Michi Photostory: diy and craft

Showing posts with label diy and craft. Show all posts

October 06, 2025

Birthday Craft Projects: Handmade Cake Toppers & a Cheers-Worthy Card!

I’ve been in full-on birthday mode for the last few months! I’ve made lots of birthday cards and cake toppers, so here’s a little round-up of what I created for recent celebrations – including my own!

Happy Birthday to Me! – My Own Cake Topper

Yes, I made my own birthday cake topper, and I’m proud of it! It was the perfect way to personalize my cake and add a touch of handmade charm to the day.

Unfortunately, I forgot to buy my own cake – but luckily, the complimentary cake from Café Hyatt Regency Manila saved the day.

I went with a clean, fun design that simply read "Happy Birthday to Me" – because why not celebrate yourself? I used the Thinker Font, which you can find here:

17th Birthday Cake Topper

For a special 17th birthday celebration, I crafted a topper that read “Ethan Ranked Up to 17” using the Somekind Font.

Fun fact: I actually made two versions of this topper because I didn’t like the color combination of the first one – perfectionist problems, right?

70th Birthday Cake Topper

A milestone birthday deserves something extra special. For this one, I created a topper in silver and black cardstock, giving it a classy and elegant vibe. I used the Chirp Font for a clean and modern look.

Pro tip: Layering metallic cardstock adds instant sophistication!

Happy Beer-day! – A Fun Birthday Easel Card

What’s a birthday without a card? This one’s for the beer lovers out there!

I designed a birthday easel card featuring the punny phrase: “Happy Beer-day!” It has a layered design with 3D beer mugs, frothy foam, and bubbles – all made from cardstock.

The easel style means it stands on its own, making it perfect for display.

The 3D beer SVG file is from Craft with Sarah

The easel card template is from Cricut Design Space

Crafting these birthday projects reminded me of the meaning and value of handmade creations. Whether it's a simple cake topper or an elaborate card, adding your personal touch makes any celebration extra special.

Until the next craft project – happy crafting!

October 03, 2025

Halloween Paper Craft Fun with Digital Gems SVGs

While Halloween isn't my favorite holiday, I do love any excuse to get crafty, especially when it involves cute characters and fun designs! This season, I had so much fun putting together a set of Halloween paper crafts using SVG files from Digital Gems, and I couldn't wait to share the finished pieces with you!

Using my trusty cutting machine and the easy-to-use Digital Gems SVG files, I created a whole crew of Halloween characters that are equal parts creepy and cute. Each character was a joy to put together, and the SVG files from Digital Gems were super simple to work with, with well-organized layers, clean cuts, and great attention to detail in the designs.

Monsters

Halloween Monster 1

Halloween Monster 2

Frankenstein’s Monster

Alien

Bat Layered Craft

Zombies

Zombie 1

Zombie 2

Zombie 3

Happy Haunting & Crafting!

September 22, 2025

DIY Teacher’s Day Gift Idea

Teachers’ Day celebration is just around the corner, but since my son is already in Senior High School, they no longer have any program for this event. Still, when you're a crafter, you sometimes make projects even if you’re not sure when or where you’ll use them; just for the joy of creating!

Coffee Gift Card Holder for Teacher’s Day

My blog post about a Teachers’ Day Gift Idea is now live on the Printable Cuttable Creatables website! In this post, I shared how I created a Coffee Gift Card Holder using digital paper. For this project, I used the Coffee Gift Card Holder SVG and the Back to School Digital Paper Pack from Printable Cuttable Creatables. If you want to recreate my project, download the SVG files and use my code MICHIPS15 for an extra 15% discount.

Teachers’ Day Chip Bag

Last week, a friend asked me for a Teachers’ Day gift idea that I could make, and I suggested a custom chip bag, and she loved the idea! I designed the chip bag using my Chip Bag Template from Design Bundles and paired it with graphics from the Retro Teacher PNG Sublimation Bundle from Creative Fabrica.

You only need a printer, photo paper, double sided tape and paper crimper for this project.

I really enjoy making chip bags because I can easily customize the designs using clipart. So far, I’ve created versions for Halloween, Christmas, and Teachers’ Day! You can fill them with snacks, candies, school supplies, or other small goodies; they’re always a hit.

Teachers appreciate all kinds of gestures, but a handmade gift shows extra thought and effort. Whether you're a parent, student, or fellow educator, these DIY gift ideas are a simple and meaningful way to show appreciation to those who give so much every day.

September 18, 2025

3D Transportation Shadow Box Using Cricut Maker – A Fun and Creative DIY Project!

As a craft lover and Cricut enthusiast, I’m always looking for cute designs to cut and to use up the cardstock I’ve been hoarding! This 3D Transportation Shadow Box Bundle has been on my list for the longest time, and I’m so glad I finally completed it.

The 3D Car, 3D Fire Engine, 3D Police Car, 3D Tractor, and 3D Construction Vehicle are all designed by Digital Gems. You can purchase the bundle on Design Bundles, or if you have a Cricut Access Subscription, you can also find these designs in Cricut Design Space.

3D Construction

I already shared the 3D Construction last year; it was part of my Valentine’s Day Craft Project.

And today, I’m sharing the rest of the shadow box.

3D Car

3D Police Car

3D Fire Engine

3D Tractor

Transportation is such a fun and versatile theme because it works well for nursery decor, kids’ rooms, baby shower gifts, transportation-themed birthday parties, or even classroom displays.

Each vehicle was carefully layered with multiple pieces of cardstock, all cut using my Cricut Maker. The machine made the cutting process incredibly easy, and I truly enjoyed assembling each 3D shadow box.

It’s amazing how just a few sheets of paper can be transformed into something so creative and display-worthy. Watching these designs come to life in 3D form is always the most rewarding part!

September 12, 2025

Grandpa and Grandma Sticker Set

Grandparents’ Day is coming up, so I designed a custom Grandpa and Grandma Sticker Set using my Cricut Maker 3 and glossy sticker sheet.

I used the Dementia Clipart from Design Bundle Plus Exclusive Products. The set features a mix of grandfather, grandmother, medicine, apple, and a scene of their daily routine.

I made this fun little sticker to remind our awesome lolo and lola to take their meds, vitamins, get moving, and stay healthy every day! A little reminder goes a long way!

These stickers are ideal for journaling, scrapbooking, planner decoration, nursing home projects, etc. Staying healthy can be fun too, especially with stickers!

September 09, 2025

A Bear-y Sweet Creation

I’ve made so many craft projects over time that I sometimes forget to share them! Recently, I started organizing my work by theme; it’s much easier that way, especially when it comes to blogging or posting about them.

Since I love teddy bears, I decided to create a few projects around that theme. What began as a simple idea turned into a delightful collection of birthday gift stickers, a personalized card, and papercrafts.

Vintage Teddy Craft

This vintage-style teddy bear is part of Craft with Sarah’s Advent Calendar 2024. I didn’t purchase the full Advent Calendar, so I waited patiently until the file became available on her website. As soon as I saw it, I downloaded it using my credits. To make the most of my 12x12 cardstock, I ended up creating two versions.

Bear Birthday Stickers

Two months ago, we attended a birthday party, and I needed a gift sticker, so I decided to make my own! I used my favorite Bear Birthday Party Clipart to design it. I only needed one, but since I didn’t want to waste sticker paper, I made a few extra pieces. I printed and manually cut the stickers.

Teddy Bear Card

I found this Teddy Bear Card design absolutely adorable—I just had to make it! I only wish I had some light brown cardstock like the one I used for my Vintage Teddy Bear project. It would’ve matched perfectly.

I always try to use up my paper scraps, so I’m constantly on the lookout for designs that can be cut in smaller sizes. These two bear designs by Digital Gems were perfect for that. They’re small, simple, and so much fun to put together.

Bear Design 1

Bear Design 2

September 03, 2025

Cozy Paper Creations for Crisp Autumn Days

Even though we don’t have an autumn season here in the Philippines, I still find so much joy in creating paper crafts inspired by fall. There’s something warm and cozy about pumpkins, falling leaves, scarecrows, and even gnomes that are often tied to this season.

I’m still hoping that someday I’ll get to experience fall myself. But for now, I find happiness in crafting and bringing those autumn vibes to life through paper projects. This year, I created a collection of gift tags, greeting cards, gnomes, and scarecrows using different paper crafting techniques.

Fall Scarecrow Gift Tags

I made these Fall Scarecrow Gift Tags, and my blog tutorial is now up on the Printable Cuttable Creatables website. Learn how to make this festive Scarecrow Gift Tag, a fun and beginner-friendly project that’s perfect for autumn celebrations.

Whether you’re packaging baked goodies or party favors, this little scarecrow adds the cutest finishing touch.

Read the full tutorial on the Printable Cuttable Creatables website to see how I made it. And don’t forget, you can grab these SVG files using my code MICHIPS15 for 15% off!

Cute Scarecrow SVG Cut File & Clipart

Autumn Basics Digital Paper Pack

Fancy Swirls Autumn Leaves

I also cut the Fancy Swirls Autumn Leaves and used them for photo props.

Autumn Gnomes

I cut these Male and Female Autumn Gnomes. Unfortunately, my green cardstock wasn’t cooperating. I wasted a lot of paper, so I gave up and just assembled the project. I’m not completely happy with my Male Autumn Gnome, but sometimes crafting is about progress, not perfection!

Sunflower Pumpkin Card

The Sunflower Pumpkin Card is a ready-to-make file designed by Craft with Sarah. I love how vibrant and cheerful it turned out.

Scarecrow Card - Hay Fall

For this project, I cut the Scarecrow using my Cricut Maker and used my Sizzix Big Shot to cut the card mat from leftover paper I had from the Scarecrow Gift Tags.

The next day, when our internet was down, I took it as the perfect chance to finally assemble my card. As I started assembling the pieces, I paused because I felt like something was missing, like a fall sentiment.

That’s when I remembered my new crafting buddy: the Sizzix Sidekick. It’s a gift from my mom, and I was so excited to finally put it to use. I decided to try out the phrase “Hay Fall” for the front of the card.

To match the overall design, I experimented with dark brown, light brown, and orange paper scraps. Each had its charm, but in the end, the vibrant orange won me over. It popped against the background and gave the card that warm, cheerful glow I was looking for.

Crafting fall themes here in the Philippines is my way of celebrating creativity without boundaries. Seasons may differ, but art has no limits. And sometimes, creating these seasonal crafts allows me to “travel” to places I’ve never been, all through the magic of paper.

September 01, 2025

Creating Birthday Cards with my Cricut Machine

We had no face-to-face classes today because of the weather. And wrong timing pa because we also don’t have internet connection, kung kailan naman may online classes. Mobile data is unstable, so I will just do a quick blog post and share the birthday cards I made.

I remembered when I posted the birthday cards I made for my husband on my social media, and someone commented, “Uso pa ba ang birthday cards?” and I said, “Yes, uso pa sa amin.” Well, for me, nothing beats handwritten cards, lalo na hindi naman mahilig magpost sa social media yung mag-ama ko.

Creating birthday cards with a Cricut is more than just crafting; it’s about sharing joy, creativity, and a personal touch that digital messages can’t replicate. Whether it’s for a friend, family member, or coworker, a handmade card shows you went the extra mile.

Birthday Cake Box Card

This A2 Birthday Cake Box Card is from the Printable Cuttable Creatables website. I love how easy it is to cut and assemble. Plus, it’s customizable! I made this one for my goddaughter.

Birthday Gnomes Card

I cut these Birthday Gnomes using my Cricut Maker, and I used my Sizzix to emboss the background. It was also my first time using the Lindy’s Gang Under the Sea Shaker Set. These are the cards that my husband and son gave me for my birthday.

The next six cards are all from Craft with Sarah and are ready-to-make SVG files. They're beautifully designed and easy to personalize!

Happy Birthday Greetings Card

Birthday Celebration Card

Gift Boxes Birthday Card

Birthday Car Card

Autumn Birthday Greetings Card

Mandala Balloons Birthday Card

Now I have so many birthday cards ready to go, all thanks to my Cricut machine. It truly makes it easy to turn paper into something memorable.

August 28, 2025

Coloring Handmade Cards for Every Occasion

Handmade cards hold a special charm that printed ones often can't match, especially when they're colored with love and care. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist, coloring cards for different occasions is one way to add a personal touch to your greeting cards.

So even though I'm not very good at coloring, I truly enjoy adding color to my handmade cards. There's something special about watching a simple design come to life with just a few strokes of color. Even if my shading or blending isn't perfect, the process itself feels relaxing and creative. That’s why I’ve ended up making a lot of cards over time!

Last year, I turned my Teachers’ Appreciation Cards SVG files into coloring cards because I wanted to use my Ohuhu markers. I enjoyed the process so much that, ever since then, whenever I come across an insert card design, I try to convert it into a coloring card.

Just this month, I blogged about one of my latest projects: a DIY Gnome Birthday Card over at the Printable Cuttable Creatables website. In that post, I shared how I made three different cards using Gnome Birthday Insert Card SVG File.

After finishing that project, I was inspired to download more insert card designs from the Printable Cuttable Creatables website—and I ended up making eight more cards for different occasions!

Coloring handmade cards is not about being perfect, so don’t worry about your skill level—just enjoy the process and let your creativity shine. After all, it's the effort and love behind each stroke that truly makes a card special.

If you'd like to recreate this project, you can download the files from Printable Cuttable Creatables and use code MICHIPS15 for 15% off.