Category: Animals - Crystal Komara

Hello Peacock

8/15/2023

Hello readers! Today I am sharing one of my "oldie but goodie" favorite dies from Birch Press Design. (*Unfortunately this die is no longer available, sorry!) As much as I despise birds (shhhhh!), I do admire the peacock simply for the gorgeous plumage of its quills. I mean who wouldn't want to shake their booty and boom instant wow factor! : )

Just look at the detail in those feathers!

Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card was made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. On a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of the same white cardstock, I heat foiled the Gilded Grace Hot Foil plate with gold foil. I only used the large background piece (and not the center cut outs) for this card. Then I created the layers of the peacock using a variety of teal and purple cardstock from the Ocean Blue 6 x 6" paper pack and Vibrant Violet 6" x 6" paper pack. For the top layer (Layer A) and the main body of the peacock I used a teal glitter paper from the Glitzy Glitter 6" x 6" paper pack.

I then adhered the peacock to the card with 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.

For the sentiment I heat foiled the Hello Sugar Script with purple foil on white cardstock. I used the coordinating die to cut it out and adhered it to the card with foam adhesive.

Swoooon, she's so pretty! Birch Press Design just came out with a whole new release geared toward the upcoming holidays and I can't wait to get into my craft room and begin creating. Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

Products used:

Jump In. . . The Water's Fine

7/14/2023

Thank you all for following along for Shark Week 2023! I hope you've found the cards and theme fun. Today I will be sharing my final shark card before moving onto to other summer goodness.

My final card is a shaker card made using the Surf Shark stamp set from Whimsy Stamps.

Card details:

*All supplies are linked at the end of this post for you convenience.

The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Next I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of the same white cardstock and use the A2 Antique Frames die set by Whimsy Stamps to cut the hole in the middle of the card. Behind the frame I placed a sheet of paper from the Slimline Under the Sea paper pack (cut to fit). I lined the back of the frame with 3M foam adhesive to created height for the shaker card. I placed about 2 tablespoons of sequins behind the frame before adhering it tightly.

I stamped the Surf Shark in Memento Tuxedo black ink on Neenah White cardstock. I colored it using Copic Markers and then fussy cut the image out. I adhered the image to the card using 3M foam adhesive for dimension. I also put a layer of Nuvo Crystal Glaze on the image to make it look wet and shiny.

On a thin strip of white cardstock, I stamped the sentiment in Memento Tuxedo black ink. I notched the right end before adhering it to the top left of the card. On a scrap piece of white cardstock, I also stamped the sentiment "duh duh" in blue ink and then used the Comic Speech Bubbles die set from Whimsy Stamps to die cut the sentiment. I adhered the speech bubble above the shark using 3M foam.

Thanks for following along for Shark Week 2023! Have a wonderfully creative weekend!

XO, Crystal

Supplies used:

You might also enjoy:

Duh Nuh

7/10/2023

Hello chum and welcome to Shark Week 2023 here on my website! I've got some jawsome cards to share with you over the next few days featuring a variety of shark themed products, so let's get swimming. . . if you dare! : )

This card features the Snark Attack stamp set from Whimsy Stamps and an aqua alcohol ink background amidst the words "duh nuh" (aka the theme music from "Jaws.")

Card details:

*All supplies are linked at the end of this post for you convenience.

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 the same white cardstock with an oval shaped die cut hole in the middle. On a separate sheet of 5" x 3 1/2" Yupo paper, I created an alcohol ink smooshed background with Turquoise alcohol ink from Tim Holtz. Once the background dried, I adhered it behind the die cut oval.

Using the Bold ABC letter dies from Whimsy Stamps, I die cut the letter "DUH NUH" from teal cardstock. I die cut the letters three times each in order for me to stack them for dimension (in lieu of foam adhesive). I adhered the letters across the center of the card. I stamped the two sharks in Memento Tuxedo black ink and colored them using Copic Markers. I added a layer of Crystal Effects over the sharks to give the appearance they were wet or shiny. I then adhered the sharks to the card using 3M foam adhesive for dimension. Lastly, I stamped the sentiment "tourist season is my favorite" in Memento Tuxedo black ink on thin strips of white cardstock. I adhered the sentiment strip (after cutting it in half to fit) to the lower right side of the card with foam adhesive.

I hope you'll come back tomorrow for another shark card in honor or Shark Week 2023!

XO, Crystal

Supplies used:

You might also enjoy:

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

You might also enjoy:

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

You might also enjoy:

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: