Love for art in many forms

I've moved! Blog relocation announcement

2016-04-03T20:41:00.002-04:00

IMPORTANT!!

Attention dear friends and readers, I'm moving out!

I've been working like a Trojan for the last couple of weeks, on the (not-so-secret-any-more) website that will be now a dwelling place for Love For Art in Many Forms, which will now named after me.

>>>IT'S HERE!!<<<

In other words, I switched to a Wordpress website (may be soon a self-hosted website), which means no more ranting over blogger issues and limitations! I'm looking forward to providing you with a more reliable and enriched service, while at the same time I'm given the tools to make my content more interesting and pleasing for the eye.
Now, the important part is that the move means no more Google Friend Connect.

There's a number of means through which you can subscribe to my blog instead, including RSS (also via email), Networked Blogs & Twitter. Whatever your preferences, I sincerely hope that you will make it there and make yourself at home! :)

I can't wait to find out what you think. In case of any suggestions or concerns, please shoot me an email or leave a message and I will work it out for you.

Bright Floral Backdrop

2016-02-10T10:52:00.000-05:00

Hi all. It's been a long time that I had posted something here. I have an announcement to make - 'I'm expecting a baby'. Yes !! That kept me tired for the last few months. I was busy planning, preparing check lists and all. So I couldn't create anything for sometime. However, I got a chance to work on something colourful, creative and challenging for a couple of weeks. We had to plan for a gender neutral baby shower decor and I obviously insisted that the decor be DIY. Today I want to share with you the floral backdrop that I had made for my baby shower.
Below is the whole setting which is about 12 feet wide and 5 feet high.
(Click on the image below to view full size photo)

Challenge

I knew I wanted a floral back drop which is quite bright in color, since there were several restrictions to not tape anything on the walls at the function hall and only hooks which were already present could be used to hang any decor. Also the main wall had 3 large windows over which inevitably should be part of the backdrop.

How I made it

I had to make some 80 flowers, 50 leaves and several lose petals to make this back drop. I had used the following tutorial @AshandCrafts to make all the flowers required. This tutorial has all the steps, in detail, required for making flowers. For leaves I have used freehand drawn templates. I also used several other petals of different shapes and sizes, which are freehand drawn too. I had scored leaves to add dimension, after they were cut in different sizes and shapes.

I then assembled all the flowers on large cardboard pieces (same as packing boxes), which were cut in the shape of the arch and then hung to the hooks and windows with the help of a balloon ribbon.

Materials Used

Glue Gun
Large Cardboard pieces
Color papers - A4 size - 24lbs (brights staples)
Balloon ribbon
Pencil
Marker
Scissors
Templates to cut petals and leaves
Foam for scoring leaves.

A closer look at paper flowers and leaves of different colors, variety and sizes that I had made through out the setting.

Hope you liked the decor. Thanks for stopping by. Ta-Ta !!

Quality Of Life

2015-08-21T23:48:00.001-04:00

It has been a while since I came up with a comic strip. My latest Huion 610 pro and a funny, but thinkable, blog on quality of life by my brother-in-law Raghu, have inspired me to come up with this comic. Refer my BIL's blog - Antharanagam
Readers, please excuse as this comic is written in my mother tongue Telugu.

Hope you enjoyed this little attempt. Thanks for stopping by.

My favourite artist.

2015-08-13T20:47:00.002-04:00

Recently I was recently reminded of Artist Appreciation Month by Patience Brewster, a designer of handmade Christmas ornaments and gifts and so I was prompted to consider who has been my inspiration. Kristina Werner, or popular as starofmay, is my first inspiration for making greeting cards.

3 years ago, I wanted to make a beautiful handmade card for my husband, which is when I came across Kristina’s channel on youtube. I loved her videos and the way she showed step by step process of making cards, various tools she had used and the perfection with which she finished off a handmade card, have all motivated me. I challenged myself if I can make such cards and implement my ideas with perfection. And that’s how my card making journey had began. I am also inspired by Jennifermcguire, Gayatri Murali, Sanketi, Aga, and the list goes on and on. There were many artists out there; however Kristina Werner has always been on top of my list.

It’s a wonderful world of card making that I was introduced to. I love everything about it. The colours, the variety of papers, wide range of tools, stamps and techniques. It isn’t time-taking when compared to the other form of art that I work on, like sketching, painting and different forms of designing. This is an advantage I have with cardmaking.

Thank you Patience for reminding me about the Artist Appreciation month. You are the reason, I have this post up today.

Thanks for stopping by readers.

Jewelry Box - Mod podged

2015-07-12T10:58:00.001-04:00

Hi all. I have tried something for the first time, which I have wanted to for a long time. :-) I too have modpodged and I loved it!. Alright, so here is a before and after of the box. Ta-Da!

Below is the list of materials that I have used for making this box.

ArtMinds wooden box base (can be purchased here.)
Modpodge - Gloss-Luster
Rub and Buff - Grecian Gold
Paint brushes
Arcylic paints of your choice
Pattern paper of your choice
Water
Modpodge Clear acrylic Sealer
Paper trimmer
Scissors
Exacto Knife
Measuring tape
Clear tape

The Process
Colour the whole box and its interiors with an acrylic colour that matches your pattern paper and allow it to dry for an hour. This will be the base over which we start of adding layers.

Later trim the pattern paper of your choice with trimmer and scissors, according to the measurements of the box. Only the exteriors of the box may be covered with the paper. The thinner the paper the better for modpodge.

Cover all sides of the box with pattern paper and apply modpodge thoroughly and carefully, without tearing the paper. Allow the first coat of modpodge to dry before doing the 2nd coat. Any air bubbles may be punctured with a needle and the paper will flatten out. Add another coat of modpodge if necessary.

Apply sealant all over the box and finish it off by painting the knobs and border in gold or a colour of your choice.
Tips
The trickiest part for me was with cutting the paper around the knobs. I had used an exacto knife to precisely cut the paper around the knobs carefully, by measuring the knob size.
I had always used a clear tape around the edges, to avoid the gold paint from smudging. This gave me a crisp finish with the gold paint.

I have been using this box for a month, where I have put all my favorite fancy jewelry in.
Hope you liked this box. Thanks for stopping by.

CFC 140 - Bright Summer

2015-05-29T06:30:00.000-04:00

Hi all. I'm thoroughly enjoying my summer. Right now am in India and its very hot here. So today I'm back with another challenge from CAS-ual Fridays. If you have already guessed, this month's challenge is about summer. You gotta make a project using some tan, white and just one other bright colour. Below is my take on the challenge.

I had used Bold Wishes stamp set for making this card. The background is repetitive stamping in PTI raspberry fizz. I had then heat embossed the sentiment in white on a tan card stock and neatly cut it into separate alphabets. I had then assembled them all as shown above.

Click on the stamp set image above to find more details about it. You could join the fun by clicking the challenge graphic below.

Hope you liked my card for today. See you again with another card. Thanks for stopping by.

CFC 139 - The Birthday

2015-05-01T06:30:00.000-04:00

Hi all. It's going to be an exciting challenge at CAS-ual Fridays this month. Wondering why? Since, CAS-ual Fridays is celebrating its 4th birthday this month. Yaaaay!!
So this month's challenge is totally about celebrating Casual Fridays. For this challenge, you must make a birthday themed project using only 4 colours - Orange, Turquoise, Black and White.
Here is my take on the challenge.

A big sentiment with some water colours in the back ground. Simple and quick. I had used a black pen to create to created that shadow around the sentiment,It was totally hand-drawn. And I love how the shadow made the sentiment standout. This lovely sentiment is from Bold Wishes Stamp set.

Click on the challenge graphic below to join the fun @ CFC.

Hope you liked the card. Your opinion about the card matters. Thank you.

CFC - 138 Krafty Bouquets

2015-04-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hi all. Today I'm back with our next challenge for the month @ CAS-ual Friday's Challenge. This month's challenge requires you to make a project with the following elements on it - Kraft + Flowers + Twine.

I had the Oval Tag Fri-dies for cutting the frame off center of the card. Then I have made these pretty flowers using the Loving thoughts Stamp set and Loving Blooms Fri-dies. I had used Bold Wishes stamp set for the sentiment, arranged all the elements and finished the card. I had used some gemstones, twine and a white ink gel pen to add highlights to the card.

Below are the links to the stamp sets and the dies that I have used to make this card.

Click on the challenge graphic below to join the challenge and showcase your creativity.

Hope you liked the card. Your opinion about the card matters. Thanks for stopping by.
Ta- Ta

For the loved

2015-03-18T11:23:00.004-04:00

Hi all. This week's CASE this sketch challenge seemed quite interesting. I knew what to make the moment I saw it. Below is my take on the sketch.

I has used some water colours to create the background, on a water colour paper. Then I had trimmed of the inner rectangle using my paper trimmer which gives the sentiment a framed look. This sketch is ideal for large sentiments, isn't it?

However the sentiment did bleed a little when I has added glossy accent drops on top to give the dew effect to the card. You can see those tiny rhinestones and glossy accent drops in the close up below.

Click on the graphic below to join the challenge @ CTS #114. Hope you liked the card. Your opinion about the card matters. Thank you.

Reference Binder

2015-03-10T16:37:00.002-04:00

Hi. Today I'm sharing with you all, another important tutorial which has made my life much easier - 'REFERENCE BINDER'. This binder was created to address the following main problems.

All the paper printouts, tip sheets, sketches and other reference material, which is often used for crafting but not organized.
Keep a track of all the growing stash and maintain a reference of the following

Stamps
Dies
Punches

FEW USES OF THE BINDER

Easiest way to look up for stamps or other stash that you need for a project.
A great reference to keep track of all the stamps, dies, punches and other stash that you own. (as we may not remember a stamp set that is not so often used, bought a couple of years ago)
Details about all the stamp sets you own is preserved.
All the lookup information that you need for crafting purposes, will be in a single home.
No more loosing important reference documents or helpful information.
No more rumbling all your shelves and drawers for finding the right stamp set

HOW TO MAKE THE REFERENCE BINDER

Materials that you will need for making this reference binder are

3 Ring Reference Binder
Page dividers
Labels
All the paper printouts to organize and file
Page protectors (Optional)
3 hole paper punch (Optional)
Colour pens and stickers (Optional)

Below are the steps for making this binder.

Step 1. You could personalize the Reference binder front with a decorated pattern paper or a graphic printout of your choice.. This step is optional. Below is an image of how I personalized my binder, with white heat embossing and white gel pen.

Step 2. Decide on all the categories of information that you wan't file in this reference binder. Then label the page dividers with those categories. Following are the categories that I look up to in my binder.

Stamps
Dies / Punches
Tips
Sketches
Tutorials

Step 3. File papers on both sides of a page protector and arrange them into the binder. Following are the tips for organizing/ file papers onto different categories. STAMPS

Prepare a PDF/ word document with all the images of stamps that you have in your stash.
You could include digital stamps that you own as well.
In case you have some miscellaneous stamps that you cannot find a reference image of, or rubber stamps, you could stamp them directly onto an A4 paper and file them.
Take printouts of the word document that you had prepared and file them as shown below, into your page protectors.

You could also file papers by grouping similar stamps into one, to ease your look up of stamps. Eg: I filed all the sentiments together by grouping 'sentiment only' stamps as shown below.You could group or create an index for looking up stamps, based on the stamps that you own.

DIES

Prepare a PDF/ Word document with images of all the dies that you own.
Along with dies you could also file paper punches together.
Take printouts of the word documents that you has prepared and file them into the page protectors.
In case you own paper punches, then you could punch out some samples from colour papers. You could then glue these paper punches onto A4 sheets and file them along as well. (image shown below)

TIPS

At times you come across some creative ways to use specific stamp sets that you own, which can be a very helpful reference document to save.
Also, if you own any PTI stamps, then you could download and save the tip sheets that they share online for the corresponding stamp sets.
All the possible combinations for a layering stamps or sentiment stamp sets can also be saved.
All the above information can be created into a word/ PDF document. Later print all the pages and file them into the page protectors.
A Sample tip sheet that I have filed is shown below.

SKETCHES

All those interesting sketches that you find online, or all the scraps of hand drawn sketches that you have can be filed under this category
Certain websites/ blogs share sketches for free, which can be downloaded and saved.
All the above materials can be printed out and filed under this category for reference.
Below image shows all the sketches that I have saved from CASE This sketch blog.

TUTORIALS

Any graphic design tips/ tricks that you find helpful can be saved and filed under this category.
Standard card sizes, shapes, templates can be saved under this category as well

The uses of this Reference binder are endless, you could expand the use of this binder to suit your specific needs.
Hope you find this tutorial helps you. Do share your ideas and opinion about this tutorial. Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Holi

2015-03-05T11:30:00.000-05:00

Hi all. Wish you all a very Happy Holi - the festival of colours.

I have used wplus9 - Ink splats stamps for this card. And the sentiment is partially stamped (Simon says stamp - Happy) and handwritten. You could also make simple gift tags for your sweet boxes or gifts exchanged between family and friends.

Hope you liked the card. Your opinion about the card matters. Thanks for stopping by.

Spring Time Melodies - In Love

2015-02-27T06:30:00.000-05:00

Hi all. Hope you have had fun with water colours in the last challenge. I'm excited about spring and if you are too, then you will love this month's challenge at CFC. This month's challenge requires you to make a card in musical theme using spring colours. Below is my take on the challenge. I'm still up with valentine's hangover I guess ;-)

I had the Oval Tag Fri-dies for cutting a musical notes pattern paper and a brilliant red card stock. Then I have mixed and matched the two nesting die cuts and secured the pieces together with a tape behind. I then tilted the oval tags at a right angle, which made that large heart and stuck those pieces together.

It's two pieces put together to make the heart. (like two people, 1 heart ;-) ) Sweet isn't it? This large heart looks trendy isn't it? These dies are definitely to die for!

The sentiment is from Loving thoughts Stamp set. I had cut and used only a part of the long "Oh, how I love you!' sentiment from this set. Then I went ahead and punched a yellow heart placed in at the bottom of the large heart and finished the card.

A very simple card with just dies/ punches (except for the sentiment of course). Below are the link to the stamp set and the oval tag dies that I have used to make this card completely.

Click on the challenge graphic below to join the fun this Month.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you liked my card.

Ta- Ta

Emboss Resist Water Colours- CFC 136

2015-01-30T06:30:00.000-05:00

Hi all. Hope you have had fun with the first challenge from Cas-ual Fridays, 2015. You will surely love this challenge as well :-) This month's challenge requires you to make a card using Water Colours. Simple and exciting. Got your colour palletes up already? Below is my take on the challenge.

I had used emboss resist water colour technique for this card. First I have heat embossed these lovely flowers, from Loving thoughts Stamp set, in white. Then I went over these flowers with the brilliant blue and pink colours. I love how these heat emboss resists water colours. The sentiment is stamped to the other corner to balance the card. I then sprinkled some water colour over the sentiment, very mildly.

A very simple card with just water colours and a single stamp set. Below is the link to this gorgeous stamp set, that I have used to make this card completely.

Click on the challenge graphic below to join the fun this Lovely Month.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you liked my card.

Ta- Ta

Orange blossom - Anniversary.

2015-01-28T16:24:00.001-05:00

Hey, it's time I catch up with RIC # 76 challenge this fortnight. Below is my take on the challenge

The colours on this card and the entire scene is inspired from the outfit in the inspiration image below. I loved these bright colour. Perhaps I needed these bright colours to treat my eyes as all I see after the snowstorm is white and black in shades :-)

Another view at the card closely. I love the orange. Its mostly Orange Zest from PTI. and the rest are some copic markers. The trunk of the tree is painted with a bamboo skew, with dark chocolate PTI dye ink.

Hope you liked the card. Thanks for stopping by. Ta-Ta

Easy Colour Swatch Tutorial

2015-01-26T17:37:00.001-05:00

Hi all. Colour swatches are a must have for an artist. You do not want to pull out all the stamp pads and keep trying all the shades and tones of a colour, until you find the desired colour for your project. Labels on the stamp pads can be deceiving at times, as the actual ink on paper may actually turn out to be dark or lighter than the label on stamp pad.
One way to get a colour swatch is to download and print those that the manufacturers sell. But again, you do not want to buy all the swatches from all the manufacturers, though you may own only half of all those colours. Also these colour swatches keep getting updated with time.
So I created by own colour swatch to address all the above issues. A simple but very functional cute little swatch.

Making the Colour Swatch

Step 1. Gather all the supplies. The supplies that we are gonna need are listed below. 1. Hole Punch 2. Binder ring 3. Pen/ label maker 4. Scissors 5. Stamp block 6. A stamp of your choice 7. Stamp pads, which you want to add to the swatch. 8. Index cards / Card stock - White

Step 2. Cut Index cards into half, to get uniform sized swatch papers. If you are using a card stock here, make sure that you are cutting all the swatches of same size. A white colour card stock or index card must be used, for obvious reasons :-)

Step 3. Stamp each colour on to a single leaf of swatch paper. Don't forget to label the make and Colour Name of that stamp pad on the swatch.

Step 4. Once all the swatches are ready, then punch holes to a corner of the swatches in batches,

Step 5. Arrange all the swatches colour wise / make wise, as per your interest. Slip through the binder ring to secure them all in place together.

The handy colour swatch is ready-to-use !

Tip- Whenever you buy a new stamp pad, create a swatch and slip it through the binder ring into appropriate position. So easy to maintain!

Thanks for stopping by Ta- Ta.

Peacock With Felt. - CFC # 135

2015-01-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hi all. Happy New Year. Hope you had a blast on New Year's Eve. Cas-ual Fridays is back with a challenge after a break, today. Finally...right ? :-)
This first challenge for the year, requires you to make a card using felt and sequins. Below is my take on the challenge.

I had used various coloured felts, for making the body of the peacock, which I had die cut using Loving Blooms Fri-Dies. I have used sequins to add interest to the peacock. I have hand cut the body of the peacock and used twine to make the legs. I had done some white embossing and mist to form the back ground, on a water colour paper. For the sentiment I have used the Calm and Gentle stamp set.

Stamps and Dies used.

Click on the challenge graphic below to join the fun.

Hope you liked my card. Your opinions are most welcome. Thanks for stopping by.

RIC # 74 - Escada

2014-12-28T14:57:00.001-05:00

Hi all. After like a really really long time , I got to make a card for a challenge and it had to be the Runway Inspired Challenge. Below is my take on the challenge.

For this card I had used the PTI inks Lemon Tart and Sunburst. I mixed these inks in with some water and used it them as water colours to form the pattern. The sentiment is a Simon Says Stamp die cut. The inspiration for this card is clearly the colours and pattern from the inspiration picture below.

Hope you liked the card. Your opinion about the card matters. Thanks you.

CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Mystery blog hop

2014-12-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to The Girl Friday Mystery Reveal Blog Hop!

Twelve amazingly talented designers are joining the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge Team! We have been sworn to secrecy for the past few months, and today we finally get to spill our beans!

Yaay !!!! I yelled, jumped and danced when I saw the acceptance email into the DT.

Let me introduce myself, for those visiting my blog for the first time. I'm Eesha Kolli, a mixed media artist. My design style is Clean and Simple. To begin the fun, here is a small Gift box and tag that I have made for this Christmas.

I have used the following CAS-ual Fridays Stamps and Fri-Dies for making this gift box.
Bold Wishes
Oval Tag Fri-Dies. Isn't the shape of this tag too cute.

I have made the gift box by stamping a white card stock with a bold wishes stamp in grey, to create the print. The sentiment is white heat embossed on a night snow backdrop paper, which I had created with some blue-black ink and white mist.

Well, we could just make a regular old team announcement, but that wouldn't be nearly as fun as a mystery blog hop filled with awesome creative inspiration, clues and prizes...would it?
To join the fun, you'll need to start at the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps blog, where you will be given the link to meet the first Girl Friday and collect your first clue. Then continue through our mystery blog hop, meeting the team, gathering clues and leaving comments along the way for your chance to win prizes!

Yes, prizes!!
Each new Girl Friday has a prize up for grabs!
At the last stop on the hop, you'll have one more chance to win a prize by using the clues you've gathered to solve the mystery. The hop ends at noon on December 27th.
You could leave a comment here on my blog for your chance to win a $15 gift certificate to CAS-ual Fridays Stamps. Wink !! Wink !! Below is my clue for you all readers.

To goto the starting point of this blog hop visit the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps blog.
The winners will be announced on the CFC blog on December 28th, 2014. Thanks for stopping by and all the best guys.

For your next clue and to continue the blog hop click here.

Ta- Ta !!

Last Day of Summer - 2014

2014-09-23T09:25:00.000-04:00

Hi all. The last day of summer apparently drived me to make a bright card. I think this is the first card that I have made with nothing black on it. Below is my take on CASE This sketch challenge for the week.

I watercoloured the background with mute pink and yellow colours. I loved the flowers which are stamped from 'Ruby Rose' and leaves from 'Turning A New Leaf' PTI stamp sets. The circle border has been die cut from memory box circle border die cut, on a gold sheet. Below is a closer look at the elements.

Click on the image below to visit the challenge page. Hope you liked my card. Your opinion about the card matters. Thank you.

Foxy Fox on the card.

2014-09-16T17:39:00.000-04:00

Hi all. Here is my take on Moxie Fab Challenge - Foxy Foxes Challenge. Click here to visit the challenge blog

I have added some shimmer to the grass thinking it would give dew drop effect. The fox and the sentiment have been stamped from the lawn fawn stamp set "Critters in the Forest". I have coloured the fox using copic markers. A little mist and a twine completes the card.

I'm also linking this card for the following challenges

lawnscaping challenge: Critters galore

CAS-ology: Week 113- Grass

Hope you liked my card. Your opinion about the card matters. Thank you.

Roses

2014-08-24T18:25:00.002-04:00

Hi all. This week's RIC # 66 challenge is quite interesting where all colours are brilliant. Here is my take on the challenge.

The wooden box in the background, the royal blue and the roses have clearly inspired me. The layout of the card too is inspired from the picture, if you know what I mean. Hope you liked my card. Your opinion about the card matters. Thank You.

Floral Dots.

2014-08-21T07:41:00.000-04:00

Hi all, here is my take 2 Casual Friday's Challenge #134. I have used Circles and Dots stamp set from Inkadinkado for the flowers and have used the sequins to embellish the flowers.

My card has elements from the diagonal 'Sequins-White- Dots'. This challenge is one of those extra fun ones that you do not want to skip.

Hope you liked my card. Your opinion about the card matters. Thank you.

Rain of Sequins and Dots.

2014-08-20T10:00:00.001-04:00

Hi all. Feels so good to be back after a while. I'm upset that we have to wait until 2015 for the next challenge with 'CAS-ual Fridays'. I couldn't let go the last challenge for this year. So here is my take on Casual Fridays Challenge # 134.

It was hard for me to decide on the set of 3 elements to use on my card. I did two sets on my card.

1) Sequins-White- Dots (the obvious)

2) Sequins - Emboss - Twine

I have clear embossed the border stamps above and below the sentiment. This added a shimmer effect

and looks gorgeous.

Hope you liked the card. Your opinion about the card matters. Thank you.

Congratulations - For the one out with flying colours.

2013-11-05T07:37:00.002-05:00

Hi all. This week's CTS # 52 is up with a simple sketch, looking at which I knew what I'll be doing right away. Here is my take on it.

I have painted the wide strip of paper in patches with 4 PTI inks, diluted in water - Simply Chartreuse, Pure Poppy, Hawaiian shores, and Lemon Tart. These colours smudged off so well. Then I have used a memory box die cut for the circles background and for the 'Congratulations' banner I have used tilted banners die cut from Simon Says Stamp. Do join the fun and play along here @ CTS # 52

Hope you liked my card. Your opinion about the card matters. Thanks for peeking in. ETA This card has been choosen as CTS Favourite for the week :-) Refer the post here

Thanks - Cath

2013-11-04T15:27:00.003-05:00

Hi all. I couldn't believe the news that it will be the last post from her last Friday. I have been busy last fortnight with job and job hunting, and this morning when I checked the blog feeds, I was saddened by the news. I had to make a card to thank Cath for all the inspiration she has shared over the years. Here is the card I made for our 'moxie fab' Cath.

For making this card I had taken inspiration from the colorQ challenge # 213. I used sponge daubers to ink the negative space, of a stencil from momenta, with the colours from the challenge.

Hope you liked the card. Your opinion about the card matters. Thank you.