Crystal Komara
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Upcoming Virtual Cardmaking Events

8/16/2021

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Hello friends and happy Monday!  Today I am very excited to be sharing information about a couple papercrafting events that will be happening virtually this fall.  So, gather your friends and mark your calendars for some crafty fun!

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“Pack your bags” and join card makers from around the globe as they come together virtually for a day full of camaraderie, cardmaking and fun with Spellbinders Paper Arts!

This one-day virtual event will be held ​Saturday, October 23, 2021, and features SIX amazing designers. Learn from the designers themselves as you create 6 exclusive projects using brand new product, most of which will not launch to the general public until 2022. Registration not only gets you exclusive access to the live show, but also a box full of new products, project kits and other fun goodies.
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What's Included:
  • Registration Kit: (Will be shipped to you prior to the event.)
    • 9 brand new designer-created products, including 6 die sets, 2 stamp sets and 1 stencil
    • 6 project kits, kitted and complete with full color instructions
    • Bonus crafting supplies specially curated to help you complete your projects and learn new techniques
  • Exclusive access to the live show on October 23rd
  • 6 workshops taught by our talented team of designers from around the globe
  • Access to a private Facebook group to share project ideas and see sneak peeks
  • Other goodies, giveaways and more
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​$199/person

Click here to sign up today!  Space is limited.  



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The next fun virtual event is the Holly Jolly Holiday Workshop from Concord & 9th:
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The Holly Jolly Holiday Workshop will take place on ​November 12th & 13th. It's going to be two days full of crafting, fun, and Christmas magic that you won’t want to miss! This virtual event includes four amazing classes and two bonus sessions, led by industry experts, that will have you holiday ready before December even begins! Three to four weeks before this virtual event takes place, we will send you a box full of exclusive product and the supplies you'll need to create several greeting cards, tags & toppers for gifts, and some lovely holiday décor!

MORE DETAILS COMING SOON!
Be sure to follow Concord and 9th HERE for the latest!

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Lastly, Creative Chick Jenn Shurkus announced her fall calendar of events! I have taken a couple classes with Jenn before and she is an excellent teacher.  Her class handouts include step-by-step instructions with photos and she is very thorough.  I promise you won't be disappointed!
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Be sure to follow Jenn for all the latest events!
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Spellbinders Liberty Collection Release

6/9/2021

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​Hello readers!  Today I am very excited to be the guest host on the Spellbinders blog!   I am so grateful to be given the opportunity to share in the release of the Spellbinders Liberty Collection – a fun new patriotic accessories addition that will coordinate perfectly with the Shapeabilities Sunday Drive etched dies.
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​There is, or has been, a member of my family serving in every military branch since my grandfather served in WWII. Others, myself included, are proud members of U. S. law enforcement services, so suffice is to say the Liberty Collection will be used and shared throughout my family and friends for the summer holidays to come.
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Card details: 

​For this first A2 sized card, I used a piece of 80 lb. Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock as my base.  I cut a 5 ¼” x 4” piece of red cardstock for the first mat and a 5” x 3 ¾” piece of white linen textured cardstock for the next mat.  I die cut a large circle from a piece of red, white and blue plaid paper and adhered it to the center of the card using a Tombow Dot Runner. 
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​Using the new Liberty Sunday Drive Detailed Cutting Dies, I die cut all the pieces to create the car, driver, license plate and banners from red, white, blue and gray cardstock.  I pieced the small images together layering each component with adhesive to create the car.  From the Shapeabilities Sunday Drive Etched Dies, I die cut the balloon in multiples from red, white, blue and glitter cardstocks.  Beside the driver, I placed the balloon bouquet in the passenger seat.  I adhered the entire car and balloons to the left side of the card using 3M foam adhesive.  
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​On a small thin strip of white cardstock, I stamped the sentiment “thank you for your service” in red ink.  I notched the right side of the sentiment strip and adhered it to the left side of the card using 3M foam adhesive.  

Because die cutting all of the little pieces from the Liberty Sunday Drive Detailed Cutting dies takes a LOT of time and patience, I decided to show you another way to use some of the same pieces to create a different patriotic themed card.  
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​The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I used a 5 ¼” x 4” piece of plaid cardstock for the first layered mat.  I die cut a scalloped rectangle frame from red cardstock and matted it with a 3 ¼” x 4” piece of white cardstock.  I die cut even more balloons from the Sunday Drive Detailed Cutting dies in red, white blue and glitter cardstock and I made a large balloon bouquet.  
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​ I adhered a couple pieces of white and silver twine behind the balloons to ground them.  I die cut the “happy 4th” sentiment in red cardstock from the die that should have been used for the license plate.  I mounted the red license plate onto a piece of white cardstock.  I tucked the few pieces of twine behind the sentiment strip before adhering the license plate sentiment with 3M foam adhesive. 
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​I hope you have enjoyed these cards using the new Liberty Collection from Spellbinders.  Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!
​

XO, Crystal 

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Gnome for the Holidays

11/18/2019

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Hello friends and happy Monday!  Welcome back from the weekend!  My weekend didn't quite go as planned because I've been plagued with some sort of stomach bug for the better part of the last week.  It's hasn't been terrible, but enough so that it leaves me feeling less than my stellar self.  I did, however, do a TON of cleaning and re-organizing in my craft room and that felt great!  Yes, that also means, I've got over three shoeboxes of stamp sets and dies that will be looking for new homes, so the next time you're at stamp camp, you can do a little discount shopping!  This works out well - you get "new" stamps and I get rid of "old" stamps to buy more NEW stamps.  See, it's recycling at it's finest! : )

 I have been seeing gnomes e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e this holiday season and I, for one, am here for it!  For today's card I borrowed this Gnome for the Holidays stamp set by FSJ/Spellbinders from my friend Nikki the other weekend at our craft retreat, but this set was too cute, that I had to purchase it for myself too!
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Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  Using the Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Backdrop, I cut the frame also from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I placed a sheet of Bermuda Bay cardstock (retired) behind the frame and heat embossed snowflakes in white embossing powder directly on the blue cardstock. I also added a few white birch trees to the landscape that I cut using the Lawn Fawn Birch Trees Lawn Cuts.  I stamped the images from the FSJ Gnome for the Holiday stamp set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock.  I colored the images using Copic markers and added highlights with a Uni-Ball White Gel pen.  I adhered the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive.  Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the gnomes and trees for added sparkle. 
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Here is the Gnome for the Holidays stamp set by Spellbinders that I used to create this card:
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Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

XO, Crystal 

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Thankful Friends

8/30/2019

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Hello friends and happy Friday!  TGIF and YAY for the long weekend!  We have zero plans on our calendar for the next three days and I couldn't be more happy about that.  I'm hoping there will be equal parts crafting and equal parts relaxing with my fur fam.  I hope you will enjoy today's cards and I wish you all a fabulous end-of-summer weekend yourself!
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Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Soft Suede cardstock.  I cut a sheet of Pumpkin Pie cardstock measuring 5 1/2" x 4" and used a scalloped die border to edge both sides.  I cut a sheet of patterned paper (I think it's from Echo Park) and adhered it directly over the scalloped Pumpkin Pie cardstock.  Using the Gina Marie Designs Stitched Nesting Circles, I die cut a circle from Soft Suede cardstock and stamped the sentiment in Versamark ink.  I heat embossed the sentiment in white embossing powder. I stamped the fox in Cajun Craze ink and die cut it using the Thankful Friends coordinating dies.  I stamped the scarf in Crushed Curry ink and fussy cut the scarf before adhering it to the fox.  I added a strip of gold glimmer paper and a strip of burlap ribbon underneath the fox before adhering the fox to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added height. 
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Here is the Thankful Friends stamp set from Spellbinders/FSJ that I used to create these cards:
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Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Soft Suede cardstock.  The first 5 1/4" x 4" matted layer is a sheet of fall patterned paper that, I think, is from Echo Park.  Sorry, I can't remember the company entirely!  Using the Gina Marie Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangles, I die cut a piece of Soft Suede cardstock.  I cut a piece of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock measuring 3" x 2" inches and stamped the sentiment in Cajun Craze ink.  I mounted the sentiment onto the scalloped Soft Suede background and adhere both to the center of the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.  On a separate sheet of white cardstock, I stamped the squirrel in Cajun Craze ink and the scarf and coffee cup in Crushed Curry ink.  I die cut the squirrel using the coordinating Thankful Friends dies, but I fussy cut the scarf and coffee cup.  I adhered the squirrel to the card with 3M foam adhesive for even more dimension.
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Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog today!  Have a wonderful (and hopefully long) holiday weekend!

XO, Crystal

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Martha's Pumpkins

8/29/2019

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Hi friends!  Today's card features a stamp set called "Martha's Pumpkins" from Spellbinders/FSJ, but my first question is who is Martha!?  And, why did she have pumpkins named after her?  Shouldn't it be like "Peter's Pumpkins" or "Perfect Pumpkins?"  Maybe even, "Plump Pumpkins?"  Martha is just throwing me way off!  I feel like there is a story behind the naming of this stamp set and inquiring minds (a.k.a., me) want to know!  But, anyway, it took me about three attempts for me to settle on a card I liked using this set.  I knew that I wanted pumpkins in all different colors and not just orange.  So, I stamped each of the five pumpkins included in the stamp set multiple times in all rich, earthy colors and played around with their placement and layout.  Nothing seemed to be catching my eye until I finally settled on using the same pumpkin, just in different colors.  I feel like I achieved balance and symmetry with the final result and I was able to still feature a variety of color. 
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Card details: 

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  The first matted layer is a sheet of yellow plaid cardstock from the Lawn Fawn Perfectly Plaid paper pack.  Using the Gina Marie Designs Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangles, I cut a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock.  I placed a 4" x 3" sheet of white cardstock paper directly onto the Crumb Cake cardstock.  On a separate sheet of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock, I stamped the smallest pumpkin in Soft Suede ink, Pool Party ink, Crushed Curry ink, Rich Razzleberry ink, Old Olive ink and Cajun Craze ink.  I die cut each of the small pumpkins using the coordinating dies and adhered them to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added height.  On a thin strip of white cardstock, I stamped the sentiment in Rich Razzleberry ink, notched both ends and adhered to the center of the card. 
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Here is the Martha's Pumpkin stamp set from Spellbinders/FSJ that I used to create this card:
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Thanks for visiting and happy crafting!

XO, Crystal

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Cheerful & Uplifting

6/7/2019

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Hello friends and TGIF!  I hope you have fun things planned for the weekend ahead!  I am very excited because it's the first weekend in a long time in which we have NO plans.  The weather is supposed to be beautiful, but my goal is to craft for as much of the weekend as I can, because I am running dangerously low on birthday cards.  I've also got to get that Father's Day card made this weekend too - no pressure! 

I hope you enjoy today's cheerful yellow rose get well card.  The brightness is sure to uplift someone's spirit.
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Card details:

Full supply list at end of post.

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  For the first matted layer, I cut a sheet of white cardstock to 5 1/4" x 4" and ran it through my Big Shot using the Garden Trellis Embossing folder.  Using the Gina Marie Nesting Stitched Scalloped rectangles, I die cut a large rectangle from Daffodil Delight cardstock.  I cut a 4" x 3" sheet of white cardstock and stamped "sorry you're sick" in Going Gray ink in the lower righthand corner.
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I stamped two large yellow roses in Going Gray ink on Daffodil Delight cardstock and the leaves were stamped in Going Gray ink on white cardstock.  All images were die cut with the coordinating dies and adhered to the center of the card using 3M foam adhesive.  Lastly, I added a heavy coat of clear Wink of Stella to the roses and leaves for added sparkle.
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Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative weekend!

XO, Crystal

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List of supplies:

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Spellbinders & FSJ

5/10/2019

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TGIF!  Who is ready for the weekend!? I'm taking a break from house painting this weekend and hoping to get in my craft room finally!  When I bought the stamp set called "Dear Rose" that I made today's card with, it was by a company called Fun Stamper's Journey.  My dear friend, Donna, was a consultant with FSJ and I have always tried so support her small business adventure, as she did mine.  However, last November Fun Stamper's Journey merged with SpellbindersPaper Arts and WOW talk about a creative boom!  They have been killing it lately with so many great stamp and die products, plus their monthly kits are AH-mazing!  I even love the look and layout of their new website, it is so colorful, fresh and inspiring that it makes me want to create (and buy) all the things!  But, we've been so busy re-doing our house that all creative purchases have
been put on hold. . . for now. . .
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Card details:

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock.  I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" sheet of white cardstock and ran it through my Big Shot using the Garden Trellis Texturized Embossing folder.  I adhered this embossed sheet directly to the cad front.  Using the Gina Marie Stitched Scalloped Rectangle Nesting dies, I die cut a piece of Calypso Coral cardstock and then mounted a sheet of white cardstock on it.  Using Calypso Coral ink, I stamped the sentiment "Get Well Soon" in the lower right corner.  I stamped two roses on Calypso Coral cardstock in Basic Gray ink and die cut the roses using the coordinating Dear Rose die.  I adhered them to the center of the card using 3M foam adhesive.  I stamped two leaves in Basic Gray ink on white cardstock and adhered them underneath the roses using 3M foam adhesive.  Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the roses and leaves for added sparkle. 
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Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative weekend!

XO, Crystal

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    Hi, I'm Crystal!

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    Disclaimer:

    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:

    • I participate in several affiliate programs.  This means I earn a small commission when products are purchased using my links (at no additional cost to you). 
    • I do not work for any companies. 
    • I buy all of my own supplies, unless where mentioned in a post that a product has been gifted, or if I am supplied products in exchange for being on a company's Design Team.
    • I do not do sponsored posts (where a company pays me to talk about a product).
    • I do not place ads on my blog.  Ever. I hate them and I know you do too!

    ​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. 
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