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Hello friends and happy Wednesday! Today I am over on the Birch Press Design website sharing two cards created from one layered die! I'm always trying to find the best way to get more "bang" for my buck, whether it's recycling or repurposing products or making my craft supplies stretch just a little bit further. Who else has one of those "bits and pieces" bins filled with little odds & ends just waiting to be made into a card!?  Today I have used the Butterfly Garden Layering Dies and the Lingo Thanks stamp set and coordinating dies from Birch Press Design. I feel like this is one of those cards that you could make in ANY color! I do that quite frequently, especially if I need to replenish my card supply. Perhaps someone really likes pinks or purples, then this design would also accommodate other colors too. Plus, by the time you are done die-cutting all those butterflies, you will have lots of extra ones to add to your "bits & pieces" bin! I have created a short step-by-step instructional video for you to see how this card came together. I do hope you will find it helpful! I have also provided a full list of all the supplies I used at the end of this post.     Thank you so much for visiting and I hope you have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
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Hello readers! It's kind of an exciting day for me as not only am I making my grand debut on the Birch Press Designs Creative Team, but I am sharing with you my very FIRST crafting video! I have been wanting to create video content for a while now, but it's a scary leap to take! I poured a lot of hard work and time into the creation of this video and I'm quite proud of my first attempt, but I'll let YOU be the true judge. I also hope you will enjoy the first of many more cards to come featuring the beautiful, intricate layering dies from Birch Press Designs. I just received a large box of new spring release products and I look forward to sharing those with you soon!  For today's Valentine inspired cards I have used the beautiful Delfina Layering dies, the all new Flora Heart dies and the Love You Outline dies. I chose to cut all three layers from the Delfina Layering Dies. Layer C (the bottom) was cut from a rose red cardstock, Layer B (the middle) was cut from a carnation pink cardstock and finally, Layer A (the top) was cut from silver glitter paper. I adhered all three layers together with a fine-tip liquid adhesive. Please check out this step-by-step video detailing how I created every layer of this card. I have also provided a list of supplies used at the end of this post.    I do hope you found this video helpful and I welcome your kind comments and constructive criticism (bonus points for niceness!) so that I can continue creating content in a way that's most useful to you. I won't be creating video content for every project I feature, but I will do my best to create them for the more intricately detailed or challenging cards! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, Crystal List of supplies:
Hello! Thank you for stopping by and visiting my website! If you are a first time reader, welcome! I hope you will find creativity and inspiration as you look around. If you are a regular follower, thank you for your continued support and returning day after day to see what's new! Today I am sharing four Valentine's Day themed cards using the fun "Beep Bots" and "Beep Notes" stamp sets from RG Avenue. I am loving the robot trend right now and these robots are extra large which makes them the focal point on each card. I'm actually on the ball this year and have completed ALL of my Valentine's Day cards. Now, to get them addressed and mailed out (which seems to be where it all goes south for me!)
Here are the Beep Bots and Beep Notes stamp sets that I used to create these cards:
Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!
XO, CrystalYou might also enjoy:
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 #115. 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:
Many of my followers know that I am a cat lover, so I think all you dog fans will be pleasantly surprised with today's "adora-bull" card featuring the "Fabulous Frenchies" stamp set by Newton's Nook! I will admit, they are all very cute little bulldogs!
Card details:
*A full supply list (with shopping links) is located at the end of this post.
The base of this slimline card is made from red cardstock. This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2." It will fit inside a regular business sized #10 envelope. I lined the card base with a 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of black and white gingham printed paper. I die cut four heart from red carsdstock. On each heart I randomly stamped animal paw prints in red ink. I adhered all four hearts to the center of the card slightly overlapping each one to ensure they would all fit. 
I stamped all of the images (dogs and balloons) in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. I colored all of the images with Copic markers and added highlights to the images using a white Uniball gel pen. I adhered the bulldogs to the card using foam adhesive. I added the balloon to the last bulldog's tail. I also punched small hearts from pink and red cardstock and adhered them to the card in another balloon shape on the second bulldog's tail. I then added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to all the bulldogs for added sparkle. Lastly, I stamped the sentiment "adora-bull" in red ink on white cardstock and notched the right side before adhering to the card with foam adhesive.
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, January 31, at midnight CST. Thanks for visiting and I hope to see your creations there! XO, Crystal
List of supplies:
Cats and candy! Can today get any better?! Okay, maybe if it were Friday already. . . Today I am sharing these M & M filled pillow box treats that I'll be giving to my friends at our upcoming annual craft retreat to the Cape. As our own little tradition, everyone attending (there are 8 of us in total) makes something small to give the others in the group. Sometimes it is a papercrafted item, but it doesn't have to be. In past years, there have also been small jars of homemade jelly and maple syrup, knitted hats, socks and embroidered tote bags! I'm lucky to have such talented and generous friends and family.
Project details:
*A full supply list (with shopping links) is located at the end of this post.
The base of the pillow box is made from 110# kraft cardstock. You will want to use a nice, thick cardstock as your base to ensure a sturdy box. First, I die cut a heart on one side of the pillow box and lined the inside with a piece of acetate. This will ensure nothing falls out of the hole! While the box is still flat (before assembly) I stamped the paw prints on both sides of the box in kraft ink. I also stamped the hearts in red ink. I assembled the two sides of the box using tear tape. You will want to use a good adhesive here like the tear tape (or red line tape) to ensure the box holds together well. 
I filled the boxes with both plain and peanut M & M's. To each box I added a sentiment that was stamped in red ink on Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. I notched the right edge of the sentiment strip. I die cut a large heart from red cardstock and a small heart from gold glimmer cardstock. I also stamped a variety of cats from the Newton's Nook Newton Loves Boxes and Newton's Antics stamp sets in Memento Tuxedo black ink. I colored the cat images with Copic markers and then adhered all of the pieces together on the outside of each pillow box with foam adhesive for added height and dimension.
I love using the Lawn Fawn Pillow Box die for small treats because of it's easy assembly. Some of those dies can be very challenging! Plus, it can be filled with so many different things from candy and gift cards to jewelry and more.
Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, Crystal
List of supplies:
 Hello friends and readers, I am happy to debut a new series today called "Crafty Finds." This series will feature a variety of craft tools, stamps, papers, dies and accessories/embellishments that focus on a particular season or holiday relevant to the current time of year. Sometimes the most cumbersome and time consuming part of crafting is finding the right item(s) we want to use! Hopefully this series will help you find that perfect stamp set or die, as well as introduce you to products and companies you might not be familiar with. For this first edition of my Crafty Finds series, I'll be focusing on Valentine's Day. ~ Stamps ~
~ Paper ~
~ Dies ~
~ Accessories ~
I hope you have enjoyed this new series and, more importantly, that you will find it useful. I'd love to hear YOUR thoughts, so please comment below. I'm already looking forward to creating a similar board for St. Patrick's Day! XO, Crystal
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 #115 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 the image above. I went with the theme of hearts:
Card details:
*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 a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of designer paper with a red heart pattern, I adhered this patterned paper directly to the card base. Using the Gina Marie Designs Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangle dies, I cut a medium sized rectangle from red cardstock. I adhere this directly to the center of the card. I die cut a large heart from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and stamped small hearts in red ink around the heart. I also stamped the "thank you" sentiment in red ink. 
I stamped the flowers from the Newton's Nook Designs Peony Blooms stamp set in Memento Tuxedo black ink on Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. I colored in the flowers with Copic markers and used the coordinating Peony Blooms dies to cut them out. I adhered the flowers to the bottom portion of the heart with foam adhesive for added dimension. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the flowers for added sparkle.
In this close-up photo of the peonies, you can see the sparkle from the Wink of Stella:
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, January 31, at midnight CST. Thanks for visiting and I hope to see your creations there! XO, Crystal
List of supplies:
If I had to pick my absolute favorite color, this card is it! Call it what you want - fuschia, raspberry, magenta, or simply berry, this reddish pinky-purple color is gorgeous and rich. I have it in cardstock, ink, ribbon and even cardigans, lipstick and velvet wedge heels! P.S. - those heels are to die for! Literally. I tripped one day into the street on my way to work and it was not pretty. . . Anywho, today's card features the "Sending Bunches" digital stamp set from RG Avenue. If you would like to learn more about digital stamps, please read this post where I talk in detail about what they are and how to use them.
Card details:
*Full supply list (with shopping links) is located at the end of this post.
This A2 sized card is made from Raspberry cardstock. Using the Gina Marie Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangle dies, I cut the first layer from Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. I stamped some splotches of raspberry ink directly onto the scalloped white cardstock. Because the "Sending Bunches" stamp set is a digital stamp set, I printed the file from my computer onto Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. I colored in the images with Copic markers and then used my Scan & Cut 2 electronic cutting machine to cut the images out for me. I added the sentiment in the lower right corner using Tombow adhesive. I added the large balloon and two sets of flowers to the left center size of the card using foam adhesive for added dimension. Lastly, I added a coat of Dazzling Pat to the flowers and balloon for added sparkle. 
Look at that sparkle!
I hope you are loving this color as much as I do! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!
XO, Crystal
List of supplies:
Today I am excited to share with you a new release from Whimsy Stamps called "Voo Doo Too." I have always had a particular interest in the Louisiana Vodou culture after visiting New Orleans many years ago. While Hollywood has given us the perception of this demonic, malevolent culture, it is a history rooted rich in slavery and cultural traditions. While commonly associated with death and ill will, the voo doo doll can also offer magical healing properties. Today these creepy-cute guys are offering nothing but love for you!
Card details:
*A full supply list (with shopping links) is located at the end of this post.
The base of this slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2". The base is made from Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. Using the Slimline Windows die from Whimsy Stamps, I created the frame from gray cardstock. Behind the gray frame, I lined the background with a miscellaneous piece of lime green lined designer paper. In between some of the frames I stamped the "Voo Doo Too" sentiment in Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I stamped the voo doo doll images in Tuxedo Memento Black ink and colored them with Copic markers. I added some highlights to the colored images using a white Uniball gel pen. I used my Scan and Cut 2 electronic cutting machine to cut the images out. I adhered the images to the card using foam adhesive. Lastly, I punched a few small hearts from red cardstock and floated them around the card, also using foam adhesive for added height. 
I hope you like these mildly creepy cuties! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!
XO, Crystal
List of supplies:
On Wednesday's we wear pink! Well today, this lumberjack got the "Mean Girls" message and has donned the appropriate ensemble with his pink ax and all! He's even going to be chopping down a pink tree! : ) This fun stamp set called "Love Jack" is from RG Avenue and I think it is an excellent set to be used for Valentine's Day, perhaps for the lumberjack in your life! Sure, I've made this into pretty pink cards for today, but I also can't wait to add some dark colors and plaid patterns to make Jack a little more burly and masculine.
Card details:
*The full list of supplies (with shopping links) can be found at the end of this post.
The base of this A2 sized card is made from Sweet Pink sugar stock. Using the Gina Marie Scalloped Stitched Rectangle dies, I cut the first layer from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I die cut a small heart from Sweet Cane cardstock and adhered it in the upper right forner. I stamped the sentiment "You're Awesome" in Sweet Pink Ink and fussy cut it into a banner that I adhered over the heart. I stamped all of the images from the "Lumberjack Love" stamp set in Black Taffy ink and colored them using Copic markers. I added some highlights to the images using a Uniball white gel pen. I stamped the tree over a piece of patterned pink paper (only so I wouldn't have to color it!) I used my Scan and Cut 2 to cut all o of the images out and adhered them to the card. Lastly, I added a coat of Dazzling Pat to the Lumberjack and woodpile for added sparkle. 
Card details:
The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I cut a 5 1/4" by 4" piece of Sweet Cane Sugar Stock and adhered it directly to the card base. Using the Gina Marie Stitched Rectangle dies, I cut a rectangle from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock and stamped "Wood you" down the left side in Sweet Cane ink. I also stamped a few hearts in Sweet Pink ink. I adhered this rectangle directly to the card base. I stamped all of the images in the "Lumberjack Love" stamp set in Black Taffy ink and colored them with Copic markers. I used the Scan & Cut 2 to cut all of my images. I adhered the images to the card using foam adhesive. Lastly, I added some Dazzling Pat to the saw blade and lumberjack for added sparkle.
Thank you for visiting and happy creating!
XO, Crystal
Products used to create this card:
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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: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. |
