A shaker card...

Hi! Christmas is over and 2017 is just around the corner. I made a card just for fun after a long time. I have been so busy lately that I generally just post my DT cards. I have a few non-DT projects that I will post soon.

I am a huge fan of both Mudra stamps and Die Cuts & More dies. Both are Indian brands that give world class designs and quality. I decided to combine both brands and make a card. Here is what I came up with.

I started with a piece of white card stock and my all time favorite Mudra stamp set - Botanical Blooms. This is their first multi-step stamp and I love it! It is very easy to line up the layers and the end result is always gorgeous. I used the Red Cosmos and Four Scoops mini ink pad sets by Altenw for the blooms and Memento dew drops for the leaves. I splattered some gold acrylic paint with a brush for some added colour.

Once the stamping was done. I cut my panel using the Double Stitched Circle dies by DCAM. I love that these dies cut like butter and they give a beautiful stitched detail on both sides. I raised the outer ring with foam tape and converted the central portion into a shaker. Here is a closer look at the panel.

I cut the Amazing word die by DCAM from black card stock and heat embossed it with some Black Sparkle EP by WOW!. To tone down the sparkle a bit, I reembossed it with black EP. The pink strip was colored with the mini ink cube and then I heat embossed part of the sentiment from the Lotus Delight stamp set by Peek-a-boo Designs with white EP.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

Mudra Challenge #4 - Sketch

DCAM December Challenge - Die cut it

SIP Challenge 79 - Anything But Christmas

Love,

Nandini

Addicted To Stamps & More #223...

Hi! This week the challenge #223 at the Addicted To Stamps & More is 

The challenge is sponsored by

QKR Stampede and Eureka Stamps was purchased by Stamp On It in 2013 from the state of Colorado and moved to its new home in Michigan! We(Stamp On It) had its humble beginnings over 25 years ago and is now a mobile(on-the-road) family owned and operated business. We travel coast to coast and attend as a vendor over 25 retail stamping and scrapping shows each year. 

Blog: http://qkrstampede.blogspot.ca

Prize: 3 digital images 

I decided to make a card that could be easily mass produced and yet look beautiful and festive. Here is my take

I started with a piece of white card stock. I used the Dazzlers stamp set by Penny Black and stamped the various medallions with different colors of the Memento dew drops ink pads. I used my Stampaholic for stamping. The sentiment is from the A Tree For All Seasons set by Winnie & Walter. 

I trimmed the stamped panel with the Gina Marie Xcut rectangle dies and mounted it on an orange handmade paper card base with double sided tape. The final touch was a scattering of sequins from my stash.

Hope my card inspires you to create something beautiful. You can link up your creations here. For more inspiration, check out the ATSM Challenge blog here.

Looking forward to seeing you in our gallery.

Entering my card in the following challenge:

Twelve Days of Christmas Cards Challenge:

Love,

Nandini

Make My Monday Challenge #36...

Hi! The new challenge is up on the Make My Monday Challenge blog and this time around we want to see some snowmen on your cards.

I was quite stumped when I sat down to make this card. I went through my entire stash and couldn't find a single snowman stamp or die! Easiest thing would be to buy one, especially since there are so many crafty sales happening. But I am seriously trying to curb my spending and decided to challenge myself to use the existing supplies. There is no lack of inspiration as the blogland is full of gorgeous creations with approaching Christmas. I pulled out my stash of basic dies and here is what I made.

I started with a panel of white card stock. I blended Broken China, Mermaid Lagoon, Blueprint Sketch and Faded Jeans for an ombré effect. I added some texture by sprinkling water and blotting it. I used a circle from my WRMK-Lifestyle Nesting dies set. This is a great buy since it has 21 dies ranging from ¼" to 5½" with ¼" increments. Since I don't have any oval dies, I did a bit of jugad and used the Ornate Mirror die by Crafters Companion. This is a frame die with an oval center. The arms are two branches from the Seasonal Tree die by Paper Smooches. I added the details with a black microtip pen and dressed him up with odds and ends from my scrap box. Here is a closer look:

The snowdrift was created using the MFT's Stitched Basic Edges and the panel was cut using the Stitched Rectangle dies by Diecuts & More. The sentiment is from Craftyscrappers, heat embossed with Ranger's Silver EP. I popped the panel on some double sided tape and mounted it on a plain white card base.

I hope you like my snowman card and are inspired to create something beautiful. Please link up your cards to the Make My Monday Challenge blog and don't forget to check out the awesome inspiration by my other teamies. Looking forward to seeing your creations in our gallery.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

CAS Mix Up December Challenge:
I have used sponging, distressing, die cutting, paper piecing, stamping and heat embossing.

Twelve Days of Christmas Cards Challenge:

Dies R Us Challenge #62 - Christmas

Love,

Nandini

Craftscrappers Challenge #13...

Hi! It is the 1st of the month and that means there is a new challenge on the Craftyscrappers Challenge blog. With the onset of cooler temperatures, we decided to challenge you with a winter theme. And to make it more interesting, we have photo collage to inspire you.

Please create a project inspired by any of the elements from the collage. Also specify what has inspired you, we would love to hear that. And don't forget to link you creations. You could be one of the lucky winner to win amazing prizes from the CRAFTYSCRAPPERS SHOP. Visit the Craftyscrappers Challenge blog for more details and also the gorgeous creations that my teamies have created to inspire you.

I was very inspired by the large snowflake and the beautiful backgrounds in the collage. Here is the my inspiration card.

I took a piece of white card stock and smooshed it with blue and pink acrylic paints. I added some gold paint to the water that I used for smooshing to get a lovely gold shimmer to the background. I the used the beautiful Starry Borders stamp set by Craftyscrappers and Ranger's Silver EP to create a background. 

I trimmed the panel to size and die cut a panel with the Double Stitched Rectangle die by Die Cuts & More. I popped that up by layering 5 more diecut panels. The sentiment is from an older set by Craftyscrappers and I just love it! I stamped it with Versamark and heat embossed with Wow! Opaque White EP.

As the final touch, I die cut three snowflakes from the Snow Flakes die set by Nagashri Arts. I heat embossed them with platinum, silver and holographic EPs and adhered them around the sentiment.

I hope you like my card and are inspired to create something beautiful. Looking forward to seeing your creations in our gallery.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

TGIF Challenges - tgifc #83
I decided to CASE the very first card I saw on Cathy's blog, In The Cat Cave. I was very inspired by the lovely snowflakes and the heat embossed background. Since I didn't have any snowflake stamps, I created a starry background with heat embossing and added die cut snowflakes.

Freshly Made Sketches #265

Mod Squad Challenge - Holiday Dimension

SIP Challenge 76 - Embossing

Love,
Nandini

Addicted To Stamps & More #221...

Hi! The latest challenge at Addicted to Stamps & More is live and the theme this week is 

Our lovely sponsor this week is

DRS Designs - a family owned company since 1950 - boasts hundreds of original rubber stamp designs. All images are available fully mounted, completely unmounted or mounted on cling cushion and are proudly hand crafted in the USA.

Our rubber stamp collection includes a wide assortment of images including sentiments for all occasions, easy background designs and fun technique stamps such as our stained glass and plaid designs.

The DRS Designs website features a huge card sample gallery, online demos and tips, a secure shopping area and more. Be sure to visit our daily blog with posts from our fantastic design team for inspiration and ideas.

Website: http://www.drsdesigns.com

Prize: $10.00 gift certificate

I made two very simple cards as inspiration since I wanted to try out the stamps and some inks. Here are my cards

I started with plain white card stock and stamped all the layers of the large bloom from Altenew's Peony Bouquet stamp set using the Stampaholic. I used Memento dew drops and Altenew Red Cosmos inks. After my stamping was done I die cut a panel with the Gina Marie X-cut dies. I stamped the sentiments from Altenew's Painted Greetings stamp set with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I just popped the die cut panel with some fun foam to finish the card.

I hope you like my card and are inspired to create something beautiful. Please do check out the inspiration by rest of my talented teamies at the ATSM blog. And don't forget to link your creations here.

Love,

Nandini

Make My Monday Challenge #35...

Hi! There is a new challenge up on the Make my Monday Challenge blog and the theme is CAS Christmas. Here is my inspiration

I love this card since it came together very quickly and exactly as I envisioned it! I used a new die called Christmas Snowflakes die by Nagashri Arts. She has recently ventured into manufacturing dies and I really loved the designs when I saw them. 

I used the largest die to cut my panel and used the negative space. I covered a small piece of white paper with thin double sided tape and added Navy Blue and Light Blue glitter. After buffing it well to ensure that the glitter will not come off, I glued the panel to a dark blue card base. I popped the white panel on some double sided tape and placed it over the glitter panel. Here is a closer look at the snowflake.

The sentiment is from Essential Sentiments by Bo Bunny. I stamped it with Versamark on the white panel and heat embossed it with the Lapis Lazuli Blue EP by Lindy's.

Hope you like my card and are inspired to create something beautiful. You can link your projects at the Make My Monday Challenge blog here and also check out the fantastic inspiration by my team mates.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

The Paper Players Challenge PP322: Clean & Simple Christmas

CAS Colours & Sketches Challenge #200

Love,
Nandini

Addicted To Stamps & More #219...

Hi! The current challenge at the Addicted To Stamps and More Challenge #219 is Clean & Simple.

Our sponsor for this challenge is

Founded in June 2013, California-based STAMPlorations™ is owned and managed by husband-and-wife team, David & Shery Russ. From just a handful of stamps, we now have 100+ stamp designs, 4 stamp designers, our exclusive line of stencils, and 20 amazing crafters spread across 3 teams who constantly produce gorgeous projects featuring our products. Our clear stamps are perfect for creating CAS, one layer, and mixed media cards, and they can be combined to create a variety of paper crafts. All of our stamps are proudly made in the USA. Our clear stamps are made from the finest, non-yellowing photopolymer resin. Through our stamp line, we hope to encourage crafters of all ages and

experience levels to "Stamp with all your ART!" 

Blog: http://stamplorations.blogspot.ca

Prize: 2 digital images

Here is my inspiration card

I made this card when I was in Goa on a vacation and had minimum supplies. In fact I went to the local Itsy Bitsy outlet and bought the stamps. I had only carried some plain white paper, few ink pads and my trusty Stampaholic. Just goes to show that you don't need tons of supplies to make cards!

I had a white card panel cut with the Gina Marie Xcut Rectangles. I placed the panel in the Stampaholic and stamped the sentiment from the Autumn Sayings stamp set by We R Memory Keepers with Memento dew drops Red Letter ink. I then stamped various blooms from the Delightful Daisies stamp set by Itsy Bitsy around the sentiment with black ink from the Blackboard mini ink pads set by Hero Arts. Here is a closer look at the stamped panel.

To finish, I simply mounted the panel on a white card base with some double sided tape. 

I hope you find my card inspiring and create something beautiful. Please remember to check out the Addicted To Stamps and More blog for more amazing inspiration by rest of the DT. There is also a DT call on along with the current challenge. If you want a chance to be a part of a great team be sure to DT after your name when you link up your creations.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

The Paper Players PP320 - Theme Challenge

AAA Cards: Cas Game #77

CAS on Sunday Challenge #95 - Flowers

Lawnscaping Challenge #141 - CAS

Love,
Nandini

Make My Monday Challenge #34...

Hi! The latest challenge at the Make My Monday Challenge blog is Get Well. I made a quick, one layer card with very limited supplies while I was in Goa on a holiday. Proof that you don't need a whole lot of stuff to create a card!

I carried a white card base, my trusty Stampaholic, the Dogs stamp set by Inkadinkado, Blackboard mini ink pads set by Hero Arts and a couple of dew drop pads by Memento to Goa. 

I started by stamping the largest image from the stamp set with black ink. I stamped three times to get a good, solid coverage. I then masked the image and started with the sentiment. The technique for creating sentiment backdrops is by Jennifer Mcguire and you can find her wonderful post here.

I first used the Memento Rose Bud ink to stamp the sentiment. I then simply moved the card base by half inch increments to stamp using Charcoal and Granite inks for an ombre look. The whole process must have taken me less than 30 minutes!

I hope you liked this simple card. Make sure to visit the Make My Monday Challenge blog for more inspiration and to link up your entries.

Love,
Nandini

Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge #217...

Hi! The latest challenge at Addicted To Stamps and More is

Our wonderful sponsors are 

QKR Stampede and Eureka Stamps was purchased by Stamp On It in 2013 from the state of Colorado and moved to its new home in Michigan! We(Stamp On It) had its humble beginnings over 25 years ago and is now a mobile(on-the-road) family owned and operated business. We travel coast to coast and attend as a vendor over 25 retail stamping and scrapping shows each year. 

Blog: http://eurekastamps.blogspot.ca

Prize: 3 digital images 

Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps And More is proud to sponsor of Addicted to Stamps and More. 

Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps And More, a division of I Did It Creations, was created and is owned by Robyn Weinrib. 

Robyn offers a wonderful variety of digital stamps and digital papers, designed to meet the needs of all digital paper crafting addicts for every occasion. 

Website: http://robynsfetish.com

Prize: 3 digital images (does not include designer papers)

I created two masculine cards for this challenge.

I started with a piece of white card stock on which I stamped a plaid pattern using Hero Arts and Memento inks and the Plaid Background Builder set by My Favorite things. Once my plaid panel was ready, I die cut it using the X cut stitched rectangle dies along with some red and black handmade papers. I used the Hip Hip stamp set by Kaisercraft to stamp two sentiment blocks with Versamark and heat embossed it with black & silver EPs. I simply layered the die cut panels and my cards were ready. I added some tiny black die cuts as embellishments as the final touch.

Here is the close up of the first card:

I used the tiny stars cut with the Confetti die by Mama Elephant to accent the card. The plaid panel is popped up with foam tape.

I used the hearts cut with the Confetti die by Mama Elephant. I popped up the sentiment panel and the plaid frame with foam tape this time.

I hope you like these simple cards. Please do visit the ATSM blog for more fabulous inspiration and don't forget to link up your creations to our gallery.

Love,
Nandini

Craftyscrapper Challenge #11...

Hi! The new Craftyscrappers challenge is up. With Diwali just around the corner I am sure you have guessed what the challenge is. We want to see your creations for Diwali this time around in our gallery.

Our sponsor for the challenge is:

Participating in the challenge can let you stand a chance to win amazing prizes as defined below:

• FIRST WINNER: a clear stamp set along with craft goodies.
• SECOND WINNER: assorted die cuts.
• THIRD WINNER: assorted embossed cards pack.

This is the card I created for this challenge:

I put rows of thin double sided tape on a piece of white card stock, peeled off alternate backing papers and poured some orange glitter over it. After tapping off the excess and buffing it into the tape, I repeated the process with pale blue glitter. The result is a beautiful, glittery panel. 

I stamped one of the images from the Persian Motifs stamp set by Altenew on some watercolor paper with Versamark and heat embossed with Platinum EP by WOW! I used Abandoned Coral and Broken China distress inks for coloring my image. To add some shimmer on the image, I tried a trick which worked wonderfully. I diluted Metallic Silver acrylic paint by Hobby Ideas and applied a thin coat over the image. This paint is rather watery and dries translucent. It is a great and economical way to add shimmer if you don't have the Wink of Stella pen. Here is a closeup:

The sentiment is from Craftyscrappers. I stamped it with Versamark on a piece of black paper and heat embossed with Platinum EP. 

I adhered the glittery panel to a orange card base that I had in my stash. I cut a circle out of some translucent paper with the X cut Stitched Circle dies by Gina Marie and added it behind the sentiment panel. I trimmed the sentiment panel and adhered it directly to the card base. The colored image was die cut with the coordinating die. I added dimension to it by cutting out four more die cuts from scrap card stock and staking them together. Here is a closer look at the card.

The final touch was the addition of some white half pearls from my stash.

I hope you liked my card and are inspired to create something beautiful. I look forward to seeing your creations in our gallery. Please do visit the Craftyscrappers blog for some amazing inspiration by my super talented team mates. You can post your creations on FaceBook at Craftscrappers Craft Challenges or email us the entries at craftyscrappers@gmail.com. 

Entering my card in the following challenges:

HLS October CASE the Designer Challenge - Brigit Norton:

I was inspired by the way the colors on the bird echo the colors of the background, the die cut highlighting the focus image and the sentiment on a black strip.

Ranganjali October Challenge - Traditional

STAMPlorations October CAS Challenge:

CAS Colors and Sketches Challenge #195:

Love,

Nandini

Guest Designing for Words 2 Craft By...

Hi! I am very excited today. I am a Guest Designer at the Words 2 Craft By challenge blog!

The words for the October/November challenge are 

Happiness is a warm puppy. By Charles Shulz

I love dogs and totally agree with this sentiment. So this was so much fun! Here is the card I created.

I started with a piece of handmade paper. I used the Dogs stamp set by Inkadinkadoo that I had bought a long time ago on a whim because the dog images are so cute. I used Versamark ink to stamp different images and heat embossed with metallic embossing powders. I used masking to create a small grouping and cut it with the X stutch Rectangle dies. Here is a closer look.

I used the Upcycled Woodgrain background stamp by Justrite to add some texture to the plain brown card base. The sentiment was created using the Simply Alphas set by Mudra Craft Stamps. I heat embossed it with Opaque Vanilla White EP by WOW!. 

I also decided to continue the theme inside the card.

I added a cream panel cut with the same X stitch Rectangle dies, stamped the sentiment and randomly stamped some paw prints with the Memento Peanut Brittle ink.

I hope you liked my card and are inspired to create something beautiful. Make sure you visit the Words 2 Craft By blog for some amazing inspiration by the super talented DT.

Love,
Nandini