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Hello readers and thanks for visiting! If you are new here, welcome! I hope you find creativity and inspiration as you look around. If you are a regular follower of mine, thank you for your continued support and I hope you keep returning here for that same creativity and inspiration. Today I am sharing two shaker cards created using the beautiful Heart and Soul stamp set by Pinkfresh Studio. This is only the second stamp set that I own by Pinkfresh Studio and I have had it sitting in my craft room for longer than I care to admit! Thanks to Covid-19, and being on a reduced schedule at work, I am finding far more time to craft than usual and I have so much to share!   Card details:*A full supply list is located at the end of this post. Both of these A2 sized cards were made the same way simply using a different color scheme. The base of this card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I cut a frame from Pretty Peacock cardstock using the Reverse Scallop Rectangle frames. I lined the back of the frame with a sheet of acetate. Then I lined the back of the frame with thin strips of 3M foam adhesive for a raised frame that sequins can fit under. I stamped the sentiment in the center of the white base cardstock in either Pretty Peacock or Gorgeous Grape ink. I added about two tablespoons of sequins before adhering the frame on top. On a separate sheet of Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock, I stamped the large floral image in Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I die cut the image using the coordinating Heart and Soul die cuts. I adhered the image directly to the cardstock with 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the flowers for added sparkle.       Shaker cards are one of my favorite interactive cards to make (probably because I think they're the easiest)! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
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Hello friends and happy Tuesday! Today's card was a bit of an experiment in watercolor using the Zig Clean Real Watercolor brushes to color on vellum cardstock. I have really been enjoying these watercolor brushes and I wanted to experiment with them using a different medium, other than watercolor paper. I have seen people color on vellum before, but usually on the back side, and it tends to lend itself to more of a stained glass type look.  Card details:This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2" inches. Slimline cards are designed to fit inside a standard #10 business sized envelope and require no additional postage. The base of this card is made from 80 lb Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I cut a 8" x 3" piece of white cardstock and ran it through a trellis embossing folder on my Big Shot. I adhered this embossed paper to a mat of lime green cardstock before adhering both to the base of the card. On a separate piece of vellum cardstock, I stamped the butterfly three times in Versamark ink and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. I colored in the butterfly using Zig Clean Color Waterbrush pens to give it a watercolored look. I die cut the butterflies and adhered them to the card using Tombow Vellum adhesive. On a thin scrap of lime green cardstock, I stamped the sentiment in Versamark ink and heat embossed it also with white embossing powder. I adhered the sentiment to the bottom 1/3 of the card using 3M foam adhesive.  Here is the Butterfly Blossom stamp set from Reverse Confetti that I used to make today's card:    I don't know if I absolutely love this look, but it was fun to experiment and try something new. Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalYou might also enjoy:
Hello friends and happy Monday! I am excited to be sharing my card for the Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge today. I frequently hear from friends and fellow stampers that they aren't creative enough to design something on their own, or that they don't know what colors to use. They feel frustrated before they even begin because they don't know where to begin. I understand! Yes, I've been there too! That's the concept behind a card challenge. It can help to inspire you and get the creative juices flowing by giving you a place to start. Challenge #122 by Newton's Nook is a color challenge. Let the image below be your inspiration for creating a card (or scrapbook page) and see where this challenge takes you!  I loved this color combination, it's fresh and modern. Here is my card inspired by the challenge colors:  Card details:*A full supply list 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. The first matted layer is a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of Neenah white cardstock as well. I stamped the sentiment in Memento Tuxedo Black ink in the upper right corner of this mat. I stamped the flowers from the Peony Blooms stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on white cardstock. I colored in the peonies with Copic markers and used the coordinating Peony Blooms die to cut them out. I adhered a 3 3/4" x 2" piece of green gingham paper to the bottom half of this mat. I tied a mint ribbon around the gingham ribbon before adhering it to the card. I tied a small bow using the mint ribbon and adhered the bow to the card with a glue dot. I added a couple randomly placed rhinestones to the card for added sparkle. I also added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the flowers for even more sparkle.     Will these colors inspire YOU to create? Are you ready to get your paws inky with us and play along for a chance to win?! We will randomly select one linked entry to receive a $20 store credit to the Newton's Nook Designs online shop! We will also highlight our favorites from each challenge the following Monday, so that all entries have a chance to be featured on the Newton's Nook Designs blog. Please make sure you review the challenge rules page before you link up your project! Deadline to enter is Friday, May 8th, at midnight CST. Thanks for visiting and I hope to see your creations there! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
Hello readers, I hope you are all enjoying a pleasant Sunday. I am sure the weekends also look like most weekdays do right now, there is not a whole lot going on and you are forever forgetting what day of the week it actually is! Today I have a beautiful large new digital stamp to share with you from RG Avenue called "Bloom Book." What I love most about this stamp set is the detail already in the lines of the image that make it easy to color because you need less blending and shading. The image is so large, it becomes the focal point of the card and doesn't need much to embellish it, but this lovely lattice background is a perfect accompaniment.   Card details:The base of this A2 sized card is made from Black Taffy cardstock. Using the Whimsy Stamps Lattice A2 die , I cut the lattice frame from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I printed out the large beautiful Bloom Book stamp on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and colored it with Copic markers. I ran the colored image through my Scan and Cut 2 electronic cutting machine, so it cut the stamp out for me. I adhered the bouquet of flowers to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I stamped the sentiment in Black Taffy ink on a 4 1/4" x 1 1/2" strip of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I wrapped a piece of black lace ribbon below the sentiment before adhering it to the card. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the flowers for added sparkle.   Here is the "Bloom Book" digital stamp set from RG Avenue that I used to create this card:    I just absolutely LOVE this large stamp! Thank you for visiting and enjoy the rest of your weekend! XO, CrystalYou might also enjoy:
Here it is! The most essential post of all craft posts! The craft items/tools/products that I simply cannot live without. I'm talking the basics here, the items which make all other things possible. The stamps, the embellishments, the dies, the ribbon, etc. - those are all just the icing on the cake. We need the basics before we can build upon those! I am frequently asked for recommendations such as "what paper do you use" or "what glue is best for ----?" While we all have our own personal favorites, and everyone is entitled to their preferences, here are all of MY insider craft secrets in no particular order:
These are most of the helpful crafting essentials I use most often on a day-to-day basis in my craft room. If you have a go-to tool or product that would help others, please share in the comment section below! XO, CrystalLast week I spent an entire day restocking my own card supply. I was running low on both birthday and get well cards, so I decided to mass produce in large(ish) quantities to help replenish my stock. This is not something I do very often because, hello BOREDOM! But, making multiples of a card is actually faster than you might think. I make one sample, write down all the measurements, cut and stamp everything I need and then begin an assembly line of production! Within a few short hours, I had made 32 of these beautiful floral cards in a wide variety of colors using the Build A Flower: Peruvian Lily stamp set by Altenew. I should also add that given Mother's Day will be here soon, this card would also work well for that occasion. So many of the cards I make tend to be very feminine and/or floral themed, so if you ARE looking for more Mother's Day inspiration, you can always look at my card gallery HERE.   Card details:Both of these A2 sized cards were made the same way, I just used different ink colors and cardstock. The base of each card is made from 80 lb Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I cut a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock that was dry embossed using a retired leafy vine embossing folder by Stampin' UP! I matted this dry embossed sheet of paper with either a blue or pink mat before adhering both to the card base. The Peruvian Lily stamp by Altenew is a multi-layered set, so I stamped each layer multiples times in a variety of blue or pink inks. Then I used the coordinating die to cut the lilies out. I die cut multiple leaves from Pear Pizzazz cardstock for each card. I adhered the leaves to the card first using a Tombow dot runner. I adhered two lilies on each card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I stamped the "happy birthday" sentiment in either pink or blue ink on Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock and fussy cut the sentiment out. I adhered the sentiment to the card using small strips of 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a couple of color coordinated rhinestones to each card for added sparkle.   Here is the Peruvian Lily stamp set by Altenew that I used to create today's cards:      Thank you for visiting and enjoy your day! XO, CrystalHello friends! Today I am sharing a slimline card featuring the new digital stamp set from RG Avenue called "Concha Life." And, since I know the very first question is going to be "what are conchas?" I've done some research for you! But, in simple terms it's a "sweet," some I'm all in! The punny sentiments that go with this stamp set really crack me up. Concha (plural conchas, meaning "shell" in Spanish) is a traditional Mexican sweet bread/roll. Conchas get their name from their round shape and their striped, seashell like appearance. A concha consists of two parts, a sweetened bread roll, and a crunchy topping (composed of sugar, butter and flour). Their distinctive pattern is made by pressing a bread stamp over the topping while the dough is proofing. Although the roll and topping are usually the same flavor, the top layer may have different flavorings or colors (strawberry, coffee, chocolate, etc.). Conchas are popular in bakeries in Mexico and throughout the United States. They are usually eaten with coffee at breakfast or as an afternoon snack.  Card details:The base of this slimline card measures 8 1/2" by 3 1/2" inches. Slimline cards are designed to fit into a regular #10 business sized envelope and require no additional postage. The base of this card is made from Neenah Solar White cardstock. I matted the card base with a 8 1/4" x 3 1/2" piece of yellow polka dot paper. Using the Whimsy Stamps Slimline Postage die, I die cut the frame from white cardstock. I matted the oval circles with some pink gingham paper. Because the "Concha Life" stamp set is a digital stamp set, I printed out all the images onto Neenah Solar White cardstock and colored them using Copic markers. I ran all of the images through my Scan and Cut 2 machine which cut the images out electronically for me. I added the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a coat of Dazzling Pat to the conchas for added sparkle!     I hope you have enjoyed this sweet card and learned a little about conchas! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
Hello readers and welcome back from the weekend! I hope you found a little time to do something crafty. Today I am sharing another card that I made for the Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge #121. This week we have a theme challenge to inspire you. Our challenges run for two weeks, thereby giving you more time to create, so I have designed a second card to share with you this week that was still inspired by the same image seen below:  Here is the card I created inspired by the birthday theme challenge:  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 Neenah Solar White Crest cardstock. I diecut a semi-circle in a sheet of 5 1/4" x 4" piece of white cardstock to adhere on top of the card base. I stamped the sentiment "Have a pawsome birthday" in Blueberry Bushel blue ink in the lower left corner of the card. Behind the semi circle, I created a stenciled background. First I layered Peacock Feathers Distress oxide on a sheet of Bristol Smooth white cardstock. Then I used a glitter shimmer paste over the Balloon stencil and let that dry before adhering it behind the semi circle. I stamped the cat and multiple balloons in Memento Tuxedo black and colored them with Copic markers. I cut the images out with the coordinating dies and adhered them to the card using 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a few highlights to the images using a Uniball white gel pen.     Will this theme inspire YOU to create? Are you ready to get your paws inky with us and play along for a chance to win?! We will randomly select one linked entry to receive a $20 store credit to the Newton's Nook Designs online shop! We will also highlight our favorites from each challenge the following Monday, so that all entries have a chance to be featured on the Newton's Nook Designs blog. Please make sure you review the challenge rules page before you link up your project! The deadline to enter is Friday, April 24th, at midnight CST. XO, CrystalList of supplies:
Hello friends and happy Friday! Today I am very honored and happy to be participating in another fun blog hop called "Spread Joy Not Germs." Much like the "Send Uplifting Smiles" blog hop that I posted about just an hour ago sponsored by Newton's Nook Designs, this hop is also designed to inspire you to create and spread joy through sending handmade cards. There are over 153 bloggers and companies participating in this hop and there are many great prizes available as you will see at the end of this post. Today I'm happy to be representing Whimsy Stamps. I have used their sweet Bunny Balloons stamp set to create my card for this hop.  Here is the rainbow themed card I created for this bloghop:  Card details:*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post. This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2". Slimline cards are designed to fit inside a regular #10 sized business envelope and do not require additional postage. The base of this slimline card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Using the Slimline Postage stamp die, I cut the frame from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I lined the back of the frame with rainbow striped paper. I stamped some of the cute little bunnies and balloons from the Bunny Balloons stamp set and colored them in using Copic markers. I added the bunnies to the card with 3M foam adhesive for added height. I stamped the sentiment in Memento Tuxedo black ink, notched the left edge and adhered it to the right side of the card. Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the balloons for added sparkle.       Sponsor and Prize List: Catherine Pooler Designs - $20 Gift Certificate on each of the Brand Ambassadors' blogs Hedgehog Hollow - one month free sub to the box with free us shipping Artesprix - Getting Started Kit Beacon - Product gift bag Brutus Monroe - $50 GC CAS-ual Fridays - Win the new release - over $80 value Dina Kowal - Two $10 gift codes to Dina Kowal Creative Dress My Craft - $35 gift certificate Ellen Hutson - $35 Gift Certificate Greeting Farm -$25 Gift Certificate Heffy Doodle - £35 voucher for the store iCrafter - $20 Gift Certificate Ink on 3 - $35 Gift Certificate Joy Claire - $25 Gift Certificate Miss Ink Stamps -$25 Gift Certificate Pear Blossom Press -$25 gift certificate Paper Sweeties - $50 Gift Certificate Polka Dot Orchard- $20 Gift Certificate Pink and Main - $25 Gift Certificate Rabbit Hole Designs - $10.00 gift code on each DT members blogs Sassy and Crafty Stamps - $35 Gift Certificate STAMPlorations - $25 gift code on the STAMPlorations blog + $10 gift code on each designer blogs. Taylored Expressions - $50 Gift Certificate Trinity Stamps- $25 Gift Certificate The Ton - $20 Gift Certificate (stamps, dies, ink or sequins) Unity - two $25 Gift Certificates Whimsy Stamps - $15 GC on each of their Creative Team team blogs WOW! Embossing Powder - two gift vouchers £30 UK or Europe & $30 for US winner Xyron - Mega Runner, Refill & 1.5 inch sticker maker, refill You're Next Stamp - $25 Gift Certificate Continue on the hop:The prizes will be randomly drawn from all of the comments. This bloghop has over 153 bloggers and sponsors participating, so YES, that's a lot of websites to visit! While it's hard to leave comments on ALL of them, your chances of winning increase by commenting on as many as you can. The deadline to enter for prizes is April 24th, 2020. Winners will be announced on the Catherine Pooler and Hedgehog Hollow websites. Please continue on this blog hop by visiting fellow artist Judy Rozema here: For a full list of details and all those participating, you can always refer to: Hedgehog Hollow Catherine Pooler Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
Today the Newton's Nook Designs and Inky Paws Challenge Team members are hopping along to Send Uplifting Smiles! Our goal today is to help brighten your day with uplifting and encouraging cards that will make you smile! We know that many of you are under stay-at-home orders to help fight the spread of the Coronavirus and during this time of social distancing it's more important than ever to keep in touch with family and friends! We encourage you to spend some time creating and sending cards to those who matter to you! Check out all the stops on this hop to get inspired on ways YOU can send uplifting smiles! Please leave kind comments at all the stops on the hop for a chance to win a store credit to our shop (details at the bottom of this post).   Card details:*A full supply list is located at the end of this post. This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2". Slimline cards are designed to fit into a regular #10 business sized mailing envelope, so no extra postage is required. The base of this card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Crest cardstock. As you will notice, I created a bit of "home" theme here starting with a little town at the bottom using the Snowglobe Scenes stamp set by Newton's Nook. I stamped the town in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and used the coordinating Snowglobe Scenes dies to cut them out. The town was colored in a rainbow array of Copic markers. Then I progressed into the city still using the Snowglobe Scenes stamp set, but also added the Eiffel Tower from Newton Dreams of Paris stamp set and Big Ben from Newton Dreams of London. I kept the city in a neutral range of various gray tones. Then at the very top of the card, I incorporated the castle and clouds from the Once Upon a Princess (soon to be retiring!) stamp set. The whole card was tied together by lots of rainbow colors and layering with 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I stamped the sentiment "Home is wherever we are together" at the bottom of the card in Memento Tuxedo Black ink. This sentiment was from the Newton's Nook Cozy Camper stamp set.     Inspired? What will you create? Newton's Nook Designs is having a sale this weekend too so you can stock up on your favorites to make some cards today! Check out their shop at www.newtonsnookdesigns.com for details! Send Uplifting Smiles Hop Giveaway! Would you like to win a $25 store credit to Newton's Nook Designs online shop? We are giving them out to TWO lucky winners! Here's how to win: Comment on the NND blog and Design Team blogs (see list below)! The winner will be chosen at random from the collective reveal posts. Make sure to check out each of their blogs and comment for your chance to win. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning! You have until Monday, April 20th at 9pm EST to comment -- winners will be announced on the blog post on Tuesday, April 21st. Check out all the awesome Design Team Blogs below to enter: Newton's Nook Designs Ellen Haxelmans Larissa Heskett Samantha Mann Zsofia Molnar Maria Russell Andrea Shell Tatiana Trafimovich Amanda Wilcox Debbie Owens Diane Morales Becky Noelle Crystal Komara (You are here!) List of supplies:
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Hi, I'm Crystal!
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I, Crystal Komara, am solely responsible for this blog and all of its content, including, but not limited to designs, concepts, text, images and photographs. This website is for your personal enjoyment, inspiration and to help stimulate your own creativity.
If you use one of my posts, images, classes or designs please be sure to give credit where it is due. Thank you! 2019 © Disclosure:Whether gifted, or from my own supply, all of my recommendations are based on items that I use and truly love, and I think you will too. |
