Where have I been...

First of all, Thanks to all the nuts who went along with my boredom and played along the Tag game!! I have had so much fun reading it all...If I've not stopped by your blog, leave me a comment...I will stop by!! I am going to make a crazier version of a Tag and do it later on!! That's a promise...

So there haven't been many posts from me, not much crafting on my part.. I'm in the transition period right now....I am a CAS girl..but somehow now I find that boring. Its the story of my life. I get bored very soon...

Right now I'm on a discovering spree...I played with watercolors but decided, it wasn't my thing...now came decoupage. Its still in the expreimental stage.. but not getting a perfect finish..that is bugging me. Need to play around a bit more till I feel that I've done a good job!

And then there is lots of behind the scenes research that I do...for Swaps (err..that's just an excuse to watch more YT videos, plus I have to keep myself updated, if I am to be the walking talking Google :p)

And especially when hubby gets holidays, there goes my crafting for a toss...2 weeks of holiday for him means no crafting. I am the messy types and he is the cleanliness freak and even though he tells me to go ahead and craft...from the corner of my eye, I usually see him cringe at the mess I make.

I know his fingers itch to go and pick up that piece of scrap I just threw off. But like a darlin that he is, he resists. And like a darlin wife that I am, I try not to put him in that spot and keep away from crafting. When I don't craft. I shop! Brought some dies, stamps, and more dies which will find its way to me end of December.

Plus there have been books....The Krishna Key, Almost Single...Movies- The life of Pi...so things have been moving, but just not happening on the blog front.

If you like Mythological books, you will like Krishna key... I won't say you love it. Because the resemblence to The DaVinci Code is so evident, it puts you off at times. Its fast, its racy, its full of stories, legends, and mytho references. There are some really awesome theories, some mind boggling details. Some fabulous discoveries that make you wonder, is it fact or fiction.
 But why is all the running, why is every third dialogue a lecture on the history and its origins, it didn't make sense to me. And the ending...wasn't what I expected. It was too open..maybe it was his intention, but I like closure in a book...So borrow it and read...I am rather waiting for the 3rd book in the Trilogy of Shiva...Amish hurry up!!

The life of Pi. The visuals, stunning. The animation. Stunning.  Story line - Didn't know there was one. The tiger- awesome.
I am not trying to kill the beauty that this movie is, for anyone. But I probably went with too high expectations after reading the 4 star reviews. Sometimes it felt like I was watching National Geographic in 3D. One review said, if you want to know what mediation is, go watch this. You will discover God.

Did I find God, or learn how to meditate...nope!!  I just came back with some stunning visuals, and some good 3D. Though Irfan Khan did manage to choke a tear out of me....but then he's brilliant.

So that's about what's happeneing with me. Should be back to post my planner which I made for the Swap Central's swap, Its already up on facebook if you want to see. Hoping to start a few cards .... but I want to write write and write some more!! Maybe my writing bug has bitten me again!!

before I ramble anymore, I'll say bye here...and be back soon with some crafty posts!
Tee

Long time no see

Its been a month and a half that this blog has been lying dead!!! oh well, blame it on a lot of things...but mostly, I didn't have anything to share!
One month vacation, lots of family issues..and some personal health issues (I had back pain, and before that could heal, I took a tumble down the stairs, so now my bum hurts) ! so that combined into me not wanting to blog about anything...

But I can't stay away...even if it is to ramble, I had to stop by and say hello....and probably share what I've been on a buying spree over here!!

First up I got some of my hero arts stuff!! can you imagine its not inked yet?yeah...shame on me!!

This has been on my wish list for soo long!! finally its here and its huge!!!

 

 These are a part of three set that I got a fabbie deal on ETSY. Lets see how I use them!!!

Another font set that I've always wanted!!!
ETA : I won a 50 AED voucher at Pretty Paper Studio for taking part in their  blog hop, and with that I had to choose this fabulous stamp!! Neelu is dying to see me use this...and so am I...I love it to bit, yet it scares the hell out of me!!
Thanks Neelu!

Then I got my very first lawn fawn set

Then I also got 2 fiskars quotes stamps...
But my bestest buy which I thought I didn't need but I think I'm gonna love it anyways,
My Martha stewart scoreboard! The arrival of which was a sad story, but I'm sure I'll use it and love it totally!!

And something that's on the way is my dearly beloved paper trimmer!! This I will review it up!!! This trimmer, I've been waiting for 2 yrs!! 12x6 Tonic Guillotine paper trimmer!!

That's a lot of spending...and this doesn't count the tiny tiny things that I've bought....my Staedler watercolor pencils, washi tapes, ink pads,  more paper...etc....but mind you....all this was over a period of 5 months...nothing in one month or week!!!
So please don't be jealous...don't type a comment that you're jealous...its understood!! Just tell me you want me to see use it!!! That's all!!

A few projects that will take a long time to finish and will share more of it soon!!

This is a mini album, which I was to finish by may end...but coz of my back pain, couldn't sit for long to to do it...Thankfully my friend is in no rush!! so I can take my time slowly with it! I've done all the tags, but some tags are not to my liking, so will do them again...and will do a tute on this kind of mini, my version of it! :)

Also my CD mini is done, and boy, what an awesome one!! I can't share till it reaches my partner, and goes up on the blog!! But you have to see the inspiration that we're gonna get over the next 14days starting from monday! trust me!!

Do join in the next friendship swap that is up and running on the Swap Central blog!

Till my next post, drool away!!
p.s. i have a lot of wood mounted stamp coming out for sale! keep an eye out!

On a Break

Hey all...I'm sure you've noticed my absence on my blog...

I'm on an official break from crafting..or rather crafting on the floor...my back pain had gotten worse over the months...finally trips to the doc and x-rays and blood reports (with fainting spells... I can't see my own blood..I did anatomy in med school....dissected frogs and rats..and yet when I see my blood, I faint!! ) ...

I'm not to craft on the floor..official orders (how I sit quietly...I don't know)..Hubby is quite happy not to get me a working table so that I take rest!! (which I can't)
So I sneak in some crafting time of whatever tools he's not hidden from me! Which is almost nothing..just PP, CS, and my scissors and trimmers....
So you won't see any post from me here....for a while to come...but I will keep posting some stuff..so that you don't forget me....and Blog Candy is being set up..with Stamps and Inks..so watch out!

So off to enable you a bit....Did you check out Pie lane's newest Challenge on using Stencils? and did you catch up on using glitters and stencils?

And if you did, do link me up if you try this out...would love to see what you come up with!

Also Deepthi at My Arts has very kindly featured me as her artist this week...Do drop by to read my ramblings from the heart...

Till then...see you soon!!

My Big Decision

A few of you have been privy to my rantings on Facebook, and I'd promised I'd tell you in good time why I was upset. It was not one but two things that took place side by side and which added to my sadness and bitterness.

For reasons that are beyond the scope of this blog and are more personal in nature,
I am no longer a part of  the Indian Craft Room. I expect your understanding and please do not ask me why I took the step I took. If I could, I would have put it right here...nothing helps me heal better than sharing it with you all. At this point of time...I cannot share.

And the second part of bitterness came when I had to part ways with a friend. When I stood by her, for everything she believed in , I had placed a hope in her that when the time came for her to support me, she would do it. Unfortunately as is the world today, when I asked for her understanding and support in what I believed in, I only got indifference. I was only good enough to be called a friend as long as it served her purpose. So that left me with a bitter taste of friendship....but as they say, you live and you learn....one tick mark on my life sheet...
I learned a lesson and I forgave the friend and I have moved on. I am not going to look back with regret, I am not going to re-build that bridge again....maybe in time when I heal, I might or might not...but not right now!

So that is the story of this week of my life. It sure will leave a huge hole and a big impact on my life....but a quote on a friend's page yesterday gave me hope -

Its not the people that stand by your side when u re at your best, but the ones who stand beside u, when u are at your worst, they are your true friends!

The good, the bad and the ugly

In my last post I mentioned some really great news....well here it is....I'm the featured crafter on Craftsia's website.
This is my first every interview of any kind..so I was pretty excited...and it just made feel great that I'm slowly on the steps to where I want to be. Selling my cards, teaching (yet to achive) and have my own store (long way to go for that) but that in a nutshell is my dream...so I feel, this is just the first step for me..and hopefully there will be no looking back!!!
Check out the interview here.

On a slightly bitter note, some of you were privy to my rantings on Facebook. I am definitely not going to elaborate on that, but just wanted to share my few thoughts...
For me blogging was a way of getting out of the nasty politics I see in my every day life...making cards is my therapy...sending smiles to my friends in the form of cards, that is the best feeling that I get. And now this politics is getting into blogland?
If it gets to a point where I cannot tolerate it, I will quit blogging. I blog because it makes me happy and this is just not right.
As much as the back-stabbing hurts, I know the reasons too...and I'm the kinds who will walk away from you, if you hurt me even the slightest bit. It won't matter how good you've been to me, how nice I've been to you....but you hurt me once, and that's the end of my story with you! Its not a threat, it's just who I am.

And honestly in the last 6 months, I've seen the faces of people that I didn't want to see....jealous, plotting, scheming, back-biting.....it makes me want to believe that there are very few good people left in the world. Very few....and I'm better off having no friends than having friends who enjoy plotting and then sit back and watch the show and have a good laugh.

There is a lot more that I want to say, but this is not the portal for me to express myself...but this is the gist of it. I've been hurt, exasperated and astonished by people I call friends

For what is all this? What did I do that makes you hate me so much?  This is my open invitation to you...if you've got guts...call me up and tell  me what is it that drives you to do such things and speak ill of me behind my back. I promise to hear you out.

But if you got no guts, then please shut up and let me live this one life I've got in peace.

And in case you read it up to here, thanks for reading my whining....and I'm hoping you sympathize with my situation. If anyone has spoken bad about me to you...just ignore it...don't pass it on to any third person...just kill the chain with yourself. It will save me a heartache.

And I'm not allowing comments on this topic....I've got enough advise to last me a lifetime...I don't need anymore. I just need peace and calm around me.

New friends

I have been MIA for too long. Just surfing through everyone's blogs and hoping for things. now I'm somehow getting my creativity back. Its limping back, in a while it should be roaring to go...

On one of my blog surfing adventures, I stumbled across an Indian card maker. From her blog, I found so many. I did not realise that there were so many Indian card makers who are as crazy about stamps, paper, inks, cuttlebug, patterned papers, ribbons and much much more. It is such a delight, and I've already found so many alternatives to the more expensive stuff. locally made patterned papers, new hobby store..the list is endless.

There is already and ATC swap for all the Indian cardmakers. Yipee, needless to say I joined in straight away.

Here are the links to the ones I know...As I get to meet others, I shall let you know..

The ATC SWAP group- Crazy about ATCs

Rachna - Rachna's Crafty Corner

Spardha- Get Addicted to Craft!

Smita - Kreativity and Me

Shalini - Craft Curry

On another note, I finally managed to find some Patterned paper from hobby ideas. With recession, their prices have literally hit the roof. or ceiling. or sky high..whatever you prefer.

A single sheet of rub-on that cost me 40bucks, in now 65. A single sheet of sticker is 95. And PP are 20 bucks. I knew this hobby is expensive but if rates keep shooting higher, I might as well give up this hobby.'

Thankfully there is an online hobby store in India (YAY). Itsy-bitsy and it has the PP for 7 bucks. maybe not as thick as the ones I get at hobby Ideas, it still works for me. Now I just hope they keep adding some new stuff.

Here's a shot of the papers I got from Hobby Ideas..






Here's hoping to see you soon with some new cards and new ramblings..

Sketch Challenge

I made a card for Christine's Sketch challenge..
Here's Christine's sketch..

And here's my interpretation of the sketch..

Its that time of the day when no matter how many pics you take, they're bound to look dark. I had seen this wonderful technique of stamping on a dark background and filling in the stamps with Prisma pencils...I just used my watercolor pencils and its not bad..Its called Black Magic..saw it on StampOwl aka Frances Bryne's blog..

The single flower is stamped on acetate, colored with copper paint on the reverse..The sentiment, is stamped, faux stitched and the edges and the main panel distressed and raised for a faux leather look. Here's a close up...

Supplies-

Paper-DCWV classic paper pack, Stamps-Delight in life, sentiment- heart and soul rubberstamps, watercolor pencils, uni-ball signo white gel pen, acetate, Black Stazon, copper paint.

New card

hello ya all...Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends around the world.

And I'm back...with another card..too long too late I know..my mojo is gone. Going thru the painful pangs of separation after 2 wonderful years..and what makes it worse is that neither of us is at fault. Circumstances are such that parting is inevitable. The thing I dread the most is will I be able to see him with someone else? Will have to work on that a lot.
Ever heard the saying "The worst feeling in the world is sitting next to the person you love knowing you cannot have them?" I'm going to be feeling the same feeling every day..for God knows how long.

I need strength and I pray that he gets the strength to survive. Sigh........Life sure is funny...gives you what you'd been praying for all these years and just when you begin to appreciate the gift, He takes it back. I just don't want to turn bitter, I don't want to carry hate in my heart for the people who were responsible for bringing about this breakup. I want to carry on but at the same time I wish someday they realize how much they have hurt us. I want them to feel the hurt and the pain. For the first time in my life, I regret the fact that I am an Indian, that a son had to sacrifice his future for the sake of obligations to the family. I do not know if such traditions are followed around the world, but today I wish I was in some other country, where no one else's opinion influenced your decision.

Damn it feels good to unload.

Well after all the ranting and raving, here's my card.


This uses Michelle's sketch 2 and she has really good sketches every wednesday..go hop on over and say hi to Michelle

Do you love the grey PP I found in my local store? It so shiny IRL and fabulous cobblestone look. You're gonna see more of this.