Challenges Entries...

Hi! I made two cards as DT inspiration for the current challenge at Make My Monday Challenge #30. The theme is Autumn Leaves / Fall. You can check out the previous post for more details on how I made the card here.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

Just Us Girls #360 – Use Sequins

Time Out Challenge #65

I concentrated on the falling leaves.

CAS-ual Fridays CFC156 – Dimension & Bling

Fashionable Stamping Challenge #115 – Autumnal Colors

The second card is similar to the first, with different colors. 

Entering it in the following challenges:

The Paper Players – PP132

Addicted to CAS – Harvest

Addicted to Stamps Challenge #131 – Trees / Branches&/or Leaves

QKR Stampede Challenge #208 – Fall Colors

Love,

Nandini

Make My Monday Challenge #30...

Hi! The current challenge #30 at Make My Monday Challenge Blog is Autumn Leaves / Fall. This is a bit tough for me as we don't experience autumn in India. So my only reference is Pinterest. Luckily there are many wonderful creations with this theme on Pinterest.

I took my cue from the colors of the foliage and of course leaves.

I started with a piece of watercolor paper and my trusty Camlin photo inks. I put drops of red, orange, green and yellow inks on my craft sheet, sprayed generously with water and then swiped my paper through. I kept up this process till I was happy with the result. Since I used a fairly large piece of paper, I could get two panels out of it. Here is a close up of the watercolor background.

After the piece was dry I stamped various leaf images with Versamark and heat embossed with silver EP by Ranger. The stamp sets are In The Garden and Garden Leaves by Itsy Bitsy. These were recently introduced and are very reasonably priced. After the heat embossing, I used bleach to remove the color from the leaves. This is an interesting technique that I have used before here and here.

After my panel was ready I cut it into two with the Double Stitched Rectangle Dies by our very own Die Cuts And More. These are great dies as they come in a set of 6 with the largest die measuring 5.25" x 4". Their quality is absolutely great and they have the stitching detail on both sides of the cutting line. Here is the second panel.

I mounted the panels on the card base with double sided tape. The sentiment is from the Big, The Bold and The Extras set by Winnie & Walter. I heat embossed it on scraps of black paper with Fluorescent Tickled Pink and Metallic Pink embossing powders by WOW!

I hope you liked my inspiration cards. Be sure to go to the Make My Monday challenge blog and check out the awesome inspiration by rest of the DT.

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

ATSM Challenge #209 - Clean & Simple...

Hi! We have a new challenge up on the Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge blog. This time it is

You can enter any creation as long as it is Clean and Simple. This means that clean and crisp lines, minimal or no embellishments and lots of 'white' space should be used. Though White space does not need to be 'white'. It can be any colour. White space is a term used for the area of your card with no stamping, embellishments etc.

Our lovely sponsor is

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 

Clean and Simple or CAS as it is commonly referred to is my favorite style of card making. Here is the card I created for this challenge.

I started with a piece of water color paper and stamped the images from the Peony Bouquet stamp set by Altenew with Versamark and heat embossed with silver EP. I colored the images with several distress inks, both Ranger and Artistry. Here is a close up of the bloom.

After the inks were dry I cut out the images with the matching dies and then arranged them to my satisfaction. I clicked a picture of the arrangement with my phone. This is a great trick. Especially if you tend to spread out your card making over a couple of day. 

Then it was time to create the base. I was very inspired by the current Stamplorations sketch challenge and decided to follow it. I took a piece of kraft cardstock and used the Die Impression background technique with my Lifestyle Crafts nested circle dies. This technique is explained in detail by Jennifer Mcguire and you can check out the post and the video here. I dabbed the Indian Jamun distress ink by Artistry before running the paper through my Big Shot. The result was a lovely, subtle background of concentric rings. I used another technique by Jennifer Mcguire (tutorial here) to add some silver splatters to my card. I simple flicked some plain water on the card and covered it with silver embossing powder. I then heat set it normally. It does take some time to set the EP, since the water needs to dry. But the effect is gorgeous. Here is a closer look.

I used some thin double sided tape and silver glitter to create the silver strip on the side and mounted the whole thing on a cream card base with foam tape. The sentiment is from the Big, The Bold and The Extras set by Winnie & Walter.

I hope my card inspires you to create something beautiful. Please do check out the Addicted to Stamps and More blog for more inspiration by my super talented and amazing DT teamies. And be sure to add your entries to our gallery here!

Entering my card in the following challenges:

Stamplorations August Sketch Challenge:

Penny Black and More August Challenge - Anything Goes with a Stamp

AAA Cards Game #72
I used two new techniques - die impression background and using water to add splatters and heat embossing.

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

ATSM #207 - Make Your Mark

Hi! A brand new challenge is up at the Addicted to Stamps and More challenge and this week it is

You can Make Your Mark with anything, be it markers, paint, watercolor, chalk, pencils, pens. And don't forget to share what you have used if it isn't obvious.

Our wonderful sponsor this week is

Founded in June 2013, California-based STAMPlorations™ is owned and managed by husband-and-wife team, David & Shery Russ. From just a handful of stamps, we now have 100+ stamp designs, 4 stamp designers, our exclusive line of stencils, and 20 amazing crafters spread across 3 teams who constantly produce gorgeous projects featuring our products. Our clear stamps are perfect for creating CAS, one layer, and mixed media cards, and they can be combined to create a variety of paper crafts. All of our stamps are proudly made in the USA. Our clear stamps are made from the finest, non-yellowing photopolymer resin. Through our stamp line, we hope to encourage crafters of all ages and

experience levels to "Stamp with all your ART!" 

Blog: http://stamplorations.blogspot.ca

Prize: 2 digital images

I made a set of thank you cards for this challenge.

I started with a piece of watercolor paper and stamped the 12 pointed star from the Dodecagram stamp set by Altenew with Versamark ink. I used gold EP to heat emboss. Of course I used my trusty Stampaholic for precise placement and stamped twice to get a really good impression.

I used Nirmal watercolors to paint the stars. I love the intense shades that these colors give. A big thanks to Tejal Mehta-Shah for introducing them to me. You can check out her blog here.

Here is a closer look at one of the cards.

Once the panels were dry, I cut them with the Gina Marie x-cut rectangle dies and stamped the sentiment from the CAS-ual Fridays Wonderful Words set and heat embossed with gold EP. The Stampaholic was again invaluable in helping me position the stamp correctly. I finally mounted the panels with foam tape on a kraft card base and that finished the cards.

I hope you liked my clean and simple cards and are inspired to create something beautiful. You can link up your creation here. And make sure you visit the ATSM blog for more inspiration by my super talented teamies!

Entering the card in the following challenges:

Stamplorations August CAS Card Challenge

Mod Squad Challenge Blog - The Die's The Thing
I used a rectangle die to cut out the panel.

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge: CFC 154 - Time to Color

Just Us Girls #356 - Trend Week

Love,
Nandini

Exciting Announcement...

Hi! I have an exciting announcement to make today. I am now a part of the Make My Monday Challenge Design team! This is a fun blog that hosts bi monthly challenges with really interesting themes and a super talented DT. 

The current challenge #28 is a photo inspiration challenge.

There are so many beautiful elements in this photo that are inspiring! I loved the texture, the pretty colors and the large shell. I was also heavily inspired by Loll Thompson of Stamping With Loll, who creates the most gorgeous CAS cards.

I started with a piece of white card stock that I inked randomly with different distress inks. Then I sprayed it heavily with plain water and sprinkled salt. I let the whole thing air dry overnight. The result was this beautiful swirl of colors. Here is a closeup of the panel.

Rest of the card was super simple. I stamped the sentiment from the Warm Wishes stamp set by Some Odd Girl on black card stock with Versamark and heat embossed with white EP. I mounted the panel with foam tape on a turquoise colored card base, adhered the sentiment strip and added some shells from my stash as the finishing touch.

I hope my card inspires you to create something beautiful! Please do check out the Make My Monday Challenge Blog for more inspiration from my fabulous teamies. You can link your creations to the Make My Monday Challenge #28 here.

I am entering this card in the following challenge:

CAS Mix Up August Challenge

Love,
Nandini