Crystal Komara
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Sugar Skull Beauties

8/26/2020

2 Comments

 
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. 
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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.    
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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: 

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2 Comments

Inky Paws Challenge #118

3/2/2020

0 Comments

 
Hello friends and happy Monday!  I am excited to be sharing this interactive box card for the Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge today.  It is giving me all the spring feels!  I frequently hear from friends and fellow stampers that they aren't creative enough to design something on their own, or that they don't know what colors to use.  They feel frustrated before they even begin because they don't know where to begin.  I understand!  Yes, I've been there too!  That's the concept behind a card challenge.  It can help to inspire you and get the creative juices flowing by giving you a place to start.  Challenge #118 by Newton's Nook is a theme challenge.  Let the image below be your inspiration for creating a card (or scrapbook page) and see where this challenge takes you!  
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I carried out the theme of polka dots both in the patterned paper and on the mushrooms in this card:
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Card details: 

*A full list of supplies (with shopping links) is located at the end of this post.

The base of this box card was made using the Lawn Fawn Scalloped Box Card Pop Up.  This box was cut from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  *Tip - when you assemble the box, you will want to use a very strong adhesive like thin line/red line tape or tear tape.  This will ensure your box stays together well.  I used the green and pink polka dot paper from the Sunny Studios Stamps Dots and Stripes Jewel Tone pack to decorate the sides of the box.  I used the Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside (grass) die to add patches of grass to the card in green cardstock.  This part involved lots of tiny paper trimming to get everything to fit perfectly into the box.  I stamped the images from the Newton's Nook Garden Mice stamp set in Tuxedo Memento Black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  
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I colored in all of the images with Copic markers and added some highlights to the images using a white Uniball gel pen.  I used the coordinating Newton's Nook Garden Mice die to cut out all of the images and then I began adhering them to the box card with foam adhesive for added dimension.  Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the colored images for added sparkle.  
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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, March 13th, at midnight CST.

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

XO, Crystal 

List of supplies: 


Lawn Fawn - Lawn Cuts - Dies - Scalloped Box Card Pop Up
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Lawn Fawn - Die Set - Stitched Hillside Pop Up with Grass add-on - Cardmaking Bundle

Scrapbook.com - Cardstock - 8.5 x 11 - Neenah Solar White - 25 Pack

Tsukineko - Memento - Fade Resistant Dye Ink Pad - Tuxedo Black
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Scrapbook.com - Double Sided Adhesive Foam Roll Combo Pack

Tombow - Mono Adhesive Dots Roller - Permanent - Refillable

Sizzix - Tim Holtz - Alterations Collection - Vagabond 2 Die Cutting and Embossing Machine

Therm O Web - Super Tape - Double Sided Tape - .25 Inch x 6 Yard Roll
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ZIG - Memory System - Wink Of Stella - Glitter Brush Marker - Glitter Clear
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Frosty Wishes

1/10/2020

1 Comment

 
Hello readers and happy Friday!  I hope you have fun things planned for the weekend ahead.  Tonight I am hosting a Potluck Stamp BINGO at my house and I will be giving away over $400 in craft related prizes!  This nearly annual event is my simple way of being able to give back to the community for those who have supported me by attending my classes.  It's always a fun night.  My favorite memory about hosting this event is the year someone ate a BINGO ball!  She mistakenly thought it was a gumball!  People kept asking why O61 was never called and this poor woman had to admit, upon realizing her error, that she had bitten into the ball mistakenly and put it off to the side of her dessert tray.  The BINGO ball was disinfected in and the game played on!  Good times. 

Today I have another fun pop-up box card to share with you featuring the Frosty Wishes stamp set from Whimsy Stamps. 
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Project details:

*A full supply list (with shopping links) is located at the end of this post.

The base of this box card was made from Stone Gray cardstock.  I used the Lawn Fawn Scalloped Box Card Pop Up die to create the box card.  Whenever I make an interactive card, I always assemble it using thin line tear tape.  This tape is much stronger that Tombow adhesive.  The box base flaps were lined with Passionate Pink cardstock and then paper from the Whimsy Stamps Cozy Winter paper pack.  The top layer flaps were lined with Neenah White Solar Smooth cardstock and then lined with more paper from the Cozy Winter paper pack.  I lined the back flap with white cardstock.  I stamped the sentiment from the Whimsy Stamps Frosty Wishes set in Passionate Pink.  I also stamped a few snowflakes in Passionate Pink on the back flap.  I stamped all of the images from the Frosty Wishes stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. 
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I stamped all of the images from the Frosty Wishes stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I colored in all the images with Copic markers and then cut them using my Scan & Cut 2 electronic cutting machine. I add some highlights to the colored images with a Uniball white gel pel.  I adhered the colored images to the card with foam adhesive in a scene that was appealing to my eye. 
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Thank you for visiting and I hope you have a wonderfully creative weekend!

XO, Crystal

List of supplies:


Doodlebug Design - 12 x 12 Textured Cardstock - Stone Gray

Therm O Web - Premium Cardstock - 8.5 x 11 - Passionate Pink - 10 Pack
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Cozy Winter paper pack from Whimsy Stamps

Lawn Fawn - Lawn Cuts - Dies - Scalloped Box Card Pop Up
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Frosty Wishes stamp set by Whimsy Stamps

Scrapbook.com - Cardstock - 8.5 x 11 - Neenah Solar White - 25 Pack

Sizzix - Tim Holtz - Alterations Collection - Vagabond 2 Die Cutting and Embossing Machine

Too Corporation - Copic Ciao - Dual Tip Markers - 36 Piece Set

Tombow - Mono Adhesive Dots Roller - Permanent - Refillable

Scrapbook.com - Double Sided Adhesive Foam Roll - 1/4 Inch x 32 Feet - 1 Roll

Hero Arts - Ombre Ink Pad - Pink to Red
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Tuxedo Black Memento ink

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1 Comment

No Probllama

12/31/2019

1 Comment

 
Hello readers!  Welcome back to a more regular posting schedule here now that the holidays are over and things are slowly returning to normal again as we usher in the start of new year.   I always look forward to a fresh start each January and I hope you are too!  Today I am sharing a llama themed box card made from the Lawn Fawn Scalloped Box Card Pop-Up.  This is my go-to die for creating box cards.  You can see this Halloween card in a box I made with it here, or my Grandpa's special 90th birthday pop-up card. This die really allows for lots of elements to be added in order to achieve the ultimate WOW factor.  
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Card details: 

The base of this box card was made using Sweet Cane sugar stock.  I lined the backside of the card with white cardstock.  I stamped the sentiment in Black Taffy sugar cube on the backside of the box card.  The side layers were cut from Rich Cactus sugar stock which was mounted behind a yellow polka dot cardstock.  Because this is a digital stamp set, I printed all of the images from my computer onto Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. *To learn more about digital stamping, please read here. I colored in all of the printed images using Copic markers and added highlights to some of the images using a white Uniball gel pen.  I added some grass to the card using the Whimsy Stamps Grass and Cloud Edger dies.  I cut the grass from Rich Cactus sugar stock.  Then I began to adhere the images to the card using foam adhesive for added dimension.  Lastly, I added a coat of Dazzling Pat to some of the images for added sparkle. 
Here is the Llamazing You stamp set from RG Avenue that I used to create today's card: 
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I hope you have enjoyed this llamazing box card!  Thanks for visiting and Happy New Year's Eve!

XO, Crystal 

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1 Comment

Halloween Party In A Box

9/11/2019

3 Comments

 
Hello friends, I hope you are all having a good week so far!  Today I am on the Butterfly Reflections, Ink blog sharing this spooky-cute Halloween inspired box card featuring the Hello Bluebird Halloween Party stamp set and lots of other goodies available through the Butterfly Reflections, Ink shop.  Halloween is one of my favorite holidays to create cards for, and I just love a card that has an interactive element to it, so the Lawn Fawn Scalloped Box Card Pop Up Die is one of my go-to products.
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For the base of this card, I used a heavyweight black cardstock.  You want a good thick cardstock for the base of any card to keep it sturdy over time through wear and tear.  On each of the top flaps of the box I used a hot pink cardstock underneath a layer of Sunny Studio Dots and Stripes Jewel Tone paper in the lime green print.  I also stamped the sentiment "Boo" on the lime green polka dot print paper using Memento Tuxedo black ink.  On the base of the box I did just the opposite, a layer of Sunny Studio Argyle Paper in the raspberry color was mounted onto lime green cardstock. 
 
I stamped all the images from the Hello Bluebird Halloween Party stamp set in Memento Tuxedo black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and die cut them using the coordinating Hello Bluebird Halloween Party dies.
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Along with using the images from the Hello Bluebird Halloween Party stamp set, I also used the ghosts and haunted house from the Lawn Fawn Happy Haunting stamp set to add to this box card.  I colored all of my images first with alcohol ink markers and added highlights to each colored image with a White Gelly Roll pen.   
When I was ready to assemble the box card I used Lawn Fawn 1/4" Double Sided Tear Tape to ensure that my box would hold together well.   I began to assemble the images on the card adhering them with Foam Adhesive dots for added dimension.  Lastly I added some Clear Wink of Stella to all of the images for added sparkle.  In my mind, you can NEVER have enough sparkle!
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I hope you have enjoyed today's interactive card.  Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

3 Comments

Cheers to 90 Years

8/15/2019

3 Comments

 
This weekend we will celebrate my Grandpa's 90th birthday and I couldn't wait to create a very special card for him.  He is the most amazing, hardworking, generous and loyal man I know.  He ran his own business and still found time to raise his family and travel the entire US in an RV.  He can fix anything from an air conditioner to an airplane!  He inspired within me my love of photography and of leaving the world a better place than you found it.  He is still sharp as a tack and physical enough to shovel the snow of his two story home during a Maine winter!  I hope you are all as blessed in your lives to know a man quite like him.
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Card details:

The base of this box card was made using the Lawn Fawn Scalloped Box Card and Basic Black cardstock.  I added black and white chevron paper (miscellaneous scraps) and Gold Glimmer paper to the sides, using the dies from the Lawn Fawn Scalloped box.  Most of the sentiments were stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White cardstock.  I punched out the 9-0 numbers from the Large Letter Framelit Dies (retired by Stampin' UP!) in Gold Glimmer Paper.  I cut the stars from Basic Black cardstock and Gold Glimmer paper using the Spellbinders Stitched Nesting Star dies.   I punched the balloons using the Balloon Bouquet punch in Basic Black and Whisper White cardstocks and Gold Glimmer paper.  I used black baker's twine to tie the balloons together.  I also used clear acetate sheets to allow the line of stars and balloons to "stand up straight."  The clear acetate is nearly invisible on the card.  I assembled the entire card using Thin Tear Tape to ensure all components were adhered securely.
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The sentiments used on this card are from the Celebrate Everything stamp set by Fun Stamper's Journey.
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I hope you have enjoyed today's over-the-top box card celebrating a very special man in my life. 
Thanks for visiting!

XO, Crystal

3 Comments

Hello Bluebird Fishin' Hole

5/30/2019

1 Comment

 
 Hi friends!  I'm happy to share another fun box card with you today featuring the Hello Bluebird stamp set "Fishing Hole" and the Sunny Studios "Froggy Friends" stamp set.  Both of these stamps sets worked seamlessly together to create this pop-up interactive card.   Last week I shared the "shark in a box" card with you and ya'll, I'm completely obsessed with box cards now!  As long as you use the Lawn Fawn Scalloped Pop Up Box die, most of the hard work is done for you.  Really, that die just makes the box assembly so much easier than scoring and folding and trimming cardstock.  The time consuming part is simply in all the stamping of the images, coloring them and die cutting them.  In this case, it was a bazillion frogs and lily pads!  My fingers are still green from all that ink!

I promise, if you can put a card together, you can put a BOX card together, as long as you have the time and patience. 
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Here are the two stamps sets that I used to create this card:
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We will be making this card (and the shark in a box card) on Saturday, June 15th.  Check out my calendar of events HERE.
Email or call me today to reserve your spot!

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

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1 Comment

Shark in a Box

5/23/2019

1 Comment

 
 In hindsight, I probably should have saved today's card to share in July during "Shark Week," but, it's simply too cool NOT to share now!  Last week I mentioned that I was very interested in creating cards with unique folds, outside of a traditional book fold.  I shared this easel card recently and there will be more easel cards to come.  But, today's card?  Holy WOW!  This "fold" is called a "box card" and I made it using the Lawn Fawn Scalloped Box Pop Up Lawn Cuts. 
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Sure, it might look very detailed and impossible, but, if you break it down, one image at a time, it is not difficult to create.  Time consuming, yes, but challenging no.  Most of the time involved is simply a matter of coloring all the images and die cutting them out.  However, the Lawn Fawn Scalloped Box die makes it really easy to create the box card base.  Then, it's all just a matter of adding layers and images until you create a desired scene. 
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Here is the "Hello Chum" stamp set by Avery Elle that I used to create today's card:
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Below is the box folded flat.  It would fit into a regular A2 sized envelope (if that palm tree weren't quite sticking out!)  But, let's face it, I'm not sending this card to anyone after the hours of work it took to complete!
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I really hope you enjoy today's "shark in a box" card! 
Please join me on Saturday, June 15th and you can make this card too!  Can't make this class?  For a list of other upcoming events, please click HERE.

XO, Crystal

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    Hi, I'm Crystal!

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    Disclaimer:

    I, Crystal Komara, am solely responsible for this blog and all of its content, including, but not limited to designs, concepts, text, images and photographs. This website is for your personal enjoyment, inspiration and to help stimulate your own creativity.  

    If you use one of my posts, images, classes or designs please be sure to give credit where it is due.  Thank you!
    2019 ©


    Disclosure:

    • I participate in several affiliate programs.  This means I earn a small commission when products are purchased using my links (at no additional cost to you). 
    • I do not work for any companies. 
    • I buy all of my own supplies, unless where mentioned in a post that a product has been gifted, or if I am supplied products in exchange for being on a company's Design Team.
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    • I do not place ads on my blog.  Ever. I hate them and I know you do too!

    ​Whether gifted, or from my own supply, all of my recommendations are based on items that I use and truly love, and I think you will too. 
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