I'm back!

I know its been a long break. We flew straight to my in-laws place in Kerala, stayed there for a few days and then came home to Mumbai. And its been weeks of cleaning and settling in since.

It was my sister-in-laws birthday a few days ago and as a birthday present I made her a card and also presented her with a gift.
The card is a copy of Jackie Topa's card which has a pull up section that surprisingly presents candles for a cupcake. My stamps and inks were not in one place at that time and since I couldn't find my stash of stamps I made do with a cutout of a cupcake from among my papers.

The second image shows the slider pulled up a bit showing a little of the flame of the candles. The third image has the slider pulled up all the way.
The next image is of the gift I made for her.

I bought the photoframe from a Gift Shop and made her a monogram with the first letter of her name 'F'.
I first drew out the letter on white cardstock and then filled it with different sized buttons. I cut out the same font on a purple cardstock and cut out some flourishes as well neatly with an xacto knife. I then added few punched flowers to add to the beauty.
Did you like it?
Do let me know.
Hugs.

Sailing Away...

...actually Im flying away.
Yes, my hubby and me are leaving tomorrow afternoon and are finally going home! Its gonna be a long, long flight home but i dont care as long as im going home. So i will be MIA for the next few days.
As a parting gift this is what I gave the previous captain who left a few weeks ago. We came on ship together and he looked after me just like a daughter during my stay.

I first drew a border for the frame. And then drew the sailboats and waves on the wrong side. Then using an xacto knife, i cut it out. I adhered it to the blue cardstock with dimensional tape and also put bits of dimensional tape on the sails so that they would give a pop out effect. This is the frame I gifted the captain.

This was done in a major hurry because I was first not sure what to give him and when I thought of this it was very close to his departure. I know the top layer is not cut straight but i never noticed it until I saw the photos. Does that happen to you?
Well, I hope he liked it 'cause I really liked it. What about you?
Do leave me a comment and let me know.

Im entering this frame in:
DDSB Challenge # 80 - Anything Goes
JUGS #108 - Wildcard Challenge
Charisma Cardz Challenge #43 - Anything Goes
The Paper Shelter Challenge #37 - Anything Goes
Bearly Mine Challenge #22  - Anything but a Card


Hugs.

Stationary Box

Hi gals!

Its been a long time, I know. But I've been knee deep in packing everything that has been my life for the past 6 months. It really seems like a lot. I still have so much more stuff out and am wondering what I can leave behind. Of course all my paper craft items were put in first so that I don't leave any of it behind. I can leave behind clothes, that's alright; but to even think of leaving behind a marker or a sheet of card stock is appalling. Im sure all you crafters who have had to move are on the same page with me. So as of right now, all my cardstock and patterned papers is at the bottom of my suitcase awaiting flight details. I have nothing new to show you so i will show you one of the first projects I made from a tutorial online. This will be one of the items I will be leaving behind with a heavy heart.

It is a stationary box with compartments for ready cards with matching envelopes, note cards, tags, an address book, a stamp holder and a pen holder.

It is an easy project. Since i made this some time ago, i dont have step by step images but you can try one for yourself from Jackie Topa's blog - Addicted to Stamping. She has a neat tutorial with measurements and photos all the way through.

Hope you liked it. Do leave a comment to let me know what you feel.
Hugs.

TP Roll Wall Art Tutorial

Hi!
News came in finally that we are going home. Although obviously happy with the news, it just meant trying to put (stuff) in all our (mostly mine) belongings into bags. And i've been at it whole of yesterday but the packing just doesnt get over 'coz now i have much more items to take back than what i came with. I have 2 bags full, 2 almost full and still so much lying around.
Anyways, today i will share with you something i made with toilet paper rolls. I had many of these empty rolls in the cabin and wanted to make something with it. I looked online and found some fantastic inspirations. The one I saw on Suzy's Artsy Craftsy Sitcom was intricate and beautiful, while the one on Creative Jewish Mom was simple and easy to do. So this is what i made:

I made this with about 2 n a half  toilet paper roll tubes.
Read on for a mini tutorial:

You will need:
- around 2-3 toilet paper tubes
- 2-3 sheets of newspaper (shredded)
- modpodge
- craft glue
- paint


I first marked the tubes at 1/2'' intervals and cut them to get 1/2'' rings.

I then tore newspaper into small pieces. The smalled the pieces, the better.

I glued newspaper pieces onto the the toilet paper roll rings with modpodge. This is optional. The reason I did this was because I felt the rings were a bit thin and weak on its own and i wanted a stronger wall art. Be generous with the glue.

Let it dry.

Next I placed all the pieces together to form a pattern that appealed to me and used up most of the pieces.

Then i painted each piece with acrylic paints. I gave them 2 coats of colour to get a even look.

Then i stuck them piece by piece together with craft glue.

Voila! Your wall art is ready.
Isnt it easy? Im sure you are already thinking of patterns and colours. So go ahead, make one. I'd love to see what you create.
Hugs.

DIY Calendar

This was one of the first projects I made when I joined ship in May. There was a calendar in the cabin but the numbers were too small. I wanted to make something big enough to keep track of the days passing. I looked online but didnt find anything that appealed to me. So I made a calendar of my own.

 This was made reusing thick cardboard and has slots for the month, date and day. The panel for the month is open on the top and the panel for the day of the week is open on the side. The panel on the left is also open at the top for images that can be changed every month. The open sea and the butterfly images were made for May and June respectively. It is hung on a clothes hanger by 2 large straps attached from the top to the bottom at the back. The months, dates and days are written by markers on scrap paper (cancelled maps).
Did you like it? Do leave me your opinion.