Wedding Album / Storage Box on Steroids /Your Book of Memories / Biggest Album I Ever Made

OMG!  Today I was looking through some "draft" posts for my blog and realized that I never posted this wedding album and storage box that I made.  I'm nuts!!

I made this album and storage box more than two years ago for a couple in town. I'm calling it the "Wedding Album On Steroids" because of the number of hours spent on it and the size of the album.  It's the largest album I ever made and, I also think, it's the best I ever made.  It's also the first time I made a matching storage box from a raw MDF box for the album to be stored in.  I'm really proud of it and hope you guys love it as much as I do.  

I LOVED making this album and have already started a new one for the next couple that wants to tie the knot.   

Below is a link to a video I made showing and explaining everything I used and did in the book.

Here are some photos of the album/box.

The top of the MDF storage box.  Photo of couple
inside an embossed chipboard frame 
surrounded by flowers. 

Looking into the storage box at the cover
of the wedding album. 

The best part of the storage box are the metal
dove feet.  

Back of the album cover that opens for photos and 
pocket with a window on the right for a larger photo.

Back of the album cover with the flaps open. 

One of the inserts that slips into the page.

Space for photos or for writing about the
wedding or each other. 

Lots of pockets and tags for photos.

Photos slip in these pockets.

Belly band with pockets for photos.
Photos can also slip behind the belly band. 

Waterfall component with space behind for photos. 

There is so much more to this album than the photos can show.  To understand and appreciate this book, please, go watch the video.  Then, I would love to know what you think.  

All of the supplies I used to make this album and box are listed in the info section under the YouTube video.  

Until next time...

Hugs from Brasil.

~Michael 

TIC "CAT" TOE | "Cat" Checkers | "Cat"Gammon | Technique Junkies Board Game Ideas

I have to admit, the idea of using the new Fluffy Cats rubber stamp from Technique Junkies to make 3 games is off-the-scale ridiculous, even for me.  But, it was so much fun to do.  It started when I first stamped Fluffy Cats to make a card.  In the center of the image, I saw a Tic, Tac, Toe game.  I have no idea what part of my brain this came from, but I am not complaining, and I am embracing the insanity of it all.  HaHa.

Now come join me down the rabbit hole of my creative brain.

First, we need a bunch of cats for all the games.  I stamped Fluffy Cats several times using Archival Jet Black ink by Ranger, on white cardstock, using my Misti.  Then I used my Scan N Cut by Brother to cut them all out.  Easy Peasy!  Although the Scan N Cut got a bit wonky on some of the cats by cutting off their noses, I did manage to get most of the cats in the stamped images.  

Tic Tac Toe / Tic "Cat" Toe Game

The rules for Tic-Cat-Toe are simple.  The game is played on a grid that is 3 squares by 3 squares.  You are one color of cat and your friend is the other color.  Players take turns placing their cats in an empty square on the grid.  The first player to 3 of their cats in a row - up, down, across, or diagonally - wins the game.  

For the grid, I first tried using a black marker and a ruler but no matter what I did, it looked wonky.  So I jumped on Etsy and found THIS digital TIC-TAC-TOE set.  For only $.88 it made my life so much easier.  I printed 4 to a sheet of white cardstock and then die-cut them using both a stitched square die and a stitched rectangle die.  

We are ready to play.  Give a board and cats to each player and let the games begin. 

CAT-Checkers Game

There are 3 important rules when it comes to checkers.

• Checkers can only move diagonally on dark squares.
• At the start of the game, checkers can only move forward, meaning toward the opposite player's side. 
• Checkers may move up and down when they become "kings" by reaching the last row of the opposite side.  

A checkerboard consists of 64 squares, 8 rows across, and 8 rows down, with 2 different colored squares alternating.  I went through my stash of scraps and found a lot of yellow and light blue, and I cut 32 of each using a 1 3/8" square punch.  Since the cats are black and white, I wanted to use colors where the cats will easily be seen.  

Before adhering them down, I did a quick test run on a piece of 12" x 12" cardstock and they fit perfectly with about 1/2" border.  Perfect.  

Next, using a Xyron 1.5" sticker maker machine, I adhered them to the dark blue cardstock.  

We are ready to play.  Give 12 white cats to one person, 12 black cats to the other, and let the game begin. 

Backgammon or Cat-Gammon

The rules of Backgammon are too much for me to type here.  Below is a screenshot of the rules and, if you want more info, head over to THIS website for more info.  

What I do know is this:

• the board has 24 narrow triangles called points.
• they alternate in color.
• I need 24 points as there are 6 in each of the 4 quadrants.  
• the two sides are separated by a ridge down the center of the board called the bar.
• each player has 15 "checkers"/ "cats" of his own color.

Now to make the board. For this board to fit on a 12" piece of cardstock, the points need to be 1.5" wide x 4" long each, with the bar and each of the sides being 1" each.   

Let's make the board.  I used a piece of black cardstock, 12" x 12", for the board.  The rest is using scraps.  Look at your scrap pile first!  

• I scored a piece of black 12" x 12" cardstock at 6".
• Using scraps of Kraft cardstock, I cut 4 strips at 1/2" x 12" and adhered them on each side of the score mark and along the right and left sides of the board.
• Then I cut 4 strips at 1/2" 4 7/8" and adhered them along the top and bottom of the board.  

To make the "points" or the triangle pieces, we need 12 pieces using 2 different colors or patterns.  I decided to go with green and light blue to make it easy to see and understand for you guys.  To get the perfect sizes, cut your first color piece 4" x 5.25".  Using a pencil and ruler, along the top of the piece make marks at .75", 1.5", 2.25", 3", 3.75", and 4.5".  Then flip it around and on the other side make marks at 3/8", 1 1/8", 1 7/8", 2 5/8", 3 3/8", 4 1/8", and 4 7/8".  Using a pencil and ruler, draw lines to make the triangles and then use a ruler and craft knife to cut them apart.  One piece will give you the 12 pieces needed.  Do this for both colors or patterns.

If you are using a solid color, you don't need to erase any marks because you can use the reverse side.  If you are using a pattern, make the marks on the reverse side and then cut.  Just make sure that you have 12 of each color or pattern.

To finish off your board, adhere 6 of them to each of the 4 quadrants alternating the colors.  

We are ready to play.  Give 15 white cats to one person, 15 black cats to the other, roll the dice, and let the game begin. 

And, there you have it - a bit of my zany brain working overtime.  I had so much fun making these game ideas and I hope you laughed a bit if you have read this far.  This Fluffy Cats stamp is part of the February New Stamp Release from Technique Junkies and you can save 10% at checkout by using my code - TJ10Michael.  

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today and, until next time...

Hugs from Brasil.

~Michael

In Honor of Black History Month and Lincoln's Birthday | African Inspired Notecards | African Dancers Technique Junkies

 

Hello everyone!  Today I have a simple post to help celebrate Abe Lincoln's birthday and Black History Month.  Yes, that Abe, who led the USA through the Civil War, defended the nation as a constitutional union, defeated the insurgent Confederacy, and abolished slavery (per Wikipedia).  February is also Black History Month or African-American History Month - the month to remember important people and events in the history of the African diaspora.

The word "diaspora" is new to me and means the dispersion or spread of a people from their original homeland.  African-Americans, and millions of African-Brasilians, were definitely dispersed from their original homelands.  As a Jew, this can also be said of many of my ancestors - at least those who fled their homeland in search of a better life.

To help celebrate all of the above, I made some African-inspired notecards - A2 size and slimline - three with a hello sentiment and three without.  

• I made my card bases using black, orange, and blue cardstock.    
• I printed 3 of the papers from the African Inspired Patterns digital paper collection that I picked up from VNcharm on Etsy.  There are over 50 patterns to pick from.  I adhered one to each card front.
• Then I stamped African Dancers from Technique Junkies,  3 times on white cardstock, layered them on a colored cardstock, and then to the card front. 
• For my sentiment on 3 of the cards, I used the 2 hello dies from the All About You Word Die Set from Altenew. 
• Lastly, I cut a piece of white cardstock for each card and adhered them to the inside for a message. 

Here are the cards without the sentiment - 

And here are the cards with the Hello sentiment on the front - 

I really love how these came out and I love all of the African patterns and colors, which, I think, go perfectly with the African Dancers stamp.  There is also a matching stamp set of African Proverbs that would also go perfectly with the African Dancers - both from Technique Junkies.  And, if you use my code at checkout, TJ10Michael, you can save 10%.  

I'd love to know what you think of these cards.  Do you have a favorite?  Let me know below.  Thanks for stopping by my blog today and, until next time...

Hugs from Brasil.

~Michael

Making Four Valentine's Day Cards Using A "Littles Printables" Coloring Page

 

Do you need or want to make some Valentine's Day cards but are short on time?  Or don't have the stamps or dies?  Maybe you want to include your son, daughter, or grandchild in the cardmaking process?  Or, maybe, you just want to do something different?  Why not try a coloring page?  

I made 4 Valentine's Day cards using the I Spy Valentines Coloring Page from Littles Printables, one of my new favorite stores on Etsy.  On the day I post this blog, this is on sale for $1.12.  How can you beat that?  When I saw this page I immediately saw a slimline card using the bottom of the page and at least 3 more cards using the top portion.  

**Note:  I am not affiliated with Little Printables.  

The hardest part of this process is coloring the page.  So, warning, if you do not love to color or do not have the patience to color, this post is not for you.  LOL. But, if you love to color as much as I do, keep reading.  I used Ultra Fine Tip Intensity Markers from BIC, which are really my favorite markers to use, especially in small spaces.  

Side note here: if you have many cards to make, a good idea at this point would be to scan the page and print more to make more cards. Since it's very close to VD, this is what I decided to do. 

Card No. 1

• I started with a top-folding A2 card using white cardstock and adhered the part of the colored coloring page to the right side of my card front. 

• I die-cut a piece of white cardstock using a 4.25" x 5.5" stitched rectangle die.  
• I stamped Little Love You (Technique Junkies) in the center but more to the left and die-cut it again using one of the scalloped dies from A2 Scalloped Borders One (Spellbinders).  
• I also cut a piece of white fun foam to adhere under it.  

• I adhered the fun foam to the back of the white cardstock with the Love You stamped on it, and then I adhered it to the card front. 
• Lastly, I added a few red enamel dots to the card front.   

Card No. 2

For this card, I used the bottom part of the coloring page and the Sweet Scalloped Slimline Dies (Heffy Doodle) to make a slimline card.  

• I started by adhering some Valentine's Day paper to the front of my 3.25" x 8.25" slimline card base.  Cut a piece of white cardstock 8.25" x 6.5" and score the short side at 3.25". 
  
• Next, using the middle scallop die, I cut a piece of red cardstock.  Using the smallest scallop die, I cut a piece of red glittered fun foam.  Using the heart die, I also cut a piece of red glittered fun foam.    

• I adhered the red cardstock to the card front, then the red glittered fun foam, then the section of the coloring page, and the heart on the bottom right side.  

Card No. 3

• I adhered part of the coloring page to the front of a top-folding A2 card.
  
  
  
  
  
• Using a 4.25" x 5.5" stitched rectangle die, I cut a die-cut a piece of white cardstock, and then I used a ruler and craft knife to cut my corners, as follows:
  
  
  From the upper left corner, make a tic mark 2.75" (7cm) to the right.  
  From the upper left corner, make a tic mark 2.75" (7cm) down the left side.
  From the upper right corner, make a tic mark 2" (5 cm) down the right side. 
  From the lower right corner, make a tic mark .75" (2cm) to the right.
  
  
  Then use a ruler and craft knife to cut from tic mark to tic mark.  
  
  
  

• Using the triangle piece for the upper left corner, I adhered a strip of red cardstock along the long edge, trimmed the other 2 sides, adhered a piece of fun foam to the back (you can use foam tape/squares too ), and adhered it to the upper left corner of the card front.

• For the triangle piece for the lower right corner, I stamped my sentiment, adhered a strip of red cardstock along the edge, trimmed it, and adhered it to the card front using fun foam. 

Card No. 4

To be honest, for this last card, there isn't much of a step-by-step to make. 

• I adhered a piece of Valentine's Day paper to my A2 card front.
• I trimmed the last scrap of the coloring page to 4.25" x 1.75" and adhered it to a piece of red cardstock.
• I adhered a piece of fun foam to the back and then to the card front.

And there you have it.  4 cards made from 1 coloring page printable that I bought for almost $1.  I love the idea of digital printables and how much flexibility they give at times.  I'd love to know what you think of this idea and these cards.  Let me know by leaving a comment below.  

Thanks for stopping by the blog today and enjoy the rest of your week.  Until next time...

Hugs from Brasil.

~Michael