Crystal Komara - Blog

Elegant Pumpkin

11/6/2023

Hello Birch Press Design readers! This is DT member Crystal Komara here with you today and I can't believe it's November already! I have been loving the new Adornment Pumpkin dies and since I love creating with alcohol ink backgrounds so much, I decided to put the two together for this elegant card:

Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card was made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. To create the background, I die cut all three layers of the Viola Layering Plates from the same Neenah white cardstock and adhered them together with a fine-tip liquid glue.

Using the Adornment Pumpkin 2-piece die set, I die cut the pumpkin shadow from white cardstock and I die cut the intricate layer pieces from an orange pre-made alcohol ink background. I simply used Valencia orange alcohol ink on Yupo paper to create the alcohol ink piece. Just one color! I adhered the pumpkin together and die cut the stem from brown cardstock and the leaves from olive green cardstock. I adhered the assembled pumpkin to the center of the card using 3M foam adhesive for dimension.

On a thin white strip of cardstock, I stamped the sentiment "forever grateful" from the Brush Sentiments stamp set. I notched the left end of the sentiment strip before adhering it to the card.

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

Candy Corn Pumpkin

10/25/2023

Hello Birch Press Design readers, this is DT member Crystal Komara here to share a fun Halloween themed card with you. Hopefully it will remind you of candy corn, which are the colors that I was inspired to use on the pumpkin itself!

Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of black cardstock that I ran through my Big Shot with the 3D Blooming Embossing folder from Memory Box Company (a sister company to BPD).

Using the Adornment Pumpkin dies, I die cut both the outer shadow and inner intricate frame from white cardstock. Then I ink blended Squeezed Lemonade and Dried Marigold Distress Oxide ink onto the pumpkin. I splattered black acrylic paint all over the pumpkin to "grunge it up".

I die cut the pumpkin stem from brown cardstock and the two leaves from an olive green cardstock. I adhered the pumpkin to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. Lastly, I added the "boo" sentiment also with 3M foam adhesive.

I love how this card turned out with a candy corn colored pumpkin! It's fun for Halloween without being terrifyingly spooky! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day.

XO, Crystal

Eek! Creepy Crawlies!

10/10/2023

If creepy crawlies are not your thing, then today's spiderweb themed shaker filled card might not be for you. But, then again, I designed in pastel pink and orange, with glittery black spiders, so it's kinda cute!
Cute spiders aren't soooooo creepy, no??

Card details:

*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post.

The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Using the new Inverted Scallop Rectangles from Whimsy Stamps, I created the frame from ballet pink cardstock. I adhered a sheet of clear acetate to the back of the frame (in order to create the shaker component of the card). On a 5" x 3 3/4" sheet of white cardstock, I randomly stamped the two smallest spiders from the Fuzzy Spiders stamp set from Whimsy Stamps in ballet pink and pumpkin pie orange. I added about a tablespoon of confetti called "Ghostly Glitz" from This Calls for Confetti onto the white stamped cardstock before adhering the shaker frame on top.

I know it's hard to tell from the images, but everything else on this card was created on the outside of the shaker frame. Using the Spiders and Webs die set from Whimsy Stamps, I die cut spider webs from black cardstock and spiders from both pink glitter cardstock and black glitter cardstock. I adhered the spider webs directly to the acetate and I used 3M foam to adhere the spiders so they would be more dimensional and raised.

*Below - take a closeup look of that cute Ghostly Glitz confetti with pink ghosts! Shop Lisa's store This Calls for Confetti for some real fun confetti mixes, polymer clay and sequins.

Using the Eek Word and Shadow die, I die cut the bottom layer from white cardstock, the middle layer from black cardstock and the top layer from pink glitter cardstock. I adhered all three layers of the Eek sentiment together using a fine-tip liquid adhesive. (*My go-to is LineCo Adhesive, a bookbinding glue). I adhered the word "Eek" to the card using 3M foam adhesive. Lastly I stamped the sentiment "creepy crawlies" in black ink on a thin strip of white cardstock and adhered this below the word "Eek."

I love using non-traditional colors for holiday cards. Pink, black and orange is one of my go-to color combinations for Halloween cards!
Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

Products used:

Thanks Oval Leaves

10/9/2023

Hello friends! This is DT member Crystal Komara here with you today with what just might be my new favorite card ever that I've designed for Birch Press Design. Now, I'll admit, I was initially hesitant to use the contour dies, becuase oh-so-much die cutting, but I promise, the end result is always SOOooo worth the work!!

Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I cu ta 5 1/4" x 4" piece of black cardstock and dry embossed it using the Blooming 3D Embossing Folder from Memory Box Co, a sister company of Birch Press Design. This is my go-to floral embossing folder, it's so elegant.

Then I just began die cutting lots and lots of the Oval Leaves contour dies in yellow, orange and gold cardstock. I mismatched up the layers, so that I layered yellow with orange and rust with gold. There was no method to this matching up madness.

I die cut the "thanks" sentiment using the Big Thanks Sugar Script die set. I die cut the back shadow layer from a mustard yellow cardstock, and the top layer from black cardstock. I adhered the two layers of the sentiment together using a fine-tip liquid glue. I then began tucking all the various leaves behind the sentiment strip, along the top and bottom until I found an arrangement that was pleasing to the eye.

Lastly, I flicked some gold acrylic paint onto the entire image and I love how this effect came out! It added a bit of grunge, but also a bit of sparkle!

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

Bite Me

10/4/2023

Today's card is a bit saucy, but I love how it came out!! With sentiments like "have a fangtastic birthday" this Dracula Bite Me stamp set from Whimsy Stamps would work well for a Halloween or October birthday card.

Card details:

*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post.

The base of this A2 sized card was made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of the same white cardstock and stamped the vampire lips in red ink randomly. I then heat embossed the lips with clear embossing powder so the image is slightly glossy and raised. I cut a 4" x 3" piece of vellum cardstock and adhered it directly to the center of the card with vellum adhesive. Vellum helps to slightly mute the background in the middle so the words can stand out.

I die cut the words "Bite Me" using the Bold ABC letter dies from Whimsy Stamps. I cut these letter three times so that I could layer them for dimension. The first two layers were cut from black cardstock and the third (top layer) was cut from black glitter cardstock. I adhered the layers of the word "bite me" together with a fine tip liquid adhesive. Then I adhered the letters directly to the vellum. I stamped the vampire in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored the image with Copic Markers. I stamped the sentiment in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and die cut the sentiment using the Comic Speech Bubbles die set. I adhered the vampire and sentiment to the card using 3M foam adhesive for more dimension.

I loved this fun Dracula Bite Me stamp set so much that I created a second card:

Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Using the Weird-O Frame die set from Whimsy Stamps, I cut the frame from red cardstock. I placed a piece of paper from the 6" x 6" Vampire paper back behind the red Weird-O frame. I stamped the vampire in Memento Tuxedo black ink and then colored the image with Copic Markers. I fussy cut the vampire out (there is no coordinating die).

I stamped a variety of the sentiments in Tuxedo Memento Black ink on white cardstock and then die cut the sentiments using the Comic Speech Bubbles die set. I placed them randomly on the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.

I have some October birthday's coming up, so I think I'll make a version of one these cards this year to send to family and friends.
Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

Products used:

No Fuss Masks

10/4/2023

Hi Whimsy friends! Have you heard the news? Whimsy Stamps just introduced a new product line - the NoFuss Masks. All 10 in our first release can be found here in one spot. They are also all listed and linked below at the bottom of this post.

Read below on how you can easily achieve perfect masked images with less fuss and more fun!

Spooky

9/8/2023

I know it's only early September, but Halloween is my absolute favorite time of the year to make cards, so we're kicking the spooky season off today with this giant webbed word die shaker card.

Card details:

*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post.

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Coastal Cabana cardstock. Using the Inverted Scallop rectangle set from Whimsy Stamps I created the frame from black cardstock. I lined the back of this frame with a clear sheet of acetete (in order to make the shaker card). I die cut the word "Spooky" using the Spooky Large word die from Whimsy Stamps three times. The bottom layer of the die (which you can see peeking through) was cut from white cardstock. The middle layer was cut from Coastal Cabana cardstock and the top layer was cut from black glitter paper. I adhered all three layers of the the word die together using a fine-tip liquid glue from LineCo. I adhere the Spooky word die to the top of the acetate on the front side.

I added some Halloween themed confetti (retired from This Calls for Confetti) to the card before sealing the edges to make it a shaker card.

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

Products used:

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Autumn Trio

9/5/2023

Hello friends and happy September! I hope you all had a nice, long Labor Day weekend. This month marks the official start of fall and it's my favorite season of the year here in New England. So, I'm kicking off the month with some fall theme cards in a variety of jewel toned colors today.

Card details:

*Please note, the directions listed below will be for one card, but each of these cards were made the same way, using all of the same dimensions, I simply swapped out ink and cardstock colors. A list of supplies used is located at the end of this post.

The base of this A2 sized card was made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I then cut a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of this same white cardstock. Using the Autumn Layered Leaves stamp set from Whimsy Stamps, I stamped the leaves and berries in orange, yellow and brown ink (or a mixture of blues/teals (for the blue card) and pinks and purples for the third card. I mounted that stamped image with a coordinating 5 1/4" x 4" piece of orange (teal or pink) cardstock.

I cut a 4" x 3" piece of vellum and adhered this to the center of the card with vellum adhesive. This vellum help to soften the stamped image and to bring attention to the word die. For the word die, I used the Autumn Word and Shadow die also from Whimsy Stamps. I cut the background shadow layer from orange, pink or teal cardstock. I then cut the thinner top layer from gold glitter cardstock. I layered the two die cut images together with LineCo liquid adhesive and then I mounted the entire word die to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.

Do you have a favorite colors from this trio of cards? I'm all for the magenta pink and browns!
Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

Products used:

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Adornment Oak Leaf Mixed Media

9/4/2023

Friends, you are witnessing a FIRST here on my website. My very first foray into the world of mixed media cards! It has long been an art I admire, but one that gives me serious anxiety, as it involved getting messy. Verrrryyyy messy! If I'm being honest, I'm still not sure what I think! I mean I like (kinda sorta) how this card came out, but I wouldn't say I love the process of how I got there. One very messy step at a time and a lot of self doubt. So, I'll preserve judgement until I play around a little bit more to see if mixed media will "be my thing."

Card details:

The base of this A6 (6 1/4" x 4 1/2") is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. The background paper was leftover in my scrap bin, but it had the perfect fall colors I wanted, so I cut it to 6" x 4 1/4" and then splattered black ink and gold metallic spray all over the paper before adhering it directly to the card base.

Using the Adornment Oak Leaf die, I die cut three different colored leaves in a rust colored cardstock, a yellow cardstock and a cherry red cardstock. I then cut the overlapping detail element from gold glitter paper. I adhered the gold glitter paper over each leaf and then splattered the leaves with black ink and gold metallic spray. I adhered the leaves to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.

Using the Big Sugar Script Thanks Die, I die cut the shadow layer from white cardstock and the thinner layer from rust colored glitter cardstock. I adhered both layers together with a fine-tip liquid glue and then I adhered the entire sentiment to the card with 3M foam adhesive.

I love the colors of this card, but will I try mixed media again? Yes, in small doses, when I am fully prepared to be splattered by my own ink flicking!

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

Pink Adornment Pumpkin

8/25/2023

Hello friends and happy Friday! I hope you have fun things planned for the weekend ahead! Today I am on the Birch Press Design blog with this card using the new Adornment Pumpkin dies.

I looooooove how this card came out, if I do say so myself! While the pink alcohol ink pumpkin is a little more vibrant than I had initially intended, it works. That's the thing with alcohol ink, you never quite know what you're going to get and they can be a bit unpredictable in how they move and dry as you blow them around.

Card details:

*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post.

The base of this A2 sized card was made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth alcohol ink. Using Layer Plate A (the top layer) of the Herbarium Plate Layering Set, I die cut this from white cardstock and then mounted a sheet of magneta cardstock behind it before adhering it directly to the card base. I die cut the solid pumpkin from a scrap piece of an alcohol ink background I had in my craft bin and then die cut the frame using pink glitter cardstock from the 6" x 6" Glitzy Glitter paper pack. I adhered the two layers together with a fine tip liquid glue.

I created a pumpkin stem from espresso brown cardstock and leaves from both green cardstock and green glitter cardstock. There was a lot of piece work here using these smaller contour dies. Next, using the new Oval Leaf Branches Contour Layers, I die cut leaves from pink glitter cardstock, espresso brown carsdstock and the same green and green glitter cardstock used on the leaves. Then I pieces all the layers of the leaves together (again, a little bit time consuming here to do all these small details, but SO worth it in the end). Then it was just a matter of adhering all the small branches and leaves into a pattern that was pleasing to the eye.

I stamped the sentiment "forever grateful" in magenta ink on white cardstock and used oval punch to punch it over before adhering it to the pumpkin with 3M foam adhesive. This sentiment is from the Brush Sentiments clear stamp set.

I love using non-traditional colors to create holiday or seasonal cards. Pink is perfect in lieu of traditional orange pumpkins.
Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

Products used:

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