Albums for Early School Memories

It's that time of year when schools are wrapping up for the holidays. Some of our kids are going to middle school and others to senior school. My son has 4 friends in his carpool and I have become quite fond of these little ones. All 4 of them will now be entering middle school - going to class 1. My son still has a year to go but for these kids, it's the end of their play school years. I wanted to make something for them sort of as a goodbye present and I thought a school album might be just the right thing.

The album is completely made of ItsyBitsy chipboard - the cover as well as the inside pages. I like the idea of chipboard pages as they won't bend over time with the decorative embellishments inside. There are 3 girls and 1 little boy in this group of kids so I had to make 3 girly ones and 1 not so girly one. Here's a look at the girly one.

I started with papers from the DCWV All About Me Stack and I bound the album together using some pink felt from itsyBitsy. For the title of each year of school I used the Sizzix Alpha Bubbles Die to etch out the letters. It's a fantastic die that provides upper case, lower case and numbers. You can either use the die negative which is circular or use the die cut themselves which are thin alpha-numerals. Along with each title page I added a frame using the Sizzix Swirly Frame Die along with a rim of pearls. A few butterflies at the corners added to my girly album. 

I added a pocket on one page for each child to slip in any small craft work they had preserved over the years. I know I have preserved some of the things my son's teachers sent home so here's hoping they will have a few things to add as well. 

The third page of every section had a 'details section'. I used the Spellbinders Shapeabilities Office Supplies Die to create this note-page die cut and then provided space for the child to add her teachers names, friends names, sections and so on. 

Now on to the album for the little boy. I truly found it quite difficult to avoid girly embellishments but thanks to ItsyBitsy, there were plenty of sporty masculine accents to add to my project. I started with the DCWV Grade School Stack which is full of bold bright neutral colours as the paper scheme for my album. For the title, I used some green craft sticks from ItsyBitsy and created a frame with them. Some soccer ball stickers proved to be great embellishments for the frame. 

I followed the same scheme of titles and sections only this time, there were no swirly frames, pearls, butterflies or bows. Instead the frame was straight edged, the embellishments sporty and the colours bright and neutral. 

For the pocket for craft work I added some dinosaur stickers from the ItsyBitsy stickers range. I tell you with ItsyBitsy, you are certain to find something for literally any theme.

Well that wraps up this post. I have 2 more albums to make and hopefully they will be ready for presentation by Friday when school closes for the year.

Supplies Used:

Winners for the ItsyBitsy Say it With Roses Challenge

It's time to announce the winners of the ItsyBitsy Say It with Roses Challenge. We have to say we were blown away with the quality of the creations this time around! You folks are seriously talented! So without further delay, here are the 3 winners (in no particular order) each of whom will receive a voucher worth Rs. 500 from Itsybitsy.

 Deepti for this pretty and sweet stamped card with beautiful roses as the central feature! Love it!!!

Hussena for this adorable chest of drawers project with pretty floral accents - how pretty is that!

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Sachi for this gorgeous flower center piece card - look at those roses, aren't they outstanding!! 

Congratulations to our 3 winners. Please write to info@itsybitsy.in to claim your vouchers and a badge to display on your blog!!

Now on to the finalists for the contest! We've shortlisted six of our favourites and again here they are in no particular order!

Durga for this pretty stamped creation full of pretty soft colours!

Pratyusha is a regular in our toppers list and this time around she made this beauty filled with roses!

Shilpa made it to the finalist list with this shadow box creation - so original and so very pretty!

Jaya's gorgeous card with such pretty colours won a place in our finalist group - so dramatic and the blues are mesmerising!

Pooja seems to have mastered the shabby chic style with this pretty pink creation. Gorgeous hand made flowers too!!

We've always been a fan of Rajni's work and this gorgeous card is one of our all time favourites!! 

Congratulations to our finalists!! Well done!! Please write in to info@itsybitsy.in to claim your finalist badge!

And thanks once again to all the participants, voters and visitors. We love celebrating craft with all of you and your work continues to inspire and impress us!! Looking forward to seeing your work for our current challenge - the ItsyBitsy Precious Baby Challenge!

The ItsyBitsy Precious Baby Challenge

It's time for a brand new challenge here at ItsyBitsy and this month our theme is 'Precious Baby'. You can create anything you like as long as it incorporates a baby theme somewhere in the project. You can do a card, some baby room decor, baby shower projects, the works! And to inspire you along the way I have put together a Baby Record Explosion Box. It's an explosion box that also functions as a Baby Record space. 

For some of us moms, a baby scrapbook or album requires too much work to create and massive effort at keeping it updated. So I figured, how about make it quick and easy and something that can always find a place on a nursery shelf. I started with a pretty 4" by 4" by 4" box with a pretty bow at the top. I used some pattern paper from the DCWV All About Me Stack. I found myself choosing some soothing blues and yellows and greens making it a gift for a little boy. 

The central feature of the box is the 3D baby cot that I created following this template. I adjusted it here and there to suit my needs but that template really worked marvellously for my project. I made a little paper mattress and pillow inside and created a crib hanger with some buttons on the outside. To add some decoration to the top, I punched out 3 hearts on the head and foot of the crib. 

The rest of the panels of the box are devoted to recording various details of the little ones life. For each of the headers I used one of the dies included the Spellbinders Shapeabilities Adress Book set. It was just perfect for the size of my panel. The rest of the rectangles are cut using the ItsyBitsy Rectangle die set. Here are more views of the different panels. 

For the baby hand and foot print I made a little pocket with a a pull out tag so that the new mama can easily get the baby's hand or foot print. It is no easy feat to achieve this imprint - I know I had to do it multiple times for each of my kids and just about got it.

Finally I provided ample space for photographs - photographs of the little bundle of joy, photos of the family and a family tree section for the immediate family members. I used the ItsyBitsy square die to create these spaces. 

Rules of the challenge:

1. Your entry can be anything hand made as long as incorporates a baby related theme in the creation.
2. Entries can be submitted until 10th April 2014.
3. Entries will be open to audience vote from 11th to 14th April 2014
4. Following this, the top 3 and finalists will be selected after combining both audience feedback and judges feedback.
5. In order to submit your entry, click on the inlinkz button provided at the end of this post, add your image and link to your blog post containing the submission. There is a single category for all types of hand made creations.
6. If you do not have a blog, please create an album on any online photo gallery like Facebook, Picasa etc, ensure the settings are public and link it up as detailed in point 5. 
7. Each participant can submit a maximum of 3 entries.
8. Submitting old projects is not permitted. All submissions have to be created after 18th March 2014
9. In your blog post, create a link back to this page - The ItsyBitsy Precious Baby Challenge.
10. Entries are welcome from all over the world however if you are one of the top 3, we can only ship your prize to an Indian address.
11. We will select the top 3 entries all of whom will receive vouchers worth Rs. 500 redeemable online at www.itsybitsy.in.
12. In addition 6 finalists  will be selected all of whom will receive a badge to display on their blog.
13. The top 3 will also be invited to send in guest post for the ItsyBitsy Blog in March/ April 2014.

Right that's it from me! Hope this challenge intrigues as much as it did me and looking forward to seeing your entries!

Submissions for the ItsyBitsy Precious Baby Challenge

A Gift Tag - Easel Style!

Folks thank you so much for your fabulous participation in the Roses Challenge. We will be sharing the results very soon. I had a very bad bout of flu the whole of last week so our next challenge will be a little delayed. Watch this space for something sweet coming very soon. 

Now on to this project. I see a lot of crafters creating these really elaborate tags full of distressing, die cutting, embossing and heavy embellishments and I always find myself thinking - what are they going to do with such an elaborate gift tag? Just stick it on a gift or bag? And where do they write the message to the recipient? Won't it get lost when it's glued to the gift box? I was always quite confused with this particular project.

So when I joined the herd and made an elaborate gift tag, I couldn't leave it alone. I had to provide solutions to all the questions I just asked above. Ultimately I decided to put it on an easel card frame as I thought it would be more functional and attractive if it could stand up on a gift. Plus there is ample space to add a personal message to the recipient. 

The picture on the left shows how the tag looks when it's closed or lying flat. It looks just like a regular gift tag. The picture on the right shows it standing upright. I stamped a little message on the base and used the ribbon knot to keep it upright. 

 To embellish the tag I used some of my favourite ItsyBitsy supplies. Their corrugated papers are just awesome - so many colours and great to create different effects. I used the Sizzix Curly Frame die to outline my stamped image. Then I distressed it with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink. I covered the entire die cut with Ranger Rock Candy Crackly paint which adds this cracked porcelain finish, just beautiful! The stamp is one of ItsyBitsy's Little Darling ones, had it for a while and finally found a project to use it. Then I added some fabulous ItsyBitsy blooms all over the corner. I found crochet flowers too that perfectly complemented the tag and I was happy to add it on. 

Here's a closer look at the sentiment on the bottom. Love how it can go with any occasion because it reads 'Something Special For You.

How do you like my Easel Gift Tag? Would love to know!

Supplies Used

Weekend Craft Workshops with ItsyBitsy

It's almost time for the summer holidays and what better way to keep your kids engaged than with craft! At ItsyBitsy we're holding weekend craft workshops at all of our 5 Bangalore stores in Bananshankari, HSR Layout, OMBR Layout, New BEL Road and Phoenix Market City Mall!  We have only a limited number of seats for each session so hurry up and register online or at any of our ItsyBitsy stores. 

Here's a look at the workshops for April 2014 and if you want more information or details on any of our workshops click here. You can also call us at 9900071766

Chenille Stem Craft Workshop

Session 1: 5th April 2014, 10:30am to 12:30pm

Session 2: 6th April 2014, 4:30pm to 6:30pm

Fees: Rs. 299 per session.

Learn how to make a gorgeous bunch of chenille stem (pipe cleaner) flowers and arrange them in a vase. Also make a pom-pom bird and hang it in your car, house or garden. 

Paper Crafting Workshop

Session 1: 12th April 2014, 4:30pm to 6:30pm

Session 2: 13th April 2014, 10:30am to 12:30pm

Fees: Rs. 299 per session.

Have hours of fun making these folded paper flowers and cute paper mice. You can then decorate your room with these flowers or arrange them in a vase.

Card Making Workshop

Session 1: 12th April 2014, 10:30am to 12:30pm

Session 2: 13th April 2014, 4:30pm to 6:30pm

Fees: Rs. 349 per session.

Learn how to make a pop up present card and a quilled floral card for your friends or loved ones

Craft Sticks Workshop

Session 1: 12th April 2014, 4:30pm to 6:30pm

Session 2: 13th April 2014, 10:30am to 12:30pm

Fees: Rs. 299 per session.

Learn how to make a crafty chameleon and ladybird pen stand with these versatile ice cream sticks. You can make endless shapes with these crafty sticks

 

Quilling Workshop

Session 1: 19th April 2014, 4:30pm to 6:30pm

Session 2: 20th April 2014, 10:30am to 12:30pm

Fees: Rs. 349 per session.

Learn how to make stunning earrings, fridge magnets and key chains with rolled up paper strips. Get inspired and start quilling.

Scrapbooking Workshop

Session 1: 19th April 2014, 10:30pm to 12:30pm

Session 2: 20th April 2014, 4:30am to 6:30pm

Fees: Rs. 349 per session.

Capture those precious moments with the art of scrapbooking and cherish them forever. You can scrapbook for any occasion and create your own album. 

Clay Modelling Workshop

Session 1: 26th April 2014, 10:30pm to 12:30pm

Session 2: 27th April 2014, 4:30am to 6:30pm

Fees: Rs. 299 per session.

Learn to make professional models with natural clay and create realistic textures using clay modelling tools. 

Jewellery Making Workshop

Session 1: 26th April 2014, 4:30pm to 6:30pm

Session 2: 27th April 2014, 10:30am to 12:30pm

Fees: Rs. 499 per session.

Learn to make stunning jewellery using beads & jewellery making tools. You can wear them yourself or gift them to your loved ones. 

And that's not all we're doing this summer!! Here are the fabulous workshops lined up for May 2014!! We're pretty much covering EVERY craft there is!!

Wedding Favour Boxes using the Sizzix Bigz Shaker Box Die

I love white on white combinations and I am always looking for a reason to create something in this theme. This week I got a hold of the Sizzix Bigz Shaker Box Die which is perfect for party favours. Since I haven't done anything bridal in a while, I decided to use this die to create some Wedding Favour Boxes. 

The die itself is pretty self-sufficient. It cuts and scores the card appropriately so that once it's cut you just need fold and glue to assemble. Then all that's left is the embellishment which is the most fun isn't it!! I decided to use use the Spellbinders Captivating Squares die to create a couple of overlays for both sides of the flap. I embossed it with the Sweet Flowers Embossing Folder. The flowers are hand made using the Tattered Floral Garland die which has different sizes of same shape. 

Here's a look inside the box which I filled with some chocolate balls. For those who are wondering, it's called a shaker box because it rattles when you shake it - perfect for any kind of party favour - birthdays, showers, wedding - anything!

The die cut comes with a convenient openable and closable flap to insert or remove the chocolates! Isn't it clever? Love this to bits!! In the picture above you can also get a view of the embossed Captivating Squares die cut on the inside flap.

I have put together a video tutorial on how I created this box. You can see a demo of how the die cut works, how I made the flowers and how the box is assembled. Hope you like it!

Supplies Used: