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Hello readers! If this is your first time here, welcome! I hope you find creativity and inspiration as you look around. If you are a regular reader or follower of mine, thank you for your continued support and I'm happy and grateful you return so often to visit. I do try and blog 5 days a week (and YES, I work full-time outside of this too!), so I hope that you will always find something new here. Today I am sharing a colorful rainbow themed card using a new digital stamp set from 88 and Clear (formerly Richard Garay Designs and RG Avenue) called "Be Grateful". By pairing these bright colors with a black background it offers a stark contrast to make the colors really pop!  Card details:*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post. This A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Using a piece of Black Taffy sugar stock, I die cut the background layer from a scalloped rectangle die. Because the "Be Grateful" stamp set I had is a digital stamp, I printed out the image on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and then colored it using Copic markers before fussy cutting the leaves out. I stamped the sentiment "Be Kind and Grateful" in Black Taffy ink on white cardstock and die cut it using a circle die. I adhered the circular sentiment to the left side of the card and then adhered the rainbow leaves to the right of the circle using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. To add a little sparkle, I die cut a few silver glitter leaves and tucked them in among the rainbow leaves. Lastly, I added a coat of Dazzling Pat for even more sparkle, because you can NEVER have enough sparkle! : )    May we all remember this simple message to be kind and grateful today and always. . . XO, CrystalList of supplies:
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Hello readers and welcome back from the weekend! I hope you found a little time to do something crafty. It's Monday, so today we have a new challenge to share with you at Inky Paws Challenge. Challenge #135 is a sketch challenge. Using the sketch shown in the image below, share with us YOUR creations!
For some reason, I really struggled with this layout, even though it really seems quite simple! Here is my take on the sketch:
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 Frames & Flags die set, I cut the first mat from purple cardstock. I then cut a 5" x 3/4" piece of white cardstock for inside the scalloped frame. I used a piece of Lawn Fawn Really Rainbow paper to place diagonally across the white cardstock (to mimic the sketch image) and stamped "It's Your Day" in purple ink just below the paper. Using the Balloon Shaker Frames die set, I cut two balloons from pink and purple glittery cardstock and filled each with pink and irridiscent sequins. I stamped the backing of each balloon with "Yay" and "Make a Wish" sentiments from the "Birthday Essentials" stamp set in pink and purple inks. I adhered the balloons to the card using 3M foam adhesive. 
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 Designs 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, November 6th , 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, CrystalList of supplies:Hello readers! Today I have a cute slimline card to share with you featuring a new digital stamp from 88 and Clear (formerly known as Richard Garay Designs and RG Avenue)! I combined practically ALL of the pumpkins from the new "Pumpkin Patch" digital stamp with the scarecrow from the "Halloween Treat" stamp set to achieve this final result:  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 into a regular #10 business sized envelope and require no additional postage. The base of this slimline card is made from Sweet Cane sugar stock. Using a scalloped rectangled slimline line, I cut the first mat from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I printed the digital "Pumpkin Patch" stamp set onto the same Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and colored the images using Copic markers. I then used my Brother Scan and Cut 2 e-cutting machine to cut out the pumpkins, in lieu of fussy cutting. Using Black Taffy ink, I stamped the scarecrow onto a piece of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and also colored it with Copic markers. I fussy cut the scarecrow and adhered him behind the row of pumpkins. I printed out the digital sentiment, fussy cut around it and adhered it to the left side of the card using foam adhesive for added dimension. Lastly, I added a coat of Dazzling Pat to the pumpkins for added sparkle.  If you would like to learn more about working with digital images, please click here to read this informative post I wrote to gain a better understanding.    I love how this card turned out by adding a variety of blue, orange and white pumpkins. It made the card less spooky and more cutesy. What do you think? Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
Hello friends and happy Thursday! Today I am on the Birch Press Design blog sharing some fall inspiration. I'm not even sure that "fall peacock's" are a thing, but I'm starting the movement. (I'm also side-Googling if any other peacock colors exist other than the blue-green hues we traditionally see). . . And if not, well, they do now! Hey, it's 2020, stranger things have happened. . .  Card details:The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah White Solar Smooth cardstock. This is my go-to white cardstock that I use for everything from card bases, die cutting, stamping and Copic coloring. The first 5 1/4" x 4" mat is a piece of miscellaneous woodgrain foil paper. I die cut a large white oval from white cardstock and adhered it to the center of the card using a Tombow Permanent Dot Runner. Using the Regal Peacock Layering dies, I die cut the bottom layer (Layer D) from gold glitter cardstock. I die cut Layer C from cherry cardstock. I die cut Layer B from rust cardstock and finally Layer A was also cut from gold glitter cardstock. I also cut the body of the peacock from cherry cardstock.  I adhered all four layers of the Regal Peacock together using LineCo pH bookbinding glue. This glue is my preferred liquid glue and holds glitter paper together much better than a dot runner. I adhered the completed peacock to the center of the oval using foam adhesive for added dimension. Lastly, I stamped the sentiment on white cardstock (using the Christmas Ornament Labels stamp set) in cherry ink and die cut it using the coordinating die. I adhered the sentiment to the lower right side of the card using foam adhesive.    Hopefully I've convinced you that with a little imagination, peacocks can look beautiful in any color - even if it's not "real." Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalToday I am on the Whimsy Stamps blog for day/night 21 of their annual "31 Nights of Halloween" celebration. This annual event features gory (but good) giveaways, BOO-tiful projects and frightful fun for everyone! Please refer to this post to see how you can enter to win some of these spooktacular prizes. We also hope that YOU will share your Halloween themed creations with us  I have created a spooky slimline graveyard scene card for you today using a variety of fun new release products. This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2". Slimline cards are designed to fit into a regular #10 business sized envelope and require no additional postage. The base of my slimline card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. This is my go-to white cardstock for everything from card bases to die cutting and Copic coloring.  Using the Slimline Marquee die, I cut the frame from black cardstock. Behind the windows of the frame I used a piece of patterned paper from the Haunted paper pack. This paper is perfect for creating spooky background scenes - without doing all the hard work of coloring or stamping!! : ) Using the Grass and Cloud Edger Die set, I cut the grass from lime green cardstock and placed it in front of the entire frame. I use a Tombow Permanent Dot runner for my main adhesive.   I then used the Build A Graveyard Die set to die cut tombstones from black and dark grey cardstock. I cut out many more gravestones than I knew I would need so I would have them on reserve for future projects. I also used this same set of dies to die cut the fence, skulls and cat. I used the coordinating Grave Epitaphs stamp set to stamp some of the funny names and spooky slogans on the gravestones. I also love that this stamp includes a stamp that will make the gravestones look cracked, a look that I was wondering how I would achieve on my own!   I hope you have enjoyed this card and that you have been inspired by ALL the amazing projects created by the very talented and innovative Creative Team and special guests for "31 Nights of Halloween." Thank you for visiting and have a wonderful day! XO, CrystalWOW! Today I am thrilled beyond belief to share with you that my work has been featured for the very first time in the latest edition of “Making Cards and PaperCraft” magazine! I have had many goals since I began my cardmaking adventure more than 15 years ago from teaching classes to designing for companies and ultimately being published one day. This year saw the last of those personal goals come true! And now I rest. . . ; ) I owe this amazing achievement to Whimsy Stamps for allowing me the opportunity to represent their company with these shaker cards. I am also humbled and grateful to all those friends and family who have supported me by attending classes throughout the years and encouraging me along the way. MY victories are YOUR victories and I celebrate them with you. Thank you!    Making Cards & Papercraft magazine is a magazine published in the UK and can sometimes be difficult to purchase in the US. I have been to Michaels, JoAnn's and Barnes & Noble and I was not able to procure a print magazine. However, if you would like to purchase (or subscribe) to this wonderful paper arts magazine, you can purchase the digital magazine online or order a paper print copy here. In case you aren't able to see the magazine in person, here is a closer look at all three of the slimline shaker cards that I created that are featured in the magazine:  
   Thank you for allowing to share my achievements with you! I shall now go eat a Boston creme donut to celebrate! Have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalWhimsy Stamps products used:
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. Week number two of Challenge #134 is continuing on with this color 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 designed inspired by this week's challenge colors:  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 into a regular #10 business sized envelope and require no additional postage. The base of this card is made from 80 lb. Neenah White Solar Smooth cardstock. On a 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of Bristol Smooth cardstock, I ink blended Distress Oxide inks in the colors Squeezed Lemonade, Carved Pumpkin and Picked Raspberry. I then ink splattered Picked Raspberry and Black Soot distress oxide inks over the entire background. Using the Slimline Frames dies, I die cut the frame from black cardstock and adhered it to the center of the card. I die cut the large "BOO" letters from black cardstock and orange cardstock. I layered the orange letter underneath the black letter offset just a bit. I adhered each letter to the center of each square frame.   I stamped the images from the Bootiful Night stamp set in Memento Black ink and colored the images with Copic markers (in the challenge colors). I die cut the images using the coordinating Bootiful Night dies and adhered the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, using the Feline Batty die set, I die cut four bats out of black cardstock and adhered them randomly on the card.   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, October 23rd, 2020, at midnight CST. Thanks for visiting and I hope to see your creations there! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
Hello friends and happy Friday! I hope you have fun things planned for the weekend ahead! Yesterday I shared this gnome themed Christmas card using the new Gnome for Christmas stamp set and Gilded Holiday paper pack from Whimsy Stamps and I promised that today I would be sharing another way to use this beautiful new black and gold paper pack.  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 into a regular #10 business sized envelope and require no additional postage. The base of this slimline card is made from black cardstock. Using the Whimsy Stamps Slimline Card Builder die, I cut the frame from white cardstock. Using the Slimline Bunting Borders die set, I cut the top banner of stars from gold glitter cardstock. I die cut a variety of presents from both black and white cardstock and papers from the Gilded Holiday paper pack. Then I assembled the presents in a mix-match pattern to create visual interest. I stamped sentiments on some of the white presents and I stamped the greeting in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.     Thank you for visiting. I hope you have enjoyed today's card and that you leave here feeling inspired to create. Have a wonderful weekend! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
When it comes to holiday traditions, I say pfoooey. Who says that Santa's suit has to be red or that elves have pointy ears and green shoes? I mean, who made all these "rules" anyway!? Today I'm throwing out the rulebook on all things Christmas because today's slimline card is all about the elegance of black and white at Christmas and gnomes wearing colors typically reserved for bees! Does it make this card look any less Christmas-sy because it's not red and green? I don't think so.
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 into a regular #10 business sized envelope and require no additional postage. The base of this slimline card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Using the Whimsy Stamps Scenic Window Die, I cut the frame from black cardstock. I lined the back of the frame with pieces from the new Whimsy Stamps Gilded Holiday paper pack. I stamped the gnomes from the new Gnome for Christmas stamp set in Memento Tuxedo black ink and colored them using Copic markers. I fussy cut each gnome and adhered it to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I stamped the word "merry" in Tuxedo Black ink on a thin strip of white cardstock and adhered it in the middle window. I heat embossed the word "Christmas" in white embossing powder on black cardstock and then fussy cut the word with small scissors before adhering it to the center window box below the word "merry." 
The color of these gnomes was actually inspired by a beautiful new pack of paper from Whimsy Stamps called "Gilded Holiday." Tomorrow I'll be sharing another card using this same beautiful paper and an entirely different theme!
XO, CrystalList of supplies:Hello crafty friends! Today I am on the Whimsy Stamps blog showing how to create an easel card for their weekly "Tuesday Tutorial" post. In my mind the easel card I have created for today light's up! Think really hard and you will see it too! (If not, kindly amuse me). I had every intention of learning how to use those cool chibitronic or EZ lights for a light-up card, but let's be honest, I'm the girl who stuck a fork in a light socket when I was 4 years old. I learned my lesson at an early age not to mess with electricity! ; )    To create the base of this easel card, cut a 4 1/4 x 11" piece of black cardstock. Fold it in half and score it at 5 1/2". Then fold the top half in half again and score (see image below).  Place a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of paper from the Haunted Paper Pack on the bottom or base of the card. Using the Arched Window die, place it over another fun patterned piece of paper from the Haunted Paper Pack.   Stamp the images from the Candle Creeps stamp set in Memento Tuxedo black on your favorite white Copic friendly cardstock. I use 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Crest. I then cut the images out using my Brother Scan and Cut 2 e-cutting machine. I used Copic Markers to color the candle images. Adhere the colored candle images to the front of the window scene using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. Place the die cut window on the lower half of the folded card base.   In order to prevent the window scene from falling down flat, you need to create a little pop up element to stop the window. Here I used the Build a Graveyard dies. I cut the tomb from gray cardstock, the skull from white cardstock and the gravemarker (that reads "RIP) from black cardstock. I placed these on the card base using 3M foam adhesive. *Again, any pop up piece is the key here to block the card from sliding down. I hope you have enjoyed this easel card (and that it lights up in your imagination too)! Thanks for visiting and happy creating! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
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