Craftyscrappers Challenge #16...

Hi! I completely forgot to post this card on my blog! It is the my last card as DT for the Craftyscrappers blog and I am sad that my term is ending. I have made wonderful friends here and generally had a great time. A special thanks to Konica Das, the owner of Craftscrappers who is the sweetest person ever, for giving me the opportunity to design my own stamps.

The theme for challenge #16 is CAS, my all time favorite style of card making. Here is the card I made.

This is a one layer card. I simply took a top folding black card base and randomly stamped the circles from the Doodly Blooms stamp set with Versamark. I heat embossed using gold, silver, copper and platinum EPs. 

The sentiment is from the Lotus stamp set. 

I hope you like my card and are inspired to create something beautiful. Please do link your creations to our gallery here. And don't forget to visit the Craftyscrappers blog for some great inspiration by rest of the talented DT.

Love,
Nandini

Craftyscrappers Challenges...

Hi! We are back with our challenges on Craftyscrappers after a break. Our first challenge is an easy one - Anything Goes.

I used the stencils that came with my DT pack to create two cards. Stencils are part of the new release and let me tell you they are fabulous! They are sturdy and flexible which makes them very easy to use. Also they have a large hole at the top. So storage is very easy. And the designs are fabulous. So is the size at 6.5" x 6.5". I have always loved stencils, from my college days when we used to hand cut them out of plastic sheets. Here are my cards.

I started with two pieces of colored cardstock, one green and one blue. I used a beautiful ink layering  technique by Jennifer McGuire to create my panels. You can find the video tutorial here. I used the white pigment ink from the Colorbox Paintbox pigment ink pad set first and then used the Artistry distress inks Amazon Trails and Ocean Reef. Here is a closer look at the cards.

The cardstock was pale blue. I sponged the white ink first and then moved the stencil up slightly. Then sponged the blue ink. Here is a close up of the panel.

I used the Arrow stencil (CS-STNL-06) and the sentiment from the Lotus stamp set (ST-FLW-09) designed by me.

Here is the second card

I used a light green cardstock for this card. Here is a closer look at the panel.

I used the Victorian stencil (CS-STNL-07) and the sentiment from the Lotus stamp set (ST-FLW-09) again.

The sentiment panels were cut using the Gina Marie X stitched circle dies. I used Memento dewdrop inks to stamp the sentiments using my trusty Stampaholic.

Hope you like my cards. Please do check out the Craftyscrappers blog for more amazing inspiration.

Love,
Nandini

Craftyscrappers Challenge #14 Inspiration...

Hi! The theme for the Craftyscrappers Challenge #14 is new technique. Here is the set of cards that I made with inlaid die cutting. Though I have tried this technique with shapes, this is the first time I made it with a sentiment die.

I started with three pieces of white panels cut with the Stitched Rectangle dies by Die Cuts and More. I stamped the images with a mix of Altenew and Memento dewdrops inks. The stamp set is from Craftyscrappers called Gratitude. It is a beautiful set with lovely images and some great sentiments. I stamped the top layer with Versamark and heat embossed with gold, silver and copper EPs by Ranger and Wow!.

After my stamped panels were finished, I used the Hand-lettered Hello die by Wplus9 to die cut the sentiment out from two of the panels. I also cut 5 out of white card stock. I adhered the white sentiments and then topped them with the sentiments cut from the stamped panel. I also cut three sentiments out of silver and gold metallic paper. Here are close ups of the cards with details on how I made the card bases.

I ran the kraft card base through my Big Shot with the Woven Next Level embossing folder by WRMK. I love the amazing texture that this embossing folder creates. Here is a closeup of the stamped panel.

I mounted the panel on the card base and added a sentiment in gold metallic paper.

Entering this card in to the following challenges:
CAS(E) this Sketch #204

CAS-ual Fridays - CFC165

I kept the next card very simple.

I used some handmade paper on the card base and adhered the stamped panel on it. Here is a closer look at the panel.

The sentiment is cut from some textured silver paper.

The last card is made with Altenew inks. I wanted to create an ombre effect.

I used a white card base and colored it with direct to paper technique. The sentiment is cut from silver metallic paper.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

CASology Week 232: Cut

AAA Cards: CAS Game #81 - Hello

The Card Concept: CC#65
I was inspired by the combo of the pink band on white.

So here are my three cards and I hope they inspire you to create something beautiful. Looking forward to seeing your entries in our gallery. There are some fab prizes for the winners.

Love,
Nandini

Craftscrappers Challenge #13...

Hi! It is the 1st of the month and that means there is a new challenge on the Craftyscrappers Challenge blog. With the onset of cooler temperatures, we decided to challenge you with a winter theme. And to make it more interesting, we have photo collage to inspire you.

Please create a project inspired by any of the elements from the collage. Also specify what has inspired you, we would love to hear that. And don't forget to link you creations. You could be one of the lucky winner to win amazing prizes from the CRAFTYSCRAPPERS SHOP. Visit the Craftyscrappers Challenge blog for more details and also the gorgeous creations that my teamies have created to inspire you.

I was very inspired by the large snowflake and the beautiful backgrounds in the collage. Here is the my inspiration card.

I took a piece of white card stock and smooshed it with blue and pink acrylic paints. I added some gold paint to the water that I used for smooshing to get a lovely gold shimmer to the background. I the used the beautiful Starry Borders stamp set by Craftyscrappers and Ranger's Silver EP to create a background. 

I trimmed the panel to size and die cut a panel with the Double Stitched Rectangle die by Die Cuts & More. I popped that up by layering 5 more diecut panels. The sentiment is from an older set by Craftyscrappers and I just love it! I stamped it with Versamark and heat embossed with Wow! Opaque White EP.

As the final touch, I die cut three snowflakes from the Snow Flakes die set by Nagashri Arts. I heat embossed them with platinum, silver and holographic EPs and adhered them around the sentiment.

I hope you like my card and are inspired to create something beautiful. Looking forward to seeing your creations in our gallery.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

TGIF Challenges - tgifc #83
I decided to CASE the very first card I saw on Cathy's blog, In The Cat Cave. I was very inspired by the lovely snowflakes and the heat embossed background. Since I didn't have any snowflake stamps, I created a starry background with heat embossing and added die cut snowflakes.

Freshly Made Sketches #265

Mod Squad Challenge - Holiday Dimension

SIP Challenge 76 - Embossing

Love,
Nandini

Craftyscrapper Challenge #11...

Hi! The new Craftyscrappers challenge is up. With Diwali just around the corner I am sure you have guessed what the challenge is. We want to see your creations for Diwali this time around in our gallery.

Our sponsor for the challenge is:

Participating in the challenge can let you stand a chance to win amazing prizes as defined below:

• FIRST WINNER: a clear stamp set along with craft goodies.
• SECOND WINNER: assorted die cuts.
• THIRD WINNER: assorted embossed cards pack.

This is the card I created for this challenge:

I put rows of thin double sided tape on a piece of white card stock, peeled off alternate backing papers and poured some orange glitter over it. After tapping off the excess and buffing it into the tape, I repeated the process with pale blue glitter. The result is a beautiful, glittery panel. 

I stamped one of the images from the Persian Motifs stamp set by Altenew on some watercolor paper with Versamark and heat embossed with Platinum EP by WOW! I used Abandoned Coral and Broken China distress inks for coloring my image. To add some shimmer on the image, I tried a trick which worked wonderfully. I diluted Metallic Silver acrylic paint by Hobby Ideas and applied a thin coat over the image. This paint is rather watery and dries translucent. It is a great and economical way to add shimmer if you don't have the Wink of Stella pen. Here is a closeup:

The sentiment is from Craftyscrappers. I stamped it with Versamark on a piece of black paper and heat embossed with Platinum EP. 

I adhered the glittery panel to a orange card base that I had in my stash. I cut a circle out of some translucent paper with the X cut Stitched Circle dies by Gina Marie and added it behind the sentiment panel. I trimmed the sentiment panel and adhered it directly to the card base. The colored image was die cut with the coordinating die. I added dimension to it by cutting out four more die cuts from scrap card stock and staking them together. Here is a closer look at the card.

The final touch was the addition of some white half pearls from my stash.

I hope you liked my card and are inspired to create something beautiful. I look forward to seeing your creations in our gallery. Please do visit the Craftyscrappers blog for some amazing inspiration by my super talented team mates. You can post your creations on FaceBook at Craftscrappers Craft Challenges or email us the entries at craftyscrappers@gmail.com. 

Entering my card in the following challenges:

HLS October CASE the Designer Challenge - Brigit Norton:

I was inspired by the way the colors on the bird echo the colors of the background, the die cut highlighting the focus image and the sentiment on a black strip.

Ranganjali October Challenge - Traditional

STAMPlorations October CAS Challenge:

CAS Colors and Sketches Challenge #195:

Love,

Nandini

Craftyscrappers Challenge #10...

Hi! The new Craftyscrappers challenge is on and theme is Women Power. Today is the first day of Navratri, a festival celebrating the goddess Durga and her victory over evil. To celebrate this auspicious occasion, we want you to make feminine cards for the women in your life.

Our sponsor for this challenge is 

Craftyscrappers is a great e-shop selling high quality die cuts, stamps and embellishments at very pocket friendly rates.

You could be the lucky winner to win amazing prizes from our CRAFTYSCRAPPERS SHOP

FIRST WINNER: a clear stamp set along with craft goodies.

SECOND WINNER: assorted die cuts.

THIRD WINNER: assorted embossed cards pack.

I made a card for a dear friend whose birthday falls in October. Since she loves bright colors, I chose a vivid card base combined with pretty flowers.

I started with a pre-stamped die cut from Craftyscrappers. It is very handy to have these on hand, especially if you are not a confident stamper or don't have a lot of stamps. Since the image is precut there is no bother of fussy cutting. I used distress inks to color the image.

I chose a bright blue card base and embossed it with the WRMK Next Level embossing folder. I cut a frame out of the same paper with DCAM's Double Stitched Rectangles dies. These dies are great since they have stitching on both sides of the cutting line. And the quality is amazing. Here is a close up.

The sentiment is from the Lotus Delight stamp set by Peek-a-boo Designs. I stamped it with Versamark and heat embossed with WOW! white EP. To assemble, I popped up the frame and the image with some double sided tape. 

I hope you like my card. Please be sure stop by the Craftyscrappers blog and check out the amazing inspiration by my super talented teamies.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

Freshly Made Sketches #256

Color Throwdown #412

Love,

Nandini

Craftyscrappers Craft Challenge #9...

Hi! The Craftyscrappers Crafty Challenge #9 is back with a new challenge. This is a easy one - Anything Goes. So you can create anything you wish - only the sky and your creativity is the limit!

Our sponsor for this challenge is 

Craftyscrappers is a great e-shop selling high quality die cuts, stamps and embellishments at very pocket friendly rates.

You could be the lucky winner to win amazing prizes from our CRAFTYSCRAPPERS SHOP

FIRST WINNER: a clear stamp set along with craft goodies.

SECOND WINNER: assorted die cuts.

THIRD WINNER: assorted embossed cards pack.

I made a birthday card using loads of die cuts for this challenge.

My starting point was the beautiful die cut window frame that was a part of my DT kit. Here are the supplies that I started with. 

I used the Tulips die set by Impression Obsession to get a bunch of flowers out of white card stock and the Sizzix Floral Wreath set to get some foliage. I then colored them with sketch pens. I also traced the die cut window onto a kraft card stock and cut it out with a craft knife. The stamp set is also from Craftyscrappers. It has loads of beautiful sentiments perfect for every occasion.

I changed the color of the die cut by applying Versamark and then heat embossing it with Ranger's Sea Foam White EP. I applied several coats to get a sturdy die cut with a lovely texture. Here is the die cut after heat embossing.

After I had finished my flowers and the window, it was time to assemble my card.

I used some red tacky tape that Shalini Mittal of Crafters Corner was kind enough to send to adhere a piece of acetate to my aperture panel. This tape is super strong and perfect for this kind of work. I then adhered the die cut window to the front of the card. I added some dark brown paper behind the die cut on the card base and added the aperture panel mounted on foam tape. 

I added the flowers and foliage die cuts and finally added the window box which also doubles as the sentiment panel. Here is a close up.

For the window box I cut a scrap piece of kraft card stock and shaped it. I then stamped and heat embossed the sentiment. I also added some texture by simply laying down my Tim Holtz Wood Grain stencil and tracing through it with my embossing pen.

I hope you like my card and are inspired to create something lovely. Please link up your to our challenge and maybe you will be one of the lucky winners! Looking forward to seeing you in our gallery.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

Penny Black and More September Challenge - Add a Sentiment

Mod Squad Challenge Blog - What's That You Say?

The Card Concept #57 - Rainbow Connection
I made a Clean and Layered card. The hanging baskets remind me of the multicolored tulips that I have used on the card.

Love,

Nandini

Craftyscrappers Challenge #8...

Hi! The Craftscrappers Challenges are back after a break. We are a bi monthly challenge now. We will choose three winners who will get goodie bags from Craftyscrappers.

Since Teacher's Day falls on 5th September, we want you to make creations with your teachers in mind. You can make anything - cards, tags, bookmarks etc. Please post your beautiful creations on the Craftyscrappers Craft Challenges Face Book page.

I made a Thank You card for this challenge.

I used a new-to-me technique called Ink Layering. The original post is by Jennifer Mcguire and you can check it out here. I have put together a short tutorial which I find will be helpful.

I started with a piece of kraft card stock which I attached to my stencil with washi tape. The stencil is Peonies All Over by Stamplorations.

Then I used an ink blending foam and applied Hero Arts White Unicorn ink. The result was a beautiful white pattern on the paper. Honestly I was tempted to leave it as is!

Next I reattached the stencil but offset it slightly and used my Camlin brush pens to apply color through the stencil.

Here is the final panel after removing the stencil.

And a close up of the final. Doesn't it look like little jewels?

Rest of the card was super simple. I trimmed and then mounted the panel on a black card base. The sentiment is from Wonderful Words by CAS-ual Fridays. I stamped it with Versamark and Heat embossed with white EP. I used a ready die cut from Craftyscrappers for the sentiment. These die cuts are available at Craftyscrappers in a large variety of shapes and sizes. They are high quality and make a crafter's life so much easier! I simply grabbed the die cut, colored it with Memento Black Tuxedo ink, stamped my sentiment and heat embossed.

This time I also decorated the inside of the card.

I simply put the stencil over the cream paper and traced the design with a black pen.

I hope you are inspired by my card to create something beautiful. Please make sure to visit the Craftyscrappers Craft Challenges Face Book page for more details. You will also find more gorgeous inspiration by my talented teamies. And remember to enter your creations in the challenge. It ends on 15th September and the winners will get a goodie bag from Craftyscrappers.

Entering the card in the following challenges:

Craft Stamper Take It Make It Challenge: September - Anything Goes
I have stamped the sentiment

Creative Friday #161 - Anything Goes

NBUS Challenge #7
I have had the stencil for a very long time and used it for the first time.

Sweet Stampin Challenge - No DSP

AAA Cards Game #72 - New To You Technique
First time I used the Ink Layering technique

Love,
Nandini