Creativity and me...

Hello everyone!

I know my posts have been a bit too sporadic in the past few months. This time I have no reasons... I don't know what's been keeping me from crafting. Busy, yes, but not sooo busy that I can't craft. Anyway, here is what I have to share with you today:

First, a 'card' by Aaryan for his favorite 'chachu' (my husband's younger brother):

Not the best picture I guess, and not the best work by Aaryan but yes, it is from his heart :D My boy has used only scrappy bits that Mamma 'doesn't need'. He just came and asked me if I could spare some things - anything - that I may not want; then sat with his glue stick and created this by sticking it all in a random pattern. He also upcycled some things (like the plastic sheet in the middle, a stone that came off from a sandal  - insisting that it is a black colored diamond for his uncle- and that foam letter 'E' which is not a letter but just a 'pattern'!) I asked if he wanted my help folding a card but he said he didn't want to make a 'normal' card and he just wanted to do his own thing!! :D The flowers are ready made but everything else is scrap that was lying in my scrap pile! And it is a big card!!! He has signed off with his name too :-p

I am, of course, submitting this for the ICR kids card challenge.

Second, a card my sister-in-law asked me to make for her hubby (yes, Aaryan's favorite uncle, that is):

The inside:

and the coordinating envelope:

Well, the story behind it is related to those headphones! I have finally realized something... though we keep saying that it is difficult to craft for men, there is one thing that isn't so difficult. Every man has a weakness (apart from the woman in their life ;-) ) - sports, gadgets, cars or such like! And my brother-in-law is a gadget freak :-p with these speakers and headphones being on his wishlist forever! :D So, though nobody is yet gifting him these, I thought it would go well in her card! The quote is of course partly Shakespeare and partly me ;-)

All that glitters on this card and envelope is Pie Lane! :)

I love the heart chain! ;-) It took me a while to get the trick right though... courtesy a utube video.

I am submitting this card for:

Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog - Challenge 180 - Cards for men

Ciao,

Smita

PDCC63 and MOJO Monday 172

*** This is my second post for today. Scroll down for my previous post ***

Oh yes, I am on a roll :-D. I had been waiting for the PDCC colors because it has been really long since I played along. The colors are beautiful:

I based my card on the sketch at Mojo Monday:

A little about my card... I haven't used any patterned paper in this one. Instead I tried using a pattern I learnt in my painting class (nothing much, I can't draw and paint at all so I am taking lessons from Aaryan's teacher!). The green stripes pattern on the square panel is the pattern I created... I then embossed it with the Textile Texture embossing folder and then sponged some light green ink to create a nice effect on my pattern (I am not too sure if that is visible in the picture).

I have used Silver, Gold and Green gel pens for the faux stitching but they all look the same in the pic :-(. The stamp is from an Inkadinkado set. The Kraft CS was part of my birthday RAK from Emily (that was the only item the thief left behind :-/ ).

I am still trying to find my mojo... hope this post isn't too boring :-)

ETA: This is the card Tejal sent for Aaryan on his birthday :-)

Ciao,

Smita

Rakhi

Here is a card I made yesterday:

"BHAIYA" is Hindi for Brother. And as the card obviously says, this is a card for a brother... 'No way! so much bling on a masculine card..' - is this on your mind now? Well then, welcome to India. :-) Rakshabandhan (read more here) is an Indian festival of sisters and brothers. On this day, the sister ties a Rakhi (picture below) on the brother's wrist and the brother in turn vows to take care of her and protect her forever... of course, he also gives gifts in return ( ;-) ). They feed each other sweets.

Rakhi

This picture is only for representational purpose only 

Rakshabandhan is a sweet and sacred festival and celebrated almost all across the country. Rakhis can be simple or very ornate but they almost always have a touch of bling. In our communtiy, the sister also ties a rakhi to her brother's wife (it dangles from our bangles/bracelets and looks really really pretty).

A Rakhi pair for the sister-in-law and brother

This picture is only for representational purpose only 

My husbands sisters have already sent us our Rakhis for this year, though there is still some time to go before the festival, since they stay in another city. I guess the postal department is usually flooded  with envelopes marked 'Rakhi' around that time. 

I don't know what else to write about this lovely day... you got to see the beautifully decked up sisters and their doting brothers to know what I mean :-)

Anyway, you will probably see more Rakhi cards from me this month since I have to make quite a few. :-)

Hope you enjoyed this post.

Hugs,
Smita

Card Patterns sketch 67

Hi all,

My take on Card Patterns Sketch 67:

CS: Base CS is Fabriano; everything else is from my stash;

DP: The pretty patterned paper is an RAK from Tanja.

Others: Stamp is from Hobby Ideas; ribbon and lace from my stash... some faux stitching using my white gel pen and the branch (yeah, it is a branch..LOL) is hand drawn and cut.

It turned out just the way I intended it to so I won't be cribbing this time around ;-). I am in love with all things pleated at the moment, which explains the pleated flowers and ribbon. And I am a lot wiser now so I am stitching up my ribbon treatments before adhering them [because the quality of double-sided tape that we get around here is kind of hopeless!].

Usually I save the sketch on my phone or draw it out in my notebook before starting on the card; this time I tried to test my memory.. I was kind of sure I remembered the sketch wrong... but yoooohooo!! I wasn't wrong!!

Golden hues

Hey!!

My take on this week's 2S4Y sketch (#53) by the beautiful Laura.

Ok, it didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to. Plus the fact that I put in so much time and effort into this card... not very satisfying but till I can find time to make one more based on the beautiful sketch, I'll have to submit this one. I love the papers though... rich golden hues on the base and the middle pink pieces.

Here's another view:

The ribbon (inspired by Ashley - how I love her work!!!!) is ruffled and hand-stitched [I didn't want to take chances by pleating it directly on to double-sided tape because the tapes here are sometimes terrible and don't hold too well; so I stitched the pleats and hot-glued it on the green CS].  I also did some 'real' stitching at the bottom [finally!!] :-). I made dimensional flowers again to match my theme [sentiment not added yet] - Bloom and grow! I ran over the embossed swirls with my 3D outliner. And I also sponged the base CS and the white CS with copper ink (it really shines).

One more card that I made a couple of days back (which again I was reluctant to post but hubby thought it wasn't that bad!):

till later...

Smita

Card Patterns 64

My take on this week's Card Patterns sketch # 64:

I tried the fan fold flower for the first time... easy but took some practice.

Ribbon, lace and button are from my stash... I've used 3D outliner for the bling effect.

Bejeweled

Bejeweled - well that's what my card is today! ;-) I started with a little bling... and then went on and on and on... till my card began to resemble a jewelery box LOL!! But I don't mind it one bit... I loved the card though the pics may not do justice to it yet again!

Disclaimer: If you don't like bling, stop rightaway and get on with your work (or you'll be down with a headache! ;-) )

The card is inspired by the awesome sketch at 2S4Y (Laura, you and the DT rock this week too)... It is my favorite sketch blog and I am happy to be able to take part this time... 

I am also submitting my card for the Cinema Saturday Creative challenge (gosh! I miss it almost every week...) - use silver in your creations.

A little about my card:

CS: Both red and black are from Fabriano. I embossed the black one.

Others: Silver metallic CS; embossed and inked vellum

Embellishments: Lace (thanks Mamma) and rhinestone are from stash... all other forms of glitter are using my favorite 3D outliners; flowers are handmade [ my take on 5 petal dimensional flowers]; the swirls are hand drawn and the sentiment is from Stampin' Up.

I randomly stuck rhinestones for that 'chicken pox- like' effect :D...

Hope you liked my card. I'd love to read your comments and suggestions :-)

Hugs,

Smita

Sizzling Blue ...!

Here I am back again with the Mojo sketch card; and this time I did remember to make it square unlike the earlier one!!! ;-) As I mentioned earlier, my cards reflect my mood and what techniques I am waiting to try. Today it is a fun card with some elegance... I tried the awesome 'Shaker' card from the Whiff of Joy Tutorial blog. Love their tutorials though I don't own any of the gorgeous Whiff of Joy stamps.

I am submitting this card for:
> The Cuttlebug Spot - Favorite flowers (these layered beauties sure are my favorites!)
> Papertake Weekly - Do something different (never tried a shaker card like this before)
> Cute card Thursday - Make your own
> Our Creative Corner - Blooming blossoms
> Tanja's challenge of making the shaker 

Isn't it a beauty? :-) I loved it!!! But if I reveal what makes the shaker, I'm not sure if you will believe me.... ;-)  Well, the original tutorial asked for a cardboard ring 6mm high. I, of course, didn't have any such ring. I asked Tanja what to replace it with... she suggested 3D tapes. Now Smita was too lazy to neatly cut foam tape so she came up with another idea... 

I have loads of unused bangles with me... I layered 3 light metal bangles to create the height and dimension. Then I carried on with the tutorial ;-)...  I loved the card!! AND I loved my shimmering blue flower too... Nothing much to write about that - just layered scalloped circles secured with a brad and decorated in the center with a circle sticker and loads of 3D outliner! :-) 

The lace is from mom's stash!! And she has the most amazing collection ever!!

Hope you enjoyed my post...

Ciao,

Smita

Shimmering beauty ;-)

Well, 'shimmering beauty' is what I was trying to make my card... beauty or not, it is your say, but it sure is shimmering (more in reality than in the pic). It is always a big challenge for me to follow the Mojo Monday sketch. I find it too full of little bits and pieces for me to follow... 

My cards are usually neither CAS nor embellishment-heavy; hmm... somewhere in between. They always depend on my mood and supplies PLUS on what technique I want to try (yes, I am a very technique-loving girl, if there is such a word). I had started this self challenge of trying new techniques in the beginning of last year (I had not yet discovered my fellow Indian card makers till then and lack of crafting supplies was a big heartbreak back then!) ... I love trying anything new I see, though they might not always be successful attempts. So, here I am with a few new things...

This card follows the Mojo Monday challenge. I chose the Square (well, just realized it isn't square... :-( ). But I put in so much effort into this card that I am submitting it anyway. 

> The image is again from Birds' cards. I colored it using my Derwent pencils and blended with Camlin distilled turpentine; 

> The pretty lace on top and in the very bottom are from mom's stash; 

>I bought the glittering purple ribbon a few days back from the local market;

> The printed glossy vellum (circle behind the image) was gifted to me by Chirag, my brother-in-law

> The patterned scallop circle is Heidi Grace (thanks Donna!!)

> The pink shaded paper (layer 1) is from Hobby Ideas

I made the flower myself using 2 sizes of heart punches and a clover (yes!) punch [ Kathy has a beautiful tutorial for the heart punch flowers - I am nowhere close of course! Too lazy to punch or cut smaller/bigger hearts] and loads of 3D outliner in the center; so I do qualify for Cute Card Thursday's challenge (make your own)!!! :-) The leaves are punched using a Carl craft punch. The swirls are hand drawn (sorry, I can't do better than that! ;-) ); the scalloped edge was done using a decorative scissor.

The inside of the card:

Don't remember where the sentiment is from. I'll update it as soon as I can recollect.

PS: Ahhh yes! i can't believe this is my second post today ;-)

Tough one...

Ok, this post has been a bit overdue now. I've been trying to post it for the past 3 days...! I had been working on some (30+) birth announcement cards for a friend. Since this was the first time I made cards in such quantity (not counting my actual first time for my little boy's first birthday), this was quite a challenging job for me. To make things more difficult for myself, I had come up with quite an intricate design that involved a lot of hand cutting (other than the card base and the first layer, everything was cut by my little fingers and my trusted pair of scissors... LOL). Anyway, cribbing apart, this was an enjoyable project that also taught me a lot! :-) And I loved the final product... and so did everybody at home. 

My friend wanted the card to be traditional with the use of fabric, warm colors, and gold... the message on most cards was in Hindi (written by her) and a imilar one in English on the other cards.

A little bit of distressing... (the whole card had a vintage feel)... a little bit of dimension... hand made knots and random patterns with the golden lace at the bottom of the card... the baby's bundle is cut out of fabric and beads were stuck to that.. basically, a lot of work ;-)

The background paper is printed handmade paper; the orange bits of paper are another variety of handmade paper that almost look and feel like fabric.. the sentiment is printed.

And here's a pic of all of them together:

Hope you like it :-)

Ciao,
Smita

psst psst: I'm off for a week to my parent's place... won't be crafting this whole week I guess. I'll try and check out your blogs as often as I can though! Happy crafting to all of you

:-)

This is my cutest card for now ;-) Been dying to use this color combination for a while but I never seemed to have the right supplies.

I am submitting it for:
> 2S4Y : love their sketch (when do I not!?)

> The Cuttlebug Spot challenge ("Bling"... though I am capable of much more bling ;-) )
> Cute Card Thursday: Touchy feely

The patterned paper is from Hobby Ideas; the pink oval behind the stamped image is a glitter paper my dad got for me from Australia (not visible perhaps but it has a nice shimmer); all other papers are from stash. Ahhh, yes, I have finally managed to emboss and ink Vellum... can you seeing it peeping behind the light pink rectangle?? :-) That's thanks to Beth Norman (love her tutorials!).

The image is again Meljen's digital stamp; the sentiment is Stampin' Up; the flowers and lace are from stash. I've also used some gel pens and 3D outliners for added bling and dimension.

Hope you enjoyed my little post...

Cheers,
Smita

Glittering silver...

Here is another card for me... unfortunately it isn't following any sketch so it is kind of weirdly consolidated. I had to try this flower, which I saw on the Just Add Ink blog. My flower doesn't look even a percent as cool; but anyway... guess practice will make it perfect ;-). The gorgeous papers are from a recent shopping spree with mom (both her choice!! Mamma, you rock!!). I have them in the form of rolls (quite bugging) but I finally managed to cut them out neat enough... :-)

Kept this clean and simple to let the papers and flower speak.

A look at the flower (sorry about the glare...)... Wish I had some grosgrain! But I guess I will need to make do with satin till then....

I'm submitting this card for:

> Just Add Ink challenge # 11 - Anything goes

> The Pink Elephant challenge # 61 - nature

And just signing off with a pic of my little boy dressed as a farmer for rhyme day at school:

Isn't he a darling!! :-) He made me draw and cut out those farm animals... and was very proud of his Mom :D

Till later,

Smita

An eventful weekend and some fun cards

Hello girls!

Been waiting to write this long post but couldn't. A lot has been going on in my life. My son, Aaryan, had a big fall on Saturday (think he was trying to be Spiderman or something) and got a few stitches on his chin. So, Saturday just flew past in related events.

On Sunday, my brave prince told me he was feeling a little better. So I decided to visit my city's (Mumbai) most prestigious  art & literature events called the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. They had loads of stalls selling handmade  stuff; live bands performing; movie screenings (in many languages); theater; kids workshops; art masterpieces; photography and art exhibitions... and a zillion other things for art & craft and literature lovers. I met up with a cousin there and had one of the most memorable times of my life there! It was just t eh sort of place I could get lost in... and since DH's not too keen on these things, I liked the fact that I had gone alone.

On my return journey, I took a train ride back in Mumbai's 'famed' local trains. I had traveled by train before but what I experienced on Sunday had never happened to me before. I was sandwiched between God knows how many women; my left hand was holding on to a bar above my head, the right hand was holding on to shopping bags (paper bags of course! since I was at a handmade items fair!!!!); the bags tore open; hands crushed...phew! it was a nightmare. And I was claustrophobic amidst that mad mad crowd!! But I finally managed to get off at a station. Reunited with my son and husband :D...

Monday morning: I wake up to find that my hands are nearly dysfunctional. Couldn't move them much. Managed to pack DH's tiffin for work, pack Aaryan to school, buy some necessities and ready to collapse in the afternoon. But my DS had asked me to make a card for his classmate's birthday party in the evening. Can't refuse your little man when he so lovingly shows off his mom's work ;-) This is the card and tag set I came up with for the little girl:

My back still hurts and we are leaving for our hometown - Kolkata, the city of joy!!- tomorrow.

But the good things are - I got a good back massage yesterday ;-) and sat down for some serious crafting last night. And what did I make? Some cards that DH's aunt wanted me to make for her to gift away during the year:

1) Hubby's favorite (he liked it inspite of being fed up of my pink obsession...yay!):

2) I love the blue here. Aaryan liked it too :-)

3) Hubby's 2nd favorite ;-)

4) My favorite. Still waiting to write a beautiful sentiment that I have in my mind :-p

5) Well, didn't like it half as much as my previous flower pot, but it is ok.

Cheers,
Smita!!!

A little spice, a little romance...

Hi,
I know I have these terribly long intervals between two posts these days. I have been a little busy with other things. Aaryan had not been keeping too well over the weekend, and though I was able to craft, I hardly had the time to take pictures and put them up.
Coming back to the cards. Two cards are for the Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge hosted by Sankari and Brooke. I have been meaning to participate in their challenges since long but somehow haven't been able to. And this week, the challenge is not so difficult and I could have done a better job than what I have done... :-( I am a little upset. This week's theme was the movie, Bride & Prejudice. I have seen the movie... and the Indian element should have made it very easy for me to create a nice card. I am also a lover of bling and have loads of it in different formats in my stash (ribbons, laces, rhinestones, paints... everything....) but all I could come up with was these two.

The blue card (with the cake on it) is for my DH. It is his birthday on Monday and I made this one to match with the gift... he he... I am not revealing that as yet.. I am sure he will peek in here to see what I have been writing ;-).

Cardstock: Silver CS from the DCWV metallic stack, blue handmade paper, parchment paper
Rub-ons: From Hobby Ideas
Other: Ribbon and bling from local craft stores; 3D outliner from Fevicryl (used to fill in the hearts)



Our friends are celebrating their 2nd wedding anniversary tomorrow. This card is for them. I am also hoping this qualifies for the 2S4U challenge- Kazan Sketch # 21.
Cardstock: Gold and copper CS from the DCWV metallic stack; red and yellow textured handmade paper
Others: Lace and eyelets, rub-ons from Hobby Ideas

And a sneak peek into another card for Vineet. This is my favorite... I loved how it has turned out and have made a matching post-it note holder for him. Hope he will like it. I love the brown leather textured paper from the Paper Company (yeah, I am going international ;-) ). I found the tutorial online and now I have forgotten where.... I will post the link as soon as I remember. I have written a poem inside that I found to be one of the most romantic ones I have read... It begins with 'Lay thy hand in mine, dear...' . Try to read it online if you can... I will post the entire poem after the 9th. :-)

Love,

Smita