ENJOYING THE LITTLE THINGS . . .

FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY

2011-11-11T11:05:00.001-06:00

This is a card I made for the recent event on Splitcoast Stampers benefiting breast cancer patients at MD Anderson. I used the images from the Unity October KOM. LOVE this bird!!! The paper is from Echo Park and I used it to make a scene. FUN card!

This is another card I made for the same event, using more stamps from the October KOM. The paper is by Bazzill. Had a lot of fun using the images from the October KOM for this event. I also used a punch by Stampin Up and the inks were also by Stampin Up.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment on each blog in the hop for a chance to win some fabulous Unity stamps. Hope you have a wonderful weekend. Happy Veterans' Day and thank you to all of our military, past and present, for their service to our country.

FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY

2011-11-04T00:01:00.000-05:00

This is a card I made for the Graphic 45 challenge to make a thank you card and for the Unity kit of the month challenge to make a fall card. I love this paper by Graphic 45 and I used the new Samantha Walker stamps Ornate Artisan Stackers along with the coordinating Spellbinders die. I also used two stamps from the Orchard Harvest stamps that I received in a random bag with an order--LOVE these. I "fussy cut" some flowers from another sheet of Graphic 45 paper as well as the leaves and frame from the Orchard Harvest stamps. I used a punch by Stampin Up for the sentiment, which is from the Ornate Artisan Stackers set. The ink I used was by Ranger and the cardstock was by WorldWin.

This is a card I made for the Unity Sketch challenge using Echo Park Paper and the October kit of the month. I used Bazzill cardstock, a Marvy punch, and ink by Stampin Up and Memento. I also used a UniBall white pen for the dots. This card was also made for the "Hope You can Cling To" event at Splitcoast Stampers.

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you enjoy the rest of the hop. Don't forget to leave comments along the hop for a chance to win a fabulous Unity stamp set. I hope you have a fabulous weekend.

FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY OPERATION WRITE HOME

2011-09-02T09:35:00.000-05:00

This is a card I made for Operation Write Home. My LSS, Cat's Creations Scrapbooks, has started participating in this program. We meet every other month and create cards for our troops to send home to their family and friends. On this card, I used the Unity stamp set, Birdie Duet, which was a prize I won. LOVE this set - the cage is fabulous and the quotes are wonderful. It was a prize when Emily Leiphart and Lisa Arana did their "Take Two" week long event where they each did a daily project using the same stamp set, thus showing two ways to use it. Really enjoyed their event and was thrilled to win this stamp set, which was on my wish list. For this card, the music note paper is from Fancy Pants, the bird is cut out from some paper by My Little Shoebox as is the green paper the cage is stamped on. The sentiment is stamped on a tag from an unknown source. The fibers are from my stash and I used Stampin Up ink and chalk ink by SEI. Really liked how this card came together.

Quick request. Please say a prayer for those who are affected by the wildfire that is once again at Possum Kingdom Lake near where I live. There was a huge wildfire in this same area back in April and 160 homes were lost. So far, over 30 homes have been lost this time. Texas is in dire need of rain and the entire state, less two counties, is under a burn ban. There are numerous wildfires in the state, this is just the one that is close to where I live. I wish we could just divert some of the floodwaters left by hurricane Irene down to our drought stricken state. That would help the people in the path of the floodwaters and our state.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of the creations on the hop. Don't forget to leave comments on each blog for a chance to win a Unity stamp set. Have a fabulous Labor Day weekend.

FRIENDS WITH FLAIR SKETCH INSPIRATION

2011-08-12T08:56:00.000-05:00

These are layouts I did for Sketch Inspiration #232 using the new Reminisce fall papers. These papers went perfectly with the photos I had from a vacation my sister and I took in Arkansas in 2005. I used stamps from the Melody Ross "A Girl & Her Adventures" on Bazzill cardstock using Stampin Up inks. LOVE this set of stamps and was so pleased when it was included in one of the "garage sales". I also used stamps from the Technique Tuesday Studio AE June Kit of the Month. It went perfectly with this layout. The flower was made using yarn from my stash and a Gluber from cosmo cricket. I made the leaves and rosette using the Alterations die by Tim Holtz for Sizzix. Other supplies used were flowers by Basic Grey, on the edge by Bazzill, corner chomper by WeRMemory Keepepers, and my Signo white pen. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of the blogs. Don't forget to leave a comment on each blog for a chance at a prize from Unity.

FRIENDS WITH FLAIR

2011-08-05T17:04:00.000-05:00

I needed a sympathy card and used this wonderful sentiment stamp from the Unity May KOM. I used the blossom punch from Stampin Up and papers from Daisy D to make the fabulous flower. The music note paper is from Crate paper and the sticker strips are from Creative Imaginations. I used some 7 Gypsies tape and another punch from Stampin Up. The kraft paper and the cardstock are from the Paper Studio. LOVE how this turned out.

FRIENDS WITH FLAIR POST-IT NOTE HOLDER

2011-06-24T00:47:00.000-05:00

This is a Post-It note holder I made for a Copic Class I taught at my local scrapbook store. We take turns teaching the classes and since I had always wanted to make one of these, I chose to do this for the class I taught. The paper is by Little Yellow Bicycle and the doily paper behind the image is by Basic Grey. The tape across the bottom is by 7 Gypsies--love that tape!!! The image is one of my very favorites from the "She Sprouted Wings" set and went beautifully with the butterflies on the paper. Thanks to the recent warehouse sale, I was able to load up on some of the Melody Ross sets. LOVE her images and was so glad to add to my collection. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave comments on each blog for a chance to win some fabulous Unity stamps.

P.S. - Unity is having a WONDERFUL sale. Just click on the link and check it out!

FRIENDS WITH FLAIR

2011-06-17T10:16:00.001-05:00

This is a page out of my Soul Restoration art journal. I used some Basic Grey paper, artwork from the Soul Restoration curriculum, and stamps from the She Did it Anyway set. LOVE the birds from this set and, of course, they go perfectly with the Soul Restoration course since Melody Ross designed them with the Brave Girl Camp in mind. LOVE these!!!

Short post today. Leaving in an hour or so for Oklahoma to visit friends. Enjoy your hop today and thanks for stopping by. Don't forget that there will be a set of stamps given away to a commenter on one of the blogs participating in the hop today. Have a fabulous weekend and enjoy Father's Day with your dad.

I'm Back - with Friends with Flair

2011-06-10T11:10:00.001-05:00

This is the cover to my Soul Restoration Art Journal. I am altering an old library book. It's very different, but I wanted to use a quilt square made by my grandmother. When she passed away, we found a collection of quilt squares that she made that had never been made into a quilt. There aren't enough to make a quilt, but I saved them to use for something. So, when I was getting ready to start this project, I ran across them and decided to incorporate one into the cover of the album. I used the gate stamp from the Bold Insight Store Kit. LOVE this set of stamps. I used paper from Daisy D. The felt scroll is from Queen & Co, and then I used acrylic paints and mod podge.

This is the inside cover. It is mixed acrylic paints and I used my favorite bird stamp from the Growing In Unity
set of stamps--my all time favorite set of Unity stamps. I love the sets created by our Unity Artists--just amazing creativity.

This is my first attempt at making an art journal. I will share some other pages with later. Art journaling is fun--out of my comfort zone, but lots of fun!

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of the hop. Don't forget--there will be a winner from the random comments left on the different blogs.

CRAFTY STEALS - 20,000 FACEBOOK FANS GOAL & CELEBRATION

2011-04-08T17:55:00.000-05:00

Crafty Steals is getting ready to celebrate 20,000 facebook fans. I have purchased several different Unity Store Kits of the Month from them - they have a great price - and the service is unparalleled. It helps that they are just 50-100 miles from me so I get my order the next day--love that!! Click on the link in my sidebar to find out how to participate because there are some great prizes up for grabs. Hope you have a great weekend.

BUTTERFLY BLOG LINKY PARTY

2011-03-12T23:55:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the butterfly blog linky party. So much fun to make a project with BUTTERFLIES. I have SO many wonderful Unity butterfly stamps . . . so, it was easy to do a card with LOTS of butterflies.

I made this card using Basic Grey paper, vellum, Stampin Up ink, the Stampin Up butterfly embosslit, pearls by Bazzill, and felt ribbon from my stash. The stamps are from three different Unity sets. The quote is the butterfly becoming stamp; the fabulous butterfly tree is from the June 2010 kit of the month: "Fly Free" - I had to purchase this kit of the month just for this tree---LOVE it! The butterflies flying away from the tree are from the November 2010 kit of the month "Picture Perfect". This card was so much fun to make - love the colors of this paper and then getting to use my favorite stamps . . . just can't get much better than that!

This is a card I made using some LUSCIOUS paper by Prima. Very easy card - I just stamped the "bounded hearts" stamp onto some Bazzill cardstock, using Stampin Up ink, and cut them out. I attached them using foam tape to pop them up. Then I stamped the sentiment from the "Insightful Meadows" set by Donna Downey. LOVE this card - it is so beautiful and was so very simple to make. The paper was so yummy that you just let it be the center of attention.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed the cards I made. Please leave a comment letting me know what you think of these cards. All comments are read and treasured.

ALL THINGS UNITY FRIENDS WITH FLAIR HIP HOP

2011-02-11T00:01:00.016-06:00

I made this card for the Hip Hop Sketch 44. I have wanted to use these two stamps together--think they are so fun. The bird stamp is from the October 2010 kit, Take Time to Laugh and the crossword puzzle stamp is from the November 2009 kit, Simply Magical. I used paper from the Kioshi collection by Basic Grey and the ink is by Stampin Up. I colored the bird stamp with my Marvy brush markers and used a glitter gel pen to write Happy birthday in the crossword puzzle.

I made this card with the intentions of submitting it for publication, but didn't realize the paper was no longer available making it ineligible. So, you get to see it! I used the gate from the "Bold Insight" store kit

and the sentiment is from the other part of that store kit - All about the Journey.

The paper is by BoBunny and I used my Creative Memories curvy cutter to make the grass and then added some of the coordinating stickers for interest. The flowers are by Prima and the pearls are by Basic Grey. The paper ribbon is from my stash and the top border sticker is from the BoBunny stickers for that paper line. Really pleased with this card.

This card is for the All Things Unity Challenge #24 to use your favorite stamp or stamp set. I used two stamps from my very favorite stamp set--even after all this time I still love the "Growing in Unity" set. I love this tree and the bird with long flowing tail. I used paper by Cosmo Cricket that had clouds on it and then used the cloud from the July 2009 kit "A Pocket full of". The journaling block is from the same kit and the sentiment is from the June 2010 kit "Fly Free". The stamp for the flowers on the twill tape is the "Flowers from Neverland" stamp. I colored the stamp with my Marvy brush markers. The papers are by Cosmo Cricket, Basic Grey, and Bazzill. The ink is by Staz-on and Stampin Up as well as the twill ribbon.

Have you signed up for the Unity kit of the month? It is a great way to build a library of fabulous stamps by the very talented Unity artistas!

Enjoy the rest of the hop and don't forget to look for the blinkie for a chance to win a grab bag of 25 of those wonderful Unity stamps. Have a fabulous weekend!

Just for fun

2011-02-10T00:01:00.002-06:00

I made this card for a male's birthday. It is fairly simple and the colors are masculine. The paper is by BoBunny and the ribbons are from my stash. I used one of the journalling spots from the paper line as the backdrop for the sentiment. The sentiment is from the store kit: The Right Words. This set is so very useful! I punched 4 circles of different sizes and stacked them up after crinkling and inking them. I topped them with a Basic Grey button tied with Karen Foster floss. Love to make these kind of flowers--they are easy and cute. I used my Scotch ATG to apply adhesive down the length of the brown velvet ribbon and then would stick it down the crinkle/pleat it then stick it down again--love the effect that makes! This card was very simple, but really pleased with the results.

I made this card using a scrap of Creative Imaginations paper laying on my desk. I also used more of the BoBunny paper that I used on the previous card to complete it. I cut two smaller rectangles and distressed the edges with my craft knife and distress ink. I stamped the sentiment from the October 2009 kit, Wherever you Go with chocolate chip Stampin Up ink. Then I stamped the sun from the July 2009 kit, A pocket full of. I cut the sun out, glued it to the corner of the card and trimmed it to fit. Simple, but cute.

Thanks for stopping by. All comments are read and appreciated.

Hip Hop Sketch #43

2011-02-09T08:42:00.000-06:00

I made this card or the Hip Hop Sketch challenge #43. I used some Daisy D paper that I had--love the distressed gingham checks! The die cut is from a large embosslit by Sizzix - love it! I used glitter paper by Creative Imaginations for the die cut. The heart brads are from Oriental Trading Co. and I used Memento ink to stamp the sentiment from the store kit: "The Right Words".

This is a sympathy card I made using some of the Basic Grey Wisteria collection and a scrap of OLD 7 gypsies paper. The die cut is actually one of Tim Holtz's Sizzix die that I just cut the two ends off of and then stamped my sentiment from the Something Within set using Memento ink The I used a piece of the Queen & Co. felt ribbon and accented with some buttons from my stash. The buttons are "sewn" on with floss by Karen Foster. Not real crazy about this one, but it is OK.

Thanks for stopping by and STAY WARM!

A Truly Scrumptious H(ippity) Hop

2011-02-07T00:01:00.001-06:00

I made this card for the Truly Scrumptious Challenge #50. I used Basic Grey, DCWV, and Bazzill papers for this card. The die that I used for the sentiment is one of Tim Holtz' dies by Sizzix. I used Prima flowers and some bling from my craft stash. I used some Adirondack ink for the sentiment and then used distress ink on the various parts of the card. The sentiment is part of the "Devoted" set by Ippity in the Fall, 2009 release. Pleased with the results on this one--it was a little iffy at first, but after I played around, it turned out OK.

I made this card for a challenge, but KIND OF missed the deadline--Oh well, still like the results. The challenge was to use black and white with a touch of purple--from Off the wall Craftiness. I used one of the fabulous butterflies from the "Butterfly Beauty" Unity kit--love those butterflies. The sentiment is from the fabulous Ippity set, "Devoted" from the Fall, 2009 release--just love this set. I stamped the butterfly on purple Bazzill cardstock AND on vellum and cut them out. I layered them, only gluing in the middle and creasing them so the would look like they were flying. I put pearls down the middle. The frame is a die by Sizzix and I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder on it. I stamped my sentiment using Ranger Adirondack ink and then used my Distress ink and ink tool to add some purple to the frame and sentiment piece. I used some ivory ribbon on the left hand side of the card. I used my Stampin up butterfly embosslit to make some little butterflies out of vellum to add to the card. I SO love these little butterflies!

Enjoy the rest of your hop and stay warm this week!

SIMON SAYS LOVE IS IN THE AIR!!!

2011-02-06T16:30:00.000-06:00

I made this card for the Simon Says Stamps challenge to make a Valentine and Create's challenge to use a doily. I used one of Unity's Bella Blvd. doily stamps with some Staz-On ink and stamped it onto some glitter paper. I cut it out and then adhered it to some black and white damask print paper by The Paper Studio. The red/gold satin ribbon is some Christmas ribbon I bought at Wal-Mart on clearance. The tag is a vellum tag from my stash that I painted over with a gold dauber by Ranger. Then I stamped the word Love (from Unity's August 2010 "All You Need is Love" kit of the month) on it with red Staz-On ink. The gold ribbon on the tag is from my stash.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your Super Bowl Sunday!

SHABBY TEA ROOM CHALLENGE TO GET CREATIVE

2011-02-05T01:24:00.000-06:00

I made this card for the Shabby Tea Room Challenge to not use any designer paper and to make your own embellishments. So - it was a tough on for me since I L-O-V-E my designer paper. I thought this was a good time to use this wonderful stamp,So and So Loves, for the background paper. I used watercolor paper and then painted the hearts with my twinkling h2o's--Love those! I punched the bird out of glitter paper with my Stampin Up punch. The ribbon is by May Arts- LOVE that ribbon. I used the journal block from the April 2009 Kit of the Month, Fresh Beginnings and the sentiment is from the store kit of the month, Throughout all Generations. Pleased with the way this one turned out, even though it is way out of my comfort zone!

Thanks for stopping by and have a very blessed day.

VALENTINES FOR FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY

2011-02-04T00:15:00.000-06:00

I made this card for the "Truly Scrumptious" Challenge #50 and A Spoonful of Sugar Challenge #137 - photo inspiration. I used BeLoved papers by My Minds Eye and these stamps: wreath and bird circle from the July 2010 KOM - Happily Ever After; "You are loved" from the October 2010 KOM - Take Time to Laugh. I used Adirondack and Stampin Up ink, my scalloped and plain circle Spellbinders nestabilities; a glaze pen by Sakura to accent the hearts on the birds.

This card used more paper from the My Minds Eye BeLoved collection and kraft paper by the Paper Studio. The tree is from the "Everything Extraordinary" store kit available here and the word "Love" from the Tree-mendous Love kit. The heart bling brads are from Oriental Trading Company and I used the fancy tag punch by Stampin Up. The ribbon is from my stash and I attached it with my Tiny Attacher. I used a sketch from Cute Card Thursday #149 and this is for Simon Says Stamps love is in the air Challenge I used Stampin Up ink.

This card was made using Daisy D paper and sticky back canvas by Ranger/Claudine Hellmuth. The rose was stamped on some Prima paper. This uses a variety of Unity stamps and ink by Ranger and Stampin Up. The rose is from the "Life Becoming" set; the journaling spot is the "Polka Dot" stamp; the sentiment is from the "Photo Love" set. I made this card for the Card Patterns Sketch 100 and Crafty Creations Challenge #103.
Enjoy the rest of the hop and don't forget to look for the blinky. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. We are supposed to thaw out a little over the weekend, but more snow maybe in the forecast for next week. Gotta love our Texas weather! Thanks for stopping by!

SIMON SAYS: H{ippity} Hop

2011-01-31T02:01:00.000-06:00

I think this may be my first time to join in on the H{ippity} hop challenge. So, I combined all four of the challenges into one card. I followed the sketch, used red, white, and blue, used polka dots from the inspiration photo, and used brads. In addition, this card is for Simon Says Stamps' challenge - animals. I used a kraft base, then some check paper from Daisy D as well as two different pieces of "just the edge" by Bazzill. The white paper is some watercolor paper and the blue is cardstock by Paper Studio. I used a punch by Creative Memories to punch the square with the sentiment on it. The sock monkey is from the Unity October 2009 Kit of the Month, Wherever You Go and the sentiment is from the Ippity Fall 2009 "Life's Little Moments" set. Love this Ippity Set--so very versatile with stamps that work for scrapbooking
AND cards. The TINY red brads are by Bazzill and I used Stampin Up ink and Marvy markers. Really happy with the way this one turned out.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your H{ippity} hop!

WINNERS

2011-01-29T10:08:00.000-06:00

First, I want to thank everyone for all of their sweet comments--I read and treasure each one. The winner for Friends with Flair Friday grab bag of 25 wonderful Unity stamps is #5, Lori with the comment: Your card is adorable...just love the vintage feel. Thanks for the sweet comment, Lori and please contact me so you can get your prize!

The winner for Growing in Unity prize of a set of Unity Stamps is Lillian Child said...
Very creative! Love how you used the hearts stamps as a faux stitch border around your card, and that vintage cowboy just takes me back to my childhood! Please contact me so you can get your prize!

FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY ARE GROWING IN UNITY

2011-01-28T02:01:00.000-06:00

I thought I would make a Valentine for today's Growing in Unity and Friends with Flair Friday. This is my version of the Hip Hop Sketch #42. I used some Daisy D Valentine paper that is just so stinkin' cute! The little cowboys are on one side and the checks are on the other side. I then used my 2" square punch for the red square and then turned it on its end. I used a white glitter ring from reminisce to circle the "diamond" and then cut out one of the little cowboys and popped him up on foam dots. I used the hearts border from the June 2010 kit of the month "Fly Free". I stamped it kind of messy to make it look like stitching--looks kind of like zigzag stitching, but it is hearts. Then I used the p.s. i love you stamp from the Ippity set, Love in Return. Simple and sweet.

I have enjoyed sharing my cards and layouts with you this week for Growing in Unity. I stepped in for Noelle, whose daughter had some medical issues -- thankfully she is doing fine now. You will be seeing her work later. Don't forget to leave a comment each day for a chance to win some wonderful Unity stamps. And today is our Friends with Flair Friday so be sure you keep an eye out for the blinkie. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. . . . . . . . wait. . . . . what's that I see ???????

is it a bird?????

is it a plane????

is it Superman????

no. . . . it's the

BLINKIE!!!

Be sure to leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a grab bag of 25 wonderful Unity stamps. Enjoy the rest of your hop!

GROWING IN UNITY - DAY FOUR----GETTING PICKY!

2011-01-27T02:01:00.000-06:00

This is a 2 page layout, using the Get Picky sketch #4, that I made from our trip to Florida. We ate at a restaurant called The Dixie Crossroads and it had quite a write-up in several travel brochures, so we tried it out. The ambiance was amazing. So, I had to make a layout with some of the interesting things at the restaurant. I used some DCWV cardstock as a base and then accented with some Graphic 45 papers. The letters that I used for the title are some VERY old Basic Grey letters--it's a shame, because I wish I had more of them!. The flower is by Foof-a-la and the buttons are by Basic Grey. The tag is from Office Depot and I used the Giving it all Meaning stamp for the background using Antique Linen distress ink and then distressed it some with the same ink. The ribbon is from BoBunny. I used border stamp from the This is the Time large set. I love this set and have the small set as well. They are just beautiful and come in handy so many times.

First, this is one of the first times I used sunlight to photograph with--it is very HARSH! So, apologies for the flaws in my paper, etc. The paper is by Nikki Silvas--very girly! I used the two girl stamps from The Girl of the Moment set. This card was part of the challenges from the Virtual Stamp Night on Splitcoast stampers. The challenge was to paper piece at least two things on your card. I paper pieced their dresses, using some scraps from my scrap basket. I colored the girls with my copics. The string was from my stash and the sentiment is from the October 2009 kit of the month "Wherever you Go", using distress ink.

Don't forget to leave a comment every day this week for a chance to win some wonderful Unity stamps. Be sure you leave a way for me to contact you if you win. I'll see you tomorrow for my last day of Growing in Unity and for our Friends with Flair Friday. Thanks for stopping by!

GROWING IN UNITY DAY THREE

2011-01-26T02:01:00.000-06:00

This is a card I made for the Mojo Monday sketch for this week. I needed an anniversary card for some dear friends who are celebrating their sixtieth anniversary. I wanted it to be elegant, so I used some beautiful paper by EK Success and then embossed a piece of cardstock with one of Tim Holtz's texture fades. I used my antique linen distress ink to bring out the design. I then stamped the clock image from the Roots and Wings store kit again using the antique linen distress ink. On top of that I stamped the "love has no boundaries" stamp from the Sentiments o Simple set in pumice distress ink. I backed it with some kraft paper and used a flower by prima for an accent. The lace is by Fancy Pants. Really pleased with the results.

This is the card I made for the Hip Hop Sketch. I used one of my Spellbinders pendants (love those things) to make the "doily" and use the birthday stamp from the July 2010 Kit of the Month "Happily Ever After" to stamp the image in the middle. Then I used some wire to hang the happy banner from the June 2009 Kit of the Month "Perfect in Every Way". I used my Stampin Up label punch to punch the label and used my black soot distress ink to stamp the word birthday, which is from an older kit of the month. I used my Signo white pen to make the fake stitching around the edge. Happy with the way this turned out.

Don't forget to leave a comment every day this week for a chance to win a set of Unity stamps. Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you tomorrow for another day of Growing in Unity.

GROWING IN UNITY - DAY TWO

2011-01-25T02:01:00.000-06:00

This is a card I made for the Splitcoast StampersVirtual Stamp Night Mini challenge "Slimming Down". The requirements were that no more than 2 layers of cardstock could be used, you must include kraft on the card, and it needed to be a card of encouragement. So, I immediately thought of the She Did it Anyway kit and that is where the sentiment that I stamped with red Staz-on ink onto the twill ribbon came from. I loved this butterfly tree from the Fly...Free June 2010 Kit of the Month and thought it would be perfect on the kraft paper and then stamped it again on some paper from My Mind's Eye with Chocolate Chip Stampin Up ink. I cut out the top of the tree from the patterned paper and adhered it to the kraft with foam tape. A butterfly flying away would add the perfect touch and the Total Cuteness store kit of the month. I ran some adhesive down the middle of the butterfly and gave it a gentle crease to give it some dimension and stuck it to the card. Easy peasy - card done.

This is another card that I made for one of the challenges for the VSN, two hearts beating as one. The requirement being that you use an image of intertwining items. So, I thought of the Donna Downey heart stamp from her Create Today kit. I stamped the image on two scraps of Junkitz paper using Stampin Up ink. I cut the hearts out and cut a slit in each so that they could be hooked together. To cover up where the slit was cut, I wanted to add a heart button. Found this one in my stash and cut the shank off and attached with a Glue Dot. For the sentiment I used a Gin-X coaster tile and sprayed it with Glimmer Mist, drying it with my Tim Holtz heat tool--so quiet, yet so powerful! Then I stamped this sentiment from the Something Within kit. The background paper is by Daisy D, the ribbon and butterfly from Oriental Trading Company, the flower is from Prima and the brad is by Basic Grey. I used my Tiny Attacher by Tim Holtz to attach the ribbon--it is the HANDIEST tool--love it!

Both of these cards were made in 45 minute or less each--one of the requirements for VSN. I've really enjoyed doing the challenges and seeing what can be created in a limited amount of time. So much fun. Don't forget to leave a comment every day this week for a chance to win one of Unity's wonderful sets of stamps. Be sure to include a way for me to contact you in the event that you win. Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to sharing more Unity goodness again tomorrow.

GROWING IN UNITY - DAY ONE

2011-01-24T02:01:00.000-06:00

For my card today, I did Challenge #1 from Virtual Stamp Night on Splitcoast Stampers. I've actually never participated in a Virtual Stamp Night before, but decided to do some of the challenges for this one. Had a lot of fun making this card. Any time I use 7 Gypsies paper and Daisy D paper, it's gonna be fun!!! LOVE both of them, and YES, even though Daisy D has been out of business for quite a while, I still have a large collection of their papers. Giving myself permission to use them now--can't hang onto them forever.

The challenge was to make a card using a sketch and to use the colors red, dark pink, and kiwi green. This 7 Gypsies paper had the green in it and I used dark pink polka dotted paper and then red polka dots, button, and red bird. The bird on the branch stamp is from the Unity Kit Of the Month August, 2009, Following My Heart and the little "hello" square sentiment is from the October, 2010 Kit of the Month, Take Time to Laugh. I made the card is less than 45 minutes - which is the requirement for all of the challenges. Keeps you from spending way too much time on them! I used some satin ribbon tape from Heidi Grace along with some pink ric rac from my craft stash. I used a Zig marker and a Marvy marker on the stem and bird stamp. I used Stampin Up ink on the sentiment stamp. I used my Tim Holtz ink tool and my fired brick distress ink on the flower and around the sentiment. I popped the sentiment up with foam tape and stacked the two buttons on the flower. Really pleased with the results. Don't forget to leave a comment every day this week for a chance to win some Unity stamps. Make sure you leave a way for me to contact you if you win.

I used random.org to find the winner of my blog candy from KinderStampO's birthday hop this weekend and the winner was #64 - Peggy.

Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you again tomorrow with some more Unity goodness.

KinderStampO's 34 Birthday Balloons and Counting Blog Hop

2011-01-22T00:14:00.000-06:00

You should have arrived from Mariam's blog and I know you enjoyed her wonderful projects. If you just happened upon my blog, you might want to start back at the beginning at KinderStampO's blog so you don't miss anything. I made a birthday card using Graphic 45's Under the Boardwalk collection. I love Graphic 45 papers and this girl sipping a milkshake is just too much fun. I used a wonderful HUGE cupcake stamp by Unity that I received in a grab bag, but is part of the Sweet Yummy Cupcake set. I used my Zig marker to stamp the "go ahead" from a stamp that was part of the September, 2009 kit of the month "Go Ahead Wish". I wanted to use the script word "wish" with the candle at the end, which I couldn't find on their website--I think it must not be available any longer. The scalloped red circle is paper from Cosmo Cricket's "Mr. Campy" collection and I used my Marvy giga-punch to punch the circle and the white dots were made using my Signo white pen--LOVE it!. The cupcake was stamped using Stampin Up's "Taken with Teal" ink on Bazzill cardstock. I used a glitter pen to color the squiggles on the cupcake base. The ribbon is from BoBunny and the colors just matched perfectly to the Graphic 45 paper. I finished the card off with some strips of paper from Graphic 45's paper strip page. That is something they have with every collection - a set of paper strips to use as accents.

Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed my card. From here you go to Martha's blog. Be sure you leave a comment for a chance to win some blog candy from my blog candy stash. I will post the winner on Monday.

FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY

2011-01-21T02:01:00.000-06:00

I made this card for one of the Color Inspiration challenges over on Papercraft's Moxie Fab blog. The colors were an ivory, teal, purple and yellow. So, I used ivory cardstock and used the Tim Holtz music mask with some broken china distress ink for the background. Then I used the Worn Music stamp with Stampin Up eggplant ink to stamp on top of the masked image. Then I used a library card from Creative Imaginations Creative Cafe collection and distressed it with some of the broken china ink, then stamped the fabulous tree image from the Growing in Unity set--LOVE this stamp set! I used royal purple StazOn ink to stamp the tree. I punched my bird using the Stampin Up punch and Bazzill bling paper, inking around the edges with more broken china distress ink. I popped the bird up with foam tape. I used the sentiment stamp from the February 2010 Kit of the Month - Nothing but Blue Skies--this had to be one of my most favorite kits of the month ever! I used my Fiskars scalloped oval punch to punch the sentiment. I used some yellow dew drops by The Robins Nest as accents. The ribbon is from my craft stash. I really struggled with this card--I don't think I do very well with color challenges. I like to use sketches more!

Check out the wonderful new Unity Project Kit below!

Be sure to stop by next week since I am "Growing in Unity". Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend.

LET'S CAPTURE THESE SKETCHES FOR FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY

2011-01-14T00:26:00.000-06:00

This is a layout I made of our trip to Kennedy Space Center this past November. The patterned paper is actually some we bought at NASA made by Three Birds. This layout uses Sketch #66 from Let's Capture these Sketches. I used some ribbon that I bought at Hobby Lobby, I believe. For the base, I used Bazzill bling and then I used Paper Studio cardstock to stamp my images on. I used Stampin Up ink in Basic Gray. The Unity Stamps I used were from the Stylin Stars set and the Throughout All Generations

store kit. Enjoyed making this and hope you enjoy it as well.

This layout uses The Creative Scrappers Sketch #138. I again used some paper from NASA by Three Birds as well as some accents. I used a template from The Crafter's Workshop to cut out the star. The cardstock is from Paper Studio and Bazzill. I only used one stamp - where I put the date and it is a stamp from the Roots and Wings store kit. On both of these layouts, the pens I used were gel pens from a set that I was given for a Christmas present - a set of 100 pens. These are part of the glitter set and I love them. These were inexpensive pens that have really been good.

I haven't heard from the winner of my Growing In Unity week last week. Check that post out and make sure you weren't the winner!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Check out this blog candy!

2011-01-13T11:38:00.000-06:00

Click on this link: Scrap It Girl's blog candy. She has lots of goodies to give away! Come by my blog tomorrow for Friends with Flair Friday.

TWISTED SKETCH #083

2011-01-12T02:01:00.000-06:00

I made this layout using Twisted Sketch #083. It is pictures of my son drinking from the Fountain of Youth--it was not tasty at all and I was chicken. I used Karen Foster and WeRMemory Keepers paper with cardstock by Paper Studio. I used Unity stamps with Ranger and Memento Ink. The stickers are by Heidi Grace, 7 Gypsies, K & Company, and Little Yellow Bicycle. I also used a glaze pen to accentuate the sentiment stamp on the accent on the left. Pleased with the way it turned out and it captures the moment with Bryan's reaction to the sulphur tasting water.

SKETCH INSPIRATION SKETCH #202

2011-01-10T18:19:00.000-06:00

This is a layout I did using Sketch #202 from Sketch Inspiration. She has amazing sketches on her website. I used some of the Graphic 45 paper I have been hoarding. I used cardstock by DCWV and Paper Studio and stamped the kraft paper with the Bingo stamp by Unity using distress ink--loved how that turned out. The ribbon by Rusty Pickle matched the lighthouse perfectly--couldn't believe it! The tags and two paper strips are also from Graphic 45. The paper clip is an old one from 7 gypsies and it is holding a charm by Tim Holtz. I used a Creative Imaginations sticker on that tag. I made good use of the Tonic distress tool--love it! The letter stickers are by Cosmo Cricket, Creative Imaginations, and Gin X. So very pleased with this layout! I hope you enjoy it as well.

GROWING IN UNITY WINNER!

2011-01-09T22:39:00.000-06:00

I used Random.org to pick the winner for my Growing in Unity week. There were 61 comments and random picked #55 - Stinkersteph . Stephanie, you get to pick from:

Margarita Moments

Along for the Ride

Berry Good Life

Grow Yourself Extraordinary

Let me know which you would like.

CONGRATULATIONS!

GROWING IN UNITY ON A FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY

2011-01-07T00:29:00.000-06:00

This layout is of the sights we saw while we were eating at The Wharf in St. Petersburg. I used a stamp from the This is the Time stamp set on the large sheer circle using Forest Green Staz-On ink. I used another stamp from that set on the small coaster tile by the large "sights" circle. The background for the Sights title circle was from the Throughout All Generations set and the stamps on the smaller circles are from the Time for Travel set. The patterned papers are from Creative Imaginations and Flair. The coasters are by Gin X, the buttons from my stash, and the canvas circle is by Technique Tuesday. Cardstock is by Paper Studio and DCWV. The sheer circle is from a Lisa Bearnson Kit of the Month. I used Sketch #137 from Creative Scrappers. This was a lot of fun to do.

These are photos of us eating at The Wharf. You sat at a very narrow bar outside facing the water. You were literally sitting over the water. People who lived around there would come up on their boats for their meals. It was a wonderful experience. I used Sketch #103 from Sketch This, turning it around. I used patterned paper from Creative Imaginations, Flair, and Reminisce. The stickers are from Reminisce, K & Company and Flair and the ribbon is from BoBunny. The brads are from my craft stash. I used stamps from the January 2010 "Savor the Journey" KOTM and the February 2010 "Nothin' but Blue Skies" KOTM. The inks I used were from Ranger and Stampin Up. Sorry about the glare on the bottom photo - I took these pictures at night and my flash caused a glare.

Thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to leave a comment every day this week for a chance to win a fabulous Unity stamp set. Enjoy the rest of your Friends with Flair blog hop and have a very blessed weekend.

GROWING IN UNITY WITH INSPIRED BLUEPRINTS

2011-01-06T08:13:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry for the late post, but blogger was down last night and I couldn't get my post scheduled. I used Inspired Blueprints sketch #63 for this layout. The patterned papers are from Windy Hill and Creative Imaginations adn the cardstock is by Paper Studio. I used Momento and Ranger ink, markers by Marvy, and the scalloped punch is by EK Success. The stickers are by Reminisce and the ribbon is from my craft stash. The journaling spot is from the Beach Days and Sun Rays set and the palm tree scene behind the title sticker is from the June 2010 Kit of the Month, Fly Free. We had so much fun on Flagler Beach, just walking on the beach and enjoying the sand between our toes. Wish I was there now--so very peaceful!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment every day this week for a chance to win a set of Unity stamps. I'll see you tomorrow!

GROWING IN UNITY WITH TWISTED SKETCHES

2011-01-05T02:01:00.000-06:00

I made this layout as part of the Unity Addict Challenge - to color your images--with copics, colored pencils, watercolors, markers, etc. I also used Twisted Sketch #082. I used the suitcase stamp from the Hodgepodge of Happiness set. The shell stamp is from one of the very first sets that Unity had. I bought it at my local scrapbook store and it is no longer available. However, there is a similar stamp available in the Beach Days and Sun Rays set. The journal spot is from the Sweet Loving and Living set--love this stamp! The sunset ocean paper is from Creative Imaginations and the footprint paper is from Windy Hills. These are both papers I have had in my stash for quite some time--but I loved them and was saving them I guess for this layout--love how it turned out. The felt flourishes are by Queen & co. The vacation title sticker is from Lil Davis Designs and the palm tree sticker is from Soft Spoken. I used copic markers to color the suitcases and the seashell. I used Momento and Ranger distress inks. The cardstock is from The Paper Studio and Bazzill. I was so happy with the way this turned out and I hope you enjoyed seeing it as well. Don't forget to leave a comment every day this week for a chance to win a set of Unity stamps. Thanks for stopping by and see you tomorrow!

GROWING IN UNITY, DAY TWO

2011-01-04T02:01:00.000-06:00

Thanks for joining me for the second day of Growing in Unity. This page is the facing page of the one I made yesterday. I wanted to include the graduation announcement and tickets along with the photo of Bryan walking into the gym. I used some Petaloo glitter paper and a Fiskars punch to make the purple glitter arrow pointing to him. I used the "be an inspiration" quote from the October 2009 KOM and the "You Are" stamp. The moon and stars bling are from my craft stash. The cardstock is by Paper Studio and the white ink pen that I used for the faux stitching is by Inkssentials. I used royal purple Staz-on ink for the You Are image and Stampin Up ink for the Inspiration quote. I used distress ink on the mats behind the picture.

Thanks for stopping by today. Don't forget to leave a comment every day this week for a chance to win a set of Unity stamps. See you tomorrow!

GROWING IN UNITY, DAY ONE SKETCH INSPIRATION

2011-01-03T02:01:00.000-06:00

Thanks for stopping and welcome to Growing in Unity. One of my goals for 2011 is to get back to scrapbooking. So, for my week of Growing in Unity, you will see mostly scrapbook layouts. This will also help with another goal of incorporating stamping in my scrapbooking. I used an Ippity stamp and a Unity stamp in this layout. I used the Good Time Vintage Banner on the twill ribbon across the bottom of the layout. I used the date circle stamp from the Life's Little Moments Ippity set on vellum on the upper left side of the photo. I used royal purple Staz-On Ink for both stamps. This is a photo of our son graduating from Tarleton State University on December 18, 2010. The patterned paper is from Creative Imaginations and Moxxie. The stickers are from Creative Imaginations. I drew the faux stitching around the layout with my Inksentials pen by Ranger. I used a sketch #201 from Sketch Inspirations. This is the first time I have used one of her sketches, but really love it. Remember to leave a comment every day this week for a chance to win a set of Unity stamps. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-01-01T10:54:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! I hope that everyone has a wonderful new year, full of love and wonder! Please be sure to come back every day next week. I am starting off the new year Growing in Unity. There will be projects each day featuring Unity stamps and all of the comments for the whole week will be put together and random.org will pick comment number for the winner at the end of the week. That lucky commenter will win a set of Unity stamps! One of my goals for 2011 is to create a LOT more. I've been working all week to get my craft room organized and cleaned up. I should finish today and be ready to create all year long. I hope 2011 holds lots of time for creativity for you too!

Instead of so many cards, this year I am going to try to scrapbook a LOT more. So much to scrap, so little time!

2010 was full of changes and challenges for my son and me. We both had gastric bypass surgery. He had every complication possible (no kidding!), while I had none. Because of all of his complications, we had 3 hospital stays, one emergency surgery, one revision surgery, and 12 endoscopies. These problems caused him lose weight at an amazing speed and he has lost 150 pounds in 11 months. He looks amazing and I am so proud of him. Through all of this, he kept up with college and graduated in December. So proud of him for this as well. He never complained about all of the difficulties and you never really realized what he was going through. However, even his surgeon has said he would have probably given up if faced with all that Bryan went through. He is planning to attend grad school this spring and start on the journey towards an MBA.

I have lost 90 pounds since my surgery. I feel so much better. There is still another 90 or so pounds to go and I cannot even imagine how life will be after that. Not sure how long it will take for me to lose that much more--it may take another couple of years. However, as long as the scales continue in the downward direction, I am very happy and thankful.

Needless to say, we are looking forward to 2011 and seeing what it has in store for us. I hope it has lots of wonderful things in store for us all.

GRADUATION DAY

2010-12-18T16:40:00.000-06:00

HE DID IT!!! Bryan graduated today with a degree in Economics and a minor in Accounting. It was a great day and we are so proud of him. Now he begins his post-graduate work for a Masters in Business Administration.

Trip to New Mexico

2010-12-10T22:09:00.000-06:00

This is a photo of the huge wind farm we saw on the way to Carlsbad, NM.

This is a photo of a cotton field, the cotton picker, and the HUGE cotton "bales" (the size of a semi-trailer). We were amazed.

This is the dust storm I drove home in - exhausting!!!

The view through the windshield. The wind was blowing so hard. I was glad we were in my small car - not a high profile SUV or truck. We were all just glad to get home that night. My parents drove home the last 2 hours because I was so tired I was afraid to continue on.

So glad we went to be with my sister and the Harveys. It is still hard to believe that Leon is gone, but so glad he lived such a long and full life.

WINNER

2010-12-09T22:50:00.000-06:00

The winner of the grab bag of Unity stamps selected by random.org is: Commenter #2 - 2 chicks on a limb, Vickie. Please e-mail me with your address so that I can send your prize to you. I'm sorry for the late posting of the winner, but I was out of town attending a funeral. Thank you all for visiting my blog and your sweet comments. I read and appreciate all comments. Hope to have some more craftiness to post soon.

ROCKING AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE BLOG HOP

2010-12-04T02:05:00.000-06:00

WELCOME TO THE "ROCKING AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE" BLOG HOP!

I made this card for the Unity Hip Hop Sketch Challenge. I got to ink up my wonderful Unity/Webster's Pages Christmas Tree stamp--love this tree and the beautiful frame around it. I punched circles out of one of the patterned papers from WeRMemory Keeprs and lined them up down the side. Then I used some white buttons and lined them up across the card to the sentiment which was also cut from the WeRMemory Keepers paper along with the background plaid paper. This is all part of their White Out Christmas collection.

This card is going to be our family Christmas card. Gave my Big Shot a workout, using Sizzix die for the tree and an embosslit for the present and one of the Tim Holtz/Sizzix Alterations die for the bracket die cut piece out of red. I used the Unity "Mr. Woody" woodgrain stamp with some hunter green ink from Stampin Up for the background. I inked the edges with a dauber. The cardstock and kraft paper is from the Paper Studio. The patterned paper is from Cosmo Cricket. I used liquid pearls for the ornaments/lights on the tree. The Happy Holidays stamp is from Unity. I used my Zig markers to color and inked the edges with a gold dauber.

I have some blog candy today - a grab bag of Unity stamps and some stickers. All you have to do is leave a comment and "follow" my blog. I will announce the winner on Monday.

FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY CHRISTMAS TAG

2010-12-03T02:01:00.000-06:00

This is a tag that I made for KinderStampO's December tag swap and the All Things Unity challenge. The All Things Unity challenge was to make a tag and the challenge by KinderStampO was to make Christmas tags, but use some pink. So, I thought there was no better paper than WeRMemory Keeper's White Out Christmas collection. With its bright greens, blues, and lots of pinks, it was perfect. I used 4 different stamps from unity: The round Christmas tree is a little bitty stamp, the other tree is one of the Vintage Banner stamps turned upside down, the Merry Christmas is from the Christmas bough set and then the Winter Wishes is from the single created for the Paper Crafts promotion. I used one of Tim Holtz's texture fades to emboss the snowflakes on the tag and then inked them with the tumbled glass distress ink. The other inks are from Stampin Up. The fibers are from my craft stash.

Thanks for stopping by and all comments are appreciated and read. Enjoy the rest of the hop and have a very blessed weekend.

December 1st - December Daily

2010-12-01T23:51:00.000-06:00

Cleared off my dining room table and buffet to make room for Christmas decorations. Love decorating for Christmas! Still working on cards, etc. Lots to do, not enough time to do it.

Happy 85th Birthday to my Daddy

2010-11-22T16:27:00.000-06:00

Daddy turned 85 last week. He had felt really bad for a while and is finally back to his old self. Doesn't feel GREAT, but doesn't feel 105 any more. So thankful. I was concerned that he might not be around for his next birthday if he didn't get better . . . so, very thankful and hopeful that we will have him to celebrate many more birthdays.

This is the card I made for his birthday. I used some Ippity stamps from the set So Very Happy for his birthday card. I stamped it using distress inks on the kraft paper. Then I colored the leaves using a Marvy Uchida marker. It's hard to see, but the square in the lower righthand corner says Happy Birthday. I used a Fiskars punch for my cardinal--just had to have that punch!! This is a very clean and simple card, but I was happy with the way it turned out.

FRIENDS WITH FLAIR USING IPPITY STAMPS

2010-11-19T01:11:00.000-06:00

I decided to play along with the Ippity challenges this week, so just used Ippity stamps on my cards. These two cards really didn't fit any of the challenges, but still used my Ippity stamps. Since I still need some more Christmas cards, that's what I concentrated on. I don't have the Ippity Christmas stamps, I had to be creative. On this card, I used a one of the giant Basic Grey ornament stickers from the Figgy Pudding collection as the background. I accented with two smaller ornaments and then the greeting stickers from Creative Imaginations. This stamp is one of my favorite quotes and I love the distressed look of this stamp. I used Frayed Burlap distress ink for the stamping and then distressed it with old paper.

On this card, I used the journaling block as my background for the snowman sticker from Creative Imaginations. The ornament stickers are from Basic Grey. The ribbon is from Oriental Trading Company, the sentiment is from WeR Memory Keepers, and the brads are from my stash. The background paper is from WeRMemory Keepers. I used distress ink for my stamp.

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the rest of the hop and have a restful weekend before the busy week of Thanksgiving.

Memories from our Florida Vacation

2010-11-14T22:17:00.000-06:00

Butch and I relaxing at Canaveral National Seashore. Loved it. So peaceful.

We were so excited to get to see an eagle in the wild. Just saw this one as we were driving down the road.

Saw this osprey up in a tree. Wasn't really sure what kind of bird or what it was doing until I got back to the hotel room and was able to zoom in on it. There he was, sitting up in the tree, feasting on a fish. AMAZING!

The St. Augustine Light House. So gorgeous. Loved it so much.

The six hundred year old live oak tree called the Old Senator. It was so big and beautiful.

The view through all of the fishing poles as we were heading out to sea for our deep sea fishing adventure. Love dramamine---I didn't get sick, but Butch did. I took the meds, he didn't.

View of the space shuttle from the Canaveral National Seashore. Different view than the one from the gantry on the tour of Kennedy Space Center.

Butch and Bryan walking along the seashore--we so enjoyed our trips to the beach where we waded, looked for sea shells, and just enjoyed the peacefulness of the waves. I totally understand why people live on the ocean--I would love it!

PHOTOS FROM FLORIDA

2010-11-07T10:19:00.000-06:00

A manatee at Homosassa Springs State Park.

View from our seats on the dock at "The Wharf" restaurant in St. Petersburg.

Moon Explorers!

The shuttle Discovery - waiting for repairs.

Presbyterian Memorial Church in St. Augustine - breathtaking!!!

Reenactment at Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine.

We are having a great time in Florida. Even though we aren't going to get to see the shuttle launch, we are having fantastic times and creating wonderful memories.

Absence from blog

2010-10-20T11:58:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry for the lack of updates on my blog. I will start updating and uploading some of my craftiness in about 3 weeks. We are going on a long vacation and trying to get ready to go, then the vacation. I have been crafty and made a really cool baby album. Will take pics and try to upload some of its pages soon--maybe sooner, rather than later. Thanks to all who have been coming by . . . I will have some fun stuff soon. Just might have a giveaway when I return from vacation--have been saving some stuff.

GROWING IN UNITY WINNER!

2010-09-19T16:32:00.000-05:00

The winner for my Growing in Unity week, selected by random.org: Commenter #24 - Aprha Bolyer. Aphra, you get to pick from:

Margarita Moments

Along for the Ride

Berry Good Life

Grow Yourself Extraordinary

Make your selection and email Eryn at Unity (eryn@unitystampco.com). Thank you all for visiting this week. I read and cherished EVERY comment. Be sure you visit Julie Ranae's blog: (http://juliesopenwindow.blogspot.com) next week for her Growing in Unity. Thanks again, everyone, for a wonderful week!

FRIENDS WITH FLAIR ARE GROWING IN UNITY

2010-09-17T02:01:00.000-05:00

I had my Copic Class at Cat's Creations Scrapbooks last night and was inspired to use my Copics on this card. I also purchased two cool Prima stencil sets, one of which had this hot air balloon stencil. So, I thought how much fun it would be to use it to make a hot air balloon card using this wonderful Unity hot air balloon image. I played around a little and came up with this card, using the Hip Hop Sketch #25. The cardstock is from Paper Studio and Bazzill; the flowers are from Prima; the brads and buttons are from Basic Grey; the ink is from Ranger and Momento. The striped paper is a scrap from my stash.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment each day this week for a chance to win some Unity goodness for Growing in Unity.

DAY FOUR AND WE ARE GROWING IN UNITY!

2010-09-16T02:05:00.000-05:00

Today, for my Growing in Unity project, I made bookmarks for my parents. I have seen these on numerous different people's blogs and have wanted to try them. This is the one I made for my dad. I used a patterned paper by GCD, with kraft paper and cardstock by Paper Studio. The ribbon is from my craft stash and I used ink by Ranger and Stampin Up. The stamps are by Unity and the truck image is a Tim Holtz from Stampers Anonymous. I accented the truck image with Diamond Glaze and also used it as an adhesive to make sure that everything stayed put together. The buttons on the back are from Wal Mart.

This is the bookmark I made for my mother. The paper is a scrap from my stash along with some 7 Gypsies paper, and the cardstock is by Paper Studio. The felt leaves and flouishes are by Queen & Co. and the chipboard flower buttons are by Prima. I used a Sizzlit die from Stampin Up to cut the base for the quote, the adhered it to some cardstock and then cut it out. The butterfly is covered with Diamond Glaze and I used it as the adhesive. For the "girl with wings" on the back I colored it with Prismacolor colored pencils.

I followed this tutorial: Corner Bookmark Tutorial. In this one, you start out with a 3 x 7 inch strip of paper instead of a square.

I hope you enjoyed these bookmarks as much as I enjoyed making them. Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win some Unity goodness at the end of the week.

GROWING IN UNITY, DAY THREE

2010-09-15T02:05:00.000-05:00

I made this card for the Unity Addicts challenge, which was to make your own background paper without using stamps. I used a Tattered Angels glimmer screen, distress inks, and an inking tool to make the compass for the background. I used the awesome ribbon that I bought at a craft store for an accent. Then I stamped the Unity bird image onto kraft paper, cut it out, and adhered it with foam tape. I stamped the sentiment, from Ippity, onto kraft paper, and then went over it with a glaze pen. I colored in the hearts with a Marvy marker. LOVE this bird image and the sentiment--both were MUST HAVES!!!

MY SECOND DAY OF GROWING IN UNITY

2010-09-14T00:10:00.000-05:00

I made this card for several challenges (drama class, algebra class, art class) in Simply Scrapping Crafts' Back to School Crop. Of course, I used Unity stamps on this card. I embossed the hunter green background with a Cuttlebug embossing folder. I cut some narrow strips of Basic Grey paper to use as accents. I also used some hunter green gingham check ribbon as accents as well. I used some old (but some of my favorite) 7 Gypsies paper to make a flower using Tim Holtz alterations die. I curled the petals of the flower using a pen. The button center is from Basic Grey. I used several different colors of distress inks to color the shipping tag and then stamped my Unity sentiment with pine needle distress ink and adhered the gingham ribbon to it using my Tiny Attacher.

Thank you for visiting today and don't forget to comment for a chance to win some Unity goodness at the end of my Growing in Unity week.

FIRST DAY OF GROWING IN UNITY

2010-09-13T02:01:00.000-05:00

For my first day of Growing in Unity, I decided to share some of the projects I made for Simply Scrapping Crafts' "Back to School Crop" challenges. My first card is the project I made for "Detention".

The challenge was to copy the sentiment three times. I used three different Unity stamps on this card - the large ticket image on the coin envelope, the small ticket image on the tickets, and the "happy" sentiment on the tickets. I started out with a Kraft base (from Paper Studio); added some red cardstock that I embossed with a Tim Holtz texture fade; topped that with some Basic Grey paper. I took a coin envelope and distressed it with fired brick and vintage photo distress inks. The ticket image is stamped with walnut stain distress ink. The tickets were cut with the Tim Holtz Sizzlit die, stamped with the Unity stamps (using old paper and fired brick distress inks), and then I used some ProvoCraft decorative scissors to cut the ends. I stamped the jar of happiness Unity stamp onto some kraft paper using fired brick distress ink. I inked the edges with walnut distress ink and then used some foam tape to pop it up off of the card. I used my Dymo label maker to make the birthday label.

In "Shop Class", the assignment was to use metal on your project and then to use a household item on your project. Extra credit could be earned if the household item was metal as well.

I used the beautiful lace doily stamp from Unity, using faded jeans distress ink on light blue cardstock from Paper Studio. I stamped the sentiment from Ippity in fired brick distress ink. Then, I cut out the doily and attached it to some red patterned paper by Colorbok with red metal brads, then cut it out, leaving a narrow red border. For my household item, I chose to use some aluminum foil. I crumpled it up, flattened it out, and then used my alcohol inks to color the foil. I used foam tape to pop the doily up off of the foil and then cut out the doily, leaving a margin of foil. Then, I adhered the foil to some dark blue cardstock by Paper Studio and cut it out, leaving a margin of blue cardstock. I used my Inkssentials white pen to draw some faux stitching on the margin of blue cardstock. I adhered the blue carstock with foam tape to the background paper from Colorbok. I layered some Prima flowers and added them to the lower right hand side of the card. This card was rather challenging, but turned out pretty good.

I hope you enjoyed these and look forward to sharing more of my Back To School Crop projects with you tomorrow. Don't forget to leave a comment each day for a chance to win some Unity goodness.

SIMONE'S BLOG CANDY

2010-08-26T14:57:00.000-05:00

Simone's Blog Candy

This is the fabulous blog candy that Simone is offering up on her blog. Amazing, fantastic, wonderful, yummy, blog candy. And, lots of it!!!!

DAILY MARKER BLOG CANDY

2010-08-25T21:24:00.000-05:00

There are some really cute Halloween stamps being offered up for blog candy at The Daily Marker . Don't miss out on a chance to win these really cute stamps

CAARDVARK CHRISTMAS TAG

2010-08-19T02:01:00.000-05:00

This is a card I made for the Caardvarks August challenge to make a tag or mini-card using JustRite Stamps. I used their precious penguin stamp on this tag using distress inks and pebbles snowflake stencils. I also used some Queen & Co. snowflake felt, a Basic Grey feltie, and some dew drops. The small tag uses some Creative Imaginations rub-ons and the penguin is on a Technique Tuesday tile. The ribbon is from my stash. I used copic markers to color the penguin image.

Thanks for stopping by. All comments are read and appreciated!

CARDS FOR KIDS BLOG HOP

2010-08-18T02:01:00.000-05:00

This is the first card I made for the cards for kids blog hop. Ferris wheels are just FUN!!! The stamped image is from Unity stamps as well as the sentiment. I used Basic Grey paper for the background. paper the ferris wheel is stamped on is Colorblok. The metallic gear ribbon is from WeRMemory Keeppers and the ribbon across the bottom is from Joann's. The tickets are some that my LSS owner gave me at a retreat for a prize drawing--re-purposed them on this card!! The button is also from Basic Grey.

This is my second card for the blog hop. It features a fantastic tricycle stamp by Unity--LOVE it!! The paper is by Colorblok and the ribbon is by Joann. The celebrate tag and yarn are from my stash. I used my Tim Holtz tiny attacher to attach the ribbon and the yarn. The bling is from Queen & Co. and I used silver dew drops. This is a simple, but fun card.

Thank your for joining us on this blog hop. All comments are always read and appreciated!

Next on the hop is:

http://shawnteparks.blogspot.com/

FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY

2010-08-13T02:01:00.000-05:00

This is a 2 page layout from the mini album I made for a friend's baby. I used a stamp from Unity on the tag--it goes so well with the Tim Holtz die. I used DCWV designer paper and basic grey chipboard accents.

This is another 2 page layout that I did in that mini album. The paper is again from DCWV. Accents are from Heidi Grace, Prima, Basic Grey, and Creative Imaginations. This stamp came with a set that a heart with wings, so I used it with the Tim Holtz die. Love how it turned out.

This is one last 2 page layout from this mini album. I used another stamp from Unity on the tag. The accents are from Basic Grey, Creative Imaginations, Making Memories, Prima, and K & Co. The paper is from DCWV. Just loved how this mini album turned out. Had SO MUCH fun putting it together.

We are still at the hospital. They started Bryan's liquid nutrition through the PICC line. Home health will show us how to care for it and give him his luscious tasting food (LOL). I hope the perforation will heal quickly. His spirits are sinking. He has one last paper due tonight for his online classes. Hopefully, getting it finished will perk him up. His dad is coming to stay tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday (if he is still in hospital) so that I can go to Cat's birthday crop. It will be great to see something other than the hospital room and to relax with friends while having a blast!

Thanks for stopping by my blog and enjoy the rest of your Friends with Flair Friday. Unity is the best!

More mini album pages

2010-08-09T21:54:00.000-05:00

I thought I would share some more of the pages from the mini album. It was so wonderful to find out when I gave this to our friend that she was using this shade of pink. Sometimes, using what we have turns out to be exactly the right thing. These pages all feature paper from my stash, 7 gypsies, and DCWV. The embellishments are by Basic Grey, K & Co., 7 gypsies, Cloud 9, Making Memories, and Prima. Love how things from different companies all go together. So much fun to play with all of these goodies.

My son is still doing well. He is taking finals online. Tomorrow, he has an upper G.I. to make sure the perforation has healed. Hopefully, he will get to go home on Wednesday. Thanks for stopping by.

ABSENCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER . . .

2010-08-08T09:41:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry for the long absence. I am sitting in the hospital room now with my son, who had emergency surgery yesterday to repair a perforation caused by his twelfth endoscopy. Yes, you read it correctly . . . he has had twelve endoscopies since March. I had gastric bypass surgery December 21st and he had gastric bypass surgery on January 4th. I have not had any problems and he has had just about all the complications possible - strictures, leaks, ulcers. The endoscopy Friday yielded great news - the leak (fistula) had sealed and the stricture was much better. Unfortunately, we realized Saturday morning after calling the doctor, that he had a perforation from the endoscopy. Thankfully, when his surgeon operated, he discovered that his body had tried to seal the perforation, so there was very little infection. Therefore, he will hopefully not have to have another surgery. He has lost 140 pounds and I have lost 70. His weight loss has been on the fast track because of all his complications. Our surgeon is pleased with our weight loss, as are we.

These are the first three pages of a mini album I created for a friend of mine. I was reallly pleased with how it turned out. The album was by We R, patterned paper by basic grey, creative imaginations, DCWV and Daisy D. The embellishments are from K & Co., basic grey, and prima. I used Tim Holtz alterations die and some supplies from my craft stash.

I hadn't been online much lately since our wireless modem crashed a couple of weeks ago. We are going to go with a satellite provider, but haven't been able to get that set up yet. I didn't know until just now that I was a Top 3 Fav over on Unscripted Sketches for one of their bonus challenges during their Christmas in July Celebration. I am SUPER EXCITED over that!!! First time for being noticed. Gave me a boost when I really needed it.

I'm hoping to get back to scrapbooking and card crafting in the next couple of weeks. My LSS owner is having a birthday celebration crop this weekend. We have the fabulous Cheryl Mezetti from Creative Imaginations coming to teach two classes and spend time crafting with us. Cat has all kinds of fun cooked up for us--can't wait!

Thanks for stopping by!

I LOVE 7GYPSIES!!

2010-07-19T14:27:00.000-05:00

I LOVE 7GYPSIES

Click on the above link to see what fabulous goodies 7 gypsies have in store for us. I cannot wait to get my hands on these goodies. . . . oops! gotta wipe the drool off my keyboard!!! LOL!

OH ALICE - IT'S WEDNESDAY!

2010-07-13T02:01:00.000-05:00

I made this card for the Chapter 20 challenge over at Oh Alice. The challenge was to use a sketch and change it up--not to use the sketch as is. I used Basic Grey and Junkitz patterned paper and Bazzill cardstock. The butterflies were made with the Stampin Up sizzlit and their bodies were made with bling from my craft stash. The image and sentiment stamps are from the Donna Downey collection by Unity. Just got these in some "happy mail" last week. The ink is from Stampin Up and the yarn is by Sensations. Really had fun with this one.

TWISTED SKETCH 015

2010-07-12T02:01:00.000-05:00

I made this for the Twisted Sketch #015 challenge. I used GCD paper and punches by Creative Memories and Marvy. The body of the butterflies is made of Dew Drops as well as the accents on the sentiment square. The sentiment stamp is by Unity and I used Stampin Up ink. Very simple . . .

MOJO MONDAY 146

2010-07-11T18:30:00.000-05:00

This is the card I made using the Mojo Monday 146 sketch. I used GCD paper and one of Tim Holtz' die for the sentiment. I also stamped one of Unity's precious owls and cut it out. I finished it off with some ribbon from my craft stash.

FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY - UNSCRIPTED COLOR THROWDOWN CHRISTMAS IN JULY

2010-07-09T02:01:00.000-05:00

This is the card I made for the Christmas In July challenge over at Stampin for the Weekend. It's fun to make Christmas cards when it is so hot outside! I used basic grey patterned paper and Paper Studio cardstock. I embossed the green cardstock with Stampin Up's embossing folder--love how it goes so well with the poinsettia paper! Used the beautiful poinsettia stamp from the "Hodgepodge of Happiness" set--LOVE it! The I used the Christmas tree stamp and sentiment stamp from the Merry and Bright set. I used a Stampin Up punch for the sentiment. I used ribbon and bling from my craft stash. The small red bling on the tree is from Queen & Co. The flowers are from Prima. I wasn't sure about this card at first, but really happy about how it turned out.

This is the card I made for the Unscripted Sketch #62 and the 100th Color Throwdown. I used Cosmo Cricket patterned paper and cardstock by Paper Studio and Bazzill. The frame and bumblebees are from Current. The flowers are by Prima and the bling is from my craft stash. I used a Marvy scalloped circle punch and embossed it with one of Tim Holtz's embossing folders. The ink is by Ranger and I accented with a glaze pen. Wasn't too sure about this card either, but pleased in the end.

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your blog hop. Have a very blessed weekend.

OH ALICE - IT'S A SKETCH 4 YOU TO TRY!!!

2010-07-08T02:01:00.000-05:00

This is a card I made for the Chapter 20 challenge over at Oh Alice - to use the colors red, white, and blue. I used the sketch from A Sketch 4 You to Try. I used some of my favorite Daisy D papers for this card and some of my favorite Brave Girls stamps from Unity. The ink I used is from Stampin Up and I loved how it matched the blue in the Daisy D paper. I used some ricrac from my craft stash as well as some buttons from my stash. The flower is from Prima and the floss is from Karen Russell. I'm glad I rediscovered this floss--love using it on the buttons. The image is stamped on Paper Studio cardstock that I crumpled to make it look more distressed as well as tearing the edges. This whole card is very shabby--love that look!

GETTING SKETCHY AND CRAZY 4 CRAFTS!!!

2010-07-07T19:30:00.000-05:00

This is a card I did for the challenges over at Get Sketchy (#45) and Crazy 4 Crafts (C4C44). I used the sketch from Get Sketchy and used 2 ribbons, which was the challenge over at Crazy 4 Crafts. I used some of the Studio G fairy stamps that Pryn sent me over at Simply Scrapping Crafts. I used some BoBunny patterned paper and cardstock from Paper Studio. I used silver Ink It Up ink and embossing powder from Stampin up for the stars. The fairy was stamped with Ranger ink and colored with Prismacolor pencils. I made the butterflies out of vellum from my stash and using the Stampin Up embosslit. The bling is from my stash as well as the ribbons. Pretty happy with the way this one turned out. Thanks for stopping by!

CPS 174

2010-07-05T21:34:00.000-05:00

I made this card using the sketch from Card Positioning System this week. I won some fairy stamps from Pryn over at Simply Scrapping Crafts during their Fun In the Sun Crop Party. I've been wanting to use them to make some cards for the "cards for kids" drive on Jennifer McGuire's blog. So . . . I did that with this sketch. I used some Cosmo Cricket paper along with some cardstock by Paper Studio. I used the magic wand and the pixie dust quote from Unity along with the butterfly fairy from Studio G. I stamped the butterfly fairy on some vellum from my craft stash, cut it out, and used some bling on the butterfly's body. I attached it with a glue dot at the base of the magic wand--really pleased how it turned out! Clean and simple--very different from my usual!

IT'S A CUTE CARD MOJO MONDAY!!

2010-07-04T17:32:00.000-05:00

This is the card I made for the Mojo Monday Challenge #145 and the Cute Card Thursday Challenge #119. I used the square sketch from Mojo Monday and then went with the fruit theme for the card with the pear and apple images from Unity and the patterned paper from Basic Grey. I colored the images with my Copics--still don't have enough markers and had to mix the colors for the pear. The flower is from Prima and the button is from Basic Grey with floss from Karen Russell. I used Cosmo Cricket papaer (striped) and cardstock from DCWV, Paper Studio, and Bazzill. The ricrac is from my craft stash and the happy birthday stamps are by Unity.

Thanks for looking.

OH ALICE - IT'S A FRIENDS WITH FLAIR PLAYDATE TUESDAY TRIGGER

2010-07-02T02:01:00.000-05:00

I made this card using the Tuesday Morning Sketch #52, the Curtain Call Color Challenge: ACT36 - red, kraft, blue, white; Oh Alice Chapter 19 - sparkly. I used kraft paper from the Paper Studio for my card base and then used a scrap of an old BoBunny paper (the dots) and then some Daisy D checked paper. I stamped the butterfly and colored it with my copic markers and then topped it with some stickles for my "sparkly". I stamped the rose from the Melody Ross set and then the topped it with the sentiment in Not Quite Navy from Stampin Up. Love how this turned out.

This is a card I made for one of the June challenges over on Simply Scrapping Crafts using a paper iris. They gave a link for the pattern and I used some Basic Grey and Karen Russell paper for the iris and used a button and ribbon from my craft stash for the center of the iris. I used my Tim Holtz Alterations die to cut my flourishes out of Daisy D papers. The butterfly is from a Unity stamp and colored with my copic markers. I used a McGill oval punch to cut the label for my sentiment which is stamped with Stampin Up ink and using a Unity stamp. I used dew drops for accents on the label and then some ribbon from my craft stash. The inspiration for the colors came from this Tuesday Trigger: These colors just look so summery to me. Will have to make more of the paper irises--love them!

And, to totally change seasons, here is a Christmas card. WOW - what a switch! I made this card for the Unscripted Sketch Bonus #1 Christmas in July celebration and used the colors in Playdate Cafe Color Challenge #35 - red, pink and white. This basic grey paper is perfect since it is pink and white. The Stampin Up embossing folder goes perfectly with this paper as well. I accented the embossed paper with my Pebble chalks. I used some Prima Poinsettia topping them with a Unity poinsettia stamp which was then topped with a basic grey feltie. I used a Spellbinders die to cut the pink "doily". The "merry christmas" sentiment is from Close to my Heart.

Thank you for stopping by my blog and I hope you enjoyed these cards as much as I enjoyed making them. Have a very blessed holiday weekend. Happy Independence Day!

MERCY, SIMON--IT'S WEDNESDAY!

2010-07-01T02:01:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the poor quality of the photo--I have cropped it three times, but it isn't working--AAAHHH!! This is the card I did for Simon's challenge (to use checks) and Mercy's Tuesday Sketch 80. The strawberry was stamped using a stamp by Unity and Memento ink, then colored using copics. The sentiment was stamped on a label cut with Stampin Up die, distressed with Ranger Ink and stamped with Stampin Up ink. The flowers are by Prima with bling from my craft stash. I used Bazzill just the edge and trimmed it with Gingham ribbon from my stash and some Daisy D paper. The card was made from kraft paper by Paper studio and Daisy D paper for the backgbround.

TWISTED SKETCH 13; AND ALL THINGS UNITY

2010-06-30T19:08:00.000-05:00

This is the card I made for The Twisted Card Sketch 13. I used Basic Grey paper with cardstock by Paper Studio, and vellum from my craft supply. I used a spellbinders pendent die and Tim Holtz flourishes die. The butterflies are made using Stampin Ups sizzlit - LOVE it!!! I used bling from my craft stash and by MAMBI. I used another Stampin Up die for the sentiment label and stamped the sentiment with Staz-on ink.

This is the card I made for the All Things Unity challenge and the Unity Addicts challenge. The All Things Unity challenge was to use all white and the Unity Addicts challenge was to make the sentiment the centerpiece of the card. I used a cuttlebug embossing folder on the background paper and used a Spellbinders die to cut the scalloped oval for the sentiment and pierce in the middle of each scallop. I used my Stampin Up embosslit to cut butterflies out of white vellum from my craft stash. The ribbon is from my craft stash as well.

Thanks for stopping by.

MOJO MONDAY 144

2010-06-30T02:01:00.000-05:00

This is the card I did for the MojoMonday sketch 144. I used an ice cream image, by Unity, that I colored with my Copics--still practicing with them. I used Basic Grey, GCD, and Paper Studio papers with ribbon, bling, and brads from my craft stash. The ink was by Momento and Ranger. The sentiment was stamped on a label cut with a die by Stampin Up. Gotta get more Copics so my coloring will be better--just don't have the colors I need yet. It will all come together, though. So thankful that Cat's is offering the classes now--we are so blessed to have such a great store in our small town. Hope your Wednesday is WONDERFUL!!

AN INSPIRED BLUEPRINT PLAYDATE

2010-06-27T16:02:00.000-05:00

This is a card I made for using the sketch at Inspired Blueprint and the color challenge over on the Playdate Challenge. I used a die by Spellbinders and Tim Holtz/Sizzix. The stamps are by Unity and I used Stampin Up ink and distressed with Ranger inks. The flowers are by Prima with the ribbon and bling from my craft stash. I accented the stamped images with a glaze pen. The paer is courtesy of DCWV, Basic Grey, and Cosmo Cricket.. Thanks to Inspired Blueprint for a great sketch and Playdate Challenge for a wonderful color combo.

FLY AWAY

2010-06-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

This is the card I made for Kazan's sketch #55 over at 2S4Y. Really enjoyed making a relatively simple card (for me). O used my scallop punch to make the scalloped border at the top I stamped my bird image on some blue GCD paper and cut it out. I popped it up with foam dots. All of the design paper is from GCD. Like I said, this one is very Clean and Simple.

This butterfly card was made for Cute Card Thursday #118 and Crazy 4 Crafts # 43. The challenge at Cute Card Thursday was to use something recycled in your card. I used the acrylic packaging and used one of "edgy" Tium Holtz die. I embossed the green and purple cardstocks (by Paper Studio) with one of his Embossing folders and the butterfly is cut with one of his alterations die by Sizzix. I used some Basic Grey Halloween paper for the butterfly--thought it looked pretty through the black and not like Halloween at all. It is accented with some ribbon and bling from my craft stash.

SHABBY TEA ROOM CHALLENGE #15

2010-06-26T15:32:00.000-05:00

This is the card I made for the Shabby Tea Room challenge this week. The inspriation was a bedroom done in earthtone stripes. So, the bark on the tree is sort of a stripe and then, of course, the card is in earthtones with accents in blue. I used Paper Studio kraft paper, and the sentiment is on some old Daisy D paper. The bird and sentiment are both Stampin Up stamps and the woodgrain is by Unity. The buttons are by Basic Grey and I used Karen Foster's floss in the buttons. The ribbon is from my craft supply and I colored the bird with my Copics. I always love doing a card with the bird peeping out of a hole in a tree--which was inspired by a card in an old Stampin Up catalog/idea book. Thanks for stopping by!

SIMON SAID IT IS A TWISTED, JUST RITE SATURDAY!

2010-06-26T02:01:00.000-05:00

I made this card for the Twisted Card Sketch 012--with the twist being ruffles. I used Basic Grey and Junkitz papers and used a Stampin Up border punch to make my "ruffles" I topped the ruffles off with three rows of ric rac from my craft stash. The stamp is from unity and the flowers are from Prima and Bazzill, topped with brads by Basic Grey. I used Stampin Up and Ranger inks.

This card is one I made for the Simon Says Stamp challenge - "friends" and used the sketch from Get Sketchy #44. Love using kraft and red together!! I used the Tim Holtz distress folder--first time to use this one and LOVE it!!! Also used two of the Tim Holtz Alterations die by Sizzix. The papers are from Daisy D and Cosmo Cricket with kraft paper by Paper Studio. The flowers are from Prima and are topped with a button from my craft stash, tied with some Karen Russes Floss. The ric rac is also from my craft stash. I used Ranger "fired bricks" distress ink---love my distress inks!!!

This is the card I made for the JustRite Stampers Friday Challenge 024. The challenge was to use the sketch provided and use red, white and blue. So, I used this Daisy D paper that is one of my all time favorites!!! Used the scalloped oval nestability by Spellbinders and pierced in each scallop. Used my Stampin up border punch to add a few more scallops. Used buttons and ribbon from my craft stash. I used Marvy markers for the stamped image and used distress inks by Ranger to distress the paper. Used floss to "sew" my buttons.

Thanks for stopping by my blog and have a very blessed weekend.

OH ALICE, IT'S FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY!!!

2010-06-25T02:05:00.000-05:00

I made this card using the Hip Hop Sketch Challenge #13. LOVE the colors of this GCD paper. The stamps are by Unity, of course. Used some more of those Bazzill Just the Edge strips--so fun to use!! The buttons are by Basic Grey and I used the scallop rectangle nestability by Spellbinders to place my sentiment on. Really happy with this card . .

This is the card I made for the Oh Alice, Chapter 18 challenge. Used one of my FAVORITE Unity stamps--just love this fairy, looking up at the flower--so cute! The patterned paper is by Cosmo Cricket and the cardstock is by Paper Studio. Used one of my favorite Tim Holtz Sizzix die--so much fun. Used the oval spellbinders nestability for the picture. Accented with a glaze pen and topped it off with a Prima flower--love these!

I hope you are having fun on the blog hop . . . thanks for stopping by. Have a very blessed weekend.

MERCY, IT'S THURSDAY ALREADY!!!

2010-06-24T13:54:00.000-05:00

This is a card I made for the Color Throwdown challenge #98 and Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge #79. I turned the sketch on it's side to accommodate my elements. I used the background stamp by Unity and this sentiment stamp that I love. The paper is from Cosmo Cricket and GCD. Used brads by SEI--the brown one had the heart on it and the other two have some rub-ons from Basic Grey. Really happy with how this turned out--a little out of my comfort zone since no designer paper was used--SHOCK!!!

This is the card I made for "A Sketch for You to Try". Of course I love it since it is BLUE and black!! I used the butterfly stamp from Unity that I LOVE!!! Then a Tim Holtz embossing folder---LOVE those too! Used a Creative Memories circle punch for the sentiment. Used a Fiskars border punch on the black--love those punches!!!. Used some ribbon from my craft stash and the paper is from GCD and Paper Studio. Love how the swirls on the background paper go with the swirls on the butterfly---YEAH!!!

FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY

2010-06-18T08:27:00.000-05:00

This is a card I did for the Sketch Saturday Challenge and the Playdate Cafe challenge (black and white with a a bit of blue) I used some stamps from the Unity June store KOM along with two other Unity background stamps. The ink is from Stampin Up, paper from Bazzill and Paper Studio, ribbon and buttons from my craft stash, and Copic markers. Just learning how to use the markers. . . only had one blue so I used it and my blending pen . . . like the result for only having those two. Had a class last night and now have more pens--YEAH!!!

This card is for Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge #78. I used Unity's Melody Ross stamps - from the Brave Girl's Club and from June's store KOM. LOVE these stamps!!!! I used stampin up ink, paper from Basic Grey and Paper Studio - simple, but loved the result! JUST love these birds!!!!

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of the hop. Have a blessed weekend.

MOJO MONDAY AND TUESDAY TRIGGER

2010-06-16T11:33:00.000-05:00

This link will take you to the Tuesday Trigger

This pillow inspired me to use the Cosmo Cricket paper with the herringbone pattern along with the arrow/stripes. Didn't use any stamps on this card since the button had a sentiment on it: you are loved. LOVE the butterfly sizzlit from Stampin up---so much fun to use. My button and ribbon are from Basic Grey and the cardstock is from Paper Studio. Just fun, all the way around!

SUMMER TRAVEL - STAMPIN FOR THE WEEKEND

2010-06-15T20:09:00.000-05:00

This is a card I did for the Stampin for the weekend challenge - summer travel. I love this image from the Unity Brave Girl Club stamp collection. I used Stampin Up ink and distressed with Ranger Ink. The die is from Spellbinders, the paper from GCD, cardstock from Paper Studio, and ribbon from my craft stash. I was very happy with the results.

SHABBY TEA ROOM WK 14 - SUMMER FUN

2010-06-15T19:39:00.000-05:00

This is the card I made for the summer fun challenge over at Shabby Tea Room. This is what I like to do for fun in the sun!!! It is so hot here in Texas . . . just gotta relax!

OH ALICE - CHAPTER 15 and ACT33

2010-06-13T18:17:00.000-05:00

I had so much fun making this card. I used a Time stamp set to create the background pattern on the paper. I then used Tim Holtz die for the gears/cogs in light blue and navy. I used some assorted Prima flowers with Basic Grey brads for their centers. The oval is a Unity stamp on white cardstock that I cut out and then stamped another Unity stamp sentiment on it in Navy. Pleased with how this turned out. I also did this for the ACT33 challenge - but didn't get it uploaded in time. However, the color combo they had was great and I really like the way the card turned out with the blues and greens. Of course, these ARE my favorite colors and I love clocks - so this card couldn't go wrong for me. :)

C4C41, MOJOMonday 142

2010-06-13T18:01:00.000-05:00

This is a card I made for the Crazy 4 Challenges #41, MOJO Monday 142 challenges. It features some beautiful Basic Grey Wisteria paper - LOVE these dragonflies!! I used two unity stamps on this card. I used a background stamp in pink and then overstamped the sentiment with green. I cut out a dragonfly from the paper and bent his wings so he would look like he was flying. I threaded ribbon from some Bazzill just the edge---love this product! Thanks for looking at my card.

PLAY DATE CAFE CREATIVITY CHALLENGE #33 & 2ND SHABBY TEA ROOM DESIGN TEAM CALL ENTRY

2010-06-12T23:36:00.000-05:00

I created this card for the Play Date Cafe Creativity Challenge #33, the Cute Card Thursday challenge, and the I Want To Ride My Bicycle Challenge in the Moxie Fab World. Play Date Cafe challenged us to use the colors raspberry, aqua, kraft, and white in our card. The Cute Card Thursday challenge was to make a card any shape but a square - I used Tim Holtz' alterations die to make my card. The Crafty Creations Challenge was "child's play". Moxie Fab World challenged us to incorporate a bicycle in an innovative way - I used flowers and brads on my bicycle tires for a fun, whimsical bicycle. The brads are from Basic Grey, the flowers are from Bazzill, the stamps are from Unity, the patterned paper is cosmo cricket, and the kraft is from Paper Studio. I used Stampin Up ink and Inkssentials white pen. The die for the sentiment is also from Stampin Up.

This is my second entry for the Shabby Tea Room design team call. I again used the stamp from Technique Tuesday to hold the sentiment from Unity Stamps. The teapot is from Unity and the round accents are from the Technique Tuesday set. I covered the teapot and round accents from 3D glaze by Sakura. The patterned papers are from Cosmo Cricket and Basic Grey with the cardstock from Paper Studio. This card uses a sketch from Sketch 4 You to try - I turned it on its side.

SHABBY TEA ROOM DESIGN TEAM CALL & SIMON SAYS STAMP CHALLENGE

2010-06-12T23:16:00.000-05:00

I made this card for the Shabby Tea Room Design Team Call. The inspiration was a teapot with a red design on it. I immediately thought of this Technique Tuesday Parisian stamp. It is also for the Simon Says Stamp Challenge recipe - 1 image (the Technique Tuesday stamped image with the sentiment inside); 2 Patterned Papers - basic grey and cosmo circket; 3 types of embellishments - lace, prima flowers, basic grey brads. In addition, this card is also for the Spoon Full of Sugar Challenge (flowers), the Allsorts Challenge (lace and/or buttons), Card Patterns Sketch 68.

FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY 6/11/10

2010-06-11T02:01:00.000-05:00

This is the cutest hummingbird stamp from Unity April 2010 KOM. The flower stamp is one from the set, Crazy for Daisies and I'm not sure which set the sentiment is from since I split my sets up by categories. I used Basic Grey paper. You just can't go wrong with these wonderful stamps!

I did this card for a challenge. The quote is from the September 2009 KOM. I used GCD patterned paper and some Daisy D paper. The flowers are from Bazzill on the edge--love those!!! LOVE all of the quote stamps from Unity - they are the best.

This is a card I made for another challenge using Daisy D, GCD, and Basic Grey paper along with somoe dotted swiss Bazzill cardstock. This stamp is just adorable and is from a KOM - again, I can't tell you exactly which one since I sort my stamps by category. I did some "stitching" with a white gel pen from Inkssentials and some gel pens from a set of 100 gel pens. The ink is from Stampin up and the bling from my craft supply.

I am so in love with the new Samantha Walker stamps and the June KOM is to die for!!! LOVIN that Store KOM as well. So many stamps, so little money . . . . what's a girl to do??? I hope you all have fun on the rest of the blog hop. Have a very blessed weekend.

FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY

2010-06-04T02:01:00.000-05:00

I've been sick with sinus and allergy problems. Unfortunately, my mojo doesn't work to good when I'm not feeling well. However, I thought I would share some cards I created earlier with you on this FWFF. I'm hoping to be able to create some today - feeling better and hope my mojo is back.

This is a card I created for challenges posted on CPS and Crazy for Challenges. I used the pocket stamp from Unity and embossed it with white embossing powder. The tickets use Tim Holtz Alterations die and Autumn Leaves ticket stamps. The sentiments are both from Unity. The paper is from Daisy D with the cardstock from The Paper Studio. The buttons are from Basic Grey and the ribbon is from my craft stash. I used silver dew drops for the "rivets" on the pocket. This card was a lot of fun to make.

This is a card I made for the All Things Unity 06 challenge and the Gallery Idol competition by Papercrafts Magazine. The thanks stamp is from Unity. I used my Tim Holtz die for the flourishes. The paper is from GCD and Basic Grey. I also used my Tim Holtz flower die to cut a flower out of ledger paper. I used dew drops and the flowers are from my craft supply.

This is a card I made for Caardvarks May challenge and the Act30 color challenge. I used kraft paper for the base of the card and used Basic Grey patterned paper. The flowers are from Prima and my craft supply. The buttons are from my craft supply. I used marvy markers and gel pens to color the image.

I hope you have fun on the rest of the hop and have a very blessed weekend.

UNITY FWF

2010-05-28T02:01:00.000-05:00

These are cards I made for some challenges last week. Really liked how they both turned out. The butterfly card is one I made for the Sweet Sketch challenge. Really liked the sketch and you just can't mess up with these beautiful butterfly stamps! LOVE these and was able to purchase these during the Unity anniversary sale. Really loved the way Unity handled all of their website difficulties. I received an e-mail that I had 2 very similar orders and checking to see if I wanted both or which one I wanted. I was able to get the sets I wanted - no problem.

The bingo card is one I made for the Twisted Sketch 007 challenge. Really love that stamp, so of course I like the card!!! The twist was to make it all black and white. Wasn't too sure about it, but was really pleased about how the card turned out.

I've been sick this week and haven't been able to create too much. These are cards I had created earlier and hadn't shared. Hope you enjoyed them and enjoy your FWFF blog hop. Have a very blessed weekend and make time to create!

Friends with Flair Friday

2010-05-21T02:01:00.000-05:00

This card was one I made just for fun with Mr. Grainy and a Stampin Up punch. I also used a sentiment from a kit of the month. The bird and leaves were made using a Stampin Up punch--as much as I love birds, I had to have that punch!!!
This card was made for the Mojo Monday challenge. Had so much fun using the Love Bug stamp and the sentiment from a kit of the month. The mileage stamp is from Technique Tuesday. The paper is from GCD. really love how this turned out!
This is the card I made for the Spoon Full of Sugar challenge (cute and girly) and the All sorts Challenge - birthday card. I made two of them for my twin sisters' birthday coming up. LOVED this image from the Brave Girl Unity set. Really loved all of that stamp set.

I hope you all have fun hip hopping this FWF Friday. Have a wonderful weekend. I will . . . get to take my first two Copic classes at my LSS on Saturday. SO excited!!! Then my husband, son, and I are going to the WinStar casino up in Oklahoma to see The Temptations and Four Tops - what a Doo Wop time we will have---LOVE, their music!!!!

Spend some time creating this weekend!

Stamping for the Weekend

2010-05-20T15:04:00.000-05:00

This is a card I did for the Stamping for the Weekend challenge to make a card for a male. Used a Hero stamp along with VersaMark ink, Stampin Up embossing powder for the stamped flowers. Used a Fiskars stamp for the sentiment. For the background, I used a Stampin Up embossing folder along with Tattered Angels glimmer mist. This card will also be entered in a Hero Arts challenge.

Having Fun Creating

2010-05-18T23:43:00.000-05:00

This is a card I created for Sweet Sketch Wednesday: http://sweetsketchwednesday.blogspot.com/. Love this sketch and had a lot of fun making this card. Check out their sketches for some card making fun1

FWFF FUN!!!

2010-05-13T22:54:00.000-05:00

Had a lot of fun this week with many challenges. This is the card I made for Card Pattern Sketch 36. Used some Daisy D paper and my Spellbinders Dahlia die for the flower - love how it turned out. Used a Fiskars punch for that border and LOVE this quote stamp from Unity!!
This is the card I made for CPS 166 - Really enjoyed making a long skinny card with this GCD paper. This quote stamp from Unity is the best and loved how it looked with my Stampin Up ink.

This card was made using the sketch from 2S4Y Sketch 52 and Crazy for Challenges 36. Used some Bienfang watercolors and the cute Unity snail stamp - LOVE it!

So enjoyed the Ippity new releases yesterday and the Unity DT blog hop. So much inspiration! I hope everyone has a wonderful time on their FWFF blog hop and a wonderful weekend. Spend some time creating!

Post #2

2010-05-12T12:39:00.000-05:00

This card was made for Mercy's Tuesday Challenge #73 as well as the Curtain Call Color Challenge - ACT29. So much fun. Enjoyed the color combo and the challenge of making a long skinny card. Used my Tim Holtz Alterations die along with my spellbinders die. Also have rediscovered my huge button collection - fun to look through them! Of course, used one of my Unity stamp sets - LOVE it!

Oh Alice Chapter 12 Challenge

2010-05-12T10:53:00.000-05:00

This is a card I made for the challenge over at Oh Alice's blog. The challenge was to use a key in your creation. I love this mold from Ten Second Studio and their metal - such a fun technique. Then, I have the perfect stamp from Unity and the perfect die from Spellbinders. They just worked beautifully with this challenge. Then, I used a technique I learned from Cheryl Merzetti's class NSD - using a glaze pen. I made the sentiment pop by going over it with a glaze pen - love how it makes things shiny. Filled in the heart with a glitter pen and used another of Cheryl's favorite go-to techniques - "stitching" with a pen around the edge of my die cut. This card also used the color challenge from "All Things Unity", and the C4C36 sketch at I heart 2 stamp.

FWF - 5/7/10

2010-05-07T02:06:00.000-05:00

This is a card I made for the Moxie Fab chairs challenge used the Mojo Monday sketch 137. Really liked the way it turned out with the pinks and greens--This paper is from Nikki Silvas. And, love the chair stamp from Unity!
This is a card I made for the I heart to stamp challenge. Love her challenges and used some of my favorite Daisy D paper on this card. The stamps are for "sentiments o' simple" by Unity.

I hope you have a wonderful Friends with Flair Friday blog hop. I enjoyed making these cards for my post and for these various challenges. Creating is always fun! Have a blessed weekend,

Friends with Flair Friday - NSD Week

2010-04-30T02:01:00.000-05:00

What a week! National Scrapbook Week and Unity's second anniversary. Can't get much better than that!!!! I have two cards to share for Friends with Flair Friday:

This is the card I made for my mother for Mother's Day using some wonderful Unity stamps. My mother loves to cook for those she loves, so this was very appropriate for her Mother's Day card. I used some more of my Daisy D paper - thought the gingham check and polka dots went great with the kitchen theme. This is also Kazan's sketch at 2 Sketches for You--love that site! This is the card I made for the 2nd Anniversary Challenge for Unity's Anniversary week. We were challenged to use a tree or bird image and I used both. I also used the distressed dot stamp to add dots to the background. I took my inspiration from the packaging that Unity puts their stamp sets in---love that teal and brown plus kraft! Added a little brown with white polka dot ribbon and you have a special birthday card for Unity!

I'm off enjoying myself at a National Scrapbook Day retreat. I hope you have special plans to celebrate this weekend . . . at least take a little time to create. Enjoy the rest of the FWF blog hop and have a great NSD weekend!

NSD Thursday Post

2010-04-29T16:30:00.000-05:00

This is a card I made while playing around in the craft room. Used some spellbinders die and made the medallion/flower in the middle. The patterned paper is from Basic Grey and the carstock is from DCWV. The buttons and ribbon are also from Basic Grey. I used my Stampin Up label punch and my Creative Memories circle punch. Added a Sticko epoxy sticker on top of the Fiskars stamped image. This second card also uses the brown DCWV cardstock as its base. Again I used the spellbinders die and Basic Grey patterned paper. Again used my fiskars border punch to make some fake lace and stamped my Unity sentiment onto the "lace". Used a prima flower on top of the Spellbinders pendant and topped the flower with a giant brad from SEI. Added three mini brads from Basic Grey in the lower right hand corner.

Thanks for checking out these cards. I hope you are having a great National Scrapbook Week!