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Hello readers! Today I am sharing a simple way to create elegant backgrounds for your cards. It's nothing new or earth shattering, but may be something you have never considered before. These cards were created using a tone-on-tone, or as in these examples, black-on-black heat embossing. Simply heat embossing an image with black embossing powder onto black cardstock. It is simple, subtle and stunning.
I used the brand new RG Avenue digital stamp set called "Strong Courage" to create these cards. There is also a full supply list with clickable links at the end of this post.
Here is the step-by-step tutorial video I created showing how both of these cards were made:
If you haven't already, I hope you will try the black-on-black heat embossing. I think you will find it adds a very elegant look to your cards.
Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
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Hello friends and happy Monday! I hope you all had a nice weekend. I am excited to be sharing my card for the next Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge today. 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 #124 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!  Here is the card I created inspired by this week's floral theme challenge:  Card details:*A full list of supplies 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. Using the Whimsy Stamps Lattice #2 die, I die cut the lattice from white cardstock. Underneath the lattice frame, I mounted a watercolored sheet of pink paper from the Lawn Fawn Watercolor Wishes paper pack. I stamped two of the lily flowers from Newton's Easter Lily in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on white cardstock. I colored in both flowers using Copic markers. I die cut the Easter Lilies using the coordinating die cuts. I adhered both sets of lilies to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I stamped the sentiment in Rich Razzleberry ink on a scrap piece of white cardstock. I notched the bottom end of this sentiment and adhered it to the upper right corner of the card. Before I adhered the entire card together, I wrapped a piece of Razzleberry ribbon around the card tying it with a "faux bow." Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the flowers 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, June 5th, at midnight CST. Thanks for visiting and I hope to see your creations there! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
Earlier this month on one of my "off" weeks from work, I decided to begin assembling some cardmaking kits for my friends, family and local stampers. Since the beginning of March, when the Covid-19 pandemic began, I have not been able to hold classes in my home studio, or in the community. I keep receiving emails and text messages from my regular attendees who state how much they miss coming to classes, which just warms my heart as I miss hosting and teaching too! So, I have been creating a variety of kits and making doorstop deliveries so that my class comes to them! And WOW, are they are a hit! With each and every new card kit I create, they are selling out within two days! I am so happy that I can help my friends and family from a little boredom at home. Here is one of the poppy themed birthday card kits I put together using the beautiful "Painted Poppies" stamp set by Stampin' UP!        Here is the Painted Poppies stamp set by Stampin' UP! that was the focal point of this card kit:    Ladies, I hear your requests and I promise, there ARE more kits coming, I just need to replenish some supplies! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative weekend friends! XO, CrystalHello friends and happy Friday! I'm sorry that I've been absent for most of this week, but I simply needed to take a few days off to rest and recharge. Yes, I have still been in my craft room designing and creating, but every now and then I do enjoy taking a welcome break from social media and blogging. Today I am excited to be sharing a beautiful digital stamp called "Happiness Blooms" from Scottish designer Rachel Vass of Rachel Vass Designs. Rachel's designs were new to me until about two weeks ago when I saw some card samples on Instagram using her beautiful floral designs. I was able to purchase a few of her designs, including this "Happiness Blooms" digital stamp from her Etsy website. Along with highlighting these beautiful stamps, I've also created elegant backgrounds using tone-on-tone embossing with black embossing powder on black cardstock.   Card details:*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post. Both of these cards were made the same way, simply using different color combinations. Each A2 sized card was made from Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of black cardstock and heat embossed a floral leafy stamp on it using black embossing powder. I printed out the beautiful flowers on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and used Copic markers to color the flowers. I then fussy cut the flowers by hand and adhered them to the black background using thin strips of 3M foam adhesive for dimension. I used the Hello word layering dies from Honey Bee Stamps. I cut one layer in pink (or peach) cardstock and one thinner "hello" in white cardstock. I layered the two sentiments together and adhered them to the card with 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a couple clear gems to the card that resemble water droplets.       I really like the look of the black-on-black embossing and think it provides a striking background to the brightly colored flowers. Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative weekend! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
Hello readers and welcome back from the weekend! I hope you found a little time to do something crafty. 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 #123 by Newton's Nook is a sketch challenge. Let the image below be your inspiration for creating a card (or scrapbook page) and see where this challenge takes you!  I'm not going to lie, I really struggled with this sketch layout! All I could see in those three tall blocks were Christmas trees, but it's FAR too early for Christmas designs! I tried many different design ideas before I came up with an idea I was happy with:  Card details:The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I lined the card base with a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of light blue gingham paper. I die cut three scalloped rectangles from Balmy Blue cardstock and adhered those to the top half of the card. I adhered a small strip of yellow polka dot paper below the rectangles. I stamped the sentiment in Memento Tuxedo black ink on a 4 1/4" x 1/2" strip of white cardstock. I stamped the Newton's Nook Dainty Daisies in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on white cardstock. I colored the daisies with Copic markers and die cut them using the coordinating Dainty Daisies die. I adhered the daisies to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the daisies for added sparkle. Lastly, I tied a piece of linen thread around the card for texture.     Will this sketch 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! The deadline to enter is Friday, May 22nd, at midnight CST. XO, CrystalList of supplies:
Hello readers and happy Sunday! I hope you are all enjoying a nice weekend so far. Unfortunately, I have been battling a stomach bug for the better part of the last four days, so I haven't felt quite like myself. But, then again, we are currently two months into a quarantine, NO ONE feels like themself right now! Today's card features nearly all of the beautiful floral images from the Bold Bouquet digital stamp set by RG Avenue. I have been making a lot of floral themed cards lately and I feel like they are my favorite. I go back and forth between different techniques (watercolor, distress oxides, etc.) and different images (cutesy or elegant), but floral cards are always a win and are appropriate for such a wide variety of occasions.    Here is the Bold Bouquet digital stamp set from RG Avenue that I used to create today's card:   Thank you for visiting and enjoy the rest of your Sunday! XO, CrystalHello readers and thanks for visiting! If you are new here, welcome! I hope you find creativity and inspiration as you look around. If you are a regular follower of mine, thank you for your continued support and I hope you keep returning here for that same creativity and inspiration. Today I am sharing two shaker cards created using the beautiful Heart and Soul stamp set by Pinkfresh Studio. This is only the second stamp set that I own by Pinkfresh Studio and I have had it sitting in my craft room for longer than I care to admit! Thanks to Covid-19, and being on a reduced schedule at work, I am finding far more time to craft than usual and I have so much to share!   Card details:*A full supply list is located at the end of this post. Both of these A2 sized cards were made the same way simply using a different color scheme. The base of this card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I cut a frame from Pretty Peacock cardstock using the Reverse Scallop Rectangle frames. I lined the back of the frame with a sheet of acetate. Then I lined the back of the frame with thin strips of 3M foam adhesive for a raised frame that sequins can fit under. I stamped the sentiment in the center of the white base cardstock in either Pretty Peacock or Gorgeous Grape ink. I added about two tablespoons of sequins before adhering the frame on top. On a separate sheet of Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock, I stamped the large floral image in Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I die cut the image using the coordinating Heart and Soul die cuts. I adhered the image directly to the cardstock with 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the flowers for added sparkle.       Shaker cards are one of my favorite interactive cards to make (probably because I think they're the easiest)! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
Hello friends and happy Tuesday! Today's card was a bit of an experiment in watercolor using the Zig Clean Real Watercolor brushes to color on vellum cardstock. I have really been enjoying these watercolor brushes and I wanted to experiment with them using a different medium, other than watercolor paper. I have seen people color on vellum before, but usually on the back side, and it tends to lend itself to more of a stained glass type look.  Card details:This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2" inches. Slimline cards are designed to fit inside a standard #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 cut a 8" x 3" piece of white cardstock and ran it through a trellis embossing folder on my Big Shot. I adhered this embossed paper to a mat of lime green cardstock before adhering both to the base of the card. On a separate piece of vellum cardstock, I stamped the butterfly three times in Versamark ink and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. I colored in the butterfly using Zig Clean Color Waterbrush pens to give it a watercolored look. I die cut the butterflies and adhered them to the card using Tombow Vellum adhesive. On a thin scrap of lime green cardstock, I stamped the sentiment in Versamark ink and heat embossed it also with white embossing powder. I adhered the sentiment to the bottom 1/3 of the card using 3M foam adhesive.  Here is the Butterfly Blossom stamp set from Reverse Confetti that I used to make today's card:    I don't know if I absolutely love this look, but it was fun to experiment and try something new. Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalYou might also enjoy:
Hello friends and happy Monday! I am excited to be sharing my card for the Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge today. 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 #122 by Newton's Nook is a color challenge. Let the image below be your inspiration for creating a card (or scrapbook page) and see where this challenge takes you!  I loved this color combination, it's fresh and modern. Here is my card inspired by the challenge colors:  Card details:*A full supply list 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. The first matted layer is a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of Neenah white cardstock as well. I stamped the sentiment in Memento Tuxedo Black ink in the upper right corner of this mat. I stamped the flowers from the Peony Blooms stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on white cardstock. I colored in the peonies with Copic markers and used the coordinating Peony Blooms die to cut them out. I adhered a 3 3/4" x 2" piece of green gingham paper to the bottom half of this mat. I tied a mint ribbon around the gingham ribbon before adhering it to the card. I tied a small bow using the mint ribbon and adhered the bow to the card with a glue dot. I added a couple randomly placed rhinestones to the card for added sparkle. I also added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the flowers for even more sparkle.     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, May 8th, at midnight CST. Thanks for visiting and I hope to see your creations there! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
Hello readers, I hope you are all enjoying a pleasant Sunday. I am sure the weekends also look like most weekdays do right now, there is not a whole lot going on and you are forever forgetting what day of the week it actually is! Today I have a beautiful large new digital stamp to share with you from RG Avenue called "Bloom Book." What I love most about this stamp set is the detail already in the lines of the image that make it easy to color because you need less blending and shading. The image is so large, it becomes the focal point of the card and doesn't need much to embellish it, but this lovely lattice background is a perfect accompaniment.   Card details:The base of this A2 sized card is made from Black Taffy cardstock. Using the Whimsy Stamps Lattice A2 die , I cut the lattice frame from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I printed out the large beautiful Bloom Book stamp on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and colored it with Copic markers. I ran the colored image through my Scan and Cut 2 electronic cutting machine, so it cut the stamp out for me. I adhered the bouquet of flowers to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I stamped the sentiment in Black Taffy ink on a 4 1/4" x 1 1/2" strip of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I wrapped a piece of black lace ribbon below the sentiment before adhering it to the card. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the flowers for added sparkle.   Here is the "Bloom Book" digital stamp set from RG Avenue that I used to create this card:    I just absolutely LOVE this large stamp! Thank you for visiting and enjoy the rest of your weekend! XO, CrystalYou might also enjoy:
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