Stamping crazy!!

I wanted to stamp...Stamping is my first love and I wanted to do a one layer card with some crazy stamping...where to begin is the million dollar question...so I went to my favorite CAS sketch card site...Clean and Simple Stamping and picked out one sketch randomly...The FTL 208 and went to town with it..out came my stamps, my inks and one sheet of paper...no layering..nothing!! And Woah!! 35 mins of stamping later....this is what I had!! 

 That riot of colors just had my heart...and I used just one set of stamps to do the whole background...sentiment was another stamp....

 These stamps were my first ever international purchase after the hobby ideas stamps...never really got around to using them....but they were so perfect for this sketch...These are what were called flip-a-roos...you could flip the stamp over and use them too...so that's what I did!

Used the solid side of the stamp to first stamp the color...and then used the design side to ink it up with black and stamp it over the color blocks....I hope that makes sense...

Here's how the stamp is...you can essentially do this with any stamp that is trimmed around the design..(I love how the light falls through the stamp and on the paper!)

This is my final essentially one layer card...I've faked all the layers...the black lines are drawn with sharpie to mimic a mat..but all is essentially one layer, matted on a red card stock base. This is an A5 card..
I could jazzy it up later on..with some bling..but will depend whom it will go to! See ya soon with some inky posts (wink wink)

Sending this card to the Simon Says StampTember challenge.

All inks are mementos...sentiment -Papertrey ink..

A Birthday Wish

Today I bring another senti and maybe mental post…today I celebrate the birthday of my zodiac twin…well almost twin…I’m a cusp on the other end of the spectrum…yet both of us are more Libran in trait than the other dark zodiac side as I like to call it…

So this is one of my other BB Gurl…Saumya...and as I say I think God for BBM’s.  Friendships are not only for gossiping…they are the highlight of a bad day… but for me friendship is when they enrich my life… take me one step beyond where I was…and this friend and her friendship has given to me. 

As a friend, she’s always there to listen at the oddest hours…(though why she is up at odd hours is still a mystery..I guess star plus has to take the blame for that) she always has the best advice for me..which sometimes I may not like to hear..but a friend doesn’t tell you what you want to hear…its what needs to be done. 

And as a zodiac twin, I love figuring out things we have in common…and the list keeps growing everyday…every other day, I get to learn something new about her..and she about me…I admire her dedication to her goals..for an exhibit in July, I’ve witnessed her slogging from February and if the exhibition was a roaring success, I know that all her hard work has paid off… and other than constant motivation and a steady stream of “you can do it” we didn’t help with anything…and that’s why I feel more proud to know her as a person. Coz that steadfast dedication is missing in me, and I hope sooner or later it will rub off on me!
 I also love to get shocked at certain habits, traits that are so eeringly similar to mine, its downright scary..

I love the late night chats..the planning for the swap…and the tele-conference calls…those are hilarious…and more so coz all of our thoughts and ideals are so on the same page..the love for MOD donuts (Khush if you weren’t a weirdo, we could share this love too), discussing books, movies, and mostly discussing the next craft supply to buy..…(I am sure quite often my husband regretted buying me a BB) and the research we do..its awesome!!! 

So my BB girl, my Gossip gurl…love you to bits and pieces…and may our friendship survive all the ups and downs and all the gossips in between…Here’s wishing you a fabulous year ahead especially with your new venture..
and this post is to compensate for the lack of a gift or a card which I didn’t send..it takes time to plan for someone who has everything…Welcome to the new Twenties!! 

So this would be your most probable reply....

And for those who aren’t Saumya, please don’t think that this sugary post is a means to show off our friendship..it is actually, but its also to show that there are good people in the world, contrary to what facebook has been Witnessing in the past few days...you can find meaningful and friendships that expect nothing in return…I hope you find a true friend too …if you do, never let them go….

A little bit of watercoloring fun

Its a new fixation for me right now... I have this short attention span that is akin like a butterfly hopping from flower to flower....I didn't know how long my stamping phase would survive, but it did for 6 long years...its no where close to fading, but the itch has begun...to do something new..to try something different, to explore, to learn a new form of craft.....it began with parchment..the only thing that I actually took classes in...rest all are self taught...then came the phase with rubber stamping, then CAS cards, then Scrapbooks, then watercolors....and am totally loving the exploring I'm doing...

I did read about someone saying that you can't learn everything from searching on Google or YouTube...I beg to differ...if you are persistent, if you really want to learn, you will find it....and what I'm sharing today...is something I found on Pinterest...then the tutorial...then some failed experiments and then the final one!!

 

So this is my failed experiment....i call it failed...simply coz it was an experiment...There are at least 10 layers of paints on this...watercolor crayons, then watercolor paints, then pearl paints, again some poster colors and what not....I was working for the feel of paper, the paint..how it flows and works on layers...and got some pretty good conclusions!! If you are interested, will share in the next post.....

 This is my success....still got a few steps to go....but that is a secret!!! I did it with Elise's tutorial
and its super easy to follow......I can't draw a straight line...so used a butterfly die cut as a template and kept adding layers...this painting has about 1o layers of pink wash on it.....and its soo pretty!!! What do you think?

I will be doing on tutorial on my own too....a very very simple one...its still in my head....
So what have you tried today? 

My First Side Step Card

When people mean most to you, it makes things harder to make a card for them. Coz you want each element, every thing perfect and when you are perfectionist like I am, you take even longer. This is my attempt number 3 for this card....one I created and couldn't finish...so ditched that, then tried again...left it as a trial, and then finally this one!!

It doesn't help that the birthday girl kept asking me every day for her birthday card...that's how she is!! So I had to make, and it had to be perfect...Following stuff is way too mushy...(please don't think I'm perverted)


So for the sweetest friend that I ever met online...doesn't really feel that I've never met you...Thank God for Blackberry...and thank God for that one phone call at 1 am on your birthday... my life is truly blessed and changed for the better.

Being around you is so much fun....When I'm down, you cheer me up, and you've taught me to stand up and speak up for myself....something that I was too scared to do....
You've made me a tad rebellious and I'm loving it... You boisterous and hearty laugh make me smile no matter how deep in S&*t I am!
I love the crazy planning we do on the BB for our swaps...the ideas, the solutions to the problems that crop up...there is no big a problem that we 3 can't solve!



Having a friend like you has made me realize what friends should be like... You're my yardstick for measuring what my future friends are going to be like!!
So having said all that mush, I do realize that a friend who can teach you to be a better person, enrich your life and make you a little bit rebellious..is worth keeping...unless you piss me off...that will be an entire different story lady!!
So to quote a very cute Quote, "The world couldn't handle two of us as sisters, So We became Friends" A very happy One month Belated birthday Khushboo!!

 There's more mush on the card... a side step card from an A4 paper...
Products listed at the end of the post....

 A bit of sparkle never hurt anyone...especially not on cupcakes!

If there are questions about this card, do write in, I'll get back to you...( please enable the email on your blogger profile so I can reply back..)

Products used

Black CS- Creativita Store, Red CS - Fabriano,

Green PP - Kaisercraft - Lulupu.com

Stamps - Cupcakes - Papertrey ink, sentiment - Hero arts, Gifts - STampin up

Inks - Memento, Pearlescent Brillance inks, distress inks

Magnolia image -RAK 

Dies - Label 8, Cuttlebug Asteriks and flower die, MFT flourish die

 Bling- local rhinestones, Glossy accents, Sakura stardust and Rock Candy distress stickles.

BookMark Swap

Two posts in two days!! *faint*

But since I've been dying to share the pics of these bookmarks...all's fair...wake up those who fainted like I did!

I had a fabulous time planning and making these bookmarks!

Without further blah blah, here the book marks.

I just loved how I tried new things....will get to each in the next pics!!

 

With so much discussion on the Melhuan books on the Facebook Reading Group, it was but apt that I use this as the backdrop for this hook bookmark...

 The hook and the butterfly are from Artystree's store on Facebook, butterfly bead from Pie lane..and other beads are from my own stash.

 This is a paper bookmark...The are at least 6 layers of papers on this...which is quite quite unlike me.
The background pp is from Priya (from a swap) the light blue PP is from Priya Venkat, vintage paper my stash, the blue journaling tag from Imaginisce, the smile is a sticker from hobby idea. Washi tape (black polka dot) from Rachan's store. phew!!

I did not opt to put pearls on the butterfly, coz as a bookmark it is supposed to be flat.  you add pearls or beads and you end up spoiling your book..

This is one thing I saw that many crafter's did not keep in mind while making the book marks. While trying to make it pretty, they made the bookmarks impractical to use. Just keep that little pointer in mind...

 My most cute one of the lot!! Wanted something whimsical along with the cuteness factor!! The tutorial for which can be found here .

This cute little bug is a magnetic bookmark...I completely forgot to open it up and take a pic....there is magnet on both the halves inside..so the bookmark doesn't shift even if you shake the book like crazy ( I tried to..!!)
 the words are a sentiment that I saw on Papertrey ink's set. And it has been made with a Dymo label maker..The bug is a internet freebie..(hopefully) and I kinda went crazy with rock candy stickles and glossy accents. 
A little pie lane glitter strip at the end..

This is what I loved making...having discovered a vintage notebook at my mumbai house, this was awesome to make. (could you belive it, I tried to sell the book to a raddiwala, and he refused to take it..) and I  had paid 20 bucks for it!!

So in short, this was a bargain find. Petals are hand cut..(yes..no dies) distress, water colored, gold spritzed with Lindy Stamp Gang spray, and edges with a  hint of Pie lane glitter... Ribbon is from Jovita's store.

Click the pic to big it..and see the gold shimmer..and why I love LSG sprays!

 The butterfly I die cut and embossed with the Cuttlebug set..the dangling charm..all my stash...
The brad in the flower is from Basic Grey Curio collection, which is flooding the indian market.

Phew!! Thanks for staying with me through this pic heavy post...but the beauty of these is in the pics...

Will share my received bookmarks when it goes live on Swap Central .

Hey there

First of all, a BIG BIG BIG BEAR HUG to all of you....those who read, those who stalk....I am overwhelmed with the support and love regarding my previous post....and hopefully I don't wish to keep that a regular feature...am a cry baby, but lets leave that off the blog!

Thank you to every one who left comments, those who emailed me...thank you for your support and reading the comments, it was clear...everyone needed a place to vent. Every one is frustrated with the way things are...Hopefully there is a way out of this messy situation.

I am beginning work on another scrapbook...so will again disappear from the blog world...I convince myself I will not take another custom work, but every time someone asks me, I can't say no.

The thrill of making something new...designing each page, searching for the perfect embellishments, making sure I do not repeat anything from my previous work (unless asked for) the thrill is amazing. And trying to add those interactive elements, its just a new high!!

On another note, have you joined the Swap at Swap Central...the theme is amazing...creating your own Pattern paper....
Here is something from my experiments...

To know how I did this...hop on over to Swap Central Blog

See you soon with a card that I am absolutely dying to share....hope it reaches fast...my patience is waning!! :)

Tonic Studio Paper trimmer review

These tutorials/reviews are a product of extensive reading, researching and lots of time spent on making them. Please do not copy, or share on your page (for promoting your items in your shop) unless I give you permission to do so. Please ask nicely....I won't say no...but you need to ask.... You can link it on your blogs if you have used these tutorials...please share the link with me when you do use these tutorials...I would love to stop by and see what you have done! 

I had a whole rant post typed up....but after I finished ranting...I felt so good...didn't want to post it...
Simply because people are not going to change by my ranting ... so I choose to walk away from such people... I tend to carry my heart on my sleeve and am not ashamed of it. That's what makes me who I am and maybe that's why I am prone to ranting so much... :p

So without further ranting ...here's my review.. Kinda picture heavy...

Here's my Tonic Studio 12x6 paper trimmer...its huge..I can tell you that..but worth every penny...There are many reasons why I chose this...over the Fiskars Sure Cut or any other trimmer. (sorry about the dark and glary photos, it is a cloudy day)

 This is how your trimmer looks when it arrives.... the other essential stuff is stored at the back...so its pretty compact...If I didn't have a space crunch, I would have gone for a 12x12 for sure....With a 40% discount from JoAnn's, this cost me around 20$. And free shipping courtesy mom and dad

 

This is how the extras store in the back. The extendable arm has slots which click in place. It will never fall off...that I can assure you. 

 

This is after I've attached the handle and the extendable arm. Usually I don't bother attaching the handle...but if I'm cutting heavy papers, I do use it. Its a fabulous soft grip...so if you're cutting 10 papers or 100, I doubt you would have a problem. 

My Pros

1.See the transparent thingie? It has two metal springs at each end...It holds your paper down, so that it doesnt shift while you're trimming or cutting. 

2. Space... I have a space crunch and needed something that would fit into a drawer and out of sight...this does the job perfectly. 

3. The foldout arm has a base that is again foldable. So your extendable arm doesn't bend down or break. Its a support.

  

4 .The top grid .. has markings in cms and inches....and has upto 6 inches... What I don't like though, is that I can't cut a half inch strip from a strip less than one inch. For that, my other small Fiskars guillotine comes handy.

5.. The bottom of the grid has markings for regular card sizes...4.25 and 5.5. I tend to use the top measuring scale. There is a scale again in the middle too...which I find useful in lining up. 

 6.  This is my biggest reason for buying a guillotine trimmer. Be it printer paper, thick 300 gsm card stock or 80 gsm papers, everything cuts like butter.  And I can challenge a Fiskars Sure cut to give me these cuts...I've seen thin papers get shredded like a blunt scissor cut it,on a Sure Cut...That made me sure that I needed this.

I can cut multiples of these strips and with ease....I didn't know what to label the extreme left strip..its half of a 1/16th strip....these look big, but try cutting these yourself and you'll get an idea. I might take some comparison photos and put up at a later date.

7. The second biggest reason...I don't have to replace the blade. This is a self sharpening blade..the more I use, the sharper it stays.  Less/more usage doesn't affect  it. With a Sure Cut or any trimmer that uses a blade, you are dependent on the availability of blades. With Sure Cut, if you cut the guiding wire, your trimmer is gone...You have to replace the rubber guide on which the blade glides every 6 months, and change the blade every 3-6 months depending on your usage.
        Me, I don't have to worry for the next 5 years.

CONS

My only grudge is the small distance between 6 - 6.5 is not that easy to judge. So for this measurement again, I have to rely on my small trimmer. But other than this...I really don't have major grudges....
Sure, they could have numbered on the sides, and given measurements too. But then it is impossible to have everything  I guess....

So, if you're deciding between a guillotine and a line trimmer, my suggestion would be the Guillotine...as for the brands, there are tons...Everyone has come out with their own paper trimmer, and if you wanted my opinion, I would say the X-acto Laser Paper trimmer but it retails for around 70-80$. After that is the Tonic Studio.

I haven't tried to cut multiple sheets, but I think I can cut at least 5-6 easily at one go. And one teensy warning, don't run your finger down the edge of the newly cut paper. I've had more paper cuts than I can figure out how I've got them!

If  you have an questions, go ahead ask me.

Some more CAS cards

Another Batch of CAS cards which I completed and sent out...it took a loong while to get the photos up!!

 A take on Maile Belles card....Loved her card...and well It would have been good if I had PTI colors, but hey...who's complaining!!

I love this card!!

 This is another of those...why didn't I do it before types..... I had stamped and embossed several pieces of CS with Antique Brocade stamp, when I'd borrowed it from Manasa. And I used them now!! 6 months later...Talking about hoarding....I think most of us crafters would easily get an episode each on the show called Hoarders!!!
I distressed it with 3 shades of distress inks, sprayed with LSG silver mist and matted the squares on black...and voila!!!

 Isn't that shimmer pretty? two of those squares are mounted on foam...

 This is Stampin up's Birthday Whimsy Set....and why did I not use it before!!! Hoarding again!!!

Loved stamping and fussy cutting the presents...Scrap piece of pattern paper in the background and PTI stamp for sentiment.

 This is a tall card...again from the Birthday Whimsy set...I think its time I got some neon inks!! What say?

The birthday cake from Birthday Whimsy again....so many easy cards with just one set!!!

 

Pic up some scrap pattern paper..punch out some circles and cut them in half....stick it up....add some twine, some bows..and some dotted borders!! TADA!! another CAS card done!! 

 

This I already showed you....but just to show again!!! love the sunset..gotta try some more!!!

Hope you like this installment of cards......
Working on some special cards..once those are done..will share with you!! :)

Till then..happy crafting!!!

A scene inspired card

Ever since I had been following Michele Zindorf's cards..I wanted to create scenes...and never got the motivation...now I did!!
After seeing Isha's card on "Do more with Less" I was determined to make one...just to take part in her challenge!!
I love her cards and this was my way to say, Thanks for all the inspiration! (Sorry Isha for not finding time to stop by your blog for soo long!)

And also linking this card to Anne Gaal's 4th Blogoversary Celebrations! 

This is simple blending with distress inks...and some masking with a circle post it...Those birds are hand drawn!

Inks used, Mustard seed, Wild honey, spiced marmalade, dried marigold, and fired brick. Memento Black.
Sentiment Papertrey ink.Hero arts- garden bouquet, Antique engravings.

Will be back to post the other cards soon...Had to share this card first, coz else I would have missed out on the deadline! :)

8x8 Scrapbook for Sister

Here's a custom order that I completed recently and so happy to say that it was very well received...That is what matters at the end....
I love each and every page of this book and this was my first time working with pictures than blanks and I think having pictures makes the work much much easier....
Since its a picture heavy post, I won't babble too much...just feast your eyes and ask me if you have any queries...

The cover....Wanted it to look like a frame dangling on the wal...and I love how it looks!!

 

  

This is  a mini within a mini.....a foldout booklet that holds 6 photos....fully decorated with Washi tape...the black polka dotted strips are Washi tape from Rachna....Thanks babe!!

Another favorite page...Saw this design in Silhoute studio and decided to cut it by hand....awesome results!!

I had to do this page when it popped into my head....the butterflies are a left over project which was spritzed till it shimmered....

So that's it about my book...would love your feed back on it!! My fastest one to date!!! 20 days only! :)
That might be too much for others, but for me each page is an ART and has a piece of my soul in it...