Bold card with Partial Die Cutting...

Hi! Today's card uses a technique that I have wanted to try for a long time. The original post and video are by Jennifer Mcguire and you can find them here.

I had tried this once before, with disastrous results. This time around, though my first try ended in the bin, I persisted and managed to master it. Here is the card I created.

I started with a piece of black cardstock and the Gorgeous Gardenia die by Memory Box. After running the paper through the Big-Shot with the die, I carefully trimmed away the excess. One thing that really helped me was scoring a fold at the line where the die-cutting ended. Here is a closer look at the die-cutting.

I die-cut more pieces out of black cardstock and stacked them to make the partially die-cut flowers more stable. For the background, I took some watercolour paper and Camlin Artist Watercolours. I recently bought this set and I really love the gorgeous, bright colours. I wet the paper and then applied yellow and crimson colours with a large flat brush to get an ombre look. I also added some splatters of gold paint. After drying I adhered the watercoloured paper to a card base. 

The sentiment is from the Birthday Greetings stamp set by Altenew. I stamped and heat embossed with Ranger's Gold Tinsel embossing powder. I added some foam tape to pop up the sentiment strip. Here is another look at the card.

I am entering this card in the following challenges.

Memory Box STAMPtember 2019 Exclusive Collaboration:

Just Us Girls Challenge #505:

Happy Little Stampers Watercolor Challenge:

Love,
Nandini

Artsy Card with Pinkfresh Studios...

Hi! I am here today with a card which is a bit different from my usual style.  I made this card for the STAMPtember celebration, where Simon Says Stamp is releasing a new collaborative set with different companies every day. One of the brands is Pinkfresh Studios. I am a big fan of Pinkfresh Studio products. I love their designs, especially the dies. The delicate Floral Squares die set is really beautiful, with six different designs. I used three of the squares to create my card.

I started with a piece of white watercolour paper by Itsy Bitsy and smooshed distress inks in red, yellow and green with pieces of acetate on it. The secret to getting a good look with smooshing is to dry the colour between layers. Otherwise, the colours mix and become muddy. Once I was happy with the colours, I splattered some water droplets for a distressed look. After drying the panel, I splattered black ink with a brush. Here is a closer look at the panel.

The squares were die-cut out of black paper and adhered to the panel with liquid glue. I glued the panel to a black card base directly, tilting it a bit for a more artsy look. The sentiment is from the Fresh Freesia stamp set by Altenew. I stamped it on a scrap of black paper and heat embossed it with Wow! Rich Gold embossing powder. Here is a closer look.

Here is another look at the completed card.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

Pinkfresh Studio STAMPtember 2019 Collaboration:

Color Throwdown #560:

HLS September Watercolor Challenge:

The Flower Challenge #36 - Anything Goes:

Love,
Nandini

Happy Little Stampers September Challenge...

Hi! I am here with my inspiration for the September challenge at the Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies challenge. If you love playing with your dies, this is the challenge for you. 

I created an easel card as inspiration. I also plan on using this card as a sample for a demo on die-cutting that I am doing at a local craft store.

I started with some black cardstock that I cut with the Labels and Frames Stitched die by Sizzix. You need three identical pieces for an easel card - one top piece and two pieces cut on a fold. To assemble the card, fold one of the pieces in half and adhere the top piece over it. Here is the opened card.

I also cut out a bunch of wreaths from red, orange, dark orange, yellow and pink colored papers. I layered the wreath die cuts and adhered them with glue. The sentiment is from the Say It With Florals set by Pinkfresh Studio. I stamped and heat embossed it with the Gold Tinsel embossing powder by Ranger. Here is a closer look at the card.

To finish, I cut a smaller piece out of the orange card and adhered it to the base. I also added two half pearls to keep the easel propped up when open. Since I didn't have them in gold, I simply used my gold Sharpie marker to colour them.

Here is another look at the completed card.

Hope you find my card inspiring and pull out your dies to play. You can check out the Happy Little Stampers Anything Goes with Dies challenge blog for more inspiration and also link your creations. Looking forward to seeing your cards in our gallery.

Love,
Nandini

Rainbow Card Challenge - Beautiful Brown...

Hi! The new challenge is up for the Rainbow Card Challenge. Here is the inspiration pic.

I started with a completely different card. But for some reason, it just wasn't coming together. I finally kept it aside and started browsing through Pinterest for some inspiration. While browsing I found a beautiful card by Connie Stewart, which greatly inspired me. You can find the original card here. I pulled out my supplies and the new card came together within one hour! I love how beautiful this card turned out.

I started with a piece of ivory card stock and stamped the leaf image from the A Tree For All Seasons stamp set by Winnie and Walter randomly. I used the four ink cubes from the Coffee Break mini ink cubes set by Altenew. After letting the panel dry a bit, I stamped with Versamark ink and heat embossed with Ranger's Enchanted Gold embossing powder. 

Here is a closer look at the panel.

I trimmed the panel and adhered it to a dark brown card base. The sentiment is from the Birthday Greetings stamp set by Altenew. I stamped and heat embossed it with Ranger's Metallic Gold embossing powder and popped it on the panel with some foam tape. To finish, I added a few clear gems from my stash.

Here is another look at the completed card.

I hope you liked my card and are inspired to create something beautiful You can visit the Rainbow Card Challenge blog for more inspiration from the design team and to link your entries. 

Love, 
Nandini

Papercraft Challenge #22...

Hi! I am here today with a new challenge at the Papercraft Challenge blog. We have a new challenge on the first of every month. You should also visit the Papercraft Business site that has great tools that can help you take your papercraft business to the next level. Do check out the awesome Papercraft Business Planner that helps you keep track of your challenges.

The theme for September is - There’s a Bear in There! You can use any kind of bear from teddy bears to polar bears to panda.

I was a bit worried because cutesy critter cards are not my thing at all! I don’t have stamp sets in this style and I am very nervous about colouring critter images. But that is part of the fun of being on a design team. You have to stretch yourself to learn new techniques. So I pulled out an old set by Mudra Craft Stamps and my Zigs and got to work. Here is the card I made.

• Stamp the bear image from the Bear Friends stamp set by Mudra Craft Stamps on some watercolour paper.  Ink the stamp with a dark brown Zig. The idea is to get a no-line watercolour look. Stamping with the Zig marker gives a clear outline which will naturally blend with the colouring.
• Use three shades of brown and a damp brush to colour the bear. 
• Use shades of pink for the snout and the ears.
• Once the panel is dry, add outlines and details with the dark brown Zig marker. 

Here is a closer look at the bear.

• Mask the bear and create the landscape by blending green and brown distress inks over paper masks. Use shades of blue for the sky.
• The stamp set has a tuft of grass. Ink it with a dark green Zig marker and stamp. Add a little shading and a few flowers with Zigs.

• Stamp the sentiment on some vellum with Versafine Onyx Black ink and heat emboss with clear embossing powder. 
• Trim the sentiment panel and staple it to the stamped and coloured panel.
• Adhere it to a green card base over a black mat.

Here is another look at the card.

I hope my card inspires you to create something beautiful. Do remember to check out the Papercraft Challenge blog for inspiration from the rest of the design team. There are lots of cute creations that you will love! 

The winning prize: Whimsy Stamps – Celebration Pennants

You can get more information about Papercraft Challenge Planner here. It is an invaluable tool for all crafters who love taking part in challenges. The Papercraft Business site also has tools that can help you take your papercraft business to the next level. 

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Love,

Nandini