Fun with Cover Dies...

Hi! I am a big fan of die cutting, especially with cover dies. Though these dies are more expensive due to their larger size, they also make card making a snap. I recently taught a class with cover dies. We made 3 cards with three different dies. The first card was with the Flower die by Gina Marie Designs. You can find it here.

For the second card, I dug out an old Spellbinders die that I have had for a long time. Here is the card I made.

I used is the Trapezoid motif Kaleidoscope die. This is an older Spellbinders die. I had bought it a long time ago as I loved the intricate pattern. The die does not cover the full card. So I trimmed a panel of black cardstock slightly smaller than my A2 card base and die cut. I also cut out another piece from black cardstock and adhered both together. I adhered a piece of pattern paper behind the mat and then popped the die cut panel back into place. Here is a closer look at the panel.

I popped up the panel with some foam tape and mounted it on a black card base.

The sentiment is from the Birthday Greetings stamp set by Altenew. I stamped it and heat embossed with gold embossing powder. I added some foam tape under the strip and adhered to the top of my card over a strip of vellum.

To finish, I die-cut the Isabella Butterfly from vellum. I also coloured a scrap of vellum with gold Sharpie and cut the Pippi Butterfly from it. Both the butterfly dies are by Memory Box. I adhered the layers together and added the butterfly below the sentiment. Here is a closer look at the sentiment strip.

Here is another look at the completed card.

I am very happy with the way this card turned out. It is different from my usual style. And I like it more for that reason.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

Cut It Up Challenge #172 - Butterflies & Bugs:

CUTplorations April Challenge:
The pattern paper has stripes like Jello eggs.

HLS April Anything Goes With Dies Challenge:

April Show & Share by Virginia:

Love,
Nandini

Rainbow Butterfly...

Hi! Life has been pretty hectic since I started teaching again. I am also in the process of relocating to Goa, something that we have been planning for a long time. The next few months are going to be busy and exciting!

Today's card is a special one since it uses one of my NBUS stamps. I am so happy I finally inked it! The idea was to create a masculine card in neutral colours with a pop of bright colour.

I started with a piece of ivory card stock. I stamped the chevron border from the Mini Geo Borders stamp set by Fiskars with grey ink. I stamped it twice, to extend the design and create a full background. After trimming, I adhered it to a grey card base. I die-cut three nested circles and the base butterfly from the Impression Obsession set from ivory card stock. I coloured the base with Camlin Brush Pens to create a rainbow. The top butterfly was cut from a scrap of grey card stock and adhered to the base with a dab of glue at the centre.

I popped up the circles with foam tape and adhered the butterfly. The sentiment is from the Birthday Greetings set by Altenew. I stamped it with black ink on a strip of grey card stock. This was also popped up on foam tape and adhered under the butterfly.

Here is a closer look at the butterfly.

To finish the card, I just added two white half-pearls from my stash to the body of the butterfly.

Here is another look at the completed card.

I am really happy with this card. I love the chevron background and the bright focal point the butterfly creates.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

Happy Little Stamper Anything Goes With Dies:

Inkspirational Challenges:

Allsorts Challenge Week 515/516 - Blossoms, Butterflies, Bugs:

Let's Create & Craft Challenge #146 - AG + Beautiful Butterflies:

Craft Rocket Challenges #58 - For Men/Boys:

Watercooler Wednesday Challenge - WWC217:

CUTplorations April Challenge:
The striped eggs reminded me of the rainbow stripes on my butterfly.

Retro Rubber Challenge #108 - Rainbow:
When I checked back I realized that the border stamp is almost four years old!

Love,
Nandini

Addicted To Stamps & More #336...

Hi! The new challenge is up on the Addicted To Stamps And More challenge blog. This week is the easiest and most popular theme.

I used the Wreath Turnabout stamp set by Concord & 9th to create a simple card. It was also one of the cards I taught as part of my workshop on using the turnabout stamp sets. 

I started with a panel of white card stock. I stamped the wreath with a mix of Altenew inks and then die cut it with two circle dies. Here is a closer look at the stamping.

The sentiment is also from the same set. I took a bright blue card base and adhered a wide strip of white card stock. I stamped the sentiment on this and then added the die cut wreath with some foam tape. To finish, I stamped some tiny hearts around the sentiment.

Hope you find my card inspiring and will enter our challenge. You can link your entries here. And don't forget to visit the Addicted To Stamps And More blog for more inspiration.

Love,
Nandini

Addicted To Stamps & More #334...

Hi! Another challenge is up on the Addicted To Stamps And More challenge blog and this time it is my favourite theme.

I love cards with clean lines, lots of 'white' space and minimal embellishments. Here is the one I made for this challenge.

I used the Cross Stitch Flower stamp set by Altenew. I found this is the toughest set to align till date! It takes a lot of practice and a few tricks to get it right. The gorgeous results once you crack it are absolutely worth it! I started with a stack of white panels and kept trying until I was finally satisfied. I am still not absolutely perfect, but getting there. Here is a closer look at the flower.

After discarding a few trials, I was left with four usable pieces. You can see the other cards I made with this set here and here. I used the Sea Shore mini ink cubes set to stamp the flower. The sentiment is from the Birthday Greetings stamp set, again by Altenew. 

To finish, I trimmed the panel and added a strip of silver paper towards the bottom. The stamped panel is popped up on foam tape. I also added some silver sequins from my stash.

I hope you are inspired by my card. You can visit the Addicted To Stamps And More challenge blog for more amazing inspiration and link your beautiful creations.

Entering my card in the following challenges:

Virginia Lu's March Show & Share:

Creatalicious Challenge #159 - Anything Goes + Monochrome:

Try It On Tuesdays - Say It With Flowers:

The Flower Challenge #30:

Words 2 Craft By W2CB #63 - Happiness Held, Happiness Shared:

AAA CAS Game #136:

Love,
Nandini

Pattern Stamping...

Hi! One of my favourite techniques is creating my own 'pattern paper' by stamping. I recently taught this technique and wanted to share it on my blog. 

I started with a piece of white cardstock. I used the Freehand Florals stamp set by Wplus9 and Memento dewdrop inks to create a lovely background. Once the stamping was done, I used three of the largest Stitched Rectangle dies by DCAM to cut my panel. I adhered the pieces back on a thin sheet of scrap paper cut slightly smaller than my panel. I just love the gorgeous texture that the die-cutting adds to the background. I adhered the panel to a bright blue card base.

The sentiment is from Lil' Inker. I cut it out of both dark and light blue papers and adhered the two slightly off-set. Here is a closer look at the sentiment.

Initially, I had planned to add a companion sentiment or some sequins to the card. But I really liked the card without any more additions. Since the background is busy, I decided to keep rest of the card very simple. Here is another look at the card.

I hope you liked my card and I look forward to hearing from you.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

ModSquad Challenge - One or More Metal Die:
Smile Word die by Lil' Inkers - https://www.lilinkerdesigns.com/smile-word-die/
Stitched Rectangle dies by Die Cuts And More 

Aud Sentiments Challenge #223 - Any Sentiment Except Happy Birthday:

Craft Rocket Challenge #57 - Flowers:

Sparkles Monthly Challenge #114 - Stamped Background:

Cute Card Thursday Challenge #574 - Spring Fever:

Cut It Up Challenge #170 - Flowers:

HLS March Anything Goes With Dies:

Virginia Lu's March Show & Share

Love,
Nandini

Two Cards From One Stamp...

Hi! I am here today with two cards that I made from the same stamp set. The first is a pretty standard design with straight stamping. The second has a more artsy vibe.

I made the first card as a sample for a friend. She wanted to make some cards for her husband's birthday and this was one of them. Since the theme for the March Twofer challenge is balloons, I decided to go ahead and make another card with the same set. Here are the cards with the Balloons stamp set by Mudra Craft Stamps.

Entering these cards in the Twofer Card Challenge #14:

I am also entering both cards in Virginia Lu's March Show & Share. I love this feature since it is very inspiring and there are no restrictions on the products and techniques used.

Card 1:
I used simple first and second generation stamping for the card.

I started with a piece of white cardstock and stamped the two smaller balloons from the set with Memento Dewdrop inks. The sentiment is from the Floral Fantasy stamp set by Mudra Craft Stamps. After the stamping was done, I trimmed the panel and popped it up on a grey card base with some foam tape. 

Entering this card in the following challenge:

Watercooler Wednesday WWC213:

Card 2:
I went for a more artsy look in the second card.

I saw this technique on the Waffle Flower Crafts YouTube channel. Here is the link to the original video. I took a piece of white cardstock and drew a 3" x 4" rectangle, dividing it into 1" squares. I masked each square and stamped the balloons randomly. Since the balloon images are solid, I used my black Zig to ink only the edge of the stamp. After the stamping was done, I coloured the background with Altenew's Artist Markers. The sentiment is from a very old Paper Smooches stamp set. To finish, I trimmed the panel and adhered it directly to a grey card base.

Entering this card in the following challenges:

Sparkles Monthly Challenge #114 - Stamped Background:

Aud Sentiments Challenge #223 - Any Sentiment Except Happy Birthday:

Inkspirational Challenge #182:
I was inspired by the colours.

Freshly Made Sketches #380:

Love,
Nandini

Addicted To Stamps And More #332...

Hi! I made this card for last week's challenge at the Addicted To Stamps And More blog and couldn't post it. The theme was

It was also one of the cards I taught as part of my workshop on using the turnabout stamp sets. I used the Wreath Turnabout stamp set by Concord & 9th to create a masculine card.

I started with a cream card stock and stamped with distress oxide inks in shades of green, yellow and brown. The sentiment is from the Sentiments of Hello stamp set by Poppy Stamps. I stamped the sentiments and trimmed them. I added three layers of vellum to make them stand out more. Here is a closer look at the card.

To finish, I rounded the bottom corners of the stamped panel and popped it up with foam tape on a kraft card base. Here is another look at the completed card.

I am entering this card in the following challenge.

Cardz For Guyz Challenge #125 - To Die For:
I used circle nested dies for the sentiment.

Love,
Nandini