Category: Christmas - Crystal Komara

Christmas Mandala Trees

12/21/2021

Hello and happy Tuesday! Today I'll be sharing my very last holiday themed cards for 2021! I know there are only four days left until Christmas, so by now it's too late to make any more cards and send them out, but, if you're super ambitious, you can always get started on next year's cards!

I just love this new Christmas Mandala Tree stamp and coordinating dies, though for these cards, I only used the two tree dies!

Card details:

*Please note - both cards were made the exact way I just used alternate color combinations for each card to show variety.

These slimline cards measure 8 1/2" x 3 1/2" inches. Slimline cards are designed to fit inside a regular #10 business mailing envelope and require no additional postage. For one card I used a lilac purple cardstock base and the other I used a garden green cardstock base. I lined each cardstock base with an 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of 80 lb. Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. I then started die cutting trees for each card. For the purple trees, I used some of the glitter cardstock from the 6" x 6" Graceful Garden Glitter pad and some extra purple plaid paper I pulled from my scrap bin. For the green trees, I used glitter cardstock from the 6" x 6" Frosted Glitter pad.

I adhered the first five trees directly to the card base. I adhered the "top" tree (with the mosaic cutouts) to the center of the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. On thin white strips of cardstock, I stamped the sentiment "wishing you peace" in either green or purple ink. This sentiment is also included in the Christmas Mandala stamp set.

Thank you for visiting! I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Feliz Navidad & Happy Kwanzaa! Whatever you celebrate may your festivities be filled with peace, love and joy. I'll see you in the New Year!

XO, Crystal

Noel

12/20/2021

Can you believe that we are only 5 days away from Christmas!? It's exciting, exhilarating, energizing and yet e-x-h-a-u-s-t-i-n-g all at the same time! Today I am on the Joy Clair Designs blog sharing a fun holiday card using the skating Santa image from the Love Santa digital stamp set.

Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card was made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I also cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of the same white cardstock for the first mat. I stamped the leaves from the Fall Greetings stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink horizontally along the top and bottom of the white cardstock mat. I colored the leaves with red and green Copic markers to give them more of a festive holiday feel than a fall feel. I placed a 5 1/4" x 1/4" strip of black cardstock as a frame to ground the "NOEL" letters onto. I die cut the letters, "N, E and L" from red glitter cardstock. I adhered the letters to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I printed out the skating Santa from the Love Santa digital stamp set and colored him using Copic markers. I fussy cut the Santa out and used this image in lieu of the letter "O" in "NOEL." Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the Santa image for added sparkle.

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! For more inspiration, you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and on my YouTube channel.

XO, Crystal

Be Merry

12/14/2021

Hello readers! I can't believe we are only 11 days away from Christmas! I am proud of myself for getting all 121 of my handmade Christmas cards out (and on time) this year! Although, my friends in Austria and Germany may see their cards around Valentine's Day. . . I tried. Today I am sharing two cards made using the Frosty Snowflake Layering dies from Birch Press Design and while the sentiment on these cards says, "be merry," they could easily be made into winter birthday cards or holiday thank you cards by simply changing out the stamped sentiment.

Card details:

*Note - both of these cards were made the same way, I just changed out the color combinations.

The base of this A2 sized card was made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Using the Pinpoint Radial Plate die, I cut the background from the same white cardstock. Using Layer A and Layer B of the Frosty Flakes Layering Dies I cut the snowflakes from the 6" x 6" Twinkling Jewel Glitter pad. I adhered the snowflakes directly to the background. Using the Contempo Christmas Greetings stamp set and coordinating die, I stamped the sentiment "be merry" in either blue ink or purple ink and then I used the coordinating circle die to cut the sentiment out. I adhered the sentiment to the center of each card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.

Here is the same card made in an alternate color combination:

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

XO, Crystal

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It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

12/13/2021

Hello crafty readers! I know that we have only 12 days left until Christmas, so I hope that your holiday cards are in the mail by now, or at least on the kitchen counter ready to go, stat! But, I'm here to offer a little more Christmas card inspiration should you still need to create a few last minute cards. . .

Card details:

This 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 card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I used a slimline die cut from red cardstock in order to create the frame. Behind the frame I placed a 7 1/2" x 3" piece of black and white music patterned paper. I printed the two envelopes from the Extraordinary digital stamp set. I colored the envelopes with Copic markers in reds and greens. I fussy cut the envelopes and adhered them to each corner of the card using 3M foam adhesive. I die cut the word "Merry" from red glitter paper and created my own shadow die from vellum cardstock. I printed the "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" sentiment from the Love Santa digital stamp set in green ink on white cardstock. I trimmed the sentiment down to a small size and adhered it above and below the word "Merry." Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the flowers in the envelopes for added sparkle.

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! For more inspiration, you can follow me on my website, Instagram, Facebook and on my YouTube channel.

XO, Crystal

Jolly

12/7/2021

Hello crafty friends! It is a mad dash to the finish line to create those holiday cards and get them out in time! Today I'm sharing a fun and festive way to use a simple holiday shadow word die as the focal point of your card.

Card details:

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 for the first layer and matted that with a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of red cardstock. Using Layer B of the Frosty Flake Layering Set, I cut four snowflakes from white cardstock. I adhered these four snowflakes onto the white cardstock to create my background. It's a very subtle look to allow the colorful words to POP! I die cut the word "Jolly" three times using the Jolly Honey Script Word Die. I die cut one word from gold glitter cardstock, one from red glitter cardstock and one from green glitter cardstock. All of the glitter cardstock was from the 6" x 6" Frosted Glitter pad. I cut the thinner shadow portion of the "jolly" from white cardstock. I layered the two "jolly" layers together with a fine-tip liquid adhesive. I then placed the three "jolly" sentiments going down the middle of the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.

I hope you have joined this fun way to use your shadow word dies to create holiday cards, no stamping required! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

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Warm Christmas Wishes

10/13/2021

Hello readers and happy Wednesday! Today I am on the Joy Clair Designs blog sharing a couple of cards that I created using the Christmas Joy stamp set, which is part of the new Wonderfully release. I know it's only October and everyone might not be ready for Christmas just yet, but for those of us who make a LOT of holiday cards it is never too early to start!

Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card was made with 80 lb. Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. This is my go-to white cardstock for everything! I use it for card bases, card layers, die cutting, Copic coloring and so much more. I cut a 5 1/4" x 4 piece of plaid paper as my first base. Using the Gina Marie Designs Scalloped Stitched Rectangle dies, I die cut a frame from red houndstooth paper. I placed this frame in the center of the card. I printed the wreath image from the digital Christmas Joy stamp set on Neenah white cardstock. I colored the image with Copic markers and then fussy cut the wreath by hand. I stamped the sentiment "Warm Christmas Wishes" in red ink and I adhered the wreath to the center of the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the wreath for added sparkle.

Here is the second card I created using the same wreath from the Christmas Joy digital stamp set:

Card details:

This 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 card was made using 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I cut a 7" x 3 1/4" piece of royal blue cardstock for my first base. I used a fancy border die along the bottom edge of the royal blue cardstock. On top of the royal blue cardstock is a 6 3/4" x 2 3/4' piece of watercolored blue and white cardstock. I splattered some royal blue ink on top of that cardstock before edging the bottom border with the same fancy die. I cut a 6" x 1" piece of gold foil paper and ran it through a diamond embossing folder before adhering it to the center of the card. I printed the wreath from the Christmas Joy digital stamp set and colored it using Copic markers. I stamped the sentiment "Warm Christmas Wishes" in royal blue ink and then I fussy cut the wreath by hand and adhered it to the center of the card using 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the wreath for added sparkle.

Have you started YOUR holiday cards yet?
Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

July 5 for $5

7/19/2021

Did you know that each month 88 and Clear offers a "5 for $5" workshop? For just $5.00 you can watch a Facebook Live cardmaking workshop with 88 and Clear owner and designer extraordinaire Richard Garay, aka "RG." You receive step-by-step instructions and a link to create five projects along with RG and the team. This months' "5 for $5" workshop features the digital stamp set "Best Day."

Details:

With this workshop you will create 5 projects - 3 cards and 2 tags. (See images above and below).
You will receive an email with instructions and a direct link to view the class.
The class will go live on Facebook on July 19. However, you can watch the class on replay at any time convenient to you!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE JULY "5 for $5" CLASS TODAY!!

Other available online classes:

Farmhouse Christmas

88 and Clear is also offering the "Farmhouse Christmas" workshop live on Facebook on July 24th!

In this class you will receive:

One pack of 12 x 12 printed paper and ephemera
Kits to create 4 mini slim cards and a mini book using the build-an-album kit by PhotoPlay
You will also receive an email to download a digital pack of 6×6 prints and sentiments

This workshop will be held live on Facebook on Saturday, July 24, 2021 at 10am PST. However, don't worry, if you can't attend the "live event," you can always catch a replay on the 88 and Clear Facebook page!

So sign up for this fabulous offer today! Click HERE to register.

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 #137

11/30/2020

Hello readers and welcome back from the weekend! I hope that you all enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your friends and family - if you were able to. Understandably, Covid might have changed how you celebrated this year, as it did for us. For the safety and health of our family, we opted not to travel this year, so it was a Thanksgiving table for two (well, five if you count the kitties too) because you know I shared my turkey and fixins' with them! : )

Today I am sharing another card that I made for the Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge. Week number two of Challenge #137 is continuing on with this modern and fresh 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:

For today's card, I have created an inside shadow box card using a few different stamp sets to create a wintery village scene. I followed the directions to create the base of this card from this Jennifer McGuire video. And, I have to say, this was a very simple tutorial to create a fun, interactive card. I definitely will be making more of these inside shadow box cards in the future!

Card details:

The base of this A2 inside shadow box card was made from Real Red cardstock. Please refer to this Jennifer McGuire video to create the base of the shadow box card. For the inside of the card, I placed a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock as the "top" of the card, in which I could stamp my sentiment and add a few red snowflakes and die cut trees. For the inside shadow box, I placed a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of white cardstock as the background. I stamped the Main Street Christmas in Memento Tuxedo Black on white cardstock. I colored the buildings with Copic markers and then die cut the scene using the coordianting Main Street Christmas dies. I adhered the image directly to the white background. Using the Land Borders dies, I die cut white cardstock for a "snowbank" in front of the buildings. I also die cut a second "snowbank" for the outside of the shadow box.

I lined the snowbanks with Lawn Fawn Chunky Glitter. I die cut a couple trees from green patterned paper using the Forest Scene dies. I stamped one of the cars from the Destination Christmas stamp set in Memento Tuxedo black ink on white cardstock and die cut it using the coordiating Destination Christmas dies. I adhered this car to the front snowbank (on the inside of the card).

Because the inside of the card is very busy and fun to open, I kept the front of the card very simple. I die cut a scalloped border from white cardstock and stamped two sentiments. One in red ink and the other in Memento Black ink. I also added two die cut trees to the left side of the sentiment.

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!
The deadline to enter is Friday, December 4th, 2020, at midnight CST.

XO, Crystal

List of supplies:

Pinkfresh Studio: Season's Greetings

11/27/2020

Happy Black Friday, friends! Christmas season is officially here! Today I am sharing two very traditional wreath cards using the Season's Greetings stamp set and coordinating dies by Pinkfresh Studio. Lately, I have been drawn to more classic and elegant stamps and Pinkfresh Studio had many beautiful designs that caught my eye upon a recent purchase.

Card details:

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

*Please note both cards were made using the same cutting measurements and instructions, I simply alternated between red, green and blue color combinations. The base of each A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah White Solar Smooth cardstock. I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of plaid paper and adhered it directly to the card base. I cut a white scalloped frame and adhered it to the center of the card. On a separate piece of white cardstock, I heat embossed the wreath with gold embossing powder. I colored the wreath using Copic markers and die cut the wreath.

I adhered the wreath to the center of the scalloped frame using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I stamped the sentiment in the center of the wreath in Versamark ink and heat embossed the sentiment with gold embossing powder. On a scrap piece of blue cardstock, I heat embossed the bow with gold embossing powder and used the coordinating die to die cut the bow. I adhered the bow to the bottom of the wreath using a Tombow dot runner.

Typically I would say that I like the blue wreath more (because blue is my favorite color). But, this time, I'm leaning more toward the red and green wreath! Do you favor one design/color combination more than the other?

Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

List of supplies:

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