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

Shadow box card

A few days back a close friend asked me to make her a card (that will go from her son to her husband). She asked me to use a 4"*6" photograph and its bright background for the card. I haven't ever worked on a photo card I guess, except the layout that I made for DH last year. I wanted to make something special and different for her... and I had a window card in mind... 

But then I saw this card by Kavitha and did some tutorial searches... I finally came across what I really wanted on the Rubber Cafe Design Team blog. It was just what I needed.

The card's front view:

The inside:

Their favorite toys handcut and glittered with Pie Lane glitter and glitter balls :) :

PS: What's glitter doing on a masculine card, did you just ask?! Well, in India a little bit of glitter 'zaroori hota hai' (is essential...) ;-)

(oh and there are Pie Lane glitter strips peeping through too :) )
A view from the side:

It does look much neater IRL!! 

Thanks for the inspiration - Kavitha, Ujjwal (no recycling though :( ) and the Rubber Cafe.

Hugs,
Smita

2S4Y: Laura's sketch 57

It has been a gorgeous day here today! And I am so glad it didn't pour :D... I am getting quite annoyed with the rains now... yeah, I know many of you look forward to it... but everything around here gets so messy that a day of sunshine is quite welcome :-)

Anyway, moving on to the card. This is my take on the gorgeous Laura's sketch at 2S4Y:

I made this card on request from a cousin's wife. This is a card for a guy.... ok, don't panic.... I think this works fine in our culture. Guys don't really mind a bit of bling sometimes... though I am not too sure DH would agree. 

I am finally liking my MS double scallop punch (luckily!) because I have found many ways to use it ;-)... also my Labels 3 dies (which weren't quite my favorite even after I bought them)!! Gosh, why am I cribbing?! ;-)

Isn't that bow pretty? I loved this gingham ribbon, which was an RAK from Juhi. The bow turned out fine at my first attempt... pat on my back! ;-)

The stamp, I think I inked it for the first time, is from Hobby Ideas. I think this stamp looks lovely as a monochrome silhouette. The chocolate embossed paper behind it is from The Paper Company (I've had it for almost 2 years now!! My sister's husband, Chirag, got it when he came down for his own wedding LOL). The roses are from Bombay Store.

Thats from me for now... 

PS: I did the inside of the card too... forgot to click pictures :-(

Ciao,

Smita

Masculine ;-)... second post for the day -- double yahoooo!!

Hello once again people!!

I can't believe this is my second post for the day. It didn't look as if I'd manage even one though. This card is for 2S4Y's sketch no. 53 by the uber talented Kazan. How I love their sketches, only my archives can tell you :-) Though I don't manage to submit my card every time, I do love them so!! I can't believe it is their 2nd anniversary already. And I started blogging at around the same time :-) They've grown beyond imagination; and poor ol' me is still learning :-)

But here's one card I'm happy with:

Tell me the DP is gorgeous!... *waiting*.... thank you ;-) Well, do you know where it comes from? he he he.... We'd gone out for dinner at a pub last week with some cousins. They had these super tempting sheets of paper used as table mats. The first thing I said when I saw these was that I have to use them in a card. So my hubby obliged by picking up a new sheet from the counter on our way out :-) And I am loving this card now. Too bad I took only 1 sheet... next time I'll ask them to give me a few more :-)

I wanted the pattern to be visible so I layered a piece of vellum [I couldn't locate my acetate sheets :-( but no regrets now]. I flipped the sketch of course. Added simple foam letters and a chipboard diamond. I doodled the stars using my silver gel pen. The ribbon is from mom :-) and it is kind of elastic... it was fun working with it!! Do tell me what you think of this simple but truly masculine card [too bad the cask of whiskey is hidden behind the black CS] ;-)

Cheers [literally!],

Smita