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Hello friends and happy Saturday! I hope you are all enjoying a nice weekend so far. It is 93* and insanely hot and humid here in Massachusetts today, so I'm happy to be inside crafting with my friend Donna, who is here from L.A. visiting for a long weekend. Today I am linking up with the My Favorite Things Color Challenge #166, which is a fun blend of purples, teals and gray. I haven't played along with any card challenges in quite a while, but Donna participates in them frequently and has inspired me to begin creating again using challenges as my guide.  Card details:This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2" inches. The base of the card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Using a piece of teal houndstooth paper (source unknown) I cut an 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece for the first layered mat. I used the Whimsy Stamps Slimline Postage die for the white frame background. Using the Whimsy Stamps Slimline Bunting Border dies, I die cut the banners from teal and purple glitter cardstock. I stamped the images from MFT Stamps Sending Sweet Celebration Wishes in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on white cardstock. I colored the images, using the required challenge colors, with Copic markers. I die cut the images using the coordinating MFT Stamps Sending Sweet Celebration Wishes dies. I adhered the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I stamped the sentiment Memento Tuxedo Black ink on white cardstock and adhered it to the card using 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the images for added sparkle.   Here is the color challenge from My Favorite Things that inspired today's card:   Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative weekend! XO, Crystal
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Hello friends and happy Friday! I hope you have fun things planned for the weekend ahead. Today I am sharing another Valentine's Day slimline card using the Be Courageous stamp set and coordinating dies from Pinkfresh Studio. I have combined this stamp with some large letter framelit dies spelling out the world L-O-V-E in red glitter paper since the stamp set itself wasn't designed with love themed sentiments.  Card details:This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2". Slimline cards are designed to fit inside a regular #10 business sized envelope and require no additional postage. The base of this slimline card was made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White cardstock. On a 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of the same white cardstock, I stamped the large floral background (Be Courageous by Pinkfresh Studio) in Memento Tuxedo black ink. Once the ink drink, I colored the flowers with Copic markers. I used the coordinating dies to die cut teh image out and adhere it to the front of the card. I die cut the large letters L-O-V-E from red glitter cardstock and adhered the letters to the center of the card using strips of 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. Lastly, I stamped the sentiment "Happy Valentine's Day" in Versamark ink on a thin strip of vellum cardstock. I heat embossed the sentiment with gold embossing powder. I notched both ends and adhered it to the center of the card over the words "love."    Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative weekend! XO, CrystalHello friends! As I type this blogpost (it's Monday evening) and we are in the midst of a true New England blizzard. With somewhere between 8-14" of snow on it's way, I have a feeling that tomorrow will be a snow day for me - which means I get to spend the day crafting! I think I have a few more Valentine's Day themed cards I'd like to to create based upon some ideas floating around in my mind. Today's slimline card used the Boho Frames digital stamp set from 88 and Clear.  Card details:This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2". The base of the card was made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. I cut a 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of Black Taffy cardstock for the first matted layer. Using the Slimline Frames & Portholes dies from Newton's Nook Designs, I cut the scalloped layer from Rich Cherry cardstock. I printed the Boho Frames digital stamp set three times on 80 lb. Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. I used the same frame three times on this card. I colored the frame with Copic markers and fussy cut the frame. I adhered all three frames to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. On a 4" x 1" strip of Black Taffy cardstock, I stamped the "with love" sentiment in Versamark ink and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. I notched both ends before adhering the sentiment to the center of the card.   Here is the Boho Frames stamp set from 88 and Clear that I used to create today's card:   I hope you have enjoyed today's card. Thank you for visiting and happy crafting! XO, CrystalHello and happy Thursday readers! Thank you for coming by to visit. Today is Day 3 of showcasing new release products from Whimsy Stamps and I am sharing another card using the Elegant Ornaments stamp set and coordinating die. If you missed Tuesday's whimsical slimline card, please click here. You can also see yesterday's elegant black and gold card here. All three cards can also be viewed at the end of this post. I really enjoy sharing different ways to use the same stamp set. I have found that by creating a variety of cards, the stamp set appeals to a larger audience. I also feel like I'm getting "more bang for my buck" by using the stamp set multiple times rather than using it for just one card and then moving on to something else!  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 inside a regular #10 business envelope and require no additional postage. The base of this slimline card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I cut a 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of Melon Mambo cardstock for the first layer. Using the Slimline Scenic Window, I die cut the frame from Pool Party cardstock.  I stamped pne of the ornaments in Pool Party Ink and one in Melon Mambo ink. Then I heat embossed two of the ornaments with white embossing powder on Melon Mambo cardstock. I heat embossed one ornament with white embossign powder on Pool Party cardstock. I used the coordinating die to die cut all the ornaments out. I adhered the ornaments to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. Lastly, I stamped the sentiment "Merry Christmas" in Melon Mambo ink on two separate thin strips of white cardstock and adhered them to each side of the card.    Here are the other two cards I made using the Elegant Ornaments stamp set and coordinating die:   The November release from Whimsy Stamps is filled with lots of wintery goodness! Be sure to visit the website to see other new products available. Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
Hello friends and happy Tuesday! November 1 was a new release day with Whimsy Stamps and for the next three days, I will be sharing one of my favorite new stamp sets and coordinating dies from this latest release! I will be showing you different ways to use the new Elegant Ornaments stamp set and coordinating die to achieve a variety of unique looks for your handmade cards.  Card details:*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post. This slimline card measures 8 1/2" by 3 1/2". Slimline cards are designed to fit inside 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. On an 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of Bristol Smooth cardstock, I ink blended Distress Oxide inks in Mowed Lawn, Barn Door, Picked Raspberry and Twisted Citron. I think splattered white acrylic paint over the distress inks.  I used the Slimline Postage Die to create a frame from white cardstock. I stamped the ornaments from the new Elegant Ornaments stamp set in red, green, pink and lime ink. Then I heat embossed the ornaments on red cardstock, lime green and pink cardstock in white embossing powder. I die cut all the ornaments out and adhered them down the left side of the card panel using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I stamped the sentiment "Christmas" in red ink on a thin strip of white cardstock and adhered it to the lower right side of the card. Lastly, I heat embossed the sentiment "wishes" with white embossing powder on red cardstock and fussy cut the sentiment out adhering it below the "Christmas" sentiment.    I hope you have enjoyed today's card and will come back tomorrow to see another way to use this new stamp set. To see more of the November release from Whimsy Stamps, please click here. Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
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:
Hello readers and welcome back from the weekend! I hope you found a little time to do something crafty. I spent a good portion of it in my craft room on Saturday celebrating World Cardmaking Day. And by celebrating, I mean tackling my mile-long card deadline! So really, my Saturday was more in honor of World Cardmaking Day considering there were no celebratory drinks or cupcakes involved! And, because of Covid, I had to celebrate virtually with my friends on Instagram rather that our traditional in-person gathering. Every Monday means it's time for another Inky Paws Challenge! Our challenges run for two weeks, thus giving you more time to create. So this week we are continuing along with our theme for Challenge #133. I have designed a second card to share with you that was still inspired by the same image seen below:  Here is the slimline card I created inspired by the autumn theme challenge:  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. You can even now by slimline envelopes in a variety of colors to coordinate perfectly with your cards! The base of this card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. Using a miscellaneous piece of woodgrain paper, I cut the mat to 8 1/4" x 3 1/4". Using the Slimline Frames and Windows die set, I cut the frame out of white cardstock. I lined the back of the frame with miscellaneous plaid/gingham papers.  I stamped the images from the Autumn Mice stamp set in Memento Black ink on Neenah white cardstock. I colored the images with Copic markers and then die cut them using the coordinating Autumn Mice dies. I always add some highlights to my colored images with a Uniball white gel pen. I adhered the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I stamped the sentiment in orange ink on a thin strip of white cardstock, notched the left edge and adhered it to the top right of the card. 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 9th, 2020, at midnight CST. XO, CrystalList of supplies:
Hello friends! It is new product release day again at Whimsy Stamps and today I'm happy to be sharing a fun new stamp set called "Monkey Sundae!" Typically Whimsy Stamps releases new products on the first of every month, but due to Covid-19, inventory production and shipping issues, we will be spreading out the new release products THREE times per month on the 1st, 15th and 25th! It will be almost like having a new release every week! Today's "Monkey Sundae" stamp set is perfect for me, because I LOVE ice cream. Hot fudge and banana splits yes, please! Oh, and I even loooooove the soupy melted liquid goodness left at the bottom of the bowl too!  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 inside 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. I used the Slimline Scallop die to cut the frame from Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. Behind each oval circle in the frame, I put a piece of Rainbow paper for added color. I then matted the entire frame with a piece of pink cardstock. I stamped the images from the Monkey Sundae stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on white cardstock. I colored the images with Copic markers and then used my Brother Scan & Cut 2 machine to cut the images out, in lieu of fussy cutting. I adhered the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I stamped the sentiment at the top right of the card using Memento Tuxedo black ink. Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the ice cream for added sparkle.    I hope you have enjoyed this fun card! Head over to the Whimsy Stamps website to see more of the new release products! 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 readers and happy Friday! I'm excited to be sharing an adorable new stamp set from the Spring Fling release at RG Avenue. Unfortunately, the large weekend "Spring Fling" stamping event in Arizona had to be canceled last weekend, but this new "Oh La La" stamp set is now available online and it just might be my favorite set from this new release!
Card details:
*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post.
The base of this slimline card is cut from gray cardstock. This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x x 3 1/2" wide. I adhered a piece of 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock directly to the card base. Using the Whimsy Stamps Slimline Postage Stamp Die, I cut the frame from Pink Glitter paper. Because the "Oh La La" stamp set I had was the digital stamp set, I printed out all the images from my computer on Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I colored the images with Copic markers and add a few highlights to some of the images using a Uniball White gel pen. I used my Scan & Cut 2 machine to cut out all of the images electronically and then I adhered the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the bunnies, swan and cat for added sparkle. 
I hope you have enjoyed this sweet card! Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!
Please say healthy and remember, "By staying home, you just might be saving the life of someone you may never meet." XO, CrystalList of supplies: |
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