Author Archives: clkondo

About clkondo

I am a teacher, mother, wife, and LOVER of all things papercrafting. It's been my sanity (and sometimes insanity) for the past 10 years. I am an Independent Stampin' UP Demonstrator...which helps me pay for my passion...
Jul1

So Many Plants

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Who all became plant parents during lockdown?? I think it grew into an obsession over at my house…. what started with a couple ‘to see if I can keep them alive’ turned into a full fledged jungle…. OH, so imagine how excited I was with this Plentiful Plants stamp set!

I just love how many different greens we offer to make different plants– as well as this set having so many plant and pot varieties. You can use it to make anything! Here I used jade, garden and olive greens and the pots were out of cinnamon.

The background paper is also cinnamon (the lighting seems a bit off in that first picture…) Can you spot the jungle overgrowth in this picture below? 🙂

Hope everyone is enjoying summer! July is sort of bitter sweet for me— even though it’s still a couple of weeks away…. I do return to school in July– so just starting the month hints to me that the lazy days of summer will be coming to an end here soon….

Head on over to see what Anne and Cheryl have created for you today!

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Jun1

School’s Out!

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I’m writing this post on the very last day of school…. just counting the minutes until I can leave… Glorious summer. Every Teacher’s dream. 🙂

Needless to say, I’m excited. And I have a cheery happy flower to share, that matches my current mood.

This comes from the stamp set called In Symmetry, and I just love how easy it is to use. I sponged petal pink and flamingo on the stamp to give it the ombre look and then stamped it right on. Super easy and fast!

Here’s wishing you a fantastic summer! I hope you get to spend some time with people you love and have a chance to stamp!

Go see what Anne and Cheryl have for you today!

May1

Lei Day!

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In Hawaii, May Day is Lei Day (I think we’ve discussed this before…). And, you may be looking at the picture and wondering how in the world is she going to make a Lei theme off THAT–

Well, it’s all about what May represents to ME. May– Lei Day, Mother’s Day, Graduation—these are 3 very FLORAL holidays packed into one month (still, you must be thinking–there are no florals there….)

Well, we have helped out with graduation at our school for nearly 20 years now. That’s a long time. And, every year of those 20 years we’ve been responsible for helping to collect and then decorate with any greenery that we can come up with. And, I’m talking it’s raid all the yards–aunty, neighbor, grandma… if they have green it’s up for grabs for graduation. And, all these people are SO WILLING to let us have! (Hey, it’s also a free landscaping service… hahaha)

Because this is how important these holidays are. And, how much aloha is shared by giving these greens and flowers. The below stamps (from a retired stamp set called Tranquil Thoughts, and I used Garden Green and Old Olive) remind me of the banana leaves that we can use to cover podiums, stairs, put in LARGE, like human size, flower arrangements.

This is all to make this day special. And, the lei.. All to make lei day special. It’s the flowers that represent the aloha behind the gift to the other person. The greens– the passing to another that says–“I see you and you are special so here is a little reminder that God made you in his image and that is good.”

So, that’s what these leaves, this month, and this time of celebration means to me!

I hope you have a wonderful May Day! Head on over to see what Anne and Cheryl have for you this day!

Apr1

Always a reason to Celebrate

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I love celebrating. And I love flowers. So, I knew this Celebrate With Flowers stamp set needed to be part of my collection.

I mean, just look how happy it is! I was attracted to the simple line art and the quirkiness of it when I saw it, and I just love the variety of ways you can make it work. I also love that it lends itself to a unique style of card (think slim-line) as well. The inclusion of the vertical Happy Birthday is also what attracted me to this set–different than the norm, and unexpected! (I will include a pic of the images below).

So, for April, I hope you can find something to celebrate! And, while doing so, make some pretty flowers to go along with the celebration!

Go check out what Anne and Cheryl have for you today!

PS: This stamp set is currently available, but it will NOT be available for much longer! It’s being retired at the end of this month (but, will only be around while supplies last!) So, if you want to own one, you better snatch it up FAST! If you message me, I can help you do that!

Mar1

Sharing Sunshine

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HAPPY MARCH! This month is brought to you by Stampin’ Up’s Sharing Sunshine stamp set. And, this is the PERFECT name for this cheery little smile that will just brighten your day!

I used daffodil delight paper for the mat and the sun punch out, and then used bumble bee for the rays and face. A little of blush blossom makes the rosy cheeks! The best part of this month is very hard to see in photos… but I did a little spritz with the champagne mist and alcohol in one of our spritzers. Gives a perfect shimmer to this sunshine!

Here in Hawaii, we don’t have the marked changes of seasons that others around the globe may enjoy– but, there are subtle signs… The day is lasting a little longer and longer… I’m seeing the warmer glows of the sun as it slowly moves higher and higher into the sky… Summer is just around the corner…

Go check out what Anne and Cheryl have for you today!

Feb1

Simple Stampin’ February

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Soooo…. I have to come clean about the 2022 calendars. I waited until The. Absolute. Last. Minute. to make them. Literally, an after-Thanksgiving Hail Mary move of taking a couple of days and ignoring ALL other responsibilities to get these done. I do make these to sell–for our annual street fair–so it’s not a simple ‘one and done’ kind of thing–there are many to make. So, as a way to make everyone think this was planned, I decided to embrace a ‘return to my roots’ and go back to simple stamping with these calendars. Meaning, not a lot of coloring, not a lot of embellishments, the literal embodiment of the #simplestampin’ movement. Imagine my excitement when I realized I ordered Artistically Inked (does that happen to you–you order a set and then forget you have it?)

Artistically Inked is just a stunning stamp set. And, I am one of those people who cannot seem to master the ‘oh so easy’ alcohol ink water-cooling technique. This set takes ALL the guesswork out of it. It’s super easy to use, and the outcome is just amazing. Few swipes of the stamp and ink and bippity-boppity-boo we have February!

Decided to not use the traditional hearts for February—but the flowers still work! And, these flowers won’t die! Marvelous Magenta and Granny Apple Green bring these cheerful blossoms to life.

I happen to have a couple of my calendars left– Fill in the form below if you’d like to order one! I will connect with you!

And, head on over to see what Anne and Cheryl have for you!

Happy Valentines!

Jan1

Lessons for the New Year

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It’s time again to turn the page for a new year! 2022 had been much anticipated with the ever elusive dream of returning to normal. Perhaps with that page turn, it’s time to consider a new dream:

We can look to the beautiful bamboo plant for some lessons– or more appropriately– use it as a guide for how we approach this new year.

In Asian cultures, bamboo is symbolic of good luck, longevity, strength, health… all the things we would wish for in the new year. I felt it fitting to be the January for 2022.

One of the prominent characteristics of bamboo is that it is strongly rooted, yet flexible. This allows it to bend in the wind without breaking. I think this is good advice… Though we are all weary of the last couple of years, it’s difficult to think about approaching this coming year with this type of advice. However, if we’ve learned anything is how resilient we can be. If we can approach this new year as one with the wishes of luck and long life, however with the understanding that winds come and things change… however those things mold us and shape us into who we are meant to be. We can bend without breaking because we are rooted in the foundation of our faith, family, and friends.

For this calendar, I used Soft Suede as the backing and the bamboo stalks. I stamped off so that it would be a little lighter to see over the numbers of the calendar. I made a stencil with a scrap card stock and punched out a circle. I lined it up with my calendar and used the blender brushes to create the sun (so saffron, mango melody). Super easy but creates a nice sunset.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2022. Also wishing that you are able to remain rooted and established when the trials do come.

Anne and Cheryl have also created 2022 calendars to help ring in the New Year!!

Dec1

Joy to the World!

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Christmas brings such JOY to me! I love this stamp set with the bold declaration of “JOY”!

All the images come from the stamp set Peace and Joy. And, they’re great for mixing and matching–and adding the large script with a small block print. It works perfectly here and would be great on a Christmas card too! I used real red and old olive for the images. Expresso is used for the block text. Super simple, super easy, but a striking declaration of the season!

I can’t believe we are at the end of the year! It has come so quickly! I pray that you can know the Joy that has been declared to the world through the birth of our Savior! We celebrate Him this season!

If you happen to be on Maui, stop by our street! Come shop local makers and small businesses to finish up your Christmas lists! As an added treat, the Maui High School Choir will be caroling through the streets! Hope to see you!

Have a wonderful Christmas! And head on over to see what Anne and Cheryl have in store for you today!

With love and aloha!!– Crystal

Nov1

Forever Thankful

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If you’ve been with us for this year, you will notice that this stamp set looks familiar….

Forever Fern!! It is what we used for the cover of our calendar this year. This set is amazingly versatile. You can change up the colors and have a completely different feel. For this month, I used the blackberry Bliss, Cajun Craze, Bumblee, and Pumpkin Pie to create the bundle of fall stems.

For me, November is when we start turning our focus to the holiday season. Our schedules ramp up and we get lost in the shuffle of trying to CREATE a holiday. Lets slow our focus and pause to think about the things for which we are thankful. And, let’s be forever thankful for those we love.

Head on over to see what Anne and Cheryl have for you.

Oct1

Happy Little Pumpkin

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Happy October! It’s here! Officially fall and sweater weather (well, I can dream, right??) I currently am diffusing a harvest blend so that I can pretend I’m enjoying fall while I am sweating away in my office…

SU released a set called Harvest Hello (now retired) and it had a coordinating ‘apple’ punch to go with it. But, you could use that apple to also make pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns! I love using punches that coordinate with stamps… Makes it super easy to create cute projects. This little pumpkin would be a cute bag topper. It would even be cute just dimmensionaled (like how I turned the SU product into a verb??) to one of the snack size candy bars! And, because it’s so easy to make, you can make DOZENS in no time at all!

With the page turn to October, it makes my mind start thinking about the upcoming holiday crafting. And, then the panic that always comes with the ‘…I haven’t started my holiday crafting’ realization. So, if you need me, that is what I will be doing this month… 🙂 Namely starting on the 2022 easel calendar! See you next month!!

Check out what Anne and Cheryl have for you today!