Radiate Joy Mixed Media Canvas

Hello everyone.... coming up from a couple days of playing with this mixed media canvas. Turned out darker than I wanted, but I’m pretty pleased with the overall feel of it! I basically used 3 stamps from Unity’s May 2020 SMAK kit, Radiate Joy, a border stamp from their Wildflower and Wings 4/14 SMAK kit, and a sentiment from their  Helluva Start 12/15 SMAK KIT. (The advantage of being a membership subscriber is you can pick up past kits heavily discounted!) I also used 3 stencils and bubble wrap for texture.

I ended up using a hodgepodge of products: acrylics (metallic, shiny and flat), Gansai Tambi watercolors (flat and metallic), clear embossing powder, pastel chalk, Gelli Plate, roller and spatulas,  and Archival and Stazon inks.

I started with a blank 8x10 canvas, rolling on orange paint and then started layering on stencil images. I let that dry a bit and stamped my vase image and painted it. I then went back to the canvas and started adding the teal color... with a combo of roller and stencils. I used the flower burst pattern where I was going to have flowers. And I added the darker teal at the bottom and randomly all over, using roller and stencils, to darken the area around the base of the vase and edges. I then decided to add a second contrasting paper and pulled out my gel plate. I proceeded to use the same stencils with the lightened versions of the colors by adding white, again adding teal at the bottom. I ended up inking around the edges of that paper and adding an embossed border along the side. I stamped a background border stamp along the bottom of that paper and extended it out onto the canvas on both sides.

I fussy cut out the vase and added foam tape to the middle of the back of the vase. I glued it and the edges and flowers to the paper. So, now there is a slightly raised rounded look to the vase. To create the border and sentiment strips, I first watercolored the paper in matching colors and dried them. Then, I stamped and embossed over the strips. For the top sentiment, I first white stamped and embossed and then added orange ink and clear embossed over it... to get a light colored sentiment. I inked up the sides of the canvas and adhered all the pieces. I used pastel chalk to blacken around the edges of everything.

Hope you like this one... I do! I love southwest colors and thought them a perfect complement for the vase. I also wanted a fairly positive message on this one. Unity’s SMAK kits are perfect for mixed media projects, with all the textures and backgrounds you could possibly need. Well, I now have a mess to clean up after getting fairly inky and paint spattered. So, I’ll sign off now... hope you enjoy the holiday weekend, soak up some sun and perhaps, get inky yourself! Enjoy!

Altenew May 2020 Freebie Card

Oh, my gosh, was so excited to receive this personalized kit in the mail last week! And I found the perfect match to pair with it in Modascrap’s Spring Flowers paper collection. To begin, I stamped the flowers image Twice using Memento’s London Fog on Neenah’s Solar White Watercolor paper.

I videoed watercoloring the 3 of the flowers. I then applied a little pencil and pen and also spattered paint over the images. I fussy cut them out and then began building the card. I used 3 different patterned papers and black cardstock, along with dies, to get the background design I wanted. I decided to use sentiments from Altenew’s Versatile Vases kit, clear embossing one using Cornflower Blue Archival ink and white embossing the other using Hero Arts powder.

To complete the card, I added a small ribbon bow and BoBunny pearlized dots. Finally, I stamped my personalized greeting on the back of the card.

A little rusty painting, but I like how the card turned out overall. Hope you enjoy the video... again, click on YouTube to see a larger rendition! Hope you are all getting out into the sunshine... need that Vitamin D! Stay safe and happy crafting, till next time!

Such a Great Guy Gift Card Holder

Had a lot of fun today creating this card/gift card holder using Unity’s May 2020 SMAK kit, Radiate Joy, for my hubby! Because I’m usually challenged matching golds and greens, I decided to make all my images and backgrounds using the Versa Fine Clair, Shady Lane ink, Brutus Monroe Gilded Embossing Powder, and an ArtC metallic Gold ink.

I started by stamping the plaid image using the green ink on the top right of a cut down paper and then turning the image and stamping it again. I clear embossed the 2 images. I then stamped the ink pad on my mat, sprayed with water and a Perfect Pearls water mixture and dipped the unstamped parts of the paper into it. I spattered the gold metallic ink on those areas. I then stamped and gold embossed the scratched image on top on both corners. I painted the gold ink into the unstamped parts of the plaid. I then used a die cut on that paper.

Next, I stamped the green ink over the area the car stamp would use and clear embossed it. I then stamped the car image and gold embossed it. I fussy cut that down and created a white background behind it. I green embossed one of the sentiments and added a gold embossed edge around it once I cut it down.

Finally, I pulled out a burlap tag and found a color coordinating felt tag holder (!!), I’d been hoarding, that I decided to use as both decorative and as a gift card holder. I had found that the car image fit on top of the holder. I started prepping the tag by first sewing a gold metallic thread border around it. I ran the edges of the tag over the green ink pad. Then, I gold embossed a second image and fussy it cut to down. I created another green embossed paper by stamping and clear embossing the paper and used that to create both the sentiment backing and some gear die cuts. I created gold embossed paper and made more gears with that. I assembled all the pieces, using a tacky glue with materials and runner tape with papers and added ribbon.

Such fun, and I love how this one turned out. I am really impressed also with the images in this SMAK kit... love that plaid especially. Well, hope you enjoyed this unique card and that it provides some inspiration for your next male card! Till next time, happy crafting!  

Focus on One Thing Card

Created a card using the cameras from the May 2020, Unity SMAK Kit, Radiate Joy. I combined the image and sentiments from the kit with an older We R Memory Keepers Paper collection Kit called Snapshots. I used 5x7 Mint colored card base.

I first started by stamping the image on mint green patterned paper and a white paper scrap Using Versaclair brown ink. I fussy cut the white parts of the image out and glued them down on the mint paper. I used dies on most of the papers included on the card. Stamped and white embossed one sentiment on scraps from the kit and stamped the other using a Memento mint ink on another scrap. Cut the sentiments down and backed them with paper.

For embellishments, I fussy cut a camera out, used a sticky sentiment from the kit and added a brown penned camera wood chip. I also used dotted dark brown ribbon and brown crystals.

Had fun piecing this card together and love the mint, camel and brown color combination. Unity Stamp Co. did a great job, as usual, on this fun May SMAK kit. Till next time, happy crafting!

Whit’s Card Kit April 2020

Just squeezed in last month in picking up this cute kit! Loving the images and sentiments in this kit, the paper... and especially, the Nuvo Gilding flakes. I already own the copper flakes but I’ve been wanting to pick up the more versatile gold for awhile now! As you may already know, I had leftover acrylic Gelli plate prints and decided to couple one of them with this kit. Because I already had colors in the print, I used, primarily (the butterfly word paper and the charcoal sentiment background came from other pads), the Paper Studio Terrace Blooms paper. Also, I didn’t use the glue pen in the kit, because I’m trying to use up my almost dried up Tsukineko Glue Pad.

I began by stamping the butterflies using the glue pad on a pale blue worded old Authentique paper. I then sprinkled and patted the gold flakes all over the glue image... yes I know they are light and very nimble... don’t sneeze while doing this! I used a coarse round brush I’ve used in the past to burnish the flakes into the glue by using swirling motions. I then used my Gansai Tambi paints to add blue, gray and pink colors to the butterflies and then cut them out.

I gold embossed the sentiment on a darkly patterned gray paper and cut that down. I die cut all the other papers and layered them adding gold trimmed ribbon and gold crystals. I added the whole card front to a pink card and decided to embellish the pink envelope to match by stamping a butterfly in both Gina K pink and clear embossing ink, adding gold embossing powder over the clear and in some spots over the pink... love, love, love how the envelope turned out!

So glad I challenged myself to do this today! It’s a struggle for me to craft right now... so I’m just going with the flow. When I feel like it I do, and when I don’t I try not to feel guilty! Thanks for stopping by, hope you are all taking care of yourself. (Strange day today... it’s 94 hot here while my friends are getting snowed on in the Northeast! This too shall pass!). Happy crafting!

Family Love Card

Decided to paint and color the irises from Unity Stamp CO’sFamily Love kit. I tried to match colors to both Mintay’s Love Letters paper collection and the irises from my yard!

I began by stamping the image onto less expensive watercolor paper. When using cheaper paper, things can happen such as bleeding (pigment moving beyond painted lines), too quick blending (eliminating ability to create multiple hues), and quick drying (creating hard lines in shading when you’d rather have smooth transitions). Instead of using the wet on wet technique, I used more short strokes to add dimension. Fortunately, I used paler colors and added pencil and pen to smooth things a bit. However, the end result is definitely not a smooth painting, but...  I embraced the flaws instead of fighting it! I used InkOn3’s Fadeout No Line ink again on this one. I also took a little license and added beards to the flowers!

After I was done videoing my efforts (see video below), I fussy cut out the flowers. I backed the image with multiple die cut papers from the pad. I also stamped 3 sentiments, one on a small frame found in the pad, one on a paper from the pad, backed with scraps, and the 3rd inside the White cardstock. I clear embossed all the sentiments. I added a strip of paper and another small frame from the pad inside the card, and enamel dots and mesh ribbon on the card front.

Hope you enjoyed the creation of this card! Was a nice change in style from recent efforts. Thanks for stopping by! Hope you are keeping well... and yes, this card is for my sister’s birthday! Again, you can watch the video directly from my blog or click on the word Youtube to see a larger frame view!

Friends of Unity May Blog Hop

Welcome back to another Friends of Unity Blog Hop! For a fun change, we are honoring Angie Blom’s girls this month! I decided to use Warm Inside for the first card, and, for the second, Jess Girl along with a sentiment from April 2020’s SMAK Kit, Head Up, My Friend.

I used my Prismacolor pencils on both cards and some fussy cut patterned paper. For the first card, I stamped the image on light Kraft paper using InkOn 3’s Fadeout No Line ink. I used pencil colors coordinating with this new paper pack of mine, Coffee Time, from Laserowe Love (which I love).

For the second card, I used paper from Bo Bunny’s, Aryia’s Garden. I also stamped this image with the InkOn 3 ink. This time, I created a little background by adding watercolor stripes using oxide inks and spattered with Silver Glitter ink. I used round and rectangle die cuts, special ribbon and Gunmetal Embossing powder on this one. Of course, took a little license with this one by adding a mask.

Must admit, both of my images were inspired by current events. The first, reflects my too avid interest in reading the news daily with my coffee. The second, what I say to myself when donning my mask going shopping. Although, if I were honest... I should have added gray roots ;-) !Wonder how you’d depict your life right now? Hope you enjoy these Angie girl cards! Please stay safe and take a craft break when you feel like it. Better days are coming!

I will be doing a gift card giveaway this month, as I am avoiding the PO right now! So, to be eligible, remember to comment on every post in the hop! And now, on to the hop for some wonderful inspiration from this talented group of Unity lovers!

Crystal

Eileen

Amber

Bobbie Sue

Kim

Dawn F

(You are here... Joyce)

Dawn B

Robyn

Jeanie

Alaine