Crafty Elves Countdown to Christmas - March 2023 Edition | Kwanzaa Cards

Hello everyone and welcome to the March 2023 Edition of The Crafty Elves' Countdown to Christmas.  On the 25th of each month, the Crafty Elves - me, Debra, Lisa, and Misty - share some card ideas with the hopes of inspiring you to make holiday cards too.  Direct links to what the other Crafty Elves have made this month, as well as links to all of our social media pages, are at the end of this post.  

This month I am focusing on Kwanzaa.   

You would think that, since I make holiday cards each month, I would have made Kwanzaa card ideas earlier.  To be honest, it's not a holiday I grew up learning about and I had no stamps to use.  Being a Jew that also celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah and Christmas cards are a no-brainer.    

But that all changed a few weeks ago when I was on AliExpress looking for bulk items to buy for my projects (flowers, sequins, beads, etc.)  On the sidebar, I saw an ad for adhesive stickers.  I've always loved stickers and have wanted to buy a bunch for another project, so I went and investigated the store and they had Kwanzaa stickers!  Perfect!  Now I can make cards for Kwanzaa using stickers!      

If you are interested in the stickers, I bought them from the Bling Dream Store.  They have so many sticker categories it's not funny!  Warning: you can be on their site for hours. 

Before I started to make the cards, I wanted to learn about Kwanzaa.  According to THIS article from the Boston Public Library:    

• Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26th through January 1st.
• It's an African American and Pan-African holiday that celebrates family, community, and culture.
• Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor of Africana Studies at California State University at Long Beach.  He is an author and was an activist during the Black Liberation Movement.
• The goal of Kwanzaa was to preserve, revitalize, and promote African American culture. 
• The colors of Kwanzaa are black, red, and green.  Black represents the people, red for their struggle, and green for the future and hope that comes from their struggle.  The colors are based on national colors for African people throughout the world.
• Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday and not a religious one.  
• Gifts are given but mainly to children and the gifts must always include a book and a heritage symbol.

There is SO much more to Kwanzaa than I ever knew.  If you also want to learn more, maybe about the 7 principles of Kwanzaa, the symbols use, or how Kwanzaa is celebrated, click on the link above from the Boston Public Library.  It's very interesting.  

To make these cards...

I cut 3 pieces of cardstock, black, red, and green, put double-sided tape on the entire back of each piece, and then die-cut each of them using the Woven Ribbons Card Panel die from Frantic Stamper. 

Next, working slowly, I removed the pieces from the black piece, removed the tape backing from the outline, and adhered it to another piece of black cardstock.  I burnished this well with a bone folder and then cut around the edges.  

Next is the fun part.  Especially if you love puzzles.  

This die is perfect for Kwanzaa cards because each section of the die has 3 spaces - perfect for the 3 colors of the holiday.  Except for 1 section, which has four.  This die would also be perfect for any occasion that has 3 colors to its theme - like July 4th using red, whie, and blue.  Or any other card occasion with 3 colors to its theme. 

I started in one section adhering 1 piece of each color to that section.  Then I slowly did the same for each section of the die.  1 black, 1 red, 1 green.   

Until you have filled in the whole die.  Each section.  With the 3 different colors.

Then you will do the same with the other colors.  Attached the green outline to a piece of green cardstock and then fit each of the colors into the sections.  Then do the red.  

You have enough here to make 3 cards.

I wanted to layer these on a card front but I didn't want to use just plain cardstock.  I went online looking at different Kwanzaa papers and designs but nothing fit with this pattern.  

Plan B.  

I die-cut each of the colors again using a 4.25" x 5.5" stitched rectangle die (Pink & Main).  Then I embossed each of them using the Illusion Triangles 3D embossing folder from Altenew.  It made a really cool pattern that worked perfectly with the card fronts because once you layer the card fronts on the embossed pieces, you only get a hint of the pattern.  

To finish off the cards, I used a stitched square die set to cut a piece of black, red, and green cardstock.  I adhered the 3 together and embossed it with the same embossing folder as the card front.  I adhered these to each card front and then adhered a sticker to that.  

Done!  Below are the 3 cards I made, individually.

So, what do you think?  I really like how these turned out and I hope to make more Kwanzaa cards in the future.  If I am going to be a Crafty Elf, all the holidays should be included.  Don't you agree?

Don't forget to check out what the other Crafty Elves have made this month.  I've made it easy for you...you can see Debra's card by clicking HERE, you can see Lisa's card by clicking HERE, and you can check out Misty's video by clicking HERE.  Also, all of our social media links are below if you would like to see what else we do and, maybe, follow us.    

Michael - World of Michael Trent

Blog

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube 

Debra - Meticulosity

Blog

Instagram 

Facebook

Lisa - BZ Scrapper

Blog

Instagram

Facebook

Misty - The Jolly Fat Elf

Facebook

Instagram 

YouTube

As always, thanks so much for stopping by my blog today.  I'd love to know what you think of these cards and I really hope you have a great rest of your week.  Until next time...

Hugs from Brasil. 

~Michael

QKR Stampede Anything Goes Challenge | Slimline Happy Easter Card

 

Hello everyone!  It's the 15th of the month and that means that there is a new "Anything Goes" card challenge over on the QKR Stampede Challenge Blog.  

Since Easter is fast approaching I decided to make an Easter card and fell in love with the Happy Easter with Bouquet Digital Stamp.  I knew this would make a beautiful slimline Easter card.  

• I printed the Happy Easter with Bouquet digital stamp - twice - on a sheet of white cardstock and colored one of them using some GRAF Duo alcohol markers and the Key Lime ultra fine-tip maker from BIC.  

• Next, I die-cut it using the smaller stitched slimline die from the Slim Stitched Rectangle Die Set from Pink Fresh Studio.

• Next, I made my card base, 3.5" x 8.5", using a sheet of dark pink/hot pink cardstock to which I adhered a piece of "Easterish" paper to the front and a piece of white cardstock to the inside for a message.   I also layered my Happy Easter on a piece of the same pink as the cardstock and adhered that to the card front. 

• To make the card more fun, using the 2nd image, I colored the eggs and the Happy Easter words using the same colors as my card front.  Then I fussy cut the images and embossed them using Versamark Ink and Clear Embossing Powder.  I added some small pieces of foam tape to the back and adhered them to the card front. 

• Lastly, I added some Emerald Stickles to the green leaves around the Easter eggs and I adhered a small dot of Glossy Accents to each of the small dots around the leaves and on the egg.  Once dry, they will give some texture and shimmer to the card.  

 Here is the final card. 

Don't forget to check out what the other members of the QKR Stampede Design Team made.  If you enter your own card in the challenge, you can win up to 3 digital stamps - FREE!  Go check it all out over on the QKR Stampede Blog.

I'd love to know what you think of the card and this digital image.  Let me know...leave a comment below.  Thanks for stopping by my blog today and, until next time...

Hugs from Brasil. 

~Michael

Happy Pi Day | Happy Pie Day | Happy π Day

 

Hello everyone and Happy Pi Day...Happy Pie Day...Happy π Day!  I've been waiting months to make this card and it's finally here.  This is a short but fun post.  

According to piday.org, the first 10 digits of Pi is 3.1415926535 (although I count 11).  But, if you type π into a calculator and press enter, you will see 3.141592654 because the display is most often limited to 10 digits and it rounds the 10th number up to 4. 

Pi, represented by the lower-case Greek letter π - is one of the most well-known mathematical constants, the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.  Pi has interested people around the world for over 4,000 years.  To learn more about Pi - go to piday.org.  It's quite fascinating.  

Now, on to my card...

I started by typing the first 10 digits of Pi on a piece of white cardstock and then I die-cut it using a stitched rectangle die measuring 4" x 5.25".  I made a top-folding card base using black cardstock and I adhered the white piece to the front. 

Next, I printed my sentiment - Happy π Day - on a piece of white cardstock, stamped my pie image from a Great Impressions Stamps circa 2008 above the sentiment, and colored it in using my fine-tip BIC markers.  I die-cut the image using a stitched rectangle die, die-cut a piece of black cardstock using the next size up and adhered the white to the black.

Lastly, I adhered the image to the card front, and added a heart crystal on the pie plate and 3 black enamel dots on the card front.

Done!  All I need to do now is mail this to someone who will understand and appreciate this card.  

I hope you enjoyed this fun and quirky card for a fun and quirky holiday.  Enjoy the rest of your day everyone.  And, don't forget to eat a slice of pie today!  What's your favorite?  Let me know by leaving a comment below.  Mine is apple pie!

As always, until next time, hugs from Brasil.

~Michael

Memorial Album for Levita, An Amazing Young Man / Álbum para Homenagear Levita, um Jovem Incrível

{English is below the Portuguese}

Fiz este álbum em julho de 2022, para homenagear a memória de Levita, um jovem marcante na cidade, que morreu em um trágico acidente há pouco mais de um ano. Embora não fôssemos grandes amigos, ele fazia parte de um grupo de teatro - Abrakortina - com alguns amigos meus, e tive o privilégio de vê-lo em duas peças. Ele era muito talentoso - um dançarino e coreógrafo fantástico, artista, ator, professor e mentor/modelo para tantas pessoas.

I made this album in July 2022, to honor the memory of Levita, a remarkable young man in town, who died in a tragic accident a little more than a year ago. Although we were not close friends, he was part of a theater group - Abrakortina - with some of my friends, and I had the privilege to see him in two plays. He was very talented - a fantastic dancer and choreographer, artist, actor, teacher, and mentor/role model to so many people.

Não consigo nem começar a explicar a quantidade de dor e depressão que se instalou nesta cidade nas semanas após sua morte.

I can't even begin to explain the amount of pain and depression that settled over this town in the weeks after his death.

Aqui está a página de Tributo de Levita no Facebook, se você estiver interessado em ver seu talento.

Here is Levita's Tribute page on Facebook, if you are interested in seeing his talent. Yes, it's in Portuguese. LOL

Algumas semanas após a morte de Levita, amigos dele fizeram um mural na cidade - Wlademir @wlad, Felipe @MDS, @Impar e @ogalva.o.

A few weeks after Levita died, friends of his made a mural in town - Wlademir @wlad, Felipe @MDS, @Impar and @ogalva.o

Assim que vi o mural, soube que precisava fazer um álbum para seus amigos de Abrakortina para homenagear sua memória. Abaixo estão as fotos do álbum. Imprimi algumas das fotos que tirei do mural para incluir no álbum e usei outros papéis de arte na rua porque esse era o estilo dele.

As soon as I saw the mural, I knew I needed to make an album for his friends in Abrakortina to honor his memory. Below are photos of the album. I printed some of the photos I took of the mural to include in the album and I used other street art papers because that was his style.

Encontrei com meus amigos Henrique e Aline na semana passada e eles vão apresentar isso para o resto do grupo neste final de semana. Percebemos que, quando o fiz em julho, o grupo ainda estava lidando com a perda de Levita e não seria um bom momento para entregá-lo a eles. Agora, um ano após a sua morte, sente que o grupo está pronto para o receber e, esperançosamente, enchê-lo de fotos e memórias para guardar no seu espaço para que Levita esteja sempre com eles.

I met with my friends Henrique and Aline last week and they are going to present this to the rest of the group this weekend. We realized that when I made it in July, the group was still coping with the loss of Levita and it would not have been a good time to give it to them. Now, a year after his death, he feels that the group is ready to receive this and, hopefully, fill it with photos and memories to keep in their space so that Levita is always with them.

Tenho um pequeno vídeo no meu canal do YT, abaixo, com fotos após o vídeo.
I have a short video on my YT Channel, below, with photos after the video.

Espero que eles amem o álbum tanto quanto eu amei fazê-lo para eles. Nada é pior do que fazer arte por um motivo muito triste. Espero que vocês amem também. Lembre-se de dizer a alguém que você ama hoje e espalhe um pouco de felicidade. Você nunca sabe quando será tarde demais. 
I hope they love the album as much as I loved making it for them.  Nothing is worse than making art for a very sad reason.  I hope you guys love it too.  Remember to tell someone you love them today and spread some happiness.  You never know when it will be too late.  

Paz, amor e felicidade do Brasil.

Peace, love, and happiness from Brasil.

~Michael

Yes, It's A Holiday | National Pig Day | QKR Stampede Blog

 

Hello everyone and welcome to March!  I hope y'all are doing well.  With all the rain we have been getting, I've been staying indoors a lot making cards, albums, folios, recipes, and a mess.  LOL. It's good to have something to do to pass the time.    

Today is also a new Yes, It's A Holiday collaboration with my friends Debra (@djdavison814) and Lori (@mamakobs), and we are celebrating National Pig Day.  Today is also my first card for the QKR Stampede Blog and, to kill two cards with one stamp, I used the Christmas Pig digi and a Merry Christmas digi sentiment digi (link coming soon), both from the QKR Stampede store. And, they are only $2 each!

But, if you love these images and want them as a physical rubber stamp, they have those too.  Click HERE for the Christmas Pig rubber stamp and click HERE for the Merry Christmas sentiment rubber stamp.

I LOVE pigs.  I also love bacon but, please, don't tell the pigs.  I even have a collection of pig rubber stamps.  The photo below doesn't even include the unmounted and digi pig stamps.  

According to National Today, we celebrate because pigs have become part of American culture.  Heck, they are part of almost every culture.  Fossil records even show pigs roamed the earth as early as 40 million years ago.  WOW.  Click on the link to learn more about pigs and today's holiday. 

To help celebrate, I made a Christmas card using a pig!

I started by making a top-folding A2 card base using white cardstock and, to the front of the card, I adhered a piece of wrapping paper that I had in my stash from this past Christmas.  It's not screaming Christmas but it's red and shiny and works perfectly.  

Next, I printed the Christmas Pig Digi Stamp and the Merry Christmas Digital Stamp, both from Want 2 Scrap, on white cardstock and I trimmed it to 3 3/8" x 5.5".

Next, I colored the image using some Graf Duo alcohol markers.  Then I layered it on a piece of red cardstock but left a small 1/8" border on each side.  And I adhered this to the card front using foam tape to give the card some dimension. 

To finish the card off, I added Yellow Stickles to the star on the tree, Frosted Lace Stickles to the hat and tusks, and 5 crystals to the tree as ornaments.  

Done.  Here's the final card up close.

I love how this card came out and I love the fact that there is a whole month to celebrate pigs!  LOL. Don't forget to check out what Debra and Lori made over on their Instagram pages.  And, please, go check out today's blog post over on the QKR Stampede Blog where there are several other very talented makers sharing more card ideas with you.  Links are all below.  

Michael - @worldofmichaeltrent
Debra - @djdavison814
Lori - @mamakobs  
QKR Stampede Blog 

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today.  I hope you can find time to also stop by all the links above.  And, until next time...

Hugs from Brasil.

~Michael