CAS cards swap...

Hi! This is one post I have been waiting a while to upload! In July, I participated in Swap #12 - Clean & Simple cards (CAS cards) by Swap Central India. Each participant had to make 10 CAS note cards. I was very excited as CAS has always been my style. I decided to use this as an opportunity to experiment with as many different techniques as possible.

For my first card I used stamping and crayon masking techniques.

Supplies used are handmade paper in white and purple. Here is a close up.

I used white crayon as a mask and watercolour pencils by Faber Castell to create the background. The basic tutorial for crayon masking is available at Splitcoaststampers. There is another excellent tutorial available at Stamp TV by Gina K. The stamping was done using a Micia stamp set and purple ink by Faber Castell. I used the same ink to stamp a sentiment.

For the second card, I again used stamping.

Supplies used are handmade paper in white and green. Stamping is with Micia stamp set and black Faber Castell ink pad.

Once again I used the crayon resist technique and combined it with die cutting.

My third card was the last one I used stamping on.

Supplies used are red handmade paper and cream cardstock. The red DP is from Chimanlals. 

The stamp set is Micia and I used red Faber Castell ink pad. A length of off white satin ribbon from my stash completed the card.

Since I had already done three cards with stamping, I decided to take a break and use a different technique. So I tried my hand at paper cutting. This is something I have been wanting to try for a long time.

Supplies used are cream cardstock, handmade paper in orange and golden yellow.

I traced the rose from an old Hobby Ideas stencil and cut it with my craft knife. Then I die cut the circle and layered it with a scalloped circle cut from orange paper. A length of golden yellow satin ribbon completed the card.

For the fifth card I used my old Cut 'n Tuc stencil.

Supplies used are handmade paper in pale pink and brown.

For added interest, I die cut a circle after mounting the cut medallion and stamped the sentiment inside the card.

Since I didn't have a coordinating ribbon in my stash, I cut a thin strip of the brown paper and added it at the bottom. Some pretty rhinestones in pink completed the card.

For the sixth card, I decided to go for a radical change. Normally CAS cards are associated with a white or light base. I used black and gold instead. And I used a technique with sequins that I have used extensively when I used to make gift envelopes and tags for sale.

Supplies used are cardstock in black and gold and a scrap of the red DP. I drew vertical lines on a piece of gold paper with an orange glitter pen. Then I stuck red and green sequins for a festive touch.

The red DP was punched with a border punch and placed below the gold panel. I used the Faber Castell red ink pad to stamp the sentiment. The final touch was rounding the corners.

Since I was happy with the look of sequins, I decided to use it on my seventh card as well. But this time I wanted a more subtle look.

Supplies used are handmade paper in red and antique gold. This time I alternated scored lines with red glitter pen. The sequins are almost the same shade as the paper and give a lovely look.

Some quilled flowers and punched leaves placed atop a green satin ribbon completed the card.

For my eighth card I decided to go back to my old favourite, teabag folding. I had used a similar design previously in this card.


You can find that post here.

This time round I used a more subdued palette.

Supplies used are handmade paper in cream and red. The red DP is, of course, from Chimanlals.

I used the arrow fold and six squares of paper to construct the fan. Half pearls in gold and a bit of cord completed the fan.

The sentiment was stamped with Faber Castell's red ink pad.

The idea for my ninth card came from this beautiful card by Angela Maine that I saw on Pinterest.

My take on it is this.

Supplies used are handmade paper in white and blue.

Luckily I had the same Cuttlebug die. To make the card pop a bit more, I used blue rhinestones from my stash. I drew the stems with a green gel pen. The sentiment was stamped with a green sketch pen.

The tenth and final card is my favourite. I cased another fabulous card. The original is by Brigit, who does really amazing work!

Isn't it gorgeous? You can find her blog here.

My take on it is this

Supplies used are orange handmade paper and cardstock in green and cream.

I used my Itsy Bitsy embossing folder on the orange paper. I cut away the cream paper to reveal the green paper underneath. The flowers were punched out of cream cardstock  I outlined them with an orange sketch pen for more definition. The white half pearls were the final touch.

I used a green sketch pen to ink and stamp the sentiment.

With that I come to the end of this loooong post! Here is a pic of all my cards


I had a lot of fun making these cards. It was great trying out new techniques as well as revisiting some old ones.

Hope all of you liked the cards as much as I did. Looking forward to listening from you.

Love,
Nan

Hair bands and their holder...

Hi! Monsoons are here and the weather is nice and cool. Definitely a conducive atmosphere to pursue creative endeavors!

My daughter had to attend a birthday party today. She was very excited. But I had a problem. What to gift to the birthday girl? It is such a tough decision nowadays when all kids seem to have everything and also have very clear likes and dislikes. Then I got a brainwave. I decided to make something that has been on my mind a lot lately.

A hairband holder...



Because I am going crazy keeping track of my daughter's hairbands. They are everywhere! With a proper hairband holder, they can all stay in one place neatly organized. And we don't have to hunt through the house every time we need one.

The supplies used are grosgrain ribbons in red, orange and green, felt in yellow and brown, green suede, black half pearls and embroidery floss in red and white. I backed the whole thing with some stiff matty cloth. Since I could not find any interesting references for the design, I made it up along the way.



The biggest compliment I got was from my husband who has asked me to make one for my daughter too.

Going back a bit, I would like to share the main reason for this epidemic of hairbands in the house. The culprit is the Bigshot which I bought some time back. One of the main reasons I invested in it was that it can cut circles and it works with a variety of materials, including felt.

I love working with felt as it is extremely versatile. And since it is available in many colours, the possiblities are endless. This wall hanging I had made sometime back and shared in a previous post should give you some idea

So when the Bigshot came I decided to try cutting some circles and made them up in to a hairband



My daughter loved it. So, armed with my faithful Bigshot and glue gun I started making them for her and her friends

This one combines fabric and felt

I have a huge stock of kundan left over from the days when I used to make stuff for exhibitions. So I tried using some of them, with great results

Some simple satin ribbon which can be woven into a braid and attached to a hairband gives a beautiful look

Change the type of ribbon to grosgrain and you have completely different look

I also found this to be a good gifting option. Specially when guests come over at a short notice.

These clips were made for my three nieces.

A special gift for my daughter's best friend who requested the colours to match her new outfit.

I also have a large stash of fabrics, since I enjoy quilting and sewing as well. So it was time to delve into the leftover scraps.

Some bright red and yellow fabric cut into circles and folded to form flowers

Top with co-ordinating buttons and you are ready to go

The same concept with a larger flower

Embellished with leaves hand cut from green suede and felt and an orange button

Another way of using grosgrain ribbon, for a simple and elegant look



And finally, one of my favourite techniques, quilling



A single flower, embellished with a dark pink gem and attached to a matching hairband.

That concludes this looong post on hair accessories and their holder.

Hope you enjoyed it. I certainly enjoyed making them!

Love,
Nan

Multi-fold note cards swap - Spring fold cards

Hi! Finally getting down to posting the cards that I made for the Multi-fold Note Card Swap at Swap Central India. Must say those gals come up with interesting challenges. Looking forward to their next now.

I had so much fun making these cards and I learned lots too! When I started working on this swap, I was determined to make each card different. I also had a strong resolve to use up stuff I already had and not buy new supplies. Though I did cheat a bit on that as I ended up buying some handmade paper for the card bases. But most of it I made from existing supplies. So I am proud of myself on that count.

Now for the challenge - make total 20 note cards each measuring 4 x 4 inches and using 5 different folds. So 4 note cards per fold.

The first fold I used was the Spring Fold. I used the tutorial at Splitcoaststampers for Spring Card.

I used teabag folding for the first card

Supplies used are handmade paper in pale and dark pink, pattern paper in pale pink and half pearls, all sourced locally.

The dark pink paper was embossed using an embossing folder from Itsy Bitsy.

I used quilling for the next card...

Supplies used, handmade paper in green, beige and cream, quilling strips in green and yellow and green gems.

I embossed the beige paper using the embossing folder from Itsy Bitsy. I used the Bigshot to cut the circles and mounted it on double sided tape for some dimension. Used the quilling strips to make a four leaf clover. Some small green gems completed the card.

For the third card, I went with a baby theme. The inspiration came from Hazeldesign, a pic I found thru' Pinterest

My take on this, using paper piecing

Supplies used, handmade paper in light and dark blue, white and pale pink, scraps of green and orange paper which I punched using an oval punch and a bit of blue ribbon.

The circles and the swirls were cut using the Bigshot. I made the eyes and hair using a black Fabrica Coneliner.

The fourth and final Spring card is my favorite. I love drinking coffee. So I decided to make a card with that theme.

The brown card stock and the cream speckled paper are from Chimanlals. I really love the speckled paper, it has such a nice look. I ran that thru' the embossing folder from Itsy Bitsy. The brown swirls on the side were my daughter's idea. And I must say they do give a nice finish to the card!

I cut a scalloped circle and made a circular window in it. To get the lacy edge, used a single hole punch on each scallop. The coffee mug is rolled piece of paper shaped by hand and distressed with red ink on both ends. 

I had to put in a bit of thought to get the smoke curls right. Finally, I die cut swirls from a piece of OHP sheet. Then I covered it with Hobby Ideas No-stitch Fabric Glue to get a translucent effect. When it was dry, I simply ran my black any surface marker over the edges and glued it in place.

So these were the four Spring Cards I made

And a close up of all four cards.

That's all for now. I'll be back later with more cards from the swap.

Love,
Nan