30 Days Coloring Challenge - Day #5

Watercolor painting with a touch of the vintage style.

Penny Black April in Paris Stamp Set + Camlin Artists Watercolours + Zigs

Love,

Nandini

30 Days Coloring Challenge - Day #4

Simple watercolor painting today. For more tags or bookmarks

STAMPlorations New Beginning Stamp Set + Camlin Artists Watercolours

Love,

Nandini

30 Days Coloring Challenge - Day #3

 My experiments with underpainting continue. I do need time of practice before I get good. 

I will convert these into tags or bookmarks.

Lil' Inker Inky Flowers Stamp Set + Camlin Artists Watercolours

Love,

Nandini

30 Days Coloring Challenge - Day #2

Hi! I used the Hero Arts Delicate Blossoms stamp set and the Camlin Artists Watercolours. This is my first attempt at the artsy watercolor technique. I tried to follow the video tutorial by Erum Tasnim. 

Love,

Nandini

30 Days Coloring Challenge - Day #1

 Hi! I used the Hero Arts Delicate Blossoms stamp set and my Zigs.

Love,

Nandini

Step-by-step Tutorial for CrafTreat with Video | Layered Hydrangea Stencil

Hi! Nandini Karmarkar here, with my very first DT post for CrafTreat! 

I am a big fan of stencils and I really love the CrafTreat layered stencils. With the multiple layers for each flower, it is very easy to get a beautiful, realistic-looking image. Today I will show you a card I created using the Layered Hydrangea stencil.

I have also included a detailed video showing the process. You can also watch it here.

I created two flowers, one with light pink, dark pink and purple, and the second with yellow, orange, and purple. Using multiple shades gives added depth to your image. For the flower centers, I used distress oxide ink and then added some glitter paste. This gives some shine as well as texture to the flowers.

I kept the leaves simple. There are two leaves in this stencil and I just inked each in two shades of green.

Once the ink was dry, I fussy-cut everything, leaving a tiny border around the image. If you find it difficult to maintain an even border while fussy-cutting, first lightly draw a line with a pencil. You can simply erase it after your cutting is done.

I like cards that have a bit of drama. And colorful flowers against a dark background always look dramatic. So I decided to use a black card base. To add some subtle texture to the background, I used one of the stencils from the 2-Step Plaid and added some inking with black ink.

To assemble the card, I arranged the flowers and leaves over the card base in a pleasing arrangement and adhered them with liquid glue. I used foam tape to pop up some of the elements.

I stamped the sentiment with dark pink ink and adhered it to the card with some foam tape.

Here is another look at the completed card.

CrafTreat Supplies:

CTS439 Layered Hydrangea Stencil

CTS442 2-Step Plaid Stencil

Other Supplies:

• Dye inks
• Distress Oxide inks
• Black card base
• Cream cardstock
• Finger Daubers
• Glitter paste

Entering this card in the following challenges:

Make My Monday Challenge #125 - Use Stencils:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Bright & Cheerful:

The Flower Challenge #46 - Anything Goes:

Love,
Nandini

Art Journal #1...

Hi! The major advantage of the lockdown is the amount of time at hand to try new things. I have always wanted to try my hand at art journaling. Inspired by the great videos made by Shari Carroll and Vicky Papaioannou I decided to take the plunge.

I used the MFT Geometric Grid background stamp to heat emboss on a piece of watercolor paper. I used white embossing powder.  I wet the paper and added some watercolors in shades of blue, yellow, pink and green. Since I wanted a very diffused background, I used lots of water. Once the paper was completely dry I used the Tiger Lily stencil by Craftreat and Warm Grey mini ink cubes by Altenew to create the blooms in the background. I also added a hint of pink to the center of the flowers.

I am in love with these stencils. They are so easy to use! Here is a look at the three flowers that I inked.

I inked the edges of the panel with some brown distress oxide ink. The words are from the Floral Art stamp set by Altenew. I stamped them with black ink. I used distress oxide inks to ink the sentiment panels and used foam tape to pop them up on the panel.

I took some pattern paper and inked it with pink, purple and blue distress oxide inks. I die-cut the inked pattern paper and some translucent paper with the Isabella Butterfly die by Memory Box and added them to the page. To finish, I added tiny white half pearls to the butterflies.

Here is another look at the completed layout.

I am very happy with the way this page turned out. I have adhered it to a sheet of black paper. My plan is to add more pages to this journal.
I hope you are also getting a chance to try new things. I would love to hear more about how you are spending this time.

I am entering this page in the following challenges.

Color Throwdown #587:

The Studio Challenges:
5 - Butterflies, 4 - Colors, 3 - Flowers, 2 - Alphas, 1 - Stencil

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Spring Mood Board:

The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge:

Love,
Nandini

Floral Card with Layered Stencils...

Hi! I recently tried the layered stencils by CrafTreat. These have been around for some time now and I was curious to see how well they worked. I am already a huge fan of layered stamps and have a large collection in my stash. I also love stencils, both using them and designing them.

I bought the Tiger Lily stencil since I loved the large blooms and the samples I checked out on the CrafTreat blog. Here is the card I made with the stencil.

I started with a panel of white cardstock and distress inks. I taped the stencil to the panel and inked through the panel with a soft brush. I used shades of yellow and red for the two flowers. After the flowers were done, I masked them and inked the leaves. Here is a close-up of the flower.

The sentiment is from */* stamp set by Technique Tuesday. I stamped it directly on the panel.

Since I didn’t have a card base in the shade of green I wanted, I inked the base with distress inks. To finish, I just popped up the panel with foam tape and adhered it to the card base.

Here is another look at the completed card.

I hope you liked my card and will give layered stencils a try. They seem to be the latest and hottest trend, with lots of companies introducing their own designs. Since stencils have a lower price point, they are a great option for crafters who like the layered look. But don’t want to spend on layered stamp sets. Also, the range of products you can use with stencils is much larger and they can be easily used on surfaces other than paper.

I really loved the CrafTreat stencil. The layering is very easy and the quality of stencils is excellent. I would love it if CrafTreat includes a small layering guide with the stencil. It took me some time to figure out how the layers worked and a beginner crafter might find it intimidating. Also, a mask for the flower would be a welcome addition. That said I am looking forward to adding more of these beautiful stencils in my stash.

Entering my card in the following challenges:

The Flower Challenge #42:

Yes, Virginia... March Show & Share:

Make My Monday Challenge #118 - Something Tropical:

The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge:

Love,

Nandini

Day 1 - 30 Day Coloring Challenge #15...

Hi! The 15th edition of the 30 Day Coloring Challenge is here. I am excited to participate. Today's coloring was simple as I am already working on a large order of cards and did a lot of work. But I managed to find a little time and pulled out the Tiger Lily layering stencil by CrafTreat. I am amazed by the beautiful results. I only managed to finish the blooms. Hopefully, I will add the leaves and complete the card tomorrow.

Love,
Nandini

Beautiful in Grey & Pink...

Hi. I am here today with a card that I made out of two flowers that I colored as part of the 30 Day Color Challenge. I stamped the flowers and leaves from the Beautiful Day stamp set by Altenew and colored them with my Altenew Artist Markers. Here are the two flowers I colored, using shades of red and pink.

And here is the card I made with the two flowers.

I die-cut the flowers and the leaves and set them aside. I took a strip of white cardstock and used the Artist Markers to create a plaid design. Here is a closer look at the plaid.

I covered the plaid with some vellum to tone it down and then adhered it to a dark grey card base, popped up on foam tape.

The sentiment is from the Fresh Freesia stamp set by Altenew. It was stamped with Versamark and heat embossed Metallic Pastel Pink embossing powder by Wow!. I arranged the flowers on the card and then added a few leaves to compliment the cluster. Here is a closer look at the flowers.

To finish, I adhered everything in place and then used a corner rounder to round the bottom corners of the card. Here is another look at the card.

I really love the way this card turned out. The grey and pink combo is one of my favorites and I love the little peek of the plaid behind the flowers.

Entering this card in the following challenges.


Altenew A Year In Review Challenge 2019:
This card was inspired by the challenge for August 2019. I loved the bright pink bloom with the green leaves against the neutral grey background.

Yes, Virginia... December Show & Share:

The Card Concept #125:
I was inspired by the plaid, neutral grey tones and the pops of red.

The Flower Challenge #39 - Use A Die:

Love,
Nandini

Garden of Flowers...

Hi! I love reading books. Though a lot of my reading is on Kindle now, I still love the feel of a real book. And I always need bookmarks as I hate dog-earing my books. Here is one that I colored as part of the 30 Days Coloring Challenge hosted by Kathy Racoosin of The Daily Marker blog. 

I used my Zig Real Brush markers for the coloring. I started with a piece of watercolor paper and stamped the flowers from the Spring Flowers stamp set by Simon Says Stamp with Versmark Onyx Black ink. I colored directly with my markers, without using any water as I wanted really intense colors. Here is a closer look at the coloring.

After the flowers were colored, I added some grey in the background. This was where my problems started. The water seeped into the flowers and smudged the outline. I allowed the paper to dry completely and fixed the problem by simply running the Jet Black Artist Marker by Altenew over the outlines. This effectively covered the smudged areas and also gave my images a bold outline.

Here is another look at the bookmark.

I love this bookmark. It turned out exactly as I had envisioned it. I hope you liked it too. Entering it in the following challenges.

STAMPlorations December Theme & Photo Prompt:

I was inspired by the beautiful photo prompt.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes:

Just Us Girls #516:

HLS December Watercolor Challenge:

Love,

Nandini

CSCC #15 - CAS Cards

Hi! The theme for this months Create Something Catchy #15 is CAS cards based on the following image.

You can take inspiration from the colors, elements etc of the image.

I was very inspired by the flowers and the soft color palette.

I used ivory card stock as the base and stamped the flowers with black Versamark ink. The stamp set is the Flowers set from Itsy Bitsy. You can check out another card I made with this stamp set here.

I colored it using distress inks, a first for me. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to achieve a good look with these inks!

Both the sentiment stamps are custom made. I designed them and then got a local guy to make them.

I hope you found this card inspiring! Hope you will join the fun at Create Something Catchy challenges! Do also check out the awesome inspiration by my fellow Catchy Girls!

Entering this card in the following challenges:

30 Day Coloring Challenge:

Virginia's View Challenge #15 - Ombre or Monochromatic

Inkspirational Challenge #84 - Photo inspiration

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Love,
Nan

New Technique...

Hi! I am back with a card which I made as part of the 30 Day Coloring Challenge. Though I have been painting almost everyday, I have managed to do very few complete cards. This is one of them.

I used some red handmade paper as the card base and stamped some butterflies with Versamark ink. Then I heat embossed with black EP. I used some household bleach to 'paint' the flowers with a regular paint brush. The sentiment is from Bo Bunny and stamped on a piece of cream paper.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

30 Day Coloring Challenge:

Addicted to CAS Challenge #65 - Butterfly

Creatalicious Challenges #75 - Butterflies

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Love,
Nan

PS: Also entering my card into The Card Concept #37 - Butterfly Effect

I would describe my style as Clean & Graphic. I was very inspired by the collage of butterflies and the embossed outlines.