Eat Dessert First (The Easiest Card I Ever Made)

Hello everyone!  I have to warn you that this is probably the easiest card I have EVER made!  I wasn't going to write a blog post but then I got to thinking that not everyone has the supplies that some of us have and that maybe after they see how easy this card was to make, someone might look at their supplies in a different light.  Does that make sense?  

OK...so back story here...I love dessert - cake, cookies, chocolate and ice cream.  And I always make a joke about having dessert first, before dinner.  I tell people that if I eat dessert first and then die, at least I will have died happy.  I know...LOL but kinda creepy.  

So the other day I was putting together a box of crafty stuff to donate when I came across a package of  "Sassy Sayings" stickers by Momenta.  When I saw the sticker I used on this card, I just had to make this card.

Using a stitched rectangle die I cut a piece of DSP that had desserts all over it (a Brasilian brand).  I adhered this to a piece of fun foam, which I then adhered to my card front of black cardstock.  Then I adhered the sticker.  Done!  

That's it!  I know...crazy.  Why can't every card be this easy?  LOL  I hope you enjoyed this crazy short post and maybe you will make a super simple card like this soon!  I hope so.  Until next time....

Hugs from Brasil - 

Michael    

Holiday Candles & Pine Card (and a SALE)

Hello crafty friends!  I hope y'all had a great weekend.  Ours was busy!  Ruy and some friends have started a photo club here in town.  The first exhibition of photos is being held this Thursday night.  So, we have been running around having meetings, promoting the club, printing photos, etc.  But I did get to meet the Mayor...and he thinks I am "off my meds" for moving from NYC to here.  Go figure!  LOL

I did find some time to make a super simple Christmas/Holiday card using another beautiful image from Anthony's Paper Craft.  Honestly, I made this card in under 10 minutes (not counting the time the Stickles needed to dry).  

But...before I get to the card I wanted to let you know that Anthony's Paper Craft is having a 20% off SALE until Dec. 31st.  So, if have loved my projects using their stamps, now is a great time to grab some.  No coupon needed.  Just add what you want to the cart and the sale price will be reflected!  

Now....on to the card.....

I started by cutting a piece of white cardstock with the largest die from Rectangle die set (Cottage Cutz).  Then I stamped the Candles & Pine image and the "Happy Holidays" sentiment from the Christmas Sentiments 1 set, using Tuxedo Black Memento ink and my Misti.  I then colored in the image with various fine tip Bic Markers.

I made a top folding A2 card base of white cardstock, to which I adhered a piece of Christmas paper.  I then used the largest die from the Nested Stitched Scallop Rectangle set (Cottage Cutz) to cut a piece of metallic red cardstock and a piece of white fun foam 3" x 4". 

Now it's just putting the layers together.  Adhere the fun foam to the back of your colored image cardstock.  Then adhered that to the red cardstock.  Then adhere the red cardstock to the card front.

To give a bit of shimmer I adhered some Firefly Stickles to the holly leaves and fir branches and some Yellow Stickles to the candles.  

That's it.  Done!  Told ya....super simple to make.  And, I think, a beautiful card!  Hope you love it too.  Don't forget to check out the sale going on at Anthony's Paper Craft!!  Until next time....

Hugs from Brasil - 

Michael 

Coffee and "LOVE" With Debra and Celeste (Mini Blog Hop)

Hello...Hello...Hello...everyone!!  Today is a special post for me.  I was invited by my friend Debra (Meticulosity), and her friend Celeste (Crafting Junky), to join them for some cyber coffee and to talk about "love" or, more specifically, what we "love".  Let's call this a "mini blog hop".  

First off...the coffee I am drinking this beautiful morning is a cup (or 3) of Extra Strong Coffee by Melitta.  It's a brasilian coffee that is just super tasty.  Not bitter with just a hint of a chocolate taste (at least to me).  

Yes, I save the box to use as a mini album cover!

OK...back story.  I met Debra in a Facebook group. We both have a lot in common - making cards, coffee, donuts, zombies!  I know....crazy!  Deb asked me to pick the subject for this mini blog hop and I chose the word "love".  Love means many things to different people so I tried to make a card that included traditional love, with the XOs and the word love, as well as some other things I love - like the coffee and the donut.  

I had a boatload of fun making this card and step by step and hope you "love" it too.  

I started with a white chipboard tag heart (retired/Bazzill) I found in my stash, that I covered with gesso.

Next I sprayed some of the Gilded and Pressed Petal Color Bloom Spray Mists (Prima) on the heart until I got the look I wanted.  I also applied Candied Apple Distress Ink around the edges of the heart.

Next, I die cut a piece of white cardstock with the Hugs & Kisses Coverup die (MFT Stamps/retired) to make a stencil.  I then placed the stencil over the heart and applied candied apple and mustard seed distress inks to achieve the design.  I also applied the candied apple around the edges of the heart.

Because I never know when to stop....I grabbed my Versamarker pen, heat tool, and aged gold embossing enamel (Stampendous) and embossed the edges of the heart.  Gold...red....works with "love".  Right?

I made my card base with white cardstock and then adhered a piece of red metallic cardstock to the front.  I was liking how the XO stencil looked so I applied some more of the inks and then I adhered it on top of the red cardstock.

Now for the fun stuff.  I stamped, die cut, and colored - two coffee cups from the Coffee Cup set and die cut them with the matching Coffee Cup die set (Prickley Pear), and the donut from the Donut Worry....Be Happy set and die cut it with the matching Donut Worry Coordinating die (Brutus Monroe). 

I also die cut the Little Luxe die (Poppy Stamps) - once out of the red metallic cardstock and a few times out of red fun foam.

After I colored in the donut I applied some glossy accents over the pink so it would shine like frosting and allowed it to dry.

Then I adhered the pieces to the card front.  I started with the heart - 

Then the two coffee cups and the donut -

Then I adhered the red metallic word to the fun foam layers and adhered that over the coffee cups.  

Done!  Here's a close up of all the pieces on the card.

This is not really a typical card for me but it was fun to use products I don't usually think about and it was fun to think a bit out of the box.  I would love to know what you think of this card so feel free to leave me a comment below!  

And don't forget to head over to Deb's blog {HERE} and to Celeste's blog {HERE} to see what they "love" and to show them some "love"!  As always...thanks for stopping by the blog and....until next time....

Hugs from Brasil - 

Michael  

Simple and Fast Christmas Tree Card with Anthony's Paper Craft

Hello everyone and Happy Friday!!  What a week!  I have been sick almost all week but am doing much better today.  I even got a bunch of cards done yesterday.  I think that I need to need to get sick more often.  LOL

Today I have a super simple, but beautiful, Christmas card for you.  Not many photos for the actual step by step because it's really that simple.  I made this card in under 10 minutes!  

I started with a top folding A2 card base of white cardstock.  I went through my stash and adhered a piece of cardstock to the front of the card.  

I used a stitched rectangle die to cut a piece of white cardstock on which I stamped the tree from Christmas Set 2 and the phrase "Merry Christmas" from Christmas Sentiments 1 - both from Anthony's Paper Craft.  

Then I grabbed red, green, yellow and blue Sharpie markers, some colored crystals, and my Tombow Willow Green (No. 173) marker for the tree. 

Now to color.  I went over the whole tree using the Tombow Willow Green marker.  The way this image is drawn you really can't go wrong when coloring.  Just brush the marker over the whole tree.  Then I colored in the presents using red, green, blue, and yellow Sharpie Fine Tip markers.  

I cut a piece of white fun foam, which I adhered to the back of the image cardstock, then adhered this to the card front.  After that, I adhered some colored crystals for the ornaments and then some True Blue, Christmas Red and Firefly stickles on the presents and Firefly on the tree form some shimmer.  

The stickles are completely optional and I still love the card even without them.  Here is the card before I applied the stickles - 

And here is the card after the stickles were applied and dried - 

That's really all there is to make this beautiful and fast Christmas card.  I seriously made this card in under 10 minutes and so can you!!  I hope you will give it a try.  Have a great weekend everyone and until next time - 

Hugs from Brasil - 

Michael 

Retro Rubber Challenge No. 76 - Merry & Bright with Gina K Designs and Memory Box

Happy Cyber Monday everyone!!  I hope everyone had a great weekend and got some great deals.  I was a very good boy and only bought some stamps from a really cool company in the Ukraine.  Now I get to wait...

Today I have a card I made for Challenge 76 on the Retro Rubber Challenge Blog, which is an "Anything Goes" challenge.  

I decided to make a Christmas card using a stamp set called "Merry and Bright" that I bought from Gina K Designs....YEARS ago....and had yet to use! Unfortunately it is no longer being made but you can find so many other beautiful designs on her site!  

I started by adhering a piece of red cardstock to my top folding card base. I also cut a piece of white cardstock using the Stitched Rectangle die from the Stitched Shapes set (Simon Says Stamp).  I then placed the Starlit Breeze die (Memory Box) across the cardstock and cut that die.  Keep the stars that fall out for other projects.

  

I wanted some glitter to show through the dots and stars so I pulled out some scraps of silver glitter (I am sure we all have some) and adhered them behind the dots and stars with double sided tape.  I then cut a piece of white fun foam and adhered that to the back, covering all the scraps.

Using a stamp positioner and come Onyx Black Versafine ink I stamped the hanging ornaments so that they looked as if they were hanging off the stitched stars and then I stamped the phrase "merry & bright" to the right of them.

Next I colored in the ornaments with a light blue, red, and green Sharpie markers, adhered this to the card front and adhered 3 silver sequins to the card front.

And...DONE!  So simple to make and I love the silver slitter through those stars.  It does make this card "merry & bright".  LOL

Here is a close up of the card front and the the full card again.

I hope you enjoyed this card and step by step.  Please let me know by leaving a comment below!  Have a great day and...until next time...

Hugs from Brasil - 

Michael

To Grandma's House We Go - With Unity Stamps and WPlus9

Hello everyone!  I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving - if you celebrated the holiday.  No "official" holiday here so we took off to the paper store so that I can stock up on cardstock and then to the mall to hit a new Japanese store that just opened, my favorite bookstore here, and then to Starbucks for more holiday cups.  Today it is all about cleaning the house because we will have our Thanksgiving tomorrow with friends.  So...what Black Friday bargains are you guys scooping up?

Today's card is for a card swap I am part of.  I had to make a card that had an image of a car with a tree on it.  This idea was festering in my head but it came together pretty nicely!  Plan on making a few more of these this week.      

To start off I (i) made a top folding A2 white cardstock base, (ii) cut a piece of light blue cardstock with the stitched rectangle die from the Stitched Shapes set (Simon Says Stamp), (iii) cut the Mountain Border die (WPlus9) out of Kraft cardstock and then I re-cut it again using the same stitched rectangle die so that the stitching would match, (iv) cut the snowcaps from the Mountain Border die using textured white cardstock, (v) stamped and colored the car from Love Bug Christmas (Unity Stamp) and (vi) cut a few clouds from a piece of scrapbook paper I had in my stash. 

Phew!  

Next, I adhered the snowcaps to the top of each mountain peak with a ZIG glue pen.  Then I made my "road" using two pieces of washi tape in my stash that kinda looked like a road.  

Then I adhered this to the light blue cardstock.  I also adhered the clouds with the ZIG glue pen. 

I found a stamp set in my stash with some small plants and rocks so I stamped them on the card front.  I also cut a piece of fun foam, adhered it to the back of the blue cardstock and then to the card front.  Then I adhered the car to the front, along with some clear sequins, and then stamped the sentiment inside!  

Done!  I am loving this card.  Looks like we packed up the car and are driving towards the mountains where Grandma lives.  LOL  

As always, thanks for stopping by the blog and until next time - 

Hugs from Brasil - 

Michael

Anthony's Paper Craft - 3D Christmas Wreath and Black Friday Sale

Hello everyone and Happy Thanksgiving to those of you that are celebrating!!  I am thankful today for a lot of things.  Since my first trip to Brasil in 2002 I have been witness to a lot of injustice in the world.  I have witnessed families with small children living in a tent or under bridges, just steps from traffic.  I have seen people digging through garbage looking for food to eat.  The homeless situation here boggles my mind.  Shanty towns line the highways in places - shacks built with pieces of metal or wood, no bathroom or running water - with families trying to live daily.  When you see these things like this it is a constant reminder that things can be so much worse.  So...that being said....I am thankful that I am not in a situation that I described and that I can try and be part of changing those injustices.  I am thankful for Ruy, for family and close friends that keep me sane (you know who you are), a roof over my head, food in my belly whenever I want.  I am thankful that Ruy and I can afford to keep 7 dogs off the street.  I am also thankful for my readers and followers who keep coming back to enjoy the things that I create.  I am also thankful for wine and Oreos!  LOL  Basically, I am just thankful for whatever I have right now and knowing that I really do not need anything else!

Now...for today's project, which is another 3D "design team" project I made for Anthony's Paper Craft. They are having an amazing Black Friday sale too.  If you loved the 3D Ornament card I made HERE, this is a great deal for you.  Details are below.  

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Beginning tomorrow, 

November 24th thru Monday, November 27th, 

when you purchase the 2 large ornament stamps you will receive the two small ornament set FREE (a $12 value).

This offer may be combined with the Stamp of the Month and receive free shipping too.

Anthony's Paper Craft

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To make this 6" 3D Christmas Wreath Card I started by stamping Wreath 2 on white cardstock with Onyx Black Versafine ink.  Then I scanned it and printed two of the wreaths on another piece of white cardstock - but larger than the original image.  I find that working with larger images for 3D projects is more fun (and easier on the eyes).  Then I had my Scan N Cut cut them out.  

I colored one of the wreaths in full with some fine tip Sharpie markers.  It looks intimidating but, honestly, it only takes about 15 minutes.  I used a light brown marker for the wreath and then red, green, blue, and yellow for the candles, holly leaves and the two ornaments.  I also used applied a dab of Christmas Red Stickles to each of the berries and Frosted Lace Stickles to the two snowflakes.

On the 2nd wreath, I colored the candles, the flames, the two ornaments, and the holly leaves.  I then fussy cut them so that I can make them 3D.

While the Stickles were drying I made my top folding 6" x 6" card base with white cardstock.  Then I adhered a piece of textured brown cardstock to the card front.  

Once the Stickles were dry I adhered the wreath to a piece of textured red cardstock, 5.75" x 5.75", which I then adhered to the card front.  

Then I used the J, O, and Y letters from the Dear Lizzy Gold Foil Thickers and adhered them in the center of the wreath. 

Then I adhered foam dots behind each of the candles, flames, and two ornaments 

and then adhered them to the wreath to give the 3D effect.

And, lastly, because I always have to add just a little something....I added some Yellow, Gold, and Firefly Stickles to the flames, holly leaves, and ornament tops as well as some more crystals to each of the snowflakes. 

Now...I am done!  I would love to know what you guys think of this card.  I know it's not the type of card you make for everyone on your list but it is a beautiful card to make for someone special who might even frame it afterward.  If this inspires you to make one I would love to see it!  

Until next time - 

Hugs from Brasil - 

Michael

Up-Cycle A Starbucks Holiday Cup to a Holiday Card

Hello everyone!!  Last week we went to the mall and I made sure we stopped at Starbucks so I could get my hands on the new holiday cup.  I know for most people going to the mall is a normal event - but here - where nothing is normal, going to the mall means a 30 to 40-minute drive, paying a toll both ways, AND we have to pay to park in the mall.  DON'T ASK!  So when we go it has to be worth the trip.  But I digress.  LOL

I returned home with two cups - a Tall and a Grande - and after I cleaned them I put them aside to be used down the road. But then I saw Kathy Racoosin's video on her Instagram page and I got inspired.  You can see the video HERE.  And you can see what she did with her 2016 cup HERE, and her 2015 cup HERE.  Just follow her and subscribe to her blog The Daily Marker - it's totally worth it. 

After the Tall cup dried I took it apart.  

Then I cut and embossed the image using the largest die from the A2 Matting Basics B set (Spellbinders).

Then I sat on the veranda with some Sharpie markers (and some jellybeans) and I colored the cup.  I also used Copic markers for the various skin tone colors.

I cut a top folding A2 card base of white cardstock and adhered a piece of red cardstock on top.  I also cut a piece of white fun foam, adhered it to the back of the Starbucks cup, which I then adhered to the card front.

I stamped the sentiment "Holiday Wishes" (American Art Stamp) on a piece of white cardstock that I cut out using a Stitched Circle die (Memory Box) and then I used a punch to cut the scallop circle of red cardstock, which I adhered over the Starbucks logo (sorry Starbucks).

I added a few small crystals on the tree and some other areas on the card.  I also found a metallic red pen that I ran over all the red areas on the card front to give it some shimmer.  

Done.  Easy Peasy!  

I hope you enjoyed this card.  Now you have an idea of what to do with the Starbucks holiday cup you are running out to get!!  LOL  Until next time everyone - 

Hugs from Brasil - 

Michael