Blog Archives - Crystal Komara

Inky Paws Challenge #131

8/31/2020

Hello readers and welcome back from the weekend! I hope you found a little time to do something crafty. Lately, the weekends have been my only time to craft, so I get it all in just two short days! Today we have a new challenge to share with you at Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge. Challenge #131 is a color challenge. Using the colors shown in the image below, share with us YOUR creations!

At first, I was a little skeptical about these colors, but, after I began to design this card (and my card for next week), I now love this combination and will be incorporating these colors into more of my fall designs!

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 Smooth cardstock. Using a scrap piece of eggplant paper, I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece for the first mat. Using the Frames & Flags die set I cut the scalloped rectangle frame from Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. I stamped the sentiment in the upper right corner in Blackberry Bliss ink. I die cut the fence from Pool Party cardstock. I stamped the images from the Pumpkin Latte stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored the images using Copic markers. I die cut the images using the coordinating Pumpkin Latte dies and began to adhere them to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the images for added sparkle.

Are you ready to get your paws inky with us and play along to win a prize? We will chose a RANDOM entry to win a $20 store credit to our Newton's Nook Desig ns online shop! We will also highlight our favorites from each challenge the following Monday so all entries have a chance to be featured on this blog!

You have TWO WEEKS to play along - Deadline to enter is Friday, September 11, 2020 at Midnight CST. The winners will be announced on the Newton's Nook blog the following Monday.

Are you ready to play along and get your paws inky? Make sure you check the challenge rules page before you link up your project.

XO, Crystal

List of supplies:

Fall Vibes

8/29/2020

Hello readers and happy Saturday, I hope you are enjoying a nice weekend so far. It's supposed to be a rainy day here today and since we haven't had many of those this summer - especially on a weekend, I'm looking forward to a lazy day!! Today I am sharing a fall themed card made using the "Fall Vibes" digital stamp set from Richard Garay Designs. I have been using a lot of digital stamps over the past year and I have really come to enjoy using them. If you are unsure about what digital stamps are, or what to do with them, please read this blog post I wrote that might answer a lot of your questions.

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 Smooth cardstock. I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Island Indigo cardstock and matted it directly to the card base. On a sheet of kraft cardstock, I stamped the Leafy Wall stamp set in kraft ink and ripped down the edges of both sides before adhering it to the indigo cardstock. I die cut a circle from vellum cardstock and adhered it to the center of the card. I printed out all the images from the digital Fall Vibes stamp set and colored them with Copic markers. I ran the images through my Scan and Cut 2 e-cutting machine to cut them out, in lieu of fussy cutting. I adhered the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive focusing on the wheel barrow as the central image. I added the sentiment in the lower left corner also using 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a coat of Dazzling Pat to the leaves and pumkins for added sparkle.

I hope you have enjoyed today's card.
Thank you for visiting and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

XO, Crystal

List of supplies:

Corny Candy Corn

8/28/2020

Hello and happy Friday, friends! Today Whimsy Stamps is having a slimline cards hop on both Instagram and YouTube. Members of the Creative Team have designed a variety of slimline cards, both to inspire you, as well as to promote Whimsy Stamps for being the innovator of the slimline dies. You can begin the Instagram hop on the Whimsy Stamps account here. Or, you can start the YouTube hop here on my YouTube page!

For my card, I have used the Corny Candy Corn stamp set and the Filmstrip Slimline die to create this fun Halloween themed shaker card:

Here is the step-by-step instructional video I created to show you how to create this shaker card:

I hope you will be inspired by the many creative slimline card ideas you will see on both the Instagram and YouTube hops! Thanks for visiting and have a great weekend!

XO, Crystal

List of supplies:

Tiny Dancers

8/27/2020

Hello and happy Thursday! Today I am on the Butterfly Reflections Ink, blog reminiscing about my childhood days spent in tap, jazz and ballet. Oh, yes, the words of "The Good Ship Lollipop" are stuck in my head.
F-O-R-E-V-E-R! When I first saw the new Room Builder Slimline Series die from Trinity Stamps I envisioned making a dance studio from that wooden floor. I love being able to combine products from different companies, like the Tiny Dancers stamp set from Sunny Studios to help achieve the look I was hoping for.

Card details:

This slimline line card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2". Slimline cards are designed to fit inside a regular #10 business sized envelope and require no additional postage. The base of this card is made from Neenah Solar Smooth white cardstock. I matted the base of the card with a 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of magenta pink cardstock. Using the Trinity Stamps Room Builder Slimline Series dies, I cut the floor from kraft cardstock and adhered it directly to the magenta pink cardstock. I cut a 8" x 2" piece of white cardstock to adhere to the top of the dance floor as the wall. Using the window dies from the same Room Builder series, I cut two windows in the white cardstock. I lined the back of the window with some scrap paper I had that looks like clouds. I had to cut the two sets of curtains by hand. I die cut the pink rug from the same paper as the curtains and adhered it to the center of the card using a Tombow dot runner. I die cut two of the wooden board signs from the same die builder set and stamped "dance" in magenta ink. I adhered the two signs between the windows using foam adhesive.

I die cut the plant pots from white cardstock and the flowers or leaves from green glitter cardstock and pink glitter cardstock. I stamped all of the dancers from the Tiny Dancers stamp set by Sunny Studios in Memento Tuxedo black ink on white cardstock. I colored the dancers with Copic markers and then used the coordinating Tiny Dancers dies to cut them out. I adhered the images to the card using foam adhesive for added dimension. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the dancers for added sparkle.

I hope you have enjoyed this sweet ballet theme slimline card! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

Sugar Skull Beauties

8/26/2020

I am excited to share today's box card with you featuring a new stamp set from Whimsy Stamps called Sugar Skull Beauties. It's no secret that I love Halloween, but I also love learning about the history, folklore and culture surrounding the holiday. For those of Mexican heritage who celebrate Dia de Muertos or "day of the dead" it is a beautiful remembrance celebration of life and death. A common symbol of the holiday is the skull (in Spanish "calavera"), which celebrants represent in masks and foods such as sugar or chocolate skulls, which are inscribed with the name of the recipient on the forehead, hence the name of the stamp "Sugar Skull" beauties! Sugar skulls can be given as gifts to both the living and the dead.

Card details:

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

The base of this box card was made using the Lawn Fawn Scalloped Box Card. The base of the card is made from Basic Black cardstock. I cut rectangles of purple, pink and blue glitter cardstock to fit on the base of the box. Using a small star punch, I punched out stars in black, pink and blue to adhere to some of the rectangles. I cut a 3" x 4" piece of white cardstock for the back piece of the box on which I stamped the sentiment "RIP." I created two hanging banners by cutting rectangles of glitter cardstock and folding them in half over black twine and adhering them to the box. I stamped the sugar skull beauties in Memento Tuxedo black ink on white cardstock and colored the images using Copic markers. Once all of the images were colored, I used my Brother Scan and Cut 2 e-cutting machine to cut the images out, in lieu of fussy cutting them. Then I adhered the images onto the box using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the images for added sparkle.

I hope you have enjoyed today's box card. To see more of the new release products from Whimsy Stamps, please click here. Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

List of supplies:

Helpful Products: Make Art Stay-tion

8/25/2020

I am not a "product person." I don't require tools and gadgets or the latest and greatest "it" item to craft. I couldn't tell you how many products I have purchased and never used (Hello Cricut machine, envelope punch board, Xyron sticker maker. . . ) and this really irritates me. Over the years, I have become much more adept at spending my money more effectively, so that when I do purchase a product that makes my life infinitely easier and is also affordable, I'd like to share that with you.

Meet the Make Art Stay-tion by Wendy Vecchi:

The MAKE ART Stay-tion(TM) by Wendy Vecchi was released at Creativation 2019. It is an all-in-one magnetic surface for stenciling, aligning, embossing, and creating! This 7" x 7" or 12” x 12” magnetic crafting surface features a printed grid and includes four brushed aluminum magnets and a flexible, magnetic centering ruler. No more slipping and sliding while stenciling. No more repositioning of masking tape! Use the magnets to securely hold surfaces and stencils in place while applying inks and mediums. Use the printed grid and ruler to align projects, or use the magnets to hold multiple layers in place.

Product includes:

1- 7" x 7" or 12" x 12" magnetic board
4 - 1" round magnets
1 - 7" or 12" magnetic ruler

Cost:

Under $12.99 for the 7" version.
*Under $19.99 for the 12" version.

I promise, the Make Art Stay-tion is REALLY helpful if you like to work with stencils, mixed media or simply even need help with positioning or alignment. Now that I have been creating more with distress oxide inks and stenciling, I have been using this Make Art Stay-tion. Every. Single. Time. The four magnets and magnetic ruler are very strong and help keep my paper in place while I am working. The board is thin enough to stand up on the side of my craft desk or tuck into a drawer without taking up much space. I love that it cleans up easily with soap, water and a paper towel or rag. Most times I can clean it up with just water. It also has an excellent price point at under $20. This product is well worth the purchase. My only recommendation would be to buy the 12" version, because it simply gives you a little extra working space and I would rather have more space than not enough.

Here are two videos from Ranger Ink with Wendy Vecchi demonstrating the Make Art Stay-tion:

*All images courtesy of Ranger, Inc. & Wendy Vecchi Make Art Stay-tion

I hope you have enjoyed this product review. Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

Inky Paws Challenge #130

8/24/2020

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. Challenge #130 continues on with a theme challenge designed 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 this week's "create a scene" theme:

Card details:

The base of this slimline card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. For the top sun part of the card, I ink sponged Squeezed Lemonade Distress Oxide ink onto a 3 1/4" x 3" piece of Bristol smooth paper. Using the Sunscape Stencil, I applied more Squeezed Lemonade Distress Oxide ink over the sky to create the sun beams. I stamped the sentiment in Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I used the Landborders Dies to cut the sand hills and grass from Crumb Cake cardstock and Old Olive cardstock. I fussy cut the pond myself from Pool Party cardstock.

I stamped all of the images from the Newton's Nook Winston's Lake House stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on white cardstock and colored them using Copic markers. I die cut the images using the coordinating Winston's Lake House dies. I began to adhere the colored images to the card with 3M foam adhesive (for added dimension) and created a scene. I also stamped one camper and flamingoes from the Newton's Nook Cozy Camper stamp set. I also cut this out using the coordinating Cozy Camper dies. Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to many of the images for added sparkle.

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!
Deadline to enter is Friday, August 28th, at midnight CST.

Thanks for visiting and I hope to see your creations there!

List of supplies:

Boo

8/21/2020

Hello and happy Friday! I am sooooo ready for the weekend, it's been one of those weeks and the weekend can't come fast enough! It's another exciting new release day today at Whimsy Stamps and it's all about Halloween! I know I've mentioned it before, but I LOVE Halloween! It is one of my favorite holidays to make cards for, so you'll be seeing lots of spooky inspiration over the next month or two.
Today I'm sharing three cards created using the new "Boo" dies combined with Distress Oxide ink backgrounds for an extra spooky sky effect.

Card details:

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

All three of these A2 sized card are made from a base of Neenah White Solar Smooth cardstock. I cut the window frame using the Arched Window die. This frame was cut from black glitter cardstock. I created a cloud template using the Grass and Cloud Edge die set and acetate sheets. I ink blended distress oxide inks in Carved Pumpkin, Twisted Citron and Seedless Preserves to create each sky. I blocked off a small white circle with masking tape for the moon. I die cut each of the ghosts from white cardstock and put a small piece of black cardstock behind their eyes and mouth for a shadow effect. I die cut the word "boo" from orange, green and purple glitter cardstock and made my own shadow frame from black cardstock. All ghosts images and the word "boo" were adhered to the card with 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.

Are you starting to think about making your Halloween cards yet? I promise, getting a good head start now will make you panic much less on October 27th!

Have a great weekend!

XO, Crystal

List of supplies:

You Are

8/20/2020

Today I'd like to share a simple rainbow themed card that carries a positive message. Given the current state of the world between a pandemic, political chaos and civil unrest, I think we could all use more love, peace and understanding. I don't know who needs to hear (or see) these words today, but perhaps you could use a reminder that you are enough. You are unique. And, you are loved.

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 Smooth cardstock. Using a piece of rainbow paper from the Whimsy Stamps rainbow paper pack, I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece for the background. I die cut the large heart from white cardstock and heat embossed the sentiment "You Are" with black embossing powder. I adhered the large heart to the center of the card using 3M foam adhesive. I stamped a variety of words in Versamark ink on red, orange, yellow, green and blue and heat embossed them with white embossing powder. I die cut the words using the Speech Bubbles dies from Whimsy Stamps. I adhered each word bubble to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. Lastly, I added a couple of rhinestones to the card for added sparkle.

I hope today's card will inspire you to share and speak nothing but kind and positive words. Always.
Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

List of supplies:

Pumpkin Lacework

8/19/2020

Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year and I'm already beginning to get excited at the prospect of cooler weather, sweater season, and yes, all things pumpkin! Today I am on the Birch Press Design blog sharing two cards made with their gorgeous new Autumn Breeze layering plates and Pumpkin Lacework stamp set. These new dies just might be be my favorite release yet!

Just look at that beautiful stitched detail in Layer Plate A:

Here is the second card I created using the same Pumpkin Lacework stamp set and coordinating dies:

Here is a step-by-step instructional video showing how both of these cards were made. I hope you will enjoy it!

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal