Carpe Diem Planner Set up | July 2016 - Bullet Journal Style

PICTURE HEAVY POST

Hello, everyone and a very, very good morning to all of you! 

It's a new month and that means I have a new set up in my planner. For the past few months, I've been using the same layout and techniques to decorate my planner. So I thought that this month I would do something different.

My source of inspiration for this month's decoration style is Bullet Journaling and how simple, easy and colourful the whole idea is. So I decided to ditch the stamps and inks, picked up my Faber Castell colour pencils, a few Colourful Ball point pens by Camlin (locally purchased), a ruler and a black gel pen, and got to work. I hope you can see from my list of supplies that to do this, you don't even need a planner - just a notebook and the rest of the stuff.

I'm so excited to share this with you! :D :D

Video Tutorial | Birthday Flip Flap Card + Template & Instructions (for Download)

Hello everyone,

I am one day late in posting this, but believe me, the rains have not been helpful :( Anyway, I am here now and today, I have for you a Flip Flap Card with a video on how I made it. I've covered most of the steps on video, but for parts I haven't covered, I have drawn a template and there's a document with all the measurements and steps to create this.

This was made in 2014 for one of the students at the Coaching Classes where I taught. Here's what the card looks like.

How To: Home Organisation with Chalkboard Washi Tape | Photo Tutorial

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I received the Chalkboard Washi Tape and chalks from Lulupu - The Craft Lounge to review the product and to demonstrate creative ways to use it.

Hello, crafty folks! How have you all been?

For today's post, I have a fun tutorial for you. It's not 100% original, but I've revamped an existing idea. Allow me to elaborate. 

We all love Washi Tapes, right? They're so colourful, versatile and inexpensive that you can use them on any project and you can never have too many of them. Months ago, Karuna (Founder of Lulupu) sent me Chalkboard Washi Tape and some chalks to experiment with. It was only yesterday that I found the time to do this, so here goes.

Memories Last Forever | Watercolouring + Quilling

This project was created as a Design Team Project for Pretty Paper Studio and this post first appeared in August 2015 on Pretty Paper Studio's Blog.

Hello, everyone! I'm here to share yet another project. This one, as already mentioned above, was created for PPS's Colouring Challenge. At the time, I was just getting slightly better at brush lettering than when I began a few months ago. So I decided to make something that could be framed.

I combined water colouring, brush lettering, and Quilling in my project. Here's what I made. I thought I'd get it framed but I haven't gotten around to doing that yet :P Soon, hopefully :)

How To fix the Right Selling Price for your Crafty Project | Customisable Template for Download

Hello, everyone!

For today's post, I'm not sharing a project, but some information. Very early into my paper crafting journey, I realised the need to develop a system that would help me calculate a reasonable Selling Price for my cards and scrapbooks. And when I say reasonable, I mean something that would help me recover my cost and make a profit, while at the same time not ripping off the customer. While the profit is easy to determine, it's the cost that was a problem.

Thankfully for me, I could apply whatever little I knew about Costing into creating a formula. During my five years as a crafter, I have been asked this question by a few other crafters and I have shared my calculator with them, but I guess just sharing the file without explaining what it is and how it works would be useless. So today, I have decided to not only explain how the file works, I will also explain how you can make it suit your needs. At the end, I will also give you a customizable excel sheet that you can start using immediately. And of course, if you still have any questions about how the hell the damn file works, I am right here to answer them. :)

So are you ready? This is going to sound like a Costing lecture and it may be long, so why don't you grab something to sip or munch. And while you're at it, even though this post is public, you might want to keep a notepad and a pen/pencil handy in case you want to write something down. So let's get started.

Ring Shaped Thank You Cards | How to make cards in Bulk

Hello, everyone!

Today I have another project for you all and it also has an unintentional tutorial. As in, when I clicked these step-by-step pictures, I didn't intend to make a tutorial. I made 20 Thank you cards in the shape of an engagement ring. The cards went out to close friends from a couple at their engagement party.

Here's what the finished card looked like:

Carpe Diem Planner Set up | June 2016

WARNING: PICTURE HEAVY POST

Hi Crafters!

I have been obsessed with my planner lately simply because not only does it help me stay organised and keep track of things that I need to get done, it also allows me to be crafty without actually having to create something new.

Since the beginning of this year, I have been using Simple Stories' Carpe Diem Planner in Robin's Egg Blue and even though I have been too lazy to document it, I have this month's pages all ready to show you. :)

If you don't know what the planners look like when they're new, you can watch this video.

I Love You Card | Quilled Roses & Vines

This card was created as a Design Team project for Pretty Paper Studio and this post first appeared in February 2015 on Pretty Paper Studio's blog.

Hello, everyone!

I am back after a long, long time. I've been absent from my blog for so long that I have accumulated so many projects to share that I have posts for the rest of the year (if I am regular in posting, that is :P) As of now, the plan is to share a new project - a project not already shared on this blog before - every Sunday and another post during the week. Knowing myself, I'm not making any promises, so let's just see where this goes :)

For today's project, I have this card that was made for Pretty Paper Studio's 'Love' themed challenge in February 2015. As my focus as a DT member was on Quilling Projects, I decided to do a simple card with Quilled Roses.

Here's a glimpse of the roses.

2-0-1-6 Recipe Challenge | Lulupu Design Team

Good morning!

If you're not here from the Lulupu Blog, let me give you some background information. I am sharing my Design Team project for January's Challenge and here's what the theme is.

Challenge #57

2-0-1-6 Recipe Challenge

Read all challenge rules here

Specific Rules for Challenge #57 are:

1. Create any project - Card, LO, Mixed Media, Alterered Art, 3D Project, etc.

2. Use the ingrdients given below and apply 2-0-1-6 to the Recipe

• Stamps (any kind - clear, wood mounted, digital, etc.)
• Washi Tape
• Patterned Papers, and
• Diecuts and/or flowers (only die cuts, only flowers or a mix of both)

For example: 2 Diecuts, 0 Washi Tape, 1 Stamp (or stamp set) and 6 Patterned Papers.

State the recipe in your post clearly as I will do for my project, below.

3. You may use other items on your project, but please ensure that the above mentioned items are the focus of the project and are easily visible.

4. Last Day for submission of entries: 31 January, 2016 11:55 PM IST

So for my project I have made a Photo Wallet and here's the recipe I have used:

2 - Patterned Papers

0 - Stamps

1 - Washi Tape

6 - Die Cuts

My photo wallet is nothing but a 4" x 4" Accordion Card with a flap and with photos inside. Here's the front.

Mini Album with Hinge Binding #1 | Birthday Themed

Hello, hello, hello!

After a long, long, time, I am back with a new project that is not a part of a blog hop or a DT project :P Not that didn't enjoy any of those, it's just that posting your own projects after so long feels great. :) :)

So today, I have for you, my first Mini Album with hinge binding. Yeah, baby! I did the binding too. I know a lot of you crafters out there have already done this before, but it was my first so I was super impressed with how amazing the technique was and how fabulous the result.

It also needs mention that I made this way back in June 2014. But since I haven't been taking any custom requests since then, I wasn't actively posting projects. So without further ado, I'll share pictures.

Here's the cover of the album.

Blog Hop | Pretty Paper Studio

Hello, crafty friends!

It seems like I have only been blog hopping in the last three posts and this time, I'm a part of Pretty Paper Studio's Blog Hop. I may have forgotten to mention this, but I started designing for PPS in February this year. I know I have been absent from here and I have a lot of explaining to do, but I'm going to leave that for later and get to the point here.

Blog Hop | Lulupu - Sparkle with Prima - Day 7

Hello Everyone!!!

Most of you must have reached my blog either from Jaya's blog or the Lulupu blog. Others, wow! I'm surprised you're here because I haven't posted since... let's see...August! Wow that has been looong. I am here today because of a reason.. Lulupu's Sparkle with Prima Blog Hop and today is Day 7. 

If you haven't reached here from Jaya's blog, click HERE to go to the beginning of the hop and then find your way back!

Shilpa Nagaonkar

Priya Sondhi

Pallavi Iyer

Deepti Stephens

Riti Poddar

Jaya Raghuvanshi

Nikita  <--- YOU ARE HERE

Next Stop: Hussena Calcuttawala

Blog Hop | Getting to know me

So Sharada from Quilts & Quills invited me to this 'Getting to know me' blog hop. She has shared her answers on her blog here, so you can get to know her.

I met Sharada only on Facebook and we have yet to meet each other in person, but I know her as an extremely enthusiastic, bubbly and active crafter and I recently discovered that we are somewhat related. Distantly, but we are. So yay!! :D :D So do visit her 'Getting to know me' post and check out her other creations too. Once you're done, come back here because I have some things to share about myself too. 

Are you ready then? :)

The questions for this blog hop seem to have been drafted for creative people in general and that's why they relate to writing and creating, and luckily for me, I can answer both. This was one of the reasons, Sharada said she tagged me and I am so so glad. I never miss an opportunity to talk about myself, and that's why the answers are quite long; longer than a normal person would write, but I am going to do this anyway. ;)

Throwback Thursday #2 | Flutter by, Butterfly

Hellloooo folks!!

I am back with another Throwback Thursday post! Yes, I have new stuff to share, but I am working on a larger project not related to crafting and that's the reason I am letting the new ones hibernate for now. :)

So let me go back to an old one. I made this in 2012 for Lulupu's Shabby Chic Shaped Cards Challenge and when I made this, I had never ever tried shabby chic before. So it was a challenge.

I made a card in the shape of a butterfly.. Let's start with the peeks! :)

Throwback Thursday #1 | Quilled 30th Anniversary Card

I know, I know, it is pretty late, but I still wanted to get this done today.. I realised a while ago that there was a time when this blog was not active and though all of my stuff has made it to the Facebook Page, it never made it to the blog. Throwback Thursday posts will be a good way to bring them back to life and would give me a chance to blog about them.

So let's go back to one of the first cards I made. I made this in May 2011 for my in-laws 30th wedding anniversary. I had just bought a pack of patterened papers from Hobby Ideas, had one or two wood mounted rubber stamps (also from Hobby Ideas) and quilling supplies. I didn't even have my trimmer so I used a steel ruler, my craft mat and an exacto knife to cut the papers and over did the Quilling. It's like I made all the different kind of flowers I knew how to and put them all over the place! :P

Take a look...

Guest Designing | Lulupu Challenge #35 - Go 3D

Hello Folks!!!

I am Guest Designing for Lulupu - The Craft Lounge today. :D :D

Their current challenge is Go 3D and this is my first try at any 3D stuff. Still, if you want to check it out, click here to see the full post. And here's a sneak peek to get you a little curious! ;)

Plus, I may or may not have a tutorial for you. :P

See you at the Lulupu Blog! :D

Have a great week!

Love,
Nikita.. :)

Box Card | Lawn Fawn Stamps & Quilled Chocolates

So I have another box card for you which is one of the cutest we have made so far! This one marks one year since the couple first met. We did a little bit of a twist on the earlier box card that we made..

Here are the pictures...

Lawn Fawn Stamps (Love 'n Breakfast), PP from Kaisercraft's Save the Date Paper Pad,

some colouring with Faber Castell Watercolour Pencils 

and some distressing on the edges of the sentiment and the image

and this side was done..

Scrapbook - Page #5: Honeymoon Travels

This post is the LAST POST in a series. To read all posts in this series, click here.

See previous pages here...

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Right at this moment, I am feeling so so sad. This is the last page of the scrapbook and I have waited so long to share it and now that I have done that, I have nothing to look forward to! :( But I am sure there will be more and I will love those pages even more, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel :P So yay! :D

Anyway, let's see this page. This one captures the couple's honeymoon and the pictures - even though there were just two - were so so gorgeous that I had no choice but to use the best papers and the best combination of embellishments. So I picked this grey wooden background (which, honestly, I was planning to use for my personal scrapbook. That is, if I ever get to making one :P) from Crate Paper's Flea Market Collection and I fell in love!

Let's get started with the peeks now!!

This is the top left corner of the page and I have used Golden Striped Washi Tape 

and Wood Veneer Chevrons.

The little blue cloud is is from Kaisercraft's Hopscotch Collection (as are many other pieces on this page :P)

Box Card | Paper Lettering, Butterflies and Heart Shaped Cake

PICTURE HEAVY POST

If you're reading this on your mobile device, click here to read it in your browser.

That's the only way you can see the pictures the way they were meant to be seen.

Also, click on the images to see larger pictures. :)

Hello everyone!

I am sharing another box card today and I am so, so proud of this one. It was requested by a guy for his fiancée's birthday and he wanted us to go all out and make the best one possible. He also wanted her name to appear somewhere on the outside of the box. So Moumita and I thought, this was the perfect opportunity to do some lettering with 3mm quilling strips! And here's what we came up with.

We picked two colours from the pictures - dark pink/red and green - and started with that as a base to pick patterned papers, and here's what we had.

The pink mixed media sheet is from DCWV's Mixed Media Mambi Collection.

The green printed sheet is from one of the 12x12 sheets that Karuna destashed. 

This one one in particular was Fancy Pants Designs, I think.

The solid CSs used for layering (both pink & green) are from DCWV's Scrapbook in a Stack 8x8 pad.

So let's see what we did here.

One side of the box said 'Happy.' 

We did that with red quilling strips and added a few butterflies on the side.

Scrapbook - Page #4: Big Fat Wedding

This post is the FOURTH POST in a series. To read all posts in this series, click here.

See previous pages here...

1 | 2 | 3

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new week!

Last week was so much fun!!! There was a wedding in the family and I have no idea how the went past!!! What's more is that I had to ensure that the posts didn't stop, so it took some extreme dedication and discipline on my part to finish them in advance and for the first time SCHEDULE them!! :P :P

Anyway, speaking of weddings, this page is all about the couple's wedding. An Indian wedding attire (especially for the bride) is traditionally in reds, maroons and pinks and this one was no different. So I chose a nice pink PP from Crate Paper's Flea Market Collection with pink hearts and all that bokeh effect with the hearts in the background. With the perfect paper in hand, I picked out all the matching embellishments and was ready to go! Let's start with peeks, shall we?

This is the top right corner of the page and aside from the washi tape, I've used two die-cut pieces

from none other than Kaisercraft's Hopscotch collection.