#972 – Happy Diwali

Hello and welcome! So close to the end of the year, and we also have a major Indian festival just around the corner – Diwali! But before that, its the start of the new Happy Little Stampers Watercolor challenge!

And here’s what I made-

I made a simple diya giving off light aginst a colorful background. The watercolor paper is from CrafTangles and I used Gansai Tambi watercolors to color it. I did draw the diya myself too. Since I was using so many colors , I first added an underpainting in soft yellow, then painted the diya in layers of colors, finally adding the brown-black part of the diya itself. Once things were partially dry, I added gold splatters from Gansai Tambi Starry Nights. I also colored the flame of the diya and its reflection in the oil with a little of the same gold.

Once dry, I trimmed the piece and glued it on top of a beige colored cardstock. For the sentiment, I die cut gold glittered cardstock using Tim Holtz Alphanumeric Tiny Type Lower Thinlits Die Set and a few extras from spare black cardstock, stacked them together and adhered them on the card. For some extra glitter, I added some gold stickels on the flame and its reflection as well.

And that finished my card! It goes to a dear friend of mine. But before that, I am also submitting this card to a couple of challenges –

Inkspirational challenge #251: Word Prompt: Cheer (Spreading the Diwali cheer)

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Anything Goes

CrafTangles challenge Monthly challenge: Glitter or Ethnic

Checkout more inspiration from the rest of our team at the Happy Little Stampers Watercolor challenge blog.

Thank you for stopping by!

#968 – A Vintage Cake Recipe

Hello and welcome! We have a new challenge again up at the Seize the Birthday challenge, and this time, the topping, suggested by our teammate Shirley, is ‘Cakes‘. Every Challenge is always Anything Goes and the Topping is included for extra fun. It’s not required to include the topping on your birthday project.

And here’s what I made –

As usual, my plans didn’t come to fruition, but I love how it turned out nevertheless!! 😀

I had thought of making a nice bright cake, but this one started looking vintage on completion. And what’s more, the cherries were so dark, they were almost black. Thank god they are watercolors, I could add water and use a tissue to pick up the extra color. And look, I forgot to add a tray under the cake!! Well, I did put a nice table cloth, so that should be fine, right? 😀

So, anyway, after watercoloring the cake and the table cloth, I used a newspaper stamp to stamp the background, then watercolored it some more to spread the colors. I thought of adding splatters, but decided against it. Once the water all dried, I die cut the panel using My Favorite Things Elegant Rectangle. I then stamped the sentiment, from Penny Black Sentimental stamp set in black. For the card base, I stamped the gingham using Impression Obsession Gingham stamp, using my MISTI to stamp it once using a medium teal ink, then offsetting it by a couple of millimeters before stamping it for a second time using a kraft ink. I then foam mounted the watercolor panel on top.

And that’s my card! I’m also joining the following challenges –

Inkspirational challenge #248: Word Prompt

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Anything Goes

Checkout some delicious cake filled inspiration from the rest of the Design Team and our Surprise Party Guest Jenny Martin at the Seize the Birthday challenge blog.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

#932 – Purple Poppies

PE: Inkspirational challenge Top Pick!!

Winner at Just Add Ink! Yippie!!

Hello and welcome! My sister had her birthday the last week and this is the card I made for her. I wanted her card to look like it was a frame out of a field of flowers. And here’s what I made –

The entire thing is free hand watercoloring. I wanted to make poppies, but didn’t want to use the well known red in it. So I chose purple instead. I drew the outline of the larger flowers in a light handed pencil, and then watercolored it using Gansai Tambi watercolors. The paper is Canson XL.

Once everything was dry, I splattered a bit of green and brown, and once that too was dry, I trimmed the panel to size. Before mounting this on a black card base, that I had measured and cut out, I drew a frame using a Versamark pen and heat embossed it using clear embossing powder. I then adhered the watercolored panel using double sided tape.

For the sentiment, I die cut a few pieces of black cardstock using a die from Altenew Essential Sentiment Strips and adhered them together. I then clear embossed the top a couple of times to make it shiny. This, I adhered to the card. I also added a few sequins to embellish and finish my card.

I’m joining the following challenges with this card –

Just Add Ink challenge #549: Choose Any Two – I chose Leaves and Petals

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Happy Birthday

Inkspirational challenge #236: Grow

Thank you so much for stopping by!

#929 – Happy Birthday

Hello and welcome! Its the beginning of a new month, and hopefully spring is spreading/already spread all around! And we have a new challenge up at Happy Little Stampers Watercolor challenge. As always, this is an ‘Anything Goes’ challenge –

And this is what I’ve made for your inspiration this month –

This card is supposed to go to a very dear friend of mine, who has her birthday today! Happy birthday, dear Pooja!! 🙂

One of the things that I’ve been attempting lately is to free hand watercolor…whatever I can! I have plenty of inspiration, just need to search for it! When I thought of making this card, I thought of spring flowers and birds…at least, one bird. I started with the bird, making it as colorful as I could! 😀 Then free handed the flowers and leaves, added lots of splatters. And after letting it all dry, I then spent some time fussy cutting them all out. I then added a bit of shine on the bird’s eye and a few dots on the flower centers using Sakura black glaze pen.

Next, I had to make a background for the entire scene. My first attempt had too just of texture, my second was a tad too dark, and this is my third background, I smooshed some distress inks on a sheet of clear plastic, misted lots of water on and smooshed my cut out panel of cardstock on top. Once dry, I die it using a die from My Favorite Things Blueprints 27. I adhered this on a white card base. Then, before adhering the flowers and birdie, I die cut a few pieces for the branch using Memory Box Woodland Branch..which is all but invisible on the final card!! Anyway, I assure you its there.. behind all the flowers and leaves, which I’ve adhered it on. I did add dimension behind the bird and the flowers and a few leaves, using some foam and using Connect glue to adhere them on the card.

Finally, for the sentiment.I absolutely loved this glossy black cardstock that Jennifer McGuire showcased in her My Favorite Crafty Things videos. Since I knew I wouldn’t be getting those myself (too much to pay in the custom tax), I thought of another way. I took some photo paper, then used a black marker pen to cover the whole surface in black. Same beautiful look – black and glossy! I love how different it looked from a black heat embossed die cut.

So anyway, I used My Favorite Things Birthday Wishes die to die cut the photo paper, and then some scrap cardstock too. I adhered them together and then adhered it over my card. I didn’t add any extra embellishing to this one, thinking I wanted the bird to steal the show! 🙂 And that’s it.

I’m submitting this card to the following challenges –

Inkspirational challenge #235

Watercooler Wednesday challenge #312: All About Occasions

Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge: Easter/Spring

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Anything goes

Pooja, I hope you like this card (when it reaches you), and I wish you a wonderful birthday!

Hop over to the Happy Little Stampers blog to check what the rest of our talented DT have for you to get inspired! And don’t forget to join us!

Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂

#914 – Embossed Vellum

Hello and welcome! We have a new challenge up today over at Seize the Birthday. I’ve picked the topping this time to be “Transparency/Vellum‘. Of course, if don’t want to use that, go ahead and create a birthday project using anything you want – the “Anything Goes” option is always there! 😀

And here’s what I made –

I started with stamping a card panel using Altenew Fabulous Floral and shades of red ink. I thought I wanted a few smaller flowers with the larger ones, so I stamped some florals from the Altenew Delicate Clusters, altering the inks just a little bit, but maintaining the same overall red and green shades.

I had this idea of partially covering the image with some textured vellum. I first figured out how I wanted my vellum piece to be placed on the card. I then trimmed it, leaving a bit of extra space to fold and tuck it behind. I then stamped the sentiment from Simon Says Stamp Big Scripty Greetings using black pigment ink. Once that dried, I dry embossed the vellum using Spellbinders Flower Fun embossing folder.

Of course, embossing made the vellum curl up, so I sent it again through my embossing machine again, without the folder to flatten it up a bit. It did help a little, but open corner was still curling inside upon itself, so I decided to add some adhesive. Now, I don’t own any adhesive specifically designed for vellum, so I decided to add it. I added a strip of washi tape with foil in it. I added double sided tape behind it and used that to adhere the vellum to the card panel.

An added advantage is that it also provided a defined edge to the otherwise completely transparent vellum.

Finally, got the panel mounted on a card. To match the shine of the washi tape, I also added a few sparkles using a gel sparkle pen over the flowers and leaves. And that finished my card!

I’m joining the following challenges –

The Flower Challenge #52 Embossing Heat or Dry

Inkspirational Challenge #230 – Mask

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Make Your Own Background

Timeout challenge #179: You (Since I am sending big hugs to ‘you’ 😉 )

Step over to the Seize the Birthday challenge blog for some more sparkly inspiration from my wonderful team mates, and our Surprise Party Guest Julie Peddicord!

Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂