With Love At Christmas {Card}

Happy Friday everyone.  I hope everyone had a relatively nice week.  TGIF!!  Bring on the weekend. I am ready.  LOL.  I actually made today's card about 2 weeks ago for one of the Stamp Ink Paper Challenge blog but forgot to upload it in time.  I am really in love with how this card came out and wanted to share it with y'all.

I started with a top folding A2 card base of red cardstock.  I cut a piece of white cardstock 4" x 5 1/4" and adhered it to the inside of the card so it can be written on.  

To make the scene, I started with a piece of white cardstock 3 3/4" x 5" and then blended squeezed lemonade, chipped sapphire, and broken china Distress Inks with the ink blending tool.  I did my best to keep away from the bottom of the cardstock where I wanted it to look like snow.

Using Versamark Ink, Black Sparkle Embossing Powder by Ranger, and a heat gun, I embossed the Happy Holiday Trees by Hero Arts right over the blending background.

I had a Christmas stamp set that I had gotten a few years ago in one of my Cardmaking & Papercraft magazines and wanted to put it to good use.  So I stamped the image of the bear pulling the sled with the cat on it twice - once on a piece of white cardstock and again over the trees where I knew I would adhere the other image.  

Using various Copic markers, I colored in the image on the white cardstock and then fussy cut it.  

I stamped one of the phrases that came in the set on the right side of the image and colored it in with a red Copic.  I adhered this to a piece of black cardstock (to give a slight border), 5 1/8" x 3 7/8", which I then adhered to the card front.

Then I put some pop dots behind the image I fussy cut and adhered it right over where I stamped it on the card front.  

Lastly, I die cut the larger star from the Star of Wonder set by Memory Box using gold cardstock and adhered it between the trees.  Then I applied Frosted Lace Stickles to all the tree branches.  Once it dried it had a beautiful sparkle to it that really made this card look like a real winter scene.  

Done!!  I know it's summer in the states but it's never too early to start making some Holiday cards and I hope this card inspired you to start making some.  Let me know what you thought of this card by leaving me a comment below.  I hope everyone has a great weekend.  Until next time - 

Hugs from Brasil -

Michael

Birds On A Wire Say Hello!

Hello everyone!!  I wasn't planning a post today but wanted to share this quick, easy, and fun card I made yesterday.  We have a really nice customer who loves to call the store and say "Hello.  It's Adele". LOL.  Yesterday she placed an order and one of the things she bought was this stencil - 

and, I do not know why, but I thought of a card with one of the birds saying "hello" in a speech bubble.  And then I went to work....

I started with a top folding A2 card base of black cardstock to which I adhered a piece of decorative paper 4" x 5 1/4".    

I used my Blueprints 1 set by MFT and cut and embossed a piece of white cardstock with the smallest rectangle die and a piece of black with the larger die.

I placed a piece of white cardstock on my mat and then secured the section of the stencil I wanted to use, over the white cardstock with painter's tape. Then, using a dauber and Versafine Onyx Black ink, I dabbed the ink through the stencil.

to get this - 

Then I adhered the white cardstock to the black cardstock, which I then adhered to the card front.

Now, I could have stopped here but I still needed a speech bubble with "hello" in it.  I found the perfect stamp from Goodies, a Brasilian company.  I stamped the image in Versafine and fussy cut it out.  Then I placed a pop dot behind it and placed it on the card front so that the bird was saying "hello".

   

Done!!  I really loved how quick and easy this card came together.  And it was nice card without the speech bubble too.  Here are the two cards in final form.  

Leave me a comment below and let me know which one you liked better.  Stop back tomorrow when I have a Christmas card for you guys.  Until then -

Hugs from Brasil - 

Michael

Stamp Ink Paper and Retro Rubber Card Challenges

Hello everyone.  Today is Tuesday which means a new challenge over at the Stamp Ink Paper Challenge blog.  Today is Challenge No. 58 and it's a sketch challenge - 

And, since I made this as a "summertime" theme, I am also adding it to the Retro Rubber Challenge No. 43 - Summertime!  Although I personally love to eat ice cream ALL year round, it really is a "Summertime" treat!  And it's nice to be using stamps and dies I had sitting around for over a year now!!  Time to dust these babies off!

Because the sketch shows two separate areas on the front of the card, I wanted to go with something a bit different - a different type of border.  So I grabbed an OLD set from QuicKutz called Nesting Scallop Paisley (you can try this with any of your nesting dies).  I cut a piece of fun foam, slipped it under the top of the die and positioned the scallop edge at the bottom of the fun foam and die cut it with my Big Shot.  

Using your dies this way gives you so many new ways to have a border or edge to your cards or papers.

Then I did the same with a piece of designer paper from Hootenanny Six By Six Paper Pad by My Minds Eye.

Then I glued the designer paper to the fun foam and then adhered both to the card front, leaving room at the bottom for a phrase.  

Next up was to make the tag.  I used 2 dies from Reverse Confetti - Tag Me and Love and Ice Cream Confetti Cuts.  I die cut the largest tag from Tag Me using the reverse side of the paper I used with the scallop edge.  Then, with the Love and Ice Cream Confetti Cuts, I cut the spoon with silver cardstock, the ice cream with yellow and white cardstock, the icing part with red cardstock and the cup with Kraft cardstock, which I then put through an embossing folder for some texture.

I glued the ice cream cup to the front of the tag, adhered the tag to the card front, and glued some 4mm red/gold sequins the top ball of ice cream. Lastly I stamped one of the phrases from the matching Love And Ice Cream stamp set and adhered 3 sequins on the bottom. 

That's it.  Done!  I love these dies from Reverse Confetti and this ice cream duo is perfect for the summertime!  I hope you can find some time to add one of your own creations to the two challenge blogs - click HERE to be taken to the Stamp Ink Paper Challenge blog and click HERE to be taken to the Retro Rubber Challenge blog.  

Until next time - 

Hugs from Brasil - 

Michael

Two Lips...I Mean...Tulips for Your Birthday

Happy Monday y'all.  I hope you had a nice weekend. I did.  The weather was great, we had a BBQ, and I got a lot done.  I was inspired to make this card after I went to the garden center last week and saw a bunch of beautiful tulips.  I remembered that I had this set from Stampin Up called Blessed Easter, which, unfortunately, is retired.  But I came home and made the card.  I like the way it came out and I hope you do too.

I started with an A2 top folding card base of white cardstock.  I dug through my stash of papers and found this one with all the colors that I thought would look great with some tulips.  (I have no idea who makes the paper but if you do, leave the info in the comments below and I will update this post).  I cut a piece, 4 1/4" x 5 1/2", distressed the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink, and adhered it to the card front.

Using the two largest dies from the Stitched Circle Layers set, I cut a piece of orange and white cardstock and distress the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  Then I stamped the tulip image (Blessed Easter, Retired, Stampin Up) a few times with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and then colored them in with colored pencils and blended them with a Copic 00 marker.

I adhered the white cardstock with the tulips to the orange cardstock, and then to the card front.  

I trimmed the right edge with a knife and distress the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

I pulled out my Happy Birthday Mini chipboard by The Dusty Attic, heat embossed both words with Black Sparkle Embossing Powder, and adhered them both to the card front.

Lastly, I applied some Glossy Accents to the tulips to give them a glossy/raised effect. Here is a close up of the flowers - 

And done!!  I think this is a really nice and festive colored birthday card.  Hope you guys do too!  Feel free to leave me a comment below and, until next time - 

Hugs from Brasil -
Michael

My Uncle Simone the Gnome - DIY Photo Frame Part 2

Happy Sunday everyone!  I saw on the news that almost all of the USA is under a heat advisory and I hope everyone is staying safe and crafting inside with the air blowing.  LOL. Thanks so much for all the love yesterday with my DIY Photo Frame.  It seems a lot of folks loved this project.  Today I am going to show you how to make your own "Uncle" to put in the frame.

So...the above "photo" is is my Uncle Simone...who lived in Rome....in an adorable little home....under a dome....where he liked to groan....and moan....he flew a drone.....hated to use the phone...on the streets he would roam.....hated coffee with foam.....would never take a loan.....and was a Gnome.  (Thanks to my friend Sue for helping me with the name).  

To make my Uncle....I started with a piece of cardstock, 3 1/2" x 5".  Then, using a stamp positioner, I stamped the sun from Fly Away in Memento Tuxedo Black ink. 

Then I colored the sun in with various Copic markers.

After this I stamped the gnome image from what's up gnomey? and cut him out.  Then, using a water brush, a craft mat, and "Ice" Color Pop ink, I colored in his clothes.

Then  I stamped the image again near his head and hat and colored the hat with "Fresh" Color Pop ink.

Then I cut the hat out, stamped one of the washi tape images from A Little Bit Washi using the "Kiss" Color Pop -

and adhered it to the gnome image.  I also applied Crystal stickles to his mustache and beard and set it aside to dry.

While he was drying, I stamped a few of the mushrooms from what's up gnomey?, colored them in with various Copic markers and then cut them out.

Lastly, I adhered the mushrooms to the bottom of the cardstock.  Then I stamped two of the butterflies, also from what's up gnomey? and applied Glam Pink stickles to one and Lavender stickles to the other and let them dry.

Then I put some pop dots behind my Uncle Simon the Gnome and adhered him to the front of the mushrooms -

and put him in the DIY Photo Frame from yesterday.

I hope you enjoyed this whimsical and fun post.  I adore Susan's stamps and can totally relate to her whimsical and fun side.  You can find all of her stamps and papers on her personal site HERE and you can follow her blog HERE.

Would love to hear your thoughts - feel free to leave me a comment below.  Until next time - 

Hugs from Brasil - 
Michael

Whimsical DIY Washi Tape Photo Frame

Hello everyone!  Today I have a fun, whimsical, and colorful project.  But, first, you know that there has to be a back story.  LOL.  Back in January I won a contest that Susan K. Weckesser was having on her blog - {my sweet earth}.  I won a bunch of stickers, papers, and embellishments from Fancy Pants Designs, I also got to pick one of Susan's rubber stamp sets (I picked What's Up Gnomey), which she co-brands with Unity Stamp Co., and she also sent me 5 of her new inks that have recently been released by Clearsnap under the Color Box line. I have to say - that was a great box o goodies to win!

I love getting new supplies to play with and, since I love all of Susan's stamps, I could not wait to jump right in.  She has 5 new Color Pop Premium Dye inks  - Kiss (red), Fresh (green), Ice (light blue),  Sky (dark blue), and Cocoa (light brown).  She also has Black, which is a Color Pop Archival ink and White and Gold Color Pop Pigment inks.

I received 5 of the inks - Black (archival), Gold (pigment) and Ice, Fresh, and Kiss (dye). The first thing I noticed (and loved) were the gorgeous bright colors.  The dye inks remind of Ancient Page inks, which are no longer being made but were my favorite back in the day, and were also made by Clearsnap.   I've used these inks on a few projects so far and have ordered the rest of the colors.  I love that they are a small size and easy to travel with or take on the go and the dye inks are perfect to use with a waterbrush. And I love the price point - around $3.50!  I just wish there was a yellow and pink.  Maybe next time!

I wanted to try and only use the colors I received and I also wanted to do something other than a card.  So I dove into my stash of her stamps and pulled out the "A Little Bit Washi" set.  I decided to do a "patchwork washi" photo frame.  

I grabbed a white 5" x 7" photo mat and, starting in one of the corners, I stamped one of the washi tape images with Kiss (red), then a different washi image with Ice (blue), then another washi image with Fresh (green) and then a another washi image with Gold.  

I continued doing this, working my way around the frame, stamping images in the different colors - 

Until I had filled in the whole photo frame.

I loved this "patchwork" feel but wanted it to look stitched.  I had a x-stitch stamp from a Brasilian stamp company called Scraplooving and, using the Black archival ink and a stamp positioner, I stamped where each washi tape meets - to give it a look that they were sewn together.  

The last thing to do was to put it in a frame!

I had a lot of fun making this "home decor" project and hope you enjoyed it also.  Please stop back tomorrow when I unveil the "photo" of my Uncle (who is a Gnome) - for the center of this photo frame.  As always, please leave me a comment if you wish and until next time - 

Hugs from Brasil - 
Michael