December Daily Day Cards

I really haven't done much set up for my December daily album other than these cards. I bought both the 3x4 and 4x6 day cards. But I decided to use the 3x4 cards for now. I loved that the colors of these cards and they totally coordinated with the December Daily kit from Studio Calico.

Here are a list of things that I did to make the cards:

• Print the Day cards designed by Ali Edwards that you can get here.
• I printed the printables from the Studio Calico December Daily kit and cut them out with Silhouette.
• I printed the printables from the Studio Calico 25 Days class and cut them out with Silhouette.
• I changed the colors of the wonky circles  digital printables from Studio Calico to match the colors of the kit and cut them out.
• I changed the colors of the Roundabout Tabs printables from Studio Calico and cut them out.

For a print and cut tutorial, check out this detailed tutorial by FindingNana. It is very thorough and well written. I used Epson presentation paper to print and cut all the printables. The only thing is I couldn't stamp very well on this paper. Maybe it is just me, I am not sure.

I still have a bunch of the printables that I cut out and I plan on using throughout my album. We are planning to do a trip to Costa Rica in the middle of December so some of the cards have travel themed embellishments. I plan to use some of them as journal cards and for some, I may just add tiny photos and for some I may embellish more as I make the album.

Here are my cards:

 I have a December 31st card too. It didn't fit in the nice set of six so I left it out. My December daily is truly going to be a record of daily happenings of December with an emphasis on fun holiday events. So do follow my blog to see what I have in store.
Have a great day!
~Neela

More Diwali Fun

I wanted to make a layout of this beautiful photo that my dear friend Pratibha gave me of her Diwali celebration. Every year during Diwali, they light up beautiful lamps in their house and take some beautiful photos.
As soon as I saw this photo, it reminded me of this cut file that I had purchased from Studio Calico. It reminded me of rangoli (colorful designs used to decorate the front of Indian homes). I thought this was the perfect photo and perfect cut file.
Here is my layout:

I cut out the circles on a neutral cardstock and backed it with colorful papers. I picked the colors from Pratibha's dress. I had so much fun making this layout. I painted some wood veneer with gold paint and stuck them in the center of each circle. I added some sequins to the circle in the spirit of the festive mood.

Products used for this layout:

• Studio Calico Antiquary kit
• Crate paper Happy day collection
• Crate paper Maggie Holmes collection
• Wood Veneer from Studio Calico

It was a fun layout to make and I feel so happy to have a layout of my friend.
Have a great day!
~Neela

Some Diwali Fun

In India we celebrate Diwali - Festival of Lights in October/November timeframe. People decorate their homes up with beautiful lamps and burst fire crackers. The whole atmosphere in India is extremely festive at this time and kids are so excited to burst the fire crackers. In each neighborhood, friends form groups and burst the crackers together. I have some fun and fond memories of these times growing up.
This year on Diwali day, we lit a few lamps at home and did a photo session with the family. We attended a couple of parties at friends homes with everyone bringing lots of good Indian food and everyone dressed up beautiful Indian attire. My friends had some fireworks with them, so the kids had a good time with that. This was Surya's first time, and he was so excited with fireworks.
Here is my layout that I made with our photo session at home:

The starting point of this layout was a sketch from Studio Calico. It changed quite a bit from there but still has a resemblance to the original sketch.
Products used for this sketch:

• Cut files and gold foil from cutting edge class by Studio Calico
• Gold star Rub ons from Studio Calico Printshop
• Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm Collecion
• Rhinestones from Scrappn' Supplies

I designed the lamps with my Silhouette studio and cut them out with gold foil. It was quite simple. You can download the file from here.
 

An Announcement!!!!

Everyone, I am so excited to be able to announce that I have been selected to be on the design team for Stuck On U Sketches. The group is such a talented and fun set of ladies. I will be designing for their sketch team. This is my first design team assignment ever and I am super excited about this. The sketch contest on their website is twice a month. Swing by the Stuck On U Sketches blog and check out all the wonderful inspiration there.
Have a great day!
~Neela