30 Days Coloring Challenge - Day #2

Hi! I used the Hero Arts Delicate Blossoms stamp set and the Camlin Artists Watercolours. This is my first attempt at the artsy watercolor technique. I tried to follow the video tutorial by Erum Tasnim. 

Love,

Nandini

30 Days Coloring Challenge - Day #1

 Hi! I used the Hero Arts Delicate Blossoms stamp set and my Zigs.

Love,

Nandini

Make My Monday Challenge #85...

Hi! Today the new challenge is up at the Make My Monday challenge blog. The theme this time is to use non-traditional Christmas colors in your creations. An easy and fun theme that everyone can participate in. Here is the card I made.

I started with a piece of watercolour paper and smooshed some yellow, orange and pink distress inks with an acrylic block. I added some ink splatters with the same inks and let the panel dry completely. I die cut the panel and stamped the sentiment from the Christmas Trimmings stamp set by Hero Arts. I popped up the panel on some foam tape and adhered it to a bright yellow card base. I die cut some snowflakes from white paper and adhered them to the card. To finish, I added some white half pearls.

Here is a closer look at the card.

This card came together very quickly and I love the end result. It is a bit like Holi meets Christmas actually!

Entering this card in the following challenge.

Aud Sentiments #217 - Christmas/Winter Sentiment

Love,
Nandini

Make My Monday #84...

Hi! The new challenge is up at the Make My Monday challenge blog. The theme this time is Winter Foliage. I decided to use the Kaleidoscope technique that Jennifer Mcguire shared some time back. You can find the original post here. She used the wreath builder stencil by Gina K to create her cards. Since I don't have it, I created my own template. Here is the card I made.

I used the Autumn Splendor stamp set by Sunny Studio and the Christmas Trimmings stamp & cut set by Hero Arts along with a bunch of inks from Altenew, Memento and Wendy Vecchi for the stamping. The process takes a bit of time and I had to figure out the placement etc. But once I got it, the stamping went pretty fast. And I love the results! I made another card today using the same technique which I will share later this week.

Here is a close up of the card.

The sentiment is from the Christmas Decors set by Mudra Craft Stamps. I first heat embossed with white EP and then added another layer with Ranger's Enchanted Gold to give it some shine.

I hope you liked my card and are inspired to create something beautiful. Please do visit the Make My Monday challenge blog for more inspiration from my talented teammates and to link your creations.

Entering my card in the following challenges.

Incy Wincy Designs - Christmas:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Make Your Own Background:

Love,
Nandini

Entry for Challenge...

Hi! I forgot to add the link to the A Blog Named Hero challenge - Sparkle And Shine in my post. So here it is.

This is first of the Diwali cards for this year.

I used the Hero Arts Large Petal background stamp with silver embossing powder. Rest of the details on the original post here.

Here is a closer look at the card.

Love,
Nandini

Addicted To Stamps And More #308

Hi! I am back with some inspiration for the current Addicted To Stamps And More challenge #308. The theme this time is

I made a card for Diwali which is coming up in November. I am planning to start early since last year it was a mad rush to get the cards done and posted.

I created a background on a piece of watercolour paper with my Zigs and a damp brush. I love working with the Zigs as they are easy to use and have gorgeous, vibrant colours. Once the panel was dry, I stamped the Large Petal background stamp by Hero Arts with Versamark ink and heat embossed with silver embossing powder. The sentiment is from the Diwali Sentiment mini stamp by Mudra Craft Stamps. I stamped it on a piece of black cardstock and heat embossed with silver embossing powder.

To finish I die cut the coloured panel with DCAM Stitched Rectangles die and popped it up on a black card base with foam tape. I trimmed the sentiment panel and also added it to the card with foam tape.

Here is a closer look at the card.

I hope you liked my card 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 challenge:

Cupcake Inspirations CIC453:

Love,

Nandini

Make My Monday Challenge #48...

Hi! I am back with a fresh new challenge at the Make My Monday blog. This time the theme is 'At The Beach'. Whenever I visit a beach I am always fascinated by the cute little crabs that run around in the sand. So I decided to make a card using a crab image.

I used an old Itsy Bitsy stamp set that has several cute sea creatures and stamped on a watercolor paper with Versamark. I heat embossed using black EP by Wow!. Originally I planned to use my watercolors to do the coloring. But then I came across this great tutorial by Julia Altermann of Just One More Card where she demonstrated a technique of using regular sketch pens to do the coloring of images. I decided to use my Camlin Brush Pens. And I loved the results! Here is a close-up of the panel.

I kept rest of the card super simple. I used the sketch from CAS(E) This Sketch. The sentiment is from the Woodland Creatures stamp set by Hero Arts. I stamped it with Versamark and heat embossed with white EP by Wow!.

I hope you are inspired to create something beautiful by my card. You can link up your creations to our gallery here. And don't forget to visit the Make My Monday blog for some amazing inspiration by my fellow DT.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

CAS(E) This Sketch #225:

STAMPlorations June CAS Card Challenge:

Cardz 4 Guys Challenge #171 - Something Blue:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Make It Masculine:

Sparkles Monthly Challenge #92 - Four or More Legs:

Love,
Nandini

First post for Nagashri Arts...

Hi! I am on the Nagashri Arts blog with two cards made with the Vintage Leaf dies, which are proudly made in India.

Visit the blog for a quick tutorial on how I made these cards. And don't forget to visit the Nagashri Arts store for all your craft needs. Because any body can craft!

Love,
Nandini

Make My Monday Challenge #34...

Hi! The latest challenge at the Make My Monday Challenge blog is Get Well. I made a quick, one layer card with very limited supplies while I was in Goa on a holiday. Proof that you don't need a whole lot of stuff to create a card!

I carried a white card base, my trusty Stampaholic, the Dogs stamp set by Inkadinkado, Blackboard mini ink pads set by Hero Arts and a couple of dew drop pads by Memento to Goa. 

I started by stamping the largest image from the stamp set with black ink. I stamped three times to get a good, solid coverage. I then masked the image and started with the sentiment. The technique for creating sentiment backdrops is by Jennifer Mcguire and you can find her wonderful post here.

I first used the Memento Rose Bud ink to stamp the sentiment. I then simply moved the card base by half inch increments to stamp using Charcoal and Granite inks for an ombre look. The whole process must have taken me less than 30 minutes!

I hope you liked this simple card. Make sure to visit the Make My Monday Challenge blog for more inspiration and to link up your entries.

Love,
Nandini

Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge #217...

Hi! The latest challenge at Addicted To Stamps and More is

Our wonderful sponsors are 

QKR Stampede and Eureka Stamps was purchased by Stamp On It in 2013 from the state of Colorado and moved to its new home in Michigan! We(Stamp On It) had its humble beginnings over 25 years ago and is now a mobile(on-the-road) family owned and operated business. We travel coast to coast and attend as a vendor over 25 retail stamping and scrapping shows each year. 

Blog: http://eurekastamps.blogspot.ca

Prize: 3 digital images 

Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps And More is proud to sponsor of Addicted to Stamps and More. 

Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps And More, a division of I Did It Creations, was created and is owned by Robyn Weinrib. 

Robyn offers a wonderful variety of digital stamps and digital papers, designed to meet the needs of all digital paper crafting addicts for every occasion. 

Website: http://robynsfetish.com

Prize: 3 digital images (does not include designer papers)

I created two masculine cards for this challenge.

I started with a piece of white card stock on which I stamped a plaid pattern using Hero Arts and Memento inks and the Plaid Background Builder set by My Favorite things. Once my plaid panel was ready, I die cut it using the X cut stitched rectangle dies along with some red and black handmade papers. I used the Hip Hip stamp set by Kaisercraft to stamp two sentiment blocks with Versamark and heat embossed it with black & silver EPs. I simply layered the die cut panels and my cards were ready. I added some tiny black die cuts as embellishments as the final touch.

Here is the close up of the first card:

I used the tiny stars cut with the Confetti die by Mama Elephant to accent the card. The plaid panel is popped up with foam tape.

I used the hearts cut with the Confetti die by Mama Elephant. I popped up the sentiment panel and the plaid frame with foam tape this time.

I hope you like these simple cards. Please do visit the ATSM blog for more fabulous inspiration and don't forget to link up your creations to our gallery.

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

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