Karen Creates Cards

27 April 2017

The Card Concept Challenge 72 - April Showers

The Card Concept Challenge this week has the theme 'April Showers'. A vibrant wee arrangement of flowers in the cutest polka dot gummies :) So many gorgeous elements to inspire you.

Way beyond the flowers and the boots is the most delicate background. It's obviously pictures on a wall, but it's smudged and lovely.
I took a piece of watercolour paper and sponged squares of Golden Fluid acrylic paint, with hints of the colours I used in the flowers and leaves. It's really lovely but hard to pick up in my photo. (click on the photo for a better look).

The scallop circle was also made using Golden Fluid Acrylic. Many years ago I made several big stamps using precut foam shapes. I glued them to a piece of wood with PVA glue. Back then they were used to stamp fabric. I used one with dots attached in a grid pattern to stamp blue Bazzil card.

The flowers and leaves are Tim Holtz Flower garden. I have made a Silhouette cut file for the stamps.
I used Versamark ink to stamp (not really recommended for watercolour, it runs if you leave it wet for too long) and watercolored the flowers and leaves with Kuretake Gansai Tambi Japanese Watercolour Paints.

The yellow fronds are from MFT Leafy Greenery.

The Sentiment unknown.

Here are the links to the design team's blogs:-

Becca Cruger

Karen Davis (you are here)

Vicki Finger

Julie Gearinger

Michele K. Henderson

Come and play along with us at The Card Concept

Have a great week :)

13 April 2017

The Card Concept Challenge 71 - Fresh Flutters.

We have such a pretty image to inspire you in the current Card Concept Challenge. 'Fresh Flutters', even the challenge name is gorgeous. Can't wait to see the gallery :) Have fun!

I really just recreated the scene on my card. Well, sort of.......

I white embossed the background with a lacey pattern, then washed over it with dilute green watercolour. I thought that would be enough, but the design wasn't strong enough, so I added the flowers.

I used an American Crafts - Dear Lizzy - Neapolitan Collection stamp for my jar. I used watercolours to colour it,

The butterflies are from an old, and much-loved, Hero Arts stamp set - Antique Flowers and Butterflies. I have used the smaller of the three butterflies in the set.

The 'Thanks' is a woodgrain word from Kaisercraft ( I think)

I coloured a white doily with pink ink, then knocked the colour back a bit with white pigment ink.

A sprinkle of sequins and the card was done.

Here are the links to the design team's blogs:-
Please welcome our five new team members, Vicki, Kim, Nancy, Angel and Veronica.
Hi girls, it's so lovely to have you on the team. :)

Becca Cruger

Karen Davis (you are here)

Vicki Finger

Julie Gearinger

Michele K. Henderson

Come and play along with us at The Card Concept

Have a great week :)

30 March 2017

The Card Concept Challenge 70 - Purple Haze

At The Card Concept this week, the theme is Purple Haze. The bottles are so inspiring for both shape and colour. I can't wait to see what you come up with.

The glass bottles headed me off in the vellum direction. I just had to decide on the stamp set and the colour of the embossing powder.

In the end, I chose the Verve Stamp set - Be Blessed for the flowers and the sentiment. In keeping with the warm background behind the bottles, I embossed the flowers with Hero Arts Gold Embossing Powder then coloured them with three Distress Inks.

The leaves are a Clearly Besotted - Leafy Accents Die. I used a bold, patterned paper to add a bit more interest to the simple, two-tone background.

The curve on the aqua paper is cut with a die from Lil' Inker Border Builders.

A few sequins and pearls finished the card.

Here are the links to the design team's blogs:-

Becca Cruger

Karen Davis (you are here)

Julie Gearinger

Michele K. Henderson

Come and play along with us at The Card Concept

Have a great week :)

16 March 2017

The Card Concept Challenge 69 - Rich Texture

This week at The Card Concept the theme is 'Rich Texture'. The photo inspiration certainly has masses of that. I love this photo so much!!

This inspiration was a joy to work with. When I saw the chair, with its cutouts and peeled paint, it immediately translated to a shabby window frame for me. (from Making Memories)

The flowers are a direct copy of the texture and colours from the photo, AND, I know, I know.....this card is totally impractical with its very poky-outy bits, but it's pretty..................

The vellum sentiment (from Kaisercraft) was one of three I stamped several months ago for another card. I made three the same and squirrelled two away for later use.

The background is a Designer paper.

The Scallop frame is from MFT.

A swish of paint on the window frame and a sprinkle of sequins finished the card.

02 March 2017

The Card Concept Challenge 68 - Lime and Aqua

This week at The Card Concept the theme is 'Lime and Aqua'. The photo inspiration has such fresh and gorgeous colours to play with.

When I saw the inspiration, these ideas came to mind........a swish of white Golden Fluid Acrylic paint (made with a palette knife) on an aqua background, partial chrome curves (Spellbinders) and this particular die from Papertrey Ink (Bloom Builder #3) for the flowers.

The card came together with the addition of an embossed sentiment (Hero Arts), the grey stitched frame (MFT Scallop frame, with scallops hidden) and a few rhinestones.