More Beads, Brads, Bows, Blings and BUTTERFLIES!!

Our design team over at ItsyBitsy was totally inspired by our challenge. So not only did they create 2 stunning cards using the key elements but they added an extra B - a Butterfly! And isn't the creation absolutely to die for?

Starting with an exquisite pattern paper base, they layered and crafted using the superb embellishments available only at www.itsybitsy.in to finally present this card which I just can't stop looking at. My favorite section is the little trail of pearl stickers emanating from the butterfly and of course the superb laser cut chipboard swirl. That gorgeous Camden Cottage flower is a stunner too!

Their next creation is a stunning example of the beauty that lies in simplicity. I don't know how many times I've thought about picking up that laser cut center piece and now I'm certain it will be in my next order. So pretty, so girly and cute! Sometimes less really is more!

We're loving how inspired everyone is getting with our challenge. As I publish this post with just 2 hours to go, we have 62 entries! How ever will we evaluate, assess and choose the winners? You talented crafters are making our jobs insanely difficult!!

Easel Cards in a Scrapbook

Folks - first off thank you so much for the RESOUNDING response to our 100 Followers Candy. Your support totally rocks and your super kind words congratulating us and wishing us well puts us on top of the world!! Just by placing our badge on your blogs, we got 31 new followers and we can't wait to hit another century!

I'm still working on my friends Baby Scrapbook and I spent literally 4 days on this page - which is devoted to her baby belly. My friend really enjoys being pregnant and took plenty of photos of her baby belly. So I wanted an innovative and interactive way of presenting those pictures. Here's what I came up with.

So as you can see the background is a pregnant girl, presumably my friend (because she has the same long luscious black hair), fast asleep dreaming of her last few months of being preggers. Each picture will be glued on to the easel cards to document how her belly grew over the months. When the book has to be shut, the easel cards will be released from their brad and bow constraints to fold flat like so:

Fun isn't it? I've added a few closeups  so that you can get a closer look at the detailing and I have to say I had a total blast doing this page!

 

I drew out the sleeping girl myself and used ItsyBitsy's awesome black glitter sheet for the hair. I found this interesting grayish blue pattern paper for the blanket and the easel card top and a different pattern paper for the nightgown. The ribbon is from my stash and the pearl brads are my favorites from ItsyBitsy. The bold pink stripe pattern paper for the background is so striking and I've been using it so much, its all over :( Finally my awesome Framelit scallop rectangle dies came in hand for the cards. Here's a tip for all you crafters burning holes in your wallet with scallop dies. ItsyBitsy's Framelits Dies are the best deal around! They have scallop circles, squares, rectangles and a bunch of others for just Rs. 599 and each pack has 6 dies. There is no better deal anywhere and trust me I've been hunting!

I have digressed. I hope you like my attempt to make the scrapbook more interactive. I know my friend will love it. The next page I'm going to make it even more 3D. Can't wait to show you!

We've hit 100 Followers - Time to CELEBRATE!

Crafters! With your support, we have reached this significant milestone - 100 followers on our ItsyBitsy Blog. In June we had about 20 followers and now 3 months later we've hit a century and we can't be more excited. So naturally we want to celebrate and we've put together the most delectable candy we could think of:

We've got Boutique Elements flowers, chipboard laser cuts, those divine glitter photo corners, some craft butterflies, pretty borders and a bunch of other stuff. The total value of the hamper is approximately Rs. 2300 and we're going to give it all away to one lucky crafter.

So here's what you have to do to win the candy.

1. Be a follower of our blog
2. Put a comment on this blog post with a link back to your blog.
3. Put this badge up on the sidebar of your blog with a link back to this blog post. You can copy the link details from the bottom of this blog post. 

If you don't have a blog, it's time you created one as that's the only way you can win this candy. Its free and simple to do so just click on blogger.com and get started.

You have 2 weeks to participate in the ItsyBitsy 100 Followers Giveaway. We will randomly select a winner on  Monday 8th October 2012. International participation is welcome, we are ready to ship the candy worldwide. 

Thank you all once again for supporting us. Your comments, participation in our craft challenges and general good words have reached us to 100 followers and perhaps with your help the next 100 are just around the corner!!

Badge LINK Details: <<a href="http://itsybitsyindia.blogspot.in/2012/09/weve-hit-100-followers-time-to-celebrate.html"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_WqjQC_kfyM-bqBJHT00SG2l8Q4wlLI-rr5OofPQiVHQf0LBJDvnKQhWhm7ENIPjNVL9g0bv7LtOsLkvyt2qwUgYAV0NqSCO-bxOpSmffNEhCxQPwjYuJSgmXE910wk6AvDEKccHNeLX/s200/Blog%2520Candy.jpg" /></a>

A Baby Scrapbook with the Big B's - Beads, Brads, Bows and BLING

A dear dear friend of mine is expecting her first baby in a few weeks and asked me to make something for the tiny tot. I suggested a baby scrapbook and she was immediately on board. I picked up an Itsy Bitsy spiral bound blank scrapbook. It contained 50 sheets of different colored A4 card stock and suited me just fine. I'm still working on the cover and the opening page but here's a glimpse of the next few pages.  The best thing about a scrapbook is that it gives you the opportunity to try out a variety of techniques and ideas within a single project. So far I have been able to introduce die cutting, embossing, stamping not to mention a whole lot of creative thinking.

 Products Used for Page 2 and 3:

1. Green Glitter Sheet
2. Brown Card stock
3. Baby borders
4. Baby Stickers
5. Scallop circle die
6. 3d Bitty Bow
7. DCWV 6.5 inch by 4.5 inch set of 72 sheets
8. A variety of random stamps

 

Products Used for Page 4 and 5:

1. Petite Daisies
2. DCWV 6.5 inch by 4.5 inch set of 72 sheets
3. Pearl stickers
4. Grosgrain Ribbon
5. Glitter photo corners
6. Scallop rectangle die
7. Random stamps

Product used for the Page 5 and 6

1. DCWV 6.5 inch by 4.5 inch set of 72 sheets
2. Vellum Sheet
3. Pattern Paper
4. Handmade letters
5. Baby decals
6. Foam glitter flowers
7. Random stamps

Product used for the Page 7 and 8

1. DCWV 6.5 inch by 4.5 inch set of 72 sheets
2. ItsyBitsy Embossing Folder - Spots
3. Yellow card stock
4. Distress Alpha Stamps
5. Glitter heart stickers
6. Baby Nursery Stickers
7. Satin ribbon

It would take a great deal of typing to explain in detail how I put together each page consider there is a fair amount of embellishing on each. So I thought I would just list out the products and if any one has any specific queries, we can discuss them over the comments.... What say!

There will be more posts about this baby book because I'm quite immersed in the project. I'm brimming with ideas and can't wait to bring them to life and share them with you. Till then, leave a comment and let me know what you think of the work in progress as you my fellow crafters are my principle source of inspiration!

Vellum Cards with the Big B's

A friend recently told me about vellum sheets and I have come to find that it is one of the most versatile and pretty materials to add to a card. For those learning about it for the first time, it's a see through paper often seen in wedding invitations. ItsyBitsy carries A4 size vellum sheets and once I got them in hand, I got to work on 3 projects using this material. Plus, in line with our challenge this month I have incorporated the Big B's - Brads, Bows, Beads and Bling in each card.

The first card is this pretty baby pink one. I made it for a cousin who's celebrating her daughter's first birthday today in fact! So it's all pretty pretty pretty. I used pink card stock and stamped the sentiment right in the center. Then placed a vellum sheet over the card stock, stamped this beautiful filigree design on the top and heat embossed it. I finished with some accents like the bow, a couple of die cut dresses and a foam cake sticker with beady candles.

For the next project, I used vellum to offer a more pastel effect to bright colors. I stamped a bunch of brightly colored butterflies on a piece of white card stock. I placed the vellum sheet over it so that you could see the butterflies but they were more subdued and elegant. Then I stamped a grassy design on top of the vellum to give more dimension. The vellum was attached to the card only on the top so it could be lifted to reveal the pretty stamping below. I finished with a gigantic bow using some ItsyBitsy satin ribbon and a cute little ItsyBitsy Butterfly which very fortuitously had a bead on its body. 

Finally I tried my hand at embossing vellum and this too was a success. Using one of ItsyBitsy's embossing folders, I created a pretty design on a small piece of vellum. I combined it with some ItsyBitsy pattern paper and embellished with a bow, craft flower and some brads. The card is for a friend's birthday so the sentiment was short and sweet.

Vellum is really versatile and stylish. It gives an elegant touch to any craft project and can be used to add dimension, texture and originality to your creations. It can be particularly effective for any 'white on white' color scheme or wedding cards as well. What are your thoughts about vellum. Drop a line and tell us all about it!

A Thank You Card with a Bow, Bead, Brad & loads of BLING

It's been a while since my last post. I was really busy with my little daughter's 1st birthday and a trip to Gods Own Country. I returned yesterday and got crafting immediately - you know how addicted we crafters can get!

So my first project this week is a Thank You card for my buddy Aliena. She was a total star throughout the planning and execution of Kyra's party. She gave me ideas for the food, brought back a bunch of cookie cutters, cake ingredients and muffin containers from Kuwait for me and even played camera-woman during the little do. I really couldn't have done it without her and wanted to do something special to say thank you. We are both coffee lovers so this card is all about the brew!

Once again I used the layering approach to add some borders to the card. The top most layer has some lovely red and gold glitter. I added the glitter before I cut the circle so the final output was nice and neat. The pearl brad is one of my favorites from ItsyBitsy along with the crimson card stock, the stripey white card stock, the green ink pad and the grosgrain ribbon. I've added a close-up to get a better look at the bling!

We're getting some really super submissions for the The BIG B challenge. Fantastic stuff! We're so excited that the theme is inspiring such wonderful ideas. Keep them coming peeps, just over 15 days to go.

The ItsyBitsy BIG 'B' Challenge

It's a new month crafters and it's time for a new challenge. So we've come up with something quite exciting, an opportunity for everyone to surge forward with their creativity. And we're calling it The BIG 'B' challenge. Now we're not saying that Amitabh Bachchan has to be your inspiration. Nope we're talking about the other BIG 'B's - Beads, Brads, Bows and BLING! 

This card I created incorporates all four elements but that's not an essential requirement of the challenge. You will have to incorporate at minimum 2 of the 4 elements. The beads and the bow using ItsyBitsy organza ribbon are on the top right side corner. The brad is holding the sentiment in place and the bling is the blue glitter all over the face of the card. What do you think? Not bad eh. Also since Teachers Day is around the corner, that's the sentiment I chose. Here's a closeup of the corner detailing.

Now to the challenge specifications:

• You can make anything you like using any TWO or more of the BIG B's - Beads, Bows, Brads and Bling.
• The contest closes at midnight on 30th September 2012.
• In order to submit your entry, click on the inlinkz button provided at the bottom of your page, add your image and link to your blog.
• Each participant can submit a maximum of 3 entries. 
• Participants can withdraw entries at any time before the contest closes by deleting their submission.
• Backlinking to old projects is not permitted. All submissions have to be created after 2nd September 2012.
• In your blog post, create a link back to this page - The ItsyBitsy Big B Challenge.
• 2 winners will be selected and will receive a voucher of Rs. 1000 each, redeemable at www.itsybitsy.in

Here are the products I used for the card:

1. Blue Card Stock
2. White Card Stock
3. Aqua Glitter
4. Grosgrain Blue Ribbon
5. Blue Flower
6. Pearl Brads

And that's about it. Hope this excites you as much as it does us. Looking forward to seeing some truly inspired creations over the next month. Happy crafting people!!

Winners of the TriColor Challenge

Off the bat, we have to say that we are THRILLED with the response to our TriColor challenge. The specifications were simple - make anything you like as long as the dominant color scheme is the Indian TriColor. We got 38 fantastic entries and quite honestly it was really difficult choosing the winners. So here goes.

The two winners who will each receive vouchers of Rs. 1000 from ItsyBitsy are... Priyanka with her awesome TriColored Quilled Card and Hussena with her superbly embellished Top Note Box using TriColors. Here are the pictures of the winning creations:

Priyanka's Winning Entry 

Hussena's Winning Entry

We also wanted to share some of the other notable entries which were also really well done. These are listed in no particular order:

Sindhu's Awesome Tri Colored Card

Suganthi's Stunning Quilled Monarch Butterfly

Poornima's Teared Paper with Chalk Card

Congratulations to all the winners and a big well done to all the finalists! Once again thank you all for your excellent submissions. We are thrilled to be in the company of such outstanding crafters!

Hussena and Priyanka, please write in to us at info@itsybitsy.in to claim your prize and winning badge.

Stay tuned for a super exciting challenge coming up very shortly!