Bookmarks for the Summer

First off, from all of us here at Itsy Bitsy, here's wishing you a very Happy Easter! Hope the festival  brings you  much joy and celebration. I wanted to share a project I made for the young readers in our life. Schools are wrapping up and the kids are free for the summer. As we parents frantically search for ways to keep them occupied, I started thinking what better occupation is there than reading? And what better way to get them interested in reading than with some crafty bookmarks:

Using some fabulous supplies from Itsy Bitsy I made it my mission to create a set of bookmarks that a child would cherish! One that would make him or her eager to return to the book of the moment. And since it's summer time, I thought I'd make it a 'shade' seasonal.

For these Summery Bookmarks I stared with some Citrus themed pattern paper and created the little umbrella toppers you see above. I glued it onto the bookmark which was covered with a coordinating paper. I added some adorable Summer themed 3D stickers and finished off the set with a matching bow. Isn't it adorable!

Above are some close-ups of the embellishments. Check out that palm tree, sunglasses, surf board and of course those beach tongs. So fun! Makes we want to go swimming right this minute!

For my next creation I thought I would do something girly and what do girls love more than a princess! I got these adorable Princess themed 3D stickers from Itsy Bitsy and they provided the inspiration for the project. I started out with a piece of pink pearl cardstock and layered over it a sheet of white, embossed with a spotty folder from Itsy Bitsy. I placed the super sweet stickers at the base and then I created this magnificent princess gown as a topper. Isn't it a dream!

Here's a better look at the gown and the stickers. The base of the gown is a dress box made out of pink pearl card stock and I have provided the details on how to obtain the template for it at the end of this mail. Then for the heavily layered skirt I used three strips of 1.5" satin ribbon and glued it in pinched layers all over the skirt of the box. I first saw this idea of using satin ribbon for a skirt Bipasha's blog so a big shout of thanks to her! I made the belt out of a strip of lace from Itsy Bitsy and finished the bodice with some pearls. I must admit I'm seriously placed with the end result!

And if you're wondering how practical these would be when actually inserted in a book, here's a visual for you. The toppers pop out boldly and prominently. I personally think these bookmarks aren't just holding the page but also beckoning you to read on. Do you agree? 

If you want to try out making the dress box yourself, here's a template I found online that you can use.  Alternatively you can use the Sizzix Dress Box Die, available at the Itsy Bitsy store. For the umbrella, you can consider using this template. 

Supplies Used: Please click on the image to purchase the item from our Online Store

Rosette Cupcake Toppers! With some Cupcakes!

My son's school year came to an end this past Wednesday and we all went to collect the report card from his teachers. My son is just 4 years old, which is why I am always hugely grateful to his teachers for looking after him all year. I thought a nice gesture would be some homemade cupcakes and nothing is more fun than adorable little cupcake toppers to accessorise them. So here's what I made. 

Here's a look at the actual toppers. I decided to do paper rosettes in different sizes with vibrantly coloured pattern papers and some adorable Itsy Bitsy stickers for the centre. Here's a look at the whole set of six rosette toppers. 

I did each rosette in 2 sizes, one is 2" diameter and other is 3" diameter. I glued them on either side of a craft stick and placed the 3D sticker in the centre. And you know how addicted I am to bows so I had to add a few of those as well. The fabulous new buttons from Itsy Bitsy offered me my finishing touch!

If you would like to know how I made the rosette cupcake toppers, I am happy to say that I've made a video tutorial detailing how each rosette was put together and how I achieved the overall look. In this video you will also get a firsthand look at our new Itsy Bitsy scoreboard! Yes you read it right! We've got our very own indigenously made scoring board which retails for just Rs. 499. You can watch the rosette tutorial and the scoring board demo right here. 

The cupcakes with with their toppers stayed in tact until they were presented to the teachers, who were delighted to receive them. It's always nice to give homemade goodies as a thank you gift especially in such circumstances and since I enjoy baking, it was no problem at all. But I'm so glad I added the toppers. They really put an original and extremely colourful spin on the whole proceedings!

Have you done cupcake toppers or rossettes? We'd love to hear about it. Leave a comment and we'll be sure to pop by!

Supplies Used: Click on the image to visit the product page on our website. 

Easy Paper Basket by Dr Sonia

Hi friends Dr Sonia here from Cards ,Crafts & Kids Projects .Sometimes life just gets too busy for crafting and I struggled for ideas and time for this Guest DT post for Itsy Bitsy. But then I thought most of us go through such times and I thought I would share a super simple project which can be whipped up in minutes when we are short of time!
I followed the tutorial for this accordion style Paper Basket and even though Origami is actually not my cup of tea this is a an easy project to make

Paper Basket

I used 5 squares of 6 x 6 inch pattern paper to make this 3 compartment basket. If you have a scoring tool you can easily make a sturdy basket from thick paper . This paper basket is perfect to showcase double sided pattern papers as as you can see the  inside of the paper basket!

Paper Basket

I glittered up and added pearl centers to some beautiful Itsy Bitsy Boutique flowers for a quick embellishing of my paper basket.
I recently got the round nose pliers from Itsy Bitsy and they came in so handy to make some dangling beaded charms to hang on the ledge of the paper basket

Beading

This is how I threaded beads and flower caps on a head pin 

Beaded Charm

Attached the beaded pin to a ring and hung it to dangle on the ledge of the  basket.Used the Itsy Bitsy border to make a handle for the paper basket .

Paper Basket

Without the handle ,the charm of this paper basket is that it folds flat in an accordion style and can be stored away!

Origami Basket

I hope you liked this simple quick to do project which has so much potential.If you want to attempt something more elaborate here are links to Box tutorials on my blog.

And thank you so much Sunehra and team Itsy Bitsy for having me here as Guest DT once again.



Supplies Used: Please click on each image to view the product page a

Fun with Stencils

Itsy Bitsy has a great range of stencils - almost 40 designs and using them you can create extremely original and beautiful cards or other projects. I recently got my hands on the Border Stencil set and as you can see I really went to town with them. Here's my first card:

The border stencil has a line of tiny circles which are great for formulating perfect little dots on a card. I used some Fabrica 3D glitter and with the help of the stencil created this design on the left side of the card. Isn't it adorable! Then I embellished the card with some beaded butterflies, a few random gel dots and a grand bow of organza ribbon. The pearl brad in the center was the final touch!

 

For my next project, I decided to use the stencil to create a background of gentle pastel colors - pink and blue is one of my favorite combinations and I think it turned out wonderfully in this project.

I used a sponge applicator with my blue ink pad to color in the flower design on the stencil. I did this for the entire page and thereby got by background. Then I added some pale pink glitter florets and random pink bling all over the page. Finished up again with a nice pretty bow. 

  

For my third project I wanted to go Clean and Simple. I was inspired by one of Hussena's cards, for which she won our KISS (Keep It Sweet and Simple) challenge last year. It was such a sweet and pretty design and unknowingly or knowingly I found myself recreating it on this card. Hussena's creations are always so inspiring.

I once again used my sponge applicator with a green ink pad and created the columns of leaves that you can see in the card. Once that was done I added some plum florettes and finished it off with a knot at the top using some plum ribbon. I think this is my favorite of the three. 

Have you tried any of our stencils to create a card or other project? We would love to see your creation. Leave a comment with your link.

Supplies Used: Please click on the image to visit the product page on our website to shop online.

The Fishing Game - Guest post by Shruti (ArtsyCraftsyMom)

Games provide important skills for young children plus they are fun too. They also help teach children necessary life skills, such as cooperation, critical-thinking and motor control. Its amazing what you can make when you have the right materials. I love making easy DIY games with Lil P. We have made simple icecream catching game, the snakes and ladders and many more. Not only are DIY games low cost, they give children a sense of achievement. Here is an easy project for you to try at home. 

You'll need lots of pipe-cleaners in various colours, Glue, Googly eyes, Pom poms in different colours, magnets ,  sticks & satin ribbons - one each for as many  players you want to have. For demonstration purpose, we will stick to a single player - so I used one icecream stick, 1 ribbon & 1 magnet. 

First we'll make the fishes.. Take a pipe cleaner in any bright colour, Fold it in half, twist at the end to form the tail fin, then roll the other side around your thumb to form a circular hole.

Push a pom pom inside the circle & stick a large Googly eye to make the fish. To secure the pom pom , you can add additional glue. Craft glue or a Glue gun works best. 

For the Octopus, you'll need 4 pipecleaners, 2 each of the same colour. Fold the pipe cleaners in half and then twist them all to form a ball like structure with 8 legs. Bend the legs upwards & stick on 2 large googly eyes. 

For the star fish, twist a pipe cleaner in a zig zag - VVVVV with 5 points and then join the ends and press or twist to keep them in place. Stick on two small googly eyes. 

For the final  step, create a fun setup in a blue tub or bed spread.. Place some sand, some decorative stones, some sea shells .. we added in some colourful sequins to jazz it up. Glue the satin ribbon onto an icecream stick and stick a magnet at the other end. The magnet will help you 'catch' some pipe cleaner fishes. Who ever catches the maximum fishes in a minute wins. 

Happy Fishing! :)

Supplies Used: Click on the thumbnail below to visit the product page on our website.

Buttons for a Little Princess!

Itsy Bitsy is now stocking a fabulous range of buttons. There's the fashion buttons from the world renowned Jesse James range and there's the multicraft buttons which come in oodles of colors and sizes in a convenient little pouch. All these are on sale this week - 20% off - so naturally I had to stock up. And when I got my hands on the adorable Jesse James Baby Girl set - there was only one project in my mind - 'pinking up' my little Kyra's dress top and frilly socks. And here's the final result!

The set comes in with 8 really cute buttons of babies in a pram, a swig, a cot and with a bib. Then there are some large size traditionally shaped buttons. I stitched the little babies on the front of Kyra's frilly white top and of course had to make her wear it immediately. Doesn't she look adorable! Here's a close up of the darling little buttons.

For the socks, I took a strip of white grosgrain ribbon and tied a pretty bow. Then I stitched the large traditionally shaped pink button on the center and stitched this entire piece on to Kyra's frilly white socks. Doesn't that look super sweet!

There are so many designs in the Jesse James buttons range and they're great for paper crafting too! Imagine adding them to a card or scrapbook page - they're the perfect embellishment. That said, I think I'm going to stick to using the buttons on my little girl's dresses. I just can't resist making my little tot look like a toddling princess!

Supplies Used: Click on the image to visit the product page on our website to shop online.

A Scrapbook Layout Full of Flowers

I'm doing a baby scrapbook for a friend's niece and one of the important occasions in the pre-delivery period is a ceremony called Kupadhi. I have made a layout to commemorate this function and my objective was to provide space for as many photographs as possible. At the same time I wanted to use some of the delightful Itsy Bitsy glitter florets I have in my stash so the end result is this - A Scrapbook Layout Full of Flowers!!

I started it out with one of my all time favorite pattern papers from DCVW Linen Closet Stack. It's so so beautiful full of lovely little flowers in shades of blue and olive green and it's glittered too... just love it! Then I made 4 photo holders - two green and two blue to go with the background design. I applied a gate fold on each holder so it has a space for 5 photos. With four such holders on the page, it could now accommodate up to 20 photos!!! Isn't that fabulous! 

 I embossed the white card stock with one of the prettiest embossing folders I have ever come across - Itsy Bitsy Sweet Flowers folder, which has this delicate floral background. I think it went really well with the other elements on the page. I added some flourish corners using my Cuttlebug Vintage Corners die. It's a fabulous set, has four dies in one and is so versatile. Finally some sparkle florets for a touch of glam!

And here's a look at the page as whole. I used four glitter strips for the border and added some satin and  organza ribbon to keep the holder folded when the page turns. I've found if I don't do that, there is a chance it might fold funny and get an ugly crease.  

Do you like my scrapbook layout? Would love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment and let me know!

Supplies Used: Please click on the image to visit the product page on our web store to purchase online.

Crafting with the DCVW Card and Envelope Sets

Die Cuts with a View is an American scrapbooking and card making brand and they come up with the most gorgeous pattern papers to add beauty and style to all our projects. But did you know they also have card and envelope sets to make gorgeous projects with a readymade base? I recently got my hands on 2 such sets - one from the DCVW Linen pack and the other from the Mariposa Pack. Here's a look at the cards I made, before and after. 

This card is from the Mariposa pack and it's all about butterflies. So to embellish the card, I decided to use my foam punch with a black glitter foam sheet to make some miniature butterflies. I added 2 tiny crystals in the center for a touch of glam and a rich dark ribbon knot at the top. I embellished the envelope as well with the same butterflies and voila my card was done!

Next I got to work on the card from the Linen stack. It had a very neutral design so I figured a splash of pink would do some good.  I got out my eyelet punch and punched a row of eyelets at the bottom. I lined up 2 rows of crystals above the eyelet row and finished off with a bright pink bow at the top. I used this adorable pink elephant sticker as a final touch and my card was ready. For the envelope I punched 3 eyelets on the envelope flap to continue the theme and on the reverse side I placed the crystals.  Here's another look at the card and all its elements.

I have filmed the making of both these cards so that you can see first hand how the foam punch works, how to punch eyelets, how to use the glue gun and how to use glue dots. You can watch it here:

Supplies Used: Click on the caption beneath each thumbnail photo for the product page at our online store website.

Pink Grosgrain Ribbon

Grosgrain Ribbon 

Aluminium Eyelets

Eyelet Punch

Glue Dots

Glue Gun

Yellow Crystal

Butterfly Foam Punch

Pink Crystal

Elephant Mini Embellishment

Linen Card & Envelope

Mariposa Card & Envelope