[Tutorial] Dimensional adhesive and Brass Stencils

Happy Monday and 1st of July!  We are halfway through Year 2013.

Do you like texture and dimension?  I do.  I love doing dry embossing either with my Vintaj sizzix bigkick or manually using  a lightbox and an embossing pen.  Few years ago, I went to the CHA where I learned about using dimensional adhesive and stencils.  I bought the adhesive and a couple of brass stencils but rarely used it until recently.

Here's a quick tutorial on how to do it.

Tools and Materials:

     Brass stencil

     Dimensional adhesive (i used Tessler dimensional elements clear embossing gel)

     Chalks

     Paper

     Painter's tape

     Spatula

     Warm soapy water in a bowl

Instructions:

1.  Clean your brass stencil with soap and water or alcohol.  Dry completely, lay it on the paper and secure all sides with painters tape.  I just used a little because I'm stingy, lol.
3.  Color the open spaces using chalks and a cotton applicator or small brush.  Put a manageable amount of the paste on one end of the stencil.
4.  Hold the spatula on an angle and in one sweeping motion, spread it across the design.
5.  Check for missed areas and apply adhesive if necessary.
6.  Gently lift the brass plate by removing the tape on 3 sides first and the top tape last.  Dunk the brass stencil and spatula in a bowl of warm soapy water and rinse thoroughly.
7.  Allow to dry.  It took the design above about 10-15 minutes to dry.

I like how the design turned out.

You can use these for your handmade cards - I made bookmarks that I gave to the group of seniors  citizens at church to put in their Bible.  Adhere the embossed design on a piece of colored cardstock, punch a hole in the center, add a ribbon and done!

dry embossing and Tessler dimensional elements

Stencils allow you to be creative with your color pattern and it's exciting to see the whole picture once the stencil is lifted.  It goes really well with floral designs too - yup, that's me!

May your day be filled with blooms!

♥  michelle  ♥

[Card] Thinking of You

Happy Friday!

I just wanted to let you know how much I care.

Have a blessed and safe weekend, my friend!

♥  michelle  ♥

[Card] A Grand Celebration

It's a joy to be invited to very special events such as an infant dedication and a 75th birthday celebration all in one family:  Grandson + Grandfather = Grand celebration!

We do not do infant baptisms in our church but we do infant dedications - it is a Christian parents' way  of making a promise to God that they will prayerfully and lovingly train the child in a godly way, to teach  and to discipline him or her and to help them make a decision to follow God on their own.  Being a parent is a big responsibility and godparents are given the same responsibility too - it goes beyond the birthday and Christmas gifts.

Baby Card

This card is for baby Dean.  I love this baby stamp because it can be used for a girl or a boy.  I coordinated the cuttlebug embossing folder mat with a similar patterned ribbon.  Simple and fun!  

This is for Dean's grandfather who celebrated his 75th birthday.  He is such a sweet, loving and God-fearing man - a truly caring friend.  

Gift Card Tabs

We gave them gift cards that I placed in the card using MS corner bubble punch.

I love how it turned out so I think I will be making more of these since we often give GC's anyway.

Have a wonderful day!

♥  Michelle  ♥

Kid's birthday card

This card is for a cute girl who will be celebrating her 1st Birthday and Child Dedication tomorrow.

It is Filipino custom to have godparents who are given the privilege to stand as second parents - my husband and I were one of those chosen for this little girl.  It's a huge challenge over and beyond giving gifts during their godchild's birthday, Christmas or on special occasions and we are praying that we could stand up to the task set before us.

I used several cardmaking techniques in this card.  A designer paper was layered on a red mat.  Hero Arts stamps were used for the flowers and sentiments on the cover and inside of the card.  The cute green beetle is from K&company.  Finally, I added a quilled flower. 

It's fun, vibrant and I love it!
We are looking forward to celebrate with her.

Happy weekend!

Craft heaven on 11-11-11

Today is 11-11-11 and I am back to crafting after several days of being preoccupied with family health issues.  It's a challenge to be creative when our minds are somehwere else.  Do you think so?

I love adding texture in my cards; feeling the raised surfaces make me happy.  Today, I felt like Dry Embossing using my Martha Stewart's Kit.  It comes with 2 metal plates with various designs and borders, a stylus, cards and envelopes. 



You will need a table lamp to make tracing easier.  A glass table with a light underneath would work well too.  If it's bright and sunny outside, you may try taping your stencil on your window and emboss - just be mindful of your neighbors who might find you a bit odd.

I added Ranger's distress ink in Antique Linen to the border and highlighted the

design using colored pencils.

The design was layered on a green mat and finally on an ivory colored cardstock.

A punched out vase adhered by dimensional adhesive completes the design.

This card is for an 80+ old lady who will be celebrating her birthday tomorrow. 

Accents were added using Tombow ABT markers.



Happy weekend!

Enjoy!

Christmas in the Air Part 2 [2011 Christmas Cards]

I stamped more for our Christmas holiday card stash!

The stamped Christmas sentiment on the center of the card reads: 

"May the wonder that is Christmas touch the child within your heart."

I added a stamped wreath border that I distressed and colored with pencils.

I used gold, green, and red for the mat.

This was then layered on an ivory cardstock.

This card uses an acrylic stamp from Hero Arts.  I layered it with a red origami paper and green mat.

Blue snowflakes were stamped on the background of the ivory cardstock.

Just a few more to go and we're all set for Christmas.

Oooops... got to do our Thanksgiving cards.

Happy crafting!

Hero Arts August 2011B [Card for Kids]

It is the last day of August 2011 and I made a card to participate in Hero Arts' August contest on

 "Creatures and Cards for Kids."  I used the following polyclear stamp sets in making the card:

Thinking of You and Playful Animals.

The images of the animals were stamped using the masking technique then cut.  I stamped the elephant first, covered it then stamped the giraffe and bear.  I layered this on a background paper with trees and added a scallop die-cut blue frame.  I made the monkey appear as though it is hanging and holding the sentiment : 

"You make me smile.'"

This was then matted with yellow paper and finally placed on the cardstock where I added a green ribbon.

The images were colored using colored pencils. Yeah...I know I don't color well using pencils and  I really envy the way other cardmakers color their projects using copic markers but I have yet to buy my own set.  Perhaps for Christmas - let me whisper that to hubby's ears tonight.

I hope to join more contests these coming months.

Have fun!

For the Boy in Him [50th Birthday Card]

It's always a challenge for me to make a handmade card for men probably because most of my stamps are "girly."  I wanted to make a card for a dear cousin, who is truly a genntleman, celebrating his 50th birthday.

During our recent cardmaking spree, my sister-in-law had fishing stamps.  I stamped images of a boat, dock, fishing rod and fish.  Since I couldn't find where the fishing rod and fish were, here is what I came up with.

I used a dark green cardstock for the base and added a background paper (BP) using paper from DCWV Green stack.  I love the organic feel of the BP - nature, water, environment, etc.

I stamped the images using Memento Rich Cocoa and colored them with colored pencils.  The images were cut-out, placed on a beige oval matte and accented with stitching.  Finally, the four corners were rounded.

Our cousin is a very kind-hearted, well-mannered gentleman who loves God with all his heart, mind, sould and strength. 

He also loves fishing and playing video games... yup, even at 50! 

Happy birthday!

Iris card

Have you had days when you didn't plan anything put ended up doing so much and having fun at it?

I've had one today.

My in-laws and I were able to play with rubber stamps and embossing (my obsession).  I wanted to make 2 cards - one for a lady and a gentleman.

There were so many rubber stamps to choose from so after stamping, I used Crayola colored pencils to add  color and depth.

I decided to make a feminine card so I die cut and embossed a scallop shape and made a frame for the image.  What do you think about the cut out tip of the iris?  I find it really neat and makes the image literally pop-out of the frame.

Have you been making cards too?  Have fun!

...Of cards, rubber stamps, inks and more

It's almost mid-August and for us who love making handmade cards and things, it's time to think and start making them.  My in-laws and I started our first cardmaking session for this year.  It was nice to open my stock of stamps, paper and inks once again after a long hiatus.

I worked on a slow pace but I'm happy that I was able to come up with 2 cards: a 'birthday' and a 'missing you' card. It was a good start.

 There is a lot of thought and effort in making handmade cards, gifts and goodies. 

So the next time someone sends or gives you one, be very thankful and try to appreciate their work.  Remember that you are given something uniquely handmade.

 To my fellow crafters, keep on making them.  As I always say,

"May your creative juices overflow!"

Happy crafting!

Cricky Birthday Cards

I am now on a long vacation away from my craft nook and since many of my lovedones are celebrating their birthday this month of March and April, it was busy days before my trip.

Here are a few birthday cards that I made.

I used the "Birthday Blessings" sentiment from the George and Basic Shapes cricut cartridge, played around with different sizes (1.5 to 3 inches) and background matting.

This card is for my sister.  I added a cuttlebug embossed matte in yellowgreen paper and layered it on a cream cardstock.  The card looks so gorgeous and feminine, just like her.

This olive green card is for my mom's 69th birthday.  I added a "gift" cricut image and layered it on a DCWV design paper.  Great combination!  Beautiful, just like mom.

This card is for my dad who is celebrating his 70th birthday.  It is always a challenge to make cards with a "masculine" feel.  My dad loves gardening and listening to the birds chirp outside their bedroom window so it was nice to incorporate them in a card. I used a DCWV design paper for the background, matted the sentiment on a dark blue cardstock and attached them using dimensionals.  Hopefully, this would "chirp" him up ☺.

This one is for my mother-in-law who abhors furry creatures called mice and when I saw this DCWV design paper with this cute creature, I knew in an instant that it was for her.  The cricut sentiment makes the card pop.  Overall, I find the card cute, adorable and funny just like her.

This last card is for my brother-in-law's birthday in April.  This is a simple card with a DCWV woodgrain background and a cricut birthday sentiment.  Oh, I added stitching all around the card after I took this photo.  It may be simple but made with all sincerity and love.

Happy birthday to all of you!

Did I mention that I love my cricut machine?  I do, I do!

"Thank You" [Cards for California]

My 2 weeks of sunny, cool, California weather is over and I am back in Chicago's winter wonderland!  I had a great time in San Jose and San Diego, particularly babysitting my 18 month old nephew. 

I was also able to meet our former Pastor in Manila and his family, my good friend and colleague, and other relatives and friends.

In appreciation for all their kindness and generosity, I made "Thank You" cards today.

I used Inkadinkado's "Thank You Clear Stamp" 39-252868.

I stamped it using Versafine in Black Onyx and colored using Tombo ABT markers.

I matted the stamped images on olive green and blue cardstock and then added them to the DCWV background paper from their "The Green Stack" collection.  Finally, I used dark blue and yellow cardbase.

It's great to be home, making cards again for all the wonderful people in my life.

These will all be mailed tomorrow.

Happy Tuesday!

Birthday cupcake [HA January 2011A]

Yay! I was able to make a card for Hero Arts in time for todays deadline. Whew! This months theme is: Inspired by the 2011 Catalog and Card Insides.
The new catalog is full of beautiful designs, from background stamps, floral themes, sentiments, quirky themes, etc - check it out HERE. 
Here are the HA stamps that I used:  CL158 sprinkles and LP133 Ink n' stamp: Sweets
Materials:
Paper:  brown card base; yellow designer paper, metallic brown paper
Ink:  Versamark, Ranger's bundled sage distress ink, Memento Rich cocoa
Embossing powder:  Judikins black
Color:  Derwent watercolor pencils
Punch:  Martha Stewart bubble punch
Glossy accents (applied to the 'cake' of the cupcake)
Adhesive:  Tombow monoadhesive, dimensional adhesive

HA January 2011A

A couple's birthday [LGE ♥ MVSE birthday cards]

Hello friends!  I would like to share with you 2 cards that I made for my brother and his wife's birthday.  These are rather simple cards but definitely handmade with love ♥.

It's always challenging to make a card for a boy or a man in this case.  Here, I used a dark blue card base and added a PP of buttons.  To add texture and dimension, I embossed a diamond pattern for matting and stamped Hero Arts sentiment and placed it on the center.  Finally, I added blue brads on the four corners using my new Making Memories instant setter (a Christmas gift from my uber loving SIL); blue embroidery floss was wrapped around the brads to add interest. 



LGE



This next card was made for my brothers wife.  Oh, she loves and looks really good wearing the color yellow so I made her a card in yellow tones and coordinates.  I used a yellow cardbase and a printed PP.  I added a brown mat which i background stamped using Versamark and DeNami stamp.  I added a scallop border punch from Martha Stewart.  Then, I stamped the sentiment using Memento in Rich cocoa against a sage green distressed background.  The final step was an engraved rust colored button with yellow embroidery floss - just to add a little interest.

MVSE

Happy birthday to two most wonderful, special and loved people!  Cheers!

HA World Cardmaking Day, 10-3-10

I never thought that there was such a thing as World Cardmaking Day.  I found out through the Hero Arts blog and of course, i wanted to participate.  So, with only a few hours left, i grabbed some stamps and made a card.
I have been busy crocheting hats and jewelry for the past weeks so my stamps and stuffs have been on the shelf for quite some time. 
I thought it would be nice to incorporate sewing in my theme - hence, the "You're sew Special" card, embellised with buttons that i find really cute!
Thanks for taking a peek.   Have a great week!

Materials: 
HA C1157 3 spools
HA C1158 Button cluster
Red and cream cardstock
Cream and lime green ribbon
Memento ink in rich cocoa
Versafine ink in Onyx black
round puncher
Marvy markers
Derwent watercolor pencils

Happy Thanksgiving 2010!

It's been exactly a month since my last blog.  Haha... the lazy bug caught me for quite some time.  Things have been fine with me - i decided to try other crafty things like crochet (more on that at a later blog). 
I checked out HA's blog last week and made a couple of not-so-nice thanksgiving cards.  I had a "mental card block" once again and it took some time to get those creative juices out.  Anyway... i'd like to share them.

My MIL and i went to my awesome SIL's house to do some stamping.  I used her "Thanksgiving stamps" and leaf embossed punches.  I loved punching out the maple leaves - i distressed some using Ranger's walnut stain then added glitter on the edges.

In one card, i masked/stamped the pumpkin with a stamp from the same HA clear stamp set.  It was fun to mask but it was quite tedious.  As you can see, the colors are not as pretty as it should be - hmmm...i think i should buy, stock up and try using those wonderful copic markers next time.

This is all for now, friends.  Thanks for looking!



Hero Arts Card #2

I love going to gardens and see all the flowers in bloom. I particularly like daisies, mums and sunflowers. I love them because they make me smile and feel lighthearted. I love seeing them sway with the gentle breeze.

Flowers give me so much inspiration in making cards. Most of the cards that i have made have flower themes. In this card, i made paper quilled sunflowers. Aren't they cute? It was quite a task to fringe the flowers but i adore how they turned out. It took me some time to complete this card and i'm happy with the finished product.

Thanks for looking. :)

A HEROic day!

I have always loved doing crafts and needlework... a little of this and a little of that. I have tried scrapbooking, counted crosstitch, paper quilling & stamping but never took it seriously. Until now... hahaha.

I came to the US to be with my husband and discovered the great and wonderful world of crafting. My sister in law took me to a couple of stores that sells merchandise for "crafty people". Yup... that's me. I was overwhelmed by the loads of stuffs that they carried. Then, i checked out websites and some blogs and wow... i was much more overwhelmed! So, to cure my curiosity on these matters, i put up my own blogsite and called it: "Cabbycraft".

A few days ago, i bought a clear stamp set from Hero arts and decided to check their website. I was so encouraged to make my own cards so here's what i came up with. I look forward to making more and learning new techniques. I am a newbie at this but hey... it's never too late to learn. Besides, i believe that life is a process of learning.

I made 2 cards using Hero Arts "Thinking of You" clear stamp set. I used the butterfly and the greetings. I stamped and embossed them with black embossing powder. I quilled sunflowers and mums, added an edgepunch arch lattice design from Martha stewart and some designer paper. I used red and white cardstock for the base and green for the matting.

Voila! Here are my cards... thanks for reading and i hope you enjoy viewing them.

Post Father's Day

It was father's day yesterday and it was an emotional one for me, being far apart from my Daddy. My Dad is 69 years old, still working - yes, you read it right, loves playing (and winning) golf, leads our church Deacons, loves gardening and planting trees, etc... There are 3 of u in the family with me being the middle child and first of 2 girls. I have always loved my dad despite his very protective nature and i know that he loves me so much.

I am married now for 1 year and 5 months to a wonderful man from the US - which is thousands of miles from where i originally come from, Manila. I miss home - my dad, mom, even our dog Chubby. It is difficult to be apart from people who we love dearly. As a physician, it scares me when i hear that they are sick and i couldn't be there. These are the struggles that i go through every now and then.

In all these, it is by God's grace that i can go through each day. Constantly entrusting to Him all my worries and fears. Each of us dread the day when our fathers and mothers will "go ahead" of us. But it is the inevitable fact of life. For the meantime, let us make the most of each day.. telling them that we love them and making them feel it as well. Let us make the most of what they teach us, because their wisdom is something that money cannot purchase.
Have a good day, my friend... Blessings to you and your father.