Stay Cozy and Feel the Warmth

Made a 3rd card for the Coffee Lover Blog Hop! Having already inked up another coffee stamp, Unity’s Hot Mess border stamp, I proceeded to watercolor it, using Christmas colors. Thought it would make a cute holiday card! After it dried, I used my Prismacolor pencils and pens to tighten up the look. I then added white paint spatters.

I then found a great stamp to pair with it, from Unity’s Planner Girl: Stay Cozy Kit. I inked it up with a Gina K red and then embossed it with Brutus Monroe’s beautiful Christmas Eve embossing powder  (red with gold glitter). I decided to add glitter dots all over to spread the sparkly look and used a Wow gold glitter and glitter glue to do this. I also added more white dots and glittered those as well.

Finally, I found the perfect papers to pair with my watercolored sparkly card front... the My Mind’s Eye’s Cozy Christmas paper. The sweater pattern has a red glittery stripe. Felt it paired well with the sentiment and coffee/tea/mulled cider/hot cocoa cups (whatever your preference... I love all of them)!

Stamps used:

Hot Mess

Planner Girl: Stay Cozy

Thanks for stopping by! Happy crafting till next time!

Coffee Card Number 2

Wasn’t going to make a coffee card today in support of the blog hop, but I received my Christmas/birthday present early... yowser, it’s a 36 half pan Schmincke watercolor set! For the small quick paintings I do, the tubes were too cumbersome, however, I wanted a pro set! And, boy, did they deliver! Love them! Hope I can learn to do them justice!

Anyway, I had already stamped out with Distress Antique Linen, the tea cup from the the lovely Unity set, Tea Cup Floret. I decided I wanted to use this card as either a birthday card or thank you card, so I wanted the colors to be bright. I looked around my paper stash and happened upon a My Mind’s Eye pad, called Splendor. I tried to match the colors as best I could with a new set and began painting. Once finished, I fussy cut the tea cup out.

Unity Tea Cup Floret

To pull the card together I die cut 2 sheets from the pad, stamped the sentiment on another sheet from the pad and cut that down. I raised the tea cup with foam tape, added the sentiment and crystals and called it done. Lately, I’ve been adding spatters to the image, but I think it turned out okay as is. (Let me know if you think I should go back and add white spatters.)

That’s a wrap for today! Happy crafting till next time!

Friends of Unity November Blog Hop

Back for another Friends of Unity Blog Hop! This month our theme is Giving Thanks! And we do give thanks for all your support over the years! To celebrate 2 years of hopping, next month we have some special surprises coming your way, so be sure to stop back!

As usual, several members are doing giveaways this month. Be sure to comment on each blog for a chance to win a freebie! Now it’s time for me to announce my winner from last month...

Sandra Van Blaricum!

Step right up Sandra and PM me your address to claim your prize! Be sure to contact me in the next 2 weeks! Congrats!

Now, onto my cards. A little unusual this month as besides focusing on 1 stamp kit, Unity’s Simple Blessings kit, I also decided to use a paper I developed over the summer. I developed it Primary Elements pigment and copper glitter. I’d been waiting till the right time, fall, to use it and so... here we go!

The first card I decided to use it as the background paper for this flourish stamp. I heat embossed the flourish and a sentiment from the Ol’ Fashion Holiday Love kit. I added leaf die cuts from a Bo Bunny paper, black and red paper backings, shimmery paper behind the sentiment and crystals to complete the card.

The second card I just white embossed the pumpkins from the kit of the sparkly paper, fussy cut them out and white embossed the sentiment on wood grained patterned paper. I added a a knitted background paper and ribbons. To complete the card I added crystal dots.

For the final card, I took the leaf stamps, the special paper and several colored archival inks and stamped and clear embossed the leaves using multiple colors on each leaf. After embossing the sentiment on another piece of glimmer paper, I fussy cut and adhered the leaves, added crystals and framed the card using gold peel offs. I mounted it on green corrugated paper.

Had fun using up the paper I created! Now, for your enjoyment, on to the next blog in the hop (be sure to leave a comment before you go!):

Crystal

Eileen

Kim

Alaine

Jeanie

Dawn B.

Bobbie Sue

You are here!

Dawn F.

Robyn

Reminder, we are not sponsored by Unity, but they fully endorse our efforts to share the Unity love! We’re just a team of crafters having fun focusing efforts on monthly themes and sharing our creations, hoping to inspire! Our giveaways are from our private stashes!

Coffee Card using Unity and Picket Fence

Wanting to participate in the blog hop going on over at Coffee Loving Papercrafters, I pulled out the Picket Fence Need More Caffeine stamp. I stamped it using Antique Linen Distress ink onto watercolor paper. After watercoloring it using Daniel Smith paints, I die cut it and started to look for sentiments and backgrounds.

First, I found an embossing folder by Tim Holtz that I decided to try. I ran Gathered Twigs oxide ink pad over the folder, wet down a piece of Kraft cardstock, and embossed the image. I die cut it down and darkened the edges.

I then turned to a sentiment and found the perfect one in Unity’s One Sip at a Time kit. I stamped that using brown Versafine ink on Kraft paper and die cut it out. Finally, I went on a search for background paper and found a My Mind’s Eye sheet that to me looked like a tablecloth! So, not settling for just the paper, I decided to use Unity’s Beautiful Elements Kit and stamped some coffee stains on it.

I pulled the card together using crystals, eyelash string and a small wooden coffee cup. Enough for today, happy crafting till next time!

Art Anthology, Prima and Unity Holiday Card

After being inspired by the card creations of a wonderful mixed media artist on YouTube by the name of Shawn Petite (check her out... love, love, love), I decided to try my hand at recreating one of her cards. Only, with my spin! I used Art Anthology products, a Prima paper and Unity Stamps and embossing powders. This again was a fun exercise!

9/19 UNITY SMAK Kit

So, to begin, I cut off a piece of Prima’s Christmas in the Country paper from the pad. I took out a sparkly Red Art Anthology paint and using a palette knife scraped paint in vertical and horizontal lines on the paper. This created a bit of texture! After drying I then used a palette knife again to scrape white gesso over the paper ensuring parts of the red would still be visible. I had to go back again and go over a few spots after drying the paper. Finally, I used watered down Cocoa paint combined with some Gold to paint over the top of the whole paper... I used a paper towel to lift off some of it. And went around the edges again with just the Cocoa paint, again lifting with paper towels to remove any hard lines.

Pulling out the September 2019 SMAK kit, I first embossed the sentiment using Black Ranger powder. I then stamped the snowflakes from the kit around and used a combo of white Ranger and a white glittery Stampendous powder. I used a dark Derwent Charcoal pencil to give a little definition to the snowflakes and added white Posca pen dots for snow.

I used a green patterned paper from another pad and the red check paper from the Prima pad to back the paper. I distressed both of those and darkened the edges of those and the die cut snowflake paper with Gathered Twigs oxide ink. I pulled the card together only adding a string embellishment.

Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas to make it better, I’d love to hear from you! Have a great weekend and till next time, happy crafting!

Build a Snowman Card

Had dreams the other night about how I wanted to use Unity’s and Brutus Monroe’s collaboration kit, Sweadda Weadda! After having tried this once now... I have even more ideas! After creating the background using this kit, I decided to combine it with the snowman and sentiment from the 10/19 SMAK kit. Here’s the kit info:

Sweadda Weadda

Unity SMAK Kit 10/19

I began by stamping the background on Bristol paper using both London Fog Archival ink and Versamark black ink. I wanted a varied feel to the design. I then clear embossed it. I then used the Picket Fence blending brushes to blend on 2 different colors, again providing a varied look. I swiped a slightly wet towel over the top to remove ink from the embossed areas. I die cut the image and then blackened the edges. I added white pen to areas on the background for a little contrast. I ended up wrapping a black ribbon over the top.

I stamped the snowman on Kraft cardstock and embossed it with black ink to ensure a dark image. I tore the image out and blackened the edges. I then added a little of the same Gina K. color to the snowman plus a little white Starry Night paint to make it glisten. I stamped the sentiment on black paper using VersaMark ink and embossed it with an Aqua Tinsel embossing powder. I added some Posca dots and a few sticky snowflakes. I put the card together on gray cardstock and added grey sparkly crystals.

I definitely want to do more with these stamps, but this was a good learning start! Hope you enjoy this one!

Spooky Simon Says Stamps Card

Picked up SSS’s Halloween kit because I loved the Spook Up Some Halloween Fun stamp set and some of the other items in the kit. I also recently picked up the SSS Spooky kit for only $6 in a recent sale... love the haunted house background stamp! Stamps:

Spook Up Some Fun

Spooky

So, I started by pulling out Seedless Preserves and Blueprint Sketch oxide inks and a piece of Bristol paper. I brushed on the pink/purple tone first and I wasn’t intending a full coverage knowing this background would show in the circle. I then inked up the sky area in the blue color. Finally I used Black Soot on the sky and bats. I used Gina K Black Amalgam ink on the house, bats and ground area. Finally, I stamped, in Versa-mark ink, the sentiment and white embossed it. To add a little something-something to the image, I added shading and window panes with pens! I also added Black Soot to the moon image in areas. After die cutting this piece, I ended up darkening the edges with the Gina K black ink.

On another sheet, I stamped the ghost and used my Prismacolor pencils to shade it. I then fussy cut that out. Finally, I used a gray paper from the kit to make the card base. I found some coordinating paper to back the house and another to place inside the card. I first embossed the Boo sentiment for the inside paper. I pulled all the pieces together, added black crystals, a leftover Spooky die cut (think it was a Tonic product) and an acrylic bat for inside and called the card done! So fun to make!

If I forget to say this... have a Happy Halloween! Till next time, happy crafting!

A Special Baby Birthday Card

Can’t help smiling, my little grandson is turning 1 next week! What a joy... giggling, laughing and babbling all the time! I used Unity’s Fall Breeze, Bright Leaves Kit to craft a card for this little guy! I also pulled out a watercolor paper and some Color Bursts for the background and peripheral stamps, specifically, Marigold, Sunflower Sparkle and Merlot.

I started by adding Sunflower drops all over the outer edges of the paper and spraying with some water. I then added the other 2 powders, one at a time, spraying with water again. I dried the paper and added more color where I thought it needed it. Once dried completely, I stamped all the images on the paper using Gina K Amalgam ink and clear embossed them. I stamped and embossed the images again on another watercolor paper and proceeded to watercolor those.

I used and blended Color Bursts colors to get the colors I wanted for the leaves, flower bouquet, underside of umbrella, and bird. I painted the bunny using Daniel Smith watercolors. Finally, I fussy cut the images out and popped up the leaves and bird. I decided to pull in patterned paper by stamping the umbrella part of the image on an Authentique Bountiful paper and fussy cut that out. I pieced together the bunny parts onto the watercolor paper, added a few pen highlights, and cut  the paper down to size. I backed it with more paper and added some crystal dots and sequins.

Turning to the inside, I stamped a sentiment from the Hugs, Kisses and Birthday Wishes Kit and added a number “1“ from an old magazine kit. I also cut out a strip and some leaves from the paper scrap. I then outlined all using a brown pen. I pulled the card parts together and called it done!

I know... just can’t make a simple card for the life of me! Oh well, here’s hoping the little family enjoys the card! Till next time, happy crafting!

A Pumpkin Birthday Card

Still on a watercolor kick! This time I needed to combine my need for a birthday card with the already stamped out image of Unity’s Pumpkin Patch border background stamp! And being inspired by a blue pumpkin ATC creatively developed by Jeanie Marie Hays, I changed up the normal colors for this stamp!

To begin, I had already stamped out this image with Dried Marigold distress ink. I selected Daniel Smith watercolors for this card. I watercolored each pumpkin several times, leaving time to dry adjacent areas and layers. When done, I used several colored brown pens to delineate lines. I added white, orange, and blue spatters when I was done, and added more pops of dots in gold and white using Posca pens to finish the card off.

I embossed a sentiment from the Margaret Girl Kit and added coordinating pearl dots. I die cut and backed the paper with Kraft paper and a coordinating patterned paper.

Hopefully, the recipient will enjoy this seasonal birthday card as we celebrate her birthday this week! Thanks for stopping by!

October Unity ATC’s

Had fun this month creating Halloween and more Fall based ATC’s! First off, I started by cutting down paper from the Echo Park Hocus Pocus paper pack to ATC size. I then stamped the sentiment on black paper (and, yes, I will be eating candy and maybe sipping a little potion myself to enjoy the holiday this year!) using an orange/black embossing powder I received in a Love from Lizi Halloween Kit. This sentiment came from the ... Halloween Chatter Unity kit. I fussy cut that down as well as some potion bottles from the same paper kit. I then used a Hampton Art stencil to add spooky eyes to the top of the ATCS using opaque texture paste. Once dried, I went over the eyes again with Brutus Monroe Glow in the Dark Glitter glaze. I added pupils with a black pen. To pull the ATCs together, I first fixed some creepy web like stretchy string (?) to the ATC (from the Love from Lizi Kit). I added Washi tape, Brutus Monroe ribbon, the sentiment, the bottles and sequins and called them done. Not artistic, but fun!

Again, I experimented with the second ATC. I started by spraying a watercolor sheet with Glimmer Mists and an Altenew spray in reds and yellow. Using Stazon inks, I stamped red and green leaves from the 9/16 KOTM kit all over. I then added swirls from the Growing in Unity kit using orange ink and used the Chicken Wire Kit stamp with brown ink to fill in bare spots. After letting that dry, I added Champagne Gold modeling paste using a large Stencil Girl stencil over the whole sheet.

Once completely dry, I cut down the ATC’s. I then stamped and clear embossed the tree using brown Stazon ink from the 9/17 KOTM kit. I stamped the sentiment (9\16 kit) and embossed it with the dark Brutus Monroe Coffee Grounds powder to get the darkest impression. I then proceeded to have fun with a lot of pens, coloring the tree, outlining the background leaves, sentiment, and texture paste, adding the words, “love” and “fall” (my favorite season), and bordering the ATC. Finally, I darkened the edges and added crystal dots and called these done!

It is so fun and freeing to explore new products and techniques using ATC’s, as they are meant to be artistic endeavors. And the group I exchange with wholeheartedly endorses this philosophy! Luckily, Unity Stamp Co. has such a variety of stamps to choose from... from whimsical to artsy mixed media, there is never a need they can’t fill!

Till next time, happy crafting!

Quick and Easy Skates Card

Decided to try making a simple vintage card using Unity’s plaid and ice skate images from the 10/19 SMAK kit. I was inspired by all the plaid cards being posted and I do so need to keep building my holiday cards!

So, I began by pulling out a red card panel and my Misti. I lined up the image and panel ensuring the lines were vertical and stamped the bottom half of the panel. Trying a variation of what I learned from watching Unity videos, I stamped the plaid image with black ink and placed my magnets along the edges of the panel and pulled it out to clear heat emboss the image. I then carefully turned the paper around and embossed it again on the other half of the paper. Now, it didn’t create a mirror image, so lines don’t “line up”, but I think it looked good enough to be used as background paper.

I then stamped the ice skates using the same technique, as this time, I used 2 different inks on the image, clear embossing both sides. I first used black on the skates, heat embossed, and then, green on the pines. I used a poor quality watercolor paper, but there was really not a lot of coloring to be done! I added some shading, berries and used a black pen to darken some of the pines. Finally, I spatter some red watercolor and went around the edges lightly with a red ink and then a black soot oxide.

I die cut the paper and attached it to the die cut red plaid paper. For additional interest, I added die cut pine needles created by using a green scrap paper and a Poppy pine die cut and some red crystals. I wrapped black organza ribbon around both papers and mounted it on a Kraft card base. Finally, I stamped a sentiment from the 9/19 KOTM and backed that with black paper.

This was a quick and simple card to make and I think it turned out okay. If I did this again, I would use vintage photo to distress the paper, not bother with embossing, and use better paper so I could add more details to the skates. Well, that’s it for today, till next time, happy crafting!

Mondo Holly Christmas Card

Picked up this set, Mondo Holly by Julie Ebersole, from Ellen Hutson, during last year’s after Christmas sale. Such an interesting holly stamp with twist and turns in its leaves. I used the premium Arches watercolor paper and stamped the image about 5 times covering the cut down paper. I used mustard seed Distress ink for stamping, leaving a good image, but ensuring the paint dissolves with the heavier paint. My inspiration... from the web...

Continuing on with my watercolor efforts, I took a couple more Daniel Smith paint swatches and began coloring to a Hallmark channel. (This time of year, I go back and forth between sickly sweet, but fun, romance movies and horror movies! Go figure! Guess I need the balance!).

Took quite a bit of time as you need to let areas, like individual berries, dry before applying paint adjacent to them. I didn’t belabor the painting as it is only a card! Once completed a used a white pen and lines of green paint to add leaf details. I spattered green, gold and white paint over the image. (I need to improve my spattering efforts, but good enough for now.)

I used 2 sentiment strips from the same kit, white embossing them on black paper. I die cut the painted image, backed it with both dark red and black paper, backed the black sentiment strip with red and assembled the card. I added gold crystals and red Nuvo drops to complete the card.

Check... another Christmas card done! Till next time, happy crafting!

Experimental Poinsettia Card

UPDATE: since I’m getting asked this question a lot... I used Iced Spruce Oxide to shadow the image and sentiment first with the brush. Then I painted Evergreen Bough lightly on the petals and Bundled Sage on the leaves. I went over the sentiment with the brush again with Evergreen Bough... just over the center area.

After having watched a bunch of videos recently, I was inspired by a Gina Krupsky video technique she used to display her Stamptember Gina K stamp (which I was too late to purchase :( ). However, I remembered my 9/19 Unity KOTM also had a beautiful poinsettia arrangement I could try this technique out on. I used a sentiment from an older KOTM that worked great. The other substitutes I used were Distress Oxide inks for shadowing and also to add watercolor to the image (instead of watercolor brush pens) and a very old white Stamping Up embossing powder. Another difference... I love mint colors for Christmas!

I started by white embossing the poinsettia stamp onto Bristol paper. I then used a Picket Fence brush to add background color to the image. After shadowing around the image I used a lightly dampened paper towel to wipe away any ink residue. I lightly then added colors to the flower and leaves, darker in the center and lightening to adding no color on the edges. I left the centers, adding white Posca to the centers where needed... I knew I was either going to add glitter or something else to the centers. I then die cut the card front out.

When I was done, I did the same to the sentiment, except I also added another darker color to the center of the sentiment to make sure it stood out. Finally, I added Stickles dots to the flower centers and around the card front and some frosty Nuvo drops. Tomorrow, I’ll attach it to a card.

Lessons... be very careful embossing... might need some new white “clean” embossing powder, be more careful watercoloring and fix placement of image. I would move it a little off the card front, die cut with a smaller die and maybe back with mint paper.

Let me know what you think! Be sure to add your email if you want updates from my blog or follow me! Thanks for stopping by and till next time, happy crafting!