Gingerbread In A Hot Chocolate Hot Tub Card

Hello everyone!!  WOW...only 12 more days until my birthday....oh, I mean, only 13 more days until Christmas!!!  LOL  If you are still trying to make a few Christmas cards and are stressing out, maybe today's card will help.  It uses a digi stamp so there is no need to order anything and wait for it to arrive AND it's super simple to make!!  

I made this card for the new challenge over on the If You Give A Crafter A Cookie Challenge Blog.  The new challenge, No. 132, is all about gingerbread people.  Here is the inspiration photo the Design Team had to use when making their card.

To make this card, I had to first buy a gingerbread digi image.  It seems that I do not own a gingerbread man stamp.  Strange!  So, I jumped on Etsy and found this adorable "Gingerbread In Hot Chocolate Hot Tub" from Drawn By Krista.  After I purchased it I printed 4 of the images at 50% on to a piece of white cardstock.  I then trimmed one of the images to 3.25" x 5.5" for the card front.  

I also made a top-folding A2 card and adhered a strip of Christmas washi tape to each side of the front.  

And, I cut a piece of red cardstock, 3.5" x 5.5".  

Next, I adhered the red cardstock to the center of the card front between the washi strips.

I colored the image using Ultra Fine Tip BIC Markers (my fav).  I used Woodsy Brown for the hot cocoa, Adobe Orange for the gingerbread man, Blue Skies Blue for the buttons, Pink Flamingo for the hearts on his cheeks, Key Lime for the holly leaves, and Rambunctious Red for the hat, bow tie, and holly berries and a Pinkish White (R00) Copic marker for the tongue and inside the mouth.  Then I stamped a sentiment under the image, adhered a piece of red fun foam to the back, and then I adhered this to the card front.  

The last thing I did was to add Stickles.  I used Firefly on the holly leaves, Christmas Red on the holly berries, and Frosted Lace on the hat, eyebrows, and for the icing on his arms.  I realized after I added the Frosted Lace to the hat, that I forgot to color the hat.  So I went back colored it with the Rambunctious Red BIC marker.

I then placed the card on the side to dry and once dry - here is the final card.

I really love how this card came out.  I hope you guys do too.  Let me know what you think....leave a comment below if you would like to.  Until next time - 

Hugs from Brasil - 

Michael

Star of David Hanukkah Card with Anthony's Paper Craft

Hello everyone.  I hope everyone had a great weekend.  I had a few more ideas in my head for Hanukkah cards and today I was able to get at least one of them done.  I decided to make this one a 5.5" square card.  

I started with a few squares - a 5.5" square card base of light blue cardstock, the next layer of navy cardstock cut 5.25" square, and a piece of decorative Chanukah paper cut 5" square.  

I adhered the decorative paper to the navy cardstock, which I then adhered to the card front.

I cut a piece of the light blue cardstock 2.5" x 5.25" and stamped the Star of David from the Festival of Lights set by Anthony's Paper Craft.  I used a stamp positioner and Blue Ribbon ink from Ranger.

I layered this to a piece of the navy cardstock, I adhered a piece of fun foam to the back of the navy and then I adhered the whole piece to the front of the card. 

Next, I die cut a banner die and stamped "Happy Hanukkah" (also from the Festival of Lights set) in the center using the same blue ink and adhered it down to the card front.  

To finish off the card, I stamped the Star of David on to a piece of white cardstock and fussy cut it out. Then I die cut each of the blue cardstocks with a stitched square die and layered one upon the other. And, lastly, I adhered the Star of David to the center using a piece of foam tape.

There's a lot of blue going on here but that is typical of a Hanukkah card.  LOL.  I would love to know what you think of the card.  Feel free to leave a comment below.  I'll be back again soon with another project and, until next time - 

Hugs from Brasil - 

Michael 

Happy Hanukkah/Chanukah Card No. 2 with Anthony's Paper Craft

Hello all and Happy Tuesday!!  It seems that not many people are making Hanukkah cards because I got a lot of cool feedback on yesterday's card.  But, I'll be honest, I tend to make more Christmas cards too.  But not this week!!  

Today I have another Hanukkah card for you.  I used "Festival of Lights" from Anthony's Paper Craft for today's card.  And it's another super simple and fast card to make.

I started by making a top-folding A2 card base of white cardstock and adhering a piece of decorative paper to the front.  I used this Hanukkah Digital Paper set I found on Etsy.  

Then I die cut a piece of white cardstock with a double stitched rectangle die that measures 3.25" x 4.5".  I stamped the menorah and the sentiment from the Festival of Lights set using Jet Black Amalgam ink (Gina K. Designs) and colored the menorah with some gel pens.  The metallic silver was perfect for the menorah. 

Next, I used the next size up of the double-stitched rectangle dies and I cut a piece of mirrored cardstock.  This is perfect for a Hanukkah card!

Before I glue it all together, I stamped the sentiment inside the card using the Jet Black Amalgam ink again.

Lastly, I adhered the piece of cardstock with the menorah to the mirrored cardstock and then I adhered this to the card front. 

And the card is done!

I really love how classic and simple this card is to make.  I have to make a few more to send out to family.  Let me know what you think...I'd love to know.  I'll be back again tomorrow with another card.  Until then - 

Hugs from Brasil - 

Michael

Happy Hanukkah/Chanukah Card with Anthony's Paper Craft

Hello everyone and Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a great weekend.  Is everyone finished with their holiday shopping?  Have you even started yet?  I 've made a few Christmas cards in the last couple of days and this week I wanted to focus on Hanukkah cards.  

Anthony's Paper Craft has a few really nice Hanukkah/Chanukah stamp sets.  One set is called Festival of Lights, which has 7 images and 3 sentiments.  The other stamp set, which I used on today's card, is called Hanukkah Mantel, which is made to coordinate with one of the 3 fireplace stamps.  But I liked the idea of using it alone for a quick card.  

I started by cutting a piece of white cardstock with a stitched rectangle die that measures 4" x 5.25". Then I stamped the Hanukkah Mantel and it's matching sentiment in the center using Jet Black Amalgam ink from Gina K. Designs.

I then colored in the image using some gel pens I found at Home Goods when I was in NY last month. Actually, my friend Sue found them for me and showed them to me.  And, they are pretty good for only $10!

I made a top-folding A2 card base of white cardstock, to which I adhered a piece of Hanukkah paper.  Then cut a piece of fun foam, glued it to the back of the which cardstock and then I adhered this to the card front.  

The last thing I did was to adhere some clear crystals to the image for a little shimmer.  

And here's the final card.

I really love how this mantel looks alone on the card front.  And I really love this image.  Very unique.  I'd love to know what you think of the card.  Leave me a message below if you would like.  

I'll be back with more Hanukkah cards this week.  Until then - 

Hugs from Brasil - 

Michael

Peace Love Joy Christmas Card with Anthony's Paper Craft

Hello everyone!!  Happy Saturday!!  Is everyone done with their Black Friday purchases?  I've actually been good.  I used up a gift card I had from Simon Says Stamp with their Thanksgiving sale and I picked up a digital template from Jen Of Eve Designs on Etsy.  But the weekend is not over yet and anything is possible.  LOL

I made two more using Christmas Set 1 from Anthony's Paper Craft.  Both have a more traditional look but are super simple cards to make.  

I started by adhering a piece of decorative paper to the front of top-folding A2 card bases.  

Then I stamped the images - the candles with the pinecones and the bell with the holly, on to a piece of white cardstock, colored them using Ultra Fine Tip BIC Markers, and then, die-cut them using the 2nd largest die from the Pierced Rectangles STAX from My Favorite Things.  

Then, using the largest die from the same set, I die cut two pieces of red cardstock.  

I adhered the images to the red cardstock and then to the center of each card front.  

Now to finish off the cards -

For the card with the bell and the holly, I finished it off by stamping "Merry Christmas" from Christmas Sentiments 1.  Then I adhered a small red crystal to each corner and for the berries.  I also added Christmas Red and Firefly stickles to the holly leaves and ribbon.

For the card with the candles and the pinecones, I finished it off by die cutting the words "peace, love, and joy" 4 times using red cardstock.  Then I glued them together and adhered them next to the image. I also added some Crystal and Yellow Stickles to the pinecones and candles.   

That's it.  I love this Christmas Set 1....perfectly sized images for simple traditional cards.  I'd love to know what you think.  Feel free to leave a comment below!  I will hopefully be back tomorrow with some Chanukah cards.  Until then....

Hugs from Brasil - 
Michael

Christmas Card - Basket of Holly - Anthony's Paper Craft

Hello everyone!  I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving - at least those that celebrate the holiday.  I do miss Thanksgiving and all the smells that go along with it.  Although Thanksgiving is not a Brasilian holiday, Ruy and I did make a small turkey with some sides and we enjoyed a nice meal.     

It's a bit hot here and I am trying to get into the holiday spirit.  So I pulled out some Christmas and Chanukah stamp sets from Anthony's Paper Craft to play with.  For today's card, I used the holly in a basket image from Christmas Set 1 to make a more traditional but super simple card.   

I started by adhering a piece of "Tis The Season" (CMR9487) from PhotoPlay's Christmas Memories Collection, to the front of my top-folding A2 card base.  I also stamped the holly in the basket image using Jet Black Amalgam Ink (Gina K. Designs) on a piece of white cardstock and cut it out using a stitched rectangle die.  I also cut a piece of white fun foam to fit behind the image.  

I colored the basket of holly using Ultra Fine Tip BIC Markers (my fav).  Then I adhered the white cardstock to the fun foam and then to the card front.  And I adhered a few red sequins.  

Next, I cut the word Noel from a die I have using red cardstock.  I cut the word 4 times and then glued them together and adhered it next to the image.

The last thing I did was to apply some Firefly and Christmas Red Stickles to the image to give some shimmer.  

I hope you enjoyed this simple card.  Sometimes simple is nice to make and this is a very fast card to make too.  Enjoy your day and your Black Friday shopping if you are doing any!  Until next time - 

Hugs from Brasil - 

Michael

Black Friday - Anthony's Paper Craft - Free Stamp - Free Shipping

Hello hello hello everyone and "Happy Black Friday 2019"!!  I know there are lots of sales and deals going on this weekend but I had to pop in and tell you about Black Friday deal over at Anthony's Paper Craft, which runs from Friday, November 29th thru Midnight on Monday, December 2, 2019.

Anthony has released a "Christmas Collage" stamp that will only be available this holiday season and there are only 40 stamps available.  Once they are gone, it might not be back.  Oh, and you cannot buy the stamp.  It's free with any order over $25. And....it gets even better....if you purchase $50 or more, you will get the stamp for free AND you get free shipping - in the USA only.  

The stamp measures 3.75" x 5" and is perfect to color and layer on an A2 card front.  Here is a sample card made by Anthony.  

And here's a card I made.  

I started by stamping the image on to a piece of white cardstock and then coloring with BIC Markers - both Fine and Ultra Fine Tip markers. 

I then layered this on to a piece of red cardstock and then again on to a piece of gold cardstock, which is my card front. 

The last things I did was to add a few jewels to the Christmas tree and lots of stickles (Ranger) - Christmas Red, Crystal, and Firefly.  

The inside says "Merry Christmas".  I really had fun making this card.  I love all the colors and the shimmer from the Stickles.  I'd love to know what you think!!

Remember - the stamp is FREE at Anthony's Paper Craft with a $25 purchase.  Now thru 11:59 pm on Monday, December 2, 2019!!  

Happy Shopping everyone!  If you get anything, leave me a comment below and let me know what you ordered.  Have a great weekend everyone!!

Until next time - 

Hugs from Brasil - 

Michael

If You Give A Crafter A Cookie Challenge No. 131 - Christmas Snow-globe

Hello everyone!!  It's been forever since I posted anything here but I have a good reason.  I went home to NY - originally to spend time with my Dad for his 83rd birthday.  But, after purchasing my ticket, Dad fell and fractured his hip.  So my trip home did not go as planned and I ended up spending a lot of time with him in rehab and then with him when he was sent home.  I got to spend more time with Dad than I expected but my crafting time was limited to practically none.  

Dad is home now and doing much better.  As long as he does his exercises and listens to his physical therapists, I am hopeful that he will be back to dancing soon!  

I am back in Brasil now and decided to jump back into the cardmaking arena with the newest challenge from the If You Give A Crafter A Cookie Challenge Blog.  We are up to Challenge No. 131 which is all about Christmas.  Here is the photo the design team had to use for inspiration should you wish to play along with us!

I used a new stamp set I got from Unity Stamp Co. called "Our House To Yours" to make this super simple and fast card!

I started by adhering a piece of decorative paper to the front of a top folding A2 card base.  I cut a piece of white cardstock using a stitched rectangle die and stamped the image and sentiment from "Our House To Yours" by Unity Stamp Co., using Jet Black Amalgam Ink by Gina K. Designs.  Then I colored the image using Ultra Fine Tip BIC Markers and Copic B0000 (Pale Celestine) for the background.    

I cut a piece of white fun foam, adhered it to the back of the image piece, and then adhered them to the card front.

To finish off the card, I added Crystal Stickles by Ranger under the houses to look like snow and on the small dots in the image to look like falling snow.  And I added a few small crystals to the center of the larger snowflakes and the main star above the town.  Below is a close-up of the card.

That's it!  I told you, really fast and simple.  But these are the best kinda cards anyway.  I'll be back over the next few days showing some more holiday cards using stamps from Anthony's Paper Craft for his big Black Friday sale.  Come back tomorrow!!  

As always, until next time - 

Hugs from Brasil - 

Michael

Fall Leaves with Anthony's Paper Craft and Gina K. Designs

Hello everyone!  It's time for a new challenge over on the If You Give A Crafter A Cookie Challenge Blog and we are up to Challenge No. 127 - and it's all about autumn, autumn colors, leaves, and acorns.  

Here is the inspiration photo the design team had to work with if you wish to play along with us - 

When I saw this photo, the first thing I thought of was the Leaf/Fern set from Anthony's Paper Craft, which is what I used on all 3 cards.  Also, on all 3 cards, I started with a top folding A2 card base of white cardstock and all the cube inks used are from Gina K. Designs - Sweet Corn, Tangerine Twist, Prickly Pear, and Jet Black Amalgam Ink.    

For the first card I blended Vintage Photo Distress Ink over a checkerboard stencil.  Then I stamped the oak leaf with the Vintage Photo ink and, using a water brush I colored the leaf with the Sweet Corn and Tangerine Twist inks.  Once dry, I stamped Happy Thanksgiving from the Thanksgiving Set from Anthony's Paper Craft with the Jet Black Amalgam ink, adhered some Orange Peel Stickles by Ranger to the leaf, and a few orange sequins to the front.  

For the 2nd card, I blended the Sweet Corn ink with the Journal Texture 12 stencil from Stencil Girl Products.  Then I  cut a 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" piece of white cardstock with a stitched square die and randomly stamped the oak and maple leaves from the Leaf/Fern set using the Jet Black Amalgam ink.  I colored the leaves with a water brush and the Sweet Corn and Tangerine Twist inks.   Once dry, I adhered it to a piece of orange cardstock and then to the card front using foam tape.  Lastly, I adhered some Orange Peel Stickles to the leaves and a sticker that I had in my stash.

For my 3rd card, I started by adhering a piece of orange cardstock to my card front.  Then I used a stitched rectangle die and cut a piece of white cardstock.  Next, I stamped the 3 leaves with the Jet Black Amalgam ink, colored them in with a water brush and the Sweet Corn, Tangerine Twist, and Prickly Pear inks.  Once dry, I adhered the white cardstock to a piece of fun foam, which I then adhered to the card front.  I applied Orange Peel Stickles to each of the leaves, 3 stickers I had in my stash, and a few sequins.

And there you have it.  3 really simple card ideas using one stamp set and a few ink pads.  These cards are perfect for this time of the year and even for Thanksgiving.  

I hope you enjoyed these cards.  Until next time - 

Hugs from Brasil - 

Michael