Karen Burniston Cascade Pop-up Brunch and Pasta

Breakfast is my favorite meal to go out for, and I love a great eggs, bacon and toast meal! I made this card front with new breakfast dies, stamps and a crosshatch square from Karen Burniston. I also used a new embossing folder from Altenew called Ribbon Waves and my favorite copper cardstock from CutCardstock.

But just look at what happens when the card is opened! The pop up waffle-licious scene was created with Karen Burniston's Cascade Pop-up as well as her new Mealtime Elements and Mealtime Phrases stamp set. Here is another mealtime card I created with these same dies and stamps:

I CASED (copied and selectively edited) the napkins border from Sue Small-Kreider of Karen Burniston's design team. The salad was created with leaf dies from a KB tree pop up die set and  the wine glass is from her Wine Charms.

It is hard to show the amazing pop up motion of this Cascade Pop-up in still pictures, so here is a reel I made to show that:

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen

Christmas in July Class Cards

My friend Deb Holms and I taught Christmas in July Fun Folds Cards this last week at Harts N Scraps in Rothschild. All the cards also featured Clear View Transparencies. Deb's card was the star card. My favorite card was the last one with the amazing blue jay from Altenew and the pop up frame from Karen Burniston. Which is your favorite?

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen

More Amazing Interactive Cards Inspired by Sam of Mixed Up Craft

 

I have been having so much fun trying interactive card ideas shared recently by Sam of Mixed Up Craft. This one is a sliding waterfall. Watch what happens when the arrow is pulled: 

To really see this movement and the next card be sure to watch the reel below...

I could not resist the new coffee cup scenery stamps and dies from Altenew and made another tiered wiper card with it. Here is the view when the snowflake is pulled:

Still pictures do not show the movement of these cards very well, so I made a reel:

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Altenew Keyhole Easy Blue Jay or Cardinal Cards

I taught a Christmas in July class this last week and we made a Christmas card with this gorgeous layered blue jay die from Altenew. I needed some thinking of you cards to send to friends this week so I made several cards with the easy keyhole layering die cut set. The sentiment die is from Karen Burniston and the pretty sky paper is from Blue Knight Rubber Stamps. 

The same keyhole system die set from Altenew can be styled into a cardinal and I love how this card turned out! Which is your favorite?

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

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 

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 

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 

Designs with Lucky Winnings

I have been blessed recently to receive two prizes from a couple of my favorite companies, and I had fun designing with what I won. I entered a contest at the Creek Bank Creations Creativity Facebook Page by posting a card inspired by one Creek Bank Creations taught in one of their weekly YouTube lives. Last week out of the blue I received their beautiful Bethlehem Nativity Die Set in the mail and found out I won! I made this 5 x 7 split easel card with those dies and the Merry Christmas circle die also from Creek Bank Creations.

Continuing my lucky streak, I received notice that I had won a gift certificate at Altenew after taking a class with them. I ordered the Zero Waste Ornamental Winter Pattern Die Set and created these two cards with it:

The backgrounds on both of these cards were created with new rub-ons from 49 & Market. I took the pieces I removed from the ornament ball and attached them onto the 2nd card. Behind the ornament in the first card is a piece of multi-colored glitter paper. 

I thank Altenew and Creek Bank Creations for my fun winnings!

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Autumn Colors and Sweater Weather

Which season is your favorite? My favorite season is autumn with cooler sweater weather and beautiful fall colors. Texture and CutCardStock’s cardstocks combine to make this card easy to make and beautiful.

I recently took an online class with Altenew and one of the instructors taught a card with this sketch and products. We both used the gorgeous Cozy Sweater 3D embossing folder and Garden Friends leaf dies. I die cut my leaves out of CutCardStock's Stardream Antique Gold and Copper and then added in some red using Red Pepper cardstock. 

My added touch to this card that was taught was to attach leaves in the 3 x 4 1/4 piece of white cardstock before embossing so those leaves were embedded into the embossing. Then I added some gold ink around the edges so the piece stood out against the white background. This card could be used for many reasons, but I added the perfect touch of gold in a Taylored Expressions Foil It sympathy sentiment. Here is another picture of this lovely card:

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Creek Bank Creations Autumn Split Easel Card

 After seeing many Split Easel cards with the circle sentiment dies from Creek Bank Creations I couldn't resist, and ordered many of them. Last night on the Creek Bank Creations Live on Monday they showed how to make one, and challenged us to create one and share on their Facebook page. Here is what I designed today:

I created a sweater like background with the new Cozy Sweater 3D embossing folder from Altenew and added some light distress ink the second time I embossed.  All the dies you see as well as the circular stamp are from Creek Bank Creations. I added some veins on the leaves from the Mini Fall Die Set just by drawing them in with a pokey tool. Hanging from the Thinking of You Circular die cut are some more of the leaves on an elastic thread. 

Fall is my favorite season but I also purchased the Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday circular sentiment dies from Creek Bank Creations, and will share more cards with them when I get a chance to play.

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Eclipsing Slatted Rectangle Dies Or Not?

In my new video this week, I shared many cards made with the Slatted Rectangle dies from Craft Addiction UK. My favorite way to use them is with the eclipse technique, but here you see they can be used woven together over scenery paper. I added a dragonfly to complete the scene and a sentiment strip from Altenew.

The pretty scenery paper on all three of my cards here is from the Paper Roses Lakeside Memories Collection. I did more weaving of the two slatted pieces with the longer one eclipsed and the shorter once partially eclipsed to show the house. I added birds cut with an older IO die and a foiled sentiment.

I really like this card with 3 panels of non-slatted scenery, but wish I had glued the sentiment on in a better position. I know we are our own harshest critics and I think who ever  receives this card will not notice that with all the lovely scenery to look at.

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Slatted Rectangle Dies In So Many Ways

Slatted rectangle dies like those from Craft Addiction UK make quick easy eclipse cards but in my newest video here, I explore other ways to use them. I make this card step by step showing both a vertical and horizonal eclipse look and I also added birds, a sentiment and then a seahorse all cut out of the same scenery paper from 49 and Market.

I had so much fun playing with my new rectangle slatted dies for the video, I have too many cards to share in just one blogpost, so be sure to watch the video and then stop back later this week for more photos and details on each of them. 

The easiest way to create lovely cards with slatted dies is to start with two pieces of patterned scenery paper and cut one of them with the slatted rectangle die. Raise it on two more slatted rectangle pieces and attach with skinny foam adhesive strips so the pattern flows from the background into the slatted piece. I did that here with a pretty fall colored piece and added a sentiment strip created with a die from Altenew. 

This is a an easel card I made the same way with pretty beach patterned paper from 49 and Market. The sentiment dies are by Karen Burniston.

To see more cards with the Slatted Rectangle dies from CraftAddiction UK watch the video and stop back later in the week here on my blog.

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen

Couple More Altenew Online Class Cards

I have posted all the cards I made after participating in an online class from Altenew recently. As a bonus class, Jaycee of Altenew did a live Zoom and this was one of the cards he taught - or my version of it. I really had to go outside my box for this one- I normally do not do one layer cards and he left a lot more white space than I did, but the chipmunk and sending hugs flat tag were his. I chose a Striped Spiral stencil from A Colorful Life Designs and added some reddish-brown spatter. 

Jaycee showed us how to add wonderful highlights to this embossed background (made with Altenew's Cozy Sweater 3D Embossing Folder) by adding a tone on tone ink to the other side of the embossing folder and running it through a 2nd time. I decided to use Altenew's Chestnut Tree instead of the Majestic Maple on this one because I will be teaching it in a stamp camp and the smaller size will be better. 

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen 

Day 2 and 3 Cards from Altenew's Heartfelt Moments Classes

This card taught by Aditi Mahajan on Day 3 of the Altenew class I recently participated in combines all my favorites of the products we received. I love fall colors and lots of texture on my cards and can't wait to send this one to someone I love.

On Day 2 Donna Tuschoff taught us how to make this gatefold card and I made my tree in gold shades and created a 50th wedding anniversary card. Here is a picture without the vellum belly band:

The tree is in shades of gold mirror card and is cut in half to open in the center. I liked the idea so much I made one in shades of silver for a wedding card:

The layered love die is from Gina K Designs. Donna also taught us a different way to look at layered circle dies, and she made a non-traditional wedding card with hers. I need more Christmas cards so I took the idea and made this card with dies from Crealies: 

Cardmaking Joy & Hugs, Karen