Category: Animals - Crystal Komara

Pop It

8/20/2021

Hello friends and happy Thursday! Yesterday I shared a beautiful watercolored butterfly card with you that was inspired by the monthly mood board colors at 88 and Clear. Today I have created two more cards using different products from 88 and Clear, but I still continued using that same color palette.

Here is the August mood board that I used as my color inspiration:

Card details:

*Please note that both of these cards were made using the same materials, however one card was designed to be held vertically and the other horizontally.

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 Taffy sugar stock as my first mat and then cut a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of white cardstock to layer on top. On that top layer of white cardstock, I used an ink splatter grunge stamp to stamp ink in Sour Lime, Sour Mist and Tangy Berry (all from 88 and Clear). I printed out the balloon animals from the Pop It digital stamp set by 88 and Clear. I colored the balloon animals with Copic markers and used my Brother Scan and Cut 2 e-cutting machine to cut the images out, in lieu of fussy cutting. I adhered three of the balloons to each card using 3M foam adhesive. I placed three short pieces of knotted lime green twine underneath each balloon. I printed out the coordinating sentiments from the Pop It digital stamp set and adhered a sentiment to the lower right side of each card using 3M foam adhesive.

I hope you have enjoyed these fun birthday cards! Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

Watercolored Boho Wings

8/18/2021

Today's card was inspired by the August mood board at 88 and Clear. I have been on the Design Team for this company for a couple years now and recently began creating a mood board to help spark creativity. Using these colors as my inspiration, I have already created four very different cards this month! Be sure to follow along on Instagram and my IG stories for all the latest behind-the-scenes fun!

Here is the August mood board with fresh and bright summer-y colors:

Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Using the Whimsy Stamps Lattice A2 die, I created the background from white cardstock. I stamped the two butterflies from the Boho Wings stamp set by 88 and Clear in Versamark ink and heat embossed each with gold embossing powder. I watercolored the butterflies with Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers. I fussy cut the butterflies and adhered them to the card using 3M foam adhesive. I stamped the sentiment "always smile" in Versamark ink and heat embossed it also with gold embossing powder. I used a 2" circle punch to punch the sentiment out and adhered it to the card also using 3M foam adhesive.

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

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Eloquent Glittering Butterflies

6/14/2021

Hello friends! Happy Monday! Today I am on the Birch Press Design blog sharing another way to use the beautiful Eloquent Butterfly dies. I am SOOOoo in love with this latest release from Birch Press Design featuring a variety of unique layering butterflies because the options are truly endless when you combine layers and colors. Today I chose to use a monochromatic blue and a monochromatic purple color scheme for my cards, but you could choose yellows, reds, oranges or the list goes on for an entirely different look.

Card details:

For this first A2 sized card, I used 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock as my card base. This is my go-to white cardstock for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g! I use it for my card bases, distress oxide inks, Copic coloring and die cutting. It is one of the only white cardstocks you will need. For the first layer, I die cut the Butterfly Garden Layer C from white cardstock and adhered it directly to the card base. I used the Eloquent Butterfly dies and die cut Layer C, Layer B and Layer A using cardstock from the Ocean Blue 6" x 6" paper pack and the Frosted Glitter Twinkling 6" x 6" pad.

I layered the butterflies together using LineCo ph neutral bookbinding glue, which is my favorite liquid adhesive. Once the layers of the butterflies were adhered together I used 3M foam adhesive to add the butterflies to the card. Using blue ink, I stamped the sentiment from the Brush Sentiments stamp set on white cardstock and punched it out with a 2" circle punch. I adhered the sentiment circle to the card using 3M foam adhesive.

Card details:

For this second A2 sized card, I used the same 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock for my base. I also die cut the Butterfly Garden Layering Plate C from white cardstock and adhered that directly to the base of the card. I die cut the Layer A, Layer B and Layer C of the Eloquent Butterfly dies using the Berry Red 6" x 6" paper pack and the Twinkling Jewel Glitter pad.

I stamped the sentiment from the Brushed Sentiments stamp set in raspberry ink on white cardstock and punched it out with a 3" circle. I adhered the sentiment and butterfly to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.

Thanks for visiting and have a great week!

XO, Crystal

Slimline Rainbow Butterfly Basics

6/7/2021

Hello readers and happy Monday! I hope you all had a nice weekend. Today I am on the Birch Press Design blog sharing this slimline card using the beautiful new Butterfly Basics dies. I am absolutely in love with this latest release from Birch Press Design featuring a variety of layering butterflies like the Eloquent Butterfly and the Glimmer Butterfly, so I envision lots of butterfly themed cards in my future!

Card details:

Today's slimline 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 slimline card is made from 80 lb. black cardstock. I cut an 8 1/4" x 3 1/4'" miscellaneous piece of black and white diamond printed paper for the first layer. Using a hexagon shaped die, I die cut three 2 1/2" hexagons from white cardstock. I adhered the hexagons directly down the center of the card using a Tombow tape runner.

From a piece of rainbow cardstock, I die cut the body of the butterfly from a section of the paper that included more red and oranges, then a section of yellows and greens and a third section from blues and purples, to mimic the colors of the rainbows. I die cut the butterfly outline from black cardstock. I adhered the black outline over the rainbow bodies and adhered the three butterflies to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I stamped the sentiment "just because" from the Brush Sentiments stamp set in Memento Tuxedo black ink on a thin strip of white cardstock and adhered it to the card also using 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a couple black rhinestones to the card for added texture.

I hope you have enjoyed today's card featuring the beautiful new Butterfly Basics dies. Thank you for reading and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

MFT Color Challenge #166

6/5/2021

Hello friends and happy Saturday! I hope you are all enjoying a nice weekend so far. It is 93* and insanely hot and humid here in Massachusetts today, so I'm happy to be inside crafting with my friend Donna, who is here from L.A. visiting for a long weekend.

Today I am linking up with the My Favorite Things Color Challenge #166, which is a fun blend of purples, teals and gray. I haven't played along with any card challenges in quite a while, but Donna participates in them frequently and has inspired me to begin creating again using challenges as my guide.

Card details:

This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2" inches. The base of the card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Using a piece of teal houndstooth paper (source unknown) I cut an 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece for the first layered mat. I used the Whimsy Stamps Slimline Postage die for the white frame background. Using the Whimsy Stamps Slimline Bunting Border dies, I die cut the banners from teal and purple glitter cardstock. I stamped the images from MFT Stamps Sending Sweet Celebration Wishes in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on white cardstock. I colored the images, using the required challenge colors, with Copic markers. I die cut the images using the coordinating MFT Stamps Sending Sweet Celebration Wishes dies. I adhered the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I stamped the sentiment Memento Tuxedo Black ink on white cardstock and adhered it to the card using 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the images for added sparkle.

Here is the color challenge from My Favorite Things that inspired today's card:

Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative weekend!

XO, Crystal

The Bold & The Beautiful

4/21/2021

Hello! Today I am returning to one of my favorite digital stamps from Graciellie Designs called "Change is Coming." This beautiful stamp set features these bold and beautiful large butterflies that pop even more when combined with vivid alcohol ink backgrounds.

Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. On a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Y upo paper, I created a background using Ranger Adirondack alcohol inks in Denim and Cloudy Blue. I printed the large butterfly onto Neenah Solar White cardstock and colored it with Copic Markers. I fussy cut the butterfly and adhered it to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I stamped the sentiment on a thin strip of white cardstock in Blue Violet ink and adhered the sentiment to the card with 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the butterfly for added sparkle.

Here is the "Change is Coming" digital stamp set from Graciellie Designs that I used to create these two cards:

Here is the second card I created using the "Change is Coming" digital stamp set and another alcohol ink background featuring a different color combination:

Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. On a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Y upo paper, I created a background using Ranger Adirondack alcohol inks in Lemonade, Watermelon and Orange Sunset. I die cut a large diamond from white cardstock using the Hero Arts Diamond Infinity dies. I printed the large butterfly onto Neenah Solar White cardstock and colored it with Copic Markers. I fussy cut the butterfly and adhered it to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I die cut the word "beautiful" from Calypso Coral and white cardstock. I adhered the two layers of the sentiment together and then adhered both layers to the card with 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the butterfly for added sparkle.

I hope you have enjoyed these two cards. Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

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Inky Paws Challenge #138

12/7/2020

Hello readers and welcome back from the weekend! I hope you found a little time to do something crafty. It's still not too late to start your handmade holiday cards! It's Monday and that means we have a new challenge to share with you at Inky Paws. Challenge #138 is a sketch challenge. Using the sketch from the image below, I hope you will be inspired to create a card featuring Newton's Nook products!

Here is the card I created inspired by this week's sketch:

Card details:

*A full list of supplies (with clickable links) 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. I cut a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of white cardstock and mounted it to a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of lime green cardstock. I cut a 5" x 2" piece of green plaid paper to adhere to the left side of the card (resembling the sketch). I die cut a large circle from red cardstock and heat embossed the sentiment "Fa-La-La-La-La" in white embossing powder. I die cut a smaller circle from white cardstock and stamped the sentiment "meow to the world" in Garden Green ink. I stamped the Caroling Newton image in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on white cardstock and used the coordinating Caroling Newton die to die cut it out. I colored the image with Copic markers and then adhered the caroling cats to the card using 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I tied some green baker's twine around the card before adhering all layers down.

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 - the deadline to enter is Friday, December 18th, 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 products:

Inky Paws Challenge #136

11/16/2020

Hello readers and welcome back from the weekend! I hope you found a little time to do something crafty. Unfortunately ours was filled with garage cleaning, leaf cleanup and cooking, so there wasn't much fun or relaxing time to be had.
Well, it's Monday and today I am sharing another card that I made for the Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge. Week number two of Challenge #136 is continuing on with choosing your favorite NND stamp set! 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:

In full disclosure, this week I selected the "Festive Fawns" stamp set as my favorite simply because the images were already colored leftover from another card I had made last year! So, yes, this might be cheating just a little bit, but I'm all for "work smarter, not harder!" : )

Card details:

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

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I created the background by using alcohol inks ink pink, coral and lemonade on Yupo paper. I die cut four white birch trees using the Forest Scene Builder die set. I adhered the trees to the background before cutting a snowbank from white cardstock using the Land Borders die set. I stamped the sentiment in pink ink on the lower left side of the snowbank. I stamped the critters from the Festive Fawns stamp set in Memento Tuxedo black in on white cardstock and colored the images using Copic markers. I used the coordinating Festive Fawns dies to cut the images out. 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.

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, November 20th, 2020, at midnight CST.

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

XO, Crystal

List of supplies:

Fall Peacock

10/22/2020

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, Crystal

Inky Paws Challenge #133

10/5/2020

Hello readers and welcome back from the weekend! I hope you found a little time to do something crafty. I spent a good portion of it in my craft room on Saturday celebrating World Cardmaking Day. And by celebrating, I mean tackling my mile-long card deadline! So really, my Saturday was more in honor of World Cardmaking Day considering there were no celebratory drinks or cupcakes involved! And, because of Covid, I had to celebrate virtually with my friends on Instagram rather that our traditional in-person gathering.

Every Monday means it's time for another Inky Paws Challenge! Our challenges run for two weeks, thus giving you more time to create. So this week we are continuing along with our theme for Challenge #133. I have designed a second card to share with you that was still inspired by the same image seen below:

Here is the slimline card I created inspired by the autumn theme challenge:

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. You can even now by slimline envelopes in a variety of colors to coordinate perfectly with your cards! The base of this card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. Using a miscellaneous piece of woodgrain paper, I cut the mat to 8 1/4" x 3 1/4". Using the Slimline Frames and Windows die set, I cut the frame out of white cardstock. I lined the back of the frame with miscellaneous plaid/gingham papers.

I stamped the images from the Autumn Mice stamp set in Memento Black ink on Neenah white cardstock. I colored the images with Copic markers and then die cut them using the coordinating Autumn Mice dies. I always add some highlights to my colored images with a Uniball white gel pen. I adhered the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I stamped the sentiment in orange ink on a thin strip of white cardstock, notched the left edge and adhered it to the top right of the card. 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 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 9th, 2020, at midnight CST.

XO, Crystal

List of supplies: