KariV | Sunshine in my pocket

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Cards for Guys

By KariV on August 26, 2019 in Paper Crafting

Hello! Today I have a surprise for you. I am making masculine cards! Yes, I know it’s a rarity around here, but I took an inspiring class by Jennifer Rzasa with Altenew and I just had some fun ideas!

I used to have only two rules in making cards for guys: NO PINK, NO GLITTER. Lol. Although, I do admit that I’ve made cards with pink on it for guys and they seemed to like it ok! 🙂

Today I used a combination of geometric elements and galaxy elements, as inspired by Jennifer!

For both cards I used the Altenew Cube builder stencil and Altenew ink cubes as the geometric element. And then for the galaxy element I used a galaxy panel created with Altenew inks, distress inks, Perfect Pearls in mint, and Gansai Tambi watercolors in white for the splatters. I also colored the balloon to look like a galaxy for the fox card.

I show you the complete process in the video below, or watch it on YouTube:

Don’t you love a fox sitting atop a stack of cubes!? He has his very own galaxy balloon to match.

I created this galaxy balloon with colored pencils, smoothed out with gamsol, and added some white gel pen stars and highlights. This fox is a favorite of mine.

Did I mention that yesterday was my Dad’s birthday? That is who this card was for! It is probably the first card I made without a bear on it for him (bears are his favorite)!

For this second card, I created the galaxy background using a variety of inks and watercolors. I was looking for a little more teal in the galaxy to match the cubes, but next time I know to add more teal!

I popped up these letters with fun foam to give it more dimension. I also offset the letters just a touch to get that shadow look.

I love how these cards turned out for my AECP projects. I hope you enjoyed them, too. I’m often asked what supplies I’ve used so I have a list below, using affiliate links when possible. When you purchase using these links I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps me keep up with blog costs and continue to bring you fun projects. Thank you very much!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Enjoy the Simple Things

By KariV on August 24, 2019 in Paper Crafting

Hello! Today I’m sharing a card that was inspired by the AECP class “Seasonal Scene Building.” This was a fun class and I especially loved building a scene using masking.

I have had this Versatile Vases stamp set for quite some time and this gave me the push I needed to create a card with 3 vases.

I first created a soft ink blended ombre background using the mountain mist ink from Altenew. Then I stamped the large round vase using a mini misti and Memento Rich Cocoa ink. After I cut a mask for that vase, I attached the mask before stamping the two smaller vases that appear like they are behind that round vase.

Then I stamped the stems of the flowers with the same mountain mist ink. I did not stamp the entire stem, as it would have been too long, so I only inked up a portion of each stem.

I stamped the Poppies with the Rose Quartz, Puffy Heart, and Purple Skies ink. This poppy stamp set was a collaboration with Ellen Hutson and it is beautiful!! The centers are stamped with Rich Cocoa ink. Then I die cut the poppies with the coordinating dies and added them to the card with 3M foam tape.

I added some Stardust Stickles glitter to the center of each flower. Then I stamped the sentiment with the Rich cocoa ink.

I’m often asked what products I used, so I have a list of supplies below using affiliate links when possible. If you purchase with these links, I may receive a small commission. This helps me keep up with blog costs and continue to bring you fun projects. Thank you very much!

Hope you enjoyed this “Simple Things” card. Enjoy the simple things.

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Polka Dots Forever!

By KariV on August 22, 2019 in Paper Crafting

Hi there! Today I have a fun polka dot background created using the smallest stamp hidden amongst some gorgeous floral stamps! This stamp comes from the August 2019 Hedgehog Hollow Kit and I just knew it would make a great background.

I am using some of my favorite inks today to create this rainbow of polka dots (who doesn’t love a rainbow of polka dots)?! And this card is made even better with a “Hey, Gorgeous” sentiment.

I created a short video to show you how I created a background THREE different ways that are all equally as fun! Watch it below or on YouTube:

This background is easy to make and really quick, too. Just change the direction of your stamp each time to get some variation.

If you look closely at the stamp set in the photo above, you can just pick out the polka dot stamps I am talking about. I put a couple of them on one side of my acrylic block, and another one on the other side; then I alternated between the two sides when I stamped it out.

I think this black polka dot card is my favorite one! I also think it would make a great background for a dog card (why do I think that)?!

The last polka dotted card is made with the beautiful embossing powders that came in last month’s kit. I alternated between 3 of them to create an ombre look for the background.

Funny story…I colored these flowers in a rainbow order because I thought it would be fun to use them for the rainbow background (first card). But sometimes my cards take on a mind of their own! So these florals ended up on the heat embossed background. I added some chunky glitter to the centers of these flowers to mimic some shine from the embossing powders. So pretty.

I’m often asked about the supplies I use on the cards I make, so I compiled a list using affiliate links when possible. If you make a purchase using these links, I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). These help me to keep up with blog costs and continue to bring you fun projects. Thank you very much for your support!

I hope you are inspired to create some polka dot backgrounds! (or even create backgrounds using the smallest stamps in your stamp sets).

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Ice Cream at Midnight

By KariV on August 19, 2019 in Paper Crafting

Hello! Do you ever name your cards…or give them a title? Today, I have named my card “Ice Cream at Midnight!” I think you’ll see why:

This is an unusual card for me, I rarely use a dark background. But I was inspired by Nicole Picadura in her class at Altenew called All About Layering 2. She suggested using embossing powder as one of the layers. Of course, I was all over that idea! First, I stamped the flowers with a couple colors of Distress Oxide inks (vanilla, strawberry, and mint colors). Then I used SILVER embossing powder for the outline layer of these flowers.

Then, as I was arranging these flowers on my regular white cardstock, the silver embossing powder got kind of lost! So, I broke out my Altenew 6×6 papers and found the perfect dark cardstock to go with these flowers. It even has pastel squares to match.

Mint, Vanilla, and Strawberry ice cream at midnight! Lol. I love these colors of flowers…they do look like scoops of ice cream, don’t you think?

I popped some of these florals up with differing levels of foam tape for dimension and added a watercolored frame for more color. I used the sentiment from Meadow Flower (The Best Ever) to complete this card.

I’m often asked what supplies I used on a project, so I have a list below using affiliate links, when possible. If you purchase using these links I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps me to keep up with blog costs and continue bringing you fun projects. Thank you so much!

I hope you enjoyed this ice cream at Midnight! See you next time!

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How to create (real-looking) sand for a beach card [VIDEO]

By KariV on August 16, 2019 in Paper Crafting

Hello! Today it was 120 degrees (Farenheit) here in Arizona, and I really wish I was at the beach! So I decided to share a simple beach card I created with a VIDEO. This is a card I created a while ago, but have never shared the video on my channel.

Doesn’t Big Bear look so happy on the beach?!

I hope you enjoy!

Look at that sandy beach! This technique is STILL a favorite way to create realistic sand granules for a beach scene. Check it out and let me know if you’ve tried it before?

I also share a colored pencil technique to get a smooth blend. This is another favorite technique when I am using colored pencils.

I’m often asked what supplies I’ve used, so I created a list for you here, using affiliate links when possible. When you purchase using these links, I may receive a small commission. This helps me keep up with blog costs and continue to bring you fun projects like this one! Thank you so much for your support!