{BYSHC} Sketch Challenge 31 - Rustic Vintage Holiday Cards

 Been challenged this month by more work being done in my craft room and a little crafting slump, impacting my cardmaking efforts. However, I did manage to get these 2 cards done…with a rustic feel. Both cards started with Sketch Challenge 31:

The first card was created with a Unity vintage stamp called, Foxy Christmas. I varied a little from the sketch, but had fun creating a background for the foxy den stamp. I used a couple oxide inks to match colors in the background for the Fox image. I used a Peace stamp from another Unity Kit with an old Zinc Antique gold embossing powder which I also used on the die cut edges of the image. I used gold crystals and a gold ribbon to brighten up the card. I did cheat on this card as it’s missing the 3rd layer, but I wanted to preserve the tree!

The second card was made with a Love From Lizi stamp set, called Merry and Bright. I also used a Ciao Bella Frozen Roses paper pack to create a background for the card.

I used the heart image with red and brown inks. I clear embossed it, and then added red and dark green watercolor to the heart. I fussy cut out the card and backed it with a dark gray paper. I stamped the sentiment from the kit of the second layer of the sketch. I used a doorframe paper and another from the kit to make the 3rd layers. Finally, I used red paper for the bottom layer. I distressed the edges of the papers too. I added green string and a bow to the 3rd layer.

I decided to try both Love From Liza’s fluffy snow embossing powder which I received in a card kit and Tim Holtz’s Glistening Snow grit paste to add snow details to the card, a step I could have skipped. To complete this card, I added a fussy cut pine cone (with snow I added) and I red and green enamel dots.

Still time to add more holiday cards with this sketch! Check out https://byshcardmakers.blogspot.com/ for more inspiration!

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting till next time!

 

My Growing in Unity Winners!

 Thank you for all the wonderful comments received during my GIU week… thoroughly enjoyed reading them! Here’s the random winners selected:

Glennis F.

and

Kramer-Buffy (Dalis - Stamprgrl)

Please send an email to kelli@unitystampco.com within 2 weeks to claim your $20 credit on Unity’s website! Be sure to put “Winner from Joyce’s GIU Week” in the subject line.

Thank you all for participating and congrats to the winners! 

Friends of Unity March Blog Hop

 Another month, another blog hop! This time we are focused on one of my favorite cartoon and story book characters, Winnie the Pooh. Read many Winnie the Pooh stories when my son was little! And, oh, my, Unity Stamps has outdone themselves with their whole Pooh bear collection! Must admit, I was intimidated by this theme, as I’ve infrequently tried creating this type of card.

As a reminder, various members of our group offer Unity giveaways every month (from our own stash)! This month, I’ll be doing a giveaway and will announce the winner in April’s blog hop. To be legible, all you need to do is enter a comment on every blog is the hop. Be sure to leave your name with the comment!

For my first card, I used the Honey Pooh kit. I also used foliage stamps from Change & Direction for the background. Both this card and the next were watercolored on Arches watercolor paper. I first stamped Pooh using a watercolor pen to get the outline. I then added a tree, ground and shrub just using watercolor techniques. To create more bark detail on the tree, I added pen marks. I also used stamps to give foliage impression. I then watercolored Pooh. I had decided to create the whole composition with more muted colors, using blue green on the tree. I found a piece of ephemera on cork-like paper (that happened to be laying around and, yes, my workspace is a mess right now) that I thought perfect to add. This way, I can be flexible in the use of the card… whether for a friend or grandchild, or for a birthday or just a hello card! I found paper I thought would match for backing, added Pooh bear colored sequins and called the card done.

For the next card, I used Winnie the Pooh Making Memories With Pooh Bear, which is no longer available. Here’s a pic of the stamp!

I started this card by layering water over the entire paper and dropping yellow in the middle, blue paint in the bottom, and greens on the sides. I dried it thoroughly and then added the stamp using a brown archival ink. I then watercolored the scene. Because some of the areas, where the characters were stamped, were darker, I ended up using Kuretake Gansai Tambi paints to brighten them up. These watercolors are more opaque, like gouache. When finished, I die cut the paper and added a coordinating background paper. I stamped the sentiment and fussy cut it and a paper to back it. To complete the card, I added twine and dots.

Must admit, this turned out easier than I expected. Hope they look okay! Now onto a whole blog hop, filled with Pooh inspiration! Enjoy! And remember to leave comments with your name if interested in the giveaways!

You may have come here from:

Eileen’s blog

Continue on to:

Alaine’s blog

Or you can start from the beginning with:

Crystal’s blog

{BYSHC} Sketch Challenge 31 - Stamperia Pink Christmas

 Yes, another holiday card, this time using Stamperia’s Pink Christmas collection. I paired it with pink glitter paper. I used the new Sketch Challenge 31 with a few changes:

I picked up quite a few pieces from this set on sale as I loved the colors and designs. The center piece is a chipboard from the set layered with foam over a matching design element from the paper pad. I used the chipboards for the sentiment, added sequins and called it done. So easy, but so pretty!

Come join in the fun over at Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Facebook group! Share your holiday cards year round to build up your collection for the next season! And, if you use the Sketch Challenge posted for the month, enter your cards in that sketch album for a chance at winning the monthly prize contest! Winners will be randomly chosen. Also, if you use the monthly sketch challenge hashtag on other social media platforms, those entries will also be counted increasing your odds of winning!

Check out more design team inspiration for this particular sketch on the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers blog!

Must admit, this card technique was so easy, but produces such a beautiful card. Thanks for stopping by!

Growing in Unity - Day 5

 Oh my, the last day! It’s been fun and a challenge! So, here’s my last card. I’ve been wanting to copy a style of one of my favorite artistic cardmakers, Debbie Hughes. Not a clear hit, but was fun to try. This card was created with 2 Unity stamps, Strive to Be and Anemone Greetings. I also used a Simon Says Stamp die, Eucalyptus Leaves. I paired these with Mintay’s Blissful Time paper pad.

I started by stamping the image with Antique Linen oxide ink on Arches watercolor paper. I then proceeded to watercolor the image, trying to replicate colors in the paper. I created the foliage colors by mixing orange/rust with green (should have created a nice brown but I retained more of the green). Probably should have used a blue instead and it would have been a more cool brownish tone, but, I wanted a little more contrast. Anyway, after completion, I used a spritzer with white Perfect Pearl powder mixed in. I then used a toothbrush…a little too enthusiastically, to spatter white Winsor and Newton gouache all over. 

I used a Unity die to cut the paper down and embossed the sentiment with Aged Mahogany oxide ink. I used 2 papers from the pad as backing and card base. Then I die cut leaves with another paper from the pack. I added a little green color lightly with my finger using a cool toned green Memento ink. I then cut down and added the individual leaves with glue.

To complete the card I added enamel dots and twine.

This was a fun experiment that I want to try again! Let me know what you think… and remember to leave a comment on each of the days to qualify for the random draw. Leave your name as well! 2 lucky people will receive $20 of store credit. Thanks for all the support as well, as I still get anxious when put in the spotlight like this!

Have a great weekend and happy crafting till next time!

Growing in Unity - Day 4

 Okay, I’ve reverted back to a more vintage style, because, let’s just face it, I get bored doing the same style twice! (I think that’s why I gravitated toward management in IT… never a dull moment and the constant change in technology.) So, the stamp sets I used this time were: Soul Mail, French Kiss Life and Let it Go and Focus.

I started with the paper pictured in the photo. I used 4 different tan/rust colored oxide inks to stamp around the ends. I also stamped a few green dots.I then stamped the vase and used a combo of watercolors, pencils and pens to color in the vase. I wanted to match the old Bo Bunny paper I’d use as a background, called Love Lace, that I had in my stash.

I liked adding the rose stamp from French kiss around the paper to match the rose in the vase. I then decided to add interest with a frame around the rose. I embossed the chipboard twice, first with Rusty Hinge and then with Aged Ivory. I attached it to the paper with Aleene’s strong tacky glue. I distressed all the papers. As I was looking for another embellishment, I realized I had some ephemera from that paper pack. I cut a tag down and added the matching patterned chipboard button with twine to the corner. Finally, I embossed the sentiment, backed that, and called it done. Again, I know, not everyone’s style, but I’m a vintage fan!

Remember to leave a comment with your name on every day’s post this week for a chance at 1 of the 2 $20 gift cards (credit), Unity Stamp Co. is offering! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Growing in Unity - Day 3

 Hey… happy Hump Day! On a side note…my last boss’s name was Mike, who was a very effective and productive leader, and who I really liked and highly respected. Every time I had an important or tense meeting on a Wed., I so wanted to say, “Hey, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, guess what day it is?”. 🤣 Sorry, I digress and had to chuckle… loved that commercial!

And no, this card has nothing to do with camels🤣. 

Instead, I used the beautiful Linen Flowers from Unity. Because the stamp lines were so delicate, I wanted to retain that look, but stamp using individual colors for each area. This reminded me of a class I took with AI (Art Impressions) stamps. And then I remembered, I still had those same 3 Tombow watercolor markers from that class from 4(?) years ago.

I pulled out a Canson watercolor paper and my Misti and proceeded to use the markers carefully on each bit of the stamp. I’d color a few leaves, then stamp, then repeat. Then move onto the next section when I was happy. I didn’t bother with misting the stamp pad with water, as I didn’t want to dilute the colors.

When finished, I first used a delicate brush to pull colors from the outlines slightly through the petal or leaf. As the markers were water based, this was easy to do. Then, I added a touch more color using my watercolors (green and yellow). After die cutting the paper, I found coordinating paper for the background, embossed the sentiment from the stamp set, and added crystals. And (jaw drop time) I realized after assembling, I had created a CAS card, oh my!

Loved how this one turned out! 

Remember to leave comments on each day (be sure your name is included) for a chance at winning one of 2 $20 gift cards!

Thanks for stopping by and have a happy Hump day yourself!

Growing in Unity - Day 2

 Welcome back to my Growing in Unity Week! So, this card is a little more artsy and “angsty”… I do go on these tangents sometimes. I used Mend Your Heart, an old SMAK kit, Let Life Unfold, and Unity’s paper pack, Cozy Textiles. Love the fabric and sewing details in all of these items!

I started with the paper selections, and then coordinated colors from there. I used several browns to create the lace texture shadows… which is what is stamped. Isn’t that cool? I then stamped the needle on the lace and added stitches by pen. I die cut it and distressed the edges and middle seam.

I stamped the thimble using a combo of blue, brown and black to give it dimension. I then stamped the sentiment and fussy cut them both out. I backed the sentiment with more paper.

To pull the card together, I used a ribbon, a button, twine and enamel dots. Not a common card to use, but it’s there in my stash if needed. Unfortunately, we all face heartache at some point or another. Hopefully, this one acknowledges, commiserates, and reaches out to help.

Thanks for stopping by and remember to leave a comment for a chance at Unity goodies!

Growing in Unity Week - Day 1

 Hey there! Welcome to my first day of my Growing in Unity (GIU) week! So excited to be participating this year! 

For my first card, I used a couple of Unity kits, Delightful Little Things and Everything is Wonderful. I also used pretty papers from Kaisercraft, called Greenhouse. 

I used watercolors, pencils and pens for the succulent image and fussy cut it out. I stamped and clear embossed the sentiment on another paper using a Momento ink and added soft watercolors to blend with the palette colors in the paper.

I created several card layers, distressing all the card edges. To finish the card I added enamel dots, a button and twine.

As usual, I love pretty patterned paper, soft colors, collage style cards... While this card fits my aesthetics, I know it’s not for everyone…it just gives me “feel good” vibes! Thanks for stopping by - remember to comment on this card and my cards for the rest of the week for a chance at Unity goodies! Be sure to leave your name!

Till tomorrow, happy crafting!

Secret Santa Thank You Card

 Created a card with items included in the Secret Santa stash I received from Heather Wint! Thank you so much, Heather! This was so much fun to participate in this event last December. You can find several other participants sharing cards created from their Secret Santa stash in an Instagram hop with this picture (@j.verdon):

I used the cute Hand Penned Petals set and coordinating papers from Stampin Up. 

I started by stamping the flowers all over on watercolor paper. I then used my Schmincke watercolors to paint the flowers loosely in blues and oranges. I also used Ken Oliver’s Sparkle Pearl ink.  then painted additional foliage to fill in empty areas. I added paint spatters and stamped the sentiment.

I decided to add sparkly copper glitter to the flower centers with glue. Finally, to complete the card I added several paper layers and a lace ribbon. I like the ethereal look the whole card has.

Hope you like this one! Thanks for stopping by!

Unity Hearts Galore

 So, made another Valentine’s Day card using a bunch of Unity heart stamps and a sentiment from 3 different membership kits: Best Friend Till the End, Twinkle, and It’s Going to be Beautiful. 

I started this one with Brutus Monroe’s Gilded Gold embossing powder and a pretty large Couture Creations embossing folder. I used a grainy white paper, spritzed it with water and dry embossed it. I then took an embossing pad and lightly went over the raised edges and heat set the powder on the paper. I then used a large fancy die cut on the paper to enable creating a 5x7 card.

I then found 3 random papers (2 from a Dress My Craft pad Whispering Love pad) and a matching darker colored patterned paper. I gold embossed the stamps onto the paper. For the floral heart, I added coordination marker colors to the design. I fussy cut 2 of the hearts and used a heart die for the 3.

To pull the card together I found a mint colored shimmering paper pack and and used that for both the background and background die cut hearts. I used 2 ribbons and crystals. Finally I embossed the sentiment and the edges of the sentiment strip. I adhered the stamped hearts to the background hearts. Then, I used foam dots behind the top of each heart set and just sticky tape for the bottom and overlapped each set. 

So, I really loved the embossing of the hearts on patterned paper… so cool. Just wish it was all a little more contrasting in colors. But… since I was in a hurry… procrastinator till the end… no do-over was possible.

Thanks for stopping by… happy crafting!

Sketch Challenge 30 - Unity Nut Cracker

 Created another holiday card using this sketch!

However, I turned it on its side for this cute Unity stamp, the Nut Cracker Holiday. For all pieces, I used Suditrol paper from Modascrap. After stamping the image using Inkon3 on Bristol paper, I used watercolors, colored pencils and pens to match the colors in the paper. I fussy cut it out. I used vellum for the sentiment and embossed it using silver powder. I rounded the edges of the paper and card base. I used sticky silver strips to adhere the sentiment and added crystals for embellishment.

I kind of like the sketch on its side! Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!

January ATC’s

 Created another small set of ATC’s. Inspired by a few monochromatic technique videos, both of the sets I made, while very different, embraced this color story!

The first set was created with a couple different stamp sets. I pulled out inexpensive watercolor paper and sprayed and used pigment inks to create a lush deep pink, red and violet sheet. I cut down the sheet to create 4 ATCs. I then used black ink to stamp and emboss (with a grainy black Seth Apter powder) the lace background stamp from a Stampendous stamp set, called Ornate and Lace. I die cut some larger hearts from the same paper and used the ornate part of the stamp to emboss another image onto those hearts. I decided to add a little sparkle with white glitter by adding small circles with a glue pen on one side of the heart.

I then found another heart stamp set, Love Rocks by Dina Wakely. I knew I was going to use some cool pink glitter hearts on the ATCs, so I wanted to pull more purple in. I pulled another sheet and used Wisteria Colorburst and red inks to create a smaller set of hearts to add to the ATC’s. I fussy cut those out. And then finally, I found a magazine scrap and a patterned paper scrap and cut out more hearts. To add more sparkle I embossed script from, I think, a vintage typewriter stamp set, using silver powder on the larger heart. I  used an old Stampin Up sentiment on plain pink paper, cut it down and inked the edges. Finally used glue and foam tape to create a layered effect and called them done!

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

For the second set, I reused the typewriter set, pictured below, a lot. First, I started with Bristol paper and 2 stencils. I pulled out a variety of tan/brown inks, including archival, oxides and Memento inks and went to town. I used ink blending, stamping, and multiple inks on one stencil to add a variety of shades and texture looks to the background. 

I embossed the typewriter image and fussy cut it out.  I remembered I had picked up some little envelopes at Tuesday Morning. I ink blended the browns onto the white envelopes and stamped an image on it. I had decided to simulate a typewriter created message. So I took a grainy tan paper and stamped the little sentiments closely together. I cut out the pieces into rectangles, inked the sides and with a brown pen, added lines. I then embossed the lady image and used watercolor and a little clear sparkle ink to color her in. 

To pull the ATC’s together I tore an old vintage book page up to use as a backdrop for the individual pieces. I then added a string and a tiny Tim Holtz clip to finish them off. 

I love these for a variety of reasons…first, my mother, for one, she was an administrator, she typed up all my last minute high school projects till 3 in the morning, and she, herself was very creative and artistic. After retirement, she was very handicapped with severe rheumatoid arthritis, but still took up oil painting… she made some fabulous paintings despite crippled hands. Second, it’s so petite and reminds me of miniature stuff… which I love. Third, it’s just a great message for all of us! 

Hope you enjoyed these! Thanks for stopping by!