Stamping with Distress Oxide Inks

Hi Friends,

I am back with another card today using Ranger Distress Oxide Inks. Oxide inks are absolutely fantastic for stamping. However, one must remember that these inks stay wet for a long duration so one should not touch the stamped image till the ink drys to avoid smudging. Heat tool can also be used to speed drying process. Hope you like the card.

Best Regards,
Dr. Neha Sanwalka
Crafty Flirtations 

Stamping on coloured card stock with Oxides

Hi Friends,

Today I am sharing another card made using Ranger Distress Oxide Inks. As Distress Oxide inks are a blend of pigment and dye ink, they work great for stamping & what's more fantastic is that they can be used for stamping on coloured card stock too.

Supply List:

• Blue textured card stock
• White Iris Card stock 270 gsm
• Ranger Distress Oxides: Worn Lipstick, Peeled Paint & Broken China 
• Glossy Accent
• Hero Arts Cling Stamp - Scattering Leaves 
• Lawn Fawn Summer Time Charm Stamp 

Hope you all love the card.

Love,
Dr. Neha Sanwalka
Crafty Flirtations 

Distress Oxide Cards

Hi friends,

Ever since I brought Ranger Distress Oxide inks, I have fallen in love with them. I have tried various techniques with them and one of the techniques that I enjoyed trying was by by "Stamp N Ground Crafts By Echo Noble". Here is my try with the technique.

Hope you all like the cards.

Love,

Dr. Neha Sanwalka Rungta

Crafty Flirtations 

Our Idea Book - India's Premier Art & Craft Magazine

Hi Friends,

This post is to share one of my biggest achievements & the story behind it. India's 1st ever Art & Craft Magazine "Our Idea Book"(FB page) (Instagram) was launched last Tuesday on 13th June 2017, here in Mumbai, India and what a proud moment it was for me as I am the Editor on this magazine. Here is the cover page of the inaugural issue:

I would love to share the story of how this happened & thank people who gave me this opportunity. One fine Wednesday, I got call from Dinesh Shah, co-owner of The Craft Studio that they are planning something and the 1st name that comes to their mind is me. He asked me to come down to their store and said he would discuss more when I meet them. I am sure you all would agree, if yours is the 1st name someone thinks of when they wants to start something new, you dont want to give it up. As luck would have been, I was very busy with my statistics work and I requested a meeting on Saturday. I had no idea it was a magazine that they were thinking of and only when Forum (Dinesh's better half & co-owner of The Craft Studio" called me on Friday (day before our meeting was scheduled for) she told me they are thinking of a magazine and they want me to be the Editor.

It's impossible to explain the rush of emotions I had during that phone conversation with Forum: from excitement that India will have an Art & Craft Magazine to being unsure if I was fit for the job. Till that day I had written many articles in Nutrition and Health for websites & magazines and had blogged about my crafting adventures here, but to be an Editor on a magazine was huge. So I decided to meet them before I made the decision & met them the following day and as they..rest is history. I am here today, sharing with you all, the cover of the 1st ever Art and Craft magazine from India in capacity of Editor for same. 

Our Idea Book is a bi-monthly magazine and will be published in February, April, June, August, October and December. 

So what all would you find in our magazine: 

• Card inspirations
• Mix media projects
• DIY Projects
• Step by Step tutorials 
• Interviews of crafters and artists from across the globe
• New techniques
• Product reviews
• Challenges
• City wise store list & much more 
• And you get some free crafty goodies with each issue too 

I hope all crafters and artists from across the world love the magazine and enjoy reading it. I welcome you all to be a part of this beautiful journey with us. 

You can purchase the magazine from: Our Idea Book

If you would like to contribute to the magazine, email us your profile at editor.ourideabook@gmail.com

If you would like us to review a product, email us on editor.ourideabook@gmail.com

If you would like to advertise with us, email us on info.ourideabook@gmail.com

If there are any artists or products or techniques you want to know more about, email us on editor.ourideabook@gmail or info.ourideabook@gmail.com 

I would like to end this post by acknowledging a few people. Thank you so much Forum & Dinesh for getting me on board your dream and letting "Our Idea Book" become my baby too :) I would also like to thank my husband Jitesh Rungta & my Father-in-law Omprakash Rungta for supporting me in my work & my mom & dad (Pushpa & Jagdish Sanwalka) for educating me & making me capable enough for same.

Hope you all enjoy reading our magazine :)

Love,

Dr. Neha Sanwalka Rungta

Editor, Our Idea Book

Crafty Flirtations 

Cards For Cause - Soldier Drive - May 2017

Hi Friends,

After the last soldier drive during last Diwali, I have been wanting to repeat the drive and send out more cards to Soldiers who take care of our country. So, I undertook another Cards for Cause - Soldier Drive on a personal level and set along to make cards for our brave soldiers. 2 of my Facebook friends Halak Shah & Tanvi Shah also contributed cards to this drive. When I started making cards for the drive, I realised I didnt have any Thank You or Gratitude Stamps. Before I searched online, I asked Varshitha Nagarajan of Mudra Stamps if she had any Thank you or gratitude sentiment stamps . When she got to know what I had set on to do, she very kindly sent me 2 gorgeous stamps from Mudra as her contribution for this drive. Thank you so much Halak, Tanvi & Varshitha for contributing to this drive along with me. The smile on the face of soldiers was priceless.  

Now as I have confirmation that the cards have reached their destination, I am sharing various cards (a total of 128) I made for this drive. The sentiment stamps used as exclusively from Mudra [or from Varna (Mudra was Varna before)] as I wanted to honour Varshitha's contribution towards the drive. I have used various techniques like dendritic mono- printing, stencilling, ink blending with Ranger Distress Oxide inks, Backgrounds with dimensional paints, using pattern paper etc. 

If you would like to participate in future Cards For Cause Drive With Me, Please drop your mail id below.

Hope you like these cards.

With love,

Dr. Neha Sanwalka Rungta 

30th Anniversary Card

Hi friends,

I am here with my very 1st pop-up card. I made this card for 30th Anniversary of my brother-in-law's parent's anniversary. 

Materials Used:

• Iris Cardstock 270 gsm
• Mudra Botanical Blooms Stamp Set 
• Altenew, Memento & Archival Inks 
• Concord & 9th Perfectly Penned Stamp Set
• Pearl stickers
• Artistry Inks: Lime Kiss & Orange Popsicle
• Pattern paper from Eno - Greetings 
• Love Sentiment (I brought it in destash & I am not aware of brand)

Method:

• Cut the card stock to size for the front and the pop-up element
• Using a blending tool, apply artistry inks on the card front and the pop-up base & mist with water on the card front
• Create pop-up element to create a stacked cake look
• Using Altenew, Memento and Archival Inks, stamp the botanical blooms flowers and leaves and fussy cut them
• Stamp sentiment on the front panel of the card & the inside of pop-up element
• Cut pattern paper from Eno-Greetings to size. Attach the pop-up element on the white side of pattern paper and front panel on the printed size on top
• On the front panel, add the fussy cut flowers and leaves
• Add the fussy cut flowers and leaves to pop-up 
• Embellish with pearl stickers 

Hope you all liked this card. I am also submitting this card to Mucra Challege #7 Celebrations. Mudra is my favourite Indian stamp company & they have some amazing designs & stamp perfectly each time. Mudra is celebrating their 1st Anniversary this month. Here's wishing Mudra many congratulations & many good luck for future.

Love,

Dr. Neha Sanwalka

Crafty Flirtations

DIY Supply Storage Bins (Pen Stands)

Hi Folks,

We crafters are always looking for storage solutions for our supplies & every few months I find myself re-organising my desk as I wasn't very happy with how I stored my pens, embossing tools, brushes, etc. While I was looking at re-organising day before yesterday and thinking of ways I could store my tools in the most efficient manner, it dawned upon me that I could make supply storage bins or pen stands of different lengths depending on the size of the tools and have a different bin or stand for my pens, brushes, tools, etc. I ended up making 7 (yes you read it right) bins of 3 different sizes to store my tools conveniently and beautifully on my desk. 

 I wanted some of my items like my Pergamano  scissors, the slotted hockey embossing tools, forceps to stand straight in these boxes to avoid any damage to sharp ends or easy accessibility and hence I created small pockets within my boxes itself to hold them upright and strait (as seen in orange & red boxes)

Tools: 

• We R Memory Keepers Gift Box Punch Board
• Textured cardstock from Rainbow Craftykari (This card stock is double ply & very thick & was ideal for these boxes)
• Some fancy lace from my stash
• Glue

Dimensions:

Orange Box:  

Card stock size: 9" * 9"

Final Box size: 3.25" * 3.25" * 2.5"

Strait line to be scored at L & diagonal line at M

Red Box: 

Card stock size: 10*10

Final box size: 3.25" * 3.25" * 3.25"

Strait line to be scored at L & diagonal line at L

Yellow Box: 

Card stock size 11*11

Final box size: 3.25" * 3.25" * 4"

Strait line to be scored at L & diagonal line at XL

Make boxes as we do using the gift board punch box and glue the sides and the top flaps in to make a open box pen stand and the best thing, you need hardly 5 minutes to make each box.

You could decorate these boxes the way you want, I opted for lace as I wanted to keep it simple.

Hope I have inspired you to make your storage supply bins/ pen stands.

Love,

Dr. Neha Sanwalka

Crafty Flirtations 

Nickname. Day 3 of 30 Day Art Journal Class

Hi friends,

The day 3 prompt of 30 Day Art Journal Class was "Nicknames or love names used by friends/ parents/ spouse"

Story Behind my page: Neha is itself a short name & I hate when people bend it weird ways to form nickname for me. However, there is one nickname that I love and its short form of my name "NE". While I was in Pune for my higher studies, 2 of my roommates "Soumya" & "Vagisha" gave me this name affectionately & it stayed on with me completely

• There are loads of layers in this page. Using round ink blending tools, I applied dots or you can say blotches of "Vintage Photo" & "Black Soot" distress ink on the background. 
• Then I applied a very light coat of gesso over the entire page
• Once the gesso was dry, I covered the whole page with "Pumice Stone" Distress stain
• I then doodled "NE" with "Sakura Microns" and added shading using pencil colours
• I somehow felt the page looked dull so I went on the apply Ranger "Vintage Photo" crackle paint all around the doodle
• Once the crackle paint had dried, using a felt applicator, I dabbed "Cranberry" & "Eggplant" alcohol Ink over the crackle paint to highlight the cracks. 

I like how I am learning new techniques while making these journal pages. I had almost decided that I need to destash my alcohol inks but loved the results of dabbing of alcohol Inks on crackle paint, so I am going to explore this even further 

Links of previous pages:

Page 1  

Page 2

Hope you all liked my Day 3 page. 

Love,

Dr. Neha Sanwalka

Crafty Flirtations