World Of Michael Trent

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. ...

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 th...

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, fo...

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 large...

Happy Wednesday/Hump Day everyone!  So....I have some exciting news!!  A few weeks ago I got a Facebook message from Anthony Gilbert who owns Anthony's Paper Craft , a rubber stamp company in Cleveland, Ohio.  He told me that he loved my work and asked me if I would like to be part of his design team.  Um....YES!  I have to admit, not having to apply for a design team because the owner loves your work - completely made my month!   I am in the middle of making a bunch of cards for Christmas and Hanukkah and today's project is using the Round Ornament .  I fell in love with this stamp as soon as I saw it because it reminded me of my StenDoodle technique and I knew I would be able to use lots of color and make it 3D.    Let me show you how it's done.  I started by adhering a piece of decorative Christmas paper from my stash to my card front.  Then I cut a piece of white cardstock using a stitched rectangle di...

Hello everyone!!  While I was putting away the Halloween stamps last week I found a small stamp set of leaves that I had never inked up and figured they would have to wait until next year.  Then I saw this "fall leaves" challenge by the Retro Rubber Challenge Blog and had to go pull them out!!    I have to admit that it feels a little strange to be working on a fall card since it is Spring here but I am happy to be back playing with the amazing ladies for the current Retro Rubber Challenge 75- Fall Colors -   I started by stamping the leaves from Leaves (99489) (Inkadinkado) (circa 2009) onto a piece of a yellow post-it note to make a mask.  Then I grabbed 3 of my Ombré inks (Hero Arts) in autumn colors -   Light Ruby to Royal Red (AF319) , Butter Bar to Orange Soda (AF309) , and Ombré Autumn (AF366) . I started by stamping the largest leaf in the Light Ruby to Royal Red ink on a piece of white cardstock, 3 5/8" x 4n7/8"....