My MISTI review

Hello everyone,

I'm just here to share my newest love...MY PRECIOUS!! My newest stamping tool, The MISTI... It is nothing related to misting, just that the word MISTI stands for Most Incredible Stamping Tool Invented. And I can promise you, it is all that and more!

Here is my short review on MISTI...I have been using it for almost 4 weeks now. I simply love it. I am so planning to sell off my Fiskars Stamp Press. (If anyone is interested, please send me an email)

Photo courtesy - My Sweet Petunia

What it does? 
Its a stamping placement tool. Its design is such that you can stamp again and again in the same spot without getting ghost images.
Its hinge lid ensures the perfect placement every time. It will be confusing if you have never seen it in action. So hop over to My Sweet petunia's Channel and check out this video..and most of her other videos.

Do you need it?
If you are a serious stamper...and I mean, you make more cards stamping than using dies and flowers and all that jazz, then yes, run and get it. You will love it.
If you like stamping and want to get serious about it, start saving for it. 

 If you are a crafter who only stamps sentiments on cards, or random stamping on your Scrapbook pages or only makes scrapbooks, don't invest in this right away(and this is my opinion specifically for a beginner stamper and crafter)

Simply because the cost factor is such that you cannot use it instead of your acrylic block. It costs 50$ plus the shipping and plus the customs. But if you have the means, then don't hesitate.

Simply put, it is more of a stamping tool which gives you perfect placement, perfect inking and if you don't get a clear impression the first time, you can re-ink and re-stamp in the exact same spot without any problems.You can stamp on your die cuts perfectly and you can make multiples of a card in a jiffy!
If you break down and get it, don't blame me!! :P

What all do you need with it?
For sure you need the magnets. And I recommend at least 2. I use 4, but then I am OCD about lining papers. You can buy magnets from locally... you need to get the size 20mmx2mm which is what I use. I brought them off Ebay long before my MISTI arrived.

Do not get the iron or ceramic magnets..they will stain your papers. You need to get Neodymium magnets or magnets that are coated with nickel.

Buying the spray and grid papers is optional...and I don't have either of those. I print out my own grid papers from free downloads on the internet.
And I use plain water and microfiber cloth to clean my acrylic lid. 

Being the crazy person I am, I would also recommend get a cover for it. Buy any tablet cover that is around 11 inches x8.5 inches (Apple ipad Air covers seem to fit well)
 It will hold your MISTI and make sure the acrylic doesn't break. 

There are some other things that I am looking into, that is an addition to the MISTI, and as soon I find that they are good enough, I will update you all!

Here is my card that I made with this border stamp...when I was just testing out my new tool.
The image is super sized so that you can see how perfectly I was able to line up the stamps.
And most of the colors, the orange, the yellows and the blue (I hate that blue, never stamps well..I stamped it 3 times here) are all stamped twice and some more than twice.

Because of the MISTI, I didn't have to worry about lining it up. I knew it would stamp exactly the same place! 

 I used 9 inks, all of then Ranger Dye inks...except the 4th from the bottom which is Memento Dandelion ink. Finished it off with a sentiment from Winnie and Walter and some gems.

If you still have doubts, shoot me a comment or an email.

Coming in my next post, how to make your ink-swatches, or rather, how I made my ink swatches!

CAS Explosion box!

Yep, you read that right...A CLEAN AND SIMPLE Explosion box...is that even possible?? Well anything is possible....I just chose to keep it simple!

So here's my birthday explosion box....made one after sooo long...and was absolutely glad to try it again...So without much talking....here's the pics....quite a few of them!! :D

Here's the teaser that I showed you yesterday... Loved the SSS dies..but they are a pain to cut..Either that, or I need a new die cut machine! Loads of wink of stella on the balloons and Glossy accents on top of it!

 Here's the top of the box...Told ya..CAS! Since this was for a guy, I really didn't want to load it up with flowers unless necessary! I somehow lost the dot for the "i" in the birthday...and realized it just before I had to give it...just added a sad dot!! That's the one thing that bugs me!!!

The box when closed.

 Loved this sentiment!! looks amazingly stylish!! And lets pop that lid open....and BAM!

As you can see by the 12x12 paper below, this one is big. Its 5"x5" box...when opened it opens to 15inchx15inch. And the request was for blue and reds....so I alternated the layers...blue, red, blue and finally the red cake. My mind works like that...I love symmetry in everything...

Messages were printed and then die cut..

 The second layer with reds...

 The lower most layer with blues..and drum roll please...

 My first ever circle cake...it took me a better part of the day to figure this out! But looks good...wouldn't have been possible without tons of inputs from my friends, Nupur and Manu...Thanks girls again!

No project is ever complete without just a touch of butterflies.. I needed something to balance the overload of flowers on the opposite side.  So here went my butterflies!

So there you go! Loved making it.
I haven't mentioned supplies, because there a ton of it...

Just before I go, there is a discount for the Re-positionable spray used for re-sticking the Cameo mat on Snapdeal...just in case anyone was looking to buy it.  Here's the link http://bit.ly/1zgraSL

Ask me if you have any queries and I shall get back to you asap!!

Toodles,
Till the next post!

A quick card share

Hello everyone!

Here is another card that I made on the same slider technique that I showed in one of my previous post...(Yes, I am working on a tutorial...so a day or two when I can upload it)

I don't have a video of this card...and just two pictures to show!! (Shocking isn't??)Made and given in day!

Its a very very simple...I kept the background  simple. I cut the heart template on an acetate sheet with my Silhouette Cameo and inked the background with it. Since I wanted the silhouettes to be the highlight of the card.

And covered it with vellum to soften the look. The silhouettes are traced and cut from free vector files..

Sentiment is again written with my Sigma Micron pen using Cameo and when you pull the right tab out,

Here is the message you see..

Since it was to be a no fuss, no frills card, that's what I went with...

Envelope made from DCWV stack paper, using the envelope punch board.

Till the next post,
Much love,
Tejal

Shake shake shake it baby!

Hello again,

I was Guest posting on the Lulupu blog a while ago, celebrating their 3rd birthday! I had shared how to make shaker cards, so I thought of posting it here on my blog as well. So let's go...its a picture heavy post though...

 Let me take you along as I create not one but two shaker cards.

I started with two, because I wasn't sure how I wanted to go with it...so I played with both the cards and it may go from one card to another, but I'm sure you will get there in the end, and hopefully not confused by it! Let's do the shake it shake it baby!

I started with a cake...stamped it in Archival ink and colored with my distress inks. The stamp is from Hampton arts and comes with a fabulous pennant stencil.

So now, I'm creating a background for my shaker card. I masked the cake with a post-it cut out.

The great part about this pennant stencil, is that it is SELF ADHESIVE..yes you read that right, no need to add masking tape to secure it down. Just peel and paste it on your work surface and you are good to go. Once you are done, just paste it back on the backing and it safe and secure!

I used two shades of distress inks to create my pennants..,shabby shutters and mowed lawn. (Please excuse that washi tape on my inkpads...I usually stick them on the inkpads after using stencils)

So this is what we get. Now this is where I went a little hay wire. I jumped from this background to the next card. Please forgive me for that. But here is where we start making the shaker component of our card.

This is my second card.. I simply masked off the edges with a 1 inch masking tape and used the pennant stencil to create a background. For the shaker window, I'm using a card piece which is slightly smaller than the background. You can use the same size card piece too, in this case
4 1/4 x5 1/2.
Using my exacto , I cut off an area in the center to create my window.
TIP - You can use your square dies, oval dies, rectangle dies, word dies etc., to create fancy looking windows too.

 Now, cut a piece of transparency the same size as your window piece, (you can use Vellum too).
Run some red tape/score tape down the sides of the window. Peel off the tape and adhere your transparency/acetate to the back to the window piece.
Dry glue is always better with glossy surfaces like vellum or transparency.

 Over the transparency, we are now going to create a space for the shaker confetti!! So use double sided foam tape and add it around your window frame.
Keep it 1/4 inch away from the edge of the window, you don't want the foam showing through.

The most important part I feel for a shaker card when you are using double sided foam tape, is to make sure the confetti does not stick to the sides of the foam, which is usually sticky. 

I love love my new EK Success powder tool...just run the brush tip along the inside sides of the foam tape and your confetti will never stick to the tape! I even brush it across the inside of the transparency so there is no static on the plastic.

I picked up some number confetti and just took all the number 3 from it...
and I glued a few on the transparency too!!

Remove the foam backing and stick your window piece on the background and your shaker card is done.

Now to embellish the card and ready it up!!

showing the scattered confetti

So here is my finished card...I took the 2nd  birthday cake (scroll back to the first picture) fussy cut it and glued it to the window.
Took a piece of vellum and gold embossed the Happy Birthday sentiment.
Stamped and fussy cut balloons, added twine. To finish up the balloons, I added Wink of stella in clear and glossy accents over the balloons!

The whole piece is glued on a black card base.

The piece which I abandoned in the 3rd step, here's how I finished that too..

scattered stars confetti

Here I took the window piece and stamped stars over it...stamped 3 balloons from the Hampton Arts set and fussy cut them.
Heat embossed sentiment on vellum, with Gold embossing powder and hid the glue behind the balloons!
On the right, is how the confetti shakes out!!
Again, this whole window was glued to a black card base!

And we are done!! If you are still with me, Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!

List of supplies,
Cardstock - White - Brustro 200 gsm
Black Cardstock - Local
Inks - Distress inks -Mowed lawn, shabby shutters, picked raspberry, salty ocean
          Archival Jet black
          Ranger dye inks - Electric lime, Caribbean Coast, Classic Cherry
          Versamark
Ranger Queen's gold Embossing powder
Stamps - Hampton Art birthday stamp, Simon Says Stamp - Clear Birthday ballons,
Hero Arts - birthday messages
Ek Success Powder tool, Olfa cutting knife, Tim holtz ruler, Tim Holtz non stick scissors, Wink of stella, Glossy accents.
Black Baker's twine