Create Your Own Friday #16 – Backpack bag/box and Earth Day!

I saw this backpack on SCS and it looked so cute that I wanted to make one. I did make a few changes to it, mostly so that I could flatten it out and mail it if I wanted to (in case I decide to put it on my Etsy shop). The one on SCS would be hard to mail. They would make cute birthday favors for a little girlie. Not sure what I’ll do with it – or the other boxes that I keep making :) – but I love making them. Someday God will find a good way to use them :)

I also reused the golden cord that I’d saved from some packaging.

Supplies: DCWV CS and PP, reused golden cord, golden eyelets, grosgrain ribbon, crop-a-dile.

Create Your Own Friday #15 – Alter something!

My mom had been looking for a frame with 3 slots for ages (so that she could create a family frame) and every time I saw such a a frame I would think to myself “oh no, I would make a prettier frame for her”. I even told her that I would get her one and it got postponed, it got postponed and it got more postponed…finally I decided to put it on my to-do list and here I am :) Doesn’t it look pretty?!?!

I stamped using black pigment ink and then heat set it. Initially I intended to use my new memento black pad but it didn’t give me a good solid image – maybe it’s good for outline clear stamps and not solid ones. So then I tried my stazon black pad but it seems to be next only to the Sahara dessert when it comes to dryness! Finally I overcame my fear and decided to use my pigment black pad – of course it was too wet for the photo mat which is probably a coated paper. So I heat set it. There’s no guarantee that it wouldn’t smudge – I dare not try it; but then nobody does need to touch the print, it’ll always be behind the glass. I was at a loss of how to add a splash of colors and the prima flowers seemed to fit the bill. And of course, I HAD to use the new rhinestone stickers I got in the dollar bin at Michaels :) I couldn’t believe it that that was for a dollar – they’re beautiful!

 

Supplies: CTMH decorative dainties, prima flowers, rhinestones, Anna Griffin black ink.

Create Your Own Friday #14 – CAS

Once in a while, in the middle of layers you want to create a CAS (clean and simple) card! And that’s exactly what I wanted to do – get away from all those layers and embellies and what not. Not that I don’t like it but sometimes you want a change! I’m sorry the photo is not that clear, will try to get a better one when I can see a ray of sunlight amidst the grey skies :)

Not sure if you can see the embossed outline…IRL the card looks sooooo elegant! Just the look I was going for!

Supplies: Wasau CS, Papertrey Guidelines II, Versacolor inks, black pen, rhinestone, circle nestabilities.

Create Your Own Friday #13 – First timer!

Is there an occasion for which you’ve never made a card? Then now is the time to try it out :). I’ve never made a “Hi” or a general “hello” card in the 2.5 years that I’ve been making cards and whenever I saw people making them I would always wonder what they would do with it. Now, I needed some hi cards so I got busy making them. Luckily I’d a sentiment stamp just right for it! I made three of them with the same stamp but with a little variation in the layout.

 

 

I think they all turned our very pretty!

Supplies: Inkadinkado round borders, white EP, clear EP, versacolor green ink, versamark, buttons, grosgrain ribbon, white gel pen, liquid pearls.

Create Your Own Friday #12 – A notecard set

I made this notecard set to give to a friend. The wooden purse box was covered using PP and I found that KI Memories paper is just the right thickness for this job. Not to forget that it looks beautiful! Then I made coordinating notecards and envelopes. The notecards are 3.25 X 3.25 inches in size and the envelopes are 3.5 X 3.5 inches in size. The envelopes were a tad difficult to fit it so next time maybe I should go for a quarter inch shorter. This is the first time I made envelopes on my own but was very happy with it. I’d this nice thick cotton paper which was just perfect to make the envelopes!

All the notecards:

Supplies: DCWV and Bazzill CS, KI Memories PP, Justrite monogram stamper, clear and white EP, versamark, black pigment ink, MS lace border punch, tonic duo corner rounder, nestabilities.

Create Your Own Friday #11 – Vellum

I saw this card on Nichole Heady’s blog and knew what I wanted to try next. These CYOFs have been so much fun – every week I look for something new/different to try. It could be a new technique or new use of existing material or doing something that I haven’t done for a while. Puts the creative part of me to good exercise!

I really like the soft frosty look that vellum gives to a card and it was on my wish list to make a really soft, elegant card. I was thinking of making such a card with the vellum - one doesn’t fit the bill entirely but I like it the way it turned out :). And I think adding that sentiment added that special elegance to it! Just love this card :) (Photo doesn’t do it justice, it looks way better IRL)

Supplies: Flourishes flourished words stamp set, Wasau CS, Vellum, Versacolor inks, grosgrain ribbon, prima flowers, rhinestone.

Create Your Own Friday #10 – Take-it-out!

Yes! Take out  that cardstock you’ve been hoarding for the last 6 months (or a year?!?!) or that punch that you haven’t stolen a glance at since you bought it!

The purpose of this CYOF is to bring out of your stash something that you haven’t used since a long time. We all know that we buy our supplies its as if the world would end if we didn’t get them but after they enter our home sweet home, sometimes they disappear into the black hole which is our supplies. So lets take a moment to look at what we have and what we haven’t paid much attention to and give it the much wanted love :)

So I took out of my stash this antique gold cardstock that I bought last September and haven’t used since. Of course before I bought it I always thought that not having it is the biggest hurdle in me not being able to make the most stellar projects! The other thing that hasn’t got much love but is a more recent addition to my family is the swiss dots folder.

However, now that I took them out I think they danced together to create this perfect piece. Have you ever thought that reality could be better than a dream? No? Me too but this card turned out be so much better than I had dreamed. Too much philosophy for a craft blog, eh? :)

It somehow reminds me of a saree – I guess its the shimmer and the elegance of the card!

Supplies: Antique gold CS, Bazzill CS, CTMH Decoratve dainties, gold EP, Oval nestabilities, satin ribbon, sheer ribbon, rhinestone.

Create Your Own Friday #9 – Tutorial for the Buggy

A number of you asked me for a tutorial for the buggy that I made some time back. I’m sorry I couldn’t get to it sooner than this -  you know how life goes! Anyway so I’ve done my best to capture all details but feel free to ask me questions if I’ve left out anything.

We need:

Cardstock of your choice – I’ve found that it is easier to make this with a less heavy cardstock. My first try was with a 90 lb CS and it was difficult to fold it. In this tutorial I used DCWV CS which as we all know is not that thick and that made it easier to make this.

Circle Nestabilities (or any other circle cutting tool of your choice or use this template)

Glue, scissors

1. I used the Large Circle nestabilities die. Take the largest circle in that and cut 2 circles from your cardstock. Take the second smallest circle and cut 4 circles.
2. I’ve shown the cut circles on my cutting mat if you want to get an idea of the size of the circles. Now take the bigger circle and cut quarter of a circle from it. Also flatten the base by cutting off a portion of the base as shown below.
3. Cut a strip of cardstock 2.75 inches X 9 inches. Score it 0.5 inch on each side of the shorter side as shown below. The half inch borders will used to stick it to the circle and the 1.75 inch will be the width of the buggy.
4. Cut fringes on the half inch borders.
5. Apply glue to one of the fringes.
6. Now is the most difficult part of the this tutorial. Glue the strip to one of the bigger circles. Start from one end and keep curving the strip of paper to align with the boundary of the circle.
7. Finish off the buggy. There might be extra strip left over, cut it off.
8. Stick the wheels. You may want to use lightly glue them and see if their positions are correct and your buggy is balanced. If yes, then you can glue it well.
9. In the original buggy that I made, I hid the ugly insides by lining it with cardstock. You can use the same template as above to cut out the lining and stick it inside.

If you make one, then do leave me a link here and I would love to see it :)!

Create Your Own Friday #8 – Stained glass look

I’d been thinking of using my vellum CS for a long time. Such is human nature – last Sept/Oct I bought 2 sheets of vellum CS and I haven’t used even one of them since.  So I was thinking to myself that I’ll look for some inspiration using vellum when the SCS newletter that I received this week had a pointer to this stained glass technique. Albeit beautiful, I wouldn’t say that my result looks like stained glass; it has a frosted look and I’m happy with the way it is. For once I didn’t end up with a mess when trying a new technique.

The image is stamped in pigment ink and then embossed with clear EP. The coloring is done on the reverse with markers.

A more closer look to show the embossing

Create Your Own Friday #7 – Masculine and stand-up card

I wanted to force myself into making a masculine card and at the same time I was bent over making a stand-up card so I thought why not combine the two into one! After all men should also get a chance to get some unique cards :)

Many people would gawk at the use of red color in a masculine card but I…nah! I think men shouldn’t be given a break from all those boring dull colors! :)

I got this image in a swap long back and the sentiment too.

Supplies: DCWV and Bazzill CS, white brads, copper eyelet, prismacolor pencils, OMS

Create Your Own Friday #6 – Buggy!

Call it a buggy or baby carriage or anything else – it’s as sweet with any other name! :) I simply love how it turned out. It’s prettier than I imagined it to be – isn’t it?!?!? Ok time to give the due credit, I got the idea from here. Initially I thought I was inspired from it but after I finished it and looked at my inspiration again – I realized that I’d almost CASE’d it! CASE’d or not – it is cute!

 

I used the largest nestabilities circle (large) die to make the frame. I stamped the wheel with versamark using PTI Guidelines two stamp set and then clear embossed. The center is accentuated with liquid pearls.

Supplies: DCWV PP, Wasau CS, PTI Guidelines two, grosgrain ribbon, clear EP, liquid pearls, scallop scissors, nestabilities.

Create Your Own Friday #3 – Gift card holder

This gift card holder is inspired from the flower pot card at SCS.Instead of the slider I chose to give it another mechanism for holding the gift card; and let me just say that I’m soooooo pleased with what I did!! I’m a genius :)

This is the front:

This is how you open!

So what do you think?!?!?

Supplies: DCWV cardstock, Stacking daisy punch, dew drops, white gel pen.

Create Your Own Fridays #2 – CAS Style

Here we are, with our next edition of CYOF! This time I tried a CAS (short for Clean And Simple) card and I must say that it turned out just the way I’d imagined if not better. This card contains two of my firsts: one is getting a border using nestabilities and the other is shading using sponging. I stamped the image in black ink, clear embossed it and then colored. For the water, I sponged using blue pigment ink and then added some swirls using a darker shade of ink and a tortillion. At the end I added some glitter to it. For the sky, I used a red, orange and yellow ink. First I sponged the yellow (lighter first), then shaded over it with orange and finally red. All the sponging was done with nestabilities in place so that color doesn’t go over other parts of the card. I also maked the image while doing the sponging. Okay too much talk and no card make readers anxious! :) So here’s the card…ta da!

 

I just love the splash of color on that white. I thought a lot and decided that any other addition to the card would interrupt the pristine look of the card. Oh and I colored those white dots, etc in the image with a white gel pen.

Create Your Own Fridays #1

 

Yes that’s the new feature I’m going to start with the new year! Every friday will be devoted to a card made by own free will, it could be a sketch of mine or color combination or some technique/tool/etc. I realized that in doing challenges I’d forgotten to let the creative part of my brain go leash-less.

To mark this new feature, I’ve also updated my the look and feel of my blog! How do you like it? I just love the new design!! Since it’s newly updated, if you encounter any glitches let  me know through your comments and I would try to fix it as soon as possible. Till then bear with me :)

Ok coming to my card. In this card I used a new embellishment – ruffled tissue skirt. To create this, all you need is a strip of tissue paper and then pleat it. You could either pleat it by making pleats one by one or you could do what I did – sew a thread through the strip and then pull the thread to form the pleats.

If you make a card using this tissue skirt, then do link it here. I would love to see it!