Friday, August 25, 2017

Clear Shaker Birthday Card


I created this card to join in this month's Neat ant Tangled Little Tangles Challenge on Birthday which coincides with Neat and Tangles 5th birthday. Happy Birthday!

I cut a birthday cake on a Strathmore Bristol paper using the Cricut Design Space. The image is from Cricut Wrap It Up. This is a folded card cut. I removed the score line. I cut the image on the middle to layer the die cut. I blended Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Worn Lipstick and Spiced Marmalade on both cake die cuts. I spritz this with water, heat set it, spritz it some more and heat set it again until I got the look I wanted. I ran the dust buddy to this cake die cut for heat embossing. I am using the Neat and Tangled You Are My Most Favorite stamp. I am using the Misti Stamping Tool to stamp this bold sentiment onto the cake die cut. Since I am using Wow! Ultra High Metallic Gold embossing powder for the sentiment, I decided to use Tsukineko Essential Glue pad instead of Versamark. I colored the candles using Copic markers, adding details with Sakura Souffle, Ranger Glossy Accents and clear Spectrum Noir glitter brush pen.


Working on the top window panel, I die cut a patterned paper from the Lawn Fawn Perfectly Plaid 6x6 Petite paper pack using Pretty Pink Posh Scallop rectangle frame. Using a thin double sided tape, I adhered an acetate to the back of the patterned paper. I am using the Hero Arts Acetate card since this is thicker than the usual acetate.

It would have been easier if I have a rectangle die that is the right size as the scallop die. Since I don't, I traced the edges of the die onto a Papelmerotti kraft cardstock and cut this out using a craft knife. I adhered another acetate on top of the base card. I applied Darice Double-Sided Foam Sticky Strips around the window to form a valley for the sequins. I ran the powder tool to the sides of the foam adhesive. I poured a mix of sequins to the valley then adhered the other acetate to it to close the shaker card. Somehow, despite treating the foam with the anti-static tool, some of the sequins still got stuck to the foam. How I wish I added more sequins.


I adhered the cake to the front panel. Since the back side of the cake is showing on the inner side of the card without plans of covering it, I strategically applied a strong adhesive to areas that does not show through the back window. The nice thing about this is you can see the shaker more from the inner side of the card.


For the sentiment area, I adhered the negative cut of the scalloped plaid paper to the inside of the card, showing through the clear acetate window. I die cut another scalloped rectangle using kraft cardstock. I paper piece this to the the scalloped plaid paper. I stamped the sentiment using the Misti. I strategically placed the sentiment so it is still hidden behind the cake. The stamps I used are My Favorite Things Beary Special Birthday  and Technique Tuesday Say It Happy stamp sets. I stamped the sentiment using a black Hero Arts dye ink. I stamped a heart from the MFT Cheeful Blessing stamp set to fill in the area above the word happy. I used Avery Elle Raspberry pigment ink to stamp the heart.

Again, birthday wishes to Neat and Tangled. Wishing you more creative years to come.

And, Ryan, my youngest, 5 year old, loves to show off not only the card but also his first missing tooth.


Thank you for visiting my blog. Have a blesesd & brilliant day!

Maria Giselle B. 

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Monday, August 21, 2017

Watercolored Background for a Digital Image


The theme of today’s challenge at Incy Wincy Designs is being on the Wild Side. It could be something created outside your usual or something about wild animals. The image I chose from our sponsor for this challenge, Rick St. Dennis, is Aloha Nui. It reminds me of the Disney character, Moana, one of my youngest son’s favorite. I could have created a card with marine animals with the girl image but I don’t have any marine animal stamps or images. So, I am creating something out of my comfort zone.

I am not a free hand artist, and a free hand paint artist for that matter. But I decided to challenge myself to create a beach back drop for the Hawaiian girl. I watched a couple of You Tube videos, just to give me an idea on how to create one. I used the Gansai Tambi watercolors for this project. I added detailing to the painted trees using Prismacolor Color Pencils. I trimmed this to fit a top folding A2 card.

I printed the image on Neenah white cardstock. I colored the image using Prismacolor Color pencils. I could not believe how well I did with blending the colors this time. I did not even use the blender pen on this one. I think the type of paper in coloring, for whatever medium, matters a lot. From now on, Neenah will be my go to paper for Prismacolor coloring.


I fuzzy cut the image after coloring it. I added shimmer to the flowers using a clear Spectrum Noir shimmer pen.

I watercolored another piece of Canson watercolor paper to create a ground for the image as I layer it. I die cut this panel using Lawn Fawn Hill Side border but used the non-stitched side of the cut border. The sentiment is from different stamp sets, Hampton Art and Avery Elle. I stamped this using Versafine Onyx Black ink and embossed it with clear powder. I adhered this to the watercolor panel using foam adhesive. I adhered the image with foam adhesive, too.

Thanks for viewing my blog. I hope you join us in our new challenge at Incy Wincy Designs. I cannot see what Wild Side you create.


Maria Giselle



I am sharing this image at


Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Male Teacher Card


I created a masculine teacher card for my seventh grader's homeroom teacher who is their Science teacher as well. I am using the Perfect Chemistry stamp set by Your Next Stamp. I also created this card to join their blog's current challenge.

I stamped the professor image using Memento Tuxedo black ink on Neenah Solar white cardstock. I colored the image using Copic markers, and using Prismacolor pencils for detailing. I used a black Sakura Glaze pen for the boots. I used a white Sakura Gelly roll to add details on the tie. I applied Ranger Glossy Accents to the eyeglasses. I fuzzy cut the image leaving a small white border around hte image.

The chalkboard is a paper from Echo Park. I stamped the sentiment from the Perfect Chemistry stamp set on this using Versamark ink, embossed with white powder. I re-stamped the sentiment using Hero Arts Unicorn white pigment ink slightly offsetting it. Using a cloth, I rubbed some white pigment ink on the chalkboard. I set this aside to dry.


For the chalkboard border, I blended Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Walnut Stain and Vintage Photo on Strathmore Bristol paper. I spritz water onto this and heat set it, repeating this process a couple of times until I achieve the look I am going for. I prepared this blended panel with anti-static powder. I stamped Lawn Fawn Woodgrain Backdrop using Versafine Onyx black ink. I embossed this using clear powder. I cut this into strips and adhered it to the edges of the green chalkboard paper.

I embossed a yellow cardstock with Cuttlebug Typeset embossing folder. I blended Tim Holtz Distress Ink Wild Honey on this to make the embossed letters pop out.

For the banner, I selectively stamped the element stamp on red cardstock using Versamark ink. I heat embossed this using clear powder. I cut this and used a square punch to add fishtails to the bottom.

To assemble the card, I die cut a 6x6 patterned paper from the Jillybean Soup Country Chowder paper pad using a stitched rectangle die from Mama Elephant Peek-A-Frame Creative Cuts. I ink the edges of the paper using Tim Holts Distress Tea Dye ink. I adhered this to a top folding A2 note card. I adhered the yellow embossed cardstock to the left. I adhered the chalkboard to the right using foam adhesive. I adhered the professor next using foam adhesive as well, doubling it on some areas. I adhered the banner on the top with a We R Memory Keepers twine.

Thank you for visiting my blog. Have a blessed and brilliant day.

Maria Giselle

I am sharing this creation at


  
I challenged myself to create a card using the sketch and the color combo. I had fun designing and creating!

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Lawn Fawn Selfie Die Bag Tag



It is school time once again. I am getting my sons' school supplies ready. One of the things I created for them is a bag tag using the cell phone die from Lawn Fawn Selfie die set. When I saw this die set, I came up with this idea to create. With the kids into gadgets these days, which includes cell phones, I think this is very generation appropriate.

I die cut the cell phone using a black cardstock and a Doodlebug patterned paper from their Hip Hip Hooray paper collection. I cannot believe that despite the popularity of Minecraft with kids, there is no company that makes patterned papers of it. There are digital patterned papers online but my printer is not of high quality to print patterned papers. This Doodlebug paper is closest to the Minecraft pixels so I'll just go with it for now.


I cut the first letter of my sons's names using black cardstock and a Minecraft font using the Cricut Explore. I brushed these big letters with clear Spectrum Noir Shimmer pen. I drew their names using a Cricut pen on white cardstock. I colored the shadow of the fonts and the A Creeper using Copic marker. I fuzzy cut the names leaving a small white border around it.

I adhered the letter to a gray cardstock trimmed to fit the screen of the cellphone. I adhered the names onto the patterned paper negative die cuts.

I adhered the phones back to back. I used my sticker maker to do this but I think using liquid adhesive will give the best result for this job since this adhesive allows more time to line up the die cuts. With the sticker maker, once it adhered, it is difficult to pull the die cuts apart without risk of tearing the paper.

Once everything is attached, I laminated the die cuts using the Minc Machine. I punched a hole on one of the top corners of the cell phone, and threaded some interlocking key chains through the hole.


The cell phone die came with detailed scores like the circle button on the bottom which mimics the home button on a real cell phone. You can see this detail on the black die cut but somehow got lost in the busy pattern of the green patterned paper. I could have colored this circle as highlight before laminating it. But since I missed that step, I added a punched circle of a silver washi tapes to these circle home buttons, which I adhered after taking photos of these bag tags.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Have a blessed & brilliant day!

Maria Giselle B.

I am sharing this creation at



Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Newton's Nook Design on a Cricut Cut


This image is from Newton’s Nook Book Club stamp set. I colored this a while back for my sister and her pet cat, B. I colored the image with Zig Clean Color markers & blended it out with a water brush. After I colored it, I didn’t have any project in mind at that time, so I set the colored image aside.

Newton Nook has a new challenge. Finally, my colored image will have some use. The start of school is getting close, so this is one of the things that inspired me with this card.  Another thing that inspired me is the new Concord & 9th Hooray Ribbon Dies and how Jennifer McGuire used this metal die for her card.  

I used the Cricut Imagine and Cricut Close To My Heart Artiste cartridge to cut an award ribbon image. I spritz the die cut with Pearl Perfect Pearl diluted in water and dried this using a heat tool. There are more layered cuts that comes with this ribbon image but I decided to keep it simple.


Working on the image, I die cut this using a Simon Says Stamp Stitched Circles die. I applied a light wash of color on the background to ground the image. I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set on the top. I curved the sentiment in keeping with the circular shape of the die cut. This is one thing I like about acrylic stamps. Not only you can cut it, but you can also curve it to customize it depending on your project. I stamped this with Versafine Onyx Black ink and heat embossed it with clear powder. I die cut a fun foam using a smaller circle die and adhered this to the back of the image panel before attaching it to the award ribbon die cut. I scored the middle of the ribbon tails for added detail.

For the card panel, I die cut a Papelmeroti kraft cardstock using a stitched rectangle die from Mama Elephant Peek a Frame Creative Cuts die set. To follow the sketch, I am using patterned papers from October Afternoon Schoolhouse paper pad. I die cut the panels using Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle die. I had to do partial die cutting on the panels to customize the sizes of the patterned papers. I blended some Antique Linen and Pumice Stone Tim Holtz Distress ink on the edges of the paper. I adhered these to the kraft cardstock, then adhered the award ribbon on top. This panel was then adhered to a white top folding note card.


I added Studio Calico star sequins and a dot of Ranger Enamel Accents. I also added Glossy Accents to the glasses of the cat.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Have a blessed and brilliant day!

Maria Giselle B.


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