Distress Crayons on Kraft ~ Serene Silhouettes ~ Unity Stamp Co.

Hello there crafty friend! 

Today I'm sharing a quick card for Unity's July release featuring the lovely Serene Silhouettes. I couldn't help but play with a few more Distress Crayons. But this time I thought I'd use them on Kraft card stock. I love the colors of the Distress Crayons on the Kraft... so awesome!

I used a couple strips of purple tape across my Kraft Card Stock panel to mask the area I wanted to color with the Distress Crayons. I then colored the space in between the tape using the Tumbled Glass, Twisted Citron, and Mermaid Lagoon Distress Crayons. I used a baby wipe to blend out the crayons.

I stamped the pretty trees from Serene Silhouettes with Black Amalgam ink from Gina K. Designs. Once I was happy with my pretty trees, I die cut the panel using the largest die from the Deckle & Stitches Nesting Die Set. I adhered my panel to a 4-1/4 x 5-1/2" piece of True Black Card Stock from Papertrey Ink and then adhered the panel to a white A2 top fold card base of Stampers Select Card Stock, also from Papertrey Ink.

I stamped the sentiment on the card but I messed it up so I stamped it again on a scrap of Kraft Card Stock and then mat it with a piece of black card stock. I then adhered it to the card. A great stamp for sympathy cards. Have an ink-redible day! 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky hugs,

Crystal

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{BYSHC} Sketch Challenge 47 ~ Do You Wanna Build a Snowman ~ Taylored Expressions

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 sweet Christmas card featuring the adorable Do You Wanna Build a Snowman die from our awesome sponsor, Taylored Expressions! Taylored Expressions has generously offered up a $25 gift card as a prize for the {BYSHC} Sketch Challenge 47 this month! So amazing!!

Lots of layers for this month's sketch! A great sketch for pattern papers though I went a different route this time using the Simple Snowflakes embossing folder from Tim Holtz for my background paper layers. I lightly rubbed the raised snowflakes of Night of Navy card stock from Stampin' Up with a bit of Sugar Cube White Pigment ink from Taylored Expressions. I mat them with Stampers Select White card stock from Papertrey Ink. And the layers are adhered to a 4-1/4 x 5-1/2" piece of True Black card stock from Papertrey Ink that's adhered to a white A2 top fold card base.

I started my focal image by ink smooshing Tumbled Glass, Chipped Sapphire and Black Soot Distress Inks on a medium piece of card stock. I left some white in the middle while I was ink smooshing and then blended Chipped Sapphire lightly over the panel giving the background a nice light middle to showcase the silhouettes. I dried the background with my heat tool and added some white acrylic paint splatters. The silhouettes are a fun retired die that I've had in my stash for quite awhile. So bummed it's not available anymore. I die cut the silhouette from a piece of True Black card stock. And then again from a scrap of Stampers Select White card stock. I offset the white behind the black die cut to give a shine to the silhouette. I love the effect! What do you think?

I die cut the ink smooshed background using the Stitched Bracket Stacklets dies from Taylored Expressions {these must be retired, I can't find them on the website}. I also die cut a scrap of black card stock for the bottom piece. I mat the focal image with a piece of white card stock that I die cut using the Stitched Square Stacklets dies. My sentiment from the Fluffy Friends - Holiday stamp set from Taylored Expressions is heat embossed. I prepped my black card stock with the TE Anti Static Powder Tool. I absolutely LOVE this tool! It was a Christmas gift from a crafty friend a couple of years ago and it has been a game changer for my heat embossing. I highly recommend it! Anywho, I stamped the cute sentiment using the Sugar Cube White Pigment ink and added Alabaster White Embossing powder from Brutus Monroe. I then melted the embossing powder using my Wagner Precision Heat Tool. After letting the melted powder cool a bit, I rubbed my card stock with a microfiber cloth to remove the anti static powder. I trimmed up the sentiment and adhered it directly to the card. Lots of layers for this card so I didn't use any foam tape.

Here's a look at {BYSHC} Sketch Challenge 47 for the month of July. Loving this sketch! I can't wait to see what everyone does with it. 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! Lots of beautiful inspiration this month from the design team.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky hugs,

Crystal

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Distress Crayon Background ~ Technique Tuesday ~ Unity Stamp Co.

 Hello there crafty friend!

I'm back with another Technique Tuesday! On the 2nd Tuesday of each month I'll be sharing a bit of inspiration and a video featuring a fun technique. I hope that you'll be inspired to get inky and play along with some of the techniques that I share.

Today's technique is all about quick and fun backgrounds with Distress Crayons!! I was chatting with a crafty friend about Distress Crayons and how we HAD to have them but we haven't played with them much, at all! So I thought, what better time to play with them and have some fun than for Technique Tuesday!

And they were so much fun! AND quick!! That's the key word when you're in need of a card ASAP. Am I right?

For my first card I made a Spring version using Mustard Seed, Kitsch Flamingo and Salvaged Patina Distress Crayons. These are my go-to colors for Spring.

I stamped the lovely silhouette stamp from the Meadow of Hope {April 2023 Whit Kit} with VersaFine Onyx Black ink. It's a tiny smidge crooked... but the crafty friend I'm sending it to won't mind. An easy fix would be to trim the panel and adhere it to a white base. Or cut a skinny strip of black card stock to run across that bottom. But I left it as is. 

I just love the font on this sentiment. Stamped so beautifully!

For my second card I made a Winter version... I know. I know. Enough with Winter. I can't help myself. I love Winter. I'd much rather snuggle up in a blanket by a fire to stay warm during the Winter than to lay absolutely still under the ceiling fan just to get some relief from the heat of Summer. Hahaha... but that's just little ole me.

For this background I used Seedless Preserves, Shaded Lilac, Tumbled Glass, and Chipped Sapphire Distress Crayons. Love love love this combo!! I will be using this combo again.

I used the gorgeous Shake Your Flakes {Front & Center stamps} for this card. One of my favorite Winter kits. I smudged this one up when I adhered it to the card base. I was devastated! Check out how I fixed it in my video down below.

You can check out my process video here... Distress Crayon Backgrounds | Technique Tuesday | Unity Stamp Co.

These Distress Crayon backgrounds were SO much fun! If you give this fun technique a try, I'd love to see what you create so please share your cards in the Unity Show & Tell group and tag me. Have an ink-tastic day!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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Masked Ink Smooshing ~ Embrace the Change ~ Unity Stamp Co.

 Hello there crafty friend!

Since I got so many Christmas cards made last week for the Christmas in July {BYSHC} Linky Party, I decided to take a break from my weekly Christmas card posts and today I'm sharing a fun technique that I played with yesterday. I'm not sure if it's a new technique or an old one, but I don't think I've seen it. I've decided to call it Masked Ink Smooshing... if it's been around and has a name please let me know in the comments. Anywho, I had the lovely Embrace the Change stamp kit from Unity on my desk just waiting to be inked up and I thought this technique would be beautiful with these stamps.

And I have to admit I love all things Fall just about as much as I love Christmas, so playing with some Fall ink colors was just perfect for these stamps!

As you can see in the photo I used Mustard Seed, Carved Pumpkin and Vintage Photo Distress Oxide inks for my cards. A favorite color combo for Fall cards!

There's a bit of texture in the Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor card stock - even on the back side which is what I used. So I stamped the leaves several times with Black Amalgam ink but you can still see some of the white in the texture.

I added a bit of {Black} May Arts Burlap string to cover up a little boo boo on my card. I think it adds a lovely touch to the card even though it's also a pretty fix.

This design could easily be changed up with different colors and different silhouette stamps. A lovely non-traditional Christmas combo of blue, purple and pink would be quite nice.

I trimmed this card front because some ink was on the outer right edge but I probably could have colored it over with a white gel pen. I added a few Sunflower Clear with Color enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs.

Such a fun technique to play with and it makes two cards pretty easily! I would love for you to check out my process video for these cards and please leave me a comment letting me know what you think of this technique... Masked Ink Smooshing | Embrace the Change | Unity Stamp Co.

Sadly, the big Warehouse Sale at Unity ended yesterday but I hope you'll check out this beautiful new stamp kit called Embrace the Change. {It looks like the sale hasn't been taken down just yet!! If you forgot to place your order, go do it now!} Sometimes, Unity keeps the new releases at their sale price for a few extra days after the sale. Maybe you can still snatch it up!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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Silhouette Stamping ~ Many Blessings Grove ~ Unity Stamp Co.

 Hello there crafty friend!

I'm back and this time I'm not sharing a Christmas card!! LOL! Phew... if you've been kind enough to stop by my blog during the Christmas in July Linky Party, thank you so much for the visits! I know that it can be a little much when it's Christmas everyday. Anywho, today I'm excited to share a new release from Unity called Many Blessings Grove. I do love to make Fall cards!

I did a bit of silhouette stamping over a masked inked blended background of Distress Oxide inks. A very easy technique and so beautiful!

I masked my panel with iCraft Removable Pixie Tape and ink blended Mustard Seed, Carved Pumpkin, and Vintage Photo Distress Oxide inks. I stamped the beautiful silhouette of trees over top with Ranger Jet Black Archival ink.

I ran the panel through my Big Shot with the Tribal Stitched Mini Slimline die from Gina Marie Designs and then I popped it up on a Kraft mini slimline card base measuring 7 x 6-1/2"; scored at 3-1/2". I trimmed the sentiment and adhered it directly to the tree panel. Done... so easy peasy and pretty too! Head on over to Unity and check out the latest release and of course, there's a fab sale going on!! 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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Membership Monday ~ May 2022 UU You've Got You ~ Unity Stamp Co.

 Hello there crafty friend!

I am back with another Membership Monday post featuring the beautiful Uniquely Unity membership from Unity Stamp Co. The May 2022 Uniquely Unity stamp called You've Got You is a fabulous silhouette stamp!! I had a fun idea to see how it would look with white embossing and black embossing... kinda like a black vs. white embossing showdown. LOL!

Now in retrospect I kinda wish that I had heat embossed with white on black card stock. The white get's lost on the white card stock. I think if I had heat embossed with white on black it would be more prominent. But at the same time the ink blending would have been totally different. Maybe if I have time I'll give it a try for another day.

I just love these colors ink blended together! Even the colors left on the stencil reminded me of a beautiful sunset. I ink blended Saltwater Taffy, Seedless Preserves and Chipped Sapphire Distress Oxide inks for this one.

Unfortunately, I only have one black embossing powder in my stash and that's a very old one from Stampin' Up that's honestly contaminated with glitter and bits of this and that. If you have a wonderful detailed black embossing powder please enable me... I definitely need to get some!!

The color combo on this one reminds me of water. I desperately need to clean my blender brushes but I was so excited that I finally found them in a box that I recently unpacked so I couldn't wait to use them!! It's been so frustrating using one little blending brush for all my colors. I was not looking forward to trying to do that with all the colors I used for these two cards. The struggle is real! LOL!

Here you can see some of the shine of the white embossing on the card front. I really had planned for these cards to be no layer cards, but I always seem to forget how much heat embossing can warp card stock. So after melting the embossing powder for both of these I had to change my plan and cut the card front to slightly smaller panels and adhere them to white A2 top fold card bases.

I wanted to go with a smaller print for the sentiment so the ink blending and silhouette image could be the focus. I chose one of the cute birthday sentiments in the Aging Gorgeously {July 2020 Sentiment Kit}. It's simply stamped with Gina K. Designs Black Amalgam ink. 

You can check out my process video for these cards here... Membership Monday | May 2022 Uniquely Unity You've Got You | Unity Stamp Co.

Such a beautiful stamp! I'm seriously having a hard time deciding which card I like more... do you have a favorite?! I love how bold the black is on the first card but the pop of white on the second card is so striking! I don't know that I can pick. Let me know in the comments which is your favorite. You can check out the Uniquely Unity membership over at Unity Stamp Co.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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