A Touch of Colour

To add a personal touch to this simple card is to add a touch of colour to the stamped image.

This is my entry to http://www.365cards.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-206-just-touch.html

Stamped Set

I have been making cards and this is the first time I have used stams and it is a good one for saying Bon-Voyage.

I am entering this card for http://www.365cards.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-204-stamped-set.html

I have used filigare Pop Culture card stock as waters and the stamped sail boat and rhinestone stars.

Butterfly

Spring and Summer brings Butterflies all around and their delicate beauty add more beauty to the surroundings. This card captures the butterflies fluttering to the quilled flower. I used Martha Stewart Border Butterfly Punch adn yellow and green recollections card stock and the flower is my very own Quilled flower.

The card has many butterflies flutering from the border to the flower. The flutering butterflies are cut from the Recollections Signature Special Glitter Cardstock.

This is a Card for the 365 cards Word Wednesday Card challenge -  http://www.365cards.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-205-word-wednesday.html

Happy 8th Wedding Anniversary

Its had been 8 years since we got married and I made this special card to "US"

I used Recollections Card Stock - Papier Cartonne Cartulina as Background.
Core Couture - www.coredinations.com and Pop Culture in the Foreground.
The Center is my Love for Quilling Flowers.
The US sticker is raised and is special for our day and the rhinestones add sparkle as the stars.

This was made using this sketch for http://www.365cards.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-202-super-sketchy-sunday.html

Quilled Photo Frames

The Untreated Frame with Flowers in shade of Pink and Blue

Its just for a Girl - Pinks and Reds

Its Summer and we are having lots of fun outdoors and my crafts have almost come to a standstill as we spend a lot of time enjoying outdoors. I had done quite a lot of crafts during the fall/winter months and for the craft fair and I would like to blog all of my crafts.

The 3- Dimensional Frame

In continuation to my quilled flowers and cards I made some photo frames decorated with my quilling. I tried out different flowers and layout and patterns in the same frame.

The Flowers have 2 colours in the Petals

The frames were left unpainted or were painted black to accentuate the colour of the flowers.



 

Iris - Spring Blossoms on Cards

Spring brings Flowers and Bees into our Garden and as the Daffodils, Tulips slowly die away Iris bring beauty and I loved capturing it in my Quilled Card for my friend.

Iris fluttering their Delicate Beautiful Petals

I have entered this card in

http://365cards.blogspot.com/2013/05/day-140-frame-able.html

Triangular Earrings - 3 Sided Granny Square

I wear a Triangle in my Ears

Oh my GOD the crochet earring bug  is driving me wild and I am in a spree of making earrings. I am searching for trimming designs, granny square motifs or anything which I could replicate as a single motif and use it for earrings

During my search I stumbled upon a triangular motif which can be used in Blankets  and I modified it to make 2 different triangular crochet earrings.

I used a No. 10 crochet cotton thread and used 1.9 hook and here goes the steps to make these earrings

• Crochet chain 5 into the basic slip knot. Join it into a ring using slip knot.

Round 1

•  Ch 3 (count as 1dc), 3dc in the ring, Ch2, 4dc in the ring,Ch2 4dc in the ring, Ch2 join with the slip stitch.Ch3 (Count as 1dc) turn

Round 2

• 3dc Ch2 4dc in the Ch2 space of round 1.
• Ch1, 4dc Ch2 4dc in the next Ch2 space of round 1.
• Ch1, 4dc Ch2 4dc in the next Ch2 space of round 1. Ch1 and join with the starting Ch3 using sl st. Ch3(Count as 1dc) turn

Round 3- This makes the last triangle a wee bit bigger and also a bell shape

The Bell Shaped Triangle

• 3dc Ch2 4dc in the Ch1 space of round 2.
• Ch1, 4dc Ch2 4dc in the next Ch2 space of round 2.
• Ch1, 4dc Ch2 4dc in the next Ch1 space of round 2.
• Ch1, 4dc Ch2 4dc in the next Ch2 space of round 2.
• Ch1, 4dc Ch2 4dc in the next Ch1 space of round 2.
• Ch1, 4dc Ch2 4dc in the next Ch2 space of round 2.Ch1 and join with the starting Ch3 using sl st. Sl St in all the stitches until you come to a Corner.
• Ch 1 and fasten off.

Round 3- Aliter-This makes it a sharp triangle and a bit smaller.

3dc Ch1 space of round 2.

The Sharper Triangle

Ch1, 4dc Ch2 4dc in the next Ch2 space of round 2.

Ch1, 4dc in the next Ch1 space of round 2.

Ch1, 4dc Ch2 4dc in the next Ch2 space of round 2.

Ch1, 4dc in the next Ch1 space of round 2.

Ch1, 4dc Ch2 4dc in the next Ch2 space of round 2.Ch1 and join with the starting Ch3 using sl st. Sl St in all the stitches until you come to a Corner.

Ch 1 and fasten off.

Slip the jump rings into the last sc and then the earrings is ready.

Both the Earrings near each other and we can spot the Subtle Difference

Spray starch and iron them to retain shape.

Crochet Earrings - The Gradual Shell Earrings

The Change in colour accentuates the Shell

My experiment with Knitting took me 3 months and inbetween knitting  I was crocheting headbands for my daughter. I stumbled upon a detailed video on crochet earrings and this made me search for videos on how to make crochet earrings. One video caught my eye as it used embroidery floss which I had in abundance. I tried it and it came out beautiful. It was the Wedges which I will blog later.  The best part I like about small projects is that I could finish them in an afternoon and also wear it immediately.

Voila How I loved those Wedge Earrings. It attracted many of my friends attention and I just wanted to make more. So this made me search and this One Virtuous Woman is simply awesome with her videos. I liked this simple earrings which I could crochet in an hour or two. I went shopping and bought 1.9mm hook and crochet 10 thread to make many more earrings.

The Wedges earrings is from this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8X5BDn0FSs by onevirtuouswoman

or in YouTube we can search as "Tutorial Tuesday #37 Crochet Earrings ( The Gradual Shell Earrings)"

I am just replicating the steps in words. The video is detailed and anyone can crochet these earrings.

The Height can be adjusted to make it Small or Long

I used a Red  no. 10 crochet cotton thread and used 1.9 hook. I spent one of the Wonderful Wednesdays when my daughter spends extended time in her preschool in the library and just made these earrings in a jiffy and am blogging it right away. I will be going home adding my Jump ring and pair it with a red dress tomorrow. 

Here goes the tutorial's written steps

Pretty Shells

• Crochet chain 5 into the basic slip knot. Join it into a ring using slip knot.
• 10 sc into the ring. Ch 3 turn

Shell 1

•  3 dc(with the 3 ch it is 4dc) into the ring, ch2, 4 dc into the ring. Turn.

Shell 2

•  Slip stitch into the 4 dc and into the chain 2 space. ( we are moving the thread to the chain 2 space)
• Ch 3, 3 dc(with the 3 ch it is 4dc) into the ch 2 space ,ch2, 4 dc into the same ch 2 space. Turn.

You can create as many shells you want the length of the earrings to be

Penultimate Shell

• Slip stitch into the 4 dc and into the chain 2 space. ( we are moving the thread to the chain 2 space)
• Ch3 ,3 dc(with the 3 ch it is 4dc) into the ch 2 space, ch4 (instead of 2ch), 4 dc into the same ch 2 space. Turn.

Last Shell

• Slip stitch into the 4 dc and into the chain 4 space. ( we are moving the thread to the chain 4 space)
• Ch4 , 11 tc in the chain 4 space. ch3 Turn.
• sc in the next stitch, *ch3, sc in the next stitch* , repeat * till the end of all tc stitches. ch1 and fasten off. We can add beads in this step.
• Weave in the ends.

Slip the jump rings into the last sc and then the earrings is ready.

Spray starch and iron them to retain shape.

More Quilled Cards

Some more of the Quilled Cards that I Made

Handmade Quilled Cards

Atlast I had My Maiden Craft Fair on my Birthday 20th April 2013. My Cards for All Occasion was the one that was very successful. I got appreciation for my Quilling Craft. Some of the Cards I had Displayed are posted here.

 

Salmon cooked in Mushroom, Olive Sauce

Exploring Fish has now become my passion and I am always on a lookout for receipes with fish. I found this receipe in a magazine in YMCA lobby and modified it to suit my Spicy Indian Taste. This was a receipe for Tilapia but I tried it with Salmon and just loved it

The receipe eveolved and it just has a hint of the original receipe.

Ingredients:

• Onions
• Tomatoes
• Mushrooms
• Garlic
• Olives
• Chilli
• Cumin Powder
• Crushed Pepper
• Salt
• Olive Oil
• Mint Leaves 
• Salmon / Tilapia Fillets 

Procedure:

1. Chop Onion, Tomatoes, Musrooms and Olives finely.
2. To a Pan Add little Olive Oil and add the Onion. When it becomes transparent add the Mint leaves and Salt.
3. Add Tomatoes, Mushrooms and saute it.
4. Add Cumin Powder, Salt (if needed), and Pepper Powder.
5. Cover and cook the sauce in low flame until the flavours are blended and the sauce is boiling.
6. Gently place the fish fillets, spoon the sauce over and cover and cook it till the fish is flaky about 8-10min.

Serve it with Rice or Salad

Frocks

 

Green Frock with Pretty Laces

Butterflies and Flowers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 My liking to design and experiment has made me experiment many things and one of it was sewing. I have a 5 year old girl and sewing pretty clothes for her was one thing. These are some frocks I sewed last summer when i was in my Mom's for vacation. I picked the pattern from the frocks of my cousin's older daughter. Now I have my own sewing machine and would love to make many more frocks for her.

The Bodice has 3 Layers of Hakoba Lace



The Bodice is small and I have used a Satin Ribbon as Pipping



The Frock is Umbrella Cut

Bougainvillea - Quilling an Indian Beauty.

`

The Ravishing Pink Bougainvillea

 

The Flamboyantly Colourful Bracts
of the Bougainvillea

A lot has been happening a couple of month. We have no car and this means I get to spend 4 days in  the library and this in turn means I get to get lots of me craft time and did lots more quilling, crocheting, knitting. I even volunteered in the Library to teach Quilling. My hubby has given an idea of joining Etsy and selling some of the things I make so as I get some hold on the time well spent or do a craft show.

So one of my quilled beauty is Bougainvillea. These flowers are found in dry regions and I have grown up seeing these flowers in different shades and hues. The actual flowerof the plant is small and generally white, but each cluster of three flowers is surrounded by three or six bracts with the bright colours associated with the plant, including pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white, or yellow. It is also called "paper flower" because the bracts are thin and papery.

 

This design is also from the book "A Guide to Quilling Flowers by Helen Walter". After sometime I had a chance to take this book to quill flowers again. I loved the magenta of the flower. I would love to make more in orange or in other colours.

 

1. 

   

    

   Each flower is made of 3 pink diamonds. The 3 pink diamonds a glued together with points and sides touching so they form an upside down pyramid. Glue a white tight coil to the centre. Make as many flowers as needed
2. Glue the stems so as to make them fall as climbing shrubs.
3. Glue the leaves and the flowers.



 

Retro Checkered Scarf



A Pure wool Scarf for My Better Half

After doing a couple of scarves in Crochet I wanted to Knit something and I enrolled for knitting classes.But the knitting bug didn't catch on me for a long time. I tried putting off knitting as I found it kind of difficult than crochet. My husband to increase my interest challenged me to knit him a scarf before the winter ends and voila I am knitting now. Like most girls who Knit, I am in Scarf craze.

 "Chic Knits for Young Chicks" by Sarah Paulin has some interesting patterns and I found one which can be altered to suit Men.This book has very good illustartions on how to knit, Purl, and other combination stitches.
 

I am trying the  Retro Checkered Scarf.

By alternating Knitting and Purling we arrive at a checkered pattern which would suit men. . It is easy to knit and has turned out lovely so far. I used knitting worsted medium(4) pure wool yarn and size10 straight needles. My husband chose a lovely black and white varigated yarn..

I learnt how to do M1 increase and how to decrease stitiches and by the end of the scarf I became adept in knitting. What else could be lovlier than presenting a hand knit scarf to my hubby on his birthday.

The Pattern from Chic Knits for Young Chicks is as follows :

GAUGE: 17sts and 20 rows = 4" in Garter Stitch.

FINISHED SIZE           51/2 " X 65".

SCARF CO 25 sts K 5 rows in Garter Stitch Continue to work as follows Checkered Pattern is formed by Alternating Knitting and Purling Row 1: K5 P5 K5 P5 K5 Row 2: K5 K5 P5 K5 P5 Row 3: K5 P5 K5 P5 K5 Row 4: K5 K5 P5 K5 P5 Row 5: K5 P5 K5 P5 K5 Rep rows 1-5 till it reaches 64 inches Work in Garter Stitch for 5 more rows. BO akk stitch Knitwise. Weave in ends. Note: You create garter stitch by knitting every row. and also  create garter stitch by purling every row, too.  You can recognize garter stitch by the horizontal ridges formed by the tops of the knitted loops on every other row.

Embroidered A- Line Frock

 

The Plain Blue Stitches and the Jazzy Sequins & Beads

Add Beauty to the Dress

I have juggled between various crafts but my passion for embroidery has never diminished as this was something I learnt from my MOM and my Granny. I had done quite a few Kameez and wall art and now my daughter wanted something embroidered by me. I am previleged to work on her frock which she can wear to school/ parties.  I took this as a oppurtunity to look out for clean, simple, gometric design suitable for her age. I also thoguth why not design and sew the dress myself. I choose A- line frock which can be independently work as a frock or can be paired with jeans or tights to give as modern look.

 

I worked on a pinkinsh orange pure silk material which has a soft feel and the silk has a sheen on it own and will make her stand out. The motif I choose was a Oval and it is from the magazine "Needle N Thread" which my Mom subscribes.  

Blue in Orange Contrasta & Compliments Each Other

The Embroidery is worked in blue embroidery floss which contrasts and compliments the hue of the frock/ kameez. The stitches I have used are simple and basic, as chain and french knots, yet elegant. These are justaposed with the bluish multicolur sequins, tube beads and seed beads.

 

This design could be worked as a stand alone or as multiples and will look elegant in T-Shirts, Kameez and is quite simple that one can finish in a day.

 

The Dress Pattern is a simple A-Line frock lined inside. This dress was basically cut by me but my Mom who sews faster than me sewed it for my daughter.

 

My Daughter loved the dress and she looked ravishing when she had coupled this dress with a black T- Shirt and Tights for a dance she performed in the Harrisburg Area Tamil Sangam Pongal Festival of 2013.

Valentine Cards



Thanks for taking care of 16 Little Hearts
Black and Pink Card Stock with patterrned paper and Quilled Mini Hearts



A Card for My Better Half
Blue Card Stock with Fringed Heart and Quilled Heart

February has arrived and it is the Month of Love. It's a special month where everyone can express their affection and respect to their friends and family. My daughter wanted to give cards to all her school friends and friends around the house and also her dad.

 

 She wanted to make it herself and started to draw hearts and flowers in papers to give on the special day. This made me browse for some inspirations and I borrowed quite a few books form the library on card making and scrapbooking. Youtube video of one person - MACM (Make A Card Monday) was a major inspiration for me and my daughter. We watched many of the videos to get the basic idea of card making. She uses various Tools, Trimmers, Punches, Stamps and Embossing to make her card. But as we were just starting to experiment with scrapbooking and card making, we modified the designs to suit our needs with the equipment we had.

 

The Best Card - For Her DAD
Blue  Card Stock with Captions Stamped Over
& Quilled Hearts

 We had 2 border punches , lots of paper, quilling strips, some stamps and ink pads and fancy scissors. Thus emerged cards in various colours and hues for the Valentines Day. My daughter was a major help in triming the cards, with the border punches and tracing hearts and cutting them with scissors. She tried her hands at stamping as the inside of the cards were stamped Planting the Seeds of Friendship.

 

Voila we made 18 small cards, 2 cards for her teachers, one for her day and one by me for her dad.

Using a Border Puch a Leaf Motif or Spiral Motif is Stuck to the card Stock  and Decorated with Fringes Geart and Quilled Heart