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Hello friends and readers! Welcome back from the weekend. I hope you all had a great one. Mine was equal parts crafting, relaxing and baking. I have been starting to design cards and classes for 2020 and would you believe that I'm already thinking about Valentine's Day!? I know, I know! Christmas isn't even here yet, and yup, Lawn Fawn is already enticing us with their Stud Puffin release! But, I've still got a few more Christmas themed cards to share with you just yet. . .
Card details:
The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I die cut the mountains from Neenah White Solar Smooth cardstock using the Lawn Fawn Stitched Mountain Border dies. I created an alcohol ink backround for behind the mountains. (See highlight below on alcohol ink backgrounds). I die cut the mountain tops from Smoky Slate cardstock. Using the Stitched Slopey Joe Borders, I cut one snowbank from white cardstock. I put a thin layer of Lawn Fawn Chunky Glitter on the top of that snowbank. I created the trees from white cardstock using the Lawn Fawn Stitched Tree Borders. I cut the "leaves" of the trees out from Silver Glimmer paper. I stamped the sentiment in salmon ink in the lower right corner of the card. I stamped the yeti's and trees in Memento Tuxedo black ink on Neenah White Solar Smooth cardstock. I colored the images with Copic markers and adhered them to the card using foam adhesive for added dimension.
*Because I am not currently creating video technique content on my website, I highly recommend checking out this Easy Alcohol Ink Background Tutorial on YouTube by the amazing Jennifer McGuire. She has created a very simple introduction to working with alcohol inks to create background pieces. This was the first video I watched after purchasing my alcohol inks and then I just spent time playing with them!
Here is the Yeti or Not stamp set from Hello Bluebird that I used to create today's card:
Thanks for visiting and have a great week!
XO, Crystal
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Hello friends and happy BLACK Friday! Best of luck to you brave souls who dare to venture out on this day because I want no part of it! Those crowds are not for me! Today, you will find me shopping local at the Butterfly Reflections, Ink in New Hampshire for my very first time! Be sure to follow along on Instagram to see all the behind the scenes photos from the store and more. I'm excited because it is also the shop owner, Vanessa's birthday, so I will get to wish her a happy birthday in person. To celebrate, a large group of current and past Design Team members, along with some special guests, will be doing a blog hop on Instagram sharing cards that were inspired by some of Vanessa's favorite things: the color fushia, cute critters (she LOVES Hello Bluebird), coffee and pumpkin spice. Here is the card I created for her:
Card details:
This slimline card ( 8 1/2" x 3 1/2") was made from Berry Burst cardstock. The first matted layer is a 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. I die cut the mountains in Blushing Bride cardstock using the Hello Sweetums Mountains of Fun dies. I die cut the trees using the Lawn Fawn Stitched Trees dies. I stamped all of the critters, trees and presents from the Hello Bluebird Frosty Friends stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored them using Copic markers. I added highlights to some of the images with a Uniball White Gel pen. I also added Lawn Fawn ultrafine glitter to the snowbanks and critters' hats. I added many of the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive. I stamped the sentiment at the bottom of the card in Berry Burst ink. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the images for added sparkle.
Here are the Copic colors I used for coloring: 
Here is the Frosty Friends stamp set by Hello Bluebird (available through Butterfly Reflections, Ink) that I used to create today's card:
Be sure to follow along on Instagram to see what everyone else created for Vanessa's birthday!
Thanks for visiting and I hope you have a wonderfully creative weekend! XO, Crystal
Hello friends! Today I'm sharing this card over on the Butterfly Reflections, Ink blog. Eek! I'll admit that I've been slow to make the jump from fall and Halloween to Christmas cards, because I'm certainly not ready for snow yet, but I also know that yes, Christmas IS coming. . . eventually! And, if I don't start making my Christmas cards now, then I'll never get them finished before I need to mail them.
Today's card features the North Pole Littles by Hello Bluebird. And yes, these "little" images are nearly as tiny as you think! Each elf and reindeer is probably only about 1" tall. This makes coloring real fun! *Note to self - color BEFORE you die cut, not after. Lesson learned the hard way! : ) 
This slimline card measures 8 1/2" long x 3 1/2" wide. The great thing about slimline cards is that they will fit into a #10 business sized envelope, so you don't need to worry about additional postage. The base of my card is made from red cardstock. I matted the red cardstock with a 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. At the very top of this white piece of cardstock, I stamped the sentiment "Bring on the Merry" in red ink.
Using the WPlus9 Landscape border dies, I cut four layers out of Neenah Solar White smooth. I lined the top of each "snowbank" with a Lawn Fawn Glue Tube and added Lawn Fawn Chunky Glitter to create a division between snowbanks. I die cut the bare trees from grey cardstock using the Lawn Fawn Stitched Trees border dies. I tucked some of the trees behind the snowbanks. I die cut the mountains from the same grey cardstock using the Hello Sweetums Mountains of Fun dies. I cut the snow peaks from a white sparkle/glimmer cardstock.
I stamped all of the images from the Hello Bluebird North Pole Littles stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and colored each image with Copic markers. I added highlights to each colored image using a Sakura White Gelly pen. I die cut all of the images using the coordinating Hello Bluebird North Pole Littles dies. Then I added all of the images to the card creating a layered scene from Santa and Mrs. Claus at the bottom of the card to the elves and reindeer in the middle and lastly the North Pole at the top!
I hope you have enjoyed today's card! Thank you for visiting!
XO, Crystal
Hello friends, I hope you are all having a good week so far! Today I am on the Butterfly Reflections, Ink blog sharing this spooky-cute Halloween inspired box card featuring the Hello Bluebird Halloween Party stamp set and lots of other goodies available through the Butterfly Reflections, Ink shop. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays to create cards for, and I just love a card that has an interactive element to it, so the Lawn Fawn Scalloped Box Card Pop Up Die is one of my go-to products.
For the base of this card, I used a heavyweight black cardstock. You want a good thick cardstock for the base of any card to keep it sturdy over time through wear and tear. On each of the top flaps of the box I used a hot pink cardstock underneath a layer of Sunny Studio Dots and Stripes Jewel Tone paper in the lime green print. I also stamped the sentiment "Boo" on the lime green polka dot print paper using Memento Tuxedo black ink. On the base of the box I did just the opposite, a layer of Sunny Studio Argyle Paper in the raspberry color was mounted onto lime green cardstock.
I stamped all the images from the Hello Bluebird Halloween Party stamp set in Memento Tuxedo black ink on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and die cut them using the coordinating Hello Bluebird Halloween Party dies. 
Along with using the images from the Hello Bluebird Halloween Party stamp set, I also used the ghosts and haunted house from the Lawn Fawn Happy Haunting stamp set to add to this box card. I colored all of my images first with alcohol ink markers and added highlights to each colored image with a White Gelly Roll pen.
When I was ready to assemble the box card I used Lawn Fawn 1/4" Double Sided Tear Tape to ensure that my box would hold together well. I began to assemble the images on the card adhering them with Foam Adhesive dots for added dimension. Lastly I added some Clear Wink of Stella to all of the images for added sparkle. In my mind, you can NEVER have enough sparkle! 
I hope you have enjoyed today's interactive card. Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!
XO, Crystal
Hello friends, I'm back sharing another slimline card today featuring the same Hippos on Holiday that I used in yesterday's card! While today's card features the same stamp set and layout, I opted for a different color scheme in pink and aqua hues. Do you have a favorite?
Card details:
The base of this card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. For the background I used a 8 1/2" x 2 1/2" piece of Lawn Fawn Really Rainbow Scalloped paper in blue for the sky. I die cut the sun from Daffodil Delight cardstock. I die cut a sheet of Pool Party cardstock using the Lawn Fawn Stitched Wave Border dies and adhered it just below the yellow sky. I die cut a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock using the Heffy Doodle Stitched Slopey Joes border dies and adhered it just below the water line. I stamped the sentiment in the lower right corner using Memento Tuxedo black ink. On the very bottom of the card, I placed a thin line of glue and added Lawn Fawn Chunky Glitter for some added sparkle. I stamped all of the images on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and die cut them using the coordinating Hippos on Holiday dies. I colored the images with Spectrum Noir Alcohol ink markers and added a few highlights to the images with a Uniball white gel pen. Lastly I added the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.
Here is the Hippos on Holiday stamp set from Hello Bluebird that I used to create today's card:
And now that I've shared not one, but two cards, of these hippos on holiday, I'm feeling quite jealous because they've seen the beach more than I have this summer!
Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, Crystal
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Hello readers and happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend. I am really excited to share with you today's card because it is my first ever "slimline" card! I have been seeing a lot of slimline cards on Instagram and Pinterest lately and the extra-long size makes it ideal to create detailed stamped scenes. This card measures 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" and is designed to fit inside a #10 business mailing envelope. I'm not gonna lie, this card took about 3 hours in total to make! I probably spent about two hours one evening just coloring all of the images and then another hour or so to create the background and overall beach scene. But, I am so happy with how it turned out that I can't wait to make more!
Card details:
The base of this card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. For the background I used a 8 1/2" x 2 1/2" piece of Lawn Fawn Really Rainbow Scalloped paper in yellow for the sky. I stamped the sentiment in the upper left corner using Memento Tuxedo black ink. I die cut the sun from Daffodil Delight cardstock. I die cut a sheet of Pool Party cardstock using the Lawn Fawn Stitched Wave Border dies and adhered it just below the yellow sky. I die cut a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock using the Heffy Doodle Stitched Slopey Joes border dies and adhered it just below the water line. I did stamp a splatter on the sand in Crumb Cake ink to make it look more like speckled sand. On the very bottom of the card, I placed a thin line of glue and added Lawn Fawn Chunky Glitter for some added sparkle. I stamped all of the images on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and die cut them using the coordinating Hippos on Holiday dies. I colored the images with Spectrum Noir Alcohol ink markers and added a few highlights to the images with a Uniball white gel pen. Lastly I added the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.
Here is the Hippos on Holiday stamp set from Hello Bluebird that I used to create this card:
I hope you enjoyed these beach going hippos! I loved creating this card and felt as though as I had significantly more space to create a scene with by having the longer dimensions. Try it and let me know what you think!
Tomorrow I'll be sharing a very similar card using these same hippos, but incorporating a different color scheme. I hope you will come back to see it! XO, Crystal
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Hello friends and happy Friday! Congratulations for making it through the work week! I'm ready for the weekend! Today is the second (and last!) day I'll be sharing Christmas in July cards, but on Sunday I am hosting my annual Christmas in July cardmaking extravaganza, so I've still got a little merry left in me! This card uses the same stamp set called "North Pole Littles" from Hello Bluebird that I used in yesterday's purple snow theme card, but it has an entirely different feel to it. Today's card is much more traditional in red and green colors. Where do you stand on tradition? Red and green, tinsel and popcorn? Or, do you like to venture outside of the box? Oh gosh, remember the year of the upside-down Christmas trees?! That's a little too much for me. Perhaps I'm more of an outside-of-the-box-but-still-touching-the-box kinda gal!
Card details:
The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. The first layer is a piece of Lawn Fawn Really Rainbow Christmas paper in the green Christmas tree print. Next using a circular die (sorry, company unknown) I die cut the linking circles frame out of Real Red cardstock. I die cut the word "ho" three times from white cardstock. I stamped all of the images in Memento Tuxedo black ink on white cardstock and die cut them. I colored the images with Spectrum Noir Alcohol ink markers. I used a Uniball white gel pen to add highlights to the colored images. Using a Sakura Quickie Glue Pen I put small amounts of glue on the whites of some of the images (hats, beards, presents) and sprinkled Lawn Fawn Prisma Glitter on them for added sparkle. Lastly I added the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added height.
Here is the North Pole Littles stamp set from Hello Bluebird that I used to make this card:
Thanks for visiting and have a great weekend!
XO, Crystal
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Happy July 25th, otherwise known as Christmas in July! Ugh, I'm not even a Christmas in December person, so here I am sharing my first Christmas card of 2019. Five months early. It's kinda killing me, but I promise just a whisper of Christmas in July, not like the whole shebang. Just today and tomorrow, so that I can say "Woohoo, I did it!" Unlike the Easter, St. Patrick's Day and 4th of July cards I never created or shared to inspire you! So, if jingle bells in July is your thing - jingle away! 'Tis the season to start your holiday cards now. . . 'Cause you know come December 16th you're gonna regret not starting them sooner!
Card details:
The base of this A2 sized card is made from Gorgeous Grape cardstock. The background was created using a variety of purple alcohol inks on photo paper. I die cut a piece of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock using the Heffy Doodle Stitched Slopey Joes landscape dies to create a snowbank. In the lower left corner I stamped the sentiment in Gorgeous Grape ink. I die cut the white trees using the Lawn Fawn Birch Trees Lawn Cuts. I stamped all of the images in Memento Tuxedo blank ink and colored them using Spectrum Noir Alcohol Ink markers. I added highlights to the colored images with a Uniball white gel pen. Using a Sakura Quickie Glue pen, I put a small amount of glue in the white spaces on the images (hats, beards, etc) and sprinkled Lawn Fawn Prisma Glitter to add sparkle. Lastly, I adhered the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive.
*Because I am not currently creating video technique content on my website, I highly recommend checking out this Easy Alcohol Ink Background Tutorial on YouTube by the amazing Jennifer McGuire. She has created a very simple introduction to working with alcohol inks to create background pieces. This was the first video I watched after purchasing my alcohol inks and then I just spent time playing with them! 
Here is the North Pole Littles stamp set from Hello Bluebird that I used to create today's card:
Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!
XO, Crystal
You might also enjoy:
Hi friends! I'm happy to share another fun box card with you today featuring the Hello Bluebird stamp set "Fishing Hole" and the Sunny Studios "Froggy Friends" stamp set. Both of these stamps sets worked seamlessly together to create this pop-up interactive card. Last week I shared the "shark in a box" card with you and ya'll, I'm completely obsessed with box cards now! As long as you use the Lawn Fawn Scalloped Pop Up Box die, most of the hard work is done for you. Really, that die just makes the box assembly so much easier than scoring and folding and trimming cardstock. The time consuming part is simply in all the stamping of the images, coloring them and die cutting them. In this case, it was a bazillion frogs and lily pads! My fingers are still green from all that ink!
I promise, if you can put a card together, you can put a BOX card together, as long as you have the time and patience. 
Here are the two stamps sets that I used to create this card:
We will be making this card (and the shark in a box card) on Saturday, June 15th. Check out my calendar of events HERE.
Email or call me today to reserve your spot! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, Crystal
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Hello friends and happy Friday! I hope you have fun things planned for the weekend ahead.
I'll be painting. . . again! If I had actually sent (or even made) Easter cards this year, they might have quite closely resembled today's card! In fact, I purchased this stamp set called "McGregor's Garden" by Hello Bluebird specifically to create my Easter cards with. Then, whatever. . . life happens. . . and before you know it, Easter has come and gone. I'm over it, I didn't send Easter cards and the world did not end. Eh. There's always next year! 
Card details:
The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. From the same white cardstock, I also cut the tree border. I'm so sorry, but I can't remember who makes this die! To create the background I simply dipped a small paintbrush in Tim Holtz' Cloudy Blue alcohol ink and "painted" the sky on Yupo paper. I used Tim Holtz Botanical (green) alcohol ink to "paint" the ground. I stamped all of the images on Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock using Tuxedo Memento black ink and colored them in with alcohol ink markers. Because I am not a pro at coloring with alcohol markers, I use a Sigma White Uniball gel pen to add additional details to most of my images. I die cut the images and adhered them to the card using 3M foam tape. Lastly I stamped the sentiment "Hello friend" in black Staz-On ink. *Note - you will want to use Staz-On ink when stamping on Yupo or any other glossy paper so it doesn't slide or smudge.
Here are the McGregor's Garden stamp set and coordinating dies from Hello Bluebird that I used to make today's card:
Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative weekend!
XO, Crystal
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