Merry Christmas to Me From Pinkfresh Studios

I didn't need anymore Pinkfresh Studios Washi Tapes with matching dies but that didn't stop me when they had a great sale from indulging myself. Flowers for the Soul is the name of the new set of wide washi tape with matching dies and the flowers are very cheerful and good for the soul for sure. I die cut a bunch and made many cards I will share today and next week. I also gifted myself the A2 Slider Card die set and this is what it creates laying  flat. But when the string is pulled:

Surprise! A secret message appears along with some more flowers and a rub on butterfly. 

I love dies that add a subtle texture and design to backgrounds so I also indulged and bought Pinkfresh Studio's Tulip Love coverplate die. It was a perfect background for more of the Flowers For the Soul. I folded the card front to make an easel and it is held up with a layered die cut sentiment from Altenew. 

Here's to a Happy and healthy New Year! 

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Altenew's Feathered Beauty Cards

I took some time this week to play with new die sets I bought myself for Christmas. This layered bluejay beauty is from a set by Altenew I just couldn't resist. Their keyhole system to line up the pieces makes assembly so easy! I created the background by cutting out the center and replacing with vellum. Both the vellum and cardstock was embossed with a Sizzix 3D embossing folder called Flowing Waves. 

This Feathered Beauty is also gorgeous if you die cut it just in white and then brush on several shades of blue as I did on this card. The background was created with a Taylored Expressions Swirls Pierce & Cut plate and I added the perfect sentiment that we all need to hear sometimes. 

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Family Is Love Easel Scene From Scraps

Do you have a bunch of scraps from your favorite cardstocks? Most of us do and in my newest video here I share how to take them and create a magical love scene in just a few minutes.

My favorite cardstocks are the Stardream Metallics and linens from CutCardStock and I have accumulated quite a pile of cut pieces too good to throw away. I cut all the die cuts and made this easel card:

I have a new die set from Altenew called Fireside Escape and it reminds me of all the wonderful times we have had at the lake house around the fire pit. The chairs and fire pit are so easy to put together because of the brilliant KeyHole system from Altenew which I demonstrate in the video. Here is a look at the card folded down to mail:

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

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