Cards For A Cause

One of the joys of papercrafting is we get to spread happiness, make some one smile, brighten someone's day.

It is the primary reason that made me take up cardmaking after the end of art classes that I took up during school. :)

We have an awesome facebook page that goes by the name of "Cards For A Cause - India"

You can check out the group :  HERE 

This group conducts various card drives wherein we crafters get an opportunity to contribute to a cause by sending out cards.

The most recent card drive was the : send cards to soldiers drive for which I made these thank you cards.

How'd I make these cards?

Here are the steps :

1. Created background using the Hypnotic stencil by Penny Black.
(Distress ink colors used were : Spiced Marmalade and Mowed Lawn)

The Indian flag consists of colors Saffron White and Green, so that was the color theme I wanted to go with.

2. Stamped the sentiment using the fantastic Thank You stamp by So Suzy Stamps.

3. Die-cut using a rectangle from the Rounded Rectangle Dual Stitched die by Peek-a-boo Designs.

4. Added navy blue sequins and matted it onto navy blue cardstock.

5. Lastly, added a glittery multi-colored strand of thread.

I also created matching envelopes for the cards after which I penned down a few words of thanks and then sent these out! ^__^

Before I sign off, here's one more picture :

I hope you liked my project. Thank you so much for stopping by!

Have a lovely evening! *Hugs*

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Bunch of ATCs!

Hello and good morning! ^__^

Here's the post that was long overdue...

What happened was I made some ATCs, and then made some more and since they were all different, I decided to collaborate them into one big post!

So here goes..

The photograph that you see above was a part of a sneak peek of a gorgeous Limited Edition stamp set called Away We Go launched by Peek-A-Boo Designs.

You can read all about it : HERE 

Next up, this set of ATCs was made using distress inks, stencils, washi tape, glitter, crackle accents, modeling paste, die-cuts and sequins along with some mini mixed media themed stamps by Peek-A-Boo Designs.

This one was made using distress inks with my favorite stamp - Phineas The Peacock by So Suzy Stamps.
The sentiment is a sticker.

This one has a mix of stamps from Studio G, Altenew and So Suzy Stamps.

This ATC has the Love Balloon and Celebrate stamps by So Suzy Stamps along with the usual suspects, glitter, washi tape and sequins!

This one was challenging, as the theme was love without using the colors : red and pink!

It has quite a few items like rhinestones, pearls etc. adhered to it but, the stamps used for this project are by So Suzy Stamps & Tim Holtz along with the Rhapsody stencil by Memory Box.

Last but not the least, this ATC features a Heidi Swapp stencil with a partial So Suzy Stamp (Stardust Dancing).

I'm sorry I couldn't describe the steps in detail for each and every ATC, because as you can see, they are all different and that would make this post painfully long!

But... if you have any query regarding any of these, drop me an email at : halak.shah@gmail.com OR leave a comment on this blog post and I shall reply to it at the earliest!

Thank you so much for stopping by! *Big Panda Hugs*

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Peacock Plumes!

Good afternoon! ^__^

I re-created a few of my past projects featuring the super gorgeous Phineas stamp and Reindeer stamp by So Suzy Stamps.

(Sentiment stamps : Strictly Sentiments by Wplus9 & Don't Give Up by So Suzy Stamps.)

Personally, I love the black Phineas but this is the first time I did a green version of Phineas and everybody I showed it to at home loved it so I am one happy camper!

To read the deets on how I made it, click - Here

  

Here's the ATC that I re-created.

Steps - Here 

I made co-ordinating envelopes too!

I had a lot of fun re-creating these projects as they feature some of my all time favorite stamps!

Thank you so much for stopping by!
*Hugs*

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Mixed set of ATCs

All of my ATCs reached the intended recipients on the same day!

What are the odds of that! ^__^

So, without further ado, here are the pics :

ATC #1

This is made using my current favorite mini stamp by Peek-a-boo Designs, called Pixie Dust. 100% made of Photopolymer and priced at a mere Rs. 100/-, this stamp is a great buy and a must have in your stamp arsenal!

I stenciled the background using distress inks (Peacock Feathers, Mowed Lawn and Black Soot) with my TCW - Texturized stencil.

Stamped sentiment and colored the little hearts using my Sakura pen in neon green.

Glittered up the word Love in black glitter. (Did the three tiny dots next to the word in black glitter too!)

Used two different washi tapes for some added texture and interest.

Added a tiny butterfly and some glitter along the edges and matted it onto black cardstock.

Here's ATC #2

I stenciled the background with a Kaisercraft Quarters stencil using Mowed Lawn and Mustard Seed.

Added a ribbon that co-ordinated with the colors and adhered some golden sequins.

Topped it with a sentiment from a set of sentiment cards I received with my Papericious Planner - Color Splash.
I used some in my planner and some I saved for cards and small projects, they are in such happy colors and so uplifting, I absolutely love using them!

The tiny heart below the sentiment is from a sticker packet bought locally.

Finally, I added glossy accents + a sprinkling of glitter to the sentiment, the tiny heart and a few areas of the stenciled portion.

And these are ATC #3 (Blue) & ATC #4 (Pink-Purple)

ATC #3

I used the Tim Holtz - Scribbles stencil with Salty Ocean and Peacock Feathers for this one.

Added glitter to select areas and adhered some heart stickers and sequins.

Sentiment is from Peek-a-boo Designs - Bold Hugs N' Love set in black glitter.

The strip at the bottom is stenciled using Hero Arts - Stylish Borders stencil.

And to finish this piece, I added a thin ribbon in peacock blue color tied up into a pretty bow!

ATC #4

This ATC is based on my earlier design where I made a batch of ATCs for an overseas  swap, the only minor differences are :

1. This one is bigger than the ones I sent overseas. (The ones I sent overseas were 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches.)

2. It does not have sequins added to it but the sentiment 'Be' is coated in black glitter.

Stamps are by : So Suzy Stamps - Tulip Stem and, Simon Says Stamp - Be.

You can read more about ATC #4 --Here

Here's a cool little close up of ATC #3 & 4 :

So, that's that. Which one is your favorite? I'd love to know!

Till next time dear friends! *Big Panda Hugs*

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Challenge time + New releases at Peek-a-boo Designs!

Hello and good morning!

It's the 1st of March and the folks at Peek-a-boo Designs (PABD) are back with a brand new challenge!

For this challenge, you gotta make it colorful and it's gotta be in a set... but, it can't be a set of the exact same thing...

Example : A set of two albums = Not allowed. A set of two cards = Not allowed.
But, a set of 1 card and 1 album? Allowed! ^__^

I made a co-ordinating set of 3 pieces that comprise of a card, a bookmark and a tag.

The one on the left with the bright pink striped ribbon is the tag and the one on the right, a bookmark.

I deliberately did not use any 3D embellishments on the bookmark to facilitate it's lamination.

This is the card.

All the 3 projects were made using these brand new PABD stamp sets :
1. Be Good and,
2. Lily Hope

Absolutely fantastic release by PABD because this time, it's not just stamps! They launched cardstock too! Woo hoo!!!

The cardstock is of excellent quality and I had a fabulous experience using it.

My projects were made using the following cardstock by PABD :
1. Black and,
2. White Sand Texture

I'd love to know what you think of the projects and would be super happy if you participate in the challenge!

Check ---- Here for challenge details!

Till next time dear friends! *Hugs*

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Let's go Coastal! ^__^

I don't know if you know, but I LOVE ATCs!

Those little miniature pieces of art, it is really fun and addictive to collect them!

So, to collect them, I often participate in swaps where I get the opportunity to exchange my work with someone else.

These I made for an overseas swap and the theme for January was, yup, you got that right, coastal! ^__^

Here's a close up picture of one of the ATCs :

Yeah I know, should have taken a photograph and then sealed it! Silly me!

Okay, so, how'd I make this?

1. Background is white cardstock, covered up a portion of it and using my Papericious ink blending tool, inked the upper side in Mustard Seed Distress Ink.

2. After that, I put a strip of blue paper (below the yellow inked area) for sea and a hand-torn piece of  handmade paper (below the blue paper) for the beach.

3. Shaded the sea with chalk and added glitter to it.

4. Added craft sand by JAGS to lower half for that sandy beach look.

5. I didn't have anything that would be appropriate for a tree, but I did want it in the background, so, I brainstormed and took my TCW - Fanciful Feathers stencil and used a feather design from it for tree branches with Mowed Lawn Distress Ink.

6. I picked a sentiment that fit into the space (from a really old acrylic Micia stamp set) that went with the mood of the theme and stamped it using versafine.

7. Lastly, I added a couple of sea-shells and glued a half-pearl inside one of the shells.

And that's how I achieved this beachy look! (Pun not intended but if you spotted it, lol! Funny, right?!) ^__^

I never thought I'd pick up a jar of craft sand and make a beach themed ATC, but there you have it!

Moral of the story : Experiment, never stop learning and have fun! Crafting is all about fun!

Till next time dear friends, have a lovely evening!

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New Challenge @ Craftyscrappers

Hello hello! ^__^

It's time for a brand new challenge at Craftyscrappers!

Theme - Challenge #4 - Black and white with a hint of color.

I made a CAS card for this challenge, using the pretty flower die-cut, Code - DC - FLW - 16.

I wanted a geometric, abstract look and what better to combine it with than a pretty flower?  

Steps :

1. The colors moving from black to grey are actually stenciled (Kaisercraft Quarters Stencil) using 3 different inks by Hero Arts. (Black, Charcoal and Soft Granite.)

2. The Flower Die-cut is by Craftyscrappers, Code - DC -FLW - 16 which I have tinted red and given a holo glitter finish.

3. Did a bit of masking using grey, black and red inks and added a couple of sequins after adhering the flower.

4. Stamped sentiment. (It's actually a larger sentiment, I inked only part of it because I only wanted Congratulations on my card.)
This stamp is called - "Congratulations on becoming a new" by So Suzy Stamps.

5. Lastly, added a white brad for the flower center and black glitter to sentiment!

So, I hope to see you participate, click here for the deets!

Till next time! *Hugs*

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What day is it today?

Seriously ladies, it's a friday, let's not slack!

Remember the Rainbow Challenge over at Craftyscrappers?

Wha... no? Click >>> Here 

It ends soon, so hurry and upload your entries, I am looking forward to seeing you there! ^__^

This is a little inspiration to get you started.

Call it whatever, a tag / bookmark / scrapbook insert, I deliberately made it flat so that it can be multi-functional.

Ah, but yes, there was no rule about sparing the glitter, right?! :D

Steps :

1. Matted white cardstock on red, trimmed and added lace at the bottom. (I think that lace gives the project an added something something, what say?)

2. Punched a hole on top and added sheer red and satin red ribbons. (I did seal the hole with an eyelet.)

3. The lovely sentiment is a die-cut from Craftyscrappers (Code : DC - PS - 42)

Check this picture out!

Yeah this is the die-cut that I used. I only wanted the love bit so I trimmed it! ^__^

4. Then I tinted it in two shades of red gave it a nice coat of glitter and adhered it to cardstock.

5. Punched out some pretty butterflies using my Martha Stewart 3 in 1 butterfly paper punch in bright rainbow shades and adhered to cardstock.

6. After that stamped some pretty swirls in red using an old Inkadinkado stamp. (Sorry, I discarded the packing and have forgotten the name but it's a cling stamp.)

Of course I gave the butterflies and the swirls a generous dose of shimmer too!

And that's it! Don't forget to participate, incase you missed, here's the link once again >>>> Here.

Till next time, have an awesome day! *Hugs*

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December ATCs

Here are some more ATCs that I made!  

A birthday themed one because it was my swap partner's birthday and an inspirational one for my other swap partner!

Kinda in a bit of a rush today so.. quickly, here are the steps :

Birthday ATC

1. Pattern paper top half and the lower half is stenciled background.

2. The stamp is a solid wood block stamp by Momenta cupcake rubber stamp bought from Itsy Bitsy, stamped and matted onto pink pattern paper.

3. Added white sequins to border and around cupcake and mounted that on the ATC base.

4. Added black ribbon and stamped the sentiment. (The sentiment is a So Suzy Stamp)

5. Added clear, black and red glitter to cupcake!

Boom! Done.

Inspirational ATC

1. Stenciled background in gorgeous copper ink by Tsukineko. (Sorry, I tried, but my camera just couldn't capture the subtle coppery shine.)

2. Micro-glazed it and added red rhinestones. (Getting into the Christmassy sprit!) ^__^

3. Added a red glitter border on top and a corner on lower LHS.

4. Stamped sentiment in red. (It's a So Suzy Stamp... yup I use them A LOT!)

5. Glitter coated the sentiment + added some sparkly red butterflies.

And that's it! Till next time dear friends!

P.S. Stencil used in both the ATCs is Tim Holtz - Flourish. (My current favorite stencil, so you probably will be seeing A LOT of that too!) :D

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An unconventional birthday card

Didn't I tell you that the maximum cards I make are Birthday themed? ^__^

Yup, here's another one, made using some of my most loved craft supplies.

Wait... what? You don't see a happy birthday sentiment on the card?

Who decided that there has to be a happy birthday sentiment on the card? Let's do something unconventional!

For this card, I just decided to wrap up all happy thoughts with a whole lotta flowers that will stay the same for years together! (And I micro-glazed the whole thing, so it's archival safe too!) ^__^

How'd I make this?

1. The entire background is hand-stamped, made using the super pretty Peony cling stamp by So Suzy Stamps.
I stamped the flower in 3 shades, pale pink, berry pink and bright red.

(Note : I masked off a portion of the card before stamping because that's where I wanted my sentiment to go.)

2. Stamped sentiment (from a Heidi Swapp clear stamp set) in wine red color.

3. Micro-glazed the whole thing to make it waterproof and after that added a tiny punched out red butterfly and some beads.

4. Also added a thin red glitter strip at the bottom and mounted the piece onto red cardstock.

5. Coated all the flowers (other than the pale pink ones) + the sentiment in fine glitter dust.

I loved working with this stamp so much I went ahead and made a matching envelope too!

I'd love to hear what you think! Here's a cool close-up!

Till next time dear friends! Have a lovely day!

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Rainbow of wishes at Craftyscrappers

Hello hello! ^__^

I have some awesome news to share with you, I will be working with Craftyscrappers as a Guest Designer for the months of December 2015 and January 2016!

Craftyscrappers is the craft shop to visit if you want beautiful custom die-cuts and embellishments. They make the die-cuts in high quality white cardstock so you can jazz them up with the colors you like!

The cool thing is that Craftyscrappers also has a new challenge every week where fantastic prizes are to be won... so, what are you waiting for!??

The challenge this week is... Rainbow!

Here's what I made...  

A birthday card! (Yup, you can never have enough of those!)

Steps :

1. Took a stencil (Tim Holtz - Flourish) and created my background using the colors blue, green, yellow, orange and red.

2. Next, I took a die-cut from Craftyscrappers (Die-cut Code - Happy Birthday - DS - 02) tinted it black with archival ink and glitter coated it.

3. Punched out a purple butterfly using Martha Stewart 3 in 1 butterfly punch and glitter coated that too.

4. Adhered the die-cut and butterfly to the card and added twine.

5. Finally added a couple of black sequins.

And that's it!

Don't forget, the theme for this challenge is - Rainbow!

To participate, read deets etc. click here.

Also, if you feel stuck and out of ideas, I highly recommend going through the amazing work the other DT members have put up as inspiration for this challenge!

Looking forward to your participation, till next time! *Hugs* 

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Card for a friend

Here's a card I made for a friend using a fancy ribbon, the usual suspect... stamps and.... some mixed pink beads! (Think I am gonna get into a bead obsession phase!)

What's different is that I made a side fold card! After AGES!!!! I opt for top fold cards so often, this side fold was a refreshing change! ^__^

Since this is a CAS card, here are the deets :

1. Stamps are : Mindscapes by Inkadinkado and Strictly Sentiments by Wplus9.

2. Ribbon, white half-pearls (used on ribbon) and beads are from my stash.

3. Inks are by Altenew.

Thanks for stopping by and have an awesome Sunday!

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An ATC with Papericious!

Hello and good morning! ^__^

Here's an ATC I made for November using some of my favorite stamps with my favorite paper!

Steps :

1. Took a sheet from Papericious - Vintage Attire paper stack.

2. Stamped branch and flowers from Altenew Vintage Flowers set.

3. Stamped sentiment - Don't Give Up from So Suzy Stamps.

4. Added a tiny sparkly blue butterfly punched out from Vintage Attire paper stack and adhered it to sentiment.

5. Adhered the sentiment to ATC and added glossy accents to flowers and black glitter to branches.

6. Lastly, added a red & white striped washi tape border.

And there you have it!

P.S. I actually did graded stamping on them blooms which got diluted because of the layer of glossy accents, so if you want to give a color gradation, choose extreme colors because glossy accents will dilute the effect. Or use mild colors without glossy accents!

Have a lovely day! *Hugs*

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Some more ATCs!

Here are some more ATCs that I made! ^__^

The second ATC (which is a little artsy and dreamy.... I love that pair of wings.. don't you too?) is made using stamps from Bo Bunny, Tim Holtz and So Suzy Stamps.

The first one features a circular stencil by Penny Black with a So Suzy sentiment stamp.

Inks that I used were Altenew Crisp Inks and Distress Inks by Ranger.

Pretty simple ATCs using plain stamping and stenciling techniques so just giving the basic info on the stuff I used for them.

Embellishments / rhinestones, washi tapes and ribbons were from my stash.

However, incase of any query, don't hesitate to drop me a msg at halak.shah@gmail.com! ^__^

Have a lovely day! *Hugs*

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November ATC, something to inspire...

What drives us? What inspires and motivates us? Let us take that and pass it on... so that we can brighten someone else's day. ^__^

That was our November ATC theme and this is what I came up with for one amazing lady!

Here's how I made it :

1. Used Tim Holtz Flourish stencil with Shaded lilac and Spun Sugar for background.

2. You will see a LOT of So Suzy Stamp goodness in this one.... Yes, I LOVE that brand of stamps and use them often. Here I have used : Dress Form 4 - Elaborate Swirl, Ornament Lace and Built from Fire.

3. Punched out a few butterflies using my Martha Stewart 3 in 1 butterfly paper punch and stuck those on there.

4. Added a tiny metallic red rose embellishment in the Ornament Lace stamped image and added super fine glitter to parts of background and butterflies.

And that's it! I am so so glad I finally found this flourish stencil, had been looking for it for quite some time! It goes beautifully with my So Suzy Stamps!

Till next time folks! *Big Panda Hugs*

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Fangtastic!

Super excited! Why? Coz, it's my very first halloween card!

I used the "Scary Bat" stamp from So Suzy Stamps. Not so scary now... is it? ^__^

I love this stamp! I can make it all cutesy by adding eyes with a white Sakura pen or I can stamp it as a silhouette and keep it spooky!

Some details pertaining to the card :

The words "You are" are from a Technique Tuesday retired stamp set and the word "Fangtastic" was created using an old Micia alphabet stamp set!

The moon and clouds were created with a medium size Water Brush.

I did add a little wink of stella  to the moon which the light has not been able to capture in the photograph.

Oh, and I also have a close up pic for you!

Till next time! ^__^ *Hugs*

Linking this to : So Suzy Stamps -  Halloween Challenge 

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You are... Awesome!

Yup, I know... I recently did a project for Papericious and it's not here on my blog yet... well.. in my defense, I am scheduled for another project this month with them so I thought of clubbing them both for you in one post for my blog!

Pretty convenient, what say? ^__^

Okay... moving on, here is a card I made yesterday.

As usual, here are the steps :

1. Stamped Hero Arts background stamp with versafine.

2. Smooshed Salty Ocean distress ink along with a faint hint of Seedless Preserves on the stamped image.

3. Stamped sentiment using Technique Tuesday (retired) stamp set.

4. Added butterflies punched out of Papericious - The Vintage Attire paper stack using my Martha Stewart 3 in 1 butterfly paper punch. (See, there is a bit of Papericious here too! ^__^)

5. MicroGlazed the entire design.

6. Added black glitter dust to the word awesome and certain parts of the design + stuck some sequins.

Please Note : While the design of the card is my own, the placement of the sequins in the background is inspired by a card I saw sequins sprinkled on in a similar fashion while I was hopping along the latest Altenew Blog Hop, so I would like to take a moment here for thanking Altenew and the brilliant designer who thought this up!

That's all for today! Have a lovely evening! *BIG HUGS*

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October ATC for a swap!

So, for all those who don't know, we have a cool little ATC club for folks residing in India and we organize one swap every month.

Basically what we do is.. all the participating members are split into pairs. Each month there is fresh registration, and all the participants have to do is make one ATC and send it to their partner of the month. In return they one from their partner!

Really simple rules, a fun environment where we share miniature pieces of art with each other! ^__^ Super fun to collect them!

Each month has a specific theme and the theme of this month was to incorporate a few of your ATC partner's favorite things in your ATC.

My partner said she loves blues, greens and traditional Indian style jewelry so this is what I came up with!

How'd I make this?
1. Stamped background (Stampendous - Bandanas) and smooshed distress inks over it.

2. After that dried, I added a bit of white with a Sakura pen.

3. Also added glitter to some parts.

4. Stamped my favorite So Suzy sentiment stamp, added some sequins and adhered the hand-torn piece to ATC.

If you're in India and you'd like to be a part of our little club, drop me an email at : halak.shah@gmail.com

Thanks for stopping by! Have a lovely day!

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Winter Wonderland

Hello!

Here is a card with a matching ATC that I made last night.

^__^ The stamp is a So Suzy Stamp and it makes such lovely Christmas cards... it's definitely got the works... a lovely sentiment in a super dreamy font!

If you are wondering what those butterflies are punched out of then I guess you must have missed the posts where I was swooning over Papericious September Release, to be a little specific, their Vintage Attire paper pack.

It's so very beautiful and it makes the most amazing textured butterflies! (I am sure it'd make killer flowers too but for now I am obsessed with the butterflies!)

Here's a better look at the card.

All I did was make swirly lines in the background with a brush, stamped sentiment, adhered mixed clear and white sequins, punched out butterflies + snowflakes and added a ribbon!

Also added glitter to butterflies and snowflakes.... sparkly sparkly!

Used all of these ingredients to make the ATC. (The brad and the washi tape bit in the top right corner are the only two additional items.)

That's it!

Totally enjoyed making these projects, they are fairly simple and take up very little time!

So, go ahead, make some cards and send them to buddies! They will be thrilled!

Have a lovely day!

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Have you seen this yet?

So... I made a couple of projects primarily using the awesome embellishments from Papericious - My Golden Garden Embellishment pack.

This is one of 2 projects, a quick fun card that takes barely 10 - 15 mins to whip up!

The second project is a lovely little wall / room / cupboard / house decor piece that you can make with the help of your kid (yes, it's that easy!)

Hop over here to read all about both the projects AND check out some fun pics!

Incase you were wondering what the second project looks like, here's the picture!

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