{BYSHC} Sketch Challenge 65 ~ Holiday Owls ~ Not 2 Shabby

Hello there crafty friend!

I'm back with a little inspiration for the {BYSHC} Sketch Challenge 65 hosted in the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Facebook group! Today I'm sharing a sweet Christmas card featuring gorgeous papers and an adorable owl stamp from our amazing Sponsor Not 2 Shabby! This month's prize is a $25 gift certificate to Not 2 Shabby! Woohoo!

I started with my background first for this one. I really wanted to play with some of the fun glitter papers in the Festive Christmas 6x6 paper pad. I used pattern papers from the pad for each of my layers. I cut the four strips at 1/4" wide. I alternated the glitter strips and I think it really helps to draw the eye across the card to the cute owl.

I stamped the adorable owl from the retired Holiday Owls using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I colored it up with a handful of Copic markers.

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

Hat: R20, R14, R27, C0, C2

Holly: YG11, G24, R14, R27

Beak / Feet: YR20, YR15

Body: W0, W1, W3, W5

White Areas: C0, C2

I adhered the strips at the top of the panel and the right side of the panel leaving them loose in the left corner to weave. I was then able to adhere the weaved ends and didn't have to worry about them moving around. I trimmed the sentiment and popped it and the fussy cut owl up on the card with foam tape.

Here's a look at {BYSHC} Sketch Challenge 65 for the month of January. If you're interested in seeing a bunch more inspiration for this sketch, check out the amazing inspiration from the design team over on the {BYSH} Cardmakers blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Inky hugs,

Crystal

~ Friends of Unity January 2026 Blog Hop ~

Hello there crafty friend & Happy New Year to you!

It's time for our first Friends of Unity Blog Hop of 2026!! Woohoo! I'm ready to kickoff a brand new year with our friends and share some fun inspiration with our cue...

Today we are sharing inspiration that we CASEd. What does CASEd mean? It's an acronym for Copy And Share Everything or Copy And Selectively Edit. It is a common practice in the cardmaking community where a card maker is inspired by another person's design and recreates it, either as an exact copy or with some modifications. For example, changing up the colors or using a different stamp. I had a lot of fun with my makes for this one.

My first card features the cute new Cupid Pissy Kitty. Isn't it just too cute?! It was also fun to color up with my Copic markers.

Copic markers used:

Kitty: N0, N2, N4, YR20, YR15, R20

Eyes: C0, C3, YG00, YG11

Sash: RV10, RV02

Wing: C0, C3

Bow / Arrow: E21, E25

My card design was CASEd from cards that Angela Magnuson shared in the Unity Show & Tell. She had blended over a stencil and then stamped a pretty flower silhouette. Her design was very CAS {Clean & Simple}. My design took a left turn. Haha... 

I ended up die cutting my panel and adhering it to a white card base. I die cut the panel using the largest die from the Deckle & Stitches Nesting Die Set. I also popped up the sentiment with foam tape.

I blended Kitsch Flamingo and Picked Raspberry Distress Inks over the fun Layered Hearts {stencil set}. I finished off the card with a few pieces of confetti from the Crystal Opaque Creme Puff Card Bling from A Colorful Life Designs.

Keeping with a love theme for my second card. This time I inked up the adorable birdie from the brand new January 2026 KOM called Margins of Ever After. This cutie is also available separately in the  Wee Little Love Courier stamps. Too stinkin' cute!!

Inspiration for this card came from a fabulous card shared by Danni Bindel. Danni shared a card featuring the Fluff Squad. And funnily enough, she was actually inspired to make this card using one of the Tawny Owl Paperie Inky Inspiration Sketches!! Made me giggle when I realized that. I love how our cardmaking community inspires each other!

I die cut the birdie using a die from the Oval Frames die set from Newton's Nook Designs. Unity really needs to add some fun oval dies to their collection!

Copic markers used to color up this cutie:

Bird: B000, B00

Eyes: C0, C3

Beak / Legs / Feet: YR20, YR15

Heart: RV10, RV02, YR20

Grass: YG00, YG11

 I paired up this sweet bird with the Cloud Hopper Chronicles {paper pack}. So many fun layers in this one. I used paper scraps across the card and then I popped up the trimmed sentiment and the oval using foam tape.

I wanted to play with lots of color for this one. I found a great piece of pattern paper from the Oh Hey! It's Your Day {paper pack} for my background and pulled colors from the papers for my coloring.

My last card was inspired by this lovely card by Amy Marie in the Unity Show & Tell Facebook group. I was pulled into the card by the theme... I love books!! But really the arch is what got my attention. Amy used the beautiful girl from the March 2025 KOM Chapters & Crossings.

I thought the gorgeous flowers from the new January 2026 KOM would look lovely in this card design. These beauties are also available separately in the Where Butterflies Wait stamps. I die cut the flowers using the largest die from the Scallops & Arches {nesting dies}. 

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

Pink: RV10, RV02

Red Flowers: R20, R14

Yellow Flowers: Y11, Y35, R20, R14

Butterfly: BG10, BG01, Y11, Y35

Greens: YG00, YG11, YG23

Background: B000

Now before we get to the hopping, I chose a lucky winner from the comments on last month's hop to win a fun prize and the lucky winner is...

... Sabra & Holly Gerdes.!! Congratulations, Sabra & Holly!!

Please email me at crystalominkler@gmail.com to claim your prize. 

Please claim the prize before February 4th, 2025. 

Well, that's it for me this time! Another short hop this month with just seven of us sharing our makes. Be sure to hop along and enjoy some more inspiration! I can't wait to see how our friends were inspired by this month's cue. I will be doing another fun giveaway this month!! Be sure to hop along and comment for a chance to win. {When you comment please leave your name just in case it posts as anonymous.} I'll announce the winner next month! 

Let's get to the hopping...

Crystal <--- you're here

up next ---> Amber

Toni

Jenni

Jane

Dawn

Rachel

Thanks so very much for supporting our little hop!

We appreciate you so much!!

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

{BYSHC} Sketch Challenge 65 ~ A Shabby Christmas ~ Not 2 Shabby

Hello there crafty friend!

It's time for a new sketch challenge over in the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Facebook group! Today I'm sharing a pretty Christmas card featuring beautiful papers and ephemera from our awesome Sponsor Not 2 Shabby! This month's prize is a $25 gift certificate to Not 2 Shabby! Yay!

I used a fun combination of the papers from the A Shabby Christmas 6x6 Paper Pad for my background. I used the measurements from the sketch for each layer except the red glitter mat which I made a smidge smaller at 3-7/8 x 5-1/8".

The red glitter strips measure 1/4" wide and I kept them at 6" long. I wove them onto the top layer and adhered them starting at the top. Once the top was set I found I could adhere the horizontal strips easily and then adhere the bottom of the vertical strips. I sure hope that makes sense... my head is still congested and my brain isn't working. :)

I punched a 1/8" hole in the top of the star ephemera from the A Shabby Christmas Ephemera and added a little bit of burlap string. I trimmed two fishtails on the ends of the stamped sentiment from the Pick Me Up stamp set from Not 2 Shabby. And then I covered the back of the star and the sentiment with foam tape and popped them both up on the card.

Here's a look at {BYSHC} Sketch Challenge 65 for the month of January. If you're interested in seeing a bunch more inspiration for this sketch, check out the amazing inspiration from the design team over on the {BYSH} Cardmakers blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Inky hugs,

Crystal