Hello readers and happy Friday!  I'm excited to be sharing an adorable new stamp set from the Spring Fling release at RG Avenue.  Unfortunately, the large weekend "Spring Fling" stamping event in Arizona had to be canceled last weekend, but this new "Oh La La" stamp set is now available online and it just might be my favorite set from this new release!  

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

​The base of this slimline card is cut from gray cardstock.  This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x x 3 1/2" wide. I adhered a piece of 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock directly to the card base.  Using the Whimsy Stamps Slimline Postage Stamp Die, I cut the frame from Pink Glitter paper.  Because the "Oh La La" stamp set I had was the digital stamp set, I printed out all the images from my computer on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I colored the images with Copic markers and add a few highlights to some of the images using a Uniball White gel pen.  I used my Scan & Cut 2 machine to cut out all of the images electronically and then 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 bunnies, swan and cat for added sparkle.  

I hope you have enjoyed this sweet card!  Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! 
Please say healthy and remember, "By staying home, you just might be saving the life of someone you may never meet."  

Hello readers and welcome back from the weekend!  I hope you found a little time to do something crafty.  Today I am sharing another card that I made for the Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge #119.  This week we have a color challenge 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:

Here is the card I created inspired by the challenge colors:

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

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 turquoise cardstock and adhered it directly to the card base.  To create the shaker frame, I cut a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of white cardstock and die cut a semi circle in the center middle.  I lined the back of the frame with a solid piece of 3" x 3" white cardstock that I stamped "cheers" on in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  I lined the back of the frame with acetate and lined the edges with foam adhesive to keep the sequins in.  I stamped the sentiment in the upper right corner using a turquoise ink. I stamped all of the drink images from the Newton's Nook "Cocktail Mixer" stamp set in Memento Tuxedo black on white cardstock.  I colored the images with Copic markers and used the coordinating "Cocktail Mixer" dies to cut them out.  I placed a thin strip of silver glimmer paper at the bottom of the card to "ground" the drinks and then I adhered the drinks using foam adhesive for added dimension. 

Will these colors 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 27th, at midnight CST.

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

Hello friends and TGIF!  I hope you have fun things planned for the weekend ahead!  I am super excited because I am getting out of work early this afternoon to go to The Inspiration Station in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, for an afternoon of classes with my friends and Lawn Fawn's own Jenn Shurkus!  If you are lucky enough to have Jenn come teach at a store near you, I highly encourage you to sign up for a class.  Her classes are filled with tons of inspiration, helpful tips and tricks, and all around crafty fun.  I can't wait to see and use (and mostly likely buy) all the new Lawn Fawn spring release products! : ) 
​Be sure to follow along for some behind-the-scenes action here on my Instastories.  

Now, on to today's get well cards, which were entirely unplanned for today's post, yet somehow seem appropriate given the current state of the world.  No one ever wants to have to send get well cards, but if you do, the "Take It Easy" stamp set and "Cozy Bed" dies from Papertrey Ink are perfect!

 *A full list of supplies is available at the end of this post. Both cards were made the same way, I simply used a different color combination for each. 

The base of each A2 sized card was either made from Balmy Blue or Pineapple Punch cardstock.  I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock as the first matted layer. In the upper left corner of each card I stamped the sentiment in the corresponding ink color.  Using the Cozy Bed dies from Papertrey Ink, I die cut each bed scene from either yellow or blue cardstock.  The patterned paper on the bedding is all from the Lawn Fawn Spring Fling 6" x 6" paper pack.  I stamped the cute images (pajamas, hot water bottle, tissues box, newspaer, etc) in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on a separate sheet of white cardstock.  I colored the images before adhering them to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.  The fun thing about this "Take it Easy" stamp set is that you can customize your newspaper greetings with a whole array of fun sentiments or news headlines!

Thank you for taking the time to visit and I hope you have a wonderfully creative weekend!

Hello readers and welcome back from the weekend!  I hope you found a little time to do something crafty.  Today I am sharing another card that I made for the Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge #118.  This week we have a theme challenge 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:

Here is the card I created inspired by the polka dot theme:

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

​The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I lined the base of the card with a scrap piece of 5 1/4" x 4" yellow polka dot paper. Using the Gina Marie Designs Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangle Frames, I die cut a piece of white cardstock and a piece of Lawn Fawn Watercolor Wishes paper (for the grass). I stamped the sentiment in the upper left corner using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. On a separate sheet of white cardstock, I stamped the two mice images from the Newton's Nook Garden Mice stamp set. I colored these images using Copic markers and added a few highlight details with a Uniball white gel pen. I used the coordinating Garden Mice dies to cut the images out and then I adhered them to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the mice for added sparkle.

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!

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!  

I carried out the theme of polka dots both in the patterned paper and on the mushrooms in this card:

*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.  

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.  

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!

Hello readers and happy Sunday!  I hope you are all enjoying a nice weekend.  Happy 1st day of March!  Today I am joining the rest of the Design Team celebrating a new monthly release of products from Whimsy Stamps.  There is just no possible way I can introduce today's fun new Chameleon Party stamp set without actually thinking of the Culture Club's "Karma Chameleon" hit song.  So now, you too will have it in YOUR head. 
All. Day.  Long.  You're welcome! : )

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

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Jelly Bean Green cardstock.  Using the Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangle dies from Gina Marie Designs, I cut the frame from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I cut the stitched half circle from the Whimsy Stamps Rainbow paper pack and adhered it directly to the center of the card.  I cut a thin strip of Jelly Bean green cardstock to adhere to the bottom of the card (for the chameleon to be grounded on).  I heat embossed the sentiment in white embossing powder in the center of the semi-circle.  On a separate sheet of white cardstock, I stamped the chameleon image in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  I colored the chameleon with Copic markers.  I adhered the image to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.  Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the chameleon for added sparkle. 

*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 Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  Using the Gina Marie Designs Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangles, I cut the first layer from Jelly Bean Green cardstock.  I created a rainbow colored alcohol ink background.  I cut a 5 " x 3 3/4" piece of Kirkland Signature Glossy Photo paper to create the alcohol ink background on.  *Note  - to say yourself some money, purchase a ream of this glossy paper (found on Amazon!) in lieu of the uber expensive Yupo polysynthetic paper.  I promise you will see the same results!  Using the Tim Holtz ink blower and isopropyl rubbing alcohol, I created the background using red, orange, green, yellow and blue ink.  Once the alcohol ink dried, I stamped the chameleon and the balloons on a separate sheet of white cardstock in Memento Tuxedo black ink.  I colored in the images with Copic markers.  Then I added the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.  Lastly, I put a coat of clear Wink of Stella on the chameleon and balloons for added sparkle.  

I hope you have enjoyed these fun rainbow reptilian cards today.  Please check out Whimsy Stamps to see more of their new March release! 
Thanks for visiting and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Hello friends and happy Saturday!  I hope you are enjoying your weekend so far.  I am at a monthly shoebox swap this morning with some regular crafting friends.  That always leave me inspired to come home and continue crafting, but I know that I still have a little more organizing to do in my craft room before I sit down to create later this afternoon.  Today I am sharing two sweet cards featuring the "Love Sent" digital stamp set from RG Avenue.  As we will soon welcome in March tomorrow, I'm beginning to feel ready for all things spring!

Here is the "Love Sent" digital stamp set from RG Avenue that I used to create these cards.  I wrote a lengthy blogpost answering many common questions about using digital stamps that you can also read here.  

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

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 Passion Pink cardstock for the first matted layer.  Using the Lawn Fawn Reversed Scalloped Rectangle dies, I cut another piece of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock for the frame.  I placed a piece of Lawn Fawn Watercolor Wishes paper behind the frame (I did not watercolor this myself).  I cut a couple piece of grass from the same Watercolor Wishes paper pack and used the Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside (grass) die.  Because this is a digital stamp set, I printed out the images froma  PDF file, colored them with Copic markers and ran the entire sheet through my Scan and Cut machine to electronically cut the images out, in lieu of fussy cutting.  Lastly, I adhered the images to the card using foam adhesive for added dimension. 

I hope you have enjoyed these sweet animal cards. Even if you don't have this exact stamp set, you could probably substitute one you already own and achieve a similar spring look.  Thank you for visiting and have a wonderful weekend!

Hello friends!  Today I have two different cards to share with you using the new "Beaver Birthday" stamp set from the February release at Whimsy Stamps.  The first card is a punny card based on the included sentiments, and the second card would be a good one to send to your Canadian friends celebrating the country's national holiday.  I have just one Canadian friend (Hi Margaret!) so she's sure to see this card pop up in her mailbox one day! 

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

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  Using the Peekaboo Window 3 die, I cut the frame from Crumb Cake carsdtock.  I backed the three circles of the frame with little scraps of red heart paper.  I backed the large window with a piece of woodgrain patterned paper.  I stamped all of the images from the Beaver Birthday stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I colored all of the images with Copic markers and added some white highlights to each image with a Uniball white gel pen.  I used my Scan and Cut 2 electronic die cutting machine to cut out the images and then I adhered them to the card using foam adhesive.  Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the images for added sparkle.  

Here is the second card I created using the same Beaver Birthday stamp set:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah White Solar Smooth cardstock.  Using a piece of kraft colored paper from the Lawn Fawn Woodgrain paper pack, I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of woodgrain paper and mounted it directly to the card base.  Using the Gina Marie Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangle dies, I cut a piece of Real Red cardstock.  I cut a 4" x 2 3/4" piece of white cardstock to mount directly on top of the red rectangle.  I stamped the sentiment in the upper right corner in Real Red ink.  I stamped all of the images on a separate piece of white cardstock and colored the images with Copic markers.  I added highlights to the images using a white Uniball gel pen.  I used my Scan and Cut 2 electronic cutting machine to cut out the images and then I adhered them to the card using foam adhesive.  Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the images for added sparkle.  

I hope you have enjoyed today's cards.  Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

Hello readers!  Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to visit my website.  I do hope you find creativity and inspiration while you are here.  If you would like to learn more about ME, please click here.  Do you live in Western Massachusetts or Northwestern Connecticut and want to take a class?  You can view my home studio schedule here.   Please feel free to ask me a question anytime or send me an email at ckomara@comcast.net.   I am happy to help YOU in your creative journey in any way that I can.

Today I am sharing some very vibrant, artistic cards.  I just love how bold and colorful these came out!  These are what I call "happy cards!"  If you recall, last month I shared the amazing new 6 x 6" Rainbow paper pack  from Whimsy Stamps, and I have used that same paper pack again today to create these two cards.  I have also added the Artist Toolkit stamp set by Whimsy Stamps and they work together so perfectly.  

*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 cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of red cardstock and adhered it directly to the card base.  I used a piece of striped rainbow paper from the Whimsy Stamps Rainbow paper pack and cut it to 5" x 3" and placed it along the bottom half of the card.  I stamped all of the paint bottles, brushes and tubes in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I colored the images in a rainbow of colors using Copic markers.  I added a few highlights to the colored images using a Uniball white gel pen.  I cut all of the images out using my Vagabond 2 electronic cutting machine.  I adhered the images to the card in a rainbow pattern using foam adhesive to apply the images, thereby giving the card a two-dimensional feel.  I stamped the sentiment in the upper right corner using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I stamped the sentimentin Memento Tuxedo black ink in the bottom right hand corner.  I matted a 5 " x 2 1/2" piece of the Rainbow paper pack with a rich purple background.  I adhered this to the top half of the card base.  I stamped all of the paint brushes, bottles and tubes in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I colored the images in a rainbow of colors using Copic markers.  I added a few highlights to the colored images using a Uniball white gel pen.  I cut all of the images out using my Vagabond 2 electronic cutting machine.  I adhered the images to the card in a rainbow pattern using foam adhesive to apply the images, thereby giving the card a two-dimensional feel.  

I think you'll agree that these cards are so fun and cheerful no matter what kind of art you create!​ 
Thank you for visiting and I wish you a bright, bold and beautiful day!

Hello readers and happy Wednesday to you! Today I am beginning to share the first of many cards I created during our annual craft retreat on the Cape two weeks ago.  I finally was able to find the time to unpack my bags from vacation, reorganize my craft room, and photograph the 55+ cards I made throughout that week.  Yes, that IS a lot of cards!  But, considering I made many of them in multiples of varying colors, like those I'm sharing here with you today, there actually weren't that many different cards. 

*All A2 cards were made in the same manner, I simply changed out the color combinations.  A full supply list is located at the end of this post. 

The base of each card is made from Whisper White cardstock.  Using the Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangle dies from Gina Marie Designs, I cut the scalloped piece of cardstock from a bold color.  I lined that bold color with a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of white cardstock.  In the center of the cardstock, I stamped my sympathy sentiment.  On a separate sheet of white cardstock, I stamped two of the floral bouquets (one for the top and one for the bottom) in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  I used the coordinating dies to cut the bouquets out.  I then colored each bouquet with Copic markers.  I adhered the bouquet to the card above and below the sentiment using foam adhesive for added dimension.  Lastly, I added a couple randomly placed clear rhinestones for added sparkle.  ​

I hope you have enjoyed seeing this very colorful assortment of sympathy cards.  Do YOU have a favorite color or one card that really catches your eye? 

​Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!