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 #79...

Hi! The new Make My Monday challenge is up. This week's theme is New York, New York. You can create anything inspired by New York - skylines, yellow taxis, the statue of liberty. The list is endless! I decided to concentrate on the iconic yellow and black taxi cabs that this city is known for. I did not want to make my card too literal. So I just used the colours on my card.

I took a piece of watercolour paper and coloured it with two shades of yellow Zigs. I blended the colours with water to create an ombre look. I stamped the large bunch of flowers from the Fresh Cut Roses stamp by Mudra Craft Stamps towards the top of the panel with Versafine Onyx Black ink. The sentiment is from the Painted Greetings stamp set by Altenew. I trimmed the panel on the sides and mounted it on a black card base with foam tape.

Here is a closer look at the card.

I just love the clean look of this card and I think I will make a set with different colours of the background.

I hope you like my card and are inspired to create something beautiful. Please do check out the Make My Monday blog for more gorgeous inspiration by my talented teammates. You can also link your entries to our gallery here.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

The Twisted Challenges TTC#4 - Celebrations + Monochrome:

The Sisterhood of Crafters - Bloomin' Flowers:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes:

Less Is More Challenge #379 - Black & White + One More Colour:

Love,

Nandini

Addicted To Stamps And More #306...

Hi! I am here today with some inspiration for the current Addicted To Stamps And More challenge #306. The theme this time is

These cards are a continuation of my previous set of cards. I made 50 cards that I for a friend. His friend also liked the cards. But he wanted 'Thank You' cards. So I tweaked the design and used up the pieces of rainbow paper that were left over. You can see the original cards here.

I started with a piece of cream cardstock. I painted diagonal stripes in rainbow order with Camlin photo inks. I love these for their intense colours and quick drying. Once the inks were dry, I diluted some gold acrylic paint and splattered it over the sheets.

I used the Dotted Florals background stamp by Impression Obsession with the Rocky Shore ink by Altenew to stamp on the cream card base. This gives a light texture without overwhelming or clashing with the rainbow panels. I adhered strips of cream and gold marbled handmade paper to the card base. I added the strips of rainbow paper popped up with foam tape. The Thanks die is by My Favorite Things. I die cut it out of black cardstock and adhered it directly to the rainbow strip.

To finish I rounded the corners with my corner rounder.

I hope you liked my cards 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 challenges:

Time Out Challenges #116:

TGIF Challenges - #tgifc173:

Love,

Nandini

Addicted To Stamps And More #304...

Hi! I am here today with some inspiration for the current Addicted To Stamps And More challenge #304.

These cards are part of an order for 50 cards that I made for a friend. I was definitely looking for something quick and simple and I love the way these turned out.

I started with a piece of cream cardstock. I painted diagonal stripes in rainbow order with Camlin photo inks. I love these for their intense colours and quick drying. Once the inks were dry, I diluted some gold acrylic paint and splattered it over the sheets.

I used the Text Block Birthday die by Papertrey Ink to die cut the coloured panels. I adhered these to some cream and gold marbled handmade paper and popped them up with foam tape.
I used the Dotted Florals background stamp by Impression Obsession with the Sand Dunes ink by Altenew to stamp on the cream card bases. This gives a light texture without overwhelming or clashing with the rainbow sentiment panels. 

Here is a closer look at one of the cards.

I hope you liked my cards 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 challenges:

Happy Little Stampers August CAS Challenge:

Addicted To CAS #142:

Create Something Catchy August Challenge - Watercolour:

I used photo inks to colour the rainbow sentiment panel.

Love,
Nandini

Make My Monday #77...

Hi1 I am here today with some inspiration for the current challenge at the Make My Monday blog. The theme this time is very interesting - Oriental.

The first thing that came to my mind was the Japanese art of origami. I have always been a huge fan of this and decided to incorporate it into my cards.

I started with a piece of pattern paper from my stash. This is actually a gorgeous gift wrap with gold accents. I followed a wonderful tutorial for the Origami Crane Card I found on YouTube by Origami 4ik. You can find it here. 

I took a piece of paper that was 5 inches long and card bases that measured 4.25 x 5.5 inches. After folding I adhered the cranes to the card bases. The sentiments are both from Pinkfresh Studio stamps, first from Say It With Florals and second from Let's Celebrate. I stamped them with Versamark and heat embossed with gold embossing powder.

I hope you find my cards inspiring and create something beautiful. Please don't forget to visit our blog at Make My Monday for more fabulous inspiration and also to link your creations. I look forward to seeing your creations in our gallery.

Entering this card in the following challenge:

Pixie's Snippets Playground Challenge #332:
The pattern paper was left over after I made this card as part of my Altenew Educator Certification Program.

Love,
Nandini

Addicted To Stamps And More #302...

Hi! I am back with another inspiration card for the Addicted To Stamps And More challenge blog. 

Your entry MUST contain the use of anything that can make a mark - Stampin' Write, Copics, Promarkers, Painting, Chalks, Watercolours, Sponges, Stencils, Masks etc.

I decided to pull out my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens and use them with stencils.

I taped the Floral Abstract stencil by Mudra Craft Stamps to a piece of watercolour paper. I applied two shades of each colour through the stencil and quickly blended it with a damp brush. Once the stencilling was done, I removed it and let the panel dry completely. Here is a closer look at the panel.

Rest of the card was super simple. I simply die cut the layers and then adhered them to a turquoise card base.

Hope you liked my card and are inspired to create something beautiful. You can link your creations to our gallery at the Addicted To Stamps And More challenge blog. You can also visit the blog for some amazing inspiration from my very talented teammates. Looking forward to seeing you in our gallery.

Entering my card in the following challenges:

Just Us Girls #450:

Allsorts Challenge Week 476/477 - Flowers All Over

Love,

Nandini

Product Review for Itsy Bitsy...

Hi! I am here today to do another product review for Itsy Bitsy. You can find my previous reviews here and here. I am reviewing a total of four products today.

I had picked up the Mixed Media Paste and Embossing Texture Paste some time ago. I found both these work very well with the Sparkle Paste and Mica Powder. So I decided to review all four products.

My first two cards are like a twofer. I wanted to see the difference between using Sparkle Paste versus Mica Powder. I started with two pieces of white cardstock. I blended distress oxide inks on both. I covered the panels with a stencil and applied Black Soot and Faded Jeans distress oxide inks through it. Without removing the stencil, I added Sparkle Paste to one with a palette knife. On the other panel, I brushed a the Mica Powder with an old make-up brush. I also added a light mist of water to fix the powder.

Here is the card with Sparkle Paste.

The effect is beautiful and sparkly. Perfect for a festive card. Here is another look at the card. I tilted it so that the sparkle is seen.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Add A Little Sparkle:

Use Your Stuff Challenge #321 - Birthday:


The Mica Powder gives a more subtle effect.

There is a beautiful, satiny sheen which is gorgeous in real life.

Inkspirational Challenge #165:

For my next card, I decided to mix the Mica Powder with Mixed Media paste which is a great product to have in your stash since it combines the functions of both gesso and modelling paste.

I diluted the Mixed Media paste with a little water and then mixed some Mica Powder with it. I placed a stencil over a panel of kraft cardstock and applied the paste with a palette knife. Once the paste was dry, I added a little distress oxide ink with a sponge dauber.

Here is a closer look at the stencilling.

You can see the lovely sheen that the Mica Powder brings to the mix.

To complete the card, I die-cut a heart from some pink paper. I added some sheen to the die-cut with the Mica Powder. I simply took a glue stick and rubbed it all over the paper. I brushed the Mica Powder with a makeup brush and let it dry.

The sentiment was stamped with Versamark on a strip of black paper and heat embossed with metallic pink embossing powder.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge Week 476/477 - Flowers All Over:

Paru's Card Making Challenges - July:

For my third card, I decided to test the products on some dark cardstock.

I coloured the mix of Mixed Media Paste and Mica Powder with black photo ink and applied it to a piece of black cardstock through a stencil. The result was a gorgeous metallic grey texture. Here is a closer look.

I trimmed the panel and adhered it to a grey card base. I die-cut the hibiscus flower and coloured it with my Zigs. The sentiment was die-cut from a piece of cardstock that I coloured with two shades of green dye inks. I just rubbed a little Sparkle Paste on the die-cut to give it some extra pop. Here is a closer look.

To finish, I mounted a piece of black cardstock on foam tape. The flower is also popped with foam tape. I applied a little Sparkle Paste to the stamen for added interest.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

CAS Mix Up July Challenge:
I coloured my hibiscus die cut with Zig Clean Color Markers and the sentiment with photo inks. I stamped part of the sentiment with Versamark and heat embossed with silver EP. For the mixed media component, I did stencilling with texture paste.

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Use a die and/or punch:

Fusion Challenge - Outdoor Room:
I used only the sketch which I flipped.

Watercooler Wednesday WWC179 - Masculine Anything Goes:

The final card is probably my favourite. I decided to mix the Mica Powder with the Embossing Texture Paste. I wasn't sure it would work. But it did. And I love the result!

The Embossing Texture Paste pops up when you apply heat. The amount of popping depends on the thickness of application and dryness of the layer. Since I wanted less popping and used an intricate stencil, I allowed it to dry completely. The result after applying heat is a soft nap, almost like a rug. The Mica Powder gives it a lovely shine. Here is a closer look.

To complete the card, I trimmed the panel and mounted it to a turquoise card base. I die-cut a heart from the same paper and popped it up on foam tape. I die-cut the sentiment thrice and adhered the layers together. I also applied some Sparkle Paste to it for added shine. Finally, I die-cut some small stars and adhered them to the heart.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

Sunday Stamps SSC183 - Tranquil Cottage Colors:
I used turquoise, kraft and cream

The Sisterhood of Crafters - What's YOUR Favorite Color?:
I love turquoise colour. Especially when combined with kraft. 


I have really loved using these products. Initially, I wasn't sure how much use I would get out of them since my style is very CAS and I mostly make cards. But they are wonderful products to keep on hand. The Sparkle Paste is great for adding some shimmer and shine to your projects. I have used it before for making a card set.

As you can see, Sparkle Paste is very easy to colour and use with stencils.

The Embossing Texture Paste adds great texture without adding weight. It is also very easy to colour with inks. It spreads very well. So a little goes a long way.

My biggest surprise was the Mica Powder. It can be used to add some shimmer to your projects very easily. I used the clear glue stick with great results. It also mixes well with water and can be used with a spray bottle. And of course, it gives great results when mixed with Mixed Media Paste and Embossing Texture Paste.

Sparkle Paste and Embossing Texture Paste are both available in beautiful colours too. I picked up neutral colours since I wanted to test them with photo inks. But you can buy the ready coloured pastes as well.

Here is a photo of all the cards with the products I used.

I hope you found my review useful and will give them a try. I look forward to hearing from you. 

Love,

Nandini