Friends of Unity March Blog Hop

Hello, it’s been awhile. Back for another Friends of Unity blog hop. This month or theme is:

My first card was generated with a couple of Unity freebies… a floral and a sentiment stamp. I used an old Dovecraft first edition paper pad called Mulberry Kisses. (Wish they still made these paper pads. They’re just beautiful.) I clear embossed the image and stamped the sentiment on paper from the pad. After cutting down the pieces and assembling the card, I fussy cut out a few butterflies from the pad and added glitter to them to match the sparkly background paper.  I added crystals and pearls to complete the card and called it done This card was pretty simple to make.

The second card was made using a sentiment from the Roses and Lemons kit and a floral image from The Best you Can kit. This time I used several papers from four different vendors patterned paper packs. One of the papers had been dry embossed using a dotted embossing folder with craft ink smeared over it. I also used in an Elizabeth Craft frames die instead of an arch die. I embossed the image to match one of the papers underneath where the floral was just an outline. To complete the card, I added pearls and called it done.

Hope you enjoyed these simple cards using the sketch above as inspiration. Sketches are not normally my thing so they’re always a challenge to create using them.

Each month there’s giveaways available provided by my fellow crafters, using stash from their own personal supply. I’d like to offer a giveaway this month to a lucky winner who will be chosen from comments below. Please check back next month to see if you won a goodie package from me. No, onto the rest of the hop! 

You may have come here from:

Jenni’s blog

From here you can continue on to:

Dawn’s blog

Or you can start from the beginning with:

Crystal’s blog

Friends of Unity December Blog Post

 Finally, the end of another fun year and the Friends of Unity group will be celebrating our eighth year! Here’s our theme for this month:

I first decided to use the colors on the mood board for the first card, although I do have a little evergreen foliage on this one too! I combined a Unity paper and another scrap to form the background for Santa. I stamped the image and the sentiment using A Season of Santa kit. The sentiment was embossed with a sparkly clear powder. Pretty easy card to make!

I added fine glitter sparkle to his hat and beard, red and green Nuvo drops to the holly on the Santa image and created a tag for the sentiment. Used 2 different ribbons for embellishment.

For the second card, I again used the kit but combined it with a sentiment from Cozy Winter Wishes, another Unity Kit. I used watercolors on the image after stamping with 2 different colored inks. I fussy cut it out and paired it with Unity papers. I stamped the image again on the corner of one of the papers to add greenery at the top. The sentiment was embossed with a glittery red powder. I also added cup rings using the inside roll from a tape dispenser. To complete this card, I used a velvety ribbon, enamel dots and a little ornament ephemera ball. Clearly, I was inspired by the colors and the hot drink on the mood board.

Had a lot of fun trying to come up with cards matching the mood board! I’m sure there will be a lot of great cards on our hop this month, so be sure to check them out! Before we move on though, I’d first like to congratulate 

Jane

who commented on my blog last month. If you PM me, Jane, I’ll mail on to you a goodie package containing a few Unity stamps! 

Now, on to the rest of the hop! Be sure to leave comments, with your name, for a chance to win something from the Friends!

You may have come here from:

Doreen’s blog

Now, you can move on to: 

Toni’s blog

Or, you can start from the beginning with:

Crystal’s blog

A Very Merry Grungy Christmas!

 Thought I’d just explain what I did on this one, in a blog post, in case there’s any interest! I started by pulling out Unity’s Frosted Lace stamp kit. I decided to stamp and silver emboss it on patterned paper and found a Blue Fern Studio’s Christmas Cheer paper. I then spent an inordinate amount of time, because the paper just absorbs watercolors, adding shading using both a Stabilo pencil and Derwent Inktense navy watercolor pencil with a brush.

Once done, I decided to create a grungy holiday card with it. So, I pulled out a random Unity ledger stamp, a random background ground stamp and Magical (Bliss and Wonder) stamp set. I found a recent Scrapbook.com holiday paper that I could grunge up. I stamped the random stamp all over in a light blue, and the ledger along the sides using Versafine black ink. Then, I stamped and embossed the snowflakes using a combo of silver and clear embossing powders. 

After repeatedly tearing the large snowflake paper and reviewing results against the newly stamped bottom paper, I decided to use a couple random paper scraps to edge the other side. I distressed all papers. 

I decided I wanted to grunge up the large snowflake paper a bit more and started stamping the small snowflakes with Antique Linen and Faded Jeans oxide inks around the edges (not full images or full strength ink). I also used a grungy musical stamp as well. I pulled out a Stamperia stencil, Altenew paste and Silver glitter and added tiny glittery stars randomly. So, now the front has both metallic and glitter effects. 

I added a distressed plain blue paper at the bottom. I then pulled out a Tim Holtz sentiment strip, and the Let It Snow sentiments from the original kit plus Winter Shake Up. Taking advantage of the sentiment on the paper, I added shading to make it stand out. To complete the card, I stapled lace and 3 silver snowflake embellishments on the top right and glued a few more on. Once assembled, it was done!

So.. like grungy holiday cards?… I do! Hope this one is up to the challenge! Thanks for stopping by!

My Great Horned Owl Attempt

 So, I just had to create this card! This beautiful owl just swooped onto my neighbor’s house while I was picking up my mail! My gosh… I was so surprised and in awe. Took pics and a video and while I was clicking away and calling to it… it finally looked st me🦉😳😁! I muted my expletives and stupid commentary… but check this out!

 I used Unity’s Phases Membership kit and Frosted Lace to create this card. I had a blue tinted drawing paper that I stamped the image onto using Pumice Distress Oxide ink. I then used my Prismacolor pencils to add detail…interesting exercise as you have to color in the negative. A little too dark… but not too bad. I used Studio Light paper in the background and fussy cut another branch.

I added Posca pen spatters and a ribbon to complete the card. I think this was more about playing and using the Christmas card excuse to create this one!

Enjoy the video… my neighbor thinks it hangs out in the redwoods behind their house!

Happy crafting!

Friends of Unity November Blog Hop

Wow… Halloween over, Thanksgiving around the corner, for me - a new grandbaby arriving 12/3, and then to top off all of that… Christmas and the holidays! So, I better get started on those cards so I used this month’s theme of 

to begin that effort! Before I start, a reminder that giveaways happen on this blog hop. To be eligible, leave a comment with your name on each post. I will be doing a giveaway this month! Plus, there’s going to be a Backgrounds challenge on Unity’s Show and Tell FB group where prizes are also going to be given away! So, hope you can use the ideas included in this hop for inspiration!

I started both these cards with an ink smooshing technique using an old acetate sheet as the delivery mechanism. I used a combo of distress inks and a blue Primary Elements pigment. I then proceeded to emboss both sheets a little differently for each card using a stamp from the Wander and Wonder membership kit. I also a sentiment from this kit for each card with different coordinating inks. I white embossed the ornament from Holiday Hugs on different paper coloring to match each background.

For the first card I just used clear embossing powder and then blended more ink on top so that just an impression of the snowflakes can be found. Because of this process, the original background shows through via the snowflakes. I was able to use a shiny metallic looking paper from my stash and a Sara Davies’ corner die to pair with this one. Must admit…love the colors on this one!

For my next card, this time, I silver embossed the snowflakes stamp leaving the original background I created. I decided (I’m ready to shoot myself 😂) to make a shaker card for this one. I found a glitter paper I could use. I’ve not tried using this one before as it’s not my color preference. I was able to combine the green and blue papers together to make it palatable to me. I used little sequins and beads I had from every ago to fill the shaker.

I had more vintage like backgrounds in mind beforehand (and may still do a few during the month), but I started down this rabbit hole and ran out of time! Hope you enjoyed these ideas! Now on to the rest of the hop! Remember to leave a comment before you go (with your name)!

You may have come here from:

Jenni’s blog

Or, you can start from the beginning with:

Crystal’s blog

A few ATC’s

 So, I actually created this Master Board with ATC’s in mind. I used small paper scraps so that a hodge podge design was obvious from a 2 1/2” x 3 1/2” ATC size. 

After paper piecing all the rectangles, I added Washi tape.  I then used Unity stamps and a couple of stencils with a color mixed acrylic paint. I then cut up the paper into 4 ATCs and a couple other sizes for the previous post’s tags.

I used this Tim Holtz set to complete the ATCs. I found a set of ephemera squares that I color coordinated with the paper I created and used the stamp set that I previously used the stencils on.

I stamped the butterfly and and some of the smaller stamps on the squares. I tore up a preprinted burlap paper page. Added a few tiny ephemera pieces on some and white thread after adhering the ATCs. I added some Tim Holtz sentiment strips and called it done!

I chuckled and almost used this strip as I was perusing sentiments…thought I’d share it!

For the second set of ATCs, I pulled out Stamperia’s Princess paper pack and just created them using cut up papers and lace. I used a Deep Red Victorian Ladies stamp to create the image and a sentiment from Unity that I stamped on vellum and backed with paper. I added Pearl dots and called them done!

Well… it’s always fun to create ATCs and a challenge to create these itty bitty cards. Hope you liked them and thanks for stopping by!

Friends of Unity September Blog Hop

Hey there… wow, summer is almost over… where did it go? I’m sure many of you have had the hottest summer…but ours has been the coolest! Just crazy! But… I’m not complaining… and it’s time for another blog hop! Our cue this month is:

And, I had a lot of fun with this one! But, before I start reviewing my first creation… it’s time to announce the winner from last month’s blog comments! As you know, we do giveaways from our own personal stash every month. So, I’ll be creating a crafty gift parcel to send out to my lucky winner:

Kristi

Please PM me with your full name and address, Kristi, and I’ll send it out shortly thereafter. And thanks, for commenting!

So, after watching an Instagram short from another vendor and remember seeing the same technique used last year, I decided to try to create a little fall decor. I used Unity’s Falling Leaves paper pack and an oval die to form a pumpkin shape. After picking out from darkest to lightest the papers I’d use, I die cut the pieces and inked the edges with Black Soot oxide ink. I then formed the pumpkin and glued the pieces together. I decided to fussy cut out my own topper after tracing an outline with a pencil. I then fussy cut out the stem “ridges” from the paper leftovers and glued them on. 

I then turned to stamping leaves from the Hope is Stronger August 2022 Kit of the Month and Thankful Oak. I stamped them on leftover papers again. I ended up using a die from Simon Says Stamp that matched the size of the background leaves and that also had a curlicue top die I could attach to the stem. After adding color to the top leaf branch using alcohol markers and Posca markers, I fussy cut it out. I then fussy cut out leaves from the leftovers papers to help fill in. I found a preprinted sentiment…not sure where I got it from that I used an oval die on. I inked up all the edges on everything and started to assemble it. I used a hole puncher on leftover papers and added Posca pen highlights. I glued them on and added a bottom border and called it done! This was a fun exercise that I could envision using again with less busy paper and maybe something for Halloween.

For my next effort I turned to tags! Now, I attended a crafting session earlier this summer where I learned about creating a master board. You can do a search on YouTube on how to create these. Essentially, you gather up coordinating paper scraps and start glueing them onto a large sheet. Once the sheet is filled up you can write on it, stamp on it, use stencils and paste, add Washi, etc! Anything goes! I ended up using Unity stamps on it. Looks a mess, doesn’t it?

I cut down the page and used some of it for the following 2 tags. Some of the paper scraps had come from a Simple Stories Simple Vintage Essentials paper pack. I pulled out a very large tag and cut down the background paper for the tag, Bingo Bingo, from the pack. I then formatted one of the master board papers to be slightly smaller than the tag and added a burlap edge to it. After viewing my stamp collection, I decided to try using an image and a sentiment from A Beautiful Mindset, 

2/21, Kit of the Month. I stamped both on papers from the pack. For the sentiment I also used a background stamp on the paper and backed it with a lighter paper. I used my Prismacolor pencils on the image and fussy cut it out. I used an oval die on paper from the pack to offset the image. I distressed the edges, pulled it together, added clear dots and ribbons to finish the tag.

I really love this tag for some reason… not sure if it’s the colors, the image or the sentiment! Oh well… on to the next one!

This time, I ended up using a tag die right on the leftover master board scrap. I decided to use a mushroom stamp on this one and a sentiment from Change the World Kit of the Month, June 2020. I heat embossed the image on a paper from the pack and again used Prismacolor pencils to color it in and add the ground. I used a piece of ephemera to carefully fit and stamp the sentiment on. After distressing all the edges, I added twine, a metal leaf embellishment, background paper, a brad and ribbons to finish the rest.

I really like this master board idea to create background papers and clearly you don’t need to make them as busy as mine was. A little secret… I originally created it with ATCs in mind, i.e. Artist Trading Cards, which I did use it for (will be next post). They are a much smaller size, so since the perspective had to be smaller, I used smaller cut up paper pieces. But, I think it was still usable for these tags.

Well, there’s a few ideas of what you can use your stamps for! Hope you’ll get a little inspiration from this post and others in the hop! Remember, add a comment on the blogs, with your name to be eligible to win some Unity goodies! Thanks for stopping by, now on to the rest of the hop!

You may have come here from:

 Toni’s blog

You can follow on with:

Kari’s blog

Or, you can start from the beginning with:

 Crystal’s blog

Friends of Unity August Blog Post

Here’s another fun blog hop theme from Friends of Unity…

Follow along with us to find some great techniques included in this month’s hop! A reminder to comment below (include your name please) and on the other blogs, if you’d like to win a small package of Unity goodies! I’ll be announcing my winner on next month’s hop!

First the first card, I used a small mountain of supplies and techniques. I started by pulling out Dina Wakely and Paper Artsy acrylics and a roller. I lightly rolled color on to Bristol paper. I then used a combo of red and tan inks and a TH stencil to add stripes.

I pulled out my May 2022 One Friend Kit of the Month kit. I stamped using a Misti and TomBow markers the 2 florals from the kit. After added watercolor and inks to the florals, I then stamped the foliage, after masking the flowers off… again adding some watercoloring to the leaves. I then pulled out gold Perfect Pearls and added highlights to the foliage and flowers and spattered that and some red ink onto the panel. I gold embossed a sentiment from Heart of Autumn, used a gold metallic background with metal flower, gold thread and gold dots on the front. Finally, I added sentiments inside from another birthday sentiments kit!

For the second card, I pulled out papers from Unity’s Magnolia Branch paper collection. I decided to fussy cut up one of the papers and use that to create the ends of a slimline card. I used mixed media paper for the center, and, this time, used the ink smooshing technique to create the colors I wanted in the panel. I then used a stencil to add soft floral background using an oxide red. I stamped the words from a kit called Feel with Your Soul and finally used a polka dot stencil to add Altenew paste dots (with colored acrylics added in to match colors). I used watercolor pencils to add shadows to the dots. I then stamped the floral from Pansies and Sympathies on the end (mostly covered by paper pieced flowers. I backed the paper with coordinating paper, layered on the fussy cut pieces with paste and foam tape. I used the Heart of Autumn sentiment kit on the front with acrylic dots. I added more paper from the pack inside and used a sentiment from Moments of Bliss.

So, ultimately used a few supplies and techniques here. This was a bit of a challenge as I’m unsure how popular these more unique and rare techniques and products are. But, at the end of the day…I had fun. 

Remember to add your comment, with your name, for a chance to win a goodie shipment from me! Till next time… happy crafting with these techniques and others used is this hop!

Now, for the hop… you may have come here from 

Dawn’s blog

Or you can start at the beginning with 

Crystal’s blog

Friends of Unity July Blog Hop

 Hey there, friends, it’s time for another blog hop with Unity stamps! This month our theme is:

So, before I begin, a reminder that they’ll be some giveaways offered up to lucky winners who’ve entered comments on the blogs. Make sure you leave your name and follow up next month to see if you are a winner! 

The first card I’m showcasing was created using an alcohol inked paper. I recently met up with a wonderful group of crafty friends. One of them taught using alcohol ink with a blower technique. I decided to make a card with this paper as the foundation!

It was an easy choice to pair it up with the Unity Hug kit! I heat embossed the flower on watercolor paper and proceeded to play! I fussy cut it out and then looked for a solution for the sentiment. I found a yellow tag that seemed a good match, inked that up and added black and gold Posca pen dots. I then used a couple metallic flowers, a brad and some gold thread to complete the card.

For the next card, I used another technique I learned in my crafty retreat, leaf impressions sprays. On a recent walk, I foraged for sprigs and twigs and pine needles. Next, I pulled out several mixed media sheets and my spray box. I laid out the foliage and used a couple of Ranger and Lindy sprays (2 greens and a gold) after placing the foliage on to of 2 of the sheets, making sure I covered the foliage with ink. Then I placed the top layer sheets on making a sandwich.

I then decided to heat emboss the butterfly from Remember to Breathe using green Distress embossing powders and inks onto paper from Vintage Blooms and Botany and added watercolor shading. I love how it turned out.

I cut up one of the sheets and use stamps, stencils and verbiage from the You Will Shine kit (retired now) and backed it with paper.

I pulled out a coffee/leaf impression paper I created 2 years ago to pair with butterfly and paper. I gold embossed a sentiment from the Difference Maker kit and added green mesh and sequins to complete this card.

For the last card, I took a Unity paper and gessoed some Tim Holtz tissue paper onto it (bottom layer). I then cut up another coffee stained envelope for the next layer! I took another Unity paper and used the mixed media stamps from the Blow your Mind kit. I heat embossed the flower onto watercolor paper and proceeded to have fun painting. To complete the card, I added a mesh chipboard, some ephemera, twine and the sentiment from the kit.

Needless to say a few techniques were used on these… hope you enjoyed these ideas and will follow up with the rest of the hop for more inspiration.

Now, on to the rest of the hop! You may have come here from:

Doreen’s blog

Or you can start from the beginning with:

Crystal’s blog

Friends of Unity June Blog Hop

 Hey…it’s time for our June Blog Hop… wow, year is almost halfway done! Welcome back, this month’s theme is

And just in time for Father’s Day! A reminder before I start, these hops always contain giveaways and all you need to do to qualify is leave a comment on the posts! As a matter of fact, I am doing a giveaway from last month’s post, so I’d like to congratulate

Angy Hughes

at this point! Please PM me your info, Angy, and I’ll get a package out to you as soon as I can!

Now on to the first card! For both of the cards shown here, I used a very old Kaisercraft Barber Shoppe paper pad. I used a coffee stained paper for the image! Love the vintagey feel of them both! I coupled them with several Unity kits: All Cylinders, and an old mixed media kit, called All About the Journey (for background stamping). After using pencils on the image, and stamping the background and sentiment, I added colored and stamped ephemera and enamel dots to complete the card.

For the second card, I used Sweet Memories and Best Tool in the Box. I watercolored and fussy cut out the image. Okay, must admit, I found the dog image in an old ephemera pack and had to use it… as this one is for my son! He has a 110 lb. Lab, called Finn. I also cut up some of the paper in the pack to create dominos in a homage to his 6 yr old son (with another son on the way later in the year 👶🤣). I added enamel dots to finish this one off.

Had fun creating these 2 cards with my guys in mind! Hope you enjoy my fellow crafter’s take on masculine cards in the rest of the hop! So, follow along with us!

You may have come here from:

Toni’s blog

You can continue on with:

Rachel’s blog

Or, start from the beginning with:

Crystal’s blog