Letterpressed Three Layer Card and Problem Solved

I have a confession to make – I don’t like to stamp anymore at least not large background stamps. Even with a stamp positioner, it is just too difficult to get a good image. But I do find “stamping” with press plates so much easier than regular stamping. There is one major problem though- the cost of the 100% Cotton Cardstock.Today I am sharing a solution for that problem: CutCardStock sells their Savoy 100% Cotton Card Stock for less than a third of other cotton cardstocks! And it creates beautiful letterpress images as you can see on this card I created:

On the CutCardStock blog here, I have posted a detailed tutorial on how I made this card. Each layer has beautiful leafy letterpressed images created with Altenew's Modern Leaf Background Press Plate and Stencil Set in my Spellbinders BetterPress System. Here is a picture of the template I used to create this three layer card:

The three layers show the letterpress beauty with no ink or "embossed" as on this layer, and with simple inking and the addition of stenciled color. Here are pictures of the three layers and inside sentiments:

The "kindness matters" die is from Ellen Hutson, the stitched foilage dies are from Kat Scrappiness and the Thank You die is from Karen Burniston.

I hope this card inspires you to give this three layered card template and letterpress technique a try now that we know there is a solution to high priced 100% cotton cardstock. Then join me in sending some handmade joy out into our world!

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Playful Pop-ups With New Karen Burniston Dies

4 arms that move? Are you kidding me? I have been a huge fan of Karen Burniston's interactive dies for years but the new Playful Pop-Up Die Set in the newest release is amazing! It will pop up and move 4 different elements when the card is opened! The set includes ladybugs so my first card features them. The front of this card also shows the new Greeting Labels, Bug Borders and Bug Greetings. But just look at what happens when the card is opened:

My favorite of the new Playful Add-ons is the Monster set. I will play soon with the cat and dog add-ons and share when I can. The still pictures do not show the amazing movement of the Playful Pop Ups so I filmed a reel showing it. If you are a subscriber and cannot see the video, visit my blog itself or my Instagram or Facebook page to see this mini video:

Did you catch a sneak peak of a pop up card I may teach (or something similar) in an upcoming class at Harts n Scraps? I do not blog cards here before I teach them but I did put it in the video to show something else that can pop up. 

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Trinity Stamps Alphabet Soup

I am on a mission to design with all the new supplies purchased this year that haven't been touched yet. I couldn't resist this Alphabet Soup die set from Trinity Stamps. I made a shaker card with all the tiny letters it cuts out as well as noodles and some carrots. The soup in the spoon was created with two sided tape on the oval and then I added clear embossing powder to give the spoonful of soup texture. Here is a look at the inside of the card with a sentiment and another spoonful of soup:

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Coffee or Tea Lover? A Perfect Blend Either Way!

I know both coffee lovers and tea lovers and I bet you do too. The new December Stitching Die of the Month from Spellbinders is called A Perfect Blend and is perfect for both! In my new video here, I share several cards I made with this fun set of dies. The two cups come together to form a heart so I thought they would be perfect on gatefold cards and show several ways to make them in the video. Here is a look at this card when it is opened:

In the video, I show step by step how to make this card for a tea lover like my daughter:

As I show, the stitching only takes a minute or two but adds so much to the cup images. But if you are too busy to stitch them, all the dies can be used without stitching as well. The front focal image is on a belly band and when it is taken off, here is the inside of the card with two floating pop up squares:

The "love you" is part of the Spellbinders die set and the bottom image represents the gift card from Magic Hour Tea my daughter will receive via email. 

If you like this stitching die set, you have until December 27th to sign up for the monthly stitching die of the month club. But if you can't commit to a monthly club right now, it may be available on the Spellbinders website after January 10th if not sold out.

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

CASED Card with Altenew Bundle

I am on a mission to design with everything I have purchased this year but not played with yet. I had to buy the beautiful Blooming Freesia stamp, die and stencil set from Altenew but hadn't designed with it yet. I admit- this card was CASED from the brilliant Jennifer McGuire - the fun fold and design are pretty much the same as she did in her video and blogpost here. I pinned it two years ago and meant to try the fun fold but didn't until now. Thanks to Jennifer for her inspiration! 

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Eclipse Slimline

I have been on the lookout for scenery papers where there are two or more of the same image in the pack so I can make eclipse cards with my slatted dies from CraftAddictionUK. The only ones a local store had were slimline from Divinity Designs. I cut two slatted rectangles and made this pretty card with a gorgeous mountain scene. 

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

New Fun Folds with Brutus Monroe Washi Strips

I have been playing with new fun folds and also new products I have recently received. The washi tape strips from Brutus Monroe intrigued me and these cards are made with those. My favorites were the foilable ones like the butterfly strips above. Brutus Monroe also sells templates to place the washi tape strips on. This new fun fold (to me) is a quadruple z-fold card.

I love reading and so do many friends and members of my family so I couldn't resist the washi tape strips that looked like old books. I attached the washi strips to several templates and then embossed and inked them to make this card that opens up and out after the belly band is removed.

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Stamp Joy Staycation Cards

I recently participated in Taylored Expression's Stamp Joy Staycation and the theme was Timeless Techniques. I learned so much. Above is one of the cards I made and below are several more I made pretty much exactly as they taught them:

I loved what I learned making both of these cards. The mason jar in the first one is full of TE's Iridescent Glitter Happy Medium and is squishy to the touch. I added and orange reinker to it to make this "old fashioned" drink card:

The old fashioned drink glass is from a set by Spellbinders. Looks good enough to drink, right? 

I loved revisiting the baby wipe technique, and I made these two cards with different colors of reinkers and several of the stamps we received as part of the kit. The arched shape dies are from the Essential Arches die set by Spellbinders. 

An exciting product that Taylored Expressions sent us (and will be available in January) is the Mirror Mat that allowed us to easily create the reflection of the trees on this card. I decided to cut my image apart into strips and put on a new fun fold called the Quadruple Z-fold. 

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Shaped Cards in Non-traditional Colors for Christmas or Gifts

Today I am finishing up my Christmas Inspiration Countdown Series for CutCardStock with non-traditional colors and shaped cards. Instead of the usual reds, greens and golds, why not try some beautiful metallic cardstocks in purple, blue and silver?

I have chosen CutCardStock's Stardream Metallic Card Stock in Vista, Silver and Punch. All of my cards feature Spellbinders Arch Punch & Pierce Plate. The Bethlehem Nativity dies above are from Creek Bank Creations. 

One pass of the Spellbinders Arched Punch and Pierce Plate through a die cutting machine die cuts all three pieces.  So after three passes, we have all the pieces to make three beautiful shaped cards.

These shaped cards can be used for Christmas cards as shown in the first card. They also could be used for birthday, sympathy, thinking of you or any other reason or season. I made a set of 6 cards most without any sentiments attached. Then I packaged up a dozen or so foiled and die cut sentiments with adhesive strips on the backs. Next I put the sentiments and the cards with envelopes in a cloth basket to be given as a gift. The recipient can chose which sentiment to add anytime they need a special card.

I hope these cards inspire you to try dies and colors in new and non-traditional ways, and then give or send them out to share some handmade joy in our world! Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen

Spellbinders Pop Up Surprise Card

This is a card I made recently with the beautiful Scenic Poinsettias 3D embossing folder from Spellbinders. It is pretty, but the real fun happens when the sides are pulled:

Peppermint Prancer pops up wishing everyone Happy Holiday Smiles. I loved the October Stitching Die of the Month from Spellbinders and created several cards with him which you can see here on my blog. But when the month is over, the dies and other products of the month are still available if they did not sell out and this die is here if you want this cutie. 

It is hard to see this pop up magic with still pictures, so here is a mini video to show you the fun:

If you are a subscriber, the videos do not show up. Simply go to my actual blog or instagram to see this card in action. 

Wishing you Happy Holiday Smiles! and Happy Thanksgiving!

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Stenciling on Waffle Flower's Piercing Panel Die Cut Backgrounds

I love the look of stenciling on perforated paper backgrounds but the perforated paper is hard to find and so expensive. So I was excited to discover that Waffle Flower has an A2 Piercing Panel Die that creates the look of perforated paper without the expense. I can make as many pierced backgrounds as I want and use for all sorts of cards. My favorite technique is to stencil on them, and I pulled out an older (but still available) Pretty Pink Posh Crocus stencil to make these two cards. 

I chose purple and yellow crocuses and am not sure which I love the best? What do you think?

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Altenew Doves in Flight Cards

I took a few minutes this week to play with new dies I have recently received and made two cards with Altenew's Doves in Flight layering die set. Altenew has a brilliant Key Hole System to make lining up the different layers so easy! I hadn't made a split circle background in a while so I die cut some patterned paper and gold shimmer paper with Tonic smaller scalloped circle dies. I cut them in half and layered as you see. Then I embossed the whole panel with a Spellbinders text embossing folder. I put the dove together and attached with a sentiment from the same die set.

Here is a card I made the same way with a white dove and grey semi-circle pieces.

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

November Class Cards - Interactive with Clear View Transparencies

This month at Harts n Scraps we made interactive Christmas cards with Clear View Transparencies. I had two full classes and they loved the cards. Here are the front and insides of each:

In December we are going to do book folding- you can choose an angel or Christmas tree. Then in the new year, we are starting out with Thoughtful Stenciled cards.

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Overlaying Amazing Sparkle on Toner Foiled Fun Folds

Have you seen the new kind of foils called Overlay Foils that add a mystical or magical shine and shimmer to toner sheets and your cards? In my new video here, I play with Overlay Foils from Gina K Designs, Brutus Monroe and Taylored Expressions. I show how to add the extra sparkle you see above by running the toner patterned cardstock and plain toner sheets through a MINC with Gina K's new Mystic Shine Overlay Foil. The card design is called Double Decker Pop Out card and is perfect for the three different layers of foiled beauty. The Toner Card Front I started with is called Design Haven and is from Deco Foil and Therm O Web. 

Here is another double decker fun fold I made with foiled panels. I started with a Flowers in the Breeze Foilable from Pink and Main that has a layered stencil to add blended color to the flowers. The second layer was not stenciled but I did add sparkle with a Gina K Designs Mystic Shine Overlay. The front layer was the 2nd generation of foiling with a Taylored Expressions Opalescent overlay on top. 

Here is a couple pictures of the template of the Double Decker Fun Fold I made in the video:

The new overlay foils also work great on toner printed pattern paper and I started with that on this card and added the GKD Mystic Shine to those panels as well as to the black toner sheet on layer two.

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen