All About Layering 3 - Project #4...

Hi! Today's card is based on Day 3 of Altenew Academy's All About Layering 3 class taught by the amazing Lydia Evans. The card taught in class had a monogram with small flowers scattered around it. I thought this look would work with a frame as well. Here is my card.

I started with a sheet of watercolour paper stamped with a bunch of outlines from the Painted Flowers stamp set by Altenew. I had stamped some of them with the base layer in yellow. I still can't remember why! Anyway, I die-cut the images out and sprayed them with water. I scribbled some pink and red brush pens by Camlin and dabbed the colour on the flowers with a damp brush. I added two shades of green to the leaves and allowed them to dry. Really love the artsy watercolour look I got. I also added some gold splatters to the die-cut flowers so that they matched the sentiment.

For the card base, I took a top folding black one and did some black-on-black stamping with the Kaisercraft Script stamp to add some subtle texture to the background. I stamped the sentiment from the Birthday Greetings stamp set by ALtenew with Versamark and heat embossed with gold EP. I also used a gold glitter pen to fill up the word 'Happy'. 

The frame is from Mudra Craft Stamps. Initially, I had planned on colouring it. But I loved the way it looked against the black base. So I kept it raw and adhered it to the card base with liquid glue. I arranged the die-cut flowers around the frame, tucking some underneath and popping some on foam tape. Here is a closer look at the arrangement.

To finish, I added some gold sequins by Mudra Craft Stamps randomly. Here is another look at the card.

I hope you like my card today and will check out this great class.

Entering this card in the following challenges.

Altenew January 2019 Inspiration Challenge:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge:

Just Add Ink #442 - Sketch:

Creative Knockouts #283 - Flower Power:

Love,
Nandini

Altenew Academy Project #25...

Hi! Finally, I am almost at the end of the Altenew Educator Certification Program! My last assignment is for A Touch of Texture class by Svitlana Shayevich. This is a mini class with four lessons that give various techniques for adding texture to cards. I concentrated on the lesson on dry embossing.

I die-cut several pieces of thick paper with the Altenew Dodec Star die set and glued them together. I also trimmed part of the pattern off one set to get a different piece. I placed them on a piece of watercolour paper over an embossing mat and ran the whole thing through my Big Shot a few times. The result is a beautiful, embossed piece of paper. The best thing is, you can use either side, depending on the look you want.

I placed a single die cut over the embossing and applied some distress inks with a stencil brush. This gave a soft colour to the raised areas while leaving the debossed area white. Here is a closer look at the coloured panel.

The shape at the bottom left is the die cut I trimmed off. 

To finish, I trimmed the panel and mounted it to a teal card base with some foam tape. The sentiment is from the Fresh Freesia stamp set. I stamped it with Versamark and heat embossed with Vanilla White EP. I trimmed the sentiment panel and popped it up with foam tape.

Here is another look at the finished card.

I hope you like my card and will give this great technique a try.

I am so happy that this is my last class needed for the Altenew Educator Certification Program Level 3. This has been one of the best experiences of my life. Each class I have done has helped me improve as a crafter. I have learnt many new techniques, rediscovered some old ones and also found new ways of using my supplies. And the best part has been the encouragement and support I have received from Virginia Lu and Nicole Picadura. Both of them have been really wonderful! I am looking forward now to completing the rest of the challenges.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Clean & Simple:

Altenew January 2019 Inspiration Challenge:

Love,
Nandini

Altenew Academy Project #18...

Hi! Today's card is my homework for the In The Mood For Color class by Stephanie Klauck, which is a part of the Altenew Educator Certification Program. This is a great class where we learn the different moods associated with different colours.

I wanted to challenge myself and made a card dominated by yellow, which is not a colour I use very often. Yellow denotes energy, cheer and optimism. So I decided to create a birthday card.

I started with a piece of yellow card base. I die cut two smaller panels, one out of the same yellow paper and the other out of watercolour plaid paper that I had created for another card. I inked the yellow panel with some Fossilized Amber distress ink. I stamped the sentiment from the Birthday Greetings stamp set with Versafine Onyx Black ink. I also created a background with the same stamp and Memento ink. This panel was popped up on foam tape and adhered to the card base. I stamped the large flower from the Free Freesia stamp set with Versamark ink on black cardstock and heat embossed with gold EP. I die cut it with the coordinating die and adhered it to the card.

To finish I added some tiny sequins from my stash.

Here is a closer look at the card.

I hope you liked my card. This style is quite different from my usual card making. I am very happy that doing the AECP has helped me expand my horizons.

Love,
Nandini

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 #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

Addicted To Stamps And More #304...

Hi! I am here today with some inspiration for the current Addicted To Stamps And More challenge #304.

These cards are part of an order for 50 cards that I made for a friend. I was definitely looking for something quick and simple and I love the way these turned out.

I started with a piece of cream cardstock. I painted diagonal stripes in rainbow order with Camlin photo inks. I love these for their intense colours and quick drying. Once the inks were dry, I diluted some gold acrylic paint and splattered it over the sheets.

I used the Text Block Birthday die by Papertrey Ink to die cut the coloured panels. I adhered these to some cream and gold marbled handmade paper and popped them up with foam tape.
I used the Dotted Florals background stamp by Impression Obsession with the Sand Dunes ink by Altenew to stamp on the cream card bases. This gives a light texture without overwhelming or clashing with the rainbow sentiment panels. 

Here is a closer look at one of the cards.

I hope you liked my cards 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 challenges:

Happy Little Stampers August CAS Challenge:

Addicted To CAS #142:

Create Something Catchy August Challenge - Watercolour:

I used photo inks to colour the rainbow sentiment panel.

Love,
Nandini

Make My Monday Challenge #66...

Hi! The Make My Monday Challenge #66 is up. The theme this time is very simply. You need to add some gold or silver to your card.

I started with a panel from my stash that I had made ages ago. The stamp is Blissful by Penny Black. I stamped the background stamp with gold acrylic paint. After it dried I did some coloring with distress inks. Here is a closer look at the panel.

I trimmed the panel to size and also colored a piece of scrap paper with direct to paper technique. I cut this piece with a circle die. The sentiment is from the Painted Greetings set by Altenew. I stamped and heat embossed it with gold embossing powder.

I hope you like my card and are inspired to create something beautiful. Remember to visit the Make My Monday blog for some amazing inspiration by the DT and also to link your creations.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

Freshly Made Sketches #326:
I really loved this week's sketch.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes:

CAS Watercolour March Challenge:
Used distress inks to colour my panel.

The Flower Challenge #18 - Anything Goes:

Allsorts Challenge #457 - Ladies Only:

Love,
Nandini

Busting my stash...

Hi! I love paper, especially handmade paper. Unfortunately I don't seem to use it much. I just end up hoarding it and admiring it from time to time! So I decided to make a dent in my stash inspired by a card by the talented Keeway Tsao who blogs at Kiwi Koncepts. You an see the original card here.

I took a bunch of scraps from my stash, cut them into strips and adhered them onto a piece of scrap paper. I stamped the blooms from the Carnations stamp set by Mudra Craft Stamps on the panel with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I used the Mudra Stamping Mask sheets and they worked very well! The sentiment is from the same set and was heat embossed with Ranger's Gold embossing powder.

I trimmed the panel, matted it with some black paper and mounted it on a kraft card base.

Here is a closer look at the panel.

I really love how beautiful this card turned out!

Entering this in the following challenges:

Lea Lawson's Crafty Comeback Party Day 12 - Ink Road:
I was very inspired by the beautiful fall themed colors used.

The Flower Challenge #14 - CAS:

Mod Squad Challenge - It's All In The Color!

STAMPlorations CAS Card Challenge - November:

Watercooler Wednesdays Challenge - WWC144:

Love,
Nandini

Addicted To Stamps And More #261...

Hi! This week at Addicted To Stamps And More we have the easiest of challenges.

You can create anything for this challenge and link it to our gallery!

I decided to create a masculine card inspired by autumn colors.

I started with the Painted Alphas stamp set by Mudra Craft Stamps. I love the bold alphas in this set. I lined up the letters to spell the word HAPPY and stamped it a few times with Memento Tuxedo Black ink to get a good, dark impression. Lining up the Mudra alpha stamps is super easy as they are cut to align at the top and bottom.

I took out a few Memento dewdrop ink pads and stamped the circle from the Grunge Effects stamp set by Mudra around the edge. I then used the Ferns and Leaves set and stamped the images in black. I used the Simple Alphas set again by Mudra to stamp the word 'birthday'. Initially I stamped it in dark red. But changed my mind and used black. Luckily I was left with a halo of dark red around the word which I really liked. 

To finish I simple trimmed the panel to size and mounted it on a black card base.

Here is a closer look at the card.

I hope you like my card and are inspired to create something beautiful. Please do check out the ATSM blog for more amazing inspiration by my talented team mates! I am looking forward to seeing your beautiful entries in our gallery.

Entering my card in the following challenges.

Happy Little Stamper September CAS Challenge:

CSW Challenge #18 - Leaves:

Uniko Challenge #43 - Autumn/Fall with optional twist of Halloween:

Love,
Nandini

Addicted To Stamps And More #259...

Hi! This week is the Clean and Simple challenge at Addicted To Stamps And More.

I made a quick card with some watercoloring and stamping.

I used the bud and the foliage stamps from Altenew's Peony Bouquet and stamped them randomly on a piece of watercolor paper. I used distress inks to color the images loosely. Once the panel was dry I trimmed it and mounted it on a navy blue card base.

The sentiment is from the Magical Birthday stamp set by Craftyscrappers. I used Vanilla White EP by Wow! for heat embossing.

I hope you liked my card and are inspired to create something beautiful. Please don't forget to check out the beautiful creations by rest of the DT at the Addicted To Stamps And More blog. And be sure to link up your creations in our gallery.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

Sketch Saturday #480:

As You Like It - Flora or Fauna:
Very tough question as I love animals too! But I will go with flora since flowers and trees always soothe me and make me happy.

Just Add Ink #376 - Just Add 'D':
I used distress inks for coloring.

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - STAMPtember Stamp It


Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - STAMPtember Stamp It

The Flower Challenge #12 - Tic-tac-toe:

I used heat embossing for the sentiment, watercolor and blue.

Love,
Nan

Addicted To Stamps And More #245...

Hi! It is another Wednesday and that means a new challenge at the Addicted To Stamps And More blog. This time around we have an interesting photo to inspire you.

Isn't this great? There are so many ways to interpret it and I am looking forward to your takes on it.

I decided to concentrate on the subway style lettering. Here is my card inspired by today's pic.

One of my favorite ways to test new inks is by creating plaid backgrounds. I created this top folding card base on which I stamped a plaid pattern using a DIY stamp and the Red Cosmos mini ink cubes set by Altenew. The black stitching lines were stamped using an old Itsy Bitsy stamp set.

I took a piece of white card stock and die cut it with the Lawn Fawn Stitched Journaling Card. I stamped the Graphic Greetings - Birthday stamp with Versamark ink and heat embossed with a pink EP by Wow!. I mounted my panel with foam tape on the card front.

To finish up I added three heart shaped gems to the bottom of the panel.

I hope you like my card and are inspired to create something beautiful. Please link up your creations to our gallery here. Also don't forget to visit the blog and check out the fabulous inspiration by my teamies.

Entering this card in the following challenges.

Craft Stamper Magazine Take It Make It Challenge - June:

CAS On Sunday Challenge #109 - Use a Repetitive Image
I think my card qualifies since I used one stamp to create the plaid pattern and another to create the stitching lines.

AAA Cards Game #91 - 3rd Big Birthday Bash

Just us Girls #396 - Word Week 
I die cut the sentiment panel.

Love,
Nandini