30.1.18

Easel Drawer Box Card

Easel Drawer Box Card
       Hi friends....have you ever made a card you felt happy about when you made it but months later thought...what a lame card and could never bring yourself to send it anyone?!!
Well I have quite a few of those "what was I thinking when I made that" type of cards in my collection ...and have been challenging myself to rework some of them rather than throw them away!
So here is the ancestor of this easel drawer card... a  Glittery Card  I just couldn't bring myself to send to anyone despite being in my stash since 2016!
Glitter Card
So I went to work on it using handmade flowers and dozens of die cuts and made a Birthday Card [as my DT project for  Cuttlebugmania  Challenge where the theme is Birthday]! 
Wanted to play in a few favorite Challenges and so converted it into an easel card with blue and green color theme and dozens of butterflies for Mrs A's Butterfly Challenge !

Easel Drawer Box Card
 I still didnt like the card much and so decided to try and wave a magic wand once again and tried to make it into an easel card with a drawer box!
Easel Drawer Box Card
My poor card was already quite bulky so rather than risk making a wobbly card stock drawer I very ambitiously made the drawer box from chipboard!
Easel Drawer Box Card
And that was easier said than done as it involved endless measuring and re- measuring, gluing and re-gluing!!!....Ufff...this sure wasn't one of those easy projects!
Easel Drawer Box Card
And though I am not a 100% happy with the overall project I do love how the drawer part turned out!
The drawer pull has a metal butterfly I transformed into a shabby white beauty using Stampendous embossing powder.
Altered Butterfly
 It did turn out gorgeous and shabby!!
Easel Drawer Box Card
The drawer box has blue crystal flowers as feet[ you can see the same Crystal flowers in this post : Crystal flower bouquet Tutorial ] and butterflies galore all around it.
Easel Drawer Box Card
 The easel part rests on a pearl - rhinestone border and a gorgeous satin flower trim. When you lift up the easel...you will see birthday wishes once again and gorgeous peacock blue butterflies.
Easel Drawer Box Card
 And on turning the card- box ...more birthday wishes!!!
Easel Drawer Box Card
 I may be weird but after all the work I think I like the backside of the card drawer box more than the front!!
Easel Drawer Box Card
 If you stayed  with me till here without falling asleep or running away...Thank you so much !!!
Easel Drawer Box Card
And here are the dies I used!! :
Winnie and Walter  Essentials Audrey Cutaways , Winnie and Walter Cover Model Multifaceted Cutaway,X cut 3 D Butterfly,Magnolia Doohickeys Vintage Box Lacing Coffee,Joy Crafts 6002-0251[Butterfly Border],Marianne Anjas Vintage Decoration LR0269,Cheery Lynn  Large Rose,Cheery Lynn  Flourish 13,Spellbinders Annabelle's Trousseau Layering Frame,Spellbinders Rose Creations  ,Spellbinders Magnolia,Tonic Studios Birthday Swirl.

Dont forget to join in at the Cuttlebugmania  Challenge with a Birthday themed project. It is special as we are celebrating Jannie's birthday [ Jannie is the sweet and wonderful owner of the Cuttlebugmania Challenge blog]

Linking to
 - Use Old favorites...The blue flowers were made using the Spellbinders Rose Creations  one of my oldest dies and a special favorite
Creative Fingers Challenge ,CraftyHazelnut's Pattern Paper Challenge,

This project was Top 3 at the Butterfly Challenge ! Yippeee!! Thank you Mrs A. 
It was also featured at 613 Avenue Create
It was also featured as Top 5 at All Sorts Challenge! So honored and thrilled!
It was also chosen and featured as top 5 at Fussy and Fancy Challenge . Thank you so much !!
It was also in the honorable mentions at Scrappyland Challenge ! Thank you !

25.1.18

Santa Ornament and Santa Cards

Santa Dome Ornament
           Hi friends happy to share some Santa themed projects as my DT project for Maureen's Rudolph Days Challenge where the theme is always "Anything Christmas".
I  just got back from a whirlwind trip to Florida , USA and am still somewhat jet lagged but had fun making this adorable Santa Ornament .
Santa Dome Ornament
The ornament was made using a clear dome, tiny Styrofoam[thermocol] "snowballs" , Marianne Santa and Poppy Stamps Fluffy Snow tree dies !!It was tricky to capture Santa's cuteness through the glass but you can see him better in this Pop Up Card below!
Santa Pop Up Card 
I created a wintry snowy scene with Origami Christmas trees[ Tutorial : Easy Paper tree Tutorial ] in front of a woodland cottage[made with Dee's Distinctively Small Winter Cottage die] and an adorable Santa!
Foam Santa Card
This card is my favorite as it features a few of my favorite Christmas items...fluffy snow-laden trees, Christmas presents, glittering colorful lights and of course Santa Claus!

Dont forget to participate in the Rudolph Days Challenge with a Christmas project before the 31st...Maureen always has some fabulous prizes !

Supplies : Dies :Poppy Stamps Small Fluffy Snow Tree, Dienamics [MFT] Stitched Circle Scallop Frame,Marianne Designs Eline's Santa COL1391,Marianne Presents,Cheery Lynn Christmas Light Swag,Winnie and Walter  Essentials Audrey Cutaways 
Linking to
Pixie's Snippets Playground - used snippets of card and glitter foam to create the trees,  Santa , the lights,the cottage and the present.
Scrappyland
Craftyhazelnuts Christmas ChallengeCreative Fingers Challenge 

12.1.18

Handmade Paper Flowers

Handmade Paper Flowers
 Hi friends Thank you so much for the fabulous encouragement and kind words on my Foamiran rose Tutorial ....I am so grateful!
Sharing a cheerful bright floral card I made for a crafter - blogger friend Sharada.
I have used dozens of dies and added lots of layers and tried to make it as cheerful as possible and Sharada is such a cheerful bubbly character....today is her birthday but my card is yet to travel to the post office....posted on the blog so that at lest "virtually" I can send her the card!!
Inside the Card
Supplies : Dies :  Creative Expressions Orion die,Simon Says Stamp Heart of Roses,Poppy Stamps Pinpoint Main Street Tags ,Spellbinders Card Creator A2 Filigree Delight,Sizix  Floral Wreath 660256,X cut 3 D Butterfly,Tonic Studios BirthdaySwirl,Ultimate crafts Jadene Celebration Spray,Heartfelt creations Delightful Daisy Die,Spellbinders Rose Creations  ,Marianne Anja's Corner,Elizabeth Craft Designs 728 Bunch of Flowers

9.1.18

Foamiran Flowers Tutorial : Roses

Foamiran Flowers Tutorial
Hi friends, foam or rather the newly christened version paper thin " foamiran" seems to be quite the rage in the paper-crafting world right now especially with crafters who like to make flowers.
I have always loved crafting with foam but this is my first project using foamiran.
Foamiran Flowers Tutorial
       My foam roses are  the cutesy type and sparkle beautifully as they have been given a liberal dusting with distress glitter! Since they are my first attempt and I am still polishing my technique ,no two flowers turned out the same...hehe!!
Foamiran Flowers Tutorial
Here are a few Crafty Tips :

  • The rose is not the easiest flower to make and if you are working with foamiran for the first time ,make some simple flowers before trying a rose.
  • Regular foam of the thin variety is much easier to work with compared to foamiran but yes foamiran is so much more delicate and can give beautiful results after a bit of practice! 
  • Foamiran tears easily so  handle it gently!

Do first checkout these links to Foam Rose Tutorials using regular foam:


And here are Paper Rose Tutorials you may find useful to help make roses:


Foamiran Rose Tutorial 
Foamiran Flower Tutorial 

Materials
  1. Foamiran Sheets- these are paper thin  and very delicate . The sheets come in various colors but I would suggest investing in cream/ white rather than buying a lot of colors as you can easily color the cream/ white sheets 
  2. Flower Shapes - handcut/ punch/ die cut. Because they are very thin you can die cut several flowers in one go and even handcut petal shapes quickly .
  3. Coloring Media-  Distress Ink Pads  , Archival ink Pads, Oil Pastels. I personally loved the color fastedness and ease of using oil pastels
  4. Iron Box - it is optional but so easy to use to quickly cup and shape your petals...extremely useful if you dont want to take the trouble to use embossing tools to shape petals.
  5. Adhesive- Glue Gun
Foamiran Rose Flowers Tutorial 
As you can see from the picture above no two roses look the same...well that was because I was experimenting which was the easiest and quickest way to make a decent looking rose! So in any step do add or subtract a petal to get the flower shape you are happy with!!
Flower Petals - I used a Sizzix die [ pictured above] to cut 5 petal flowers and hand tore the flowers to give individual petals. You can keep the flowers intact while attempting to make the rose but after much trial and error I found using individual tear drop shapes was the best way for me!
For starters try 1 + 2 + 3 + 5 petal layers from inside to outside to make your first rose.
Foamiran Rose Flowers Tutorial
Coloring the petals is optional but fun! It's pretty easy if you have oil pastels and a sponge. For this technique coloring one side is good enough.
Foamiran Rose Flowers Tutorial
Switch on your ironbox to it's maximum and press a petal onto it..in seconds the petal will cup and you can then let it fall onto your table.
Foamiran Rose Flowers Tutorial
When you work with foamiran for the first time you will be amazed at how magical this step is!! The ironbox does the embossing and petal shaping for you quickly and effortlessly!!
Foamiran Rose Flowers Tutorial
An even quicker way is to press whole flower shapes onto the ironbox before you tear them into petal shapes. Just remember to color the flowers/petals before using the iron as it is quicker to color a flat shape than a cupped one.
Foamiran Rose Flowers Tutorial
For the following steps a video would have been ideal but it was too tricky So hope you bear with me and follow the pictorial !
Foamiran Rose Flowers Tutorial
Twirl a single petal as shown above and glue it applying just a tiny bit of hot glue on the inner side.
Foamiran Rose Flowers Tutorial
Glue two petals to encircle the central bud.
Foamiran Rose Flowers Tutorial
Depending on how big your central bud is add 2 or 3 encircling petals.

Foamiran Rose Flowers Tutorial
Dont add a lot of hot glue...just a tiny painting with your glue gun should be enough and add glue towards the middle part of the petals only.
Foamiran Rose Flowers Tutorial
Arrange your outer 5 petals and glue in place adjusting the position as you go along!
Foamiran Rose Flowers Tutorial
Again be sparing with the hot glue and adjust with a bit of pulling and squeezing to get the rose shape you are happy with.
Foamiran Rose Flowers Tutorial
And here is my tiny bouquet in a mini flower vase! 
Foamiran Flowers Tutorial
I hope you liked my foamiran roses and the Tutorial !
Foamiran Flowers Tutorial
Supplies : Dies :  Sizzix Bigz Floressa,Cheery Lynn  Flourish 13,Cheery Lynn  Large Rose,Cheery Lynn  Mini butterflies ,X cut 3 D Butterfly,Winnie and Walter Cheers Cutaway , Winnie and Walter  Essentials Audrey Cutaways ,Spellbinders Big Scalloped Squares, Dee's Distinctively Small Winter Cottage,Magnolia Doohickeys Vintage Box Lacing Coffee,Elizabeth Craft Designs 728 Bunch of Flowers
Embossing Folders: Cuttlebug squares ,Sizzix Diamonds
Stencil :Carabelle Studio Vitrail Stencil

2.1.18

Pop Up Box Card and Crafty Tips

Pop Up Box Card
Wish you all a Happy New Year friends. So glad to share this sweet and adorable card + a few Crafty tips as my  first post of 2018 which is also my DT post for the Cuttlebugmania  Challenge where the theme is "Flowers"!
Pop Up Box Card
One of my crafty resolutions for 2018 is to get back into the spirit of blogging, sharing Tips and Tutorials. So here goes....
Crafty Tip 1
If you are like me and are looking for easier and quicker ways to color your images: try experimenting with and combing the different media you own.
Here I colored the Wild rose studio Bunnies using a combination of Zig Watercolor Brush Pens  and Staedtler water-color pencils ....I first roughly colored the image  with the color pencils and just highlighted the areas of the image I wanted a deeper color with the watercolor brush pens . Then went over the image with a water brush .And here is the conclusion : when you combine the two media you get better coverage,easier blending, a richer look and it is way quicker!
Here are more Tutorial posts on the Zigs :
Pop Up Box Card
I used beautiful Lemon craft papers [ won at my friend Lisa's giveaway] and gorgeous Crealies dies [shared earlier in my Guest DT posts earlier here : Pop Up Card Tutorial , Pop Up Christmas Card] to make this Pop Up Card !

Crafty Tip 2
Sometimes the most mundane of stationary supplies can help you ante up your crafting game to  a whole new level!
A T square ruler is one of the most useful things to have around if you are a perfectionist!
It is so easy to perfectly horizontally align your border dies, sentiment stamps or embellishments if you use this baby!
And mind you ...you dont need a fancy one too...mine cost just around a 100 rupees[ which will be 1 to 2 dollars only]!
More posts on using Rulers
Die cutting Tip
Crafty Tip 3
Buying craft supplies is a big addiction for many of us...well ahem it's part of the whole crafting scene isnt it! And I think almost all of us must have felt guilty at one point of time!!
Well one way to feel better about buying something is to find more than one way to use it! Hehe it always seems to work for me!!
Die cutting Tip
Here I used the Crealies border die  4 times to die cut a lovely  frame design which forms the backdrop of my Pop Up Card ....it does look cool doesn't it !

Crafty Tip 4
 Most of us have certain set crafty habits...like for example I tend to usually make my card bases in white! And if you are a flower maker maybe you like to cut your flowers from white paper and ink them or use colored card stock....well every once in a while consciously try to stray away from your set habits!
Die cutting Tip
Here I used pattern paper, plain paper, colored card stock and foam to mix and match the Crealies flower die cuts to make a medley of sweet looking flowers!

Pop Up Box Card
Here is the back of the Pop Up Box card with a pocket created to hold a large sentiment tag.
Pop Up Box Card
Thank you so much for staying with me till the end of this post and bidding you once again a Happy New Year with this  beautiful quote !
Pop Up Box Card
Supplies : Dies : Crealies Duo Dies No 47 [Flower],Crealies Set of 3 -No 47 [Flower],Crealies On the Edge No 33,Cheery Lynn  Rose Leaf Strip. 
Stamp Wild Rose Studio Spring Bunnies.Papers : Lemoncraft Fresh Summer