Addicted To Stamps And More Challenge #384...

Hi! I am here today with my inspiration card for the current challenge at the Addicted To Stamps And More Challenge blog. The theme this week is one of my favorite styles.

I decided to go for a rather dramatic look with my card.

I started with a white panel. I drew stripes with my Zigs in rainbow order towards the top. Once the stripes were drawn, I stamped the solid images from the Leaf Canopy stamp set by Altenew with black ink. 

The sentiment is also from the same set.

To finish, I rounded the corners and adhered the stamped panel to a black card base. Here is another look at the completed card.

I hope you are inspired by my card. You go to the Addicted To Stamps And More Challenge blog for lots of amazing inspiration. You can also link your creations there. 

Entering this card in the following challenges:

Stamping Sensations April - Somewhere Over the Rainbow:

Uniko Challenge #58 - Spots & Stripes + optional twist Use A Stencil

The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge:

Love,
Nandini

Art Journal #2...

Hi! I am back today with another art journal page. This one is also inspired by Vicky Papaioannou of Clips-n-cuts. 

I started with a panel of red sunboard that was leftover from a stage prop that my husband created for the TedX event in Panjim. I covered it with the one-step crackle medium by Little Birdie. I used a mix of chalk and pouring paints by Little Birdie for the top layer.

While the paint was drying, I stamped the outline image of the Japanese Mum stamp set by Altenew on different papers with Versamark. I heat embossed the images with copper and gold metallic embossing powders by Ranger. I also cut each one using the coordinating die and inked each flower with pink, purple and red dye inks. I also die-cut the leaves from a bunch of green papers. All the papers I have used on this page came from packs of textured paper that are sold at the Itsy Bitsy stores. I find these assorted paper packs very, very handy for card making.

I cut some corrugated paper and adhered it to the bottom of the panel. I also cut some pink and gold paper and created a vase and added it over the corrugated paper. Both were distressed with brown dye ink. Then I arranged the flowers and leaves over the vase, using foam tape to pop some. 

For the sentiment, I die-cut the word BLOOM several times from green cardstock and layered the letters. The companion sentiment is from the Carnation stamp set by Mudra Craft Stamps. After stamping in black, I lightly inked the edges with green dye ink.

Here is another look at the completed project.

I had fun making this page. I might just frame it and turn it into a home decor piece instead of putting it in my journal.

Entering this in the following challenges:

Love To Craft Challenge Blog - LTCCB #45 - Anything Goes:

Love To Scrap Challenge Blog - LTSCB #132 - For The Girls:

Color Throwdown #587:

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Spring Mood Board:

The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge:

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

Rainbow Card Challenge - Totally Tiffany...

Hi! Welcome back to the Rainbow Card Challenge. I am here with my inspiration for the April challenge –Totally Tiffany.

Teal is one of my all-time favorite colors and I wanted to make a really special card.

I started with a sheet of dark teal that I adhered to a white card base. With lots of time on hand, I have been revisiting some old techniques. I had some textured fun foam and I decided to make a DIY background stamp with it. I took a piece of sun board and drew a half inch by half inch grid on it with a pencil. I also traced several circles on the fun foam and cut them out with scissors. I adhered the circles to the sun board and allowed it to dry. This is a great technique for making custom backgrounds. You can also die-cut the foam and attach it. You can find some more cards I made with DIY stamps here and here.

I sponged the Hero Arts Unicorn White pigment ink on the stamp and stamped it on the card base. I just love the gorgeous texture that the circles have.

I took a white die-cut circle and stamped the roses from the Sweet Rose stamp set by Mudra Craft Stamps in shades of blue and teal. I also stamped the leaves in green. The sentiment is from the Beautiful Day stamp set by Altenew.

To finish I popped up the stamped circle and the sentiment strip with foam tape and adhered it to the card base. I also rounded the bottom corners with a corner rounder. Here is a look at the completed card.

I just love the bright color and the cheerful polka dots on this card. Here is another look at the card which shows the layering.

I hope you liked my card and are inspired to create something beautiful. Please do visit the Rainbow Card Challenge blog for more inspiration and also to link your cards. Stay safe and stay crafting until next time we meet.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

Uniko Challenge #58 - Spots & Stripes + optional twist Use A Stencil

The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge:

Love,

Nandini

Papercraft Challenge #28...

Hi! Welcome back to April challenge at the Papercraft Challenge blog. With all the craziness that the world is facing right now, we decided to continue with our challenges. Hopefully, this will bring you some relief and joy.

The theme for April is Easter. If you want some inspiration, do visit us at the Papercraft Challenge blog where the DT has a great array of fabulous creations for you. You can also visit the Papercraft Business site for some great tools that can help you take your papercraft business to the next level. Like the awesome Papercraft Business Planner that helps you keep track of your favorite challenges!

Don't forget the great prizes we have for the winner every month. The April Challenge Prize is the Lawn Fawn - Reveal Wheel Easter Egg Add On Die.

I was really stumped for ideas for this card. We don't celebrate Easter and I don't have any bunny stamps. That's when my teamie, Anna Celdran Mahtani, came to my rescue. She made some great suggestions and really helped me out! You can check out her beautiful work here.

I ended up making two cards.

I used the Wreath Turnabout stamp set by Concord & 9th and a bunch of Altebnew Crisp dye inks to create both the cards. I also used the same speckled cream card stock for both cards.

I stamped the wreath three times on the first card. The sentiment is from the Simply Floral stamp set by Mudra Craft Stamps.

I used the flower bouquet on the second card.

The sentiment is from the Leafy Canopy stamp set by Altenew.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

Sisterhood of Crafters - Spring:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes:

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Spring Mood Board:

Cupcake Inspirations CIC 490 - Color Challenge:

Here is another look at both the cards.

I hope you liked my cards and are inspired to create something beautiful. I look forward to your entries in our gallery.

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 business to the next level.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

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

Review of CraftGully Online Store...

Hi! I am here today with a review of some products by Craft Gully, a great craft supplies store based in Goa. I met Kunjal Nirwani, co-founder of Craft Gully through a mutual friend. She was sweet enough to send me a selection of products to try and review.

The very first product I tried was the glue. And I was very impressed by the quality! The glue is very strong, dries quickly and is suitable for paper as well as foam, plastics, etc. Since it dries to a clear, matte finish there are no ugly stains or shiny spots to mar your work. Definitely a winner and a product that is going to be in my stash!

Moving on, the second range that really caught my eye was the Scrappy Tales pattern papers. Kunjal is a graphic designer by training and I fell in love with her beautiful designs. Her floral papers are elegant and pretty. And the monochromatic papers are just gorgeous. I made a very simple, layered card using one of the papers from the Floral Corsage paper pack.

I took some pattern paper, vellum and black cardstock and die-cut all of them using nested banner dies. Here is a closer look at the layering.

You can really see the high quality of the design and paper. The sentiment is from the Birthday Wishes stamp set by Altenew. I stamped it with Versamark and heat embossed with metallic red embossing powder.

Here is another look at the card.

I used the two papers from the Floral Corsage paper pack for my second card as well. This time I created a baby card.

The card has a flap that opens up.

I used the Fishtail Banners Two die set by Lil Inker Designs to cut the opening. I used stamps from the Little One stamp set and the coordinating die for the onesie and the sentiment.

Here is another look at the card.

I used the Monohues Series –Black paper pack for my next card. This pack has really gorgeous papers in black, white and grey. I love the mix of floral and graphic designs. Some of them are perfect for coloring too. I went for a black-n-white card with a pop of teal.

The die is the gorgeous 3D Fantasy Florals die set by Altenew. I used a mix of pattern papers and black cardstock to cut the various layers. Here is a close-up of the flower.

I wanted some teal splatters on the card to tie in with the circle die-cut. So I used the Jamaican Teal chalk paint.

I was pleasantly surprised by how well the teal color shows up on the pitch-black paper! Even when diluted the color is so vivid.

The sentiment is from the Painted Greetings stamp set by Altenew. I stamped it with white pigment ink. I offset the stamp slightly and re-stamped with Versamark and heat embossed with black embossing powder.

To finish, I assembled the card and rounded the bottom corners with a corner rounder. Here is another look at the card.

Entering this card in the following challenge

Just Us Girls Challenge #527:

Timeout Challenge #157 - Birthday:

Craft Gully also has a range of beautiful metallic acrylic paints. They are very shiny and opaque and show up beautifully on black paper.

I created a quick background by dry-brushing the copper paint on a black panel. I stamped one of motifs and sentiments from the Persian Motifs stamp set by Altenew and heat embossed both with metallic copper embossing powder.

I adhered the die-cut circle with glue and added the motif and the sentiment strip popped up on some foam tape.

Here is another look at the card. You can see the beautiful dimension that the foam tape gives.

Entering this card in the CAS Mix Up Card Challenge March 2020. I used metallic copper acrylic paint, stamping and heat embossing.

For my final project, I wanted to test the chalk paints. So I decided to make coasters.

I used washi tape to mask off areas and painted them with the chalk paints. The Creative Genie chalk paints are creamy and have excellent coverage. Though I used two coats, even a single coat is opaque enough to give a good finish. The consistency of the paint is just right to use directly from the bottle. They also dry quickly. So I hardly had to wait between coats. Here is a close-up look of the coasters.

Note the smooth matte finish of the paint. The metallic acrylic paint is also very opaque and has a beautiful, rich sheen.

Once the paint was dry, I again masked off areas and added some stamping with the line stamps from the Painted Flowers stamp set by Altenew. Here are all four coasters.

I had lots of fun playing with the products from Craft Gully. Thanks, Kunjal for sending them to me. I hope you guys enjoyed this review and will give these great products a try. You can check them out here. Here is a final look at all the projects along with the products I used.

Love,

Nandini