DYI Surprise Card

I was looking through some old letters yesterday and I happened to find a birthday card that I made for my husband many years ago, when we were still just friends. Alright, he was also already the love of my life, and has been since the day we met, but we weren't so open about it just yet. ; )

Thank You From the Heart

Nothing says 'thank you' like a handmade card. This design is a favorite of mine and I have been making it for years: just a simple origami heart on the center. A video instruction for the origami heart can be found here. 

It's Your Lucky Day - Scratch Cards!

This week was the birthday of my always wonderful husband!!! We usually try to keep it simple and personal. Over the years we've learned that the right gift for each other is the planning of a special moment or adventure, rather than the purchase of a needed or wanted object.

Thank You Card - Dinner Stamp

This card was sent to Florida to thank my husband's aunt and uncle for their lovely Christmas gift: dinner in NYC! It would also be a nice design for a personal thank you note to hosts of a dinner party. As always, I advise to do the writing first. On this card, the lettering was done by ink pen. I love the results of ink pens, but it can be challenging to make it look nice on a first try. I have to wonder how hard it must have been in the past to write with feathers! The fork and spoon stamp I purchased at Michael's and I use it also for recipe cards, especially when I am giving it to someone. Everything else is just card stock paper and you can use the colors you think the recipient may like the most. It is worth noting though that the stamping does show better on light colored paper.

Este cartão foi enviado para a Flórida para agradecer aos tios do meu marido pelo carinhoso presente de Natal: um jantar em Nova York! Também acho um design leagal para uma nota de agradecimento aos anfitriões de um jantar, por exemplo. Como sempre, eu aconselho começar com as letras. Neste design, as letras foram desenhadas com caneta tinteira. Eu adoro o efeito da caneta tinteira, mas aviso que pode levar um tempo para dominar o processo. Nem imagino como deve ter sido difícil no passado escrever com canetas de pena! O carimbo "garfo e colher" foi comprado na Michael's e eu utilizo-o também para cartões de receita, especialmente para presentear a alguém. O resto é apenas papel cartão e você pode escolher as cores que o destinatário mais gostar. 

Thank You Card - Christmas Lights

I made this card for my very sweet parents-in-law, to thank them for a wonderful Christmas Holiday. They always put so much care into organizing a great time for all of us! My husband and I made this together and it was fun and easy. The light bulbs were cut-out of card stock and the thick black lines were drawn with water-pencil. By the way, the later is so impressive! I've had this set of water-pencils for at least 15 years (seriously!) and I never knew how amazing they were. There's no way they are lasting another 15 years - I'll be using them like there is no tomorrow!

Christmas Card - Reindeer

This is my Christmas card design for 2012 - in line with my reindeer obsession phase. And I should clarify that, "Feliz Natal" means "Merry Christmas" in Portuguese. As I am from Brazil, most of my holiday cards go there.

I love the simplicity of this card, and how the solid lines and colors really catches one's attention. I suggest you do the writing or stamping first, because that's where you are most likely to make a mistake (trust me, I went through this). If you need reference, draw a light line with a pencil and erase if afterwards. Then glue the parts of the reindeer together before gluing the whole thing to the card. The heart and nose are made of red felt and everything else is just plain card stock paper. If you want to give it a try, feel free to use this reindeer template.

Ho Ho Ho I'm painting again!

Last time I painted anything was in 5th grade. Our art teacher made us reproduce, with our various skill levels, the famous Van Gogh's Sunflowers. I believe I did a pretty good job, for an 11 year-old, and my master-piece still hangs on a wall in my parents' home - though not in a prominent location. Since then, my paint has expired and my brushes have disappeared.