Saying "Hello" Cards - Two Ways

Hi everyone.  Today's "hello" cards were made for a few reasons.  One is that when I moved here many years ago, I moved with boxes and boxes of craft supplies, most of which have gone unused.  So I want to start using my stash when I can starting with the "hello" dies I found the other day in a bag.  Another reason is that I joined a group on Facebook called There's A Stamp For That Challenge and the first challenge is a "hello" card.  Perfect timing!     

Today's cards use these retired dies from Poppy Stamps  - 

Little Luxe Hello Die

Rotary Phone Die

Word Balloon Die

Hello Word Balloon Die

 

If you want them, Frantic Stamper has them all in stock (as of the date of this blog post) and the links above take you to her store.  So you know, I do NOT earn anything if you buy them from her. 

For the first card, I started by making an A2 top-folding card with white cardstock and I adhered a map of the world.  It was in my stash, without the pad, and I have no idea who even makes it.  Being an American living in Brasil, I used the North American side of the map. 

 

After playing around with different colors of cardstock, I decided to use red for the phone and solid balloon and white for the "hello".  I put a piece of double-sided tape behind each piece of cardstock and then die-cut the Rotary Phone die and the Word Balloon die from the red and the Hello Word Balloon die from the white.   

I adhered the "hello" to the red word balloon, then all of the elements to the card front, and, lastly, some sequins.

For the 2nd card, I went with a 5.5" square card.  To the front I adhered a piece of black cardstock, then a piece of the same map paper, 5.25" square, which was first adhered to a piece of black fun foam.  

Then I die cut the Rotary Phone die from black cardstock and adhered it to the card front and I cut 4 the Little Luxe Hello die out of black cardstock, glued them together, and then adhered this to the front.  Lastly, 3 round sequins to the card front.      

That's it folks!  It feels good to use some things that have never been used before.  The pandemic is giving me time to go thru things and clean out.  Anyone else doing the same thing?  

Thanks for stopping by the blog today.  I'd love to know which card is your fav.  I'll be back soon with another project.  Until then...

~Hugs from Brasil - 

~Michael

Crafty Elves Countdown to Christmas - June 2020 Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to the June 2020 Edition of the Crafty Elves Countdown to Chrismas.  I cannot believe that almost half the year is gone - and I have been inside for most of it.  The numbers here are still rising and I am keeping to myself.  Crafting, baking, and cooking. 

The elves,  (Debra, Lisa, Jessica, and myself), have also been busy making more Christmas/Hanukkah/Holiday cards for this month.  Here are my 4 Crafty Elf cards for June and links to the other Crafty Elves' cards are at the end of this post.

Card No. 1

For this card, I used a stamp called "Cupcake With A Holly On Top" from Stamping Bella.  It's been retired for years but I still love this little guy (or gal?). 

               

• I started by adhering a piece of decorative Christmas paper to the front of my 5" x 5" square card.  
• I stamped the cupcake on white cardstock and colored it with various BIC Intensity Ultra Fine Tip markers.  
• I die cut it with a stitched square die along with a piece of red cardstock using the next size up. 
• I adhered the white to the red cardstock and then to the card front. 
• Lastly, I adhered Glossy Accents to each of the colored circles on the cupcake and 3 small red crystals to the berries on top and set it aside to dry.

Card No. 2

For this card, I really went outside the box.  Last year I won a gift certificate to Topflight Stamps and one of the things I got was this Dotty Snowflake stencil from That's Crafty.  As soon as I saw it I imagined crystals in each of the small circles on the stencil.  I finally got a chance to get the idea out of my head.

• I started with a piece of white textured cardstock 5.5" x 5.5", which I secured with washi tape. Then I placed the stencil over the cardstock and secured that with washi tape too.  
• Then I made a small pencil mark in the center of each of the hole where I will adhere a crystal.  
• Then I adhered the crystals, working in sections.  A dab of Multi-Matte Medium (Ranger) on each dot and then a crystal until I had all the dots covered.    
• Lastly, I cut a piece of white and red cardstock using stitched circle dies, stamped my sentiment on the white cardstock, layered it on the red, and adhered this to the center.  

Card No. 3

• I printed Holiday Cheer Glass from Bugaboo Stamps on white cardstock and colored the image using my Ultra Fine Tip BIC Markers. 
• I die cut the image using a double stitched rectangle die, which I layered on to a piece of black cardstock.  
• I cut a piece of black fun foam, adhered this to the back of the black cardstock, and then adhered the whole thing to my red card base.
• I adhered a sticker from Studio Calico to a piece of black cardstock and then to the card front.
• Lastly, I used some Stickles on various parts of the image and then adhered some small red and clear crystals.    

Card(s) No. 4

For these cards, I went simple again using a digital stamp set called Beary Best Friend from Polka Dot Orchard.  My original idea was to make a Christmas card, which I did, but then, after really reading the sentiment, I realized it was also perfect for a Hanukkah/Chanukah card so I made one of those too.  

For the Christmas card...

• I printed the background image at 47% and two of the sentiment at 30% on white cardstock.  I trimmed and colored the background using BIC Intensity Ultra Fine Tip Markers and using only 4 colors - Rambunctious Red, Blue Skies Blue, Key Lime, and Moonstone Yellow (for a gold look).  I also die-cut the sentiments using a double-stitched rectangle die.
• I made my card bases of white cardstock and adhered a piece of red cardstock to the front.
• I adhered the image on an angle, then trimmed off the excess, and added a piece of gold washi tape to the top and bottom.  I got the idea from THIS video by Julie Ebersole.  
• I adhered my sentiment to a piece of red cardstock, trimmed leaving a small border and then adhered this to the card front with foam tape. 
• Lastly, I added Crystal Stickles to each of the hats. 
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For the Hanukkah/Chanukah card...

• I made my base card of white cardstock and adhered a piece of blue cardstock to the front.
• I printed and cut one of the papers from this Hanukkah Paper pack from AMB Illustrations on Etsy using a stitched rectangle die, which I then adhered to the card front. 
• I layered my sentiment on a piece of the same blue cardstock, trimmed it leaving a small border, and adhered this to the card front with foam tape.
• Lastly, I adhered a few sequins/crystals to the card front. 
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Done!!

I hope these cards have inspired you to break out some of your Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza/Holiday stamps to make some cards.  Many of us still have a lot of time on our hands right now.

Please remember to check out what the other Crafty Elves have up their sleeves this month - 

Debra (Meticulosity)

Lisa (Life of a BZ Scrapper)

Jessica (Polka Dot Orchard)

I'd love to know which of my projects was your favorite!  As always, thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!  You can also follow me on my Instagram page by clicking HERE!

Until next time, hugs from Brasil - 

~Michael

Thank You Card for the Covid-19 Doctors and Nurses

Hello everyone!  How are y'all doing?  I am back again with another Design Team project for the If You Give A Crafter A Cookie Challenge Blog.  We are up to Challenge No. 144 and it's all about saying "thank you" to the doctors, nurses, cleaning staff, and everyone else on the frontlines of the battle with Covid-19.

  

If you wish to play along with us, which I hope you do, below is the inspiration photo that the Design Team had to work with when making their projects.  

Not having any doctor or nurse images, I jumped on Etsy and found the perfect digi stamps from MMedelIllustrations - the male doctors/nurses and the female doctors/nurses - and I bought them both.  Then I printed 4 of each at 75% on to white cardstock and had my Scan N Cut cut them out with a slight border.  Then I colored them in using different BIC Intensity Markers for the scrubs and a few Copic markers for skin tones.

Next, the card base.  I cut a piece of white cardstock 6" x 12" and scored in half to make a 6" square card. Then I adhered a piece of black cardstock to the front.  

I don't have any decorative paper that deals with medical or Covid-19 so I searched the internet and found THIS COVID-19 Mini Kit Freebie from Digital Scrapbook Ingredients.   I printed out one of the papers, cut it to a 5.75" square, and adhered on top of the black cardstock.

I adhered the doctors and nurses to the card front with one layer adhered to the paper and the next layer adhered using foam tape to give a 3D effect.

And, lastly, I stamped a "thank you" sentiment (from Greetings and Graphics from Hero Arts) on to a piece of white cardstock, layered it on a piece of black and then adhered to the card front using foam tape.  

Done!  No stickles.  No sequins.  No need.  I am in love with this card the way it is.  I hope you guys are too.  I'd love to know what you think.  Leave a comment!!  And, if you participate in the challenge, let me know so I can check out your work.  

Stay safe and, until next time - 

Hugs from Brasil - 

~Michael

Thinking of You with the Lavinia World Challenge Blog

Hello everyone.  My friend Debra, of Meticulosity, is one of the Guest Designers over on the Lavinia Worlds Challenge Blog and I thought I would support her and make a card for the challenge too.  If interested, you can check out her post HERE.  

Although I don't have any Lavinia stamps (yet) I went thru my stash to try to find a solid type of stamp that they are known for and I came across a solid fairy stamp called Toadstools from CTMH (very old).   

I started by cutting a piece of white cardstock with a stitched rectangle die that measures 4" x 5.25".  Then, I blended 4 inks from Gina K. Designs.  I started at the bottom with Wild Dandelion and worked my way up with Tangerine Twist, then Red Velvet, and, finally, with Plum Punch.  

 

Next, using a stamp positioner and Versafine Onyx Black Ink, I stamped the scene I wanted. I decided not to color any of the images and allow the distressed background to come thru.  I wanted to keep it simple and I think the images pop more this way. 

Lastly, I spritzed some water on the front to give a bit of a distressed look.  Yes, a blob dropped behind the fairy but I am okay with that since there is nothing I can do about it.  LOL  I adhered this to a piece of black cardstock, 4.25" x 5.5" and then I adhered this to the card front.  

Done!  I hope you guys liked this fast and simple card.  I just watched Artemis Fowl last night so this must be fairy week.  LOL  Hope you get a chance to check out all the entries over on the Lavinia World Challenge Blog.  

Have a great day and, until next time...

~Hugs from Brasil.

Michael

Enjoy The Journey - MDF Sneakers

Hi everyone!  Not that I can give this to anyone at the moment since we are pretty much all stuck here but I have had these MDF sneakers in my stash for way too long and I had to make a card with them.  Hopefully, travel will happen sooner than later. 

I started with a 5" square top-folding card of white cardstock to which I adhered a piece of black cardstock.  Then I cut a 5" square piece of decorative paper from the Cartographer paper pad (Prima Marketing) and cut the center out using the Hello & Thanks Label from Reverse Confetti.

Using the same die and the same paper pack, I cut a piece of black fun foam and another piece of decorative paper with a map design on the paper.  

I adhered the map paper to the fun foam and then to the center of the card.  I also distressed some white stickers from my stash with a Copic marker and adhered them to the card front. 

Next, I embossed the MDF sneakers by pushing a Versamark pad into the MDF to get the ink into all the nooks and crannies.  Then I embossed them with Black Sparkle embossing powder by Ranger.  Next, I adhered them to the card front and, lastly, I adhered the sentiment "enjoy the journey" on top of the sneakers.  

 

I really love how this turned out.  Embossing MDF is so easy and adds great texture to a card or project.  Now, if only we could travel...LOL

Here's a close-up of the sneakers...

That's it for today!  I hope you enjoyed this idea with the MDF sneakers.  Thinking about this now...these would be great for a travel journal too.  

Thanks for stopping by the blog.  Enjoy the rest of your day.  Until next time...

Hugs from Brasil.

~Michael

Kind Words Are The Blossoms In The Garden

Hello everyone.  I hope everyone is safe and sound.  It's getting crazier and crazier here in Brasil with numbers going up daily, instability in the government, a lack of leadership...but there really isn't anything for me to do other than keep trekking along and make stuff!  Also, I think I am just bored and would really love to just meet some people for coffee or a burger. 

Today's card is my Design Team project for the If You Give A Crafter A Cookie Challenge Blog.  This week we are up to Challenge No. 144 and it's all about flowers or Spring.  If you want to play along with us, and I hope you do, below is the inspiration photo that the team had to work with when making their projects.  

I love using flower stamps on cards and I can honestly say that I had over a week's worth of ideas for this challenge.  Hmmm...maybe this will be a week of flower cards.  I decided to use one of the 3 beautiful Floral Backgrounds from Anthony's Paper Craft. There is Floral Background 1, Floral Background 2, and Floral Background 3 and they all look like wildflowers, my favorite.  

I decided to use Floral Background 1 for this card.  I started by stamping the image and the sentiment with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink on to a piece of white cardstock that I had die cut with a stitched rectangle die.  

I really wanted to keep the coloring on the card clean and simple so I just colored the flowers and the nest with BIC Intensity Ultra Fine Tip Markers. 

Then I made a top-folding A2 card base of white cardstock to which I adhered a piece of decorative paper.  Then I cut a piece of white fun foam to which I adhered my colored floral piece.  Then I adhered it to the card front. 

Lastly, to add just a bit of shimmer, I added some Frosted Lace Stickles to the eggs and some Yellow and Lavender to the flowers.

I really love the simplicity of this card and the sentiment is perfect right now considering the state of the world.  I hope you enjoyed this card too.  

As always, thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!  Remember, you can also follow me on my Instagram page by clicking HERE with photos of my crafty stuff, dogs, food, Brasil...normal stuff.  

Stay safe everyone and until next time, hugs from Brasil - 

~Michael

Dream...Hope...Believe...

Hello everyone.  I had so much fun making all those coffee-themed cards for the Spring | Summer 2020 Coffee Lovers Blog Hop that I am still in coffee mode.  Truth be told, I had so many "coffee" ideas that they could not fit into one week.  

One of the projects I was working on was a coffee-themed photo folio. After I finished the cover to the folio, I realized that it would have been a great card, which is what I made for you today.

• I started with a 6" square card of white cardstock to which I adhered a piece of brown cardstock. 
• Then I printed one of the papers in the Coffee Lovers Digital Paper Pack from Graciellie Design. I went with the donut paper because I love to add stickles to the icing.  You'll see later.  I trimmed it to a 5.75" square and adhered this to the brown cardstock. 
• Next, I printed one of the cups from the Coffee Queen Mini Digital Stamp Bundle also from Graciellie Design.  I printed the cup twice at 80% and then had my Scan N Cut cut one of the images out with a slight border.  With the other, I fussy cut the flowers from the cup.

• Next, I printed the page with the black and white coffee words from the Coffee Lovers Digital Paper Pack, put it back in the printer and printed the coffee cup again at 80%. This way, the words will print on the cup.  Then I fussy cut just the cup portion.  
• I also printed the sentiment "Dream, hope, believe." from the Blessed Digital Stamp Set at 35%, which I then die cut using a stitched fishtale banner die.  I also used the next size up to cut a piece of the brown cardstock.    

• Next, I colored the flowers using BIC Intensity Ultra Fine Tip Markers. Then I colored just the outer edges on the flowers attached to the cup because we will layer the other flowers over them and they will not show.  I also adhered the piece with the words that I fussy cut earlier to the cup itself.

• Next, I adhered the banners to the front of the card, layering the white on the brown first.  
• Then I put foam dots behind the coffee cup and adhered that to the front overlapping the banner.  
• Next, I put foam dots behind the colored flowers and adhered that the cup.

• Lastly, I adhered Yellow Stickles to the flowers, Glam Pink Stickles to the frosting on the donuts, Frosted Lace to the whipped cream, and a little Firefly Green Stickles to the leaves.
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And the card is done!  I think the sentiment is very apropos considering what is going on nowadays!  Between the riots, the pandemic, unemployment, and global unrest, we must continue to dream, hope and believe!  

I hope you enjoyed this card.  I'll be back again soon with another card or project.  Stay safe and enjoy the rest of your week.  

Hugs from Brasil - 

~Michael