Monochromatic Sympathy ~ Peony Reverie ~ Unity Stamp Co.

Hello there crafty friend! 

It's hard to make sympathy cards. Especially when you need one. I think a monochromatic floral card is nice for a sympathy card. When I saw the gorgeous Peony Reverie I wanted to see what it would look like with a sepia style of coloring. 

I've done sepia colorings before but I think I've colored them on white card stock. This time I wanted to see what it would look like on Kraft card stock. I colored the peonies with just E21 and E25. 

I die cut the panel using the largest die from the Deckle & Stitches Nesting Dies. I adhered the panel to a Kraft A2 top fold card base. I added a touch of white to the center of the peonies using a white gel pen.

The sentiment from the Say It Loud & Clear stamps was heat embossed with a clear embossing ink and black embossing powder. My black embossing powder is very old from Stampin' Up. I had to heat emboss the sentiment twice because of the old ep. It's also contaminated with paper bits and other stuff. Probably time to replace it. Any suggestions for a good black embossing powder? I fussy cut the sentiment and popped it up on the card with foam tape. I really like how this turned out.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky hugs,

Crystal

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Crafty Friends Are The Best ~ Crafty Friends ~ Unity Stamp Co.

Hello there crafty friend! 

The Birthday celebration continues over at Unity with another fab release and sale!! So many amazing stamps and goodies!! I am LOVING the new Crafty Friends stamp! 

I inked up the beautiful stamp with Black Amalgam ink and colored it with just a bunch of Copic markers. I die cut the panel with a square die from the Scallops & Squares {nesting dies}.

Here's a quick list of the Copics I used:

White: C00, C2

Black: N0, N2, N4

Tan: E00, E21

Green: YG11, G14

Blue: B000, B00, B02

Yellow: Y11, Y15

Blue-Green: BG10, BG01, BG34

Pink: RV10, RV02, RV04

Red: R20, R14

Brown: E21, E25

Coral: Y11, YR15

Purple: V000, V12, V15

I paired up this fun crafty stamp with the Cute & Crafty 6x6 Paper Pad from Doodlebug Designs. I've had these fun papers in my stash for SO long... I've been itchin' to use them! Love them! I finished off the card with a few white enamel dots from Spellbinders and some white twine.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky hugs,

Crystal

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{BYSHC} Sketch Challenge 57 ~ Fireside Friends ~ Newton's Nook Designs

Hello there crafty friend!

I'm back with a little inspiration for the {BYSHC} Sketch Challenge 57 hosted in the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Facebook group! Today I'm sharing another sweet holiday card featuring an adorable stamp from our fabulous Sponsor, Newton's Nook Designs.

I stamped the sweet critters and fireplace from the Fireside Friends Stamp Set with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored it up with Copic markers. 

Here's a quick list of the Copic markers I used:

Fireplace: C00, C2, C3

Garland: YG11, G24, G46

Bow: R20, R14, R27

Firewood: E51, E55, E57

Fire: Y11, Y06, YR23, YR04

Orange Kitty: R00, R20, Y11, YR21, YR15

Dog: N2, N4, N6, E51, E55, E57, BG10, BG01

Tortoiseshell Cat: N0, N2, N4, YR21, YR15, R00, R20 

I paired up the cozy stamped scene with scrap papers from the Canine Christmas 6x6 Paper Pad. Each of these squares measure 1" squared. I die cut a piece of Pure Poppy card stock from Papertrey Ink using the largest die from the Frames & Tags Die Set.

For my background layer I cut a piece of Lemon Lime Twist card stock from Stampin' Up to 4-1/4 x 5-1/2" and adhered it to a white A2 top fold card base. I stamped the sentiment on Stampers Select White card stock from Papertrey Ink. I trimmed it and popped it up on the card. I also popped up the stamped scene using foam tape.

Here's a look at {BYSHC} Sketch Challenge 57 for the month of May. If you're interested in seeing a bit more inspiration for this sketch, check out the amazing inspiration from the design team over on the {BYSH} Cardmakers blog! The design team, as always, rocked this sketch!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky hugs,

Crystal

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Thank You Sew Much ~ Seamstress Anya ~ The Greeting Farm

 Hello there crafty friend!

Today I'm sharing a cute thank you card featuring the adorable Seamstress Anya digi stamp set from The Greeting Farm!! I love working with digital stamps! It's so fun to put a scene together on the computer and just print it off. 

*** If you're looking for my Release Day Blog Hop post it's here... Fun on the Farm card. ***

I combined and resized these fun digis from the Seamstress Anya digi stamp set in a Word Document. I colored the images up with Copic markers.

Here's a list of the Copic markers I used:

Skin: E000, E00, E21

Hair: Y21, E21, E13

Hair Clips: V000, V12, V15, RV10, RV02, RV04

Dress / Shoes: V000, V12, V15

Sweater: RV10, RV02, RV04

Measuring Tape: Y11, Y15

Rainbow Quilt: R20, R14, R27, YR20, YR21, YR15, Y11, Y15, YG11, G14, B000, B00, B02, V12, V15, C00, C2

Triangle Quilt: C00, C2, BG10, BG01

Square Quilt: Y11, Y15, V000, V12, V15, YR21, YR15, E21, E25

Quilt Stand: E21, E13

Plant: Y11, YG11, G94

Plant Pot: BG10, BG01, BG34

Background: B0000, B000, B00, C00, C2

I die cut the panel using a die from the Deckle & Stitches Nesting Die Set from Unity. I adhered the die cut panel to a white A2 top fold card base that I flipped on the side for a landscape card.

I added some dots to the bottom quilt using a white Sakura Gelly Roll pen. So fun to make. I hope I've inspired you to get inky!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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Release Day Blog Hop ~ Fun on the Farm ~ The Greeting Farm

The May 2025 New Release is now available for purchase in The Greeting Farm Store! This month we introduced 3 new stamp sets. Our first set called SPACE KITTIES features four catstronauts having a blast exploring space. In our next set called SURF'S UP ANYA, our sweet girl is on vacation in Hawaii and ready to catch some waves. In our last set called FUN ON THE FARM, Anya and Ian finally bought a farm, and are busy raising chickens, sheep, and piggies.

HAY! I just adore that sentiment! When our family drives anywhere on our adventures and we see big ol' bales of hay we yell 'HAY'! It's just a fun thing and I thought of it when I saw that sentiment and had to use it! I inked up the adorable Anya with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored her and the critters up with Copic markers.

Here's a quick list of the Copic markers I used:

Skin: E000, E00, E11, R00, R20

Hair: Y21, E31, E35

Hat: E30, E31, E33, E25

Shirt / Socks: R20, R14

Skirt: B91, B93, B95, B97

Pig: R00, R20

Boots / Pail: N0, N2, N4

Food: E31, E33

Chicken: C00, C2, YR04, R20, R14

I paired up the adorable Anya with some old papers in my stash from Doodlebug Designs called Down on the Farm. I was happy to find scraps in my paper pack that worked just perfectly for this card.

Inspiration for my card came from the Tawny Owl Paperie Inky Inspiration Sketch 32. I host a fun sketch challenge in a Facebook group. I'd love for you to join and play along with us!

To celebrate this release we are having a short BLOG HOP! One lucky fan will win a $50.00 Gift Certificate to The Greeting Farm Store!! You have until May 18th, 12pm CST/1pm EST to leave your comments on each Designer's Blog. Then head back to The Greeting Farm Blog to let us know you completed the hop. **Remember to qualify for the prize you MUST leave a comment on each Designer's Blog AND The Greeting Farm Blog letting us know you completed the hop.

NOTE: Comments on The Greeting Farm Blog are admin approved so it may take a day for your comment to be visible. Please only comment once, and use the same name on all the blogs when leaving a comment. Do not pick the Anonymous option (otherwise we won't be able to verify that it's you). We will announce the random winner later in the week on the Blog and in our Facebook Group: The Greeting Farm Fan Page.

TGF Design Team:

Crystal

Cynthia

Elisabete

Meg

This is a short hop, and definitely worth playing along! If you want to grab your favorites now, you can purchase the new stamps HERE. We will have more cards featuring the New Release from our Design Team Leaders starting on the 21st so be sure to stop by The Greeting Farm Blog to see more inspiration.

Happy Hopping!

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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Membership Wednesday ~ May 2025 KOM Slow Down & Savor ~ Unity Stamp Co.

Hello there crafty friend!

Happy Membership Wednesday! Today I'm sharing a card featuring a fab stamp from the May 2025 Kit of the Month membership from Unity called Slow Down & Savor. 

I stamped the sweet scene with Black Amalgam ink and colored it up with some Copic markers. Here's a quick list of the Copic markers I used: 

Skin: E000, E00, E21, R00, R20

Hair: Y11, Y21, E31

Clothes / Hair Bow: RV10, R20

Tights: RV10, R20, C00

Book: G94, C00, C2

Bunny: C00, C2, R00, R20

Grass / Stems / Leaves: YG11, G94

Purple Flowers: V12

Pink Flowers: RV10, R32

Yellow Flowers: Y11, Y15

Blue Flowers: BG10, BG01

Background: B0000

My color choices were pulled from the pretty papers that came in my Kit of the Month. I just love the free goodies in my membership each month! I thought these papers were just perfect with this sweet stamp. I'm not sure which paper pack they are from but I'm sure they're from Unity's huge selection of papers!

I die cut my stamped and colored panel using a die from the Peekaboo Rectangle dies from Gina Marie Designs. I also die cut the pattern papers using the same die. I trimmed the pattern papers to fit an A2 card base. I distressed the edges of my stamped panel with my brown blending brush. I just used the residual ink on the brush and blended very lightly. And then I adhered them both to the card base.

Here's a quick look at this month's Kit of the Month membership!

Well, that's it for me today! I hope you've been inspired to play with your membership stamps! Have an inkredible day!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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Fun on the Farm ~ Preview Day 3 ~ The Greeting Farm

 Hello there crafty friend!

It's the final day of previews at The Greeting Farm for the May release! Introducing Fun on the Farm... today's adorable stamp set has a sweet Ian and Anya all dressed up as farmers with adorable critters and fun sentiments! 

I stamped Ian with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored him and the adorable sheep up with Copic markers. I fussy cut Ian and the sheep and then colored the edges with a Memento Tuxedo Black marker.

Here's a quick list of the Copic markers I used:

Skin: E000, E00, E11, E04, R20

Hair: E70, E71, E74

Red Bandana: R20, R14

Shirts: BG10, BG01, BG34, E21, E35 

Jeans: B91, B93, B95, B97

Boots: N2, N4, E21, E35, E25

Sheep: C00, C2, N2, N4

Flower: Y11, Y15, BG10, BG34

I paired up Ian and the adorable sheep with the Doodlebug Designs Down on the Farm 6x6" paper pad. My paper layers are: Brown - 4-1/4 x 5-1/2"; Blue Green - 3-5/8 x 4" ; and the sheep paper is 2-3/4 x 4".

I stamped the sentiment on a strip of white card stock. I trimmed it and felt like the extra white space needed something. So I stamped the cute little flower included in the set. I colored it with Copic markers and fussy cut it leaving a white border.

I added foam tape to the back of Ian and popped him up on the card. I finished it up with a few white enamel dots. The release goes live in the store on the 15th at 12am EST! Woohoo! Be sure to come back tomorrow for the release Blog Hop!! One lucky winner will receive a $50 gift card to The Greeting Farm. All you have to do is comment on the hop! Yay!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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Surf's Up Anya ~ Preview Day 2 ~ The Greeting Farm

 Hello there crafty friend!

It's Day 2 of previews at The Greeting Farm for the May release. So loving this adorable new Surf's Up Anya! Isn't she just darling?! I love her!

I made a fun CAS card with a simple square scene that I created using a couple stencils from my stash and a scalloped square die. For the sun rays I ink blended Squeezed Lemonade and Mustard Seed Distress Inks. For the waves I used Peacock Feathers Distress Ink. I also die cut a sun and blended the same yellows over the white card stock.

I stamped all the images with Memento Tuxedo black ink and colored them up with Copic Markers. I used a bunch of markers so the list is a bit long this time:

Skin: E000, E00, E11, E04

Hair: E41, E42, E43

Flower: Y11, Y15, YR23, YR04, white gel pen

Outfit: V000, V12, V15, RV10, RV02, RV04

Surf Board: V000, V12, V15, RV10, RV02, RV04, C00, C2

Rock: N2, N3, N4

I fussy cut all of the colored images and colored the edges with a Memento Tuxedo Black marker. I adhered all the images on my little square scene and then placed it on a white A2 top fold card base. Once I had it in position in my mini Misti, I was able to stamp the sentiment just where I wanted it.

This card was so much fun to make! Be sure to stop by the TGF blog to see all the makes from the design team. The release goes live in the store on the 15th at 12am EST.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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Inky Paws Challenge #240 ~ Sketch Challenge {Week 2}

 Hello there crafty friend!

 Have you played along with the Inky Paws Challenge 240 - Sketch Challenge yet?! There's still lots of time! You have until Friday, May 30th to get your entries in for this fun challenge and a chance to win a $20 store credit to Newton's Nook Designs!

Inky Paws Challenge #240 - Sketch Challenge

Have you tried this fun sketch yet? I think it's perfect for any season. Today I'm adding to my Halloween stash with a sweet Halloween card.

I inked up the adorable vampire kitty and candy bag from the Trick or Treat Newton Stamp Set. I colored it up with some Copic markers and die cut them using the coordinating dies from the Trick or Treat Newton Die Set.

Here's a quick list of the Copic markers I used:

White Kitty: C00, C2, R00, R20

Cape: N2, N4, N6

Button: R20, RV04, R37

Candy Bag: R20, RV04

I paired up the cute kitty with the awesome Halloween Party 6x6 Paper Pad. I really love the non-traditional colors in this paper pack. So fun!

I cut my background layers: the gray bat paper measures 4-1/4 x 5-1/2" and the pink bat paper measures 4-1/4 x 1-1/2". I die cut the other layers using dies from the Frames & Flags Die Set and the Circle Frames Die Set. I also die cut a scrap of black card stock using a circle die from the Circle Frames Die Set.

Now it's your turn to get your paws inky with your Newton's Nook Designs products and create a project using the sketch. Be sure to link up to the Inky Paws Challenge! Can't wait to see your projects!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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Space Kitties ~ Preview Day 1 ~ The Greeting Farm

 Hello there crafty friend!

It's the first day of previews at The Greeting Farm for the May release! This month's release is fantastic!! It's filled with OHHHs and AHHHs! Be sure to check out The Greeting Farm blog each day this week!

I stamped all of the adorable images and the sentiment from the Space Kitties with Memento Tuxedo black ink and colored the images up with Copic Markers. I fussy cut them all on the line and colored the edges of the fussy cutting with a Memento Tuxedo Black marker. There was one exception with the ring around the green planet. I fussy cut a white border around the ring so the ring wouldn't get lost in the background.

Here's a quick list of the Copic markers I used:

White Kitty: C00, C2, C3, R00, R20

Orange Kitty: YR21, YR15, YR27, R00, R20

Gray Kitty: N0, N2, N4

Space Suits: C00, C2, C3, R20, R14, Y11, Y15, BG0000, BG10, BG01, N2, N4

Stars: Y11, Y15

Yellow / Pink Planet: Y11, Y15, RV10, RV04

Purple Planet: V000, V12, V15

Spaceship: Y11, Y15, YR15, R14, RV10, RV04, BG10, BG01, N0, N2, N4, C00, C2

Falling Star: Y11, Y15, YG21, YG23, RV10, RV04, BG10, BG01

Green Planet: YG21, YG23

I had a blast ink smooshing and blending a fun galaxy background for today's card. I started by ink smooshing Mustard Seed, Picked Raspberry, and Chipped Sapphire Distress Inks. I then blended Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink over the background with a blending brush. I covered most of the pink and yellow in the background so there were just a few 'bursts' of color. I blended around the edges and through the middle with Black Soot Distress Ink. 

Once the background was dry {or nearly dry... I'm an impatient cardmaker! LOL!}, I spattered the background with white acrylic paint that I thinned out with a spritz of water. I let the background dry overnight. When I came back to it the next day, I trimmed the galaxy background to 4 x 5-1/4" and adhered it to a black top fold card base measuring 4-1/4 x 11"; scored at 5-1/2". 

I played around a bit with placement for all the fun images and once I was happy with them, I adhered them to the card. I just love how this turned out! Release goes live in the store on the 15th at 12am EST.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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Spring into Christmas 2025 {BYSHC} Linky Party ~ Purrs & Cocoa ~ Not 2 Shabby

 Hello there crafty friend!

I'm sneaking in one last card for the Spring into Christmas 2025 {BYSHC} Linky Party! I had one more stamped image colored up from Spring Break and thought I'd make a quick card using a past Tawny Owl Paperie Inky Inspiration Sketch.

I stamped the adorable cocoa kitty from the Purrs & Cocoa stamp set from Sponsor Not 2 Shabby using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored it up with Copic markers. I fussy cut the cocoa kitty leaving a white border around the edges.

Here's a list of the Copic markers I used:

Kitty: RV10, R20, N0, N2, N4

Marshmallows: C00, C2

Cocoa: E21, E23, E25

Mug: R20, R14, R27

Tree: YG11, G24, G46

I paired up the cute kitty with the retired Knit Picky 6x6 Paper Pad from Sponsor Lawn Fawn. I die cut the background layer using the largest die from the Scallops & Rectangles {nesting dies} from Sponsor Unity Stamp Co. I trimmed the banner layer and green paper. I cut a fishtail for the one end and then used a corner rounder punch for the green paper.

My card was inspired by TOP Inky Inspiration Sketch 4. I love the CAS vibe of the sketch! I was going to leave my background white for more of a CAS card, but decided to use up some of my older papers. I've had these Lawn Fawn papers for years now. Time to finish it up!

I adhered all of my layers using iCraft UltraBond Adhesive from Sponsor Therm O Web and then adhered the panel to a white A2 top fold card base. I popped up the cocoa kitty using 3D Foam Squares, also from Therm O Web. I finished off the card with three confetti pieces from the Hologram Red Card Bling from Sponsor A Colorful Life Designs.

I have had SO much fun playing along with the Spring into Christmas 2025 {BYSHC} Linky Party! I hope that you'll stop by the Linky Party and check out the cards that have been linked up. Lots of fabulous inspiration!! Don't forget the Linky Party ends at 11:59pm PST tonight. Get those entries in! Have an ink-tastic day!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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