Happy New Year!

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. I still needed to send out holiday cards but I don't think it will arrive on time so I decided to create cards to celebrate the the upcoming year. I got my inspiration from the this month's Lunar Year Challenge. 

I used a My Favorite Things number die set to die cut the numbers. The number die cuts an outline and the negative cut. Instead of putting the negative cut aside, I decided to do a two-for-one cards, interchanging the outlines and the negative cuts. 

I used the solid number die as the base of the numbers. I die cut this on black cardstock.

I die cut a red cardstock using a panel die from Catherine Pooler. I backed this with the same gold cardstock I used on the numbers.

I stamped the horse and the hat on watercolor paper using VersaFine Clair. I colored the images with a Marvy Uchida Color In Watercolor Twist Pencils. I used a water brush to pick up the pigment from the pencil then paint this on the images. I die cut the images using the coordinating die. The die cuts a small border around the stamped image. I snipped off the bottom part of the hat die cut so it looks more continuous when adhered to the horse.

Next year is the Year of the Horse which explains the image choice for my card.

I die cut a banner on red carstock using a die from Lawn Fawn. I used a Lawn Fawn alphabet die to spell out my sentiment. Although I have a sentiment stamp with this message, using the alphabet stamps allowed me to follow the curve of the banner. My alphabet stamps are over used that it does not stick to the acrylic block anymore. That can be frustrating especially when you are ready to stamp and an inked letter falls to your panel. Not to forget the effort you put in putting the letters together. Cleaning the back of the letter stamp on a stamp scrubber sprayed with a stamp cleaner will recondition the stick of the polymer. 

I inked the sentiment with an embossing ink. I poured gold embossing ink over the sticky ink then heat embossed it.

I adhered the die cuts to the panel. I adhered this panel to a top folding A2 note card.

I hope you like today's card. Happy New Year to you all!

Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day...and year!

Maria Giselle B.

I shared this card at

December 2025 Challenge #29

Simon Says: Sparkle and Shine

Simon Says: Add A Sentiment

Floating Sentiment Shaker New Year Platform Card

Hello! Welcome back to my blog. Today's card is created to welcome the coming year. 

I die cut a yellow cardstock using a stitched rectangle from the Lawn Fawn Platform Pop-up die set. I heat embossed the sentiment using a Versafine Onyx Black ink and a clear embossing powder. The numbers are from the LF Violet's ABCs stamp set. 

I die cut the platform on black cardstock. I masked the top portion of the platform so I can flick gold paint on the sides of the platform. I set this aside to dry. I also diecut the T-shaped tab piece from the die set on black cardstock.

For the floating sentiment, I die cut the letters on gold glitter cardstock. I used the LF Cole's ABCs die set to cut the letters. I added a double adhesive tape to the back of the fun foam. I die cut the letters on this fun foam. You also have the option of adding another double adhesive tape on the top before die cutting the foam. This just makes adhering the gold letter die cuts easier. I just used liquid adhesive to adhere the gold letter die cuts to the fun foam. The double sided adhesive comes clear behind the acetate unlike the liquid glue that's why I chose to use it. 

I die cut two acetates with a rectangle die cut. Make sure the acetate you are using is stiff enought so it will remain upright on the platform. I added stitching holes on the edges of the acetates using a string art rectangles die. 

I peeled the tape backing sheet off the back of the letter die cuts and adhered it one of the acetates. I stitched the acetates together using a clear thread. Before stitching the acetates shut, I poured black sequins inside the pocket. 

I stamped the birds, noisemakers and party hats on watercolor paper. The birds are from the LF Love Letters stamp set. The noisemakers and party hats are from the LF Party Animal stamp set. I colored the images with watercolor markers. I added gold paint details to the hat and white pen details to the noisemakers. I fussy cut the images leaving a white border around it. 

I assembled the platform. I only used one T-shaped tab, positioning it on the frontmost platform. The floating sentiment was sandwiched in between the platform die cuts. I adhered the critters, noisemakers and the party hats on the T-shaped tab. I adhered the sentiment on the front of the platform. 

Thank you for visiting my blog. Have a blessed, brilliant and creative new year!

Maria Giselle B.

I am sharing this creation at

Lawn Fawn Challenge Blog #11

Hero Arts Blog

Simon Says Stamp IG Challenge~Die Cutting

Color Inspired New Year's Card

 

Hello! Welcome back! Today's post will be short and hopefully, sweet. I received several Christmas cards on the eve that I was not able to mail out response Christmas cards since I know that Christmas is over by the time they receive my card. So I worked on creating a Happy New Year's card. The colors are inspired by the latest Color Hues challenge. Although they are traditional Christmas colors, it does not mean you cannot use this color combination for other occasions. Changing up the shade of red and green makes a difference. 

Like a mentioned, this is a very short post. Let us all pray for a better year this 2022! Thank you for visiting my blog. Have a blessed, brilliant and creative day!

Maria Giselle B.

I am sharing this creation at

Color Hues Challenge Blog

Simon Monday Challenge Blog~Party!

Simon Wednesday Challenge Blog~It's Time To Party

Stitched New Year Card

Hello. I created this card to be mailed out to the nice people who sent us Christmas cards but I don't think I can mass produce this in time for New Year's Day. I got busy the past week and stitching the card did take some time.

I created a stitched number pattern with Paper Smooches Digits stamp as inspiration. I ran the PS Cross Stitch die on 8 1/2" x 4 1/4" black cardstock. I ran it about three times to create a panel with more cross stitch holes in it. To do this, I lined the circles of the die to the line of holes made in the black cardstock. I taped this too to avoid any shifting. I started stitching the number based on the created pattern. I used a white DMC floss for all the stitching.

I die cut a gold mirror cardstock using the largest in the PS Pinked Circles Wise die. I trimmed off the excess off the edges of the stitched black cardstock. I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" white cardstock. I splattered some Prima Color Blooms Gold Foil on the white cardstock, then set it aside to dry.

I cut the pinked circle in half. I heat embossed the word hello on the top half of the pinked circle using white embossing powder. I adhered the pinked circles to the splattered white cardstock. I adhered the stitched black cardstock on the center using foam adhesive.

I die cut a ribbon from PS Bows Wise die set using a gold glittered cardstock. I adhered this to a black cardstock then fussy cut around it. I added clear Spetrum Noir shimmer pen to the black areas. I then adhered this to the bottom pinked circle. I added a Tonic Nuvo Gold Crystal drop to the center of the bow.

I adhered the panel to a top folding black colored note card.

Thank you for visiting my blog. Happy New Year to everyone!

Have a blessed, brilliant and creative new year ahead!

Maria Giselle B.

I am sharing this creation at

Paper Smooches Challenge Blog

Ultra Violet New Year's Card

I wasn't able to send out Christmas cards to friends who sent Christmas cards to me & my family. So, I sent them a card to greet them a Happy New Year (although, I sent it out a few days after the year has begun.) I am using a Gerda Steiner digital image freebie. I printed the images in Canson watercolor paper. I created a pearlized watercolor by mixing Zig Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolor and Perfect Pearl on a watercolor palette. Once the watercoloring is done, I set this aside to dry. I partially embossed the bottom part of the panel, making sure not to emboss the watercolored image, using We R Memory Keepers Next Level embossing folder Gemstones.

I heat embossed a happy sentiment from Paper Smooches Sentiment Sampler stamp set. I used a Recollections embossing powder for this sentiment. I also heat embossed the confetti on the top part of the panel using a confetti stamp from Mama Elephant Confetti stamp set. I used Ranger Platinum embossing powder for this. 

Working on the frame, I am using Li'l Inker Designs Fringed Scalloped Rectangle and Simon Says Dual Stitched Rectangle dies to cut a violet cardstock. Ultra violet is Pantone's color of the year, thus, my choice of color. I adhered this to the watercolored panel, centering the colored image to the frame. I adhered this to a top folding 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" white notecard.

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

Maria Giselle B.

I am sharing this creation at

January 2018

Champagne Glass Shaped Shaker Note Card

I started creating this card a little after New Year but didn't get to finish it until this week. But it is still the first month of the year. I intended to give this as a thank you note for a present I received during Christmas.

I started off by cutting the wine glass using my Cricut Imagine and Cricut Simply Charmed cartridge. I cut the image at 4 1/2" on a white pearl cardstock. I cut the same image twice using a white cardstock. The cut came with tick lines which is used to line up and adhere the layers. But I am not using the layers. Instead, I cut through those tick lines using a blade to create a window for the shaker. There is this one tick mark at the upper left hand of the wine glass that I couldn't get rid off. You can remove this if if you have the Cricut Design Space which I don't since it is not compatible with my Cricut.

I cut around the tick marks on one of the white wine glasses. I will use this to close the shaker window. I also used this as a guide to cut vellum for the window. I stamped a sentiment onto this vellum using a Fiskars stamp set. I treated the surface first with an anti-static tool, before stamping the sentiment using Versamark ink, then pouring some Wow! Embossing Glitter Platinum Sparkle powder. I heat set this but I allowed the heat gun to run heat first before pointing the gun towards the vellum to prevent warping.

I added embossing paste to the white cardstock that will seal the shaker window. But since I used vellum, it can hardly be seen through the vellum. So, you could probably skip this part. Somehow, it had a used in creating grooves for the sequins to get stuck. Using a clear acetate for the shaker can be an option too if you want to stick to the embossing paste design.

I used a thin double stick adhesive to adhere the vellum to the back of the window wine glass. I also used this in encircling the cardstock that will seal the window. I poured a small amount of sequins to this, then adhered it to the back of the pearl wine glass.

To make the wine glass sturdy, I adhered the other white cardstock wine glass cut out to the back of the wine glass. I applied a twine to the neck of wine glass. I squirted a small amount of strong adhesive behind the knot to keep it knotted.

I added a tag using left over dark gray cardstock. After I stamped 2016 on it and heat embossed it using the same powder, I cut a tag notch on the top part using a tag punch. Hand cutting this step is totally fine. I didn't want to punch a hole onto this being a small tag. I used a needle to create pinpoint holes where I threaded a silver thread to tie on the twine.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Maria Giselle B.

I am submitting this creation to the following:

http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/?p=3933

http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/simon-says-something-new-2/

http://craftysentiments.blogspot.com/2016/01/anything-goes-challenge.html