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It's the time of year when I begin bouncing around a bit with my card themes. Last week I shared some Halloween cards, yesterday was a winter themed card and today it's all about fall. So basically, ya never know what you're gonna get! Personally, I like it that way. If every day was the same, it would be a pretty boring world we live in. Variety IS the spice of life (or so they say). . .
Today's slimline card features a Distress Oxide ink background in an ombre pattern with leaves from the new Leaf Layers stamp set by Whimsy Stamps. To see another way I used this same stamp set, please click here. 
Card details:
*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post.
This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2". Slimline cards are designed to fit into a regular #10 business sized envelope and require no additional postage. To create the background, I cut a 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of Bristol Smooth cardstock. This is the cardstock I use to do all of my ink-blending on. I ink blended Distress Oxide inks in Scattered Straw, Squeezed Lemonade, Carved Pumpkin and Barn Door. I then ink splattered the Barn Door ink over the entire card. Once this background was dry, I adhered it to the card base using a Tombow dot runner. I die cut the frame from white cardstock and also splattered it with Barn Door Distress Oxide ink. I adhered the postage frame to the center of the card. I stamped the leaves in yellow, orange and red ink and fussy cut EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM! Yikes, there was no corresponding die set for this stamp! I adhered the leaves to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. Lastly, I stamped the sentiment in Versamark ink on black cardstock and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. I notched the left side of the sentiment and adhered it to the top 1/3 of the card. 
I am really enjoying creating backgrounds using Distress Oxide inks. They really make quite a statement. Initially, I was hesitant to use these inks because I thought they were too "messy." But now I think the mess is totally worth it!
XO, CrystalList of supplies:
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I am only mildly afraid to post today's cards. . . About two weeks ago I posted my first Christmas card of the season and was met with multiple resounding "NOOOOO, it's too soon" messages! So, the thought of "winter wishes" is sure to send a few people over the edge! #sorrynotsorry It's the downside of designing for companies that must market holiday products months before the actual holiday season!
Today's cards feature the new Tree Assortment Die set from the October release at Whimsy Stamps. I created four cards in a variety of vibrant colors, all with alcohol ink backgrounds, to really highlight the stark white die cut trees. 
Card details:
*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post.
Please note all four cards were made the same way, just with a variation of color combinations. Each A2 sized card was made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I matted each layer with a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of colored cardstock (pink, blue, green or purple) and then cut a 5 " x 3 3/4" piece of white cardstock again. On this smaller piece of white cardstock, I die cut a 2 1/2" circle in the middle. I created four alcohol ink backgrounds in various colors on 3 x 3" pieces of Yupo paper and once they dried, I adhered the alcohol ink backgrounds behind the circular hole before adhering them to the card. I die cut the white trees and adhere them to the front of the card, tucking the bottoms of the trees down into the die cut circle. 
I stamped the sentiment "warm winter" in the corresponding ink color (pink, red, blue or purple) onto a thin strip of white cardstock. I notched the right side of the sentiment strip and adhered it under the left side of the die cut circle. I stamped the word "wishes" in Versamark ink on colored cardstock and heat embossed the word with white embossing powder. I fussy cut each word "wishes" out with a pair of scissors as there is no corresponding die for this stamp set.
I hope you have enjoyed today's cards, despite the fact that they are winter themed and it's only
October 6th! ; ) Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
Hello friends and happy Thursday! Today is another exciting new release day at Whimsy Stamps and I'm happy to be sharing lots of fun new products with you over the coming days and weeks. I particularly loved this new release because it was a well balanced combination of fall and Christmas themed stamp sets. Today's card feature the beautiful new "Leaf Layers" stamp set. Fall is my favorite time of the year, so I began by making a fall themed card (in oranges and browns) using this new stamp set, but, I was also inspired to create the same card in other colors too in order to show you endless possibilities with this one set.   Card details:*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post. All of these A2 sized cards were made the same way, I simply used different color combinations on each card. The base of each card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Using the A2 Lattice die, I die cut the lattice background from white cardstock. I adhered the lattice directly to the card base. I cut a piece of polka dotted vellum and die cut it with a 3" circle, snipping off the left hand side and adhering it to card with vellum adhesive. I stamped the leaves in a variety of ink colors and fussy cut ALL of them out. I adhered 5 leaf sets to each card. I then used the "thanks" die to die cut the sentiment. The base shadow outline layer was cut from one color cardstock and the thinner outline on the top was cut from another piece of cardstock.     Do you have a favorite color from today's cards? You can check out all the awesome new release products from Whimsy Stamps HERE and have fun creating! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
Hello readers and welcome back from the weekend! I hope you found a little time to do something crafty. Today we have a new challenge to share with you at Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge. Challenge #133 is a theme challenge. Using the inspiration shown in the image below, share with us YOUR creations!  Here is the card I created inspired by this week's autumn theme:  Card details:This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2". Slimline cards are designed to fit into a regular #10 business sized envelope and require no additional postage. The base of this slimline card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Using the Slimline Frames dies, I die cut the frame from gold foil cardstock. I lined the back size of the frame with some yellow gingham miscellaneous scrap papers. I stamped the flower images multiple times in Memento Tuxedo black ink on white cardstock. I colored the flowers with Copic markers and then die cut them using the coordinating Hummingbird dies. I also stamped the hummingbird in black ink and colored it with Copic markers before die cutting it. I adhered the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive. I stamped the sentiment in black ink on a thin strip of white cardstock. I adhered the sentiment to the top of the card notching the left side. Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the images for added sparkle.     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, October 9, 2020, at midnight CST. Thanks for visiting and I hope to see your creations there! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
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. Challenge #130 continues on with a theme challenge designed 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 this week's "create a scene" theme:  Card details:The base of this slimline card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. For the top sun part of the card, I ink sponged Squeezed Lemonade Distress Oxide ink onto a 3 1/4" x 3" piece of Bristol smooth paper. Using the Sunscape Stencil, I applied more Squeezed Lemonade Distress Oxide ink over the sky to create the sun beams. I stamped the sentiment in Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I used the Landborders Dies to cut the sand hills and grass from Crumb Cake cardstock and Old Olive cardstock. I fussy cut the pond myself from Pool Party cardstock.  I stamped all of the images from the Newton's Nook Winston's Lake House stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on white cardstock and colored them using Copic markers. I die cut the images using the coordinating Winston's Lake House dies. I began to adhere the colored images to the card with 3M foam adhesive (for added dimension) and created a scene. I also stamped one camper and flamingoes from the Newton's Nook Cozy Camper stamp set. I also cut this out using the coordinating Cozy Camper dies. Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to many of the 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, August 28th, at midnight CST. Thanks for visiting and I hope to see your creations there! List of supplies:
Hello readers and welcome back from the weekend! I hope you found a little time to do something crafty. Today we have a new challenge to share with you at Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge. Challenge #129 is a slimline sketch challenge. Using the sketch shown in the image below, share with us YOUR creations!  Here is the slimline card I created inspired by this sketch:  Card details:*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post. This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2". Slimline cards are designed to fit into a regular #10 business sized envelope and do not require additional postage. The base of this slimline card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Using the Slimline Frames die, I cut the base from Crumb Cake cardstock. I lined the scalloped frame with an 8" x 2 3/4" piece of white cardstock. Using Memento Tuxedo Black ink, I randomly stamped ants from the Woodland Picnic stamp on the white cardstock. I die cut three circles from red gingham paper and centered these on the card. Using the same Woodland Picnic stamp set, I stamped the animal images in Memento Tuxedo black ink on white cardstock. I colored them using Copic markers and die cut them using the coordinating Woodland Picnic dies. I then adhered the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I stamped the sentiment in Memento Black ink on a thin strip of white cardstock and notched both ends before adhering over the center gingham circle. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to many of the images for added sparkle.     Are you ready to get your paws inky with us and play along to win a prize? We will chose a RANDOM entry to win a $20 store credit to our Newton's Nook Designs online shop! We will also highlight our favorites from each challenge the following Monday so all entries have a chance to be featured on this blog! You have TWO WEEKS to play along - Deadline to enter is Friday, August 14th, 2020 at Midnight CST. The winners will be announced on the Newton's Nook blog the following Monday. Are you ready to play along and get your paws inky? Make sure you check the challenge rules page before you link up your project. XO, CrystalList of supplies:
It's another fun "Bizzy Bees" card! The latest hugely popular stamp set from Whimsy Stamps is back again today for another slimline card. Not only is the "Bizzy Bees" stamp set super cute, it's coordinating "Bizzy Bees" paper pack is perfectly matched!  Card details:*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post. This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2". Slimline cards are designed to fit into a regular #10 business sized envelope and require no additional postage. The base of this slimline card is made from Basic Black cardstock. Using the Slimline Card Builder Die, I cut the stitched mat from white cardstock. I splattered some yellow ink all over this white background before adhering it to the card base. Using the Hexagon dies, I die cut three pieces of pink paper from the "Bizzy Bees" paper pack and adhered them to the card lined up through the center of the card. I stamped the bees in Memento Tuxedo black ink on white cardstock and colored them with Copic markers. I then used my Brother Scan and Cut 2 Electronic Cutting machine to cut the images (in lieu of fussy cutting). After cutting the images I adhered them to the card using 3M foam adhesive. I stamped the sentiments in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on strips of white cardstock and adhered them beside the bees. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the bees for added sparkle.    If you missed the first card I created using this same "Bizzy Bees" stamp set, please click here to see that rainbow creation! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
I don't talk about it much, but every now and then I'll struggle with a stamp set or a card, and when I struggle, I reeeeeally struggle! Sometimes I'll take a break and come back around to it. . . or not. On the really bad days, I'll proclaim myself the world's worst cardmaker (EVER!) and throw a self-loathing, peanut M&M eating, pity party for one. This new Birch Frame stamp set by Whimsy Stamps was one of those stamp sets that challenged me. It's a beautiful stamp set, but not particularly "my style." I'm not even showing you the first two cards I created using this set that I promptly declared "disastrously hideous" (which is like a bajillion times more hideous than hideous) and threw in the rubbish. BTW, "rubbish" sounds way better than "trash" or "garbage." So, no worries, these two cards actually went to a happy place! ; ) This time, instead of that M & M eating, self -loathing pity party for one, and before I threw in the proverbial towel, I decided to try this stamp set one more time with a more optimistic outlook and was able to create a card that is actually quite pretty. I'm not saying it didn't take me 4-plus hours, but it's also not "disastrously hideous," so that's a craft win in my book!  Card details:*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 stamped the Birch Frame on a piece of white carsdtock and colored it using Copic markers. I then fussy cut the entire frame out. I stamped the sentiment from the Beaucoup Bouquet stamp set in Merry Merlot ink. On a 4 1/4" x 3" piece of Crumb Cake cardstock, I stamped the Leaves background stamp in Versamark ink. I heat embossed the leaves in white embossing powder. I matted this leaf embossed piece onto a piece of Merry Merlot cardstock before adhering both layers to the bottom of the card. I then adhered the Birch Frame to the center of the card popped up on 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.    I know I'm not alone in my crafting challenges. Tell me all about yours in the comments below! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
Happy Wednesday, readers! I hope your week is going good so far. Today I'm sharing a slimline card featuring the new "Sweet Succulents" stamp set from Whimsy Stamps. Slimline Sweet Succulents, say that three times fast!! : ) Can I just say how much I love the Distressed Oxide ink background on this card? I think it completely makes the entire card, with it's ombre of colors from yellow to green to blue. Now that I am becoming more comfortable using my Distress Oxide inks, I am quite enjoying them!  Card details: *A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post. This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2". Slimline cards are designed to fit into a regular #10 business size envelope and do not require additional postage. The base of this slimline card is a piece of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I then cut a 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of Bristol Smooth cardstock to create the background. I ink blended Distress Oxide Inks in Squeezed Lemonade, Shabby Shutters and Broken China. I splattered the background with those same ink colors. Using a piece of white cardstock, I die cut the frame using the Whimsy Stamps Postage Slimline die. On a separate sheet of white cardstock, I stamped the cactus/succulent image in Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I cut the images using my Brother Scan and Cut 2 Electronic Cutting machine. I colored the images using Copic markers and adhered them to the card using 3M foam adhesive. On a sheet of Basic Black cardstock, I stamped the sentimenti in Versamark ink and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. I notched the left side of the sentiment strip and adhered it to the card also using 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the succulent images and pots for added sparkle.    Thank you for visiting! If you would like to see a vast array of cards, you can always view my online gallery HERE. XO, CrystalList of products:
It's another exciting new release day today at Whimsy Stamps and today I am featuring the new "Sweet Succulents" stamp set. Succulents, like cacti, are my kind of plant because they are low maintenance and practically impossible to kill. I'll admit to being quite neglectful when it comes to watering things. . . I'm more of a rock garden kind of girl!  Card details:*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post. This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2" inches. Slimline cards are designed to fit inside a regular #10 business sized envelope and do not require additional postage. The base of this card is made from kraft cardstock. I cut a 8" x 3" piece of Lawn Fawn Rainbow paper and adhered it to the kraft background. Using the Whimsy Stamps Filmstrip die, I cut the frame from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I stamped all of the succulent images in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on white cardstock and colored the images using Copic markers. I used my Scan and Cut 2 machine to cut the images out in lieu of fussy cutting. I then stamped the various words, "Hope, Laugh, Love, Dream" etc. in Memento Black ink on the plant pots. I adhered the succulents to the card in rainbow (ROYGBIV) pattern using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the succulents for added sparkle.    There are so many other fun new release products available at Whimsy Stamps, so be sure to check them out and start your shopping wish list today! Thanks for visiting and happy crafting! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
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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. |
