Indian Summer Notepads

Hello from hot and humid Mumbai !

Here's a set of 10 notepads I made for a lady who suggested an "Indian Summer" theme. 

I apologize for the rather smoky looking photos.  Can't figure out why they look they way they do.

Anyway, I had fun making them.

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Thanks for visiting.

Hugs

Lena

Christmas 2013 Notepads

Welcome! I trust you had a fabulous Thanksgiving.

I hope at least a few people remember me.  It’s been such a long time since I posted anything and I wonder if anyone checks for updates from my blog anymore.

I had been extremely busy making plans and then travelling (part of my wishlist) that I haven’t been able to post any projects to my blog in two months and several months before the last post in September too.  To top it all my laptop has been hiccuping ! I need to write an update on what I’ve been doing, as well as post some photos of my visits abroad. 

But in the meantime, here are some notepads which I created for my ex boss at her request - very simply put together using Papermania design sheets, borders & punch cuts and scraps from old Christmas cards.  The plain red and green background paper is from a craft store in Mumbai that sells handmade paper.

The colours are really bright but my images look hazy - can't figure out why.  

I love these British mail boxes

 a detachable bookmark in the pocket.  The vintage child image is from a chocolate wrapping.

snowflakes from my small collection of snowflake punches interspersed with tiny, star stickers.

The snowman is punch cut and assembled. I coloured in the edges of my image with watercolour pencils and then ran my brush over it to give it a soft effect. 

another little pocket and tag partially pinned down by the embossed poinsettia.

this one has lots of glitter but my photo image is rather poor.

Thank you for visiting me and leaving such nice comments. I read your blogs and stare at your creations intending to leave comments and them somehow time runs away from me. I apologize for that.  Lately it seems the hours in a day are just not long.   I will try and be better!

My home in Mumbai is currently under much needed renovation and that means I won’t be able to create or maybe even just work at any craft in the weeks to come.  We hope to finish at least a week before Christmas Eve.

I envy all of you  and your awesome creations.  I could never even strive to match your work.

Wishing you Season's Greetings and happy crafting !

Lena

Diwali 2013 Notepads

Hello !

I’ve been away for far too long.  I hope everything is good in your part of our globe.

Last week was a happily busy one for me.  Here are the notepads I’ve just made as Diwali gifts. The Festival of Lights will be celebrated this year in the first week of November.

First order ready to be sent out.

Bye and happy crafting.

Lena

Maroon, Amber and Red

Happy Women's Day !

And what better way to start the day than by crafting !  As I post this it is already past 4 pm here in India !

A big thank you to all the lovely people who commented on my work in the past two days.  I truly appreciate your comments.  It makes me feel so good.

Continuing with my latest craze for decorating notepads....

 ..with a flower spray and folded tag.  The gems and gold glitter on some of the borders just refuses to show.  

Leaving a border all around, I highlighted a little of the design in the squares - with 3D gold metallic and then stuck the gems.  Actually this paper is a light brown and the gold and amber embellishments show very well.  Took several photos but the colour just does not come out right.

Here too the paisley looks gorgeous but the design appears blurred.  Created by sticking a paisley motif taken from another design paper.  Then I piped in 3D gold, glitter pink and glitter gold over the motif.  The top of the cover holds a wrist band which I bought from a local shop.  

All design paper used is handmade in India.

And now I shall go and make myself a cup of chai.  

Cheers !  Hope you all have a wonderful day !

Lena

Shades of brown and maroon

I seem to have been bitten by the craft bug considering how feverishly I've been crafting lately.

These four notepads have been decorated with an Oriental touch.  All design paper used to cover the notebooks is handmade in India.

 I love working with strips and here are amber gems to soften up the browns. The tea set image is from the magazine section of our Sunday newspaper.  I liked it too much to throw it away. 

 colour print out embellished in gold glitter

 white 3D pearl to highlight the cherryblossom and gold glitter piped into the centres.

my favourite strips - horizontally this time.

I love this design paper and have it in several other shades.  Also, there's something about clean pen sketches that fascinates me.

Apologies for the slightly wonky pictures but I'm that way myself !

Thanks for visiting !

Have a great day !

"Capped" Notepads 2

I had some pads leftover from the first pack I bought and here's what they look like after using the bits and pieces from my scrap tray.

 

If you wish to see the first batch I made, you will find it here. 

I would appreciate your valuable comments.

 

If you do make anything from my blog and post it on yours please be sure to give me credit and a link back to my blog.



 

Pink Fantasy purse note pads

One of my favourite colours is pink and I am also fond of mettalic shades in cardstock.  I made these "purse type" covers for lined pads.  They open either from the sides or bottom of the pads.   You will need strong glue to adhere lined pad to the card stock. To decorate....all kinds of delicious possibilities.  They fasten with a small velcro piece glued to the underside of the flap.

 

 

I've stamped this one with (as you can see) butterflies from a stamp set gifted to me by Joe Roberts from England.  I used my scallop circle punch to make the dark pink "clasp" and scattered some gems for added dazzle.  By now you've noticed I love glitz !  The stiff pink and silver strip is from the busy marketplace in Mumbai (of which I've mentioned in my previous post) and is sold in bunches of 9 yards each.  Why 9 yards ?  Because generally, the length of a saree is 9 yards and these ribbon strips are stitched onto otherwise plain sarees, as borders.

  

I call this Pink Paisley.   To one side of the design paper, I've glued on pink rick rack.  I've cut out two motifs from the same paper and decorated the two ends of the flap.  I stamped the label shape onto thick cardstock of a darker pink shade, cut it out and embellished it with two floral "gems".   

 

 

Pink Lace

This is also giftwrap paper that looks like fabric and even feels like it.  The background is almost transparent and the flowers are lined with silver so there was no need for more embellishment.  

 

Hydrangea & candy stripes.

 

   

The hydrangea motif and butterfly were cut out from old cards.  I mounted the hydrangea picture on stiff paper, cut it into shape and stuck it on the cover.  The candystripe bit on the flap is again giftwrap paper.  The stripes have a gilt edge which does not show in my pics.

What do you think of them ?

 

You will find a post my mini notebooks here.

 

Stamps used: Papertreyink's Take Note set.

 

 

If you do make anything from my blog and post it on yours please be sure to give me credit and a link back to my blog.