#1130 – Happy New Year!!

Hello and welcome!! It’s the New Year!!!

WISHING EVERYONE A VERY HAPPY & PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!

I have no idea how 2025 flew by so fast – I am trying to recollect what happened in my life and everything seems like a blur – I feel like I did so many things, but I just can’t remember what! I guess being busy while not having many sad moments itself is an achievement and I can at least be happy about that feeling!

So anyway, while I wasn’t able to make any Diwali cards this year since I was so busy (one of the fre regrets!) I am happy I made new year’s card to give my sister. We also made this an Inspiration Station challenge – which seems to have been a yearly occurance, but we hope to change that this year!

So this time is my turn and I chose a trio of images –

_{sources: butterfly, Humming bird, Water Lilies}

The challenge is to take basically from the image – the colors, elements – nature, flora, fauna, shining – anything that you like! I wanted to use one or the other element from each image. Initially I thought of using the butterfly, bird and flowers, but then changed that to use the colors from the first image, and use the humming bird from the second and using the floral theme from the third. And here’s what I created –

Truthfully, I did change my idea quite a few times before I arrived at this one. But that seems to be the usual process with me! I used the Neat & Tangled Geometric Blooms on the base of the card and gently blended in some darker ink on the sea green cardstock, leaving the center un touched. I then die cut a frame for this panel using Pink Fresh Studio Ornate Rectangle Frame and set the pieces aside.

I then used various colored cardstock to die cut the florals from Spellbinders Fresh Picked Anemones. I used some ink blending only on the stalk and leaves, while leaving the rest of die cuts with solid colors. For the humming bird, I used Simon Says Stamp Delicate Hummingbird Duo on watercolor paper and then watercolored the bird before using a shimmery champagne watercolor from Gansai Tambi Starry Colors to color certain areas on the bird to make it shine – after all Humming birds are wicked shimmery! I used Sakura black Glaze pen on its eyes and beak. I also added dots of gold on the already die cut areas of the center of the flowers using a gold gel pen for doing so.

Once everything was dry and ready, I assembled all the pieces on the card base, and felt that the background was too flat. So I splattered some gold from the Gansai Tambi Starry Colors, let it dry and then adhered all the pieces on the card base. I also cut off the cardstock from the corners of the card base to match the frame.

For the sentiment, I used a sentiment from CrafTangles Happy Holidays and stamped it on gold pearl shimmer cardstock using a Colorbox teal pigment ink. I then stamped it using Versamark clear sticky ink before heat embossing it with clear embossing powder. I then die cut this using a die from Simon Says Stamp Stitched Circles and adhered it on the card.

And that’s my card for my sister – Happy New Year to you sis!!

Checkout my sister’s card here. It’s still hidden from me at the time of writing this post, so I am excited to receive it, but I bet I’m gonna love it! ❤ ..and oh, wow!! Her mixed media card just blew me away!! I am delighted to be at it’s receiving end!! Thank you sis!! ❤

Thank you so much for stopping by!

#1129 – White Poinsettia Chirstmas

Hello and welcome! I am delighted and excited that I am joining the Addicted to Stamps and More team from this challenge! I was so happy to get the mail from Sue after their last DT call! Thank you Sue and team!

The challenge this time is Christmas and here’s the card I made –

And here’s what I made –

This was a very quick and easy card to make once I had the idea in place. I started with the background. I used the Neat and Tangled Art Deco stamp and gold embossed that gorgeous geometric pattern on white cardstock. I then spattered some gold Gansai Tambi Starry Colors on top and set it aside to try.

I die cut then poinsettia using Altenew Poinsettia 3D dies from vellum and used strong, thin double sided tape in the center of each layer to stick them together. Same went for the gold pearls in the center.

For the sentiment, I used Stamplorations Merry Christmas die to die cut pieces from matt gold cardstock and some scraps, which I adhered together for some dimension.

Before finishing I added trimmed the bottom of the embossed top panel and added a strip of gold washi tape.I then adhered all the different pieces together to finish my card.

With this card, I am also joining the following challenges:

Christmas Kickstart Challenge #105 – If It’s Christmassy, Link It Up!

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge: Use Dies

And that’s it from me! Checkout the Addicted to Stamps & More blog for more inspiration and join the challenge with your Christmas cards too!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

#1125 – Card Chain Challenge September

Hello and welcome! I got to join the Card Chain Challenge again for the September challenge and today’s the reveal day.

The September challenge had the following options:

Colour Palette Option

(Exact matching is not required.)

Sketch Option

(Orient as desired.)

Theme Options: Flamingos / Fish / Friendship

Product / Technique Options:  Foil / Silhouette

And here’s what I made –

If not obvious, I used the colors, the sketch, the Friendship theme and the Foil from the product option.

I started with the background, using Neat and Tangled Rice Paddies stencil. I didn’t have a teal colored ink in my stash, so I used green ink and blue on top of that, going over the same areas so that both the inks blend together to give a teal.

Once done, I set that aside and stamped the mermaid, the shell and the starfish from the Simon Says Stamp Be a Mermaid on white cardstock using VersaFine Onyx black ink and colored them using distress inks. On the mermaid tail, I also used Perfect Pearls of similar colors and also Gansai Tambi Starry Skies in gold to get the colors from the theme. I then fussy cut all the images and went over the edges using black Zig brush marker.

I die cut three panels of increasing size from white cardstock using Hero Arts Infinity Dies Arches. On the middle panel, I added a strip of foiled washi tape, which had a gorgeous wavy pattern on it. On the top panel, I stamped images from Trinity Stamps Sea Life Silhouettes. I then adhered the pieces over the stencilled card base. After that, I adhered the mermaid tail, the shell and star fish and also a few sequins. I also added a few drops of the same gold from Gansai Tambi Starry Skies. I then stamped the sentiment from Winnie and Walter The Big, The Bold and The Happy stamp set.

I got this beautiful card and some lovely die cuts from Linda this month!

Checkout the entire chain of cardmakers who participated this time in the the Card Chain Challenge challenge blog. Wow! I am so impressed every single time by the variety of cards!

Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂

#1116 – Silhouette

Hello and welcome! We have a new challenge at Seize the Birthday and this time, our leading lady Cathy has asked us to ‘Add a Silhouette‘. Every Challenge is always ‘Anything Goes‘ and the special Topping is included for extra fun. It’s not required to include the topping on your birthday card.

I actually ended up making two cards this time –

I started with die cutting back cardstock using Pink Fresh Studio Floral Squares and adhered a couple together for stability. Next I used the same glossy white cardstock that I had used in this card with some grey toned Brusho powder watercolors to color the panels. This one had some other colors mixed in, which generated a cool alcohol ink like texture. I then trimmed the panel to fit the floral squares.

I then adhered the watercolored panel and die cut panel – for one card I adhered the 2 panels at an angle and for the other I stuck the edges properly together. I also added a silver gemstone on each panel.

For the sentiment, I used Winnie & Walter The Big, The Bold and Extras, heat embossing it in silver on black cardstock. For one of the cards, I trimmed it narrow, and for the other I rounded one of the diagonal corners using a small corner chomper. I then adhered all the pieces on black cardstock using foam tape.

Once done, I felt that the card was missing something. My sister suggested that the background needed to have another layer of card panel to act as a frame. Now since I had adhered everything already, I would have to cut everything out – so I thought of applying the idea differently. I used the silver from Gansai Tambi Starry Colors and watercolored a background for both. I also added a bit of Perfect Pearls in Perfect Copper, to match the floral panels’ background. That made them look a lot better!

And that completed my cards! Step over to the Seize the Birthday challenge to checkout more wonderful inspiration from our guest and the rest of the DT.

Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂

#1100 – Happy Diwali

Hello and welcome! I am a day late in this post. I was busy prepping for the festival and never wrote the post until just now. But since the festival is still going on, wishing everyone who is celebrating Happy Diwali!

This post serves double – giving Diwali wishes and also our latest Inspiration Station challenge.

Even though we alternate the challenger for every challenge, my sister has presented both the previous and this challenge, since her pick coordinated with the festival theme so well. We both thought it would be a great idea to go with. Instead, I’ll take over the coming two challenges.

And this is her picture/color inspiration –

{source; Converted to palette at coolers}

Isn’t it gorgeous! The colors are so stunning!! And the diay looks so artistic. I knew I had to replicate this best I could!! And here’s what I came up with –

I started with the background, watercoloring it using a mix of Gansai Tambi and Daniel Smith watercolors. To replicate the threded swirly pattern on the ground the diya is laid on, I wanted to stamp the Hero Arts Leafy Vines in gold pigment ink, but that didn’t stamp very well. Instead I went over with Gansai Tambi Starry Colors with my own design. I also added gold splatters.. and then some more dots using the brush.. using the same watercolor gold.

For the diya I used Ranganjali Ornamental Diya. I have some cardstock with metallic sheen in different shades. I used the die to cut a gold cardstock twice and then used another lighter colors cardstock wot emboss it. I then fussy cut it, and then colored it using Zig Brush markers. I then adhered the die cut layers together on top.

For the sentiment, I used CrafTangles Festive Lights and heat embossed it in gold over some navy cardstock and fussy cut it. I then assembled the whole card and glues the pieces in place.

Well, that’s my card! Checkout some dazzling tags my sister made here! So festive!! I really loved the design on all three of them.

Thank you so much for stopping by!