Category: Crystal Komara

  • Eloquent Glittering Butterfly | by Crystal Komara

    Eloquent Glittering Butterfly | by Crystal Komara

    Hello friends! This is Crystal Komara here with you today sharing another way to use the beautiful Eloquent Butterfly dies. I am SOOOoo in love with this latest release from Birch Press Design featuring a variety of unique layering butterflies because the options are truly endless when you combine layers and colors. Today I chose to use a monochromatic blue and a monochromatic purple color scheme for my cards, but you could choose yellows, reds, oranges or the list goes on for an entirely different look.

    For this first A2 sized card, I used 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock as my card base. This is my go-to white cardstock for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g! I use it for my card bases, distress oxide inks, Copic coloring and die cutting. It is one of the only white cardstocks you will need. For the first layer, I die cut the Butterfly Garden Layer C from white cardstock and adhered it directly to the card base. I used the Eloquent Butterfly dies and die cut Layer C, Layer B and Layer A using cardstock from the Ocean Blue 6″ x 6″ paper pack and the Frosted Glitter Twinkling 6″ x 6″ pad.

    I layered the butterflies together using LineCo ph neutral bookbinding glue, which is my favorite liquid adhesive. Once the layers of the butterflies were adhered together I used 3M foam adhesive to add the butterflies to the card. Using blue ink, I stamped the sentiment from the Brush Sentiments stamp set on white cardstock and punched it out with a 2″ circle punch. I adhered the sentiment circle to the card using 3M foam adhesive.

    For this second A2 sized card, I used the same 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock for my base. I also die cut the Butterfly Garden Layering Plate C from white cardstock and adhered that directly to the base of the card. I die cut the Layer A, Layer B and Layer C of the Eloquent Butterfly dies using the Berry Red 6″ x 6″ paper pack and the Twinkling Jewel Glitter pad.

    I stamped the sentiment from the Brushed Sentiments stamp set in raspberry ink on white cardstock and punched it out with a 3″ circle. I adhered the sentiment and butterfly to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.

    The Design Team has been WOW’ing you with amazing samples from this butterfly themed release and I hope today’s cards continue to inspire you. Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

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  • Slimline Rainbow Butterfly Basics | by Crystal Komara

    Slimline Rainbow Butterfly Basics | by Crystal Komara

    Hello readers and happy Monday! I hope you all had a nice weekend. This is Crystal Komara here with you today sharing a slimline card using the beautiful new Butterfly Basics dies. I am absolutely in love with this latest release from Birch Press Design featuring a variety of layering butterflies like the Eloquent Butterfly and the Glimmer Butterfly, so I envision lots of butterfly themed cards in my future!

    Today’s slimline 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 slimline card is made from 80 lb. black cardstock. I cut an 8 1/4″ x 3 1/4′” miscellaneous piece of black and white diamond printed paper for the first layer. Using a hexagon shaped die, I die cut three 2 1/2″ hexagons from white cardstock. I adhered the hexagons directly down the center of the card using a Tombow tape runner.

    From a piece of rainbow cardstock, I die cut the body of the butterfly from a section of the paper that included more red and oranges, then a section of yellows and greens and a third section from blues and purples, to mimic the colors of the rainbows. I die cut the butterfly outline from black cardstock. I adhered the black outline over the rainbow bodies and adhered the three butterflies to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I stamped the sentiment “just because” from the Brush Sentiments stamp set in Memento Tuxedo black ink on a thin strip of white cardstock and adhered it to the card also using 3M foam adhesive. Lastly, I added a couple black rhinestones to the card for added texture.

    I hope you have enjoyed today’s card featuring the beautiful new Butterfly Basics dies. Thank you for reading and have a wonderfully creative day!

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  • Monochromatic Torus Rings | by Crystal Komara

    Monochromatic Torus Rings | by Crystal Komara

    Hello friends and happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. This is Crystal Komara here with you today sharing two cards using the Torus Ring Die by Birch Press Design in monochromatic colors to create some cheerful greeting cards. I’ll admit that I didn’t love this geometric shaped die initially, but after creating these cards, I’m now giving it a second chance!

    For this first card, I used the Ocean Blues Paper Pack and Twinkling Jewel paper pack to create a monochromatic blue color palette.

    The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I die cut just Layer Plate A from the Viola Layering Plates out of white cardstock and adhered it directly to my card base using Lineco ph bookbinding glue, my go-to liquid adhesive.

    I die cue the Torus Ring outline from white cardstock. Using the second small die in the Torus Ring set, I die cut various pieces of blue paper that I adhered behind the white frame. I adhered the entire Torus Ring to the card with 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. For the sentiment I used the Big Hello Sugar Script die. This is a two-piece layering word die that creates a shadowlike effect. I die cut the large base layer from white cardstock and the top layer from blue cardstock. I adhered both layers together with liquid glue and then adhered the entire sentiment to the card using 3M foam adhesive.

    I added the word “hello friend” from the Ticker Tape stamp set. I stamped the sentiment in blue ink and fussy cut the block outline. I adhered this sentiment below the word “hello” with 3M foam adhesive.

    For the second card, I used all of the same steps as the first, but I changed my colors to a pink monochromatic look using the Berry Red Paper Pack and the Graceful Garden Glitter Pad.

    I die cut the Torus Ring outline from white cardstock. Using the second small die in the Torus Ring set, I die cut various pieces of pink paper that I adhered behind the white frame. I adhered the entire Torus Ring to the card with 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. For the sentiment I used the Big Hugs Sugar Script die. I die cut the large base layer from white cardstock and the top layer from pink cardstock. I adhered both layers together with liquid glue and then adhered the entire sentiment to the card using 3M foam adhesive.

    I added the word “thank you” from the Ticker Tape stamp set. I stamped the sentiment in pink ink and fussy cut the block outline. I adhered this sentiment below the word “hello” with 3M foam adhesive.

    I hope you have enjoyed today’s cards and hopefully I have inspired you to step outside of your comfort zone, because that’s when amazing things can happen! Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

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  • Rainbow Wishes | by Tracey McNeely

    Rainbow Wishes | by Tracey McNeely

    Hi there and Happy Mother’s Day to all the mother’s visiting here today. It’s Tracey and I am very excited to share a project using a couple of newly released products from Birch Press Design!

    The new Rainbow Days Lingo Notes stamp set was starting point for my card. I stamped the rainbow off the card on the left side with embossing ink and white heat embossed it.

    I stamped the rainbow on to a full adhesive Post-it Note and trimmed it use as a mask. I masked off the rainbow and then ink blended a sky with Broken China and Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide inks. Once the blend was done I splattered some diluted white acrylic paint on to the panel. When that was dry I smooshed some Broken China Distress Oxide ink on to an acrylic block with a bit of water and then splattered that on to the panel.

    Once the mask was removed I coloured the bands of the rainbow using my ZIG Clean Color Real Brush watercolor markers blending the colours out with a water brush and set aside to dry.

    I blended a panel of Bristol Smooth cardstock about the size of the butterfly in the Eloquent Butterly Layer die set. I blended on an angle a rainbow of Festive Berries, Spiced Marmalade, Wild Honey, Mowed Lawn and Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide inks. I cut Layer C of the Elequent Butterfly from the ink blended panel. Then I cut Layer A of the Eloquent Butterfly from Vellum. Layer A has beautiful embossed details on it that look stunning on the vellum. It was glued to the centre of the Layer C ink blended butterfly and set aside.

    Now that all the pieces were completed I white embossed a sentiment from the Rainbow Days Lingo Notes stamp set on the top centre of the sky. Then the butterfly was attached to the end of the rainbow on a slight angle.

    The panel was attached to a white top folding card base with foam tape for some life and the final touch was to add to pearls to the body of the butterfly.

    This was such a fun card to make, a few different techniques with such a pretty end result.

    Thank you so much for crafting with me today and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

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  • Rainbow Fun | by Crystal Komara

    Rainbow Fun | by Crystal Komara

    Hello friends and happy Monday! I hope you all enjoyed a pleasant weekend and hopefully found a little time to do something crafty. This is Crystal Komara here with you today sharing two rainbow themed cards using a variety of products from Birch Press Design. I just love creating with rainbow colors because the end result is always happiness.

    For this first card, I used Layer A of the Lumina Layering Plates. I already had a pre-made rainbow colored alcohol ink background in my stash, so this card came together quite quickly. Gotta love that! I simply adhered the rainbow alcohol ink background to my card base – I use 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Then I die cut Layer A of the Lumina Layering Plates from white cardstock. I adhered the intricate die over the alcohol ink background.

    I die cut the word Hello using the Big Hello dies. I die cut the shadow background from black cardstock and the top thinner layer from white cardstock. I adhered both layers together with a Tombow Dot Runner and then I adhered both layers to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. Using the Ticker Tape stamp set, I stamped the sentiment in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and fussy cut the sentiment strip out. I adhered the sentiment below the “hello” dies using 3M foam adhesive.

    For this next card, I used the Linear Triangle die and lots of colored cardstock strips in various bright colors to keep in line with my rainbow theme.

    My card base is 80 lb. Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I also die cut the first 5 1/4″ x 4″ mat from white cardstock. I die cut the Linear Triangle from white cardstock and adhered thin strips of colored paper behind the lines. I placed the completed triangle in the lower righthand corner of my card. I die cut the large “thanks” die from black cardstock and from a piece of pre-made alcohol ink cardstock. I layered the two together with a Tombow Dot Runner and placed the large sentiment in the center of my card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. Using the Ticker Tape stamp set, I stamped the sentiment “you inspired kindness” in Versamark ink on black cardstock and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. I fussy cut this sentiment and adhered it below the large “thanks” using 3M foam adhesive.

    I hope you have enjoyed today’s cards and they will bring some cheerfulness to the start of the week. Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

  • Birch Press Design & Memory Box | by Crystal Komara

    Birch Press Design & Memory Box | by Crystal Komara

    Hello crafty readers! This is Crystal Komara here with you today sharing two elegant cards created by mixing products from sister companies Birch Press Design and Memory Box. As Design Team members for Birch Press Design, we are fortunate to receive some products from both companies and today I’m showing you how beautifully they compliment each together. Do YOU mix products when you create? I love to mix stamp sets, papers and dies because it allows for an infinite amount of ideas and is a great way to use more of what you own.

    Card details:

    The base of this A2 sized card was made using 80 lb. Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. I die cut the first layer from white cardstock using Layer Plate A of the Viola Layering Plate dies. I adhered this intricate layer directly to the card base. Using the All the Happiness stamp set from Memory Box, I stamped the flowers in Versamark ink on black cardstock and heat embossed the image with gold embossing powder. I die cut the flowers using the coordinating All the Happiness dies and adhered it to the lower right side of the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I stamped the sentiment in Memento Tuxedo black ink on white cardstock and fussy cut the sentiment. I adhered the sentiment to the top left of the flowers.

    Here is the second card that I made using the same products, but a slightly different color combination:

    Card details:

    The base of this A2 sized card is made from 80 lb. Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock. I cut a 5 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ piece of black cardstock and adhered it directly to the card base. Using Layer Plate A of the Viola Layering Plates, I die cut this layer from white cardstock. I adhered this intricate layer directly over the black cardstock. Using the All the Happiness stamp set, I stamped the flowers in Versamark ink on gold foil paper. I heat embossed the image with black embossing powder and used the coordinating All the Happiness dies to die cut the flowers out. I adhered the flowers to the lower right side of the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. I stamped the sentiment in Memento Tuxedo black ink on white cardstock and fussy cut the sentiment. I adhered the sentiment to the top left of the flowers.

    I hope you have enjoyed today’s elegant black and white cards and that you can see the magic you can create when you combine products. Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

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  • Butterfly Garden | by Crystal Komara

    Butterfly Garden | by Crystal Komara

    Hello readers and happy Monday! If you celebrate the Easter holiday, I hope you had a blessed weekend. This is Crystal here with you today sharing two cards in bright spring-like colors made using the Butterfly Garden Layering Plates.

    I am so in love with these beautiful layering dies and while while one layer is enough to make an impact, all three layers together is really stunning, especially when you add in a middle layer of glitter cardstock.

    Here is a step-by-step instructional video so you can see how both of these cards were made:

    I hope you have enjoyed these cards! Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day.

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  • Petal Egg in 3 Colors | by Crystal Komara

    Petal Egg in 3 Colors | by Crystal Komara

    Hello friends and welcome back from the weekend! This is Crystal here with you today and I’m sharing three cards made using the beautiful Petal Egg Layering Dies for this trio of Easter inspired cards.

    Please continue reading to see how I made these cards:

    First, I die cut the three layers of the Petal Egg die. For the orange colored card, I die cut Layer A (the top layer) from white cardstock, Layer B (the middle layer) from a peach colored cardstock and Layer C (the bottom layer) from orange glitter cardstock.

    I did the same thing for the both the purple and yellow Easter eggs too. For the purple colored card, I die cut Layer A (the top layer) from white cardstock, Layer B (the middle layer) from a purple glittery cardstock and Layer C (the bottom layer) from lavender purple cardstock.

    Using a liquid adhesive (LineCo ph bookbinding glue) is my go to!) I began to adhere all the layers of each egg together and set them aside.

    Next I worked on the card base itself. The base of each card is made from 80 lb. Neenah White Solar Smooth cardstock and then I used a scalloped rectangle die to die cut purple, peach and yellow cardstock for a strong background. I dry embossed three pieces of 5″ x 3 3/4″ sheets of Neenah white cardstock to add more dimension to the background.

    I stamped a sentiment on thin strips of white cardstock and then I heat embossed the word “Easter” on coordinating sheets of peach, purple and yellow cardstock. I adhered the sentiments to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.

    I love how these cards turned out and even though I chose to make them in these three colors, you could use whatever monochromatic color scheme you would like for equally beautiful results!

    Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

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  • Tulip Fields Layering Plate | by Crystal Komara

    Tulip Fields Layering Plate | by Crystal Komara

    Hello crafty readers and happy Monday! I hope you all had a lovely weekend. Today I am sharing my first spring inspired card using the beautiful new Tulip Fields Layering Plate.

    For this A2 sized card, I only used Layer C (or the bottom layer) of the Tulip Layering Plate dies. I love being able to use these dies together as a group of three, or as stand alone dies, so you get more for your money!

    To create this card, first I die cut Layer C from four different color of cardstock – white, peach, yellow and pink.

    I separated all the little tulip heads by color after running each color cardstock through my Big Shot machine.

    I placed a 5 1/4″ x 4″ piece of white cardstock behind the white Layer C tulip cut cardstock. I lined this paper with Tombow dot adhesive, so that when the tulip paper was placed on top, there were still sticky holes left for me to place each tulip head.

    I placed the tulip heads in yellow, peach and pink rows. Yes, I had to place them into position one-by-one, then I added a scalloped circle with a sentiment and voila, all done!

    I hope you enjoyed today’s card. Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

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  • Crystal Lingo Birthday | by Crystal Komara

    Crystal Lingo Birthday | by Crystal Komara

    Hello readers and happy Monday! I hope you all did something fun and crafty over the weekend. This is Crystal here with you today sharing a fun rainbow themed card I made using the new “Crystal Lingo” stamp set and coordinating dies. Yes, I’d like to think this new set was named after or even for me (though that’s likely not the case)! : )

    Here is a step-by-step tutorial for how to make this card:

    Step 1 – Using the Pinpoint Radial Layering plate, die cut the first layer from white cardstock.

    Step 2: Using Versamark ink, stamp the word “HAPPY” from the Crystal Lingo stamp set on scrap pieces of paper in rainbow colors and heat emboss the words with white embossing powder.

    Step 3: Using the coordinating Crystal Lingo dies, die cut the word “HAPPY” multiple times from each rainbow colored piece of cardstock.

    Step 4 (*Optional): I also die cut the word “HAPPY” six times from white adhesive craft foam. This will allow me to pop up my sentiment without having to cut down 3M foam tape to size, or by using little foam pieces of adhesive. It was an added step, but so worth it in the long run!

    The base of this A2 sized card is an 80 lb. sheet of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I layered the white cardstock (embossed with the Pinpoint Radial die) directly to the white card base and layered the words “HAPPY” in a rainbow ROYGBIV pattern from tp to bottom. Lastly, I heat embossed the sentiment in white embossing powder on black cardstock and adhered it to the center of the card.

    Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!