Altenew Academy Project #14...

Hi! I am here today with two cards that I created for the Altenew Educator Certification Program. These cards are my assignment for the Impressive Heat Embossing Techniques by Svetlana Marchenko.

I have always loved heat embossing and enjoy trying out new techniques. So I was really looking forward to this class. I would highly recommend this class to both newbies and experienced crafters. It covers the basics really well as well as giving several fresh ideas for using your supplies.

I chose to try a technique that I have admired for a long time but never tried. This was the lesson on Layered Heat Embossing. Here are the two cards I made.

I chose to use the Perennial Beauty stamp set because it is easy to line up and doesn't have an outline. I have a large collection of coloured Wow! embossing powders and I used them for my layering. I used glitter EP for the final layer. I don't have glitter blue EP. So I did the last layer with dark blue EP and then repeated the layer with Holographic EP.

Once my layered heat embossing was done, I thought the card needed something more. So I stamped the outline leaf image from the Peony Bouquet stamp set around the flower and heat embossed with clear EP. I didn't bother masking my flowers. I simply brushed off the clear EP off before heat embossing.

Here is a closeup of the blue flower.

There were lots of white specks on the card base after my embossing was done. To cover it I diluted some white poster paint, added a hint of blue and then flicked it all over my card. The sentiment is from the Birthday Greetings stamp set. I trimmed the sides and the bottom of the panel and mounted it on a bright blue card base with foam tape. Here is a closer look at the completed card.

Entering the card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Monday - Monochrome:

Allsorts Challenge Week 486 - Water or Colour Blue:

The Twisted Challenges TTC#4 - Celebrations + Monochrome:

Dare2B Artzy Septemper Challenge - Favourite Colour:
I really love the colour blue, especially when combined with black.


I wasn't too sure about the pink flower. In fact, I started stamping two pink flowers - one on black and the other on dark blue base. The dark blue one was abandoned after a couple of layers because it wasn't looking good. The paper was wrapping too much and the colours didn't work together. When the final layer was done, I loved it! Here is a close up of the pink flower.

I trimmed the flower panel and adhered it to a black card base. I die cut the second panel with an aperture out of the same cardstock and mounted it over the flower with foam tape. Before that, I stamped the sentiment from Birthday Greetings stamp set with glitter pink EP. I tried to re-stamp the sentiment with my stamp positioner. Unfortunately, the paper shifted slightly. So I heat embossed with clear EP. This gave a nice, off-set shadow to the sentiment. Here is a close look at the completed card.

Entering the card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Bling It On:

The Flower Challenge - #24 - Anything Goes:

Some of the lessons I learnt are:

• Use the anti-static powder LIBERALLY between layers. Otherwise, you will end up with a speckled mess. I use talcum powder with a makeup brush.
• Make sure your heat gun is very hot and you work very fast especially towards the end. If you apply too much heat, the layers will start melting together.
• Use a juicy ink pad for stamping and stamp couple of times to get a good coverage.
• Test the paper you are using beforehand. You don't want to abandon the card after putting in a few layers because the paper starts warping or the colours don't work well together..
• Use an opaque embossing powder for the base layer. Otherwise, it will not show up on the dark card base.
• Feel free to mix small amounts of embossing powders to create new colours or effects. 

Love,
Nandini

Altenew Academy Project #13...

Hi! As promised I am back with my next project for the Altenew Educator Certification Program. My card is based on the Beyond Basic Backgrounds class by Lydia Evans. This class is really great as it teaches several techniques for creating beautiful backgrounds. I especially loved the Matt Watercolor Resist technique. Here is my card using this technique.

As I didn't have any freezer paper, I decided to do some experimentation or 'jugad' as we say in Mumbai. I die cut several pieces of regular card stock with the Dodecagram set. I applied Aleene's Tack-It Over & Over glue to the reverse with a blending sponge and allowed the pieces to dry. Once dry, I temporarily adhered the die cuts to a large sheet of watercolour paper. I sprayed the paper generously with water and then started dropping Camlin Photo Inks randomly. I went for a sort of rainbow effect. I allowed the sheet to air dry completely before removing the die cuts.

I cut part of the sheet to size for my background panel. For the gold mat, I simply covered two sides of a black paper with Versamark ink and heat embossed with gold EP. I tied a narrow black satin ribbon towards the bottom and mounted the sentiment panel over it with some foam tape. The sentiment is from the Birthday Greetings stamp set and I heat embossed it with Sparkle Gold EP. I mounted the whole panel on a black card base with foam tape.

I really love this bold background. Since I made an entire sheet, I have enough left to make 3-4 more cards. My only problem was that I didn't test the 'masks' I created on the watercolour paper. They did stick quite a lot. But I was able to remove them with a little patience. Since the watercolour paper was already quite textured, the damage didn't show much.

Here is a closer look at the card.

I had a lot of fun and learnt some wonderful new techniques in this class. I am looking forward to putting more of them to practice.

I am entering this card in the STAMPtember celebration by Simon Says Stamp.

Also entering the card in the following challenges:

Freshly Made Sketches #355:
I rotated the sketch for my card.

Back To The Basics and Beyond Challenge #12 - Inky Backgrounds:

Try It On Tuesdays - Slap It On:

Love,
Nandini

Altenew Academy Project #12...

Hi1 I am here with my next project for the Level 2 of Altenew Educator Certification Program. There has been a gap of almost 4 months since I posted my last project. But this program allows you to proceed at your own pace. Which is really wonderful!

I actually made three cards today, all for different classes. I will be posting the others very soon. So keep watching this space!

Today's card is inspired by the With A Twist by Therese Calvird. I have always been a big fan of Therese Calvird and I was also very intrigued by the title. This class is loaded with great twists on classic techniques which are guaranteed to tickle your creativity.

I was most inspired by the idea of cutting the card at an angle and also creating my own pattern paper by stamping and heat embossing on coloured paper. Here is my card.

I started with a piece of orange cardstock. I stamped the leaves and berries randomly with Versamrk and heat embossed with silver EP. I used the Warm and Cozy mini ink cubes to stamp the solid berries. For the leaves, I used the Forest Glades marker. I also used the tiny stamp from the Striped Florals set and Delicata ink to add some dots. I trimmed the ready panel at an angle. I left around 2 inches extra at the top.

The grey panel is cut out of some silvery grey handmade paper from Itsy Bitsy. Trimmed it exactly like the orange panel, just flipping it. I left around two inches extra on the right side.

The white panel is cut to 4¼ x 5½ inches. The sentiment is from the Birthday Greetings stamp set. I stamped it with Onyx Black Versafine ink and then heat embossed with clear EP.

The orange and grey panels open up.

The second sentiment is also from the Birthday Greetings stamp set and heat embossed with Ranger's Dried Marigold EP.

Once the card is open, there is ample space to write the message at the top. 

Here is a closer look at the card.

I really love the way this card turned out. I also look forward to adding the new twists to my cards.

I am entering this card in the STAMPtember celebration by Simon Says Stamp.

Love,
Nandini

Make My Monday #79...

Hi! I am here today with my inspiration for the current Make My Monday Challenge #80. The challenge went live on 17th September. You can link up your entries till the 30th of September. So you have around 10 days more to enter.

The theme this time is Autumn / Fall Colours. I love this because it allows me to use lots of colours on my creations. I did a whole lot of die cutting and created this card.

I was quite clear about the card I wanted to make. So I dived into my stash and pulled out a background that I had made a long time back with ink smooshing. I die cut lots of leaves with the coordinating dies for the Autumn Splendor stamp set by Sunny Studios and then stamped the veins with Versafine Onyx Black ink. I took a panel of ivory paper and flicked some diluted black paint for a splatter effect. I arranged the leaves in a pleasing pattern and then adhered them down with dabs of liquid glue. I trimmed the ready panel with my scissors and matted it with some black cardstock. The panel is popped up on foam tape.

The sentiment is from the Many Thanks stamp set by Momenta Stamps. I stamped it with Versamark and then heat embossed with gold EP. To finish, I trimmed the sentiment panel and popped it up with foam tape.

I hope you liked my card and are inspired to create something beautiful. Don't forget to visit the  Make My Monday Challenge blog for more inspiration from my talented teammates.

Entering the card in the following challenges.

Cardz 4 Galz Challenge #80 - Thoughts of Fall:

Sparkles Monthly Challenge #108 - Dies or Punches:

Mix it Up Challenge MIUCB#17 - Anything Goes + Layering:

Words 2 Craft By W2CB#57 - When It Gets Crisp In The Fall:

Aud Sentiments Challenge #212 - Fall + Sentiment:

That's Crafty! Challenge - Forever Autumn:

Cards In Envy - Feels Like Fall:

Stinkin' Inkers Challenge - Leaves Are Falling:

Love,
Nandini

Addicted To Stamps And More #310...

Hi! The current challenge at Addicted To Stamps And More is a gorgeous collage.

Feel free to be inspired by any or all the elements here. You can visit the Addicted To Stamps And More blog for more gorgeous inspiration and linking your entries.

I was most struck by the beautiful colours of this pic. Unfortunately, I was really short on time since we were leaving for a brief holiday the very next day. So I dived into my big box of paper scraps and lo and behold! Found the perfect piece of paper! This background was made a long time back by one of the kids when they were playing with distress inks and stamps. Here is the card I made with it.

The background is made by smooshing distress inks. The stamp set is by Itsy Bitsy. I die cut the panel with the Fishtail Banners die by Itsy Bitsy. I brushed some Versamark ink along the sides and heat embossed with gold EP. The sentiment is from the Sweet Cakes stamp set by Simon Says Stamp. I popped up the banner with a strip of foam tape on a teal card base.

I hope you like my card and are inspired to create something beautiful. Looking forward to seeing your take on the photo collage in our gallery.

Entering this card in the following challenge.

Pixie's Snippets Playground Challenge #335:

I am so thrilled to be entering this challenge this time. I have a huge stash which includes discarded backgrounds and it is always great when I can put it to use!

Love,

Nandini

Entry for Challenge...

Hi! I forgot to add the link to the A Blog Named Hero challenge - Sparkle And Shine in my post. So here it is.

This is first of the Diwali cards for this year.

I used the Hero Arts Large Petal background stamp with silver embossing powder. Rest of the details on the original post here.

Here is a closer look at the card.

Love,
Nandini

Addicted To Stamps And More #308

Hi! I am back with some inspiration for the current Addicted To Stamps And More challenge #308. The theme this time is

I made a card for Diwali which is coming up in November. I am planning to start early since last year it was a mad rush to get the cards done and posted.

I created a background on a piece of watercolour paper with my Zigs and a damp brush. I love working with the Zigs as they are easy to use and have gorgeous, vibrant colours. Once the panel was dry, I stamped the Large Petal background stamp by Hero Arts with Versamark ink and heat embossed with silver embossing powder. The sentiment is from the Diwali Sentiment mini stamp by Mudra Craft Stamps. I stamped it on a piece of black cardstock and heat embossed with silver embossing powder.

To finish I die cut the coloured panel with DCAM Stitched Rectangles die and popped it up on a black card base with foam tape. I trimmed the sentiment panel and also added it to the card with foam tape.

Here is a closer look at the card.

I hope you liked my card and are inspired to make something beautiful. You can link your cards to our gallery here. Also, remember to visit the Addicted To Stamps And More challenge blog for more fabulous inspiration by my talented teamies.

Entering my card in the following challenge:

Cupcake Inspirations CIC453:

Love,

Nandini

Make My Monday #79...

Hi! The new Make My Monday challenge is up. This week's theme is New York, New York. You can create anything inspired by New York - skylines, yellow taxis, the statue of liberty. The list is endless! I decided to concentrate on the iconic yellow and black taxi cabs that this city is known for. I did not want to make my card too literal. So I just used the colours on my card.

I took a piece of watercolour paper and coloured it with two shades of yellow Zigs. I blended the colours with water to create an ombre look. I stamped the large bunch of flowers from the Fresh Cut Roses stamp by Mudra Craft Stamps towards the top of the panel with Versafine Onyx Black ink. The sentiment is from the Painted Greetings stamp set by Altenew. I trimmed the panel on the sides and mounted it on a black card base with foam tape.

Here is a closer look at the card.

I just love the clean look of this card and I think I will make a set with different colours of the background.

I hope you like my card and are inspired to create something beautiful. Please do check out the Make My Monday blog for more gorgeous inspiration by my talented teammates. You can also link your entries to our gallery here.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

The Twisted Challenges TTC#4 - Celebrations + Monochrome:

The Sisterhood of Crafters - Bloomin' Flowers:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes:

Less Is More Challenge #379 - Black & White + One More Colour:

Love,

Nandini