Happy 1st birthday

Hello all
Its been long since i have blogged about something. Though I have been adding pics and products on facebook....I haven't really posted anything here. Its new month and new challenges are announced and it makes me all excited to make something new...its fun to work within the given guidelines...kinda tests my limits and makes me think a little different.

So here is a new card which I have made to participate at the monthly challenge at Peek-a-boo designs. They have completed one year and the challenge is to make a card using red, gold and number 1 with a additional twist using stenciling or 3d Layered projects or dash of glitter or your own stamped background.

My take on this Recepie challenge is the above card. I have incorporated glitter in the form of glitter pens and chunky glittered number, gold sequins and gold microbeads, red stenciling and red cardstock and I have made my own background on the shaker window using hearts from peek-a-boo stamp set.

I am also linking this card to Paruscardmakingchallenges for this month which says a hint of gold, creative with stamps Sentiment challenge for october and A blog named hero october challege - Geometric.

Also, I am putting my card up at Lulupu october challenge - bling a ding with a stamping twist. which says we need to more than a sentiment and since i have stamped some hearts on the card....I thought to put it up for this challenge.

I started with stenciling using Itsybitsy stencil and Memento Lady bug dye ink. Then I made a shaker window using some acetate sheet and a cardstock frame. I made my own background on the frame using heart stamp from Peek a boo Place Photo stamp. I used the little heart from this stamp set as I wanted to add hearts and I thought to use this stamp set and put it to a different use than what we usually use it for.

I scribbled inside these hearts using gold pen and then added Itsybitsy gold sequins and Itsybitsy microbeads inside the shaker window. For the sentiment on the card, I tore some vellum and then stamped the sentiment using Black Archival ink pad. The sentiment set is from JustRite Grand handwritten sentiments, The number one is made using Black chipboard which I cut and added some chunky glitter again from Itsybitsy. I finished the card front using some gold and black sequins

For the inside, I didnt do much except stamp the sentiment on white cardstock using Itsybitsy Black Pigment ink pad.the sentiment is from Peek a boo Happy birthday to you stamp set. It got a bit smudged and I had to go over it with a microtip black pen.

Well that's my card. I hope you all like it. Thank you for reading my post.

Diwali Cards

Hello everyone
I am posting today some handmade Diwali cards which are very clean and simple with minimum embellishments. I have made this for Cards for a Cause-India where Neha Gala who owns A1 Craft shop in Andheri East, Mumbai is doing a drive for collecting cards for our soldiers on the borders. I really like her store and she had most of the things you need for crafting.

 What she is is doing is collecting cards from willing people and send it to Leh, Hall of Fame and I feel she is doing an amazing job. I feel we should all support this cause and add as many cards as we can to this.Its a wonderful gesture and I wanted to participate in this. So made a few encouragement cards and Diwali cards myself.

Since, using embellishments was required to be minimum and glitter or sequins was not advised, I used buttons in my cards with some paper twine in my cards. I started with standard A2 size card and used pattern paper which has gold motifs on them. Layered this pattern paper on some gold cardstock and mounted them on my card base. To add some decoration, I wound some paper twine and finished with a button and a bow.

On the inside, the cards is pretty simple. I added a strip of pattern paper on the side to bring in some color. For dark cardbases, I have added white cardstocks on the inside to enable the use of any inks available with our jawans.

The envelopes are simple ones made with the same color as the card base and and matching pattern paper. The happy diwali stamp is actually a combined stamp. Diwali is from Peek-a-boo stamp and Happy is from Fiskars petals from Scratch stamp set. The stamping is done using Black Archival ink so its permanent and waterproof.

That's all from me.....and I hope all of you can add some cards from your side. Those of you who do not have a stamp or inks.....don't hold back. Use waterproof pens to write messages and sentiments....use anything you have to make cards. We should appreciate our soldiers who are fighting for us on the border...and these little encouragement notes and cards will mean a lot to them.
Thank you all for reading my post and have a great day.

Supplies:

Cardstock- ItsyBitsy

Buttons- Itsy bitsy and A1 craft

Paper twine - Anupam Super store

Pattern Paper - Anupam super store

Stamps - Peek--boo and Fiskars

Ink- Archival Black ink

Silicon Glue - Itsybitsy

I am adding this card to this month's challenge at Ranganjali.

Friend Shaker card

Hello everyone
Good to see you all. Its been really busy and crazy in my house this month. I am juggling between my work and my family and more work than family....and I am not able to blog so much. But anytime I find myself with couple of hours, I just run to my workstation and create something quickly and upload it here with some tutorials for you all.

Today I found fews hours free in the morning and I decided to turn a bling eye towards all the ongoing orders and dispatches and satisfy my creative urge. A few days back, I had got a free haul from ItsyBitsy and It has a stencil, silicon glue, glitter glue and a pigment inkpad in it. I wanted to try them for long and made many unsuccessful attempts. Today is the day when i finally got my hands on them and I made a card using the stencil, pigment pad and the silicon glue. I didn't get a chance to use the glitter glue but will make another project and use it.

Now to the card I have made. It is a shaker card with has the shaker elements inside a tag which I have mounted on the card. Making shaker cards is my thing and that combined with stenciling is like my new favorite technique. I love to stencil any opportunity I get.

Supplies:

1. White texture cardstock (220gsm)
2. Pink Cardstock (220gsm)
3. Chevron pattern paper in green and white from Eno Greetings
4. Sequins
5. Golden Micro beads ( Itsy Bitsy)
6. Green Satin ribbon ( Itsy Bitsy)
7. White Eyelet ( Itsy Bitsy)
8. Eyelet punch
9. Flat pearls in pink and white
10. Clear acetate sheet ( Itsy Bitsy)
11. Clear Stamp ( Kaisercraft- Best Friends)
12. Stencil ( Itsy Bitsy)
13. Black pigment inkpad ( Itsy Bitsy)
14. Distress inks ( Abandoned coral, spun sugar)
15. Ink blending tool
16. Score board
17. Foam mounting tape
18. Silicon glue ( Itsy Bitsy)
19. White adhesive or red tacky tape

Procedure:

• I started with making the base of my card using the textured white cardstock cut to standard A2 size( 5.5"by 4.25"). 

• Then, I took the pattern paper and adhered it to the card base in a offset manner using adhesive.
• Then for the shaker card, the tag is 3"by 3.5". I have cut the pink carstock and then using a stencil and distress inks, I created the background. I also cut some acetate sheet and front shaker window  frame to fit the tag. I have used silicon glue to attach acetate sheet to the shaker frame.

• I stamped the sentiment on the background using pigment Black inkpad, added sequins and gold microbeads and adhered the shaker frame using foam adhesive.

• Then I punched a hole and fixed a white eyelet on the tag. Used some green satin ribbon for the tag. I adhered the tag on the card using red tacky tape.

• Finished off the front, with some sequins and flat pearls using silicon adhesive.
• For the inside, I have added some pattern paper and stamped another sentiment from the same stamp set using pigment black ink.

That completes our card. I am putting my card up at Lulupu, Peek-a-boo, CWS , Happily Ever Crafter Giveaway, Ranganjali and Craft Stamper magazine.

Thank you all for reading my post and I hope you all liked it. Keep smiling and have a good day.

Friendship Explosion box

Hey guys
I am back with another project today. Since it all about friends this month, I have made a friendship explosion box. This one was for a client and a very quick make, I did steal a few pictures before dispatch. It requires very few supplies and I will give you a tutorial to make this one.

Supplies:

1. Cardstock
2. Pattern papers ( Papericious and Itsybitsy)
3. Embellishments
4. Scissors and trimmers
5. Adhesive
6. Scoring board and bone folder

Procedure:

1. I have made a 3"by 3"by 3"box. So start with a 9"by 9" heavyweignt cardstock. Score at 3"and 6". Then rotate the paper 90 degrees. Then score again at 3"and 6". 
   
2. Once done, bend then at all the score marks. Cut as shown in the image below.
3. Since this is a single layer box, I did not add more layers to it and out work is done for inside layering.
4. To make the lid, use a 6.1"by 6.1"paper. Score at 1.5"and 4.6". Rotate the paper by 90 degrees and score again at 1.5"and 4.6".
   
5. Once done, bend and cut as shown in the image below.
6. To add the small inner box, Repeat the procedure above but instead of 9"by 9" paper, start with 6"by 6"paper. Score at 2"and 4"and rotate by 90 degrees and score at 2"and 4".
   Once done, cut as shown in image to obtain the shape of box. 
   
7. For the lid, start with 4.1"by 4.1"paper. Score at 1"and 3.1"and rotate by 90 degrees and score at 1"and 3.1"'.
   
8. Once everything is ready, decorate it with your favorite pattern papers and embellishments and then assemble the box. I suggest so that you can apply good fore to adhere your paper and burnish your tapes. You cant exert much force after the box is assembled.
   
   
   
   
9. I have used pattern papers from Itsybitsy and Papericious. I have also added 3 photomats into the pockets. I have stamped on the photomats using Memento Tuxedo Black and Peek-a-boo stamp for photographs.
10.  I have also written few quotes from the internet about friendship and printed them on white cardstock. I did so because the stamps which I have were too big for the explosion box I made.
    
    
    
     
11. Once everything was embellished and ready, I went ahead and joined the boxes and lids. Finished the box with mulberry flowers, rhinestones, pearls, ribbon and Mdf cutout stamped with the sentiment. The stamp is from Fiskars petals from scratch stamp set.
    
    
    
    

Thats the tutorial for this little explosion box. You can decorate it the way you like with your choice of papers and embellishments. Thank you all for reading my post and have a great day.

I am going to put up my project at the monthly challenge at Papericious which has a moodboard with different items that inspire you. I was inspired by the ribbon, diecut, flowers and little microbeads. I have tried to incorporate those in my own way.