Liebster Blog Award

Recently Gayatri passed this award to me..and I am beyond honored girl...You are such an inspiration to me...I doubt there is anyone who visits your blog and doesn't linger for hours! ....I usually end up browsing all her past posts when I get the time!!

 

The idea of the Liebster Blog Award is to spread the love from one small blog (under 200 followers) to other small blogs. This helps to spread knowledge and readership.

To accept the award, you must:
1) Link back to the person who gave it and thank them for thinking of you.
2) Post the award to your blog.
3) Give the award to 5 bloggers (with less than 200 followers) that you appreciate and value.
4) Leave a comment on the blogs of the five people you have chosen to let them know. 

It is very very hard to narrow down on just 5 blogs... 

Khushboo ( I know you already have it. but I have to give it to you)

Mona 

Divya

Jovita

Saumya ( another crazy chick I love to hang out with on my BBM..you didn't know..BBM is the latest cafe, where I can hang out with my crazy buds!!) 

So thanks you all for inspiring me in your little ways and thank you again Gayatri for leaving love for me!!

Cuttlebug and Stencil Tutorial

These tutorials 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 already have this post up at Pie Lane blog....but just posting it here for those who drop in here...Do drop in at the Pie Lane blog for some more inspiration!!

ETA- 

For Big shot users - the stack would be follows (This is only my research, someone will have to do it and tell me how well it works)
From bottom up
Tab 1 of the multipurpose platform
 Cutting Pad
 Metal Stencil
CS
Tan embossing mat/Silicone sheet
Impressions Pad ( link here)

Picture Heavy Post!! 

I have been struggling with  how to use the stencils...I didn't get a proper embossing for a long time...I could use it with with mists, I could get it to work with inks but the traditional embossing...zilch!!! So while stumbling around I finally found how I could use it..but before I tell you that...for those who want to try traditional method of embossing, here is a great tutorial on how to use your stencils with a light box (or use a glass table and put a lamp underneath your table)

Here's Sri showing you how to use a glass table and a lamp under it to use your stencils..(zoom in and you can see some new stencils!!)

But what I did was for gadget freaks like me!!! I used my Cuttlebug!! YES!! The cuttlebug works great with your Pie lane stencils!!

I will show you the cuttlebug stack later on, but first this is how the embossing looks!! That left me speechless!!!!

What can you do once you emboss it?  Place the stencil back on the embossed side...tape it down...and use a sponge and your inks to sponge it over....

The embossed part fits right in the grooves and takes inks very well....

That is Broken China distress ink....is that fabulous or what!!
You can also just rub a small ink pad right over the embossed area without the stencils.. This was with Fabriano Brustro CS...

I also tried with a bit of scrap of pattern paper!!

The paper is on the stencil...instead of removing the paper from the stencil, I just turned it over and inked it up!!

You can use either side for your projects!
I also tried with a scrap  piece of parchment paper (I'm still researching on parchment vs vellum)

So now you've seen what you can do with your Pie lane stencils...and the cuttlebug!!! Here is how to do it!

From the bottom, you use your
A plate
B plate
Stencil
paper (same size as the stencil - try not to use bigger)
Tan embossing mat (this is the secret to that fabulous embossing...you can use a rubber mat not a mouse pad , silicone baking  mat but the thickness has to be around 1.25-1.5mm)
B plate
and CS shims (very necessary)

The shims and the tan embossing mat (from Spellbinders.com) are the most important part of the embossing stack. You can vary the CS shims depending on your CS...for Fabriano I needed 3...but when I used the same 3 shims for the Pattern paper and parchment, the embossing tore the papers. Its a bit of trial and error on your part, but once you get hang of it....the whole world is open for you!! try whatever you can!! and Share with us!

When I used 3 shims, it  tore the paper, 2 would have been sufficient for thinner papers. I use the backing of the cuttlebug dies as shims...you can use thick chart paper, cereal box sheets, etc...one word of warning..if it feels tight when rolling throught the cuttlebug...it is tight...reduce the shim and try again. This is what I've discovered...if you find something new...do share in!

So hope I've inspired you to look at your stencils in a new way today....Do post any questions you have and I will post the answers here itself...so everyone can benefit.....

And coming soon...ways to use glitter with your stencil..

Yes!! I love glitter!!
Happy Crafting!!

Fascinating Friday and an enabler alert!

A week ago Noor from Paperie Designs invited me to be a Featured artist on her blog and I was more than delighted to accept it. Thank you once again Noor for this fabulous opportunity...

 

You can drop by her blog, Paperie Desgins Studio and read the interview here and Don't forget to drop in every Friday to comment on her blog..You have a chance of winning a 50$ gift voucher from Two Peas in a Bucket..Isn't that fabulous? I can already make a long list of what I would buy!!

On another note, how was Holi for everyone? I'm a scared rabbit who hides in her hole when holi comes calling...I hate the colors and for good reason...I spent my day hiding in my house..Thank God hubby doesn't force me to go play!
But it did give me a chance to play with the holi stamps from Varna's stamps...and are they fabulous or what!!

I loved the stamps so much that I wanted to play only using the stamps..no other element to it..and It is fabulous..I just loved using the inks and going crazy with it! All memento inks.

Lemme show you another one...

Sorry, this is a cellphone pic...but you can see..all you need is colors!!! All inks are memento inks.
Sending both these cards to Crafty JC's Challenge - Many Colors Holi

On another note, I'm glad all of you are loving my watermarks...I went a step ahead and got them done into rubberstamp so I could stamp the back of my cards...and who better to ask than Varshitha!!

And let me tell you, its so good, its crazy! don't believe me? here's the proof!

This is how I got my stamp!! And Its so fabulous!! The one in blue is my digital watermark and the one in black is the clear stamp!!
And when I stamped it...each and every detail is visible...the stamp is around 2"x 1.5" approx.

This is the stamped version. Its a sad cellphone pic..but couldn't get my camera to charge up soon enough to take pics and upload. Totally love it!! :)

So if you don't want a watermark, but just want a rubber stamp, I can help you design it and have Varshitha make it into a rubber stamp for you!! Possibilities are endless...

If I don't answer your emails this weekend or the next, don't worry, I'm just a little crazy with visiting family and meeting my bestie after 6 yrs and will be off to an adoption agency to find a baby girl for my bestie!! (Cross your fingers for her)

Wedding Inspiration!

Hey there...did you guys check out the Scrappy Swap at Saumya's blog? I'm surely in...someone's trash is surely my treasure!! :)
Maybe we shall have a challenge post the swap...more when we reach that point!!

For now, I've got a fabulous card for you up on Pie Lane ... and small tip to using your products better!!

Hop on over to the Pie Lane blog, be inspired and come back with your own challenge cards..we love seeing your creativity out there!!

See you over at the Pie Lane blog!

Scrappy Swap....

Thank you all for a wonderful response to the Lulupu team. Hoping to show you more tutorials in the future...if you have anything special you want me to share do leave it in the comments and will try to come up with it...just don't ask me to talk on the video...not yet...saving money to buy a flip cam!

Just here to share news of  tiny swap that I, Saumya and Khushboo came up with while bugging each other on BBM...for those who don't know...its a blackberry messenger...we chat all day..bug each other all night, and its fun...who says you make friends only in person...we have school friends, college friends, facebook friends, if you're in mumbai, you have train friends (whom you meet everyday on your regular route to work on trains) and now we have BBM friends.

(pic courtesy )- This is a random search from google..not my own pic.

Both of us, me and Saumya are paper hoarders..me more than her...we hoard our scraps too...and suddenly we said how about you send me your scraps and I'll send you mine!! And thus the idea was born....we decided to invite anyone who was interested in sending across their scraps to us and take some from us!! :)

For the full list of rules and requirements, hop over to Saumya's blog..

Hello and Welcome!!

It is my privilege and honor to introduce to you a fabulous online store...Lulupu.com.

This is just a fabulous version of the store you already knew as Crafting Queen store. Yup, you guessed it right, it has been thought of and brought to life by Karuna. She has already been helping you get all the crafty things you heart desires via Crafting Queen, and this is just a easier version of your shopping experience.


And I am honored to be part of this store's Creative Team. And as a part of the Team's mission, which is to teach as well as promote this hobby, I have a surprise in store for you over at the Lulupu Blog. Stop by and check out what is that surprise.

Yup there are butterflies involved!! They have to be! :)


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