Addicted To Stamps & More #334...

Hi! Another challenge is up on the Addicted To Stamps And More challenge blog and this time it is my favourite theme.

I love cards with clean lines, lots of 'white' space and minimal embellishments. Here is the one I made for this challenge.

I used the Cross Stitch Flower stamp set by Altenew. I found this is the toughest set to align till date! It takes a lot of practice and a few tricks to get it right. The gorgeous results once you crack it are absolutely worth it! I started with a stack of white panels and kept trying until I was finally satisfied. I am still not absolutely perfect, but getting there. Here is a closer look at the flower.

After discarding a few trials, I was left with four usable pieces. You can see the other cards I made with this set here and here. I used the Sea Shore mini ink cubes set to stamp the flower. The sentiment is from the Birthday Greetings stamp set, again by Altenew. 

To finish, I trimmed the panel and added a strip of silver paper towards the bottom. The stamped panel is popped up on foam tape. I also added some silver sequins from my stash.

I hope you are inspired by my card. You can visit the Addicted To Stamps And More challenge blog for more amazing inspiration and link your beautiful creations.

Entering my card in the following challenges:

Virginia Lu's March Show & Share:

Creatalicious Challenge #159 - Anything Goes + Monochrome:

Try It On Tuesdays - Say It With Flowers:

The Flower Challenge #30:

Words 2 Craft By W2CB #63 - Happiness Held, Happiness Shared:

AAA CAS Game #136:

Love,
Nandini

Pattern Stamping...

Hi! One of my favourite techniques is creating my own 'pattern paper' by stamping. I recently taught this technique and wanted to share it on my blog. 

I started with a piece of white cardstock. I used the Freehand Florals stamp set by Wplus9 and Memento dewdrop inks to create a lovely background. Once the stamping was done, I used three of the largest Stitched Rectangle dies by DCAM to cut my panel. I adhered the pieces back on a thin sheet of scrap paper cut slightly smaller than my panel. I just love the gorgeous texture that the die-cutting adds to the background. I adhered the panel to a bright blue card base.

The sentiment is from Lil' Inker. I cut it out of both dark and light blue papers and adhered the two slightly off-set. Here is a closer look at the sentiment.

Initially, I had planned to add a companion sentiment or some sequins to the card. But I really liked the card without any more additions. Since the background is busy, I decided to keep rest of the card very simple. Here is another look at the card.

I hope you liked my card and I look forward to hearing from you.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

ModSquad Challenge - One or More Metal Die:
Smile Word die by Lil' Inkers - https://www.lilinkerdesigns.com/smile-word-die/
Stitched Rectangle dies by Die Cuts And More 

Aud Sentiments Challenge #223 - Any Sentiment Except Happy Birthday:

Craft Rocket Challenge #57 - Flowers:

Sparkles Monthly Challenge #114 - Stamped Background:

Cute Card Thursday Challenge #574 - Spring Fever:

Cut It Up Challenge #170 - Flowers:

HLS March Anything Goes With Dies:

Virginia Lu's March Show & Share

Love,
Nandini

Two Cards From One Stamp...

Hi! I am here today with two cards that I made from the same stamp set. The first is a pretty standard design with straight stamping. The second has a more artsy vibe.

I made the first card as a sample for a friend. She wanted to make some cards for her husband's birthday and this was one of them. Since the theme for the March Twofer challenge is balloons, I decided to go ahead and make another card with the same set. Here are the cards with the Balloons stamp set by Mudra Craft Stamps.

Entering these cards in the Twofer Card Challenge #14:

I am also entering both cards in Virginia Lu's March Show & Share. I love this feature since it is very inspiring and there are no restrictions on the products and techniques used.

Card 1:
I used simple first and second generation stamping for the card.

I started with a piece of white cardstock and stamped the two smaller balloons from the set with Memento Dewdrop inks. The sentiment is from the Floral Fantasy stamp set by Mudra Craft Stamps. After the stamping was done, I trimmed the panel and popped it up on a grey card base with some foam tape. 

Entering this card in the following challenge:

Watercooler Wednesday WWC213:

Card 2:
I went for a more artsy look in the second card.

I saw this technique on the Waffle Flower Crafts YouTube channel. Here is the link to the original video. I took a piece of white cardstock and drew a 3" x 4" rectangle, dividing it into 1" squares. I masked each square and stamped the balloons randomly. Since the balloon images are solid, I used my black Zig to ink only the edge of the stamp. After the stamping was done, I coloured the background with Altenew's Artist Markers. The sentiment is from a very old Paper Smooches stamp set. To finish, I trimmed the panel and adhered it directly to a grey card base.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

Sparkles Monthly Challenge #114 - Stamped Background:

Aud Sentiments Challenge #223 - Any Sentiment Except Happy Birthday:

Inkspirational Challenge #182:
I was inspired by the colours.

Freshly Made Sketches #380:

Love,
Nandini

Addicted To Stamps And More #332...

Hi! I made this card for last week's challenge at the Addicted To Stamps And More blog and couldn't post it. The theme was

It was also one of the cards I taught as part of my workshop on using the turnabout stamp sets. I used the Wreath Turnabout stamp set by Concord & 9th to create a masculine card.

I started with a cream card stock and stamped with distress oxide inks in shades of green, yellow and brown. The sentiment is from the Sentiments of Hello stamp set by Poppy Stamps. I stamped the sentiments and trimmed them. I added three layers of vellum to make them stand out more. Here is a closer look at the card.

To finish, I rounded the bottom corners of the stamped panel and popped it up with foam tape on a kraft card base. Here is another look at the completed card.

I am entering this card in the following challenge.

Cardz For Guyz Challenge #125 - To Die For:
I used circle nested dies for the sentiment.

Love,
Nandini

Altenew Educator Certification Program - The Final Challenge...

Hi! I am beyond thrilled to bring this post to you today. This is the final step towards completing the Altenew Educator Certification Program. I applied for the program in December 2017 with very little expectation of being selected. Imagine my surprise when I received the acceptance letter!

I took little over a year to complete all my classes. This program lets you do things at your own pace, which is great. The whole experience was amazing! I learnt new techniques, revisited some old ones and have grown tremendously as a crafter during this period. A special thanks to Virginia Lu, Nicole Picadura and Erum Tasneem for their constant encouragement and help.

The final challenge, after completing Level 3, was to hold a workshop for minimum 4-10 students. I have had a lot of experience teaching children, though I haven't done much for the past 6 years. It was fun getting back to planning a workshop. My dear friend, Bhawana, very kindly offered the use of her office space for the workshop.

I planned two card designs, covering a range of techniques. Here are the sample cards.

The idea was to get my students to create a large stamped panel and then cut it to make a card. I made four versions to give an idea of different design possibilities.

I used the Daisy mini stamp and Mini Blossoms stamp set. The following techniques were covered in this card:

• Faux Watercolor Stamping
• Layered Stamping
• Heat Embossing

The second card was a little more advanced.

I used the Perennial Beauty and Peony Bouquet stamp sets. The following techniques were covered:

• Stamping
• Layered Stamping
• Masking
• Die-cutting

I chose the stamp sets that are comparatively easy to layer and have a more artsy look. As all my students were completely new to card making, I wanted them to get a feel of different tools like the Big Shot, the heat embossing stuff etc. We used acrylic blocks for the first card and a stamp positioner for the second.

The workshop was fixed for Sunday morning at 10 am as Virginia, Erum and Nicole were going to observe it through Facebook Live. I contacted a few of my close friends and 6 of them confirmed. In my experience, there are always a few last minute cancellations. So I was really thrilled when I had two extra students walking in the last minute. Though this did throw me off a bit, I had carried extra stuff and was able to complete the workshop.

My students came from different backgrounds and skill levels. All of them were new to stamping and card making. Keeping this in mind, I started with a brief introduction to stamping and the various tools used for card making. I also spoke about Altenew as a brand and their great contributions to this industry.

Here are some pics from the workshop.

The welcome banner.

Helping students use various crafting tools.

The cutter was a big hit!

A beautiful mess!

Assembling a card.

Learning to use the stamp positioner.

We had a lot of fun as everyone interacted and appreciated each other's work.

Setting up the die cutting and heat embossing table.

Choosing the perfect sentiment.

Thrilled to complete the cards. Their smiles make me so happy!

The entire class with their cards. 

Everyone had a great time, playing around with the supplies. All of them completed two cards. Most had the recipients for the cards already in their minds. It was fun choosing the perfect sentiments for the cards. We ended the session with some hot chai and apple muffins baked by my daughter Saee. 

A special thanks to Virginia Lu, AECP Coordinator who was observing the workshop. She kept sending encouraging messages that really buoyed me up. My husband was a huge help in setting up the camera and handled the technical side of things perfectly, leaving me to concentrate on the teaching. My daughter Saee helped out during the workshop and provided the apple muffins as snacks. And my little son Neel, who amused himself for the entire two hours and then helped with the cleanup. I feel really blessed to have such a supportive family!

I also want to thank all my friends who attended the workshop. Their enthusiasm and interest really made this workshop a success. The biggest surprise was my kids' art teacher who attended the workshop along with another art teacher colleague. Both of them really enjoyed the experience and are keen on introducing some of the things they learnt in their schools.

I am now awaiting the assessment from the Altenew team. I am excited as something that I started as a hobby has taken me down unexpected paths. I hope I will continue on this journey and keep growing and becoming a better version of me.

Love,

Nandini