Monday, December 10, 2012

Chenille Stem Star Ornament


Like last year, this year also our Christmas tree was up on Dec 1st. The decoration is in progress. With a new baby at home I hardly get time to make ornaments. But my 4 yr preschooler is ensuring we are doing some or the other Christmas related craft almost every 2 days. I am not getting enough time to post all of them but I will definitely try to share these ideas as and when time permits. In my daughter's preschool class they asked every child - Who do you want to gift on Christmas and what?My daughter,who is usually Daddy's girl and a big sister to her little brother, replied 2 star ornaments for my Mom. Lucky me!! And who else will she ask how to make them? So here I am helping my kiddo to make 2 star ornaments to be gifted to me.

Jokes apart I really admire her eagerness to learn and create when it comes to crafts. She is a different kid when she is doing crafts.

Supplies you will need:
-Chenille stem or pipe cleaner- red (or color of your choice)
-Pencil -Golden wire or bow ribbon
-Star shape cookie cutter
-Fish line or mono filament
-Safety scissors
Instructions :
Step 1 Make a loop with pipe cleaner using pencil as shown.  
Step 2 Continue wrapping the pipe cleaner around the cookie cutter to get the star shape. Secure the end and cut-off any extra pipe cleaner.
Step 3 Wrap the golden ribbon or wire around the star shape so it looks filled and beautiful.  
Step 4 Hang the ornament with mono filament or fish line. You can use ribbon also if you prefer that.  
Note :  My daughter made this ornament herself with very little help. Some kids might need some more hand holding depending on how much practice they have for crafting. Some kids might find the ends of pipe cleaner a little sharp, parents please supervise little kids for this craft.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Pumpkin Carving Craft for Halloween

Halloween is a festival my daughter waits all year long. Apart from dressing into some interesting outfits each year she loves decorating pumpkin. Halloween is not a festival we used to celebrate growing up but now it has become a family favorite one. If you want to know more about Halloween click here. Like last couple of years we have made pumpkin craft this year's Halloween too. With the new addition to our family( my cute little boy) I thought we might not be able to carve one this time. Thanks to the enthusiasm of my 4 and a half yr old daughter and my husband, we finally did it. This time I also contributed to carving. My daughter is the happiest person in the house once it was done. We had the pleasure of the presence of my parents. My dad took pictures and my 2 month old son was in the audience too. Here's how we did it. 1. Design selection- by my daughter. 2. Cut the lid. 3. Clean the inside using scraping tool.
4. Tape the template. 5. Trace using crayon. 6. Take out template and carve using tool. 7. Place a battery operated light inside the pumpkin and place the lid.
The above pictures are self explanatory, however if any of you want to know more please feel free to ask.
Note-Since sharp tools are involved Adults supervision and participation is a must. It is advisable to use the tools meant for pumpkin carving. It makes the task super easy and it is safer too. For tutorials of other pumpkin crafts we have already done click here.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Flower Greeting Card using Paper Punches


This is another project we did during the summer craft classes. As I mentioned earlier this year my focus was introducing new techniques and tools for paper crafting. This one focussed on using paper punches.

Supplies needed for the project :
- Card-stock in various colors
- Flower Punches ( I prefer to keep same flower punch pattern in multiple sizes, helps getting realistic look for the flower)
- Snowflake punch ( used it for the stamen)
- Leaf punch
- Mouse pad
- Stylus/ ball pen
- Glue

First we punched out bigger flowers ( 3-4 per flower) from orange cardstock. For the center of the flower we punched two small yellow flowers and a small black snowflake for the stamen. Layer the flowers by turning each layer a little bit clock-wise ( or vice-versa) to obtain that fuller look. For shaping the flower keep the flower on a mousepad, and press in the center using a ball pen ( closed end) or a stylus. The flower will form a cup shape. Then fluff the petals with your fingers.

For the leaves, punch out leaves in two shades of green. You have to punch a lot ( really a lot ) of leaves to fill the background. Then attach the flowers. We kept the card blank though you could add a message/sentiment on top.

I absolutely loved how it turned out . She loved using the punches and after the class made tons of flowers at her home using these punched. It makes all the effort worth it when a kid loves what you teach them. Am so proud of her.


Saturday, August 18, 2012

Summer Craft Classes - Spiral roses card with paper quilling


This is in continuation with my previous post. This project I am sharing was made by my eight year old student. Spiral roses are so elegant and enhance the beauty of any project they are used in. I have used them often for cards, tags as gift toppers etc.  Just change the size of the spiral used to make the rose and you can use it in multiple ways.

Usually when I make these I draw the spiral free hand and cut it. For Sirjan, my student I used a slightly different approach. I drew spirals of various diameters on a tracing paper. And then taught her how to use carbon paper or transfer paper to trace the template on the colored paper for the rose.  That made it easy for her to cut the spiral.I prefer to use text weight paper for the roses though you can use card stock too.

We made many variations of the roses, like inking the edges with markers to make shaded roses or using stamp pads for the edges.

There are quilling kits available with cut spirals though I prefer to cut my own. Here is  a  tutorial  for making the rose after the spiral is cut.  Here is a close up of the roses she made. I am so proud of her.




Friday, August 17, 2012

Summer Craft Classes - Rubber Stamping


This year has been really hectic for me. Lot of travel to meet family and friends..of course I loved it all but that also meant less time for crafting. I have been sneaking out some time for crafting in between but have not been able to share them on CIFA. Today I will be sharing some of my student's work. She is a delightful eight year old who has been coming to learn crafts from me this summer.

This year our focus was learning different techniques for paper crafting. I introduced her to new tools and techniques while making a card so that end of the class she also had the satisfaction of making something to take home.

For the following card we used rubber stamp to create the outline and then she filled them in using pencil colors.She was so excited to use rubber stamps and ink pads on her own.



We also used acrylic stamps. She learned how to use and clean her stamps, how to use stamping block for acrylic or cling stamps etc. Here is one of the cards she created at her home for her friend. I just love how she thought of stamping the owl and adding the tree and leaves to create this pretty card.

Another tool we focused on was paper trimmer. It took her quite some time to figure it out but now she is doing great with cutting straight edges using paper trimmer. Figuring out the measurements and understanding how to position the paper on paper trimmer ( like placing the longer side perpendicular to cutting blade) to get the desired size was her biggest challenge. It was a challenge for me too to come to her level to make her understand things that seem so obvious to me as a grown up :).

We used Cricut paper trimmer.  Here is a card she made and she has cut all the paper pieces for this project herself. It looks like a simple card but for an eight year old girl this was a big challenge. 




In my coming posts I will be sharing some more of the fun projects we did this summer. Hope this will inspire some of you to introduce fun tools to your children this summer. I spent all my summer vacations as a kid crafting and learning new things and I still am thankful to my parents for all those craft classes they enrolled us in as a kid and more for the projects we made with our mom during our leisure time. They are some of the happiest memories of  our childhood.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Teachers Appreciation Handmade Gift Ideas

Most of the schools in USA have their year end celebration in the last week of May or somewhere between first week of June or mid June. Some schools celebrate Teacher's Appreciation day or simply appreciate Teachers for their year long hard work with the kids. It is a great time to show how grateful the kids and their parents are for their guidance and encouragement throughout. As most of you will agree getting a good teacher for your kids is nothing short of a blessing and you should always show gratitude. This year, for the first  time we got  a chance to thank her Preschool teachers as well as her Dance teacher (She has been learning Ballet). Like everybody else I wanted to give something useful but  personal and unique as well.

For the preschool teachers, apart from the common contribution for gift cards we packed a big box of assorted chocolates and made a handmade paper quilled greeting card.We made two similar cards for both of her teachers. I was inspired by Alli Bartkowski's book 50 Nifty Quilled Cards of quilled creations. Both me and my daughter wrote a personal message  inside the card.


For her Ballet Teacher I made a gift card holder with a beautiful pink Ballet Dress also called Leotard. The gift card holder is entirely handmade and has Velcro closure to keep the gift card secure. It makes it reusable as well. She loves coffee so I included a Starbucks gift card in it. Along with it I included a coordinating note card with personal message.

 Hope you will get some inspiration from these ideas for the wonderful teachers that play such an important role in the overall growth and development of our kids lives. Thank you teachers.

P.S. : We do sell gift card holders at our online Etsy shop. You can see some of our popular designs there. We  also take custom orders.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Rainbow in Clouds - Personalized Paper Quilling Typography Name Wall Art for Child's Room



I have been traveling so much in last few months that creating has taken a back seat. Just thought of sharing this project I made a while back. Its for a friend's nephew. She wanted to give him something handmade for his  Mundan ceremony . I thought this Personalized wall art with his name in quilling would be a gift that can be cherished for years to come.

"Jai" in Hindi means glory and triumph. "Rainbow in clouds"  in my interpretation of the name and hence I chose to use Rainbow colors for the name. I used beehive technique by Susan for the clouds.   Here is a close-up of the project.



 Hope all of you are having a great weekend. I am loving mine with beautiful sun outside and a sleeping toddler at home giving me a chance to blog after a long time :).

Happy crafting!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Gift and Gift Wrapping idea for a New Baby Boy



Sometime back I was wondering how can I make a gift to a friend's new born baby a little special.Like many of us I love to give new born baby, clothes among other things. Problem with clothes is that it is a little uninteresting to pack them as is.

I got an opportunity to give some baby boy clothes to a dear friend when her baby boy was born.

This is how I wrapped and gifted it to her.

Supplies needed
- Gift box

I had a baby gap gift box (I usually request for a gift box at shops like Baby Gap, Gymboree, Children's place etc. Some give it for free and some charge a little amount for it). I love the brown color and the inside colorful stripes.

- Light Blue Ribbon
Another color which I think is favorite of everyone for little boys is light blue.

- Clay flowers (blue)

I had some lovely blue clay roses and clay hydrangea which I made earlier. You can learn making some clay flowers here. Or you can use paper flowers some tutorials here or silk flowers or fresh flowers will do too. I do believe that Flowers speak words we often cannot find. Hence, the flowers.

- New Baby card

I had made a quilled new baby card especially for her. I believe cards are a must when you have to express your happiness and best wishes especially for a new baby.
You can make any card or buy one if you are out of time. Make sure you date it and write your name and some lovely sentiments.



Assembling these didn't take much time.


The gift was looking as I wanted it to look.My friend loved it too.


She loved the card and the flowers the most and especially the fact that it was handmade. I hope this will give you some ideas to make your gift giving extra special for you and the receiver too.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Paper Quilling Typography


I made this for a friend's son's Birthday. He turned four this year. His parents requested for no gifts for the party. Initially I  planned to make a birthday card with his name in quilled typography. I thought that would be a meaningful gift and being handmade rather than store bought would respect he no gifts request from the parents too ;). But while making the project I changed my mind and framed it so if they wish they can display it in his room.

His name is "Avi ". In our native language Hindi it means Sun and Air.  I tried to include the colors Orange Red and Yellow to signify the brightness of Sun and a cool blue as background with a few scrolls between the individual letters to signify "Air".  I added a sun over the letter "I" using special quilling strips with golden edge. I tried the bee hive technique invented by Susan  for the first time and it sure was fun.

The letters measure almost 2.5 " in height. The finished design is 5 " x 7" approx and is framed in a 8" x 10" matted frame. Here is another photograph of the finished project.


I would love to get your feedback/ comments. They definitely make my skies brighter here in Seattle :).

Monday, February 13, 2012

Heart shape Paper Mache box with Quilled Royal flower


Just thought to share one of our lovely creation, heart shape box with paper quilled Royal Flower on the eve of Valentine's Day.
This paper mache box was created with lots of love. It was hand painted and then decorated with paper quilling.
Paper quilled royal flower adds elegance to the the box.

Seems the box is just waiting to be filled with lots of lovely chocolates or a surprise gift.

We wish all our readers a very happy Valentine's Day. We do celebrate this lovely occasion with lots of love and chocolates and of course lots of Valentine's day craft. In fact this year, since my 4 year old daughter is in preschool seems we will be celebrating it for the entire week. Here in USA kids celebrate it in school and give lovely cards and some cute valentine gifts to all their friends and teachers.They make crafts almost everyday for the entire week with heart, red color etc as theme. We will share her creations as and when possible.

One thing we have learnt is this lovely occasion gives one more reason to make your loved ones feel extra special by telling them how special they are and how much they mean to you. If not anything huge, just make a little card and let them know.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Handmade Greeting Card For Third Birthday


I recently made this card for a dear friend's daughter's third birthday. I wanted to make something simple and  sweet and what better than a birthday cake :). I made a three tier cake with three candles using printed card-stock and paper quilling strips. I used quilling just for the candles. I love how the pink pearls add to the prettiness of the card. Hope the birthday girl loves the card  as much as I loved making it for her.

Talking about little girls and birthday cakes here's a cute story. My niece just turned four. After blowing out the candles on her cake she closed her eyes and very loudly announced her birthday wish "I wish I get a lot of stickers". All the parents in the party could not stop smiling. I do hope her wish is fulfilled soon :).

Here is one more photograph of the card.


We would love to know what you all think about the card. Your comments mean a lot to us. They keep us going on days when the general business of life makes it difficult to take out time for creating :). Have a great week ahead all of you and happy crafting.


Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Handmade Welcome Baby Girl Greeting Card with Paper Quilling

A very Happy New Year to all our readers. Hope you all had great holidays with your families. As you might have noticed , it has been little (quite) quiet here at CIFA  lately. Well we had a busy holiday season , it being the first one for Navanka Creations. That also meant less time for our little kids and we just felt we needed to take a break to make up for our busy schedule in Nov and Dec. So we took a vacation , both of us with our hubbies and the kids.  It was such a treat to be in warm California during winters.

Right now we have almost 2.5 inches of snow in Seattle..its cold but very pretty. With so much beauty around me I got inspired to take time and share my first project of 2012. I made this as a custom order for a friend who wanted a bigger card for a group gift at work. The card measures 5.5" x 8.5 " and since its a non standard size I also made a coordinating envelope for the card. It is an updated version of one my old designs.  Here is a close up pic of the card.


I used border punches from Martha Stewart to create the effect of lace. Loved using crimped quilling strips for the stroller and rattle.  Little footprints always take the most time to quill but I just love them and make them whenever I get a chance :).

I hope the recepient loved the card. Being part of the special moments in somebody's life is what makes card making such a special art. I leave you with one of my favorite shots of today. Enjoy!