[Celebration] Happy Thanksgiving!

This week, America is celebrating Thanksgiving.  This is my 4th year to celebrate Thanksgiving in the US, the 2nd in TX.  

I remember my First Thanksgiving in 2010 in Chicago.  

On my Second Thanksgiving, I made chocolate dipped cookies.  

Our first thanksgiving in TX was spent with our dear friends who helped us transition during our move.  I baked "Canonigo" for the first time that day.  

I made several "firsts" on this years thanksgiving season.  This was the handmade card that I sent my in-laws.  It was my first time to use Ranger alcohol inks to make the background, then stamped a maple leaf using Staz-on ink.

Thanksgiving Card and Fall Sugar Cookie inspired by SweetAmbs

I also made sugar cookies for the first time using a leaf cookie cutter and painted it using SweetAmbs' tutorial.  I super love her videos and the neatness of her work.  

SweetAmbs Fall Leaves

Well, it was also my first time to go to a liquor store to buy a small bottle of vodka, for arts' sake.  LOL. Oh boy, it didn't taste good at all.

Everyday is a day to Give Thanks.

What are you thankful for?  Do share it with me.

Happy Thanksgiving, America!

♥  michelle  ♥

MyHub's Vday card [HA January 2011B]

It's Thursday Card Day here at Cabby Crafter's corner ☺. 
I had fun shopping today with my sis--law.  We went to a local craft store where I was able to buy my new HA Clear Stamp.  Yay!  As soon as I got home, I made a card for my hubby.  We recently celebrated our 2nd year wedding anniversary and this is an advanced V-day card - the card says it all about us... "You had me at 'Hello.'"
Likewise, it is an entry for HA ongoing contest for January 2011:  Inspired by the 2011 Catalog & Card Insides.  Technique:  Masking.  Why don't you check it out HERE join the fun!
Stamps:  HA CL483 TYPE, HA Alphabet set
Base card:  Cream cardstock
Mat:  chocolate brown, white, and DCWV pp, yellow pp
Inks:  Memento Rich cocoa, Versafine Onyx black, Colorbox pigment ink Scarlet, Ranger's Distress Ink Walnut Stain, Antique Linen
Adhesives:  Tombow mono adhesive, Dimensionals
Here is what I made:

HA V-Day Card

Ha V-Day Card Inside

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

First Card for 2011 [ACD Bday card]

This is my first handmade card for the year 2011.  Yay!  Several of my lovedones are celebrating their birthday this January starting off with my sis-in-law.

I love this floral scalloped background paper!  I have used it in one of my Christmas cards and decided to use it this time again and with brown matting.  When I was cleaning my tiny craft space, I saw an Inkadinkado stamp set that I haven't used:  97635 Round frames.  I stamped the scalloped frame with bundled sage distress and memento rich cocoa dye inks.  The sentiment was stamped in colorbox' scarlet ink.  I handcut it and secured it with dimensional adhesive. 

To add dimension, I placed a red button, tied it with twine and secured it in place.

It's simple but handcrafted with a lot of love.  Happy birthday, Manang!

Potted beret [Gift packaging idea]

My sister-in-law's birthday is coming so I made her a green beret.  The next thing I had to figure out was how to uniquely package it.  Hmmmm... I looked at my craft nook and saw a ceramic pot that I bought a few months ago.   So there...

Materials needed are as follows:

Cardstock

Quilling paper, slotted quilling tool

Scissors, craft tweezers, glue

A lot of creativity and love ☺ 

Steps:

1.  Prepare quilled flowers.  I made a balloon, white daisies, yellow buds and weaved brown paper to serve as a flower pot.  {Click if want to learn paper quilling}.

2. Once the flowers are ready, it's time to arrange them.  This is where the excitement begins. I used glossy accents - I love how the tapered opening makes it easier to get into small spaces.

3.  Attach the finished bouquet onto the base cardstock.  You may use double-sided adhesive.  Then, tape a stick behind the card - be sure to secure it properly (you wouldn't want your tag to fall off the stick and ruin the surprise ☺)

To avoid injuries, make sure you trim the pointed end of the stick.  This is important especially if you are making projects with the little ones.

There you have it!  This card will make your potted gifts extra special.

Since summer is over, I opted to use a colorful ceramic pot to "plant" my handmade crocheted green beret.  I formed it into a rose and wrapped it in tissue paper before placing it in the container.  Then, I added the finished gift tag.  Tadaaaaa!

The inside of the card reads:  "May God continue to bless and embrace you with the warmth of His love.  We love you.  Happy birthday."  ☺♥☺

Christmas in October 2010

The best season of all for me is Christmas!  It's the time when people have long breaks from work and school.  Christmas was fun in our home.  We'd often spend it with our brothers' in-laws - we would play games, laugh and have our "white elephant" style of gift giving.  When I was in Pediatric residency training, we had to take turns either for Christmas or New year break.  Even though we had to be on duty, it was fun spending it in the hospital with colleagues and friends.  This year would be my first Christmas away from my family in Manila and my first to hopefully, have a White Christmas.  I anticipate that it would be a time of "confusing emotions" for me, having to miss my family but making happy memories with my husband and the whole of America.
Whew... getting kinda sentimental here.
So folks, here is my first Christmas card for this year.  I recently saw Hero Arts' Jeniffer McGuire's lessons and I decided to give it a try.  I used the "block stamping" technique for the blue background and then I added the pine trees using the "Generation stamping" technique using Versamagic hint of pesto.  I masked the house and stamped the trees; then I stamped the house using Memento rich cocoa and colored it with Derwent watercolor pencils and added glossy accents for the "snow" effect.
The sentiment and all the stamps used were from heroarts CL 464 Sending holiday cheer.

That's it for now.  Hopefully, my Christmas card making bug will keep me going.  Blessings to you!

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!



Thinking of You...sending you warm hugs ang kisses

Hello friends! 
It's Monday once again.  I woke up at 430am as hubby prepared to leave for work.  I couldn't get back to sleep so i decided to make something creative ☺♥☺.
I made this card using HeroArts F5030 Long stem blossom woodblock stamp.  I masked and stamped the image on a metallic dark blue cardstock and embossed with Ranger's gold embossing powder.  I added a punched out vase.  I used HA "Thinking of you" and "sending you warm hugs and kisses" sentiments.  I stamped these sentiments on a white paper that i distressed using Ranger's walnut stain distress ink.  I added brass flower brads for accent.
I matted the stamped images on a white cardstock and finally placed it on a blue cardstock.
I love how the card turned out.  It's simple, neat, formal but definitely filled with warmth.

Friends truly care

Hello friends! 

Here is another card that i made using the HeroArts Friends background.  I like this stamp very much.  The details/words are so fine and crisp.  I was inspired by Jennifer McGuire's HA embossed card background and here's my take on that.

I stamped HA butterflies from the Thinking of you collection, cut them out, applied Ranger's glossy accents and added them to the card.  The sentiment is also from HA.

I hope you like it.  It's so cheery!

Thanks for looking.  Blessings!

Friends who truly care

The August 2010 theme of the Hero Arts blog was to create anything about:  "Back to school, keeping in touch or a stationary set".
I love this theme.  Mainly because i love sending cards or letters and just keeping in touch with my family, loved ones and  friends.  Last Aug. 13, i bought a couple of stamps from a new store, Craft Fancy.  I bought a HA "Friends background" stamp (G2991).  I was so excited to use it and also try to add distress ink on it.  As i always do, i added a quilled flower.  I placed the Friend stamp off center to give a little bit of dimension.  I added sentiments from HA clear stamps:  "Thinking of you" and "i hope you know..."

I am feeling quite lonely today.  I miss my family and friends in Manila.  I miss my life, being able to drive myself around town with my mom and dad, chatting with friends and people from the hospital where i work at; i miss my colleagues, my fellow doctors and clinic office buddies, Philippine food, etc.  My life in America for now is more than laid back - a little housework here and there and that's it.  I miss interacting with people besides my family.  Crafting and making cards make me happy here - though it is really costing me, my husband actually, quite a lot of money.  Heck...  it keeps me sane  ☺.

Take care, my friend and know that i truly care for you.
Thanks for reading.  Blessings!