Crystal Komara
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Let's Talk About Digital Stamping

11/22/2019

4 Comments

 
Hi friends!  Happy Friday!  I hope you have fun things planned for the weekend ahead.  Today I'd like to talk about digital stamping.  While digital stamps are not new to the market, they seem to be increasing in popularity.  Ever since I began designing cards recently for RG Avenue (who uses a LOT of digital images!) I have become a lot more adept at using this type of stamp and I have come to really like them.  While I still have a lot to learn about manipulating the images, today we can talk about some of the basics of digital stamping.

What ARE digital stamps?

Digital stamps, also known as “digi stamps" are simply high-resolution digital images.  The most significant difference between a digital stamp and a traditional stamp is that there is NO physical stamp.  A digital stamp is just the image or images.  Think of it kind of like computer clip art.  These digital images can be color or black and white.  They are downloaded onto a computer where they can be manipulated - resized or altered before being printed.

Below is an example of a digital stamp.  No, you cannot tell the difference simply by looking at this image if this is a digital stamp or a physical stamp.  This particular stamp set is called "Bold Bouquet" from RG Avenue.  This stamp, like many others from RG Avenue, comes in both options - digital or physical.
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What do I need?

One of the benefits of using digital stamps is that you don't need anything special!  As long as you have access to a computer and a printer you have the two most important pieces.  Any inkjet printer will work fine; you don’t need expensive, fancy equipment.  But, if you do own a laserjet printer, this will work too. 

Downloading digital stamps:

Typically after you purchase a digital stamp you will receive an email with the digital file.  Most digital stamps will come in .PNG, .JPG, .CSV  or .PDF files.  Some digital stamps might be provided in .ZIP files, so you will need to know how to unzip a file.  Save the digital stamp file to your computer’s hard drive with an easily identifiable name (trust me, this helps to find it later)!   Open up the saved file using either a word processing program such as Microsoft Word, or a photo editing program such as Photoshop Elements, LightRoom or a free website such as PicMonkey or GIMP.  You can either print the image(s) out directly, or manipulate the image(s) before you print them out.  You can add digital image to cards, scrapbooks, home decor and so much more!

Advantages of digital stamps:

  • Cost effective - on average digital stamps are less expensive than traditional stamps
  • More space -  digital stamps are stored right on a computer and do not take up physical space
  • Immediate downloads - Unlike purchasing a physical stamp where it can take anywhere between 2 and 10 days to ship out in the mail, digital stamps are available for immediate download because the file is sent directly to your email upon purchasing
  • The ability to change the size/shape - with some slight editing, you can alter the size/color of your stamps to better fit your needs
  • E-Cutting machines - whether you have a Cricut or Scan & Cut, or any other electronic cutting machine, digital stamps don't need dies because most can be scanned through an e-cutting machine
  • No deterioration - unlike rubber which can dry up, or photopolymer which can stain, digital stamps do not lose their quality over time
  • Environmentally friendly -  for those concerned about waste, digital stamps use less resources


Disadvantages of digital stamps:

  • 3D images - You cannot "stamp" the images on wood/plastic/clay or other 3D type materials.  Any product that cannot be run through a printer presents a challenge.  It will be difficult to use digital stamps on fabric, very thick or very thin paper and cardstock, large pieces of paper, pre-formed boxes and many other items.  With a little creativity ingenuity (and lots of time and patience) you might be able to find a way to work around this issue
  • Masking - unless you alter the stamp digital before printing, you cannot mask a stamp after the fact
  • Heat embossing - Because the ink is already printed on paper, you can't stamp with a Versamark pad to heat emboss the image.  The workaround is to trace the image with a Versamark pen, but this result isn't nearly so precise and well defined
  • Computer knowledge - it does take a small amount of familiarity and learning to work with digital stamps
  • Licensing - Licensing arrangements can be confusing, so you need to read the terms and conditions for each image you purchase as sellers have different terms you must follow to avoid copyright issues (for instance - sharing with your friends is frowned upon!)


What types of paper to use for digital stamps?

Technically you can print on any type of paper that will go through your printer, but you will want to use specific paper designed for your coloring medium.  If you are going to color your image with watercolor, you will want to be sure to run a sheet of watercolor paper (like Strathmore) through your printer to print the image on.  If you would like to color your image with alcohol ink markers (Copic/Spectrum Noir, etc) or colored pencils (Prismacolor, etc) you will want to use a good carstock like Neenah Solar White or Strathmore Bristol smooth.


Where can I get digital stamps?

Many stamp companies are now offering digital alternatives to traditional/regular stamps.  Along with RG Avenue, I highly recommend you check out Di's Digi Stamps or Power Poppy.  Their images are simply stunning!  The style of digital stamps can vary greatly. There are simple, almost cartoon-like images that are the easiest to design and color in. That doesn’t mean, however, that digital stamps can’t have more quality. Details such as lines on an animal to indicate fur are brilliant – as a crafter, you will color over it like normal, but the design will have more depth and a designer quality.


FREE digital stamps:

A simple Google search will yield many results for "FREE digital stamps!"  I've provided a few links below for you to access courtesy of Papercraft UK magazine.  You can click on the link and then download these FREE digital stamps.  Try them and see if YOU like digital stamping!
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Create Your Own Digital Stamp(s)!

If you are interested, really creative, and have a bit of artistic flair, you could make your own digital stamps! If you are good at drawing, all you need to do is sketch out a design in pencil that you can imagine someone coloring. Once you’ve done that and are happy with the design, simply go over the drawing with a black felt or fineline pen and scan it into your computer. Save it as a file and ta-da – you’ve created a digital stamp! If you’re savvy with a computer, you can then manipulate your drawing to make it crisp and perfect – and also alter the file type to offer crafters more possibilities. Share them on a craft blog or simple with your fellow creatives.  Open an Etsy store and sell your designs like Magengo!

Now I will share the two cards I created for today using digital files from RG Avenue:
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The purple arrows in the image below shows the two stamps I used to create the card you see (above).  I printed out the entire sheet of flowers and colored the images with my Copic markers.  I ran the sheet back through my Scan & Cut to cut the flowers out.  *Note: If you don't have an e-cutting machine, yes, you could fussy cut the images out yourself.  Then I proceeded to finish the card as I normally would by adding cardstock, a sentiment stamp, some plaid paper and rhinestones.
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For the second card, I used a digital stamp set from RG Avenue called "Fall Vibes:"
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I hope this post has helped to answer some of the questions you might have about digital stamping. I'm still a beginner myself, but I'm happy to try and help if you have any additional questions.

Thanks for visiting and have a great weekend!

XO, Crystal

4 Comments

November BRI Mood Board

11/14/2019

1 Comment

 
Hello friends!  As I mentioned earlier this week, I spent last weekend at a craft retreat in Coventry, Connecticut with my mom and four friends.  The joke of the entire weekend was how our friend Nikki brought
e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g from her craft room for the weekend.  And she had the smallest car of anyone!  If one of us didn't have something, we knew Nikki had it.  We started referring to her crafting area as "the store."  We would joke "when does the store open?" or "the store has excellent customer service!" and it was great for laughs all weekend long.  But, really, thank God for friends like this because there's a good chance someone will have something that you forgot.  Today's card uses a gorgeous large pumpkin bouquet from Stampendous that Nikki so generously lent to me from "the store" over the weekend!
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This card was inspired by the rich November mood board colors from Butterfly Reflections, Ink:
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Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Island Indigo cardstock.  Using the Gina Marie Designs Scalloped Stitched Nesting rectangles, I die cut the first layer from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I stamped the large pumpkin from Stampdenous in Memento Tuxedo black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I colored in the image with Copic markers and added highlights with a Uniball White Gel Pen.  I fussy cut the pumpkin and adhered it to the card using 3M foam adhesive.  I also punched two leaves out of gold glimmer paper and added them to the bouquet.  I stamped the sentiment (from Papertrey Ink) in the upper right corner in Island Indigo Ink.  Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the entire colored image for added sparkle.
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I hope you have enjoyed today's card.  Thank you to "the store" for letting me borrow this beautiful stamp and thank YOU for visiting.  Have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

1 Comment

Harvest Happiness

10/23/2019

1 Comment

 
Hello crafty friends!  Today I'm posting on the Butterfly Reflections, Ink. blog.  I know that next week is Halloween, but soon enough, turkey day will be here, and it's my all-time favorite holiday to spend with "framily" (that's friends and family for those of you who haven't heard this fun term)!  Some also call it "Friendsgiving."  I have a lot to be thankful for and I count my blessings on this day filled with my four favorite "F" words - family, friends, football and food! ; )

Today I'm sharing this Thanksgiving inspired card featuring the Harvest Happiness stamp set by Sunny Studio and it's all about the best foods of Thanksgiving.  Pumpkin, turkey and pie!  Though in my opinion the only thing missing from this stamp set is some good ol' canned cranberry sauce from Ocean Spray!  YUM!
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Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  From an earthy brown cardstock, I die cut the frame from an old My Favorite Things stitched border frame.  Here's a similar one you could use!  Behind the frame I placed a piece of orange fleur-de-lis printed paper.  I stamped all of the images on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  I colored the images using Copic alcohol ink markers and added highlights to each image using a white gelly pen.  In the upper right corner of the card, I stamped the sentiment in Lawn Fawn Crunchy Leaf ink.  I began to place the images on the card to create a flowing scene beginning with pie at the top, more pie and turkey legs in the center and pumpkins and pilgrims at the bottom of the card.  Once all the images were adhered to the card, I added a few extra leaves to fill the blank spots and added a coat of clear Wink of Stella on all the images for added sparkle.  
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Okay, now I'm hungry!  Anyone else?!  I hope you have enjoyed this Thanksgiving feast on paper!  Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

1 Comment

Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice

10/16/2019

2 Comments

 
Hello friends!  Today I am over on the Butterfly Reflections, Ink blog sharing two cards that I created from the same Newton's Nook Pumpkin Latte stamp set.  While I'm not sold on a PSL, I've never met an overly nutmegged chai latte that I don't loooooooove!  And, I'll always say yes to pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie and pumpkin soup. 

I have been seeing a lot of orange and teal color combinations for fall and I've been loving it, so it inspired me to create these cards in colors that I might not usually select together. 
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Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from teal cardstock.  I mounted a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of teal gingham paper from the Sunny Studios Classic Gingham 6" x 6" paper pack.  Using a framed die, I also cut a piece of Lawn Fawn Watercolor Wishes paper pack.  On this watercolored paper, I heat embossed the sentiment in the upper right corner in white embossing powder.  I stamped the images in Memento Tuxedo black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and colored in the images using my Copic markers.  I always add highlights to my images using a white gel pen.  (Shhh, it's my little crafty secret!)  After coloring the images, I die cut them using the coordinating Pumpkin Latte dies by Newton's Nook. I placed half of a doily at the bottom of the frame and wrapped linen thread around the frame.  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 images for added sparkle.
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Card details:

For the second card I created using the Pumpkin Latte stamp set, I made a shaker card.  I LOVE shaker cards - maybe even more than I like pumpkin!  I used the same teal cardstock base and the same teal Sunny Studio Classic Gingham paper pack.  Only this time, in the center of the teal gingham, I die cut a large circle using the Mama Elephant Basic Circle dies. I placed  a piece of Lawn Fawn Watercolor Wishes paper behind the and stamped the sentiment in teal ink.  I created the shaker frame by using Hero Arts Acetate Sheets and the Shimmering Ice Fusion Sequins by Studio Katia. I assembled the shaker portion of the card and adhered it to the card base. I again stamped all of the images in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I colored in the images using Copic markers adding white gel pen highlights. I adhered the images to the card using foam adhesive creating a fall scene on top of the shaker card.  Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella for added sparkle.
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I hope you have enjoyed these fall cards!  Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

2 Comments

Sweater Weather Slider Surprise

9/24/2019

3 Comments

 
Hello!  If you are new to my website, welcome!  I'm happy you stopped by and hope you find creativity and inspiration during your time here. 

Over the weekend I was in Vermont on a craft retreat with some fellow crafting friends.  My main objective was coloring, LOTS of coloring!  But, I also brought a few interactive dies from Lawn Fawn that I hadn't put together on my own yet.  When it comes to learning something new, I find that I learn best when I set the time aside to really focus.  For me, craft retreats are a great way to do this.  However, for this particular card, I asked if anyone in the group wanted to learn how to assemble the Lawn Fawn Double Slider Surprise die too and, to no surprise,  they all did!
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I strong encourage newbies (like myself) and even those who might need a refresher to watch the Lawn Fawn Double Slider Surprise Die Introductory Video on YouTube by Kelly Marie Alvarez (the owner of Lawn Fawn).  In this video, she walks you through step-by-step how to create a card using the slider die.  You can also pause as you go, so that you can learn at your own pace.  Once you learn to assemble the sliding mechanism, you can decorate the card however you want.  First, I watched Kelly's video and began writing down instructions as I went, so that I could then in turn teach my friends what to do.  I'm not going to lie, there were some significant struggles and frustrations, enough for me to probably never teach the card again (for those of you already asking about stamp camps)!  But, I was able to successfully assemble my card, and in fact, made three cards last weekend using this die which I will share over the next few days. 
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The base of my A2 sized card is made from Pumpkie Pie cardstock.  I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of scrap cardstock in a woodgrain pattern to mat directly on top of the base of my card.  I stamped all of these adorable images from the new My Favorite Things Sweather Weather in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I colored all of the images in Spectrum Noir Alcohol Ink markers and die cut the images using the coordinating My Favorite Things Sweater Weather In the Woods dienamics (die cuts).  I added highlights to each images using a Uniball white gel pen. I stamped all sentiments in Memento Tuxedo Black ink as well. 
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Here is the new Sweater Weather In The Woods stamp set from My Favorite Things that I used to create today's card:
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I hope you have enjoyed this fun and interactive card.  I'm so happy that I took the time to learn how to use this die, because once I got over my initial fears, I'm so in love with the result and frankly, found it easy enough to put together (by the third time anyway)!

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

3 Comments

Conquering Your Creative Fears

9/18/2019

4 Comments

 
Hello friends!  Cheers to Wednesday, you've made it halfway through the week!  Today I am sharing over on the Butterfly Reflections Ink website.  Would you believe that I own ALL the Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks, but am too afraid to use them!?  It's true!  I see the beautiful backgrounds and unique watercolor designs that other artists create with these water reactive inks, but when I try to do it, the end result looks like I let an unattended 5-year-old loose in my craft room!  I struggle with uniform blending, too much/too little water and the root of all evil - comparison.  Theodore Roosevelt said, "Comparison is the thief of joy" and I remind myself of this every time I'm scrolling Instagram and Pinterest.  Today, I'm here to conquer one of my own creative fears and hopefully I can encourage you to do the same!
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Today's card uses the new Fall Fox stamp set by Sugar Pea Designs.  This is a "slimline" card that measures 8 1/2" long by 3 1/2" inches high.  You've probably been seeing a lot of these similar style cards on social media and they are growing in popularity.  The great thing about these slimline cards is that they will fit into a #10 business sized envelope without having to pay additional postage.  
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The base of my card is Cajun Craze cardstock.  I was asking all of my crafty friends what paper to use when I want to blend the Distress Oxide inks and the universal answer was Bristol Smooth!  So, I cut a sheet of Bristol Smooth paper to 8 1/4" by 3 1/4".  I grabbed my Picket Fences Blender Brushes and began to rub the ink along the paper in a circular motion.  The top color is Fossilized Amber, the middle color is Spiced Marmalade and the darkest (bottom) color is Aged Mahogony.   I kept rubbing the blender brush through the colors until the lines faded and the colors seemed to blend more seamlessly.  Honestly, this was a lot less scary than I though it would be!  I also die cut the grass from the same blended cardstock using the Tucked In Turf die and adhere it to the bottom of the scene.
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Using the lightest piece of brown paper from the Lawn Fawn Knock on Wood paper pack, I die cut the birch trees using the  Lawn Fawn Birch Tree Lawn Cuts and adhered them to the blended background with my tape runner.  Then I added the background to the card base.   I stamped all of the images in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I colored each image with my alcohol ink markers.  I added highlights to each colored image with a White Gelly Roll Pen.  Then I die cut the images out with the coordinating Sugar Pea Designs Fall Fox Sugar Cuts.  I stamped the sentiment at the top of the card in a medium brown ink.  I began to add the images to the card using foam adhesive for added dimension.
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Woohoo!  I can now say that I have actually used the over $300 worth of Distress Oxide inks sitting in my craft room.  And, it wasn't nearly as scary as the image I had conjured up in my mind!  I hope today's post will encourage YOU to face your own creative fears, whatever they might be.  Go ahead and give it a try.  After all, it IS only paper!  : )
Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

4 Comments

Happy Harvest by Reverse Confetti

9/16/2019

2 Comments

 
Hello friends and happy Monday!  I hope you all had a nice weekend.  Ours was fairly quiet due to all the rain, so after stamp camp on Saturday, we did a whole lot of nothing.  I didn't even have the energy to craft!  Shocking, I know!  I tried.  I went into my craft room and sat there waiting for the creativeness to take over, but nothing.  Nada.  The three cards I made went in the trash,  I spilled an ink refill bottle and jabbed my index finger with the paper piercer.  I muttered under my breath a few times and called it quits.  It's okay, it happens.  These are the times when I know it's better to just walk away. 

Today's card was actually one of the cards I made on Saturday and plucked out of the trash Sunday night thinking it wasn't really all that bad.  I neither particularly love it, nor hate it, but in an effort of full transparency on this blog, I'm going to begin sharing more of that process with you.  Tomorrow I'll be discussing more about my creative struggles. 
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Card details:

The base of this slimline ( 8 1/2" x 3 1/2") card is made from Crumb Cake cardstock.  The first  8 1/4" x 3 1/4" layer is a sheet of gold foil woodgrain pattern paper I pulled from my scrap pile.  Next I stamped each acorn in a series of colors - Crushed Curry, Pool Party, Crumb Cake, Pumpkin Pie and Rich Razzleberry.  I die cut the acorns using the coordinating Happy Harvest acorn die.  I cut an acorn top for each from Crumb Cake cardstock.  I assembled the acorns onto the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.  
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Here is the Happy Harvest stamp set by Reverse Confetti that I used to create today's card:
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Thanks for visiting and I hope you have a great week!

XO, Crystal

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September Mood Board

9/13/2019

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Hello readers and happy Friday!  Yay for the weekend!  Today I have a card to share with you that is WAY outside of my color comfort zone!   Each month, one of my fellow DT members creates a mood board for the Butterfly Reflections, Ink blog and it is designed to help inspire you to create.  Perhaps you are inspired by the colors and textures or the patterns and the images.  A mood board is simply a starting place to build from.  This month Davina from Popsicle Creates is also so graciously offering (at her own expense) a $20 gift certificate to the Butterfly Reflections, Ink store!  All you have to do is make a card inspired by the mood board (see below) and enter your card on her website link-in.  One lucky winner will be chosen at random at the end of the month. 
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At first I was very skeptical about these colors - salmon, curry, mint and teal.  Yikes!  Green and yellow together?  Meh.  I don't know about this!  But, as I got to coloring this fall wreath below, I LOVE it!  
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We're going to pretend that pop dot backing is not on the card. I did not notice it until I uploaded the photos! *Can't see it? It's on the lower left mushroom! Oops! : )

Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Crumb Cake cardstock.  Using the Gina Marie Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangle dies, I cut a piece of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock for my first mat.  On a separate sheet of white cardstock, I stamped both wreaths and extra pumpkins and mushrooms from the Fall Foliage stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  I colored in the images with Spectrum Noir alcohol ink markers and began to arrange them into an oval patterns on the card.  Once I had the placement of the images into a layout I was content with, I adhered the colored images to the card with 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.  I heat embossed the sentiment in the middle of the card with gold embossing powder.  Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the colored images for added sparkle.
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Here is the beautiful new Fall Foliage stamp set (with coordinating dies) from Avery Elle:
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I am still so pleasantly surprised that I ended up loving the colors of this mood board.  Now I want to create this card in ALL the colors!  Thanks, Davina, for inspiring me to step outside of the box.

Thanks for visiting and have a great weekend!

XO, Crystal

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Autumn Mice by Newton's Nook

9/12/2019

2 Comments

 
Fall is here friends whether you are jumping on the pumpkin spice bandwagon or not!  P.S. - I'm totally here for it!  Fall is my absolute favorite time of year because of the cooler weather and the leaf changing season. 
I'm excited to share with you a fun new stamp set from Newton's Nook called "Autumn Mice."  I recently chose to work with this stamp set for my Design Team work with Butterfly Reflections, Ink and I was going to share these cards next week on their blog, but they were too cute and I couldn't wait to share them!  Looks like this weekend I'll be busy re-creating something else for the Design Team! 
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Here is the Autumn Mice stamp set from Newton's Nook (available through Butterfly Reflections, Ink):
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Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Crumb Cake cardstock.  I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of leafy paper from a scrap piece that I had and die cut a hexagon in the middle of it.  I lined the hexagon with acetate film (to create a shaker card).  I stamped the sentiment using Crumb Cake ink directly onto the card base.  I stamped all of the images in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and colored the images with Spectrum Noir Alcohol Ink markers. I even added a few of the die cut leaves into the shaker frame with gold sequins.  I placed a thin strip of Soft Suede cardstock directly below the hexagon shaker frame and I adhered the images onto the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.
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Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Soft Suede cardstock.  I die cut the frame out of Crushed Curry cardstock.  I placed a sheet of Lawn Fawn Gotta Have Gingham paper in yellow behind the frame.  I stamped the sentiment in the upper right corner frame in Soft Suede ink.  I stamped all of the images in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and colored the images using Spectrum Noir Alcohol ink markers.  I added the colored images to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.
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I hope you have enjoyed today's autumn mice card, even if you aren't a fan of the little rodents!  I agree, they are only cute on paper.

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal

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Cats, Carbs and Cards

9/4/2019

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Hello crafty friends! (I say "friends" because I really do believe in the age old adage, "strangers are friends you've yet to meet.")  Today I'm happy to be writing my first post as one of the newest Design Team members for the fall/winter 2019 term for Butterfly Reflections, Ink.  I'm very grateful to Vanessa for selecting me to join her amazing group of talented crafters and to help spread the word about her local store.  Cheers to strong and independent women business owners and to shopping local!

I chose to use the Newton's Thanksgiving by Newton's Nook to create my "debut card." Mainly because this card is all about cats and carbs, which pretty much sums up my life!  We have three rescue cats who dominate our house (we have no children!) and I'm a carb girl all the way, hello breads and pastries, so, all things created by Newton's Nook really make me happy.
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Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  The first 5 1/4" x 4" layer is a sheet of paper from the Echo Park Fall Paper Pack (similar). I used the Stitched Circle Frames Lawn Cuts and cut a circle from a scrap piece of kraft plaid paper.  I cut off the bottom of the circle to make a half circle.  I stamped the sentiment in the upper right corner of this half circle in a dark brown ink.  I adhered this directly to the center of the card using a Tombow Adhesive Dots Runner - these are THE BEST in my opinion!
 
I stamped all of the images in Memento Tuxedo Black ink (another personal favorite of mine!) on white cardstock and used the coordinatingNewton's Thanksgiving dies to cut the images out.  I colored the images with alcohol ink markers and then I always use a White Gelly Roll pen to add highlights to my colored images.  Try it - it's a little insider's secret to adding detail and dimension!
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I added a piece of burlap tape to the bottom of the half-circle and began to adhere my colored images to the card.  I often use foam adhesive when adding images to a card to add depth to my scenes.
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Well, I hope you have enjoyed my first card for the Design Team!  Be sure to follow along on my Instagram too!  Thanks for taking the time to visit today and for joining me on my DT journey with Vanessa and Butterfly Reflections, Ink.  I look forward to sharing more of my creations with you and I hope you leave here feeling creative and inspired! 

XO, 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.
    • I do not do sponsored posts (where a company pays me to talk about a product).
    • 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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