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Hello crafty readers! I'm excited to be sharing the first two cards I created using the new String Art Frame Hot Foil plate from Birch Press Design. Now, if I'm being completely honest, these are actually the first two cards I have ever made using hot foil!! Heat foiling is very on-trend right now in the craft industry, so I succumbed to the peer pressure and bought the Gemini Foil Press (because it works with my Gemini, Jr. die cutting machine). Heat foiling is a magical process where heat and pressure are applied to a special foil to imprint on paper. Unlike heat embossing where the image is raised when Versamark ink and embossing powder are heated with an embossing gun, in heat foiling, the image is imprinted or pressed into the paper when heat and pressure are applied.   I created two cards that are nearly identical, I simply swapped out the color combination and sentiment to achieve two unique looks. Keep reading for all the details:  Card details:The base of this A2 sized card was made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of purple cardstock from the 6" x 6" Twilight cardstock pack. On a 5" x 3 3/4" sheet of white cardstock, I heat foiled the String Art Frame hot foil plate on my Gemini Foilpress machine with purple Foilpress foil.  On a separate sheet of watercolor cardstock, I stamped the large floral image from the Memory Box (a sister company to BPD) All the Happiness stamp set in Versamark ink and heat embossed it with gold embossing powder. I colored the image using Zig Real Color Watercolor Brush markers. Once the image dried, I used the coordinating All the Happiness dies to cut the image out. I adhered the flowers to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I stamped the sentiment in Versamark ink and heat embossed it with gold embossing powder. This sentiment is from the Kind Hearts clear stamp set. I adhered the sentiment to the card also using 3M foam adhesive tape. Lastly, I added a light coat of clear Wink of Stella to the flowers for added sparkle. *Be careful with Wink of Stella on watercolor though, because it will bleed as it is water-on-water based.  For this second card, I used identical products as the first card, I simply swapped out the purple foil for a teal foil and I colored the flowers with teal or turquoise hued Zig Real Color Brush markers.   Alright, so since I admitted this was my first go-round with hot foiling, I'll also admit that I did my initial foiling wrong and ended up heat foiling the plate itself and not the paper. Note to self, read the instructions first! They do exist for a reason!! : ) But, all-in-all I was quite pleased with how my first heat foiled cards turned out and I look forward to experimenting more! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalYou might also enjoy:
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Today's card was inspired by the August mood board at 88 and Clear. I have been on the Design Team for this company for a couple years now and recently began creating a mood board to help spark creativity. Using these colors as my inspiration, I have already created four very different cards this month! Be sure to follow along on Instagram and my IG stories for all the latest behind-the-scenes fun!  Here is the August mood board with fresh and bright summer-y colors:   Card details:The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Using the Whimsy Stamps Lattice A2 die, I created the background from white cardstock. I stamped the two butterflies from the Boho Wings stamp set by 88 and Clear in Versamark ink and heat embossed each with gold embossing powder. I watercolored the butterflies with Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers. I fussy cut the butterflies and adhered them to the card using 3M foam adhesive. I stamped the sentiment "always smile" in Versamark ink and heat embossed it also with gold embossing powder. I used a 2" circle punch to punch the sentiment out and adhered it to the card also using 3M foam adhesive.   Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalYou might also enjoy:
Hello friends and happy Monday! Welcome back from the weekend. Today I am on the Birch Press Design blog and I'm excited to be sharing STAMPED projects with you today and not the usual beautiful layering dies that Birch Press Design is most known for. Do you even know that Birch Press Design also sells stamps?! Surprise, they do!   Card details:The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. This is my go-to white cardstock for everything. Using the Delfina Layer A die, I die cut the lattice background from white cardstock. I adhered this directly to the card base. I stamped the flowers from the All the Happiness stamp set in Versamark ink on Distress Watercolor cardstock and heat embossed the image with gold embossing powder. I then watercolored the flowers using Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers in Scarlett Red, Bright Yellow, Persian Blue, Pale Green and Light Green.  Once the watercolor was dry, I die cut the image using the coordinating All the Happiness dies. I adhered the flowers in the lower right corner of the card using 3M foam adhesive. I stamped the sentiment "celebrate today" from the Classic Sentimental Wreath stamp set. I punched the sentiment out using a label punch and adhered it to the card with 3M foam adhesive.  Today's second card is also made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Using Layer A from the Delfina Layering Dies, I die cut the lattice background from white cardstock. I adhered the lattice background directly to the card. I stamped the flowers from the All the Happiness stamp set in Versamark ink on Distress Watercolor cardstock. I heat embossed the image with gold embossing powder and then I watercolored the image using Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers (the same colors are listed above).  I die cut the flowers using the coordinating die and adhered the flowers to the card using 3M foam adhesive. I stamped the sentiment "celebrate today" from the Classic Sentimental Wreath stamp set in blue ink on white cardstock. I punched the sentiment out with a 2" circle punch. I also adhered the punch to the card using 3M foam adhesive. I am so in love with this beautiful flower stamp set and I'll be using more stamps from Birch Press Design in the future! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalHello readers! Last week I shared with you that I began teaching classes at the Butterfly Reflections Ink store in Kingston, New Hampshire. Today I am sharing one of the cards we made at the "Watercolor Wonder" class. For this class I taught a couple different ways that you can watercolor because I have found that with any new technique you learn, you have to find what works for you. Maybe you don't like the freedom of watercolor palettes, but you like more precise watercolor pens instead. Or maybe, you find that you don't even like to watercolor at all, which is perfectly okay too! At least by investing a little money in a class then you will save yourself money in the long run by not investing in products that won't be used! That's the great thing about taking a class in person, you can try a variety of different techniques and see what you like and even what you don't! In this class we experimented with Distress Oxide Inks, Zig Clean Real Color Brush Markers, Kuretaki Ganzai Tambei watercolor palettes and Spectrum Noir Sparkle Brushes.  Card details:The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Using the Altenew Watercolor Stripes Card Panel die, I created the striped frame also from white cardstock. Underneath the frame I placed a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Orange Woodgrain paper from Lawn Fawn. I die cut a diamond from gold glitter paper. I stamped the orange blossoms from the Reverse Confetti Orange Blossoms stamp set in Versamark ink and heat embossed the orange blossoms outline with gold embossing powder. I colored the oranges and leaves with watercolor using the Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers. I die cut the orange blossoms using the coordinating die and adhered the image to the card. Lastly, I stamped the sentiment "hi friend" in Memento Tuxedo black ink on a thin strip of white cardstock and added it to the card.    Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalYou might also enjoy:
Please don't be all confused by the title of today's post. . .Yes, I am very aware that it is the middle of July, which qualifies it as summer, and thus, the title should be "summer mail." But, the name of this stamp set from Richard Garay Designs is called "Spring Mail." And, in my traditional habit of always being behind, today we get spring mail, in the form of a peony filled envelope, in the summer!  Card details:*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post. The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I matted a random scrap piece of black and gold foil paper with Melon Mambo cardstock and adhered both to the center of the card. I stamped the Spring Mail image in Versamark ink onto a piece of watercolor paper and heat embossed it with gold embossing powder. I colored the image using Zig Watercolor Brush pens. Once the image dried, I fussy cut the image and adhered it to the center of the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I punched out a few extra leaves with a leaf punch and gold glitter paper. I stamped the sentiment "Hello Lovely" in Versamark ink and heat embossed it also in gold embossing powder. I fussy cut the sentiment and adhered it below the envelope and to the right of the card. Lastly, I added a few pink rhinestones for extra sparkle.    Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! XO, CrystalList of supplies:
I have recently been trying to expand some of my creative endeavors to include the "messy things." I'm talking about mediums like watercolor, stenciling, pastes and Distress Oxide inks. All of these things typically give me a lot of anxiety, but I am finally (and ever so slowly) beginning to open up and appreciate these arts and embrace each learning experience, all while forgiving the mess! Today I am sharing a variety of watercolored cards using the "Vintage Flower" stamp by Concord and 9th.   Card details:*All cards were made nearly identical in layout, I simply varied the color scheme. A full supply list is located at the end of this post. The base of each A2 sized card is made from a solid colored cardstock (Blueberry Bushel, Bermuda Bay, Pear Pizzazz, Highland Heather and Gorgeous Grape). I then cut a frame out of white cardstock using the Papertrey Ink "Mix and Mat: Plaid Die." I stamped the sentiment "Feel Better" on most of the cards in either the corresponding ink color, or I heat embossed it in gold. I stamped the large vintage flower in Versamark ink on watercolor paper and heat embossed some using white embossing powder and others using gold embossing powder to see how different each looked. I used Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers to add color to each flower. After each flower was dried, I used the coordinating die to cut each flower out and I adhered the flower to the card using foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a couple randomly placed clear rhinestones to each card for added sparkle.           I hope you have enjoyed seeing these cards in a variety of colors! Do you have a favorite? And, do you like to experiment with watercolor or any other "messy" medium?! Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day! 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. |
