Crafting with craft board

It is with a heavy heart that I end off my month as guest designer for Vera Lane digi stamps but what a month it has been. I have had a complete blast working with the new wonderland themed stamps.
I feel that I have showcased some diverse ways to use these stamps and I have saved the best for last.

This week I have made a card and bookmark combo. Getting a card for a special occasion is wonderful but what could be better than getting a bookmark as well which I always find useful. The layout is a bit unconventional but in the world of wonderland, who is to say what is normal right? (*wink).
I also worked a fair deal with craft board which usually gets pushed aside due to it's ability to be quite inexpensive but with a vibrant topper, a nice neutral base can be just the thing to give an interesting contrast, what do you think?

Another thing I did this week is to use all the sentiments from the different sets to create a base for my scene that adds just another layer to the magic of it all.

The set I  used for this card/bookmark combo is the wonderland set 2.

I think this card would work well as a gender neutral card for either male or female with it's colourful pallet and is suitable for any age.

Thank you so much for joining on this journey. I look forward to seeing what Vera Lane comes out with next but in the meantime there is more than enough to keep any crafter busy for a good while.

Hi and welcome to my third week as guest designer for Vera Lane. This week I was tasked with using elements from the previous weeks release and mixing it up with another preexisting Vera Lane set. I decided on the doughnuts from the cupcakes set. I really wanted to create my own pattern paper for a while now and I am really pleased with the outcome. The Hatter from the wonderland set 1 is one of my most favourite characters from the new releases and I was really excited to make him my focal piece of the card.

I created an easel card from blue card stock and this is one of my  most favourite cards to  make as it is so nice to display and I love the look on peoples faces when I show them how it stands up.

I think this card is pretty neutral and would fit any occasion as well as be appropriate for a male or female as the colours are not gender specific. Layering the cute doughnut stamp just gave the right amount of whimsy that I think is befitting of our Hatter friend, don't you?

Thank you so much for stopping by, look out for next week's post as I go out with a bang and showcase the new Vera Lane Digi stamps.

If at first you don't succeed...

Hi and welcome  to my blog. This is my second week as guest designer for Vera Lane and I am so happy to share with you their new release as well as my project featuring the digi stamps. The set is Wonderland Set 1 - Alice, Mad Hatter, White Rabbit, and Caterpillar digi stamp bundle

This weeks release is right up my alley as I love fairytale themes and this set features characters from Alice in wonderland as well as some very cute sentiments.

The first thing I did was some colour swatches and I am so enamoured with Alice that I decided to do a few of her stamps first.

Then I started on my main project and my first attempt was less than stellar. I liked how it came out however once I added my elements it was clear that  it was not going to work so I might keep it for another project.

Attempt two was right on the money and keeping it simple was the way to go. I created a mixed media piece using Alice, the caterpillar and the white rabbit. I went with my signature bright colours and added a few flowers from another Vera lane set, blooms. I am really happy how it turned out and I just love the white border which gives is a storybook feel. I also used foam tape to give it some added dimension as well as a few sticky gems for a bit of glitz.

And that was my second week as guest designer for Vera Lane digi stamps. Thank you so much for stopping by and I cannot wait to share more projects using digi stamps.

Whimsical tea party with Vera Lane

Hi everyone and welcome to my blog. This month of November I am the guest designer for Vera Lane digi stamps. If you are not familiar with digi stamps or the Vera Lane company may I suggest my Youtube video where I explain it all in my own way...Vera Lane First impression video.

I will be showcasing four projects, three of which will feature the new releases for November... and they are just up my street. For this first week I will add a  tutorial as well as my creation using the Cupcakes digi stamp set because after all, what is a tea party with cakes right?

I used a very limited colour pallet for this card, mainly yellow, pink and grey with hints of brown. I created a greetings card with an inlaid box style with different dimensions to create depth. This is a fun card to make and can be adapted for any type of occasion also it is ideal for people who like to embellish a lot but don't want to ruin their elements, so without further ado, here is the card...

To create this box style card you will need:

* 2x A4 card stock, in the colours of your choice ( I used bubblegum pink and pink gingham)
* double sided tape or adhesive
* your Vera Lane digi stamps, printed and coloured
* a trimmer/craft knife or something to cut with
* embellishments of your choice.
* a scoring tool (a bread knife and ruler will work if you do not have one)
* a ruler for measurement

So, lets get started putting the card together.

Step one,

Start by cutting your base card into three strips. You will use the biggest and the middle strip. The third can be used for embellishment. The biggest piece of card stock will be 15cmx 30cm. The second strip should be 1.5cmx30cm and the left over piece is just an extra.
Now score your card at 14cm and 16cm straight down, this should create a score line similar to a book spine. Put the other two strips to the side for now.

Step two,

Score your card on the right hand side creating a box. To do this measure in 1.5cm all the way around Make sure you do not score outside of your box, the crease lines should not reach the edge.

Step three,

Using a craft knife, cut from one corner of your 'box' to the other end on both sides. This should create an 'x' shape cute in your box.Do not go outside of the lines and stay within the box.

Step four.

Score another 1.5cm box within your existing box. If you made it this far I applaud you. Keep going we are almost there and it will soon start coming together.

Step five (folding),

 Now it is time to fold. Fold your first layer of the box outward,

Fold your second layer inwards

Step six,

Using the second strip that was 1.5cmx30cm, cut it equally into 4 parts and fold them in the middle. these will be your corners of the box card.

Step seven,

Using the folded strips, reinforce each corner by gluing the folded strip to the corner of your box. The folded strips should be on the outside of the box

Step eight.

Now take your second piece of cardstock and  cut 2 pieces, the dimensions are 11cmx12cm. These are the two backing pieces of your box.

Step nine,

Adhere the last two pieces you cute to the front and back of your card. Your card should not be finished and ready to embellish as you like using your Vera Lane did stamps. Add a sentiment to the back of your box and you are done!

And your card is complete. I hope I have made it easy enough to understand. I know this may not be a beginners project but you if you have a little patience then it will all come together. Also, feel free to message me if you need any further help with the card.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog, I cannot wait to share more projects with you using Vera Lane stamps.

What happened to Inktober? *New sketchbook and app.*

Digi Stamps! My newest obsession.

Hi friends,

Just a new update about my latest obsession, digital stamps. I know you are probably thinking, 'but Nasreen, they have been around for ages, late to the party much?' but it took me a while to hop  on the bandwagon.

I must admit, I had my reservations and was thinking 'don't fix it if it's not broke' but this new (to me anyway) way of stamping has completely bowled me over.... why did I not try them before?

Well the main reason I must say is that I don't own a printer. Given my nomad lifestyle ( I have moved 5 times alone this year) it really was not practical for me to get one but all the cons I have about digital stamps are basically minor and not something that cannot be fixed. Here are my cons...

* no printer
* they take time to download and arrange into place
* Will I really find what I am looking for?

Well all three had very basic answers. Firstly, I live just around the corner from a very affordable internet cafe and while the thought of leaving the house literally makes me sigh, it is still an excuse to get some fresh air and they do such nice prints and I can usually haggle them to let me pay less since I provide my own paper. The second thing is yes, while they take a while to arrange into a workable print, once you have them sized and on the page then you just save the file and print as needed, it is literally a one time thing. Then lastly, and most importantly about the availability of stamps offered, well gosh, a simple Google search will show you a world of stamps and designs for you to choose from and if you still feel left wanting then head over to etsy where you can support a digital stamp artist and get all sorts of feels from supporting the arts.

So those are my cons, what about the pros? Well take a seat, this is going to take a while...
* resizable... you can make a stamp any size you want from a teeny tiny one to a full page!
* No more taking up space in your stash, the files just sit patiently in your computer till you need them.
* They are cheaper than physical stamps
* Instant satisfaction.... no waiting by the mailbox.
* no mistakes in stamping and messing up your lovely card stock
* No problem choosing an ink, we all know that certain media reacts with certain inks but by printing with a laser printer, well that problem is gone
* No inky mess to clean up.
* layering and masking is a doddle, just arrange your stamps how you like before you print. Print as many as you like with having to clean ink and change stamps.
* No wear and tear on your stamps. They stay as pretty as the day you downloaded them

... I could literally go on for ages about how amazing they are but those are the top reasons I had for loving digis.

These are my favorite stores for digis:

Vera Lane 
Craftin desert Divas
The Greeting Farm

Look out for my next Youtube video where you can see me in action using my digital stamps and I will be hosting a Give away too, believe me you don't want to miss it.

So I will leave you here while I go 'play' with my digis. Let me know below if you like digital stamps, if I missed any pros or cone and what your favorite store are for buying them.

Take care,
Nasreen.

Free download for my live stream.

Hi there everyone,

Today I want to invite you to download a free copy of some line art I made. This link will only be available for free download till the fourth of August. I will be colouring it in my live stream over on my Youtube channel at 7pm Irish time. If you would like to tune in then why not grab a copy and join me. You can save it to your computer and then play around with the size if you feel it to be a bit big or make multiple images to colour in different ways on one page, sky is the limit.

The line art is to celebrate my first little milestone that is coming up, I am 1 away from 50 subscribers!!! I am hoping to hit the big five o by the live stream, fingers crossed.

Thank you so much to all those who have subbed to my channel, I really appreciate it and I look forward to all those who stop by on Friday.

Click here to view my Youtube channel