Juhi's Handmade Cards

Feel the love

2012-02-02T20:10:00.003+05:30

A quick card featuring some of my favorite MFT Dienamics dies. Love love love their rolled rose dies (have them in all sizes!).

Challenges : ICRC15 - Feel the love + photo inspiration (used the roses from the picture).

CraftyJC Challenge #14 – Valentine with non-traditional colors

Card Patterns Sketch #150

welcome baby

2012-01-31T20:54:00.000+05:30

some more crocheted hearts.
challenges: ICRC14, Crafty JC Challenge Blogspot - Something New

White on White

2012-01-30T12:05:00.000+05:30

White on White has been on my mind for a long time, so when I found this cue crochet hearts pattern, I just had to try it out......making these hearts is so addictive, I can't get enough (which means I'll be making more cards featuring these). I just love visiting Lucy's blog, just looking at those bright and colorful crocheted stuff brightens up my day!

Challenges : ICRC14-Anything goes + CAS
Crafty Purple Frog - 2W, SIO - Valentine's Day/Show us some love,
Southern Girls Challenge - Challenge #36 White on White,
Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

Wags 'n Whiskers - Valentine / Love

Simply Create Too - Love is in the Air

Poodles Parlour - Week 2, Valentine / Love

First Birthday Card

2012-01-28T22:28:00.000+05:30

I made this center step card for a friend's son's first birthday (its pretty obvious from the card :P).
Hope everyone's having a great weekend, mine is being spent in trying to pacify an eight week old colicky baby!

Challenges: Alphabet challenge blog - Z for Zoo Animals,
Phindy's Friday Challenge blog - Challenge #90 Birthday Card for a child,
Digi Doodle Shop's Best - Anything Goes,
Forever Friends Challenge Blog - More than one fold,
Stamping with the Dragon Challenge Blog - Anything goes,
Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog - Anything Goes
Thanks for visiting.

Vintage Birthday Booklet

2012-01-23T19:45:00.002+05:30

This is my first truly vintage card, it was a pleasure to make.....The colors are inspired by Mallika's work, she is extremely talented.....I just love her style.
that tag on the cover is from a shirt I bought recently. The khaki paper is from a shopping bag.

Thanks for visiting!

A Very Quick Post

2012-01-20T22:27:00.001+05:30

Just a super quick post. Nothing much to write, a CAS card with some hand stitching, love how it turned out.

Have used a Pie Lane heart bead in the sentiment.
Challennges: Card Patterns Sketch #148, ICRC14-Anything goes + CAS
Have a great weekend!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-01T20:37:00.000+05:30

Wishing all my friends a very happy new year! May all my crafty friends get to craft to their heart's content (I know I wont :( )....and ofcourse get to shop for all the craft supplies they want to :P.
Sharing a few "Season's Greetings" cards I made for my Mom to gift to her colleagues.

Thanks for visiting!

A few CAS cards

2011-12-23T20:21:00.002+05:30

Thank you so much for all the love and good wishes and also for the assurance that things will get better with time! Me n the little one are doing fine.......will share some pictures soon.
I am visiting all of your blogs on my phone while the baby is feeding (hence am not able to comment, not easy to type with only one hand)......
I would like to share 2 CAS cards that I've managed to make (took me almost weeks to make 2 cards :P)
I have tried some hand stitching for the first time on this one n I love the effect....

This one is a simple stamped card which would make a decent "guy" card I guess.

Thanks for visiting!

I'm back

2011-12-21T22:09:00.003+05:30

Well not exactly.....was just able to squeeze out 5 mins for myself so here I am.......never ever imagined that taking care of an infant would be so so exhausting both physically and mentally! I hope it gets better with time (though I know deep down that it wont.....but I like to believe it atleast for now!).

I have not done any crafting yet......mostly because I can't find the time and even if I do I have a terrible back ache most of the time:(. I am just going to share some holiday favor boxes I made as a DT member for Carfty JC Challenge Blog. I made these the day my baby was born (3rd December)!

Do visit Jaya's Challenge blog to participate in this month's challenge which is Challenge #12 Holiday Favors.

Thanks for visiting!

Lia Stampz - Challenge #8 - Fancy Fold

2011-11-30T22:16:00.001+05:30

I am one of the guest designers at Lia Stampz for this fortnight's challenge, which is - Fancy Fold. The deadline for this challenge is December 15th. You DON'T have to use a LiaStampz image (can be any stamp/digi stamp/ embellishment-not even an image).

Here is my card.

I've tried a tri-shutter card for the first time and I love the result. The digi is the super cute Haley from Lia... You can find it on Whimsy Stamps here. I just loved to color her, infact I printed out a few just to color them! will use them on some cards later. I've used glossy accents on the cap edge and dress frill to give it some dimension.........the snowflakes are stamped and covered with Pie Lane Pixie Dust Glitter.

Thanks for visiting!

Thanks

2011-11-22T22:20:00.001+05:30

Another card featuring my favorite color combo.......black and white. The background is stamped and sprayed with iridescent pearl white Maya Mist. I have done stitching on my work after a really long time. The glitter die-cut black butterfly is my favorite.......

Challenges entered: Card Patterns sketch #142, Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog - Thanksgiving/Thanks, The Pink Elephant - TPE126, Catch the Bug Challenge Blog - Give Thanks/Thanksgiving Challenge!

Glitter!!

2011-11-19T22:33:00.001+05:30

This is my first Christmas card of the season. I had been dying to use my Pie Lane pixie dust glitter since the day I got it......it is simply superb......even though I don't like how the card turned, I just love the glitter.....it twinkles in the sun, wow!

I've used Pie Lane glitter balls on the stars.
Challenges: Wags n Whiskers Challenge 67 - Christmas Themed, Digi Doodle Shop Challenges - Challenge #83 Color Combo of Red and Green.

Happy Birthday Your Majesty!

2011-11-15T22:00:00.001+05:30

My second post for the day...absolutely love how this has turned out (it does look better IRL!).......
Challenges: Lia's Stampz - Challenge #6 - 3Rs, Card Patterns sketch #141, CraftyJC Challenge #11 Pick you Palette (I've chosen palette #3 blue, yellow and red, for this card), Flourishes Boutique - Timeless Tuesday #144

n I made it to the top 3 at Craft JC Challenge #10 with this card :)

Baby Quote Wall Hanging

2011-11-15T18:51:00.001+05:30

Another baby related project, I am on a roll! Nothing much to write........the frame measure approx 10x12 inches. This goes out to Kavitha's CHALLENGE#1 HANGING OUT

Thanks for visiting!

Baby Girl Mini Album

2011-11-12T09:00:00.001+05:30

I have made quite a few baby boy scrapbooks and mini albums but none for baby girls, cause strange as it may sound I've got requests only for baby boy albums. So when one of my friend had a baby girl I jumped at the opportunity to make mini album for her baby.

It is actually an altered board book, I recently went to second hand book sale and bought loads of board books in all kinds of shapes and sizes.

I realized after making this one that board book pages cannot handle too many 3-D/fold out page elements, cause it wont close properly and the binding might come off too.

This album is not very elaborate as now I just don't have the stamina to craft too much. I wanted to make a pretty pink box to go along with it but didn't have the energy to do so.

I just love this Inkadinkado baby girl stamp set, infact I've used almost all the stamps in it on these 2 pages.

Here's a closer look at them, aren't they adorable!

Thanks for visiting!

Baby Boy Mini Album

2011-11-02T22:03:00.001+05:30

This is my first baby mini album, and I just loved making it. I guess some of you must have already seen it on my facebook page (I forgot to share it here). I made it for a friend who's little boy is called Sumankar.

My favorite flower...again...

2011-11-01T11:16:00.000+05:30

Another card featuring my favorite flower stamp :), can't get enough of it! I tried to create dew drops with glossy accents (those colorless blobs on the flower are supposed to be dew drops) but not happy with the result.

The gem stones at the corners are from Pie Lane, and so is the chunky glitter in the flower center.

Challenges: CASE Study Challenge #63, Simon Says ,,,,, Anything Goes :-)

Red and White

2011-10-31T21:30:00.001+05:30

A quick post featuring a quick card. This is for Susan Raihala's Challenge : One-Layer Wednesday 70: Red and White. Love that cute Pie-Lane garden bead at the right corner.

Also some happy news to share, I made it to the super 6 at Card Patterns for sketch #138...yippeeeeee!
Thanks for visiting!

Blue and green

2011-10-28T13:13:00.006+05:30

I had so much fun making this card and I'm totally happy with the way it has turned out. This will go out to a friend, its always a pleasure to make something for her cause she loves my work :) , I hope she likes it. I feel its a truly feminine card with all the lace and pearls.

I just love this Hero Art Stencil Flower cling stamp for so many reasons, a few being - it is so huge that it can almost cover a whole card, it can be layered easily and it is so much fun to color! I love it so much that I stamped it on the inside of the card too. Another thing I love these days is Pie-Lane chunky glitter, especially for flower centers, I've used it for the flower centers (on the inside and outside flowers). The flowers at the bottom and butterfly centers are also Pie-Lane goodies.

Challenges : Card Patterns sketch #138, Simon Says ,,,,, Anything Goes :-)

It's Black and Silver this time

2011-10-27T10:29:00.001+05:30

Sharing a truly CAS card, some stamping and some Pie-Lane crystals.

This card goes out to CraftyJC Challenge #10: Simplicity

Thanks for visiting!

Black n White

2011-10-23T11:56:00.000+05:30

Black and white is my all time fav color combo. I've used Pie-Lane chunky glitter for the flower center (have used for the first time)........love the look. Have also used some Pie-Lane butterflies.

Challenges: CASE Study Challenge #62, CraftyJC Challenge #10: Simplicity

I love this card :)

2011-10-19T13:50:00.000+05:30

I am so happy with the way this card turned out :) ....the card is inspired by Card Patterns sketch #137 and ICR Challenge #11, which is to make an easel card incorporating a basic shape (Square, Triangle, Rectangle, Circle). Incase you didn't notice I've used circles.

I've used some Pie-Lane glitter balls (on the cake, handbag n bangles) and flower self adhesive beads (don't they look cute!) to finish it off.

Thanks for visiting!

It's a Boy!

2011-10-17T14:34:00.001+05:30

Don't get any ideas, mine is not due till December :P ......this is just one card I made sometime back for a friend.
Thanks for visiting!

More Diwali Cards

2011-10-06T11:43:00.001+05:30

2 Diwali cards with loads of glitter....I guess this is the first time I have used so much glitter on a card.......I was covered in glitter by the time I finished!

These go out to Simon Says ,,,, Sparkle and Bling :-) challenge (I just hope I win one day!).
Thanks for visiting!

Thank you

2011-10-03T14:32:00.003+05:30

I made the background for this card using a really fun n easy technique which I learnt from Piali, who is the guest blogger at Yvonne's blog, do check it out here.
I've clear block stamped the background with distress inks and stamped on top with Hero Arts Designblock SILHOUETTE, finished off with lace die-cut from MFT die-namics, Pie Lane butterflies and orange crystal beads. The sentiment is also from Hero Arts.

A closer peep at the crystal beads and butterflies from Pie Lane (they are perfect to add that special touch to any craft project, just love them!).
Challenges - Clear block stamping with Piali Biwas! :), Simon Says.....Anything Goes !
Thanks for visiting!

My first Diwali card for 2011

2011-09-29T08:25:00.001+05:30

I have started making Diwali cards early this year.....the picture's not great, it looks much better IRL.

The card is inspired by Card Patterns Sketch #134 and Simon Says.....Anything Goes !

Thanks for visiting!

Fabric Rolled Roses

2011-09-27T08:33:00.001+05:30

MFT Die-namics rolled roses and butterflies, and some Pie Lane self adhesive flower embellishments.
Here's a closer look at those adorable tiny Pie Lane flowers.

Challenges - Card Patterns Sketch #134, Simon Says ,,,,, Use Dies and/or Punches :-)
Thanks for visiting!

Fabric Scrap Die Cuts

2011-09-25T09:33:00.000+05:30

The butterflies are die-cut from fabric scraps. I didn't have any success die-cutting fabric with my dies and cuttlebug.......finally I tried coating both sides of the fabric with a generous dose of fevicol, drying with a heat gun and then cutting, n guess what............it worked beautifully!

I've used some Pie Lane bling ( all the butterfly centers) and borders.

This is based on the ICRC10 challenge.

Have a super Sunday!

Another Flower Pop-up card

2011-09-24T11:15:00.001+05:30

I made another seven flower pop up card......

I've used my favorite MFT Dienamics rolled rose dies on the card front, also used are loads of spellbinders dies. Have added some Pie Lane border stickers and glitter balls.

Challenges - Simon Says ,,,,, Dies to Die For

Have a great weekend!

3-Tier Pop-up Cake Card

2011-09-22T08:53:00.000+05:30

This pop-up cake card is inspired by the Sizzix 3-tier cake pop-up die, as I don't have the die I decided to make it on my own (the card not the die!).....and I am happy with the way it has turned out. After I finished making it I also found a tutorial for it over here.

This is how the card front looks like. It has been kept shut with some magnetic tape.

Here's another look at the pop-up cake.

Thanks for visiting!

Butterflies

2011-09-20T11:46:00.004+05:30

Just a random card with loads of butterflies....

25th Anniversary Scrapbook

2011-09-16T17:07:00.000+05:30

I made this way back in April......I'll be sharing more of my older work (not posted earlier) as my energy level has started to drop and I'm finding it more n more difficult to craft after getting back from work.

These gorgeous felt flowers n butterfly are from a RAK by Tejal (thanks girlie!).

Have a great weekend.

Butterfly Award

2011-09-09T15:11:00.000+05:30

I got this Butterfly Blog Award from 2 talented ladies, Karuna and Tejal......Thanks so much gals!

There are some rules to follow so here they are:
Answer several questions. Award the 'Butterfly Award' to other bloggers
Contact the bloggers to let them know they have received this award
Put a link to the person who gave you the 'Butterfly Award' in the post.
Q1) Name your favorite color? Black

Q2) Name your favorite song? Depends on my mood

Q3) Name your favorite dessert? Fresh fruit flavored gelato

Q4) What worries you off at the moment? Will I be able to balance work, home, being a mum and still find time to craft? and ofcourse will I be able to get back in shape after the baby comes along :P

Q5) Your favorite pet? Dogs (though I've never had any :( )

Q6) Black or White? Black

Q7) Your biggest fear? Will I be a good mom?

Q8) Best feature? My smile I guess

Q9) Everyday attitude? As of now it is "take each day at a time"

Q10) What is perfection? Being at peace with myself.

Q11) Guilty pleasure? Shopping for craft supplies n handbags, can't resist either :P

Q12) When you're upset you? loads of things like - Sulk, talk it out with my friends/sister/mom, go on a shopping spree, craft (it helps me get my mind off stuff), read any book by Roald Dahl (he's my favorite author).

I would like to pass this award to:
Jaya
Smita
Archana
Priya
Mallika
Laura

Now to a card I made last week, I loved this card so much that I landed up CASEing my own card :P.

Have a great weekend (I can hardly wait for mine to begin!)

Upcycled Box

2011-09-08T13:15:00.001+05:30

I won the Crafty JC challenge last month (n guess what..I got a gorgeous gift pack from Itsy Bitsy as the prize :P, thanks so much Jaya). This means that I am one of the designers for this months challenge which is "RECYCLE".

For my DT project I’ve recycled a wooden partitioned box (it came as the packaging for a set of wooden alphabets).

I’ve made something on the lines of Tim Holtz/Maya Road dimensional shadow boxes(ofcourse those are much bigger than this; each partition in mine measures aprrox 1x1.25inches).

I painted the box yellow with some acrylic paint and used various knick knacks, trinkets, buttons, sea shells, broken earrings, pendants, scrap paper die-cuts etc to decorate it. The roses and butterflies are die-cuts from an old magazine; they’ve been colored with some smooch spritz and walnut ink.

The finished project is proudly put up on my office PC (with the help of some magnetic tape).

Here's a closer look at it

So, let us see anything recycled. It need not be a card. Get creative :). And yes, it need not be paper. We want to see ANYTHING recycled.
We would love to see these on your blog post
- Your take on how we as indivduals can help Save the Earth- Also please post the material you are recycling and the final entry. This is mandatory, since this will help us choose the Top3.
Head straight to CraftyJC Challenge Blog......I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Cupcake Pop up card

2011-08-29T14:32:00.000+05:30

I'm on a pop-up card making spree. The tutorial for this one can be found here. The cup-cakes are stamped, colored and handcut. I've added some 3-D glitter for the icing.

Here's a view from the side.

Rolled Roses

2011-08-27T20:50:00.001+05:30

I'm in love.........with MFT Die-namics rolled rose dies and Pie Lane glitter balls, can't get enough of either of them, want to use them all over the place!! I want to get big packs of all possible colors of those glitter balls (I have all sizes of the rolled rose dies :P).

I've used the glitter balls for the flower centers. The butterfly center is a self adhesive rhinestone by Pie Lane.
Challenges: The Paper Shelter - Challange 28, Die Cuts and Punches, Jellypark Friends Gettin Punchy.

n hey I am one of the winners at Crafty JC Challenge #8 wohoo!!! Thanks so much Jaya, Sonia, Priya and Mallika!

Seven Flower Pop-up card

2011-08-23T14:16:00.002+05:30

This seven flower pop-up card has been on my “Have to make sometime” list for a very long time. I finally gave it a shot last week, and am very happy with the result. A great tutorial on how to make it can be found here. Carol from Extreme Cards and Papercrafting has an amazing collection of all kinds of pop-up and origami cards with some great tutorials. The main challenge was to make big (n pretty) 8 petal flowers (as I don’t have any die or punch for that) I found a really easy way to make the 8 petal flowers from here.

The front has been dressed up with some crocheted lace, die cut flowers, Pie Lane borders and butterflies. I’ve used Pie Lane glitter balls in the flower centers on the inside (they’ll be visible at a closer look).

Thanks for visiting!

Clean n Simple

2011-08-20T12:59:00.001+05:30

Another card featuring my experiments with stamping. I've cased this card by Susan (just love her work). Ofcourse mine is not even close, the ribbon was not supposed to be there but clumsy me smudged some ink on top and had to add the ribbon to hide it :(. The heart stickers at the bottom are from Pie Lane. Here's a look at the inside.

Thanks for visiting!

First Birthday Card

2011-08-18T18:59:00.000+05:30

Loads of die cutting and corrugated cardboard.......
Challenges entered:
Creative Craft World - For a child
Crafty Sentiments Designs - No Sentiment
Some good news I made it to the top six in Card Patterns Sketch #127 and was also the lucky winner for ICR C8 :).
Thanks for visiting!

White and Blue

2011-08-11T13:09:00.000+05:30

White seems to my favorite color to work with these days. I just love the way this card turned out :). This'll go out to an old friend of mine......we completed our graduation n post-graduation together and even starting our professional lives from the same place.........though we've eventually moved to different corners the years have only brought us closer......
The heart is stamped using Hero Arts Lace Heart stamp, I've sprayed loads of Iridescent Pearl White Maya Mist for the shine. The inner silver heart is made using silver glitter balls by Pie Lane, the blue rhinestone heart (I can't seem to get enough of these) beside the sentiment is also from Pie Lane. The gorgeous felt roses are MFT dienamics mini rolled roses die cut (I love them, you'll be seeing much more of these in my work!).
Challenges:

CraftyJC Challenge #8: Friends are Forever

Card Patterns Sketch #127

Thanks for visiting!

One more CAS Card

2011-08-09T20:26:00.000+05:30

Love how this baby boy romper card turned out :). The tutorial for this can be found here.

The adorable rhinestone hearts are from Pie Lane and so is the star on the collar.

Thanks for visiting!

ICRC8

2011-08-07T11:41:00.000+05:30

As my health does not allow me move around too much (I had to undergo a minor surgery last week) I've decided to make CAS cards with some stamping till I get better (or maybe longer cause I've begun to like this style so much!). This is what I came up for the ICRC8.

The tiny flower beside the sentiment is from Pie Lane, I've added a glitter ball (also from Pie Lane) in the center.

Thanks for visiting!

A simple card

2011-08-04T22:22:00.000+05:30

This one's my take on Card Pattern's Sketch #124. Some stamping, coloring and a generous dose of glossy accents.

Thanks for visiting!

Rakhi Cards - 2011

2011-07-22T14:27:00.000+05:30

Just a quick post, loads of embossing, some stitching, a die cut and some gorgeous traditional Indian embellishments and my rakhi cards are ready!

n these are my rakhi cards from previous years.
http://www.juhishandmadecards.com/2010/08/rakhi-cards.html
http://www.juhishandmadecards.com/2009/07/handmade-rakhi-tutorial.html
http://www.juhishandmadecards.com/2009/07/card-patterns-sketch-24.html

Have a great weekend!

Side Step Cards

2011-07-19T20:21:00.000+05:30

These are my first side step cards. I just love the results, infact seeing how easy these were to make I decided to try other fancy fold cards too, but my health played spoil sport :(. I guess I will be MIA for some time now, I might post some of my spare projects at times.
The first one is for my neighbor's son Yatharth who is turning 2 this week. I've used loads of stickers on both cards.

Thanks for visiting!

All Pink

2011-07-15T14:41:00.000+05:30

This is my first all pink card and my first entry for any of the ICR Challenges (ICRC6). I've used the bottom row of the embellishment grid, ie, flower, emboss (the background is heat embossed) and gem. The stamping did not come out great :(.

The flowers are hand made ribbon flowers, the translucent pink leaves are from PIE LANE.

Thanks for visiting.

Red, Yellow n Gold

2011-07-11T12:11:00.001+05:30

This card is not even close to what I had imagined it to be, but I love the flowers (especially the centers) so much that I decided to post it anyhow. The flowers are stamped and hand cut. The flower centers are made using golden glitter balls from PIE LANE; I applied some glossy accent over the centers of the flowers, poured some glitter balls on to it and just tapped off the extras. Doesn’t it look gorgeous :P. The red half cut self adhesive balls are also from PIELANE.

Here’s a closer look at the flowers.

Challenges: CRAFTY HOS' CHALLENGE BLOG - Color Challenge
GingerloftChallenge - GL22 Make it sparkle

Thanks for visiting!

My first Easel Card

2011-06-30T17:28:00.000+05:30

Yeah this one's my first easel card, dunno why I didn't try making one earlier. Can't wait to make more! It's inspired by Card Patterns Sketch #121.

Thanks for visiting!

PS: Thank you much ladies for all the love and good wishes :)

2 cards

2011-06-15T14:09:00.000+05:30

I’m back after a really long break….I haven’t been myself lately n the reason for that is that I am 12 weeks pregnant. Thank you so much for all your love and concern, it means a lot to me. I haven’t been able to keep up with your posts…will try to catch up soon!

As I was feeling unusually energetic last evening I came up with these cards.

I’ve tried some heat embossing with gold embossing powder on black CS. These are apt for Ujjwal’s challenge at Yvonne’s blog : How to make a simple embossed card with Ujjwal Gupta! :)

This gorgeous self sticking bling is from Pie Lane. The best part about this bling is that it comes in so many different colors including various hues of gold and silver! Pie Lane has the most amazing range of bling, chunky glitter, and a lot more. I’ll be introducing more of their stuff in subsequent posts. Check out their facebook page for more products.

You can contact PIE LANE at:

The Pie Lane Studio
Shop No. 12, Dorabjee Enclave
Salunkhe Vihar Road
Wanawadi
Pune-411040

Ph: 020-26838461

Email:-
info@flexmagcrafts.in
srinandasen@gmail.com
tonvanh@hotmail.com

Another Monochromatic Card

2011-04-09T08:25:00.000+05:30

Made this for Claudia & Company: Challenge #79 - Monochromatic. I've used my new Spellbinders dies all over the card, can't get enough of them!
Have a great weekend!

Fold Note with accordion insert tutorial

2011-04-07T15:36:00.000+05:30

I’ve got multiple requests to post a tutorial on how to make this envelope like fold-note with accordion insert. It is quite easy to make.

You will require:

One 11x11 inch sheet of patterned paper for the envelope.
One 5x11 inch sheet of plain paper for the accordion insert.
Bone-folder.
Glue stick.
Embellishments/stamps to decorate the cover and insert.
Ruler.

Steps:

1. Fold the 11x11 inch patterned paper in half along the diagonal and crease with a bone folder. I have used 11x11 inch hand-made paper, if you use patterned paper place the patterned side of the paper facing down while folding.

2. Measuring from the left, make pencil marks at 5.5 inch and 10 inch. Fold the right point over to the left pencil mark and crease heavily, then unfold. Now fold the left point over to the right mark, crease heavily and unfold. Erase your pencil marks.

3. Fold both points over again with the left point on top. Then take the tip of the left point and fold it back to the left so that the new vertical fold is at the bottom of the V formed by the overlapping sections of the fold-note. Crease this hard with your bone folder.

4. Take the left point and raise it to a standing position. Holding both sides of the point open between your thumbs and forefingers, push the point forward to create a diamond pocket. Crease the folds with your bone folder.

5. Fold the remaining top point of the fold-note down to the bottom center of your fold-note and crease heavily. Now lift the top flap and stick the point into the diamond pocket.

6. To create the accordion insert to write/print your message lay your 5x11 inch plain paper in the center rectangle of the triangle and begin accordion pleating. No measuring is necessary - the sections of your accordion letter can be different sizes as long as it all fits inside the fold-note. The first fold is the biggest followed by progressively smaller folds. Stick the biggest fold onto the inside of the fold-note.

7. Embellish/stamp it as you please and your fold-note with the accordion insert is ready.

Please get back to me if you have any difficulty in following the tutorial.

Monochromatic Card

2011-04-01T11:32:00.000+05:30

I made this card for a colleague’s daughter Ridhima who turned 4 this week. I didn’t plan it but it somehow turned out to be a monochromatic card.....I hope she likes it.

Tried some embossing and sanding....which was inspired by Embossing with Debbie Standard!

The layout of the card is based on Simon Says.....Domi's Sketch !

Have a great weekend (mine is going to be a long one yippee!).

Mum....

2011-03-28T15:35:00.000+05:30

I was in a very bad mood most of yesterday as I lost my mobile in a mall in the afternoon........making this card made me feel better. As mother’s day is coming up this card is dedicated to my mum.....I truly believe that she has “Opened up the music of my heart”.

The card goes out to the following challenges:

Card Patterns Sketch #108

Simon Says ,,,,,,,, Mother's Day/Girlie Challenge

Not my style

2011-03-25T13:04:00.000+05:30

Vintage is not my style (which mostly means that I am not able to get the effect however hard I try!)....anyway I decided to give it a shot for Get out of your comfort zone with Michelle Bertuzzi!
I transformed a plain photo frame which looked like this

into this......not vintage exactly...I feel the blue in the background PP is out of place a bit......I've sprayed tons of perfect pearls onto the frame so it has beautiful fine shine IRL (not visible in the pic).
The couple in the picture are my parents, I guess the picture was taken sometime in the 80s....

Have a great weekend!

Romantic Birthday Card

2011-03-24T08:49:00.000+05:30

Another one of my multi-page cards, this time I also made a box envelope to go with it.

Wall Decor

2011-03-22T13:00:00.000+05:30

This is not related to card making/scrapbooking just something I did last weekend......this has to be one of the easiest and cheapest ways to adorn an empty wall. I have seen something like this in loads of home decor magazines and wanted to give it a try.

My sister designs and stitches her own outfits so she has a lot of fabric scraps.....I took some vaguely coordinating scraps (all are kalamkari cotton scraps), fixed them tightly on embroidery hoops of different sizes and fixed them on the wall randomly using double sided foam tape (didn't even have to make holes in the wall!)........it was as easy as that...n super economical too, all the embroidery hoops put together cost less than 100/- and scraps were for free :P......

Thanks for visiting!

Love themed scrapbook

2011-03-20T22:23:00.000+05:30

I haven't got any time to craft lately.......so just sharing something which I made a while back. Its a romantic/love themed scrapbook.

Thanks for visiting!

Layered Flower Tutorial

2011-03-18T10:26:00.000+05:30

I have been using these layered flowers a lot lately, these are extremely easy to make.

To make something like this you will need:

3 die-cut/punched/hand-cut white scalloped flowers using heavy weight cardstock. They should be of 3 different sizes.
Red ink (any kind is ok).
Ink Dauber/make-up sponge.
Any script/word background stamp (I have used Hero Arts Friend Definition stamp).
Black archival dye ink.
Perfect pearls (I've used bronze perfect pearls).
Mini Mister.
3 half cut pearls for the flower center (buttons will also do).

1. Take the flowers and distressed them using an ink dauber/make-up sponge with red pigment ink. This is how they look after distressing. It doesn't have to be perfect as you can see I haven't done a very good job :P. Distress on both sides of the flowers as we are going to curl up the petals so the other side will also be partially visible.

2. Stamp with your background stamp using black archival ink on one side of all the flowers. Let it dry or heat set it with a heat gun.

3. Generously spray perfect pearls mixed with water on the flowers. Let it dry or heat set it with a heat gun.

4. After they are completely dry curl the petals inwards. I've used the end of a paint brush.

5. Now place the medium sized flower inside the biggest one such that the center of the petals of the smaller flower lie between 2 petals of the larger flower. Repeat this for the smallest flower.

6. Staple the layered flower together. Spray some more perfect pearls if you want some more glitter. Adhere 3 half cut pearls to the center making sure that the staple is hidden under them....and your flower is ready.

Scrappy Scrap Challenge

2011-03-10T17:43:00.000+05:30

Last month Shalini from Craft Curry started this really cool challenge, she sent out scraps and some embellishments n lace etc to all the participants and asked us to come up with something using only that.
This is what I got.

and this is what I came up with.....loads of distressing and embossing on the background. I also got some acetate in my scraps, I have never used acetate on my cards and had no clue how to use too......I landed up using it for the sentiment....n for once I am happy with the results.

I just loved playing along n hope she comes up with more such challenges!
Now that everyone's entries are in, the winner will be chosen by voting, so head straight to Shalini's blog and vote for your favorite entries.

AWIC day 7

2011-03-06T18:39:00.000+05:30

This is my final card for the A week in Cards Challenge. I just discovered a pack of chipboard butterflies tucked away somewhere in my stash and used 3 of them, this card makes me smile......I hope it makes u too!
Inspired by Card Patterns sketch #105.

AWIC day 6

2011-03-05T17:31:00.000+05:30

The motivation behind this card is Tejal's Embossing Q&A, she has cleared a lot of doubts about heat embossing which most of us (esp in India) face. From that post I learnt that I am not the only one who burnt her expensive heat gun.....I was too embarrassed to discuss this with anyone :P
It is based on Get Sketchy GS #77.

Have a great weekend!

AWIC day 5

2011-03-04T16:43:00.000+05:30

A quick post for a quick card. Making one card every day is a pretty tall order, which I'm sure the other ladies participating in the AWIC challenge must have released too! Anyway it is a lot of fun too.....
The flower is made by stamping the same flower thrice and fussy cutting the three layers. Here's a closer look at the layers.

Challenges:
Fussy cutting and paper piecing with Laurel Seabrook!
Pixie Dust Studio Challenge # 64 "Seeing Polka-Dots!"
Cute Card Thursday Challenge 154 Signs of Spring

Craft Us Crazy ~Challenge #3......Be ONE with NATURE and CoCo Dingo~
Thanks for visiting!

AWIC day 4

2011-03-03T15:52:00.000+05:30

Here's my entry for day 4 of the A week in cards blog hop, this is inspired by Stamp with fun challenge #100.
Used my cuttlebug embossing folder after ages! The tag is from a shirt I bought recently...

Thanks for visiting!

AWIC day 3

2011-03-02T22:07:00.000+05:30

This one didn't turn out exactly as I wanted it but its ok.......loads of distressing, glossy accents and perfect pearls....

Inspired by Card Patterns Sketch #104

AWIC - day 2

2011-03-01T13:37:00.000+05:30

My second card for the AWIC blog hop....the ribbon flowers are handmade....the tutorial can be found here.
Challenges - CPS 207 part 1, Allsorts week 92 make your own flowers.......

A week in cards day 1

2011-02-28T22:32:00.000+05:30

This week us Indian Stampers and crafters are hosting our first ever blog hop (courtesy Jaya !!). We will be posting a new card every day for a week (28 Feb - 6 March) for all of you to see and enjoy :D (borrowed this line from Ujjwal's blog post, hope she doesn't mind)

Not very happy with this one, hope to do better from tomorrow......some stamping n embossing n we are good to go.......

Crocheted Flowers

2011-02-27T20:40:00.000+05:30

I'm using my crocheted flowers after a long time......there was a time when I made these in every spare minute that I got....so I had a box full of them in all sorts of colors.....it's almost empty now, have to start making more....
The card is inspired by Get Sketchy's Challenge #76 and Allsorts week 92 make your own flowers.......
Thanks for visiting!

Mojo Monday

2011-02-27T16:31:00.000+05:30

Hope everyone's Sunday is going great......

This card is inspired by Mojo Monday's challenge #179. Nothing much to write about, have used a lot of my newly acquired stamps, just love them!Thanks for visiting!

Some more inky fingers

2011-02-23T14:47:00.000+05:30

I can't get enough of inking, masking, distressing so I made another card on the same lines....I used a metallic butterfly charm to act as a mask....again loads of distressing and misting......the sentiment is my newest purchase (Ippity Stamps from Ujjwal).
This goes to the following challenges:
Card Patterns sketch #103
and Get grungy with Erika Taylor!
Thanks for visiting!

I {heart} inky fingers

2011-02-22T11:33:00.000+05:30

Ever since my DH got me a heat gun ...distressing, inking, misting, masking have become my new found love......though I'm not very good at it, but it's so much fun and it even makes me feel like a real artist with my inky fingers :P

I made this card for Get grungy with Erika Taylor! challenge at Yvonne's blog......well ok I am not even close to what Erika makes but I am learning....
I've used a page from an old magazine for the background, splattered some Prussian blue acrylic paint, misted with some green paint mixed with perfect pearls and finally distressed with red pigment ink. Some masking and misting on the tag and the hearts......loads of glitter for the flourish, some ribbon and lace scraps, golden twine and my favorite red flower to finish it off.....
Thanks for visiting!

Bright n Happy

2011-02-21T15:17:00.000+05:30

A bright n happy card based on Get Sketchy Challenge #75. I stamped the background and sprayed some perfect pearls for glitter(not visible in the picture :( ). The flowers are handmade (the red one being my favorite these days, which means it'll feature in almost all my work for some time :P). So this also goes out to the following challenges Simon Says......Make Your Own Embellishment !
and Fab n Funky Challenge #60 Make your own.

Thanks for visiting!

CASE Study Challenge #26

2011-02-15T10:22:00.000+05:30

This is the first time I'm participating in a CASE Study Challenge. I made this card for a colleague who got married recently...well I really liked what I came up with but totally forgot to take a pic :( . I landed up taking a photo on the way to his wedding reception (in the darkness, on our car's dashboard :P using my cellphone camera)......

Thinking of you

2011-02-11T12:14:00.000+05:30

A really quick card, some packing cardboard to add some texture, a handmade flower and an embossed flourish to finish it off.

This card goes out to the following challenges:

Creative Card Crew - For a loved one

Crafty Creations Challenges - Three little words

Fab n Funky Challenges - Tempting texture

Have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday Mumma

2011-02-10T16:29:00.000+05:30

This is an 11x11 inch card - cum - wall hanging. Have applied glossy accents on all the cuttlebug die-cut alphabets. I've also sprayed the flowers with perfect pearls mixed to add some shimmer (not visible in the picture though). The 3-D frame is also handmade, I learnt how to make it from here.

Thanks for visiting!

One more heart shaped card

2011-02-02T17:46:00.000+05:30

I'm very busy at work these days, so no new craft projects for me......I'm just going to post something from my spare projects. Since Valentine's day is coming this is going to be another love themed card.

A quick post

2011-01-28T10:37:00.000+05:30

A quick post before I get back to work. This card is inspired from Card Patterns sketch #99.

Have a great weekend!

My second post of the day

2011-01-27T14:29:00.000+05:30

I am more of a card kind of person, I hardly ever do layouts....but I just had to try out what I learnt from Extending the background with Mandy Dodd at Yvonne's blog. And what fun it turned out to be......this has to be one of the most fun projects I've done in a long time.....

The layout features my parents on Ram Ghat at Ujjain on a beautiful sunny afternoon. I've extended the stairs at the bottom with some gray handmade paper, I've even extended the stairs and the temples with some sketching (please forgive my feeble attempts at sketching :( ). Finally added some hand cut clouds, a felt sun and some leaves to complete the scene.....
Thanks for visiting!

It's a Boy

2011-01-27T11:12:00.000+05:30

This is for one of my friends who had a baby boy recently.I've used an awesome technique I learnt from Dana Seymour. She is the guest blogger at Yvonne's blog for this week. In her post Get more from your patterned paper with Dana Seymour! Dana shows how you can get more out of your PP by stamping on it......and this is exactly what I did.....this is what my PP originally looked like

n this is what it looks like after I stamped on it.......how cool is that!

I've used Get Sketchy's sketch#71 for the card.

Thanks for visiting!

Love Card

2011-01-25T11:24:00.000+05:30

Valentine's day is around the corner so I've been busy making a lot of love themed cards. Here's one of them.....

21st Birthday Card

2011-01-24T11:16:00.000+05:30

I hope everyone had a great weekend, mine was super hectic, I completed 6 craft projects, woohooooo!
This one was made a couple of weeks ago (I'm terribly lazy with uploading pictures, so the ones I completed last week will probably show up on my blog much later, if at all I do post them).

I've used printed paper napkins on this page....and sprayed Blush Perfect Pearls mixed with water on the flowers, they have beautiful pink pearly shine on them (which is not visible in the photo).
Have a great week!

Alice.......

2011-01-21T14:42:00.000+05:30

Alice in Wonderland is one of my all time favorite books. I remember my mum reading it out every night to my sister n me when we were kids.....I must have read it atleast 10 times after that.......it never fails to capture my imagination every time I read it....this is one of my favorite quotes from the book
"One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. Which road do I take? she asked. Where do you want to go? was his response. I don't know, Alice answered. Then, said the cat, it doesn't matter.”
This quote aptly describes my state of mind most of the time :P

I started making this as a gift but the frame did not turn very good, so this goes on my office desk.

Thanks for visiting! Have a great weekend!

Great news for Indian stampers and a card

2011-01-18T16:40:00.001+05:30

There is some great news for stampers in India, Ujjwal from Handmade with Love is an Ippity Chick now which means that you can buy your choice of Ippity Stamps at affordable prices from her (you don't have to pay huge shipping costs too!). And if this wasn't enough she also has an awesome giveaway....rush to her blog for details.

And now to my card....I couldn't complete any project last weekend, I had big plans to complete 5 projects after reading Yvonne's post but landed up finishing none! (so much for my big plans!) so I'm posting a card from my spare projects stock.

I colored a regular white doily by spraying yellow poster color mixed with water using my latest craft purchase Inkssentials Mini Mister. The possibilities are endless with this tiny tool!

Here's the link to a very good tutorial on making instant books http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaP3vXiioJk . Do take a look its very very easy and fast!

Thanks for visiting!

Craft Supplies from the US

2011-01-13T15:25:00.000+05:30

This post is especially for my crafty friends from India. I do keep getting a lot of queries about where I order my craft supplies from. I am going to try and answer all of them in this post. This post is based on my limited knowledge, incase I have missed out anything or given wrong info please do let me know.
Most of the time that I have ordered from the US I have got it delivered in the US itself. The online stores from which I have ordered atleast once are:
1. http://www.scrapbookingalley.com/ -
Pros: Free shipping within US for orders above 50$
20% discount on mrp of all scrapbooking supplies all the time
Cons: They do not ship internationally.

2. http://www.joann.com
Pros: Some great deals especially on patterned paper
Cons: High shipping cost and they also do not ship to India

3. http://www.stampssnappy.com/
Pros: Great deals on stamps.
They ship to India.
Free shipping within US on orders above 60$, great international shipping rates too.
Cons: Couldn't find any.

4. http://www.ohmycrafts.com/
Pros: Have great deals on Provocraft/Cuttlebug products.
Competitive shipping costs.
Cons: Many products are out of stock.

5. http://www.addictedtorubberstamps.com/
Pros: Have good deals on inks and stamps.
They ship internationally.
Cons: High shipping cost.

6. http://www.simonsaysstamp.com/
Pros: All Hero Arts and Tim Holtz products are available.
They ship internationally with great shipping rates (13$ for orders upto 100$ and 15$ for orders between 100 and 150$).
Free shipping within the US on orders above 70$.
Cons: Products are almost always sold on mrp.

Out of these I have ordered from 3 and 5 to India. Please do share your experiences in ordering supplies from the US.

Something New!

2011-01-08T18:15:00.000+05:30

I made this card based on Get Sketchy's latest sketch.....I've used 3 new products, Friend Definition Hero Arts Cling stamp, Magical Background hero arts cling stamp and Tim Holtz Sizzix Die Elegant Flourishes so it also goes out to the following challenges: Rainbow Lady's Challenge Blog - Challenge 134 "It's all new to me and Paper Sundae - Challenge 50 "Something New".

Thanks for visiting!

Wedding Invitations

2011-01-07T16:13:00.000+05:30

I completed an order for wedding invites yesterday, although it didn't seem so in the beginning, it turned out to be a huge task.......

Have a great weekend!

Wedding Card

2010-12-30T14:45:00.000+05:30

This a card to be given by the groom to the bride on the wedding day, how romantic is that! Ours was an arranged marriage and both of us could not care less for each other at that time ;) .......

Thanks for looking!

Almost vintage.....

2010-12-28T11:59:00.001+05:30

I wanted to make a vintage card.......but didn't exactly get the desired effect, but I love it nonetheless! Since I don't have white ink I tried stamping with white acrylic paint, I liked it so much that I stamped on the inside too(which did not come out too well :( )...the tag on top is from a sweater I bought recently.

This card is inspired by Card Patterns sketch #96 and is on its way to a very special friend.....
Thanks for visiting!

Birthday Instant Book

2010-12-27T11:54:00.000+05:30

Good morning, hope everyone had a great Christmas weekend......mine was good, hectic as usual, managed to watch a couple of movies too!

I made this instant book yesterday.....nothing much to write, I've done the usual stamping, heat embossing, masking........
Have a great week!

Baby Girl

2010-12-23T11:59:00.000+05:30

I made these baby girl gifts for my cousin who had a baby girl recently. I've always wanted to make paper baby booties.......and this gave me the perfect opportunity.....

Thanks for visiting!

Mansi's awesome birthday candy!

2010-12-17T13:47:00.000+05:30

Mansi has an awesome birthday giveaway for her birthday! Do head straight to her blog to check out the details, hurry it's on only till 19th December!

Another first anniversary card

2010-12-16T15:51:00.000+05:30

I've tried to do something different this time, made the entire card in the shape of a heart, took a lot of time n effort to put together mainly because all the heart shapes are hand drawn and handcut and also because I'm not comfortable with working on anything other than a square/rectangle. But I am really happy with the end result.

Thanks for visiting!

Love....

2010-12-11T13:02:00.000+05:30

Both me n DH are much better now........thank you for your wishes, you girls are the best!!
Well I had made a series of lovey dovey cards last month but didn't post (I'm not going to post all of them, it'll be too monotonous). This one is more like a book, it has 10 pages.....

Have a great weekend!

Red n Green

2010-12-09T12:53:00.000+05:30

I'm back after a long break, the unexpected break happened when my husband, Aridaman fell ill and had to be hospitalized, and by the time he got discharged I caught a terrible cold and fever. Aridaman is still not ok and my energy levels are also very low :( (I have a really bad attack of sinusitis which is not getting better).......anyway I did manage to do some crafting........
I made a few Christmas cards in the traditional red and green color combo......here's one of them...

This card goes out to the following challenges:
Cooking It Up #41 - Layer Me A Red Christmas
Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog - Challenge #44
Stampieve - Challenge #120 - Christmas

Thanks for visiting!

Flowers...

2010-11-25T10:05:00.000+05:30

Not entirely happy with this one but anyway........I've used loads of my punched scalloped circle flowers....my favorite these days, they are quick n I can make them in whatever colors I need.......

This goes out to the following challenges:Card Patterns - sketch #91
Inktegrity Design Team Challenges - Anything goes
Fab'n'Funky Challenges - going with the flow
Artful INKables - all about punches and/or die cuts.

Thanks for visiting!

24th Wedding Anniversary

2010-11-24T14:09:00.000+05:30

This is a 5 page 24th Wedding Anniversary card.

Up cycled chocolate box

2010-11-19T10:55:00.000+05:30

The moment I laid my eyes on this chocolate box (which was gifted to my brother-in-law by his office on the occasion of Diwali) I knew I wanted to up-cycle it..........I forgot to take a picture before the up-cycling (it was a plain corrugated cardboard box) as I was in a big hurry to complete the project cause today's the last day to enter Amy Duff's up-cycling challenge at Yvonne's blog.....
I've used the famous Forrest Gump quote, which I feel is so true and it makes it so much fun too!
This how the box looks with the top flap opened.......

Have a great weekend!

Many Many Thanks

2010-11-18T10:12:00.000+05:30

I tried heat embossing for the first time yesterday. It didn't come out too well mostly because I am an untidy stamper and I don't have a heat gun......but I did like the results enough to try again some time soon......I've embossed 3 flowers to highlight them and stamped the rest lightly, I even embossed the sentiment......

This card is inspired by Card Patterns sketch #90
Waiting for the weekend to come soooooooon..........

Hi There!

2010-11-17T11:11:00.000+05:30

Just a simple card to share. The card is inspired by Get Sketchy GS #64. I have used my own version of Tim Holtz Idea-ology tissue tape. I took scalloped circles of different colors and 2 sizes, crumpled them separately and put them together to make the flower.
Thanks for visiting.

Wedding Anniversary Scrapbook

2010-11-15T17:47:00.000+05:30

I'd like to share a few pictures of a wedding anniversary scrapbook that I made recently........it was a loooooooooooot of back breaking work and I love how it turned out, infact I loved it so much that I had a hard time parting with it :P

Have a great week!

First Wedding Anniversary Card

2010-11-12T13:45:00.000+05:30

I was up till 4 am on Tuesday morning to complete this card, I always take more time than I anticipate to complete a card. Anyway I am really happy with the way it turned out. Pink and Red is not really my kind of color combo so I had a tough time putting this together......this is a 7 page card/mazebook.

Have used a lot of my favorite Itsy Bitsy chipboard alphas on the cover and the 2nd page along with some cuttlebug die-cut alphas.

Loads of heart shaped tags to write personal messages.

An anniversary poem and space to put a pic. The rose image is a printed paper napkin which I treated using Laura's and Mansi's Tips. The dark pink rectangle is for pasting a photo, the hearts semi-circle above it is a chocolate wrapper from Yvonne.

I've used Tim Holtz alphabet masks for "love", the heart was made by stitching together two hearts and stuffing it with cotton.

Have a great weekend!