All Posts By

Karen Ostergard

Cardmaking Joset Designs Paper Flowers

Hippos, Monkeys and Florals

May 6, 2022

Karen here today. I love mixing the different collections from Elizabeth Craft Designs. Somehow, the very different styles of the designers all fits together. Today, I mixed up a couple of Joset’s characters with a floral from Anita. I love the result in these multi-purpose cards (that I plan to use for Momma’s Day!).

I used the Florals 18 on both of my cards cut with 90 lb Soft Finish Cardstock. On this card, I colored the flower with Salty Ocean Distress Oxide with some Rustic Wilderness for the stem. The hippo is cut from a light grey cardstock and I added just a touch of Hickory Smoke to the edges with a wee bit of Kitsch Flamingo for the cheeks. The inner part of the ears and the eyes are colored with Copic markers. I loved that fun inky looking paper so much that I just had to make a second card.

And so I just had to make a monkey. He is cut with brown and kraft cardstock with just a wee touch of Kitsch Flamingo for the cheeks. I colored this flower with Wilted Violet. I added a twine bow just to add a bit of texture.

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Craftily yours, Karen

Supplies from Elizabeth Craft Designs

Other Supplies

Plain and patterned cardstock, gems, twine, inks

Cardmaking Joset Designs Paper flowers Paper Flowers

You’re So Cute

April 22, 2022

Karen here today. I’m sharing a couple cards I made with the same sketch but different products from Elizabeth Craft Designs. Today I used the adorably cute Elephant and the Florals 12 to make two very different cards!

How cute is that Elephant! And so easy to put together. I used grayish brown and beige cardstock to cut the pieces and colored his eyes with a Copic C7. I also added a little blush for the cheeks with distress ink in Kitsch Flamingo. To create the card front, I just cut a piece of 90 lb White Soft Finish Cardstock at 4-1/4×5-1/2″ and taped a triangle of the patterned blue paper to it, and I then cut that with a stitched rectangle die. The sentiment is from the Furrever Friends set.

Love these beautiful flowers from the Florals 12 set. They were cut with the 90 lb Soft Finish Cardstock and then colored with DIstress Oxides in Salty Ocean and Scattered Straw. I colored, then dampened with water, and then shaped them.

Yes, it’s never too soon to start making Christmas Cards! I used the Cute Winter Sentiments on this one!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Craftily yours, Karen

Supplies from Elizabeth Craft Designs

Other Supplies

Patterned cardstock and inks

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Cardmaking Fantasy Flowers Joset Designs Paper flowers

Pigs and Flowers

April 8, 2022

Karen here today. Only here at Elizabeth Craft Designs can one find such amazing die sets when their tastes run from pigs to flowers! Today, I used the same basic sketch to make a card with each!

I love the Pig die set! How cute is this?! I also used a Stitched Circle Die and the Life is Better on the Farm Sentiment. In the background is a die cut of Leave the Doily!

On this one, I used the Florals 1 set, and I added some greenery with the Ferns set.

Thank you for stopping by today!

Craftily yours, Karen

Supplies from Elizabeth Craft Designs

Other Supplies

Patterned cardstock, inks, embellishments

Cardmaking Joset Designs Planner Essentials Scrapbooking Sidekick Essentials

All About the Circles

March 25, 2022

Karen here today with a post that is all about the circles! I created a card using the Fitted and Stitched Circles and then was inspired to also create a Sidekick scrapbook page using them as well.

First up is a card using the Squirrel cut using 90 lb Soft Finish Cardstock. I cut the pieces “on top” using the 101mm Double Sided Adhesive. Isn’t he just adorable! I used a combination of Distress Inks to color him including Kitsch Flamingo, Weathered Wood, Antique Linen and Tea Dye. I added random Stitched and Fitted Circles to create a lively card layout for him and added some twine and lace. The stamp is from the Life is Better on the Farm set. The acorn is colored with Copic markers.

I then was inspired to use circles in a Sidekick page journaling some fun I had at a basketball game. The team was losing, so I started taking pictures of the fun and colorful shoes. The page base and pink overlay is Sidekick Essentials 20. The “fab” die is in Planner Essentials 43, and the lettering is from Planner Essentials 37. As always, I added some reinforcements from the Reinforcement Variety Packs 1 and 2.

On the back of the page is more shoes and more circles! My guy met the guy with the shoes that were yellow and colorful, but unfortunately, I only noticed the shoes, so I can’t tell you who it was!

Thanks a bunch for stopping by today!

Craftily yours, Karen

Supplies from Elizabeth Craft Designs

Other Supplies

Inks, Copic, Lace, Twine, patterned cardstock

Cardmaking Joset Designs Planner Essentials Sidekick Essentials

Bunny and Cat

March 11, 2022

Karen here. Lately, I’ve been inspired creating cards to use similar colors and pieces to also scrapbook. For today’s post, I started with the adorable Bunny and made a card. Then, I just had to create a Sidekick scrapbook page.

I started by finding a card sketch on Pinterest to create this fun card with the Bunny. The Bunny is colored with Distress Inks in Tea Dye and Kitsch Flamingo. The bow is colored with Scattered Straw. The eyes and whiskers are colored with Copic C7, and the pink nose is a Copic R81. The triangles were made by using a Fitted Square die and cutting it in half and I added a couple Stitched Rounded Rectangles to the front. I added a couple Leaves and Branches die cuts at the top. With some ribbon, twine and pearls, I called this all occasion (but I’ll probably use it for Easter) card complete.

I then brought in the paper and the triangles to create this Sidekick page journaling fun times at Sacramento Rivercats games with my guy. The page base is cut from 90lb White Soft Finish Cardstock with a Sidekick Essentials 2 die. He has a cap on that is from the Hats dies. The letters are in the Planner Essentials 23 set, and I added the “cute” stamp from the Moods set (because I think my guy is awfully cute!) No page, in my opinion, is complete without reinforcements, cut here using 101mm Double Sided Adhesive and the Reinforcement Variety Packs 1 and 2.

On the back, the focus is on these pictures that include my parents and my guys daughter since we really enjoy going to the game with family and friends. I used the triangle (again cut from a Fitted Square) as a pocket and added journaling that I cut with a Fitted Rounded Square die. The …’s are also from the Moods stamps, and I added some Branches and Leaves diecuts to the triangle pocket.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Craftily yours, Karen

Supplies from Elizabeth Craft Designs

Other Supplies

Patterned Cardstock, Copics, inks, half-pearls, twine, ribbon

Cardmaking Joset Designs Sidekick Essentials

Fun with Daffodils

February 25, 2022

Karen here today. Today, I am sharing a couple Sidekick sized scrapbook pages as well as a card. I decided to use one of Joset’s newest designs, the Daffodil, as embellishments on both.

First up today is a card I made using the Daffodils die. I cut the petals and stems from patterned cardstock and green cardstock respectively. Then I layered them up on a Stitched Hexagon. I cut another smaller sized hexagon out of the middle of it. This piece was layered up on a Stitched Rectangle die, cut from 90 lb White Soft Finish Cardstock, over a piece of the yellow patterned paper. The cardbase is also cut from 90 lb White Soft Finish Cardstock. I added a sentiment, some diamond dots and some twine!

Next I chronicled a fun date my guy and I had to see the Eagles concert. I love the fun and funky paper and felt like the Daffodils just added more fun. I used Sidekick Essentials 19 as the page base and added a couple of Stitched Circle die cuts and a fun little pocket cut from dies in the Sidekick Essentials 14 set. I love the flower reinforcement found in the 19 set as well as the little squares that are found in one of the Reinforcement Variety Packs. The letters were cut from dies in the Planner Essentials 23 set.

On the back of the page, I added another Daffodil, some pictures and another Stitched Circle (as well as just a bit of journaling!)

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Craftily yours, Karen

Supplies from Elizabeth Craft Designs

Other Supplies

Patterned and green cardstock, Black ink, Happy Birthday Sentiment, diamond dots, twine

Cardmaking Joset Designs Scrapbooking Sidekick Essentials Uncategorized

Fun with the New Beaver

February 11, 2022

Karen here today. I’m sharing both a card and a Sidekick-sized scrapbook layout I made with one of Joset’s new critters, the Beaver! He’s super sweet, and I thought he would make a great embellishment for my scrapbook page for a day out in the garden with my guy and his dog. He also is, of course, a great embellishment for those cards!

First up is the card I made. I used 90 lb Soft Finish Cardstock to cut the pieces for the Beaver and colored them up with Distress Ink in Antique Linen and Vintage Photo. The eyes and nose are colored with Copic Markers. I used a birthday sentiment from the Life is Better on the Farm Collection and cut it out with a Planner Label die. I thought the G45 paper was perfect with that sweet Beaver.

On the “back” of my Sidekick sized scrapbook page, I used the Beaver again to decorate my page. The base of this page is cut with Sidekick Essentials 4 and the scalloped overlay is Sidekick Essentials 12. The plants I used to embellish this page are also in Sidekick Essentials 12.

The Beaver on my scrapbook page was cut mostly with Kraft cardstock (the eyes are done in White Soft Finish Cardstock), but I colored it with the same Distress Inks. I usually lay the pieces out as I would be gluing them together and then divide them up by color. I used 101mm Double Sided Adhesive on the back of the pieces on top so I can make putting it together easier.

On the front of the page is a pic of my guy and his dog. I used lettering from Planner Essentials 23 and 37. The shovel and the clippers are from Sidekick Essentials 12 and are colored with Copic markers. I added a Fitted Heart to the top. My guy and his dog are two of my favorites!

Thank you for stopping by today and checking out my projects.

Craftily yours, Karen

Supplies from Elizabeth Craft Designs

Other Supplies

Distress Inks, Copic Markers, Patterned, Shiny Green and Kraft Cardstock, Black Ink, Lace, Twine

Joset Designs Planner Essentials Uncategorized

December Daily – My Final Pages

January 29, 2022

Karen here. I’m excited today to be sharing my final pages for my December Daily. I got delayed due to some holiday travel and then came back from travel to having COVID. For those of you still working on your pages, all the encouragement to finish your treasure! My book is filled with the fun critters from Joset. I love that the Elizabeth Craft Designs lines can be used alone or together!

For my Day 26, I used the Planner Essentials 41 for my page base and for the tags. I decided to decorate this page with the adorable Owl. I love his little hat! I used Calendar Numbers for my numbering in my whole album. And of course, what page is complete without reinforcements from the Reinforcement Variety Packs 1 and 2.

Day 27 is on the back of Day 26, so the same products are used. I used the postcard from Ridgecrest to create a pocket. Inside the pocket is a “secret note” from the Planner Essentials 21 (Note Pieces) set. What a fun way to add just a bit of journaling.

On Day 28, I used the Planner Essentials 1 for the page base and added some Stitched Rounded Squares for the color on the page. To decorate this page from when we stayed in the house on vacation, I used the Holiday Birdhouse and just didn’t add the snow. I love the stamps in the Vacay Phrases and used it for the tab on this page.

I had such fun on December 29! I went out for an ATV ride in the desert with my parents and some of their friends. I love the beautiful Mojave desert and needed to use a few pictures for this page. The Planner Essentials 36 is perfect for this purpose. The sun is from the Farm Accessories set, and I also used the Cozy Days Stamps.

On Day 30, I went out geocaching on the ATV with my amazing, handsome father. Since we were just monkeying around that day, I thought that the cute Monkey die was perfect. The page base here is Planner Essentials 4.

On Day 31, my boyfriend joined me, so I kept this page simple and added a note about him with a die from the Planner Essentials 21.

I created a video for all my pages. Take a look if you want to. On my blog are all the details about each page if you want to check it out.

Thank you for stopping by today!

Craftily yours, Karen

Supplies from Elizabeth Craft Designs

Other Supplies

Kraft and Patterned Cardstock, Distress Inks, Black Ink, Silver and Gold Cardstock

Cardmaking Joset Designs

Valentine’s Gnome

January 15, 2022

Karen here today, sharing a card that would be totally appropriate for Valentine’s Day using the adorable Gnomes Dies from Elizabeth Craft Designs. This gnome is too cute!

I just love that sweet little Gnome girl. To create this card, I started by cutting an 8-1/2″x11″ sheet of 90 lb Soft Finish Cardstock in half. I folded one side to create a top fold card base. I cut the other side in half and cut the Gnome pieces. The pieces that are “on top” have 101mm Double Sided Adhesive on the back to make assembly a breeze.

I used mostly Distress Inks to color the sweet Gnome. The clothes are Blueprint Sketch and Kitsch Flamingo. The hair is Mustard Seed. I used a Copic E00 for the skin, G43 for the flower center and E53 for the flower.

I adhered the patterned cardstock as in the left-hand side of the picture above before cutting it with the Fitted Rectangles on the right-hand side. I then layered it up on a 4″x5-1/4″ piece of blue cardstock. Then I put the Gnome on the card and added some gems and a sentiment from the Bear Hugs set.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Craftily yours, Karen

Supplies from Elizabeth Craft Designs

Other Supplies

Inks, Copic markers, patterned and plain cardstocks

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Cardmaking Joset Designs

Happy 2022!

December 30, 2021

Karen here. 2020 and 2021 have been challenging and somewhat crazy years, so I’m here to post a Happy New Year card with hopes that 2022 will be looking up. The adorable Parrot is one of my favorite die sets, so I decided to highlight it for today’s post.

I love creating these fun little critters designed by Joset! It reminds me of putting together paper dolls as a child. So relaxing.

After cutting the pieces out with 90 lb White Soft Finish Cardstock, I put them roughly how they will be when I put them together. It helps me to try to figure out which pieces will be which colors.


I then colored the pieces with these colors of Distress Ink and put them together using some fun googly eyes.

From there, I just put it on a card. 🙂 The sentiment is part of the Cozy Days stamp set. I cut it out with a Stitched Circle and hid part of it behind the look up panel that is part of the G45 paper set I used.

Wishing you all the very happiest and healthiest New Year!

Craftily yours, Karen

Supplies from Elizabeth Craft Designs

Other Supplies

Patterned Cardstock, gems, black ink, distress inks, googly eyes

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