Butterfly Reflections, Ink

Hello friends! This is  Crystal Komara  here with you today reminiscing about my childhood days  spent in tap, jazz and ballet.  Oh, yes, the words of " The Good Ship Lollipop " are stuck in my head.   F-O-R-E-V-E-R!  When I first saw the new  Room Builder Slimline Series die from Trinity Stamps  I envisioned making a dance studio from that wooden floor.  I love being able to combine products from different companies, like the  Tiny Dancers stamp set from Sunny Studios  to help achieve the look I was hoping for!   This slimline line card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2". Slimline cards are designed to fit inside a regular #10 business sized envelope and require no additional postage.  The base of this card is made from Neenah Solar Smooth white cardstock.  I matted the base of the card with a 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of magenta pink cardstock.   Using the Trinity Stamps Room Builder Slimline Series dies , I cut th...

Hi readers!  This is Crystal here today sharing a yummy Thanksgiving card using the new "Sweet as Pie" stamp set by SugarPea Designs.   This stamp set has my name written all over it.  "Sweet" and "pie" in the same sentence?  Yes, please!  It's no secret that I L-O-V-E-sweets and with Thanksgiving coming up next week, I'm thinking all things pumpkin and apple right now using this set.  The base of this A2 sized card is made from Kraft cardstock.  I cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of plaid paper similar to that of the Echo Park My Favorite Fall paper pack and adhered this to the card base. Using the Hello Bluebird Gallery Frame #2 die , I cut the frame from orange cardstock. I lined the back of the frame with a piece of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.   I stamped the sentiment "You're as sweet as pie" in a brown ink directly onto the white base lining.  Next, I stamped the images from the "Sweet as Pie...

Hi friends!  This is Crystal here today sharing a fun and easy winter treat project!  Next weekend, four girlfriends, my mom, and I are going on our annual craft retreat in Connecticut.  I'm looking forward to a long three-day weekend of crafting, chatting and chillaxing!  This weekend might be particularly chilly too because our local news is already starting to report the first snow for Friday!  It looks like I picked the perfect treat to make for everyone.  It's kind of a tradition for each of us to make small gifts for the other ladies when we go on one of these retreats. This year I chose to put hot cocoa packets into these Lawn Fawn goodie bags !  I wanted to also attach a candy cane, but surprisingly enough I couldn't find any in my local CVS or craft store and Amazon wanted $18 for a dozen! That's just plain crazy!     Project Details:  I chose three colors that are one of my favorite winter combos - Red, tu...

Hello friends!  This is Crystal here today sharing my first winter/holiday card of the season!  Eek!  I'll admit that I've been slow to make the jump from fall and Halloween to Christmas cards, because I'm certainly not ready for snow yet, but I also know that yes, Christmas IS coming. . . eventually!  And, if I don't start making my Christmas cards now, then I'll never get them finished before I need to mail them. Today's card features the North Pole Littles by Hello Bluebird .  And yes, these "little" images are nearly as tiny as you think!  Each elf and reindeer is probably only about 1" tall.  This makes coloring real fun! *Note to self - color BEFORE you die cut, not after.  Lesson learned the hard way!  : ) This slimline card measures 8 1/2" long x 3 1/2" wide.  The great thing about slimline cards is that they will fit into a #10 business sized envelope, so you don't need to worry about additional postage.  The bas...

Hello crafty friends!  This is Crystal here today sharing all of My Favorite Things (literally!) in one Frightfully Sweet double slider surprise card!  This card combines my love of Halloween, interactive components, cute critters and candy!  What's not to love!? Last weekend I was in Vermont on an annual craft retreat and I brought my Lawn Fawn Double Slider Surprise Die with me because, well, I've owned it for over two years now and it's high time I learned HOW to use it!  I think the Lawn Fawn Double Slider Surprise is such a cool card, but I was very intimidated by putting it all together.  I strongly encourage newbies to watch the Introductory Videos on YouTube by Kelly Marie Alvarez (the owner of Lawn Fawn) and they are a game changer.  Whether it is the Double Slider Surprise Die , the Lawn Fawn Pivot Pop Up Die , the Lawn Fawn Magic Picture Changer Die or any other Lawn Fawn product, she walks you through step-by-step instructions on how to ass...

Hello friends!  Cheers to Wednesday, you've made it halfway through the week!  This is Crystal here today and I'm sharing a bit about conquering my creative fears.  Would you believe that I own ALL the Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks , but am too afraid to use them!?  It's true!  I see the beautiful backgrounds and unique watercolor designs that other artists create with these water reactive inks, but when I try to do it, the end result looks like I let an unattended 5-year-old loose in my craft room!  I struggle with uniform blending, too much/too little water and the root of all evil - comparison.  Theodore Roosevelt said, " Comparison is the thief of joy " and I remind myself of this every time I'm scrolling Instagram and Pinterest.  Today, I'm here to conquer one of my own creative fears and hopefully I can encourage you to do the same! Today's card uses the new Fall Fox stamp set by Sugar Pea Designs.  This is a "slimline" card t...

Hello friends, I hope you are all having a good week so far!  This is Crystal here today sharing a spooky-cute Halloween inspired box card featuring the Hello Bluebird Halloween Party stamp set and lots of other goodies available through Butterfly Reflections, Ink .  Halloween is one of my favorite holidays to create cards for, and I just love a card that has an interactive element to it, so the Lawn Fawn Scalloped Box Card Pop Up Die is one of my go-to products.      For the base of this card, I used a heavyweight black cardstock.  You want a good thick cardstock for the base of any card to keep it sturdy over time through wear and tear.  On each of the top flaps of the box I used a hot pink cardstock underneath a layer of Sunny Studio Dots and Stripes Jewel Tone paper in the lime green print.  I also stamped the sentiment "Boo" on the lime green polka dot print paper using Memento Tuxedo black ink .  On the base of the box ...