{BYSHC} Sketch Challenge 23 ~ Christmas Watercolor Panels ~ Taylored Expressions

 Hello there crafty friend!

I'm back with my weekly Christmas card using the current sketch from the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Facebook group and this time I needed something quick! I was going to look through my journaling cards real quick but I couldn't find them. One of these days I'll get my studio unpacked and organized! LOL! While I was looking though I found a package of Christmas watercolor panels from Taylored Expressions that I've had in my stash for awhile. I thought I'd give one of the panels a try... and it made for a pretty quick card!

It has been ages since I've done any watercoloring so it was fun to pull out my ZIGs and play. I colored up the panel with a few basic colors... greens for the trees, red for the sentiment and a touch of blue to highlight the snow. Super easy and quick!

For my background I ran a piece of Real Red card stock from Stampin' Up! through my Big Shot with an embossing folder called Snowflake Trim by Darice. I swiped my Sugar Cube White Pigment ink pad from Taylored Expressions lightly over the embossed card stock giving the snowflakes a hint of white.  

I trimmed the background to 5-1/8 x 3-7/8" and adhered it to a True Black card stock mat measuring 5-1/4 x 4". I cut a couple flags from the Real Red and True Black card stock. I punched the corners of the watercolored panel with a corner punch and then popped it up on the snowflake background with foam tape. I added a piece of foam tape just above the panel and adhered my little flags with some liquid glue and the foam tape. I adhered the entire panel to a Real Red card front measuring 5-1/2 x 4-1/4" and then I adhered the card front to a white A2 top fold card base that I turned on it's side. Done! I think it turned out pretty cute and it definitely has elements of the sketch.

Speaking of the sketch... here's another look at this month's {BYSHC} Sketch 23! I hope you've found some inspiration for the sketch or maybe just been inspired to make a Christmas card. 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! I'll be back next week with my weekly Christmas card using this fun sketch!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky hugs,

Crystal

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Tri-fold Slimline Card ~ Laughs in Flowers ~ Unity Stamp Co.

 Hello there crafty friend!

It's time for another new release over at Unity Stamp Co. and I have a pretty Tri-Fold Slimline Card with an easy galaxy background to share using the gorgeous new Laughs in Flowers stamp created by Ann Corbiere-Scott! Absolutely love this gorgeous stamp and it's SO big!!

I started by coloring the stamped flowers with my copic markers. The possibilities are endless when picking colors for this beauty but I went with a pretty yellow and blue combo with a touch of red and purple.

The galaxy background is so simple... it's just a piece of black card stock with some white and yellow acrylic paint splatters. I cut my True Black card stock from Papertrey Ink to 8-1/2 x 3-1/2". Popped it in my splatter box and splattered away. I wanted a fine splatter so I didn't saturate my paint brush too much and I splattered each color separately drying the background between colors. So easy peasy!

Here's a quick list of the Copic Markers I used to color up this beautiful stamped image:

Blue/Purple Flowers ~ B000, B02, BV0000, BV01

Yellow Flower ~ R12, R14, R29, Y11, Y06, Y15, YR15

Red Dots ~ Y11, R12, R14, R29

Leaves ~ YG11, YG13, YG17

Flowers Sentiment ~ Y15

I fussy cut the copic colored flowers leaving a skinny white border and adhered it to the galaxy background.  I trimmed the sentiment and adhered it to a black mat and then popped it up on the card with foam tape.

Here's a peek inside the tri-fold slimline card... I copic colored another flower!! I fussy cut this one too and adhered it on this inside flap of the tri-fold slimline card. If you're interested in seeing how I made this card, you can check out my process video here... Tri-fold Slimline Card | Laughs in Flowers | Unity Stamp Co.

Unity has a bunch of new amazing releasing happening today!! Go check them out and, of course, there's a fab sale too!! I'll be back tomorrow with my weekly Christmas card!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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Membership Monday ~ Coffee Crazy Background of the Month ~ Unity Stamp Co.

 Hello there crafty friend!

It's the first Monday of a new month and I'm back with the new June 2022 Background of the Month membership stamp from Unity Stamp Co. and this one is called Coffee Crazy!! It's fantastic for coffee themed cards and projects! I love it! I love it so much that I wanted to show as much of it as I could so I decided to use it for both my layers in the background on this card.

 I ink smooshed my background with Antique Linen, Vintage Photo and Ground Espresso Distress Oxide inks. I dried the ink smooshed background completely with a Wagner Precision Heat Tool and then inked up the Coffee Crazy stamp with Ranger Jet Black Archival ink. I distressed the edges with Ground Espresso Distress Ink... I love the richness this gives to the card!

I cut my background into three pieces and adhered the top and bottom pieces to an Early Espresso card front measuring 4-1/4 x 5-1/2". I adhered my middle piece to a 4-1/4 x 2-1/4" piece of Early Espresso card stock from Stampin' Up. I adhered a piece of scrap card stock between the top and bottom background pieces so my middle piece would lay flat and then I adhered the middle piece to the card front.

I set the background aside while I stamped the beautiful girl from Dream of Being with Gina K. Design Black Amalgam ink on white card stock and then I colored her up with the following Copic markers:

Skin ~ E000, E00, E11, E04, RV10, RV21

Hair ~ E43, E44, E49

Sweater ~ BG000, BG15, BG72, BG75

Cup ~ RV10, RV21, C00, C2

I distressed the edges of the colored girl panel with the Ground Espresso Distress Ink. I trimmed a 3-5/8 x 3/4" piece of Lost Lagoon card stock from Stampin' Up. I stamped the sentiment from the Just What I Needed stamp set from Unity with Wow Clear Embossing ink and heat embossed Alabaster White Embossing powder. I die cut the STAMPlorations Coffee sentiment from Early Espresso {twice} and Lost Lagoon card stock. I adhered all the die cut sentiments together... the two Early Espresso ones on the bottom and the Lost Lagoon on the top. I like the extra bit of dimension this gives the die cut sentiment. 

I trimmed the sentiment and cut a flag on the end. I adhered all of my pieces to the card using a few scraps of card stock under the focal piece so that it would lay flat. I added a few enamel dots to finish off the card. They were actually from a Christmassy/wintry enamel dot pack called Let it Snow from Carta Bella.... but they were just the right color. 

Here's a look at the sketch I used for my card design! I recently started sharing a monthly sketch in my Tawny Owl Paperie Inky Inspiration Facebook group to help inspire and encourage cardmakers when they're in a bit of a crafty funk. A good sketch always gets my mojo going! I hope it helps others too!

I just love this new background stamp! So fun! You can check out the Background of the Month membership over at Unity Stamp Co. I'll be back next Monday with a card using a stamp from the new June 2022 Kit of the Month!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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~ Friends of Unity June 2022 Blog Hop ~

 Hello there crafty friend!

It's one of my favorite times of the month... time for the Friends of Unity Blog Hop!! Our cue this month is one of my faves that we've done a couple times now! I can't wait to see all the creations shared by our friends today! So let's get to the cue...

... Masculine cards!! Yes! 

Masculine cards can be so hard at times, but they are absolutely necessary for those guys in our lives and with Father's Day quickly approaching I thought it would be fun to share a few ideas for Father's Day cards.

For my first card I used the cute Best Tool in the Box stamp set... I love the cute tools in this set! I thought it would be so fun to tuck those tools in a pocket and I remembered that I have a pocket stamp!! I used the adorable pocket stamp from the Pocket & Patches stamp set. There is another pocket stamp in an older KOM called A Pocket Full of... that one would probably work too. Not sure about the size of the pocket in that kit though.

I actually started with the background for this card though. I stamped the Dance with Denim background stamp onto Buckaroo Blue card stock from Stampin' Up with Stormy Sky and Faded Jeans Distress Oxide inks. I didn't ink up the background stamp fully before stamping... I inked it up randomly one color at a time. I think it gives the background a bit of a distressed look. I stamped it again with both inks for my second background and then a third time on a scrap of card stock for my pocket.

I stamped the tools with Gina K. Design Black Amalgam ink and colored them up with just a handful of Copic Markers ~ E53, E55, E57, E59, N0, N1, N3, and N4. I fussy cut the tools and cleaned up the edges by coloring them with a Memento Tuxedo black marker. To assemble the card, I mat the denim backgrounds on Kraft card stock to coordinate with the brown in the tools. I used a 1/8" circle punch to punch the holes in the rivets of the pockets and added a couple brads from my stash. I adhered just the outer edges of the pocket leaving the top open for the tools and then I tucked the tools in there adhering them with liquid glue. I stamped the sentiment with the black amalgam ink on Kraft card stock. I trimmed it up adding a layer of scrap card stock to each side of the sentiment strip so it would lay flat and then I adhered it to the card.

For my second card I used the adorable Beary Best Dad stamp set. I'm pretty sure that I haven't used this one before so I was excited to finally ink it up! It was so much fun to color too! I tried a different technique for coloring up the fur... little circles around the face and on the body. Though I think it's more noticeable on the face. I do like how it turned out!

I paired it up with some pattern papers from my stash and the colors from the papers are what inspired my coloring choices for the image. Here's a quick list of the Copic Markers I used:

Little Bear ~ E51, E53, E55, RV21

Dad Bear ~ E51, E53, E55, E57, E59, R000, R20, RV21

Hat ~ E53, E55, E57, E59

Tie ~ BG10, BG01, BG13, YG11, YG13, YR21, YR15

Bow Tie ~ YG11, YG13, YR21, YR15

Grass ~ YG11, YG13, YG17

I die cut the stamped and colored panel with the largest stitched rectangle die from the Scallops & Rectangles {nesting dies} from Unity. I adhered the two pattern papers to my white A2 top fold card base that I turned on it's side. I trimmed off the excess pattern papers and then adhered the top panel. A pretty simple, but adorable card!

And a vintage style card for the grandfather's in our lives using the beautiful You Are a Classic stamp set!! Sometimes you just need some inky time and distressing the edges for this card... so relaxing! I love the deep brown hues on the pattern paper and the Vintage Cream card stock that I used to stamp on! So rich and beautiful in person!

The pattern paper I used was just another one from my stash but it wasn't necessarily vintage in style so the distressing with Vintage Photo Distress Ink around the edges really gave it that vintage look. I stamped the beautiful vintage car background and sentiment with Gina K. Design Black Amalgam ink on Vintage Cream card stock from Papertrey Ink. I mat all of my layers with Soft Suede card stock from Stampin' Up because it coordinated with the colors in the pattern paper but I don't think it really mattered since I ended up distressing each of the layers over the mats with the Vintage Photo Distress ink.

It's been quite awhile since I've used a button on one of my cards... they are just so bulky and it's so annoying paying extra to mail bulky cards, but this card just had to have one.  I wrapped the button holes with some {Ivory} May Arts Burlap string and adhered it to the back of the button with a glue dot. I also used glue dots and a touch of Ranger Multi Media Matte to adhere the button to the card. I'm pretty sure it's not going anywhere! LOL! I popped up the focal image and the sentiment with foam tape giving some dimension to the card. Another one done... so happy with how all of these turned out!

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 package and that lucky winner is...

... Cat Valdez!! Congratulations, Cat!!

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

Prize must be claimed within two weeks. 

Well, that's it for me this time! Please hop along and enjoy some more inspiration from the Friends of Unity! I can't wait to see all the gorgeous inspiration from our friends! I will be doing another fun giveaway this month!! Be sure to hop along and comment for a chance to win! I'll announce the winner next month! 

***Google/Blogger is acting weird lately so please include your name in the comments just in case the comment is posted as anonymous we'll still be able to know who commented.***

Let's get to the hopping...

Crystal <--- you're here

up next ---> Amber

Eileen

Dawn B.

Rachel

Kim

Dawn F.

Colleen

Alaine

Joyce

Robyn

Thanks so very much for supporting our little hop!

We appreciate you!!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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{BYSHC} Sketch Challenge 23 ~ Deck the Halls ~ Unity Stamp Co.

 Hello there crafty friend!

It's time for a new Sketch Challenge over at Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers and I have a sweet Christmas card to share using a beautiful stamp from Unity Stamp Co. called Deck the Halls. I've been wanting to ink up this stamp for quite awhile but it's been too large to work with our sketches so I chose a sketch that would work with this stamp and other large stamps. I can't wait to see the creations made this month with this sketch design... I think it'll be fun!

I paired up this beautiful stamp with the Christmas paper pad from Carta Bella Paper Co. I've only used these papers once or twice and they are gorgeous!! I really wanted to use as much of it as I could. The banners in this sketch really allow for you to showcase your pretty pattern papers.

I stamped the cute Deck the Halls couple with Gina K. Design Black Amalgam ink and colored it up with the following Copic Markers:

Skin ~ E000, E00, E11, E04

Hair ~ E51, E55, E57, E59

Hats ~ YG11, G24, G46, C00, C2, N2, N4, N6

Boots ~ E51, E55, E57, N2, N4, N6 

Her Clothes ~ R20, R27, R59, B91, B95, B97

His Clothes ~ R20, R14, R27, YG11, G24, G46, B95, B97, B99

Glove ~ N2, N4, N6

Tree ~ YG11, G24, G46, E55, E57, E59

Ground ~ C00, C2

Outline ~ N0, N1

I trimmed my copic colored panel down to 3-5/8 x 4-7/8" cutting off a bit of the trunk because I wanted to show more of the pretty holly pattern paper. I adhered my pattern paper banner strips to the panel and then trimmed off the excess. I cut a black card stock mat measuring 3-3/4 x 5" and adhered the panel to it. And then I adhered the mat panel to the holly pattern paper card front measuring 4-1/4 x 5-1/2". I then adhered the entire card front to a white A2 top fold card base. I added a few touches of white gel pen to the tree and a little bit to his glove. I stamped the sentiment and trimmed it and then adhered it to a black mat. I wanted to add a little something under the sentiment... it just seemed like a lot of empty space so I added a few red rhinestones from the Rainbow Bling rhinestones from Gina Marie Designs.

Here's a look at the fun {BYSHC} Sketch 23 for the month of June!

I hope you'll join us and play along with the sketch! 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! Since this new sketch is starting mid-week I'm going to count this card as my weekly Christmas card and I'll be back June 10th with my regular weekly Christmas card using this fun new sketch!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky hugs,

Crystal

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Fun New Sketch ~ TOP Inky Inspiration Sketch 1 ~ May 2022 Whit Kit ~ Unity Stamp Co.

 Hello there crafty friend!

As you may know, I love card sketches... they are seriously THE backbone to my mojo. I use sketches all the time! In fact, when I look at a card I often see the sketch design before I notice the pretty elements. I got to thinking that us cardmakers sometimes get in a funk when our mojo's aren't cooperating. And for me when that happens I look at past sketches or some of my older cards... and even head over to Pinterest to look for sketch ideas. For over a year and a half now I've been sharing sketches with the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmaker Facebook group which has been lots of fun and inspiring to get our Christmas card stash done for 2022. I got to thinking... why not start sharing sketches in my Tawny Owl Paperie | Inky Inspiration Facebook group!! Even better, the sketches aren't tied to a theme so you can use any stamps for any occasion!! So fun! And believe it or not, the sketch I'm sharing today helped me in designing my third card using the May 2022 Whit Kit from Unity Stamp Co. 

Here is a look at the very first TOP Inky Inspiration Sketch 1!! Woohoo!! I'm so excited for this sketch... I hope that you like it and maybe it'll inspire you to get inky!

As I mentioned above, I used the wonderful May 2022 Whit Kit from Unity for my card. I was so stuck trying to think of a card design for my third make with the kit and then I saw the sketch print out that I had on my desk and it was like... DUH!! LOL!

Once I had the sketch in mind, my card came together pretty quickly. You can check out my process video here... Fun New Sketch | TOP Inky Inspiration Sketch 1 | Unity.

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

Watering Can ~ R00, R30

Daisies ~ B60, B0000, Y11, Y15, Y26

Pinks ~ R00, R21

Blues ~ B0000, B60

Yellows ~ Y000, Y11, Y15, Y26

Greens ~ YG11, YG91, YG95

And here's a look at the card kit! Be sure to check out the Whit Kit membership at Unity!! Today is the last day to sign up for the May 2022 kit!! If you already have the kit, I hope you share your creations in the Unity Show & Tell Facebook group! Also, I'd love to invite you to join the Tawny Owl Paperie | Inky Inspiration Facebook group... it's a fun little group that I just started back up and I hope that you'll join us and play along with the first sketch! The sketch is just for fun... no prizes or anything yet. Just a fun way to get our mojos working when we get in a slump. Hope to see you there!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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Membership Monday ~ May 2022 Whit Kit ~ Unity Stamp Co.

 Hello there crafty friend!

I finally got my May 2022 Whit Kit from Unity... yay!! I played a bit this weekend and made a few cards. I'm going to share two with you today. Since I got my kit so late I decided to make a couple pretty simple cards to share for inspiration.

My first card uses one of the pretty papers from the Hello Daisy {paper pack} that's included in the kit. I die cut it with the largest stitched scalloped die from the Scallops & Rectangles {nesting dies} also from Unity.

I adhered it to a white A2 top fold card base measuring 4-1/4 x 11"; scored at 5-1/2". I wrapped the front of the card with {Naturals} May Arts Burlap string a few times and just used some scotch tape to adhere the string ends behind where the stamped image would go. I decided to wait on a sentiment for this one. I couldn't decided what occasion I wanted to use it for.

I stamped the pretty watering can of flowers with Gina K. Designs Black Amalgam ink and colored it up with the following Copic Markers:

Daisies ~ C00, C2, Y11, Y15, Y26

Pinks ~ R00, R30, R21

Purples ~ V0000, V01, V12

Greens ~ YG11, YG91, YG95

Watering Can ~ Y000, Y11, Y15, Y26

For my second card I really wanted to use the black pattern paper from the Hello Daisy {paper pack} and I thought it would be fun to just die cut the one daisy and the Dashes and Frills Hearts {die set} was perfect to die cut that one pretty daisy.

I used the next largest heart die to die cut a white mat so the heart die cut image would pop on the card. I cut a 1 x 4-1/4" strip of white card stock from my scraps to adhere across the pattern paper layer. I stamped the sentiment on another scrap of white card stock and trimmed it. It fit just right in that space on the left of the heart die cut... yay!

Here's a quick list of the Copic Markers I used for this one:

Daisy ~ C00, C1, Y11, Y15, Y26

Leaf ~ YG11, YG91, YG95

Smaller Flower ~ Y000, Y11, Y15, Y26

Here's a look at the card kit! Be sure to check out the Whit Kit membership at Unity... I believe tomorrow is the last day to sign up for this kit!! If you already have the kit, I hope you share your creations in the Unity Show & Tell Facebook group! I'd love to see what you create! I'll be back tomorrow with one more card using this fantastic kit.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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