Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Review of the Itsy Bitsy Stamp & Die Set...

Hi! I am here today to review the new Clear Stamp and Coordinating Die Set by Itsy Bitsy. You can find my previous reviews herehere and here

Itsy Bitsy recently launched 3 stamp sets along with their coordinating die sets under their brand Little Birdie. I selected the set called Florence which has beautiful roses along with buds and leaves. 




This set has 9 stamps and 9 dies. The price is only 999/- which makes this set very reasonable. The images are perfect for different coloring mediums. I loke that these are plenty of leaves. So building a floral cluster is very easy. I was also lucky to try the other two sets during my demo at the Itsy Bitsy store in Panaji. I will share those cards at the end of this post.


For my first card, I created a window card with some simple coloring.




I started with a white card base and a white mat. The stamping was identical on both. I stamped the large flower first. Then masked it with masking paper and stamped rest of the cluster. I used alcohol markers to color the image. I die-cut the images from the mat with the coordinating dies. This created a window that fits perfectly over my flower cluster. 




To add more interest, I inked the mat with a blue die ink. To finish, I stamped the sentiment and popped up the panel on some foam tape. Here is another look at the card.




For my second card, I decided to use some of the beautiful papers that Itsy Bitsy has. I used the Pretty Pastels paper pack. I also pulled out some handmade papers out of the Assorted Textures Value Pack. I love these packs and have several of them.


Each pack has an assortment of papers, jute, fabric etc. These packs come in really handy while card making. Here is my card.



I started with three sheets from the Pretty Pastels paper pack. I used a pink polka dot paper for the flowers and two shades green plaid papers for the leaves. I stamped the images and then cut them out with the coordinating dies. I inked the die-cuts with dye inks to add some depth and interest.


The card base is a dark grey. I stamped the smaller flower randomly with grey ink to create a nice tone-on-tone background. I cut pink, teal and white papers using the Itsy Bitsy oval dies. I stamped the sentiment on the white oval with pink ink.


To finish, I arranged the flowers and leaves in a pleasing pattern and adhered them to the card. Here is the completed card.


For my final card, I decided to do some water coloring and inlay die-cutting.


I took a panel of Little Birdie Watercolor Paper. This is a professional-grade, cold-pressed 100% cotton paper. It is thick and I love that it is bright white. I stamped only the leaves with black ink and then colored them with shades of yellow and green. Once the paint was dry, I splattered the background with the diluted paints. I also added some splatters of black and white.


I trimmed the panel and a green handmade paper with Little Birdie Rectangular Dies. These nested dies are a great addition to your stash as they are made to fit a standard A2 size card. I die-cut the leaves from the watercolored panel with the coordinating dies. I took a black card base and adhered the green handmade paper and the water-colored panel to it. I popped up the leaves and added them to the panel. This creates a lovely 3-dimensional background. Here is a look at the angled panel.


This card is now ready. I can either use it without a sentiment. Or just add a suitable one whenever I want to send the card. Here is another look at the card.


I hope you found my review helpful. I would definitely recommend these sets to crafters who like coloring and, like me, don’t like fussy cutting. At 999/- per set they are priced very well and each set has loads of options to create beautiful designs. Here are my three cards together.


I got the opportunity to use the other two sets as well during one of the demos that I do at the Itsy Bitsy store in Panjim. These demos are held every Saturday, with different techniques covered every week. You can contact your nearest store for more details. Here are the cards I made during the demo.

With the Florence set, using Song of the Sea pattern paper pack and some stenciling.


Masking and sentiment stamping. I colored the flower with the Little Birdie alcohol markers.


With the Bloom Vista set, some simple water-coloring and inking.


With the Florenza set, using the Song of the Sea pattern paper pack and partial die-cutting.


Stamp and die sets are great for creating twofer cards. The first card with an inked background.


Second card with a splattered background.


Both cards together.


I hope you will give these great sets a try.  You can buy them at any of the Itsy Bitsy stores. Or order online from the website here.

Love,

Nandini






Thursday, March 5, 2020

Altenew Educator "For the Love of Flowers" Blog Hop and Linky Party + Giveaway



Hi! Welcome to the latest blog hop by Altenew Educators. You must have come here from Michelle Ochoa Murray. Isn’t she amazing? If you find a broken link, you'll find a master list of the hop links at the Altenew Card Blog.

I completed my Altenew Educator Certification Program in March 2019. It was a great experience and I am so glad I opted for it! I have really enjoyed the support from the Altenew team and the great group of Altenew Educators.

I am sure you will agree that Altenew is the best in terms of great designs, especially their florals. It is very easy to create beautiful cards with the Altenew stamps and inks. But I wanted to take this further and explore other mediums. Coming from a textile design background, I have a great affinity for working with fabrics. I decided to use these products on fabric. Here is my first project.


I started with a simple fabric pouch made of unbleached cotton. These are normally sold as bases for painting or decoupage. I like the cream color and the heavily starched surface. I used black pigment ink and the Floral Art stamp set to stamp the images on the pouch. After letting it dry, I added colors using the Altenew Crisp dye inks. I was pleasantly surprised by the crisp stamping and the brightness of colors. I used the darker shades of the colors so that they would show up nicely against the cream background.


After my stamping was done, I allowed the inks to dry overnight. Here is a close-up of the stamping.


To make the colors permanent, I simply applied decoupage medium over the entire pouch with a brush. Just remember to work fast as the medium might smudge the inks slightly. Once the medium was dry, my stamped pouch was ready to use. Here is another look at my completed pouch.


Encouraged by the success of the pouch, I decided to extend my experiments further. I have always felt the beautiful layered floral designs by Altenew are very suitable for decoupage designs. I made a small fabric bag this time.


I tried it first with regular tissue papers. Though I got the stamping part right, the tissue paper itself was too delicate and tore. I decided to use a kitchen towel instead and had better luck.


Kitchen towels are thicker and sturdier which makes it easier to work with them. I stamped the flower from the Beautiful Day stamp set in shades of pink and red. I cut masks out of used regular copy paper and used those instead of masking paper. Once the towel was dry, I carefully applied it to the bag with decoupage medium. Here is a closer look.


I like the texture that the kitchen towel brings to the surface. I added details with chalk paint and crackle medium around the paper. I also rubbed some metallic gold was to enhance the crackle and added some sparkly embossing paste to the center of the flowers. Once the bag was completely dry, I covered the entire design with decoupage medium. Here is the completed bag.


Since this bag is again made of unbleached cotton, it is quite stiff and stands up well. The design also lies flat, with just a little texture from the kitchen towel and the crackle.


Another angle


I am very happy with both my fabric projects. Here is a look at the bag and the pouch together.


Moving on, I decided to do another non-card project. I recently restarted scrapbooking. I used to do a lot of digital scrapbooking in the past. Last year I did a few layouts and found that I really enjoy the larger canvas that scrapbooking offers. Here is my layout.


This picture was taken 3 years ago at Hyderabad. We were all friends throughout 5 years of college and have kept in touch. We all got together at Hyderabad after over 20 years. It was an amazing trip and this picture was taken when we went out site-seeing. The dress theme of the day was red. So naturally the layout had to be red! I started with a sheet of red paper and adhered two ivory circles to it. I also stamped the outline images from the Japanese Mum set on the upper left and bottom right corners to give some texture.


I took a piece of jute and frayed the edges. This served as my mat behind the photo. I also lightly inked the edges of the photo with brown ink.


To create the flowers and leaves, I first smooshed several sheets of paper with green, yellow, orange and red watercolors. I die-cut the sheets with the Fantasy Floral die set. I also die-cut some green handmade paper for leaves. I assembled the flowers and then added them to the layout. Here is a closer look at the left side


And the right side.


I decided to not have a title and instead decided to go with a small sentiment which fit the layout perfectly! It is from the Leaf Canopy stamp set. I heat embossed it with white embossing powder and popped it up on the layout with some foam tape.


To finish, I die-cut a few more circles out of ivory paper and added them to the layout. Here is another look at the completed layout.


I couldn’t resist making a card with the beautiful Leaf Canopy stamp set which I recently bought. I decided to go with some loose water coloring and here is the result.


I started with a piece of watercolor paper and the solid stamp from the Leaf Canopy set. I sprayed the paper with water and then inked the stamp with a mix of Altenew Crisp inks and distress inks. I stamped the image after misting the stamp with water for a diffused impression. I repeated this process until I was happy with the final look.


I added some splatters with the diluted inks. Once the paper was completely dry, I used the outline images and stamped them slightly offset. I heat embossed with gold embossing powder. I also added some gold embossing along the edges of the panel.


The sentiment is from the Signature Words die-set. I simply die-cut it from a scrap of black paper and adhered it with liquid glue to the panel.


To finish, I popped up the panel over a black card base with foam tape.



I hope you enjoyed my projects and will try some of the techniques. I would love to know which project is your favorite. Also, please feel free to ask me any questions you might have. You can continue this hop with the super talented Terri Marie Koszler. Or you can start at the beginning with the Altenew Card Blog. I have also included the entire list of participating blogs for you.

Blog Hop Order:
Nandini Karmarkar - You are here!

Prize info: No Altenew blog hop is complete without some great prizes. This time Altenew is giving away a $30 gift certificate to 3 lucky winners! Please leave a comment here on the Altenew Card Blog by 3/11/2020 for a chance to win. We’ll also draw a winner to receive a $15 gift certificate from the comments left on each designer’s blog on the blog hop list below. All winners will be announced on the Altenew Card Blog on 3/14/2020.

There’s MORE! We will pick 2 of our favorite handmade creations from those who joined the linky party and they will each receive a $15 gift certificate to our store!


Special offer: Save 15% off on ALL Stamp & Die Bundles from 3/5/2020 at 12:01 AM EST until 3/6/2020 at 11:59 PM EST. https://altenew.com/collections/stamp-die-bundles  No code needed to enjoy this sale! Not valid on previous purchases. Excludes February 2020 release products.  

That is all for now.  I hope you will consider following my blog and keep visiting me often. I look forward to your comments. They always make me happy!

Love,
Nandini

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Papercraft Challenge #27...

Hi! Welcome back to a fresh new challenge at the Papercraft Challenge blog. Summer is almost upon us and the weather is really getting hot. We are looking for some cards for the men in your life this month. If you want some inspiration, do visit us at the Papercraft Challenge blog where the DT has a great array of fabulous creations for you. You can also visit the Papercraft Business site for some great tools that can help you take your papercraft business to the next level. Like the awesome Papercraft Business Planner that helps you keep track of your favorite challenges!


Don't forget the great prizes we have for the winner every month. The March Challenge Prize is the Magnolia - Edwin with Teo Dragon stamp.


My card this month came together rather quickly. Like many crafters I know, I hate to throw away my 'experiments'.  You never know when one might inspire you to create a pretty card! Here is my card from one such experiment.


I found a panel of inked background in my stash. This was a leftover from my trials with Camlin photo inks, which are basically dye inks. I had combined it with some cling film to get a lovely background. To make my card, I simply trimmed the panel and flicked some gold acrylic paint over it. Here is a closer look at the panel.



I matted it with black and mounted it on a kraft card base. The sentiment is from the Persian Motifs stamp set by Altenew. I stamped and heat embossed it on a strip of black paper with metallic gold embossing powder.


Here is another look at the completed card.


I hope you liked my card and are inspired to create something beautiful. I look forward to your entries in our gallery.

You can get more information about Papercraft Challenge Planner here. It is an invaluable tool for all crafters who love taking part in challenges. The Papercraft Business site also has tools that can help you take your business to the next level.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Love,
Nandini