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Hello readers! Last week I shared with you that I began teaching classes at the Butterfly Reflections Ink store in Kingston, New Hampshire. Today I am sharing one of the cards we made at the "Watercolor Wonder" class. For this class I taught a couple different ways that you can watercolor because I have found that with any new technique you learn, you have to find what works for you. Maybe you don't like the freedom of watercolor palettes, but you like more precise watercolor pens instead. Or maybe, you find that you don't even like to watercolor at all, which is perfectly okay too! At least by investing a little money in a class then you will save yourself money in the long run by not investing in products that won't be used! That's the great thing about taking a class in person, you can try a variety of different techniques and see what you like and even what you don't! In this class we experimented with Distress Oxide Inks, Zig Clean Real Color Brush Markers, Kuretaki Ganzai Tambei watercolor palettes and Spectrum Noir Sparkle Brushes.  Card details:The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Using the Altenew Watercolor Stripes Card Panel die, I created the striped frame also from white cardstock. Underneath the frame I placed a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Orange Woodgrain paper from Lawn Fawn. I die cut a diamond from gold glitter paper. I stamped the orange blossoms from the Reverse Confetti Orange Blossoms stamp set in Versamark ink and heat embossed the orange blossoms outline with gold embossing powder. I colored the oranges and leaves with watercolor using the Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers. I die cut the orange blossoms using the coordinating die and adhered the image to the card. Lastly, I stamped the sentiment "hi friend" in Memento Tuxedo black ink on a thin strip of white cardstock and added it to the card.    Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalYou might also enjoy:
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In April of this year, I began teaching in-person classes at the Butterfly Reflections Ink store in Kingston, New Hampshire. Kingston is just under a 2 1/2 hour drive from my house, so while it's a longer drive, it is doable over a weekend, or maybe a fun overnight road trip. But, let me just tell you, it is worth every single minute of the drive because when you see the amazing inventory, samples and stock that owner Vanessa Middleton has in store, you will be amazed! You can spend an entire day in the store and still not see everything! The shop itself is light and bright, clean and fresh and practically begs for you to spend all your money. Yes, there really is a heaven on Earth and you will find it here at Butterfly Reflections Ink!  Butterfly Reflections Ink store exterior  Butterfly Reflections Ink store interior  Owner Vanessa Middleton inside the store, 2021 It was on my first visit to the store in 2019 when I spoke with Vanessa about the opportunity to teach classes. I have been teaching in my own home studio for the past 8 years and she had mentioned wanting to offer her customers the ability to take in-store classes, but she didn't have the time to both run a store AND teach. It was a match made in stamp heaven!  Meeting Vanessa in 2019 So, in April of 2021, I held my first two classes at the store - "Fabulous Florals" and "Springtime with Newton's Nook." In June, I held two additional classes - "Interactive Lawn Fawn" and "Watercolor Wonder." Here are some photos taken from the two classes we held at the store in June:        I couldn't be more grateful and thankful to Vanessa for allowing me the opportunity to teach classes in her store! She has allowed me the freedom to design my classes using a variety of products that she carries. While we've struggled a bit with attendance for the first two classes, we are hoping for the word to spread, and as COVID vaccinations increase, that people will begin venturing out for fun events such as these in the future.  You can visit the Butterfly Reflections Ink store at: 53 Church Street, Kingston, New Hampshire Follow Vanessa for the latest information on upcoming classes and you can always support her small business by shopping online anytime HERE. XO, CrystalHello and happy Thursday! Today I am on the Butterfly Reflections Ink, blog reminiscing about my childhood days spent in tap, jazz and ballet. Oh, yes, the words of "The Good Ship Lollipop" are stuck in my head. F-O-R-E-V-E-R! When I first saw the new Room Builder Slimline Series die from Trinity Stamps I envisioned making a dance studio from that wooden floor. I love being able to combine products from different companies, like the Tiny Dancers stamp set from Sunny Studios to help achieve the look I was hoping for.   Card details:This slimline line 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 card is made from Neenah Solar Smooth white cardstock. I matted the base of the card with a 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of magenta pink cardstock. Using the Trinity Stamps Room Builder Slimline Series dies, I cut the floor from kraft cardstock and adhered it directly to the magenta pink cardstock. I cut a 8" x 2" piece of white cardstock to adhere to the top of the dance floor as the wall. Using the window dies from the same Room Builder series, I cut two windows in the white cardstock. I lined the back of the window with some scrap paper I had that looks like clouds. I had to cut the two sets of curtains by hand. I die cut the pink rug from the same paper as the curtains and adhered it to the center of the card using a Tombow dot runner. I die cut two of the wooden board signs from the same die builder set and stamped "dance" in magenta ink. I adhered the two signs between the windows using foam adhesive.  I die cut the plant pots from white cardstock and the flowers or leaves from green glitter cardstock and pink glitter cardstock. I stamped all of the dancers from the Tiny Dancers stamp set by Sunny Studios in Memento Tuxedo black ink on white cardstock. I colored the dancers with Copic markers and then used the coordinating Tiny Dancers dies to cut them out. 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 dancers for added sparkle.    I hope you have enjoyed this sweet ballet theme slimline card! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalHello friends and Merry Christmas (though surely you are all enjoying the magic of being with your friends and families right now and hopefully not spending the day reading here)! But, in spite of Christmas, the rest of the world goes on and today is my last day sharing as a member of the Butterfly Reflections, Ink Design Team. A new team is currently being selected and will be announced soon to kick off the new year. I am so grateful to Vanessa for selecting me to be a part of her team. I have discovered many new creative friends along the way and I have even been offered some amazing new opportunities that I will be announcing soon! Today I am sharing a pop-up card featuring the Do Re Me Ow stamp set from Trinity Stamps. It's a perfect set for me because of my love of cats and these punny sentiments are over the top! I purchased this stamp set (and many others!) when I was fortunate enough to visit the Butterfly Reflections Ink store on Black Friday this year.  Card details (outside): The base of this A2 sized card is made from Kraft cardstock. I lined the base of the card with a piece of light blue watercolor paper from the Lawn Fawn Watercolor Wishes paper pack. I die cut the mountains from Balmy Blue cardstock using the Mama Elephant Snow Capped Mountain dies. The tops of the mountains were cut from Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. Along the bottom of the card, I created a curvy snowbank that I lined with a thin coat of Lawn Fawn Chunky Glitter. I stamped the images (cats, lampost, box) from the Do Re Me Ow stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock and then I colored the images with Copic Markers. I used the coordinating Do Re Me Ow dies from Trinity Stamps to die cut the images after coloring. I adhered the images to the card using foam adhesive for added dimension. Lastly, I stamped the sentiment in the lower left corner and a few music notes all in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.     Card details (inside): The bottom of the inside of the card is a piece of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I stamped the inside sentiment and music notes in Memento Tuxedo Black ink. The top of the inside of the card is another light blue piece of watercolor paper from the Lawn Fawn Watercolor Wishes paper pack. I heat embossed some white snowflakes over the paper. To create the pop-up component, I used the Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Pop-Up die and cut it out from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I added a layer of Lawn Fawn Chunky Glitter to each of the "snowbanks." I stamped all of the cat images, fences and lamposts in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock and colored the images with Copic markers. I used the coordinating Do Re Me Ow dies to cut out the colored images and adhered them to the inside of the card to create a scene. Lastly, I added some more music notes stamped in Memento Tuxedo black ink.     Merry Christmas, friends! May you be blessed with the spirit of the season which is PEACE, the gladness of the season which is HOPE, and the heart of the season which is LOVE. XO, Crystal
Hello friends! Today I am sharing this multiple interactive card on the Butterfly Reflections Ink blog. I put off purchasing this adorable "Mice On Ice" stamp set for as long as I possibly could, but in a war between my wallet and Lawn Fawn products, my wallet loses. Nearly every single time! I added three different interactive components all on this one A2 sized card. The bottom left corner is a shaker, the top left mice are on Mini Action Wobbles and the mice on the top right are only visible when you lift the flap.
Card details:
The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Using the Lawn Fawn Peekaboo Backdrop Lawn Cuts, I cut the frame from raspberry cardstock. On the top upper right corner, I added a lift the flap die to the frame. I stamped the sentiment in raspberry ink. I stamped all of the mice images in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White cardstock. I colored the images with Copic markers and then used the coordinating Mice on Ice Lawn Cuts to die cut the images out. On the lower right side of the card, I lined the frame with a small piece of pink plaid cardstock from the Sunny Studios Classic Gingham 6 x 6" paper pack. I then handcut a white snowbank to fill the square and added two mice with foam adhesive.
On the upper left side of the card, I lined the frame again with a small piece of pink plaid cardstock from the Sunny Studios Classic Gingham 6 x 6" paper pack. I then handcut a white snowbank to fill the square and added two mice with this time on a Mini Action Wobble Spring, so that when you touch them they jiggle, or wobble.
In the lower left corner of the card, I created a mini shaker. I lined the back of the rectangle with a piece of acetate film. I placed approximately one tablespoon of Iridescent Diamond Dust behind the frame and layered the frame with foam adhesive to give the Iridescent Diamond Dust room to move when you shake it. I added two more little skating mice on top of the shaker and the word "happy" which I stamped in raspberry ink and cut with the coordinating Mice on Ice Lawn Cuts dies.
I hope you have enjoyed this very interactive card! It was a lot of fun to conceptualize and create.
Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, Crystal
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Hello crafty friends and readers! Today I am sharing these two cards featuring vivid alcohol ink backgrounds and adorable snowmen over on the Butterfly Reflections, Ink blog. Creating alcohol ink pieces of art to use on cards has such a WOW effect. While I love the look of Distress Oxide inks, I still don't feel entirely comfortable using them, so when I want to create eye-catching backgrounds, Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Inks are my go-to.
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 White Yupo paper on which to create my background. I dropped a couple drops each of Aqua, Pool and Patina inks onto the Yupo paper and blew the ink around with a straw until I achieved a desired look. No, there is no rhyme or reason to my madness when creating with alcohol! Just keep at it until you have a look that YOU are happy with! I let this ink dry before splattering some white acrylic paint over the background to resemble snow. Then I cut two Lawn Fawn Birch Trees from white cardstock. I handcut a snowbank out of white cardstock for the bottom of the card and adhered a layer of Lawn Fawn Chunky Glitter over the top of the snowbank. I stamped the images in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and die cut them using the coordinating Snow Buddies Honey Cuts dies. I colored in the images with Copic markers and adhered them to the card with foam adhesive to create a little scene. Lastly I die cut the "let it snow" sentiment from the Lawn Fawn Big Scripty Words Lawn Cuts in turquoise cardstock and glitter cardstock, layering the two together for a shadowed effect, before adhering these to the bottom of the card with foam adhesive.
Here is the Snow Buddies stamp set from Honey Bee Stamps that I used to create these cards:
Now for the second card:
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 White Yupo paper on which to create my background. I dropped dropped three colored alcohol inks (salmon, raspberry and villainous) on the right side of the paper and "swiped left!" ; ) Haha, did anyone catch that?! I let this ink dry before splattering some white acrylic paint over the background to resemble snow. Then I cut three Lawn Fawn Birch Trees from white cardstock. I handcut a snowbank out of white cardstock for the bottom of the card and adhered a layer of Lawn Fawn Chunky Glitter over the top of the snowbank. I stamped the images in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and die cut them using the coordinating Snow Buddies Honey Cuts dies. I colored in the images with Copic markers and adhered them to the card to create a little scene. 
I hope you have enjoyed these whimsical snowmen surrounded by an alcohol inked winter wonderland. Thanks for visiting and happy creating!
XO, Crystal
Hello friends and happy December! Today I am sharing this card on the Butterfly Reflections, Ink blog, but before I get to my card, I wanted to share with you all that I got to visit the Butterfly Reflections, Ink store last weekend when I was nearby traveling for Thanksgiving. Not only did I get to check out the awesome store, but I got to meet Vanessa in person, and on her birthday! I was amazed by the amount of inventory in the store and the space is so well organized and clean. I didn't even get to see nearly everything I wanted and I was there for almost two hours! I can't wait to go back again (without my husband)! If you are ever in the Kingston, New Hampshire (or greater Portsmouth/Manchester area) you must stop by, it's really worth the visit.  Now for today's card. . . I used a stamp set that I purchased when I was at the store last week, although it has been on my list since it was released. This set is called "Cocoa Stand" by Avery Elle. I did also combine it with the "Snow Buddies" stamp set from Honey Bee Stamps to create an even larger scene. Turquoise, red and brown are one of my favorite Christmas color combinations. It's very fresh and modern feeling.  Card details: For the base of this slimline card, I cut a piece of turquoise cardstock measuring 8 1/2" x 3 1/2" long. I cut a 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of Bristol Smooth cardstock to ink blend the background. I used Tim Holtz Distress Oxide ink in Peacock Feathers and covered the cardstock with the ink before adhering this distressed background to the card base. I cut a 8 1/4" x 1 1/4" piece of white cardstock and created a snowbank along the bottom edge of the cards to ground all of my images. Along this border, I added Lawn Fawn Chunky Glitter for added sparkle. I stamped all of the images from the Cocoa Stand stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and colored them with Copic markers. I then used the coordinating Cocoa Stand Elle-ment dies to cut all the images. also stamped all of the images from the Honey Bee Stamps Snow Buddies stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock and colored these images with Copic markers. I also die cut these using the Snow Buddies Honey Cuts dies. Then I began to form a scene just by placing the different images onto the card to where I was happy with the layout. I adhered most of the images to the card with foam adhesive. Lastly, I used a white gel pen and added little dots all over the card to resemble snow.     I hope you have enjoyed today's card. Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, Crystal You might also enjoy:
Hello friends and happy BLACK Friday! Best of luck to you brave souls who dare to venture out on this day because I want no part of it! Those crowds are not for me! Today, you will find me shopping local at the Butterfly Reflections, Ink in New Hampshire for my very first time! Be sure to follow along on Instagram to see all the behind the scenes photos from the store and more. I'm excited because it is also the shop owner, Vanessa's birthday, so I will get to wish her a happy birthday in person. To celebrate, a large group of current and past Design Team members, along with some special guests, will be doing a blog hop on Instagram sharing cards that were inspired by some of Vanessa's favorite things: the color fushia, cute critters (she LOVES Hello Bluebird), coffee and pumpkin spice. Here is the card I created for her:
Card details:
This slimline card ( 8 1/2" x 3 1/2") was made from Berry Burst cardstock. The first matted layer is a 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. I die cut the mountains in Blushing Bride cardstock using the Hello Sweetums Mountains of Fun dies. I die cut the trees using the Lawn Fawn Stitched Trees dies. I stamped all of the critters, trees and presents from the Hello Bluebird Frosty Friends stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored them using Copic markers. I added highlights to some of the images with a Uniball White Gel pen. I also added Lawn Fawn ultrafine glitter to the snowbanks and critters' hats. I added many of the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive. I stamped the sentiment at the bottom of the card in Berry Burst ink. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the images for added sparkle.
Here are the Copic colors I used for coloring: 
Here is the Frosty Friends stamp set by Hello Bluebird (available through Butterfly Reflections, Ink) that I used to create today's card:
Be sure to follow along on Instagram to see what everyone else created for Vanessa's birthday!
Thanks for visiting and I hope you have a wonderfully creative weekend! XO, Crystal
Hello friends and happy Thanksgiving Eve day! If you are traveling today (or anytime this week) I wish you safe travels and hope that each of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with friends and family. Today I am sharing some simple table placards on the Butterfly Reflections, Ink blog that were made using the Pretty Pink Posh Winter Wreath stamp set and coordinating dies. Truth be told, Pretty Pink Posh also has an autumn wreath stamp set that would have worked for these placards too, but since I didn't buy that one, I was able to turn the winter wreath into more of a fall theme simply by using more traditional fall colors. I also didn't know the names of everyone who will be attending Thanksgiving dinner at my aunt's house, so instead of personalizing the placards, I used various sentiments instead.
Project details:
These placards are 3 1/2" square. I simply folded a sheet of 3 1/2" x 7" paper in half to form the note card. The base of each card is made from a kraft cardstock. I stamped the Pretty Pink Posh Winter Wreath in Memento Tuxedo black ink on Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock and die cut it using the coordinating Winter Wreath die. I colored each wreath in with Copic alcohol ink markers. I cut a 4" x 1" strip of Lawn Fawn Gold Rush cardstock and adhered it to the notecard behind the wreath. I adhered the wreath to the center of the placard using foam adhesive. I tied a bow in Curry ribbon and adhered it to the top of the wreath using glue dots. I stamped various sentiments in Cajun ink on Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. I notched the right end of the sentiment strip before adhering it to the center of the wreaths. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the flowers and leaves on the wreath for added sparkle.
Here is the Winter Wreath stamp set from Pretty Pink Posh (available through Butterfly Reflections, Ink):
Thanksgiving Blessing:
May love and laughter light your days and warm your heart and home;
May good and faithful friends be yours wherever you may roam; May peace and plenty bless your world with joy that long endures; May all life's passing seasons, bring the best to you and yours. Happy Thanksgiving! XO, Crystal
Hi friends! Today I am sharing this card on the Butterfly Reflections, Ink blog. The new "Sweet as Pie" stamp set by SugarPea Designs has my name written all over it. "Sweet" and "pie" in the same sentence? Yes, please! It's no secret that I L-O-V-E sweets and with Thanksgiving coming up next week, I'm thinking all things pumpkin and apple right now using this yummy set.  Card details: The base of this A2 sized card is made from Kraft cardstock. I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of plaid paper similar to that of the Echo Park My Favorite Fall paper pack and adhered this to the card base. Using the Hello Bluebird Gallery Frame #2 die, I cut the frame from orange cardstock. I lined the back of the frame with a piece of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I stamped the sentiment "You're as sweet as pie" in a brown ink directly onto the white base lining. Next, I stamped the images from the "Sweet as Pie" stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I colored the images using my Copic Markers. Then I die cut the images using the coordinating Sweet as Pie Sugar Cuts. I adhered the die cut images to the card using foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the pies for added sparkle (and also because I completely forgot to stamp and die cut the matching whip cream in the stamp set)!  So, maybe you've noticed that the bottom edge of that left side pie plate is a little darker than the rest? Well, sure we can blame it on my coloring skills (truth), or we can just agree to say that it's a well loved pie plate that's seen a few family Thanksgiving's! Works either way! Here is the Sweet As Pie stamp set by SugarPea Designs that I used to create today's card:    I hope you have enjoyed today's card! Thanks for visiting, you're all sweet as pie! XO, Crystal
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