paper will work as long as you have two identical pieces. You can make do with one but it is much more difficult and time consuming. I used  Sealife Stained Glass paper and cutting dies from Paper Wishes Hot Off the Press on this card. I also cut the shadow of the word from the paper continuing the eclipse look on the sentiment. 

I tried one more idea with my new Slatted and Eclipse square die. It is a Hide and Seek Card I learned about in a video here. In the video, Einat Kessler used a craft knife and ruler to cut her slats, but I decided to try using the new square slatted die to do it. Here is what happens when the heart at the top is pulled:

The heart turns from pink to red and back to pink. All the diecuts on the card are made with dies from Karen Burniston.  I will admit figuring out this card took longer than all the other eclipse cards I made and shared in the new video, so I will not be making another. But it is a fun interactive card I will give to my hubby sometime. I will however be making many more slatted eclipse cards because they are to easy and gorgeous to make.           

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Slatted Eclipse Cards USA Style

I loved the slatted eclipse cards I saw last year all over and I had two wishes: the slats were just a bit wider to make raising them easier AND the dies were available in the USA to purchase. Divinity Designs just answered those wishes with a new release of Slatted and Eclipse dies in 4 shapes. In my new video, I share many card samples and show how easy it is to create gorgeous slatted eclipse scenes in just minutes.

Divinity Designs also carries many A2 card fronts that are perfect for eclipse cards with the new slatted dies. The card above was made in just minutes with the new Slatted and Eclipse Rectangles die set and Stained Glass Watercolor Flowers A2 Card Fronts. The card below was made with Ovals Slatted and Eclipse dies and lilacs images from another A2 card front set.

My favorite of the new slatted and eclipse dies from Divinity Designs is the square because it can be used horizontally, vertically or even as a diamond as I did on this card:

In the new video I show how easy it is to achieve these dimensional eclipse looks. My favorite of the A2 card fronts from Divinity Designs is called Great Outdoors. Here are two cards I made with the square slatted eclipse dies and paper from that collection:

I made the card on the left in the video in just minutes and added some die cut animals and a sentiment to finish the card off. 

I hope my cards inspire you to give some of the products and this eclipse technique a try.

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Maker Mania and Blending Bootcamp Card

I am participating in several on line classes this month and made this card with products and what I have learned. In Gina K's week of Blending Bootcamp, she showed how to add a darker color of ink in the centers of the flowers to add more dimension. I started with a Taylored Expressions layering stencil with foil highlights. I loved how the flowers turned out but felt the card needed something else to make it special. 

I am participating in Maker Mania 13 the end of the month and have my kit of supplies here in my craft room. From February 27-March 1, fourteen crafty stores are going to post videos of the many ways to create with all the paper, rub-ons, dies and embossing folders we received. My favorite item in the kit is Spellbinders Playful Stitched Panels layering dies. I die cut the card base with the largest and then die cut and raised the center with a smaller stitched rectangle.

You can still sign up to get the huge box of Maker Mania 13 supplies and then all the videos of creative ways to use them here. Just click on the link in the list for the store closest to you. I chose Winneconne Crafts because we are both in Wisconsin, and got my kit very quickly. She just has a few left so if you are in Wisconsin, be sure to contact them soon. 

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Spring Flowers Sunny Hello From Spellbinders and Me

My favorite signs of spring are pink flowering trees so this month’s Spring Stitched Tree die set from Spellbinders put a smile on my face. I am wishing you a “sunny hello” even in the midst of a cold snowy winter like we have here in Wisconsin.

 

I started with a card base with the sides trimmed off at 1 ¼ inches at both sides. The tree on the center flap was created with all the pieces from this month’s Stitched Die of the Month from Spellbinders. I stitched the larger flowers for the tree and the side decorations in just a few minutes. The sky background has embossed clouds created with Spellbinders Head in the Clouds Detailed 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 

 

So Fry-tastic Collection from Concord & 9th

Flowers or fries for a special occasion? I would have to go with the fries I think- what about you? When I saw the new So Fry-tastic dies and stamps from Kristina Werner and Concord & 9th, I knew there was no resisting them. I never need another set of flower dies or stamps,  but show something unique and fun like these and I have to bring them home. There is a whole set of funny stamps that go with the dies and I picked stamps perfect for a funny Valentine or any day card for my grandsons or husband. I die cut the fries out of 3 colors of light yellow cardstock and added some shading to make them look fried and ready to eat. The fry dies are numbered in the order to put together so that part is so easy. I created the hearts background with two stencils from A Colorful Life Designs. 

My second card with these dies and stamps is an easel card held up with a fry I stamped. The die set includes several large word dies so I die cut "fries" instead of stamping it. The "love you" die is from Karen Burniston. Here is another view of this easel card from the front:

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen