Saturday Valentine's Day Card

Happy Saturday everyone.  I've been spending the last few days making Valentine's Day cards for the blog.  Today, I might even make a shaker card [insert a gasp here].  I am not a fan of shaker cards but, maybe, after I make two for my nieces, I will change my mind.  LOL

The inspiration for today's card came from a card by Jen del Muro for Reverse Confetti.  

I loved how the scalloped Love Note Confetti Cut worked with the embossed cardstock over it.  Click HERE to see their original blog post.  

To make my card -  

(1) make the card base.  Round two of the corners.  

(2) using the scallop die cut, cut a piece of red cardstock and adhere to card front.  Trim left edge.  Die cut the next size down with white cardstock.  Emboss with your favorite heart embossing folder (I used Heart Blocks by Cuttlebug) and adhere to red cardstock. Trim left edge.  

(3) using the Hearts Die, cut some of the larger hearts out of white cardstock and stamp the corresponding image, from the Bottom of My Heart set, in red and/or black ink.  I used a stamp positioner here.  Adhere them around the scalloped pieces.  

(4) cut some smaller hearts out of red cardstock and adhere to card front.  Some I glued to the card front and some I used a pop dot under it.  I also adhered some red and pink sequins and a button to the card front.  

(5)  stamp phrase in black archival ink.

(6) give it to someone that will appreciate it!  LOL

Well, hope you liked the card.  More coming this week!!

Hugs from Brasil -

~Michael

Supplies I Used:  

Heart Die Set by Sweet N Sassy Stamps

Bottom Of My Heart Stamp Set by Sweet N Sassy Stamps

Phrase from Off The Chart Stamp Set by Laina Lamb for My Favorite Things

Square Scalloped Nesting Die by Quickutz 

Heart Block Embossing Folder by Cuttlebug

Jet Black and Vermillion Archival Inks from Ranger

Crystal Stickles by Ranger

Glossy Accents by Ranger

Pop Dots

Card base is white cardstock, 4.25" x 11" scored at 5.5"

Red and white cardstock scraps

Corner Rounder

Stamp Positioner

Sequins

Inlaid Card Technique Using Memory Box Dies

With the New Year comes new resolutions. But since that word never really worked for me in the past, I am going to change it to "goals". So one of my goals for 2015 is to send some   of the cards I make to people!!  I mean put them in an envelope, address the envelope, put stamps on it, and put it in the mail. You would think, with all the cards I make that would just happen automatically.  But it doesn't and I really don't know why.  I know, I am bad!!  

To get me moving in the right direction, I am finally making a few birthday cards using the "Inlaid" technique I have seen done over the past year.  I really think this was the biggest trend of 2014  and I have wanted to give it a try.  And, since I am making a few for myself, I thought I would turn it into a step by step for those people that want to see how it's done.  

As you can see from the photo at the top, using this die allowed me to make 7 cards at once!  

Step by Step:

Cut 6, 7, 8 or more pieces of different colored cardstock to 4 1/8" x 5 3/8".  Center the die on each piece and cut using your die cut machine. 

Pop out all of the letters and words using either the Die Pick by Tim Holtz or the Tool N' One by Spellbinders.  Both will help immensely!!  Trust me!

Then glue each of the pieces of cardstock to a card front.   I used Mono Multi glue on some of them and my Xyron machine on the others.  

For some of my cards I glued the colored cardstock to a white card base and for others I used a colored card base.

From here all you need to do is glue the different colored words and letters into each of the card fronts. It's like doing a puzzle.  Because of the layered cardstock to the card front, there is a gap and the words and letters will just slip into each section.  I used several different glues but found that the Zig 2 Way Glue with the Fine Ball Point or the Quickie Glue by Sakura work the best!!  

As you can see below, I first glue the script birthday into the card fronts.  Then I glued the large HAPPY.

Continue until the whole card front has been filled in with all the different colored letters and words. Remove any adhesive residue with the Adhesive Eraser by Xyron.  This is probably the best tool ever invented.  Click "HERE" to watch a video by Kristina Werner showing how to remove the adhesive and why you need this in your stash of tools.  

Below is one of the finished cards with all the words and letters "inlaid" in the different sections.  I even glued a crystal for the dot over the "i" in the script birthday.

I hope you enjoyed this "Inlaid Technique". I am sure that you will look at your dies in a different light now. There are so many dies on the market with which you can use this technique.  

Hugs from Brasil - 
~Michael

Supplies Used:
Happy Birthday Background (990) by Poppy Stamps
Die Cut Machine (Big Shot, Big Kick, Cuttlebug)
Cardstock in various colors and/or textures
Tool N' One by Spellbinders  or Die Pick by Tim Holtz
Glues - Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue, Zig 2 Way Glue with the Fine Tip, Quickie Glue Pen by Sakura - all work well
Adhesive Eraser by Xyron

Brasil is HOT & Whiskey Has A New Family

Good morning everyone!  Well Summer is in full swing here!  It has been over 100F for over two weeks now.  I am not complaining.  It is Brasil.  And it is Summer.  I just wish the air would move!  I have not used the hot water in the shower for a few weeks now since the cold comes out warm!  My only concerns are the water for the animals and I put ice cubes in their bowls to chill the water.  They are not moving much anyway.  LOL

Poor Sasha cooling off on her back and praying for a breeze!

As for the pups...they are getting BIG!  Next week they will be 2 months old and we have started to look for new homes for them.  Our very good friend Mara, and her daughter Barbara, decided early on that they wanted Whiskey!  Very happy about that since black dogs are harder to get adopted than lighter colored ones.  The vet stopped by they other day and gave them all their first set of shots.  She also told us that Whiskey is part Rottweiler but will not be a very big dog.

Yesterday we had a BBQ and a celebration of Mara's birthday.  When they left they took Whiskey with them.  Sad day but happy that we will be able to see Whiskey grow up.  Maybe there will be some play dates in the future.  Very happy that we love the family that adopted him!

Whiskey in his box ready to go.  Momma and Poppa on the other
side saying goodbye.  Max does not look happy at all.

Whiskey crawled out of his box to give Max one last kiss.
Okay...this killed me!

Whiskey with is new family.  Vinicius, Barbara, Mara and Luis.

Okay, off to take my 3rd shower of the day now. 

Hugs from a hot Brasil -

~Michael

Happy New Year and OH MY GOD, I TURNED 50!!

Happy Birthday To Me!

Hello everyone!  Just having some fun with the subject line of my post today.  I have turned 50 - but I am not freaking out over it. Honestly, I feel better at 50 than I did at 49!  LOL

Sorry I have not posted anything in a few weeks.  My friend Eleni - who I know for over 30 years - came all the way from Houston, Texas for the holidays and to help me celebrate the big 50!  Also, unlike in the USA, the holidays here in Brasil mean that things slow down, stores and restaurants close, and people go on a month long vacation. Especially in our small town! It's been quiet and so has my blog! 

I hope everyone had an amazing holiday, that you got great art supplies, stencils, boxes of dark chocolate double stuff Oreos, and maybe a puppy! Wishing everyone a fantastic 2015!!!  

I did not get many presents for my birthday - at my request - but I did get the BEST Birthday Card EVER!!!  My BFF, Sue Macken, made me this card, which she mailed to Eleni so that Eleni could bring it to me in her luggage! Sneaky!!  It arrived in an envelope.  With a big note on it saying "do not open until December 24th".  Yeah...my birthday is Christmas Eve, which is also why it is never a really big deal to me.

So I waited...until the 24th!  Then I went on Skype with Sue and opened it while she and Eleni watched.  As I opened the envelope and then slid the card out, it popped up and open into this amazing "Card In A Box".

That is Sue on the Ipad and Eleni behind me in the 3rd photo!

To say I was shocked and overwhelmed by the amount of work that went into this card, would be an understatement.  Sue does amazing work and I know she is as anal as I am.  So I could only imagine the time, the amount of perfect die cutting, and adhering that went into this!  I am sure she was up to the wee hours of the morning getting this done just perfectly!

But I love it and will treasure it forever! 

If you want to see more of her work, check out her Etsy shop HERE -  she has the nicest cards and tags for every occassion!  (No, she did not ask me to add her site here, has no idea I am even doing this blog post, and she will probably kill me the next time I am in NY.)   

Below are more close-ups of the different parts of the box. 

Of course she keeps getting the number wrong!

Again, I want to take a moment to wish all my readers a very Happy, Healthy, Prosperous, and Art Filled 2015!!

Stop back again soon because I have a bunch of new posts coming up!

Hugs from Cosmopolis, Brasil!!

~Michael