A thank you card...

Hi! I am back with a challenge card.

I was very inspired by the colours of the current Dynamic Duos #62 - Orange and black with the option of butterflies

I decided to use the sketch by CAS(E) this Sketch #37

So my take on these challenges is this.

Supplies used are handmade paper in cream and orange. I stamped the letters on the orange paper in black. Then I die cut the circles out and used the same die to cut circles out of the card base.



While the die was still in, I did stitching lines with a black glitter pen on both cream and orange papers.

This is what the card looks like inside



Rest of the sentiment was hand written with a black sketch pen.



Since this card is meant for my husband, I decided to forgo the butterflies.

I am also entering this card in the Crafters Corner: Challenge 10 - 'Thank you so much!!'

This card is meant for my hubby who very patiently puts up with a crafty wife and is very, very encouraging! 

Hope you also liked this clean and simple card. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Love,
Nan

Top 6 at Itsy Bitsy...

Hi! I am so excited that I made it to the top 6 at the Itsy Bitsy - All that Glitters challenge.

Here is my entry

For more details please do visit the blog post here.

Thanx team Itsy Bitsy for liking my card. You guys rock!

Love,
Nan

My entry for Freshly Made Sketches #94

Hi! Super quick post today.

My entry for Freshly Made Sketches #94.

I liked the idea of the sentiment on a slant. And the slant led me think of a steep hill. So this is my take on it

Supplies used are handmade paper in white and green, scraps of black and yellow card stock.



I created the sky and the sun with Faber Castell watercolour pencils. After the paper was dry, I sponged white acrylic paint with a circular sponge dauber to make the clouds.



I mounted the green handmade paper and the car on foam pads. Two black buttons became the wheels of the car. The sentiment was handwritten with a white gel pen.

The funny thing is, while I was making the card, my nephew called up to say that he had got admitted to the college of his choice. So now this card is going to him!

Love,
Nan

Shades of grey...

Hi! I am back with a monochromatic card. The current challenge at Less is More is to make a card using at least two shades of grey. The sketch is from CAS(E) this Sketch #35.

I found this little sentiment stamp in my stash. And it got me thinking. Grey is absence of colour. And life would be so dull without colour. Just like our life will feel like if someone we love is away from us. I wanted to express that emotion with this card. So I avoided any other colour. I have always loved the ombre technique and decided to use it. 

Supplies used are black cardstock, white paper and acrylic colours in Pearl Steel Grey, White and Black by Hobby Ideas.

I started with the steel grey and created five more shades by adding white or black, to get the lovely ombre effect. I painted little squares of white paper and then die cut the circles with my Bigshot. The sentiment is stamped with black Faber Castell ink. I mounted the circles on foam pads for added dimension. I did not add any other embellishments as I wanted to keep the lines very clean and simple and the focus on the sentiment.

My husband is an architect and graphic designer and I respect his opinion very much. He, in turn, is always very frank and honest when giving his take on my work. His only comment was "the card is perfect. Don't change a thing." I couldn't have asked for a better compliment! 

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

The sketch is from CAS(E) this Sketch #35

I just love the simplicity and possibilities of this sketch.

The colour scheme I picked up from Less is More - Shades of Grey .. Week 127

I love this challenge as my style is CAS and I thought making a card with only shades of grey would be interesting. 

Also entering the card in:
Crazy 4 Challenges C4C193 - Lets Get Wordy. The challenge is to make the sentiment the main focus. And I think my card fits it perfectly.

An Inky Situation: Linky Party #1 - Anything Goes

Hope you liked this card as much as I did. I would love to hear your take on my creation.

Love,
Nan

Top 3...

Hi! My cards made it to the top 3 at Lulupu Challenge #13 - Lady Stamp-a-lot. 

I am so excited! Thanx team Lulupu, for appreciating my efforts. For more details, you can check out my previous blog post here.

Love,
Nan

My entries for CAS(E) this Sketch & CASology

Hi! Very, very quick post today since I have only 44 minutes left before the deadline. That is really cutting things fine.

I am entering this card in CAS(E) this Sketch #34

And also CASology's Week 51: Fireworks

My interpretation of these two challenges is this

Supplies used are cream cardstock, gold handmade paper, satin ribbons in red and yellow, assorted gems, Hobby Ideas Crackle Medium and acrylic colours in crimson and chrome yellow. The stamp set is Everyday Sentiments (CPM 078) by Micia. I have used a regular black ink pad by Faber Castell.

Since the CASology cue card was fireworks, I decided to start with a sunburst motif done with crackle medium. I have made this many times on MDF articles and it always looks good. So I used a piece of gold handmade paper and coated it with crackle medium. Then I loaded my brush with both red and yellow and drew out strokes from the center. The most time consuming aspect was drying, which took overnight.

I cut the oval frame and mounted it on double sided tape for added dimension. Then I added assorted gems in different sizes. Some satin ribbons in yellow and red completed the basic card. The sentiment was stamped and again mounted on double sided tape.

I added the green gems at the bottom as the final touch.

Overall, I am quite happy with this card. It is a bit blingier than my regular style. But I think that fits in well with the fireworks theme.

Looking forward to suggestions from you.

Love,

Nan

PS: Also entering this card in the Keep it Simple #17.

Their theme is the sun. And since I have used the sunburst motif, I think it fits in well.

Love,
Nan

Lady Stamp-a-lot

Hi! One of the main reasons I started my blog was to participate in the various online challenges. I feel it is  the best way to learn new things and constantly stretch my creative horizons. Lulupu's Challenge #13 - Lady Stamp-a-lot definitely falls in the category of trying new things.

The challenge was to create two different cards using the same stamp set. The challenge appealed to me on two levels. First, I have been very reluctant to experiment with stamping. I guess I am just too intimidated with the fantastic stuff that is seen online. Second, it is nice when a challenge actually makes you use your craft tools frugally. 

Since I own only two stamp sets (both bought from Lulupu, incidentally) the choice was easy. I went with Everyday Sentiments (CPM 078) by Micia.

I had bought this set mainly for the sentiments. Here is a close up of the stamps I used.



And the cards I made

I tried to keep the cards as different as possible, since I didn't have much choice in terms of usable stamps. For the first card I made an easel card and used a largely monochromatic colour scheme.



But I played around with the sentiment.

Supplies used are black card stock and white handmade paper. Stamping is done with Faber Castell's black ink pad. I used my Bigshot for die cutting.



For the sentiment, I used M-seal and took an impression of the stamp while it was still pliable. Once it dried, I applied couple of coats of white acrylic paint. Then I applied a coat of black paint and wiped it off immediately for a distressed look. Finally, I rubbed some Magenta 3D glitter from Hobby Ideas into the sentiment and wiped away the excess with a wet cloth. I added two glittered butterflies and did white stitching lines as the final touches.

For the second card, I went for a rainbow look.



I used brown and cream card stock and the black ink pad from Faber Castell. I used water colour pencils by Faber Castell in the colours of the rainbow for the background.


So, Violet, Indigo and Blue


Then Blue, Green and Yellow



And finally Yellow, Orange and Red.



I blended the colours using a damp brush and stamped the same image thrice. The sentiment was of course stamped in black on the cream card stock. All the rectangles were mounted on double sided tape for added depth. Some stitching lines in white and a glittered butterfly in pale pink completed the card.

I am also entering the second card in the Rainbow Colours Without a 'Rainbow' Challenge by Catchy Challenges and Itsy Bitsy All That Glitters Challenge.

Love,

Nan