Juhi's Handmade Cards: review

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Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Every Hobbyist's Dream Come True!

I am sure there is no crafter a.k.a. hobbyist in India who has not heard about Itsy Bitsy (well incase you still haven't, do check out their website here). The Store has to be one of the best things I like about living in Bangalore :P
I have been a regular shopper with them since 2009...their handmade embellishments have been my all time favorites.Another hot favorite of mine is Die Cuts with a View patterned paper stacks - they have a HUGE range
And what I like most about the store is....well of course the sales!!! With offers like 50% off on DCWV paper stacks and handmade boutique elements....who wouldn't?
So when one such awesome sale was announced by Itsy Bitsy to celebrate the opening of their new store at JP Nagar 7th Phase I knew I just had to go even if the place is 30 kms from my place, and I am sure glad I did!

I was there at the shop, spot on at 10 am on 10th August, the opening day.
I was the first customer to get there, the opening preparations were still ongoing. I got a chance to meet the store's owners Rashmi and Harish Closepet and was pleasantly surprised when they requested me to cut the inaugural ribbon!

As soon as I stepped into the shop, aisle upon aisle of craft goodies beckoned!

I headed straight to the patterned paper rack and picked up 12 stacks of gorgeous DCWV stacks! followed by some handmade paper, Thai paper, tons of embellishments and lots more.

And while I was busy shopping to my heart's content (and burning a BIG hole in my pocket) DH kept our little one busy at the scrapbook workshop.

And here's a glimpse of what I got

So if you are in Bangalore do head out to Itsy Bitsy at JP Nagar for the most amazing deals in craft supplies, the sale is on till 24th August.

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Friday, September 7, 2012

3mik.com

I recently came across an interesting site called 3mik.com, it is a platform to share and discover all things Indian. It could be anything, from places to eat to art/home decor products, gadgets anything you can (or cannot) think of. You can collect and group things that interest you or browse what others have shared. All entries come with a link to the website and location, which comes in handy if you are looking for something specific in your city (only major Indian cities covered here though).
It is more like an Indian version of Pinterest with an added feature of sharing and browsing current trends especially in the fashion/home decor space specific to your city + it is not banned in my office while Pinterest is :P
I found sharing sites on the portal to be extremely easy and its super fun and addictive to browse what others have shared. I found some really interesting stuff on 3mik.com like this gorgeous paper flower vase

and this bright and happy mat

or this cute Owl stuffed toy.

I also found some of my favorite crafter's blogs also featured on it.

Images via 3mik and copyrighted to the brand owners.

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Sunday, March 4, 2012

"101 Creative Card Sketches" ebook review

Whether you are a new or an experienced card maker we have used card sketches for inspiration at some point or the other. It would be great if one could have a lot of sketches at their disposal at any time. Whenever you are out of ideas you would just have to refer to the sketch database and use it as a starting point. The book “101Creative Card Sketches” by Gloria Pouch provides just that. It is a database of 101 card sketches, and perfect for those times when you are hit by the crafter’s block and do not know where to start.

Gloria starts off with explaining different elements that go into making a handmade card, like the card stock base, background, the focal image, embellishments etc. This information will prove extremely helpful to novice card makers. This section is followed by an explanation about how card sketches act as a starting point in card making. Subsequently she explains how the same sketch has multiple uses, it can not only be used to make cards but also things like gift tags, magnetic photo frames, scrapbook layouts, bookmarks etc. The next section is divided into 5 subsections, each of these subsections feature sketch layouts for a specific card size.

Horizontal card Sketches - features sketches for 5” x 7” sized cards.

Vertical Card Sketches – features sketches for 7” x 5” sized cards.

Square card Sketches – features sketches for 5” x 5” sized cards.

Long Horizontal and Vertical Card Sketches – features sketches for 3.75” x 8.5” sized cards.

Surprise Card Sketch – features one surprise sketch

The last section features a summary of all the sketches for quick reference.

The book also features 25 cards designed using the sketches from the book, together with step by step instructions to make the cards. Some designs show you how the same sketch can be used in 2 totally different ways. These card sketches give you great ideas on how to take a sketch and use it for different products and occasions.

Personally I would have liked it if there were more cards designs based on the sketches, preferably atleast one design for each card sketch, possibly even more. Nonetheless I would recommend this book to all card makers, as sometimes it is better to use your creativity and not be biased by other sketch interpretations. It is perfect for all levels of card makers. You can purchase this ebook online at http://www.creative-card-sketches.com/. It is priced at $17.00 and you also get 3 free ebooks - Envelope Making Guide + 6 Patterns!, Adhesive Guide for Card Makers, 17 Money Saving Tips for Card Makers along with the book. Order your copy today, you will not be disappointed, it is a resource you'll turn to time and time again.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself making cards based on a few sketches from the book.