An ATC with neon colors

Hello and good morning! ^__^

This post has been really overdue.

I created this neon ATC for a swap a while back.

Deets :

1. Stenciled background using distress inks with Rhapsody stencil by Memory Box.

2. Stamped the flowers from Altenew Persian Motifs.

3. Stamped sentiment using the Hello Friend stamp by So Suzy Stamps.

4. Added stitching towards the top and bottom edges. (49 & Market stamp - Gabi's Line Stitch)

5. To color, I've used Staedtler color pencils with Sakura pens in neon colors.

6. Added a bit of glitter + some washi tape and a tiny heart sticker.

7. Finally, matted it onto red cardstock and boom! The ATC was complete.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful day! *Hugs* <3

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Time for Challenge #10 @Peek-a-boo!

Hello and good morning! ^__^

It's time for Challenge #10 over at Peek-a-boo Designs!

This time around the challenge is sketch inspired.

Here's the sketch :

From the gorgeous september 2016 releases, I created my project using a circle out of the Scallop Circle cutting die with the Floral Fantasy stamp set.

Steps :

Tinted white cardstock using Color Burst. (Violet)

Using the bigger die from the Scallop Circle die set, I kept only the circle portion and stamped the flower + sentiment from the Floral Fantasy set.

Colored the flower with distress inks. (Twisted Citron and Blueprint Sketch)

The strips of paper were cut out from black & white cardstock along with a strip from the paper tinted with color burst and adhered.

The background was created using pattern paper and project was adhered onto black card base.

And boom, the card was done. 

To participate, click : HERE

Thank you so much for stopping by!
Have a lovely day!

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Challenge #9 at Peek-a-boo Designs

Hello and good morning!

It's the first of August which means it's time for a brand new challenge over at Peek-a-boo Designs!

This time around, we have a beautiful inspiration board featuring a vibrant array of colors! ^__^

                Image source : Pinterest

Out of this color inspiration board, you have to use atleast 3 colors in your project to participate.

To make my card, I used the Bubbles Stencil along with a sentiment from the Positive Vibes stamp set.

I've used distress inks to stencil and to include all 5 colors from the inspiration board, I used red as my card base.

Finished it off with some yummy looking acrylic dots and dull gold thread.

Here's a close-up :

So, that's that. I really hope you play along and join the fun!

To participate, click >>> HERE

Thank you so much for stopping by! *Hugs*

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Stamps and stencils

Hello and good evening! ^__^

Sharing today, a card I made for a friend's birthday.

I used distress inks for stenciling and dye inks for stamping.

Stenciled first and then stamped.

Added pink chevron washi tape bits to two sides.

Finished it off with a couple of skittles. (The round bead-like embellishments that are super cute and available at So Suzy Stamps.)

Products used :

Distress Inks (Ranger)
Picked Raspberry
Salty Ocean

Dye Inks
Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
Lilac Love - So Suzy Ink Bites

Stencils
Rhapsody - Memory Box
Texturized - TCW
Confetti - Heidi Swapp

Stamps
All Boy (Teresa Collins) - Fiskars
Roundy Sentiments - Peek-a-boo
Birthday Sentiments - Little Darlings
Solid Flower (Small) - Hero Arts

Thank you so much for stopping by! *Hugs*

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New Release over at Peek-a-boo Designs

Hello and good morning!

I have be waiting for this day ever since I saw the new products that were gonna be launched today and boy I am excited!

Yes! Peek-a-boo Designs (PABD) now have cutting dies added to their product list which are GORGEOUS!!!!

These are 100% made of steel and they die-cut like butter. I didn't need to pass the die more than once through my big shot when I was cutting and that includes the detailed lattice one!

This whimsical fairy card that you see in the image above is what I created using PABD products.

Here's a list of stuff from PABD July 2016 release that I used :

I used the lattice die-cut in portions around the card and also as a stencil! ^__^

This is one die-cut that can double up as a beautiful stencil too!

The white panel mounted on black card base is cut from the dual stitched rectangle die. (Second largest rectangle die was used.)

Stamping was done with black archival ink and distress inks were used with a round blending tool to stencil.

Locally purchased black and white glitter + stickers were added.

I hope you liked my project and will check out the fantastic array of projects the other DT members have put up!

To participate in Challenge #8 click >> HERE

Thank you for stopping by! *Hugs*

 

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Hello friend

Hello and good evening!

Here's a card I made for a friend using So Suzy Stamps and Ink Bites. (All inks are by So Suzy Stamps except black.)

Kinda looks like one of those beautiful cherry blossom trees, what say? ^__^ I love this particular set of ink bites because it's a color co-ordinated set of soft pastel shades that make awesome cards for all age groups! And two shades of purple! Woo hoo!

Steps :

First, on a die-cut piece of cardstock I stamped the Bare Tree Tall stamp using the Pretty Pewter Ink Bite.

After that I used the Dot Splatter stamp and stamped it multiple times using Thistle Thicket and Lucky Lavender Ink Bites.

All of the ink bites that I used are from the So Suzy - Highland Spring Ink Bite set.

Stamped sentiment (Hello Friend) using black archival ink.

Next, using Carnation Pink Nuvo Drops I added a couple of drops to the tree and sprinkled glitter over it.

Matted it onto black card base, added a couple of heart stickers near the sentiment (purchased locally) and tied a silver twine.

Here's a close up :

And that's how I did it! ^__^ Thank you so much for stopping by and have a lovely day!

Linking this to : So Suzy Ink Bites Challenge

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Let's talk about craft supplies

Hello!

This is going to be one long post so bear with me please.  ^__^

Especially because this one has no pictures.

Recently, I got to know that a few of So Suzy Stamps were copied and were wrongly being sold in India.

I do not want my article to be about negativity, I only want to educate those new crafters who have recently embraced the hobby to know how to recognize the difference between an original product and a fake.

Let's take the example of So Suzy Stamps.

So Suzy Stamps are made in the USA with high quality red rubber. So when you see someone selling those exact same designs in clear stamps, alarm bells should go off in your head.

I know what you're thinking... how will we know that there is another brand out there who owns this design?

It's difficult when you're starting out. To be absolutely honest, there are some brands that even the most experienced crafters do not know of.

Any brand's work can be copied but here are a few things to keep in mind before you make a crafty purchase.

Google is your best friend

If you are in doubt or confused about a purchase, google it.

First try with the product name. If nothing comes up, use an element from the product and google.

Example : If it's a wedding dress stamp, google :  wedding dress stamp images

You can even use this technique for stencil patterns, stickers etc.

While it is not foolproof, it can help you determine to a certain extent if the product you plan to purchase is original or not.

Cost

Usually the copied products are priced much lower than the originals. So if you see a product being offered to you at a throw away price whereas identical products by other companies are expensive, think, why is this product being sold so cheap?

Ask the manufacturer

Many manufacturers are not designers and illustrators. They source the design from illustrators, pay for it and manufacture it.

So, if in doubt you should ask the manufacturer for the source. If it seems fishy, you know you are dealing with a fake product.

Ask a craft store owner

Most craft store owners who have been dealing in the sale of craft supplies will know the difference between an original and a fake.

Many of these wonderful ladies help out and give advice upon asking so if you are in a doubt, do not hesitate to contact them! They will definitely guide.

Disadvantages of purchasing a fake product :

Performance
The fake product will give you inferior performance and will not give you the best results.

Resale value
If you buy an original product, you can re-sell it / destash it after you are no longer interested in using it and recover some amount out of the total cost of that item.

If it's a fake people will not buy it.

Also sometimes things are bought on an impulse and we crafters destash those (I know I have bought stuff on an impulse and destashed those items, brand new!) at MRP less 5 - 10% of what we paid for it. With a fake product, once again, it's not gonna be possible as people will not buy it.

So you see, while the fake product may come cheap, in the long run, it is nothing but a loss.

Reputation
Using a fake product will only hamper your brand value and reputation in the international markets. A major negative if you ask me.

I hope this article has helped you learn something new and encouraged you to make an informed decision leading to an ethical purchase.

Lastly, we have formed a facebook group to help people learn the difference between originals and fakes.
Join us if you are also a supporter of original products!

Check it out >>>>  HERE 

Have a beautiful weekend dear friends and happy crafting! ^__^

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