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Hello friends and Happy Halloween! Today I'm sharing a new stamp from the October Life Celebrations release from RG Avenue. This fun Day of the Dead inspired stamp set was too unique not to share ALL of the calaveras (skulls), so I had to create a slimline card for the entire familia! My thought process going into this was that if I colored all of the calaveras with ALL of the colors, it would simply be way too much color!
Because, hi, remember me, the neutrals girl. . . So, I decided to color each skull within a similar color family (green, blue, pink and yellow). I felt it added more cohesiveness to the overall appearance. It's still bright and colorful without being entirely loco! 
Card details:
The base of this 8 1/2" x 3 1/2" slimline card is made from Black Taffy cardstock. I cut a 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and stamped the grunge splatter on it using the RG Avenue Tangy Apple Sugar Cube, Tangy Gum Sugar Cube, Sweet Lavender Sugar Cube and Tangy Orange Sugar Cube. As the La Familia stamp set was a digital once, I printed out all of the images and then colored them using Copic markers. I added highlights to each image using a white gel pen. I adhered the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I stamped the sentiment on Black Taffy cardstock in Versamark ink and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. I notched both ends of the sentiment strip and adhered it to the bottom center of the card using 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella for added sparkle.
I hope you have enjoyed today's card. Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!
XO, Crystal
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If it weren't for two extra days of crafting in LA last weekend with my dear friend Donna, I'm not sure I would have sent out my Halloween cards this year. . . And, oh the stress I have felt about this! I knew that September and October were going to be two very busy months for me, and I did my best to plan accordingly by having kits made in advance for most of my classes and having my blog posts pre-photographed and drafted. But, I still had this nagging voice in the back of my head that kept haunting me about those darn Halloween cards. Here is just one (of a set of 8 matching cards) that I made in Donna's beautiful LA studio:
Card details:
The base of this A2 sized card is made from Basic Black cardstock. The first matted layer is a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of plaid cardstock from Echo Park. Using the Gina Marie Scalloped Stitched Nesting dies, I cut a piece of Basic Black cardstock. On a 4 1/4" x 3 1/2" piece of white cardstock, I stamped the spider, web and tree in Memento Tuxedo black ink. I cut the grass using a scrap piece of Old Olive cardstock and a grassy border die. The tombstones were heat embossed in white embossing powder on Smoky Slate cardstock. I then fussy cut the tombstones and adhere them to the card with pop dots. I stamped the sentiment in Pumpkin Pie ink on a thin piece of white cardstock and notched both ends before adhering it to the center of the card with pop dots. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the tombstones for added sparkle.
No, not everyone on my 98-person Christmas card list is going to be getting a card for Halloween, but I tried, and I did the best I could do in the time that I had available. With age and wisdom comes the acceptance that I cannot do it all (nor does anyone expect me too!) My new mantra is "done is better than perfect" and some days I really am okay with that.
Thanks for visiting! XO, Crystal
 Hello and welcome to my Create w/ Crystal monthly cardmaking "club!" About five months ago, I asked some fellow crafty friends who would be interested in a FREE little "kit." Every month I send each member a small envelope of supplies that they will have to use to create a card. Everyone in the group will receive the exact same supplies. Once they have completed their card, they mail it back to me (in a self-addressed stamped envelope) and I share all their cards with you! The idea is to see how vastly different our cards can be, despite all using the very same products. You will notice that some people submitted two cards and that's entirely okay by the "rules." They were given instructions to create whatever they wanted with their supplies. If they had enough for two cards, that's great. But, they can also submit scrapbook pages or any other papercrafted item as well! Let's take a look at what they made:  Made by Carol  Made by Donna  Made by Crystal  Made by Glennice  Made by Donna (look how similar it was to the first card created by Carol!)  Made by Terry  Made by Moira  Made by Moira  Made by Nancy  Made by Nancy  Made by Sherri  Made by Marcia And the last card did not have a name on them and I wasn't paying attention when I opened the envelopes, so I'm not sure which of my crafty friends made this card - but those eyeballs are awesome! Once she lets me know I'll be sure to edit the captions appropriately.  What a wide array of ideas have been presented in these beautiful samples! I hope you have enjoyed seeing the talents of my crafty friends. Please leave them some love in the comments below!
Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!
Happy Monday, readers! We are counting down the last few days until Halloween this week, so I'll be sharing just a few more themed cards. I'm happy and I'm sad, because as Halloween comes to an end, that means Christmas is even closer and these are my two favorite cardmaking holidays. For today's card, I actually turned these owls, which are part of a lovey-dovey stamp set called "Love Birds" from RG Avenue into a Halloween card because as sweet as these birds might be, they still owl-ways make me think of Halloween! Haha! : )
Card details:
The base of this A2 sized card is made from Black Taffy cardstock. I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Sweet Cane cardstock and stamped the Burlap Print background on it in Black Taffy Sugar Cube. Using the Gina Marie Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangle dies, I die cut the medium sized rectangle from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I used a grunge stamp and stamped splattered spots of Black Taffy sugar cube on the white background. I also stamped the sentiment in Black Taffy Sugar Cube. The sentiment is from the RG Avenue Halloween Treat stamp set. As the Love Birds stamp set is digital, I printed out the images on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and colored them using Copic markers. I used my Scan & Cut machine to die cut the owls and adhered them to the card using 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the owls for added sparkle.
Here is the Love Birds stamp set from RG Avenue that I used to create this card:
Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my website. As always, you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest too!
XO, Crystal
Hi readers! Happy Friday! Yesterday RG Avenue released a beautiful new stamp set called Nostalgic Greetings. I loved this stamp set for it's vintage feel and because it's unlike anything I currently own. I'm already envisioning my next card using this stamp set will be creating a snowy winter scene. I don't usually toot my own horn here, but I'd just like to say that my coloring game is en pointe with that postman! Look at the shading and detail in his shirts and pants. I've really been practicing a lot with my new Copic markers and I'm enjoying them immensely. They have been well worth the investment.
Card details:
The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. The first layer of the card is a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Sweet Cane cardstock that I stamped the RG Avenue Burlap Print background onto in Sweet Cane ink. I had an old wooden postcard stamp that I stamped on white cardstock and heat embossed in gold embossing powder. I fussy cut this old postcard stamp out and adhered it to the center of the card at an off kilter angle. As the Nostalgic Greetings stamp set is a digital stamp, I printed the images out on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and colored the images using Copic markers. I added highlights to the colored images with a white gel pen.
I adhered the images 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.
Thanks for visiting and have a great weekend!
XO, Crystal
Hello friends! Today I'm delighted to share with you a new RG Avenue release called Sending Bunches. I am SOOOooo in love with the beauty of this stamp set! First, I think hot air balloons in and of themselves are a sight to behold, and then you add a bouquet of flowers in lieu of a basket and oh my pretty!  Card details: The base of this A2 sized card is made from Rich Cherry cardstock. Using the Gina Marie Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangle dies, I die cut a piece of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock for the first matted layer. As the Sending Bunches stamp set is a digital stamp, I printed out the images on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and colored them with my Copic markers. As always, I add highlights to the colored images with a white gel pen. I used my Scan & Cut machine to cut the images and began adhering them to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I also popped up the sentiment. Lastly, I added a double coat of clear Wink of Stella to the flowers and balloons for added sparkle.     Thank you for visiting! I hope you have a wonderfully creative day! XO, Crystal
Hello crafty friends! Today I'm posting on the Butterfly Reflections, Ink. blog. I know that next week is Halloween, but soon enough, turkey day will be here, and it's my all-time favorite holiday to spend with "framily" (that's friends and family for those of you who haven't heard this fun term)! Some also call it "Friendsgiving." I have a lot to be thankful for and I count my blessings on this day filled with my four favorite "F" words - family, friends, football and food! ; )
Today I'm sharing this Thanksgiving inspired card featuring the Harvest Happiness stamp set by Sunny Studio and it's all about the best foods of Thanksgiving. Pumpkin, turkey and pie! Though in my opinion the only thing missing from this stamp set is some good ol' canned cranberry sauce from Ocean Spray! YUM! 
Card details:
The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. From an earthy brown cardstock, I die cut the frame from an old My Favorite Things stitched border frame. Here's a similar one you could use! Behind the frame I placed a piece of orange fleur-de-lis printed paper. I stamped all of the images on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I colored the images using Copic alcohol ink markers and added highlights to each image using a white gelly pen. In the upper right corner of the card, I stamped the sentiment in Lawn Fawn Crunchy Leaf ink. I began to place the images on the card to create a flowing scene beginning with pie at the top, more pie and turkey legs in the center and pumpkins and pilgrims at the bottom of the card. Once all the images were adhered to the card, I added a few extra leaves to fill the blank spots and added a coat of clear Wink of Stella on all the images for added sparkle.
Okay, now I'm hungry! Anyone else?! I hope you have enjoyed this Thanksgiving feast on paper! Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!
XO, Crystal
Hello friends and happy Thursday! Yay, it's actually my Friday because I'm taking off for a few days to visit a friend in LA and go to the Scrapbook Expo show in Ontario, California with her. Since I've been working so many of these shows recently, I'm so excited to be attending one FOR FUN! I'm even signed up to take two classes on watercoloring. I'm excited to learn different ways to watercolor because it's not something I'm comfortable doing at the moment. Be sure to follow along on my Instastories as I share a behind-the-scenes look at my weekend adventures!
Before I leave, I'll share a few cheerful and uplifting cards with you today featuring the Very Sweet stamp set from RG Avenue. I'll be taking a few days off while I enjoy this mini vacation and will see you back here when I return on Wednesday, October 23rd. 
Card details:
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 blue gingham from the Sunny Studio Classic Gingham paper pack to mount directly to the card base. Using the Gina Marie Designs Scalloped Stitched Nesting Dies, I die cut the white piece from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Because this Very Sweet stamp set was a digital stamp, I printed off the images on Solar White Smooth cardstock and colored the images using Copic alcohol ink markers. I added small highlights to the images using a white gel pen. I splattered the white paper with Sour Pineapple Sugar Drops. I adhered the images and sentiment to the card using 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the images for added sparkle.
A close-up photo reveals the sparkle from Wink of Stella.
Here is the Very Sweet stamp set from RG Avenue that I used to create these cards:
Card details:
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 yellow gingham from the Sunny Studio Classic Gingham paper pack to mount directly to the card base. Using the Gina Marie Designs Scalloped Stitched Nesting Circle Dies, I die cut the white piece from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Because this Very Sweet stamp set was a digital stamp, I printed off the images on Solar White Smooth cardstock and colored the images using Copic alcohol ink markers. I added small highlights to the images using a white gel pen. I stamped the "hello" sentiment (from the "Yay Greetings" stamp set) in Black Taffy ink. I adhered the images and sentiment to the card using 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the images for added sparkle.
Thank you for visiting and see you next week!
XO, Crystal
Hello friends! Today I am over on the Butterfly Reflections, Ink blog sharing two cards that I created from the same Newton's Nook Pumpkin Latte stamp set. While I'm not sold on a PSL, I've never met an overly nutmegged chai latte that I don't loooooooove! And, I'll always say yes to pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie and pumpkin soup.
I have been seeing a lot of orange and teal color combinations for fall and I've been loving it, so it inspired me to create these cards in colors that I might not usually select together. 
Card details:
The base of this A2 sized card is made from teal cardstock. I mounted a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of teal gingham paper from the Sunny Studios Classic Gingham 6" x 6" paper pack. Using a framed die, I also cut a piece of Lawn Fawn Watercolor Wishes paper pack. On this watercolored paper, I heat embossed the sentiment in the upper right corner in white embossing powder. I stamped the images in Memento Tuxedo black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and colored in the images using my Copic markers. I always add highlights to my images using a white gel pen. (Shhh, it's my little crafty secret!) After coloring the images, I die cut them using the coordinating Pumpkin Latte dies by Newton's Nook. I placed half of a doily at the bottom of the frame and wrapped linen thread around the frame. 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 images for added sparkle.
Card details:
For the second card I created using the Pumpkin Latte stamp set, I made a shaker card. I LOVE shaker cards - maybe even more than I like pumpkin! I used the same teal cardstock base and the same teal Sunny Studio Classic Gingham paper pack. Only this time, in the center of the teal gingham, I die cut a large circle using the Mama Elephant Basic Circle dies. I placed a piece of Lawn Fawn Watercolor Wishes paper behind the and stamped the sentiment in teal ink. I created the shaker frame by using Hero Arts Acetate Sheets and the Shimmering Ice Fusion Sequins by Studio Katia. I assembled the shaker portion of the card and adhered it to the card base. I again stamped all of the images in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I colored in the images using Copic markers adding white gel pen highlights. I adhered the images to the card using foam adhesive creating a fall scene on top of the shaker card. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella for added sparkle.
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I hope you have enjoyed these fall cards! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!
XO, Crystal
Hello friends and welcome back from a long and beautiful holiday weekend! We spent the last four days on a mini-vacation to Burlington, Vermont. Yes, it's peak foliage in northern New England, and yes, the crowds were wildly insane as a result, but, it is my favorite time of the year and so worth it! Burlington is an artsy college community just an hour south of the Canadian border. It's filled with lots of great restaurants, a vibrant nightlife (even though we're in bed by 10) and the most beautiful bike trail on Lake Champlain. It was a perfectly relaxing weekend getaway and only about a four hour drive.
Today's card was inspired by the new October Mood Board from Butterfly Reflections, Ink. Mood boards are used for a variety of events - home decor, wedding planning and yes, even crafting! These boards inspire you to create using the colors, patterns or textures presented. This card was inspired by the color palette of this month's mood board: 
Card Details:
The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I also matted the cardstock back with a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I stamped all of the images from the Mama Elephant Donut Treats stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I colored the images using Copic alcohol ink markers. I added highlights to some of the images using a white gel pen. I die cut the photo frame from Tranquil Tide cardstock and adhered it over a scrap piece of green watercolor paper. I adhered the picture frame to the center of the card at a titled angle. I added the donut box, mice and donuts to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added height. I stamped the sentiment on a strip of Neenah White Solar Smooth cardstock and notched the left end before adhering it behind the donut box. Lastly, I added clear Wink of Stella to the card for added sparkle.
Here is the Donut Treats stamp set from Mama Elephant (available through Butterfly Reflections, Ink):
Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!
XO, Crystal
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Hi, I'm Crystal!
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