Ohhh and here are my cookies

My new muffin tray at work!!! :-)


I baked these for the kids... Aaryan and 2 others who will be joining us for New Year.

Cheers,
Smita.

I'm on the top of the world...!!!

Yay yay yay!!!!
'I'm on the top of the world looking down on creation and the only explanation I can' give...
is that I baked my first ever flawless cupcakes!!!!! Touch wood... :-) I am so happy today that I hardly have words to explain what I am feeling. And whom should I thank for this... well, my dear Mamma!! She found the muffin tray I had been looking for all over Mumbai for the last one year. And she bought it for me. Isn't that sweet. Mamma, you are the best!

I have been doing a lot of baking for our New Year party tomorrow. I made some cookies yesterday with cute glaze icing on them (even Mamma thought they looked nice), I made some tart shells this morning (will be filling them up with strawberry glaze while serving) and now these cupcakes. (Pictures coming up in this post). Even burnt my finger while taking out the tray from the hot oven... boo hoo... but actually I don't mind!

My little treasures:

The card my brothers-in-law made for my birthday:

My birthday cake (hmm... yummy):

The card that Vineet gave me (made by yours truly):

And my little boy on Christmas day:

Happy New Year!!!

Love,

Smita.

My birthday

Yesterday was my birthday and I had an awesome time... I love receiving gifts and I literally received loads :-). Vineet gave me stuff that I absolutely adore... some from Body Shop and a superb perfume!! Clothes from Mamma n Papa, Mom-in-law and from the kids at home.

And then the actual indulgence... I went to the biggest Hobby Ideas store here- the one at Mahalaxmi. I shopped till I dropped, literally. Bought stamps, patterned papers, a scoring tool, markers, a border punch... I literally had a bag full of card-making stuff. Waiting to use them. Guess it will first be on Aaryan's birthday card. I am planning to try a waterfall card. I did try one last week, there were some mistakes that I want to correct this time around.

The best part of my birthday were some of the cards. Vineet ordered a card (yes, I made my own birthday card) and he paid me 6 times the decided amount for the card :-); Amit and Sumit (my brothers-in-law) made a super card on behalf of all the kids at home. I loved the other card that Vineet bought too. The cake was a yummy strawberry n chocolate cake... Lunch was at Bombay Blues and dinner at Aromas of China. I bought Aaryan a magnetic Doodle Pro-like slate that I had been long dying to buy for him. All in all, I had a super day.

Will post the pictures later...

Merry Christmas!!!!

Hello everyone,
It is almost Christmas day here in India, so let me wish everyone a Merry Merry Christmas and a beautiful new year. I love the end of December and the first weeks of Jan... because of the festive mood everywhere and because of Papa's, Richa's, Aaryan's, and my birthdays. It is so much fun to have all our birthdays in each week...

Well, coming to my card. Yet again a card for this week's 2S4U sketch (Kazan's sketch # 16). It was a beautiful sketch this week. I, for once, immediately knew what I wanted to do, but wasn't too sure. I have made this card for our friends' wedding. It is their third anniversary and they have a beautiful 4 month old baby boy. I have tried to capture what each year signifies, in this card. Well, this is ofcourse my interpretation!!

For the circles, I have used thin laces from miscellaneous sources... I made concentric circles on a piece of cardstock for each of them. The buttons are from a local store.. the big button is again from my mom's stock... and the heart shaped sequins are from Hobby Ideas. The mauve and green cardstocks are from a pad of metallic sheets. That's about it I guess. Pardon my handwriting but since we don't get too many stamps and chipboard or other lettering here, I have to include handwritten stuff (in my handwriting tres terrible!)...

Cheers,

Smita.

It has been really long...

Hi all,
Finally I am back online actively; and I've finally created a card. I thought I would not be able to even think creatively for a long long time after this break of a month and a half.

Anyway, here's the card for Laura's sketch # 15. I made this one for my dad. It is Papa's birthday on the 21st and we will be visiting him then. I was almost sure I would end up not making a card for him if I had procrastinated any more. But as I mentioned earlier, time is flying these days. With Aaryan in school now, I don't know when my day begins and when it ends. It is just too hectic for now.

More about the card. I used glossy cardstock as the base. The blue and green cardstocks are part of the metallic sheets Chirag (my sister's husband) got for me from the US (A C Moore, I believe). He got me the loveliest collection of papers, and I am so grateful to him for that. I didn't try to keep the card too masculine simply because I wanted to add the daughter's touch to it, so I have generously used lace (from my mom's old collection) and glitter and rhinestones. The green buttons and the twine are from local craft stores; the bigger buttons from mom's stock again; the silver squares are from the Hobby Ideas store here and so is the sentiment. I kind of like the card and so did everyone at home. Just hoping that Papa doesn't see it before the 21st. :-)

Cheers,

Smita.

Home at last!!!

Hi all,

I am finally back home. Yes, after a very very long trip to Kolkata... The trip was wonderful, I must say. Mixed emotions and feelings... I had been waiting very long for Richa's wedding... and now it is almost 3 weeks since then and she is miles away in the US. Time either crawls or just whizzes past; there is no middle path!! We were all very busy throughout last month-first, in preparation for the wedding and then, in attending other weddings.

Richa looked like a princess on her wedding day! Really! Attaching a snap of theirs along with this post, so you'll know how serious I am. Richa, I miss you a lot... though we mostly talked on the phone!

And there is something more I have to share... Chirag got me this superb set of papers for card making!! I am so thrilled with the sheets that I don't know what to do with them :-) Hoping to get down to card making soon.

Aaryan has just started going to school this week. I am looking forward to loads of fun with him and his talks about school... but when will my little one speak!!!!!! God! Nobody is more anxious about it than I am... but he is attempting now, and I guess that is a positive sign. I am also looking forward to packing great food in his tiffin box, but the guy doesn't eat a thing!! :-( Aaryan... eat so that Mamma is inspired to cook :-)!!!

Geared up for Diwali

Hello everyone,

No cards from me for now. As I mentioned earlier, I have been preparing myself and my home for Diwali. It is now just around the corner, and I haven't had any time to sit with cards. I don't think there will be another card from me for a long time now. I will be off to Kolkata on the 4th for Richa's wedding and for 2 other weddings in the family. Will be back only by December 9. I hope I am not forgotten in blogspace by then!!!

Wish you all a very happy holiday season... just in case I don't get time to post anything soon...

Love,
Smita.

A li'l bit of shimmer

Hi all,

Don't ask me why I am so late and why I haven't had any creation since last week's card. I am now just waiting for Diwali... For the uninitated, Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights. It is one of our biggest festivals... we believe that Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, visits our homes on that day. We wear new clothes; offer our prayers to Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi; have wonderful food and burst crackers (traditionally, though many have shunned this part of the celebration in recent years). All in all, it is a fun festival. But pre-preparations for Diwali include cleaning the entire house thoroughly (else, the Goddess might decide not to come over ;-) )... and this is what I have been busy doing the last few days. Cleaning all the cupboards and rooms... trashing the unwanted stuff and generally keeping myself busy for the festive season!!

Anyway, coming to this week's card. This one is based on Kazan's sketch # 11 at 2S4U. I spent quite a while on it due to the number of layers I have given. I have added some hint of glitter to bring in the essence of our weddings... and because I personally love the shimmer! I liked the effect though I still feel something is missing. Hope y'all like it. I will be giving it to my cousin, who is getting married in December.

Cheers,
Smita.

Laura's sketch # 10: It's a boy

Hi all,

I am terribly late for this challenge on 2S4U. I have been very busy all this week with my in-laws visiting. I have also been cleaning up my home for Diwali... gosh, there is hardly any time left and I am not even half way through... I have not had the time to create anything much so far. A few gift bags and this one card is all I have managed in the last few days.

Here's the card story. My mom-in-law wanted a card to give to somebody on the birth of their baby boy. After an almost 4 month long search for a tool to cut circles, I finally found one on Friday. I was so happy that I immediately knew what I wanted to make for Mummy. In the same store, I also found some amazing colors in textured papers. I didn't want handmade paper because I was having trouble cutting them neatly. So I bought the bright yellow, awesome red, and green textured papers. I made the pram using normal blue cardstock. Mummy had also liked the two-pocket card I made earlier using Maria's tutorial, so I knew I had to use the technique in this card. Accordian style cards are a personal favorite and I tried using both techniques in this one. And of course, 2S4U is one of my favorite places to visit, so I based my card on Laura's sketch # 10. That's about it!!

For the first time in ages, I absolutely loved my card!! I really don't mind if nobody else does!!

Here's a bit about the gift bags. I made the blue backpack based on DeeDee's tutorial. Her's definitely looks lovely. I didn't have any choice of patterned paper, so I made do with whatever I had. I will be putting in a gift for one of Vineet's friend's newborn baby boy. I loved the idea of making a backpack gift bag!!

The red and green gift bag uses handmade papers. I love the golden tint in them. This bag is also based on one of DeeDee's tutorials.

The pink and offwhite bag is based on Paula Goff's tutorial. She has some superb gift bag tutorials.

The red and green one is made with handmade paper. I love the golden tint in these papers.

That's from me for now.

Cheers,

Smita.

WCMD

Hi all,
Like I mentioned yesterday, I intended to stay up all night to take part in the WCMD celebrations. Well, things didn't turn out as planned. No, I didn't sleep off... I was awake till past 3 am. First, our internet connection had a problem, so I couldn't be online before midnight. Then, after creating a card for my fav 2S4U challenge, I was unable to upload the image. :-( I tried that for almost one hour and a half!! Finally, it was done with a lot of help from 2S4U and SNR. Thanks to them for the help.

Anyway, I did not make any other card after that. I have attached pics of the card here. I drew the butterflies on a clear plastic sheet and glued glitter powder. I learnt that technique on one of the blogs. The sequins, 3D stars, and ribbon I bought from local craft stores.

Well, I wanted to take part in the celebrations and by means of this card, I did. I am glad I could be part of this mega event. :-)

Cheers,

Smita.

World Card Making Day

Today is World Cardmaking Day!! The advantage of being in India is that I get to finish all my housework and attend to everyone at home during the day and keep the night free for creating cards (when it actually is being celebrated in other parts of the world too)!! :-)

Well, for starters, I just gave my blog a much needed facelift! I think it looks damn cute now... whaddya say?

Love,
Smita.

Confused colours...?

Hi all,
Yeah, I know I have been dormant for a while... but I did a lot of work too ;-). I made some gift bags after reading tutorials at DeeDee's blog and at one more blog. It was fun making those bags. Will post pics of the bags later... I also did some stitching - attaching lace to some cloth for an ongoing festival... It is festive season out here in India and we really decorate the pictures/statues of our Gods and Godesses; so I decided to go religious and decorated the shelves where they reside in my home. :-)

Here is one confused card from me. Sorry about the quality of the pics. Please bear with me for some more time. I hardly get any time during the day, and I click pics also after Aaryan's gone to bed.

The card has 2 pockets (I learnt this technique from a tutorial on Maria's blog. I had been wanting to try it for the past couple of weeks, and when I saw Kazan's sketch, I thought I could give it a try.

I bought a lot of laces and ribbons on Monday. Aaryan and I had quite a nice time looking at the dozens of laces in the little craft stores in our area. The pink and green lace used here are out of the same roll... it is shaded pink and green... I had to hand stitch the lace (another thing I had been wanting to do since long)...The embellishments are some sort of Chinese 3D stickers that I found in a local stationery store... they are called 'Dingdong stickers' LOL!!

I have left the tags blank so I can fill them with personalised sentiments when I decide whom the card is for.

Cheers,
Smita.

Some more blog candy

There is some more yum blog candy to win here. Be sure to check it out.
I'm hoping to create something this evening. Will be back soon.

Cheers,
Smita.

My card for Laura's sketch #9

Hi all,

Here's my take on Laura's Sketch #9 on 2S4U.

I have used basic white textured cardstock and some scraps of colored cardstock. The stamped images are from my new Hobby Ideas stamp kit. I dug out the lace from Mamma's old collection of fab laces. The jeweled 'button' used to be my earring, one that I loved; Papa got it for me from Germany some 10 years back!! I have also used some glitter glue. The card is a semi-accordian style (that's what I call it). There is space to write a personlised message inside. That's about it. Hope you like it.

Sorry, this pic comes first... I'm not able to rearrange the pics :-(

Cheers,

Smita.

Yummmmm Blog Candy

There is some yummy blog candy at Elina's blog. Stop by and admire her various creations... she has some interesting 'soap' projects too!! The last date for this blog candy is October 1. Rush to her blog. What are you waiting for?

Yay! I have some new stuff

I had gone shopping on Sunday and bought this new stamp set from Hobby Ideas. Why did I choose this particular one, did I hear you ask? Well, this was the only card making stamp set they had. There were two other bookmark kits and a few lose stamps. I bought one stamp too... it is not in the picture. Finally, I now have a few stamps and ink pads. I can start stamping away in my cards :-).
I am finding it difficult to think of ways to do the new 2S4Y challenge. It is quite tough... :-( I will give it a try anyway.
Pray that I am able to come up with something good.

Coloured black

Hi everyone,

This afternoon I suddenly had an irresistible urge to use black in a card. I didn't know where I could use it. And then I thought I'd create one more card for Kazan's sketch #9. I don't even know if we can submit more than one card, but I will do it anyway.

Now, here's my card recipe. All I had in front of me was some white textured cardstock, a sheet of black paper (not as thick as cardstock), my miniature punches and punching papers. I had been wanting to create a 'shaker' card too for a while now... so I tried even that here.. filling the shaker part with punched flowers, buttons, and some sequins. I liked this card. I have not added the sentiment yet, because I am still trying to figure out whom it is for. In all probability, I will just write 'Have a bright and prosperous new year' inside the card. What do you think?

Bring on the bling... add some colour

Hi all,
Another card from me. This time it is for one of the weddings I will be attending soon. My little sister is getting married in November, a cousin too is getting married around the same time.. and my favorite cousin brother just got engaged. I am still deciding whom this card is for. :-)

Well, I have themed it around my theory that marriage brings together a man and a woman as nothing else can... they are both different in every possible way, but they are influenced by each other over a course of time. Young couples shouldn't get into matrimony without understanding the basics - you can't change each other completely... then you lose out on the love that brought you together... love the other as he/she is...but both of you have to adjust and adapt to the other.

Phew... that is too much philosophy for today....

The colours used are also very Indian. Indian Hindu weddings are very very colourful and full of bling. I have tried to keep up that mood in my card. I know this card is very silly compared to the awesome stuff others create, but I am still submitting this card for this week's challenge on 2S4U using Kazan's Sketch #9.

I have used handmade papers in cream and pink, I bought the pink and blue stones, the scallop circles and heart embelishments yesterday from a local beads store.

Just one word for the team from 2S4U reviewing this... I would love to know how I can improve on this and the other cards I submit. Would really appreciate your inputs. :-)

Cheers,

Smita.