Papercrafter Unite Against Racism Blog Hop...

Hi! Thank you for participating in the Papercrafters Unite Against Racism Blog Hop! You must have arrived here from Jo Herbert's blog.

I am so excited that you are joining in for this great cause! The goal of this hop is to come together to stand behind our crafty sisters and brothers of colour not just in the art industry, but also to show our support in the never-ending fight for equality all over the world.

This hop is the brainchild of Justine Hovey. You can visit her blog for more details of this worthwhile cause.

I made a couple of bookmark cards for this hop. The original idea of the bookmark card is by Jennifer McGuire. You can find her post here.

I love the concept as I love reading and often make bookmarks as gifts. Here is my card.

I used the New Begining stamp set by STAMPlorations and my Zigs for the bookmark. The sentiment is also from the same set.

Once my panel was ready, I adhered it to a piece of kraft cardstock folded in half. 

To complete the card, I made a couple of slits in the red card base. One was at the top fold and another halfway down the card. The slits were fractionally larger than the bookmark so that I could tuck it in.

The bookmark can be easily slipped off the card base and used in a book.

For the second card, I used a slightly different technique. 

I used the New Beginning stamp set by STAMPlorations again along with my Zigs. To create the bookmark, I scored an ivory panel ¼ inch from the top and adhered the colored panel to it. Once the glue was dry, I trimmed both to get a bookmark.

I took a panel of kraft cardstock ½ inch larger than the bookmark and cut a slit towards the top. I glued the panel to the red card base taking care to apply glue only to the top and the edges, leaving a large pocket in the center. Once the glue was dry, I slipped the bookmark in through the slit at the top.

Here is another look at the card.

I hoped you liked my cards and will give this technique a try. I would love to see your twist on this type of card.

The next stop on the hop is Ishani. In case you are lost or want to start from the beginning, here is the entire list.

Neha Parab
Fairuz Fabiha (aka Craftivation)
Joy Dsouza
Jo Herbert
Nandini Karmarkar - That's me!
Ishani
Stacy Zant
Tricia Y
Mary Ellen Driggs
Margaret Schuering
Justine Hovey
Alison Heikkila
Ardyth Percy-Robb
Natasha
Marcia Dehn-Nix
Sandy Allnock
Erin Reed
Martha Lucia Gomez / Joy Clair Designs
Juliana Michaels
Amy Hill
Betz Golden
Erica A-B
Angie Cimbalo
Rebecca
Karen Hasheck 
Char Kochensparger (chark)
Jess
Jill Lipscomb of Jill Cameron Creations
Dana Warren
Mansi Bhatia
Ingrid
Charlotte E (Lady Joyful)
Carrie Rhoades
Anna Mahtani
Jessica McAfee
Amber Rain Davis
Kari VanNoy
Kathya Kalinine
Annette Witherspoon
Mona Toth
Natasha Davies
Anja Glauner
Robin Flenner
Nancy Salkeld
Eva Costigan
Michelle Woerner
Haley Pettit
Verity Biddlecombe
Love,
Nandini

Make My Monday Challenge #29...

Hi! The new challenge is up on the Make My Monday Challenge blog and the theme this time is Back to School.

I was honestly stumped with this theme as I don't have any stamps or dies in my stash that fit. One thing that I often do to get over my mental block is to sit with my stamps and just go through the stash.

I did just that and then hit upon the idea of making bookmarks. My daughter makes a bunch every year for her teachers as a thank you. I decided to do the same. I also decided to use the same stamp to make two totally different looks. And here are my creations.

The stamp is from the Bookmark Bits & Pieces stamp set by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. Here is a closer look at the individual bookmarks.

I used the Overlap Stamping technique by Jennifer Mcguire for the background. You can find her blog post and video here. I used the Plaid Builder stamp set by My Favorite Things along with Memento dew drop inks and Hero Arts White Unicorn ink for the stamping. For the sentiment, I stamped with Versamark and heat embossed with white EP. Then I stamped again with Versamark off setting the stamp slightly and heat embossed with black EP. I stamped and heat embossed over it with some custom black glitter EP which I created by mixing equal parts of black EP and Black glitter. I trimmed the panel and mounted it on a kraft base.

Entering this bookmark in the following challenges:

Peek-a-boo Designs Challenge #9

AAA Cards Game #72
I used the Overlap Stamping technique for the first time.

The basic design is the same in the second bookmark.

For the second bookmark, I used a background that I had created ages ago using the Faux Watercolor Stamping technique by Shari Caroll during the Stretch Your Stamps 2 class. I made my own DIY background stamp with some sunboard, double sided tape and die cut fun foam.

I dabbed several shades of acrylic paints randomly on the stamp and then sprayed liberally with water. I pressed a piece of watercolor paper over the stamp and got this beautiful background. Here is another card made with the same technique. For more details on this card you can go here.

I stamped the sentiment with Versamark and heat embossed with metallic copper EP. I trimmed the panel and mounted it on a kraft base.

I hope you liked my inspiration. Please visit the Make My Monday Challenge blog for more, fabulous inspiration by my fellow DT. I hope we inspire you to create something beautiful. Looking forward to seeing you in our challenge gallery.

Entering this bookmark in the following challenges:

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge 373

Words 2 Craft By - W2CB #32: A Single Step

Stamping Challenges August Challenge - Anything Goes

Penny Black and More August Challenge - Anything Goes with a Stamp

Love,
Nandini

A decorated notebook...

Hi! The last swap at Swap Central India was notebooks.

Here was my entry.

I found a ready notebook with a lovely green handmade paper cover. I just embellished it with some papers from my stash and my favourite Chloe stem die.

The title is embossed in gold.

I also decorated the inside page of the note book and added two bookmarks.

Here is a pic with the book marks in.

A simple project which I hope my swap partner liked.

Love,
Nan

Tangling with Zentangle

Zentangle...

When I came across this word some time back, I was intrigued. The images I saw reminded me of doodles as well as intricate mehndi designs. I started experimenting with it and thinking of ways to incorporate it into paper craft designs.

The applications are endless. The beauty of this technique is that no two designs are ever alike. Here are some articles I have made using this technique.

My first zentangle project. The card is made using red card stock and computer paper. The heart is made from a scrap of white handmade paper and doodled with a black micro-tip pen.

Pale green handmade paper layered with a darker green paper. This time I sketched out the flower and leaf shapes. Then filled them with zentangle doodles.

I wanted to try colouring with water-colour pencils and got the idea of combining it with zentangle designs.

I started with doodling on a scrap of white chart paper with a black glitter pen. then I filled in the pencil colours along one side and shaded with a wet brush.

When the piece was done, I mounted it on  piece of navy blue handmade paper. A silver eyelet and some pale lilac ribbon completed the bookmark.

My daughter, who has recently started reading Enid Blyton novels, loved it so much that she immediately laid claim to the bookmark.

I made two more book marks. One for myself. And another for my husband.

This time I coloured using sketch pens and mounted on red card stock.

I am sure I'll end up making more of these. They are quick and easy to make and will make great gifts to give along with books. What do you guys think?