The perfect pear

Hello dear bloggers,

Here is another card to show you today made with a rubber stamp and hand coloured with Pentel water colour tubes. I randomly stuck washi tape on the Kraft background and used packaging cartons for dimension under the stamped paper and the one below that. I quite like the way this card turned out. 

Happy card making,

Monica 

Tiny new bundle

Hello dear bloggers,

Here is a card to show you today. The clear stamp is from Kaiser and the sentiment is handwritten with a Copics marker. Aleeza coloured the roly-poly elephant with a Prisma pencil and we went over it with Pentel water colours. I think she did a pretty good job.

 I got the inspiration from a Studio G stamp to handwrite the sentiment since I made a boo boo while stamping it. I have used carton packaging instead of foam dots.  

I will enter this card in the following challenges:

http://cutiepiechallenge.blogspot.com/ - cute and cuddly (animal)

http://dreamvalleychallenges.blogspot.com/ - hand coloured image

https://incywincydesigns.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://mmmchallengeblog.blogspot.com/ - critters

Happy card making to you,

Monica 

Rooster from a coaster

Hello sweet bloggers,

Here is my card to show you today. The image is actually a coaster that was in the breakfast room of a hotel in Jakarta. The background on the cardstock below has been created with shaving foam and food colouring. It all came together beautifully I thought. 

The BIRTHDAY sentiment has been die cut from a scrap of wallpaper. 

I hand wrote the HAPPY on the coaster with a red Sharpie. I do think I could have done better with the dot on the i of the "birthday". And yes, I have used glossy accents on the feathers of the rooster for added interest. 

I do like my card overall. 

I will enter my card in the following challenges:

https://pinkgemchallengeblog.blogspot.com/ - anything goes
http://craftycalendarchallenge.blogspot.com/ - use die cuts/punches
http://lilpatchofcraftyfriends.blogspot.com/ - a little patch of crafty friends

Happy card making to you,

Monica 

Water coloured bird

Hello dear bloggers,

Here is my card to show you made from a Youtube video. I have used Pentel water colour tubes to colour the bird and the cherry blossoms. 

The red paper under the white paper is actually packaging material from a canvas.

I will enter this card in the following:

https://colourcrazychallenge.blogspot.com/ - anything colour goes

http://brownsugarchallenge.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

https://creativefingerschallengeblog.blogspot.com/ - always anything goes

https://polkadoodle.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

Happy card making,

Monica 

The key is...

Hello bloggers,

As some of you may know, I have been running a boutique forum since 2016 wherein I conduct guided meditation and offer personal development to stay at home mums. I have been conducting similar sessions for parents in my kid's school. However, due to the COVid-19 virus, we have had to stall the programme. I am hoping that everything gets back to normal sooner than expected and I can resume doing what I love. As some of you may know, the proceeds from the fees go towards a shelter that houses abused women. I was lucky enough to raise a decent sum by hosting 11 such sessions. 

Now to my card - I have had this typewriter die for years now and finally got hold of some packaging material and die cut it. I used black soot to sponge it. 

The key has been die cut from a matt gold thick cinema ticket while the red paper you see under the sentiment is from canvas packaging which we painted red as we had surplus red paint.

The sentiment is a rubber stamp which is lying in a drawer while I write this post on my dining table. 

The white rectangular nestie with holes on the edges is my new buy from Sizzix. 

I will enter in the following challenges with this card:

https://hereisaplacetostart.blogspot.com/ - masculine card/project

https://incywincydesigns.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

theartisticstamper - writing

http://happylittlestampers.blogspot.com/ - positive

Happy card making,

Monica 

A nice and very bright hello!

Hello sweet bloggers,

Here is a card whose background was made by both Aleeza and me. She painted half of the paper and I did the other half. This was the result. The card stock of the die cut leaf was smooshed with Camlin brush markers from India.

The sentiment was die cut from a piece of black cardstock from Sizzix sentiment dies.

I will enter this card in the following challenges:

https://incywincydesigns.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://cardsgalorechallenges.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://happylittlestampers.blogspot.com/ - dies

https://creativecrafterschallenge.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

Happy card making,

Monica 

Almost totally recycled

Hello bloggers,

Here is my almost totally recycled card which has been made with the following:

1. An Apple blue tooth mouse packaging ( the window on which the butterfly has been stuck).

2. Ferraro Rocher foil for the butterfly.

3. Packaging material to give body to the foil.

I think I have used a Kaiser craft butterfly die for the butterfly. I quite like how Aleeza suggested the design for this card. Everything except the cardstock has here has been made with packaging material. 

I will enter this simple beauty in the following challenges:

https://crafterscafeblogchallenge.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://cardsgalorechallenges.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://happylittlestampers.blogspot.com/ -anything goes with dies

http://mybestiesaussiechallenge.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

Happy card making,

Monica 

Kick up your heels and have fun!

Hello bloggers,

Well, I used to wear heels once upon a time but very tame ones - nothing like these wild ones. And now all I wear are Fitflops! 

The background of this card has been made with food colours from Indonesia. I glided the entire cardstock over the food colour. The cardstock kind of got warped so I put it under a heavy book for almost four-five days. 

The sentiment and image stamp are from Hero Arts (clear stamps). I hand tore the paper on which the sentiment has been stamped for character. The strip of Kraft may be a recycled strip of paper. 

I am making up a sizeable collection to sell for the abused women's home that I am supporting. Hoping I make a good sum to donate. 

https://pinkgemchallengeblog.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

https://crafterscastle.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://www.vintagejourney.com/ - anything goes

http://yournextstamp.com/blog/ - creating your own background

http://qkrstampede.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://simplycreatetoo.blogspot.com/ - use red

Happy card making,

Monica 

Thank you, Shirley-Anne!

Hello dear bloggers,

Here is yet another thank you card made for the abused women's shelter which is run by the Singapore Council of Women's Organizations. They wanted me to make thank you cards to be sent to the donors/sponsors.

 Apologies for the overdose of thank cards coming your way. 

The 'oh so pretty' printed paper on this card came from dear Shirley-Anne @ http://shirley-anne-stampingforjoy.blogspot.com/ along with many other goodies a few years ago. 

I was keeping it safe all along but decided to use it at last since I wanted to make really pretty cards for the shelter. 

I am hoping my meditation and self development classes resume at the school asap as I think we all could do with a dose of positivity. 

Coming back to the card, I have used hand made paper from India. 

The die cut has been cut from packaging material over which I painted a shade of red acrylic paint. I quite like this simple beauty. Thank you, Shirley-Anne.

https://craftingwithanattitude.blogspot.com/ - always anything goes

https://cutecardthursday.blogspot.com/ - CAS

http://throughthepurplehazechallenges.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://southerngirlschallenge.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

Happy card making,

Monica 

Thank you

Hello dear bloggers,

Here is a card to show you that was made with leftovers of water coloured paper as well as hand made paper from India. And there are a few scraps of coloured cardstock as well to fill in the matching colours. 

The sentiment is a rubber stamp (too far away to read its name) and I have used Stazon ink to stamp it.

 I think I did go overboard with the strips of paper yet there were a few errors to cover up so more strips came in handy. 

The inspiration for this card came from a post on Pinterest.

Learning for next time: use wider strips to ease the gluing process.

I will participate in the following challenges with this card:

http://craftycreationschallenges.blogspot.com/ - always anything goes

http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

https://digichoosday.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://tuesdaythrowdown.blogspot.com/ - create your own background

Happy card making, happy health and happy, happy happy!

Monica 

Thank you card

Dear bloggers,

Here is my card to show you. The purple colour is actually leftover from Dylon fabric dies which we needed to dye Aleeza's t-shirt for her house colours. I took card stock and gently glided it over the liquid dye that was left behind in the basin and this is what I achieved. The thanks sentiment, as usual, has been die cut from a yoghurt lid. I have mounted the dyed cardstock on cardboard instead of foam dots. Sometimes I take a whole piece of cardboard and stick it under. 

I will enter in the following challenges:

Arty Divas - anything goes

http://tuesdaythrowdown.blogspot.com/ - make your own background

Happy card making,

Monica 

Partly recycled

Hello sweet bloggers,

This card has been made with packaging material again and what I did was to place the printed packaging (which was actually very flimsy plastic) under the reverse of the starts. 

The sentiment is a washi tape which I cut carefully so that the edges look straight, I hope. Lol. 

The little gold dots are also from packaging material. I have used cardboard to prop up the top layer. I quite like what I created. 

I will participate in the following challenges with my card:

https://craftinghappinesschallenges.blogspot.com/ - anything goes twist pink

http://welove2create.blogspot.com/ - anything creative

http://craftycalendarchallenge.blogspot.com/ - use die cuts, punches

https://creationsinpink.blogspot.com/ - anything goes in pink

Happy card making,

Monica 

Wild flowers again!!!

Hello dear bloggers,

Here is a card to show you today which has been made with brush markers and Pentel water colour tubes. The wild flower die cuts were smooshed with Camlin brush markers from India and the background which has been created by Aleeza with Pentel water colours has been done with a brush. The die cut sentiment has been coloured with Pentel water colours. Aleeza masked the paper with recyled tape before water colouring it and that is how we got a white surface in the centre.

I will participate in the following challenges with this card:

http://mybestiesspanishchallengeblog.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

https://pinkgemchallengeblog.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://craftycalendarchallenge.blogspot.com/ - use diecuts, punches

Happy card making,

Monica

I love dahlias

Hello sweet bloggers,

Here is my card to show you today made with my new rubber stamps which I bought from a store called Tokyu Hands. It is a really cool store with stationery and other products. 

I stamped the dahlia and masked it before stamping the leaf stamp. I used two-three colours of distress inks for the leaves and Stazon for the dahlia. It was coloured with water colour pencils later. The cardstock on which the dahlia was stamped has been sponged with a distress ink as well. 

I will take part in the following challenges:

https://pinkgemchallengeblog.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

https://crafterscastle.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

https://craft-deebowz.blogspot.com/p/challenge.html - anything goes

https://crafterscafeblogchallenge.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

https://creationsinpink.blogspot.com/ - use mostly pink

Happy card making,

Monica 

Happy Birthday card

Hello dear bloggers,

Here is my card to show you with a stencilled brick background and a die cut feather on top. I have used watercolours to colour in the stencil and for the feather, I have used Mala paints from Ikea as well as Basics acrylics in red. I quite like how the feather turned out. 

The sentiment is a store bought one. The card stock with the feather diecut as been popped up on cardboard as my way of recycling and not using foam dots to help save the earth in my own little way.

I will participate in the following challenges with this card:

https://cutecardthursday.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://southerngirlschallenge.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

Arty Divas Challenge - anything goes

Happy card making,

Monica

Partly recycled

Hello sweet bloggers,

Here is a quick card to show you made with almost all packaging material. 

The checkered paper is actually an envelope of a premier cinema ticket while the shells are from a perfume packaging of a perfume called White Linen. They are a pretty shade of gold but the camera did not pick that up. I used a circle die to cut them out. 

The sentiment has been handwritten on a gold piece of paper which is at the bottom of the box of Ferraro Rocher chocolates. 

So this creation is all about beauty for the eyes (cinema ticket packaging)  nice fragrance for the senses (perfume carton) and something for the taste buds (chocolates).

I am going to enter the following challenges with this card:

http://craftycreationschallenges.blogspot.com/ - always something goes

http://carabbiemomentsofcraft.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://unicornchallenge.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://lemonshortbreadchallenge.blogspot.com/ - always anything goes

Happy card making,

Monica 

Dream Big

Hello dear bloggers,

Belated Happy New Year to all of you.

Wow, this was a long absence indeed. My older one was visiting from university and my mum also joined us from India so it was a nice reunion. My older one, Zeenya is 20 years old and she is great company. She has chosen Psychology so there was lots to share besides other things.

For New Year's Eve, we went to a beautiful Indian restaurant for dinner. There was live Indian music accompanied by traditional folk dances from Punjab, the green state of India. The food was good, too.

Now to my card. The background has been created with Camlin brush markers from India on 300 gsm watercolour paper. As you can see, the hues of these brush markers are bright and super colourful which I simply love. 

The stars and sentiment have been die cut using a yoghurt lid which seems to be quite my trademark for some time now. Lol. 

I will participate in the following challenges:

http://alwaysfunchallenges.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

http://lilpatchofcraftyfriends.blogspot.com/ - always anything goes

http://cardsgalorechallenges.blogspot.com/ - anything goes

Happy card making,

Monica