{BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party ~ Snowman Globe ~ RAM Stamps

Hello there crafty friend!

I'm so excited to share my first card for the {BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party hosted by the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Facebook group! This is our seventh annual Christmas in July Linky Party! Woohoo!! This event is a great excuse to get ahead on those holiday cards to relieve some of the stress later on in the year during the holidays. I am super excited to add a few more holiday cards to my Christmas card stash and I sure hope that you'll join in the fun!

For my first card I've made a sweet holiday card using the adorable Snowman Globe Digital Stamp from our Sponsor Rachelle Anne Miller Digital Stamps AKA RAM Stamps. I combined and resized a few digital stamps on a page and printed them off with my printer. I colored up the cute snowman globe image with Copic markers. I wrapped the globe with white baker's twine and popped it up on the card with foam tape.

Copic markers I used:

Snowman / Snow: C0, C2, Colorless Blender

Nose: YR20, YR15

Arms: E57

Hat: N1, N3, N5, R20, R14, R27

Scarf: C0, C2, YR11, YG03

Stars: YG11, YG03, R20, R14, R27

Globe: YG11, YG03

I like to revisit some of our past sketches when I'm looking for inspiration. I went WAY back and chose BYSHC Sketch 19 for my card today. Such a fun and quick sketch... I just might use this one again.

I paired up the cute globe with the Knit Picky Winter 6x6 Paper Pack from Sponsor Lawn Fawn. I also used the retired Winter Otter stamp set for the sentiment from Lawn Fawn to finish off my card.

I'm also a Sponsor for the {BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party!! I have a wonderful prize set aside for one lucky winner. For a chance to win my fun prize make a Christmas card and link it up to the linky party blog post on the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers blog. All of the winners of all the amazing prizes will be announced on the {BYSHC} blog on Tuesday, July 28th.

Be sure to stop by the {BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party to check out all the wonderful holiday inspiration from our Sponsors and the {BYSHC} Design Team!! I'm so excited to continue building my stash of holiday cards for 2026... I hope you'll join in the fun and play along!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

~ Friends of Unity June 2026 Blog Hop ~

Hello there crafty friend!

It's time for another Friends of Unity Blog Hop!! Woohoo! This month's cue is lots of fun. But before we get to that we have a new friend joining us... please stop by Von Marie's blog and be sure to give her a great big welcome! I am really excited to have Von Marie join our team! Woohoo!!

Today we are sharing inspiration for the Food & Drink cue!! The possibilities are seriously endless with this one... I made three cards but I had ideas for a few more!! LOL! There's just so many food and drink stamps available at Unity. It was really hard to chose just a few.

You may have seen the other card I made with this gorgeous stamp. I just shared it a couple days ago on my Instagram. I absolutely love lemon everything so I just had to ink it up again. This beauty is from the June 2026 Whit Kit You're the Zest membership. The stamps are also available separately... You're the Zest {stamps only}. 

I paired the lemons up again with the gorgeous Squeeze the Day {paper pack}. I love the colors in these papers! And I have a bunch of scraps so I thought I'd use some of them for this card. I fussy cut the lemons and the sentiment. I popped up the lemons on the card with foam tape.

I used pretty much the same Copics for this card as the one I shared a few days ago.

Copic markers used:

Lemons: Y000, Y11, Y15, Y38

Branch: E11, E57

Blossoms: C0, C2, Y15, Y38

Leaves: YG00, G00, YG11, G02

Bee: Y11, Y15, B000

My second card features a sweet stamp called Just Peachy. I love a yummy peach! Nectarines are actually my favorite stone fruit but I love peaches too. I stamped this cute stamp with Black Amalgam ink and colored it with Copic markers. I stamped the sentiment and fussy cut them both. I adhered the sentiment to the peaches and then popped them up on the card with foam tape.

Copic Markers used:

Peaches: B000, Y11, YR21, YR61, YR23, YR15

Leaves: YG11, YG03, YG63

Bowl: BG10, BG70, BG93, BG72 

I paired the peaches up with the Cozy Cup Cafe {paper pack}. This paper has a coffee theme but I just love the peachy polka dot paper. It was a must for this card. I used some of my very old white grosgrain ribbon from Stampin' Up. I hardly ever touch my ribbons. Any one else not use ribbons very often? Just me?! I used a Sakura White Gelly Roll pen to bring back the white of the polka dots on the bowl.

Last of all I inked up one of the new cups from the June 2026 KOM The Art of Summering. I don't drink but I sure love me a yummy Arnold Palmer. So I colored up the tall glass with Copic markers to look like my favorite non-alcoholic drink. It sure was fun to color! If you're not interested in the membership, the Boozy & Bougie stamps are available separately. 

Did you notice that wonderful background stamp?! It's also from this month's KOM. And available separately here... The Paper Apothecary. I stamped it with the Lost Shadow Distress Ink from Ranger/Tim Holtz. And then did some ink smooshing with Mustard Seed, Spiced Marmalade, and Vintage Photo Distress inks. I wanted it to look like I spilled some of my drink... haha!! 

 I die cut the panel using the largest die from the Scallops & Rectangles {nesting dies}.

Copic markers used:

Lemon: Y11, Y15, YR15

Tea: E21, E35, Y11, Y15, YR15

Sprig: YG63

Ice cubes / Glass: C0, C2

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

... Linda Abel!! Congratulations, Linda!!

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

Please claim the prize before July 1st, 2026. 

Well, that's it for me this time! I'm so excited to see how our friends were inspired for this month's hop! 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 ---> Von Marie

Jenni

Toni

Joyce

Dawn

Rachel

Thanks so very much for supporting our little hop!

We appreciate you so much!!

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

~ Friends of Unity May 2026 Blog Hop ~

Hello there crafty friend!

It's time for another Friends of Unity Blog Hop!! Woohoo! This month's cue is another fun one...

Today we are sharing inspiration for the Farmhouse cue!! There are so many directions to go in for this cue... I only had time to create two cards though.

When I was a kid I worked at a farm stand for a couple days and we were selling flowers. I'm pretty sure we weren't selling lilacs... I think it was daffodils or daisies but when I saw this gorgeous stamp in this month's Kit of the Month membership I just knew I had to ink it up. You can sign up for the KOM membership and get this gorgeous stamp along with all the others in the kit, plus all the perks of the membership, mailed straight to your door. OR buy it as a 1-Time Purchase. Such a gorgeous stamp!

I inked up the gorgeous lilacs from the May 2026 KOM Odds, Ends & Adorable, also available separately in the Lilac Poise stamps. I stamped them directly on a piece of pattern paper from the Rustic Farmhouse {paper pack}. And die cut the paper using a die from the Deckle & Stitches Nesting Die Set.

I colored the lilacs on the pattern paper using the following the markers.

Copic markers used:

Lilacs: V000, V12, V15, B000

Stems / Leaves: YG11, YG03, YG17

Outline: C0, C2

I also stamped the lilacs on a piece of white card stock and colored up 5 of the tiny little flowers. I fussy cut them and colored the edges with a black marker and then I popped them up with a little foam tape. I love the dimension this adds to the card!

My second card also features a stamp from the May 2026 KOM Odds, Ends & Adorable. It's available separately in the Still Kickin' stamps. Such a fun stamp!

Copic Markers used:

Donkey: W0, W1, W3, W5, W7, R00, R20

Hat: RV10, RV02, RV14, B000, B00, B02, Y11, Y15, YR20, YR15

My card design was inspired by the Tawny Owl Paperie Inky Inspiration Sketch 42. I'm hosting a fun sketch challenge in the Tawny Owl Paperie Inky Inspiration Facebook group. The challenge is open until May 25th and there's no theme. Just the sketch to inspire creativity. Lots of time to join in the fun and play along!!

I paired up the cute donkey with the Yay, It's Today {paper pack}. I used colors from the papers to color up the donkey. And I wanted him to pop a bit more BUT I didn't want to cover up the papers in the background so I added a rectangle of vellum card stock behind him that I die cut using the Scallops & Rectangles {nesting dies}.

I popped up the donkey and the sentiment with foam tape. I adhered the vellum layer by adding glue behind the donkey. I finished off this one with a few enamel dots from my stash. I thought they were white, but it looks like they are an off white. Close enough! LOL!

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...

... Indy's Designs!! Congratulations, Debbie!!

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

Please claim the prize before June 3rd, 2026. 

Well, that's it for me this time! It's a short hop this month with just six of us sharing makes. I'm so excited to see how our friends were inspired for this month's hop. 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 ---> Toni

Jenni

Rachel

Dawn

Doreen

Thanks so very much for supporting our little hop!

We appreciate you so much!!

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

{BYSHC} Spring into Christmas 2026 Linky Party ~ Holiday Grumplings ~ Taylored Expressions

 Hello there crafty friend!

It's day 4 of the {BYSHC} Spring into Christmas 2026 Linky Party!! I'm excited to share another fun holiday card that I'm adding to my Christmas stash! This time I played with THE cutest little kitty from our fabulous Sponsor Taylored Expressions!

I used the adorable {and retired, sadly} Holiday Grumplings. I adore this kitty!! I stamped it with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored him up with Copic markers.

Copic markers used:

Kitty: YR20, YR21, YR15, YR27, R00, R20, C0, C2

Hat / Scarf: BG70, BG01, BG72, C0, C2, Y11, YR20, YR21

I paired up the kitty with the beautiful Whispers of Winter 6x6 Paper Pad from Ink N' Splatter available at our wonderful Sponsor Digi Doodle Studios. I die cut the focal panel using the Make a Tag {die set} from Sponsor Unity Stamp Co.

Inspiration for my card came from one of our past sketches... BYSHC Sketch 7. This one is a favorite that I come back to often! I used the measurements from the sketch for my card.

The sentiment is from same Holiday Grumplings stamp set. I heat embossed it with Anti-Static Powder Tool and Sugar Cube White Pigment ink from Sponsor Taylored Expressions along with Alabaster White Embossing Powder from Unity. I trimmed it and adhered it to the focal tag and then popped it up on the card. Easy peasy.

If you haven't already, stop by the {BYSHC} Spring into Christmas 2026 Linky Party to check out all the wonderful Holiday inspiration being shared!! I am loving ALL of the cards so far! I hope you have an INKtastic day!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

~ Friends of Unity April 2026 Blog Hop ~

Hello there crafty friend!

It's time for another Friends of Unity Blog Hop!! Woohoo! I can't believe that it's already April! How is that even possible?! This month's cue is a fun one...

Today we are sharing inspiration for Earth Day / Recycle!! I was kind of all over the place trying to decide which direction to go with my makes this time. But I'm happy with them and I hope you enjoy them.

Where would the world be without mothers?! Well, the answer is absolutely no where as we birth the babies that populate it so I decided to make a Mother's Day card. My first card features the super cute and new Little Miss Moo stamps from this month's Kit of the Month membership. You can sign up for the KOM membership and get this adorable stamp along with all the others in the kit, plus all the perks of the membership, mailed straight to your door. OR buy it as a 1-Time Purchase. Isn't it just the cutest stamp?!

 

 I die cut the adorable moo cow and my background using dies from the BIG Scallops & Rectangles {nesting dies}. I found a fun ink smooshed background in my "To Be Used Later" pile that looked MOO-velous with this sweet cow. LOL! I really like the pretty spring colors! I had ink smooshed it with Mustard Seed, Picked Raspberry, and a tiny bit of Chipped Sapphire Distress Inks. 

I couldn't decide which sentiment to use so I used both! I adhered them to the cow panel and then popped up the panel and sentiments together with foam tape.

Copic markers used:

Cow: E000, R00, R20, E51, C0, C2, C3, N0, N1, N3, N5

Flowers: Y11, Y15, RV14

Flower Centers: YR02, YG68

Tiny Flowers: RV14

Leaves / Grass: YG11, YG23, YG67

Basket: E21, E23, E25

Do you ever look at packaging and think that would be cool on a card?! I can't be the only one. LOL! I was tearing up a cardboard/paper envelope and I just loved the look of the corrugated paper. I HAD to use it for a card! And it brings the Recycle element to my second card.

I stamped the beautiful Elise Girl with Black Amalgam ink on white card stock and colored her up with Copic markers. I decided early on that I would fussy cut her because she has a lot of extra hearts and flowers around her so I cut all of those off so the background would show through. I masked the sentiment and used Black Amalgam ink as well as Candied Apple Distress Ink for the heart.

Copic markers used:

Skin: E000, E00, E11

Hair: C0, C3, C5

Dress: Y11, Y15, RV10, RV14

Pants: RV000, RV10

Flowers: Y11, Y15, RV000, RV10, RV14, BG000, BG10, BG01

Leaves: YG11, YG23

Bird: Y11, Y15, BG000, BG10, BG01, Y28

 I wrapped the recycled paper with some aqua twine from my stash. I secured the pieces with tape on the back and used a lot of glue to adhere the it to the card base. I adhered Elise Girl to the bottom of the sentiment and popped them both up on the card with lots of foam tape. And then I finished off the card with a few raindrop embellies.

It only made sense to use the cute world stamp from the 2025 Advent Calendar for my last card. I stamped it with Black Amalgam ink and fussy cut on the line. I colored the edges of my fussy cutting with a black marker.

My card design was inspired by the Tawny Owl Paperie Inky Inspiration Sketch 41. I'm hosting a fun sketch challenge in the Tawny Owl Paperie Inky Inspiration Facebook group. The challenge is open until April 27th. Lots of time to join in the fun and play along.

I paired up the cute world stamp with the Cloud Hopper Chronicles {paper pack}. I die cut some of the scrap papers using the smallest circle die from the Scallops & Circles {nesting dies}. I used my last full sheet for my striped background. I trimmed it to 5-1/4 x 4". I adhered the circles and cut off the excess on the ends. And then adhered the panel to a Kraft A2 card base. I popped up the world circle with foam tape.

All that was left was the sentiment and searched and searched through my stamps and came across this one. I stamped the sentiment from the Whole Wonderful World stamps. I think it works nicely.

Copic markers used:

Water: BG000, BG10

Land: YG11, YG03

Heart: RV10, RV14

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...

... Sue D!! Congratulations, Sue!!

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

Please claim the prize before April 29th, 2026. 

Well, that's it for me this time! It's a short hop this month with just six of us sharing makes. I'm so excited to see how our friends were inspired for this month's hop. 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 ---> Jenni

Toni

Joyce

Rachel

Dawn

Thanks so very much for supporting our little hop!

We appreciate you so much!!

Inky Hugs,

Crystal