WOW, IT'S FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY!

When I was making cards the other day, I wanted to make some sympathy cards.  I always struggle with making sympathy cards.  I had the background paper by Basic Grey that I wanted to use, but then the challenge was to find some paper that coordinated with it since it was a weird color.  This paper from last year's winter collection by Fancy Pants coordinated beautifully with it.  I used some of my favorite crinkled crepe ribbon by Creative Impressions ( I think that is the brand) to give it even more color.  The stamp is from Bevy of Butterflies and I used my Creative Memories circle punch.  The ink I used is a Powder Puff chalk ink.

I also made some cards that could be sympathy or get well cards.  This card used one of the BEAUTIFUL big butterfly stamps from the Butterfly Beauty stamp set.  The background paper is from a baby collection by Little Yellow Bicycle, I think.  I bought a bunch of this paper when Cat was having a big sale since the colors are fantastic, it is a varnished paper with lots of texture, plus it works for travel, ocean, and lots of things--LOVE IT!  The rose paper is by My Minds Eye and the cardstock is by Bazzill.  The butterfly is stamped on a scrap of paper that I had.  I used a punch by Stampin Up to punch out the sentiment, which is from the My Thoughts are With You  set.  I love those sentiment collections since they are wonderful to grab when you want to make a bunch of cards.

I'm going to link this to the Friends with Flair hop as well as Cat's WOW Wednesday hop.  Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win from Cat or Unity.  Two chances to win--FUN!!!!  Go back to Cat's blog and Unity's blog to check out everyone else's creations and leave more comments for even more chances to win.  

FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY

I can't believe I'm finally participating in Friends With Flair Friday.  It has been too long!  I spent a few days creating cards to replenish my mom's and my stash.  Of course, I had to use some of the fantastic stamps that Unity has for cardmaking.  To speed things along, I used sketches (card maps) by Becky Fleck - LOVE using her sketches for cards and scrapbook layouts.  I made the card pictured above using a stamp from the "My Thoughts are With You" kit.  I love the vertical sentiment!  The papers are from Bella Blvd., My Minds Eye, and Jillibean Soup, with carstock by Wausau.  The ribbon is by Offray.  This card is simple and fun.

This card features a stamp from one of my favorite series of stamps, "Wit and Wisdom" by Joslyn  I LOVE these stamps and couldn't wait to make a card featuring one of them.  The paper I used is by American Crafts, with cardstock by Bazzill and Wausau.  The ribbon is by Offray  The candle paper is embossed and adds some fun texture to the card.  I used Archival Ink by Ranger on both cards

My local scrapbook store, Cat's Creations Scrapbook in Mineral Wells, Texas, is where the majority of my supplies were purchased.  The birthday papers were actually purchased when she had some sale bins full of paper.  We are so blessed to have a great scrapbook store in our small town.  Lots of people from the Dallas-Fort Worth area drive over to visit our wonderful store.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win some Unity goodness.  Go back to the Unity blog and check out the creations by everyone else.  Visit their blogs and leave comments for more chances to win.  

WOW, IT'S FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY!

These are my wonderful parents and they celebrated their sixtieth anniversary on May 23rd.  They didn't want a big celebration, just for the family to go out to eat together.   So we did just that and then went back to their house for a "speed photography" session.  As you may know, my mother has been battling renal cell cancer that has metastasized to two different areas.  The radiation treatments have taken a toll on her and she was not feeling well on their anniversary.  We got some wonderful photos of each one of us girls (there are three of us) and our families with my parents.  The dinner together and photography session only took two hours....and that included putting their living room back together since we had to rearrange it for the photographs.  We were thankful that my mother was feeling better by evening, but not really very good.  She had a few more bad days, but is back to feeling pretty good now.  Love it when she has several good days in a row! 

This is the anniversary card I made for them.  I used some Sizzix dies (this one and this one)that I purchased at my local scrapbook store, Cat's Creations Scrapbooks.  Everything I used for this card was purchased there with the exception of the brads I used for the center of the flowers.   The paper is from Canvas Corp. and the flowers are from Prima.

This is the first panel and the stamp is from the August, 2011 Kit of the Month  I love the sentiments that came in that kit!  I used a Viva décor pearl pen for the swirls and some Stampendous vintage embossing powder on the sentiment.  I love how their embossing powders have different colors mixed together--this had gold mixed in with the hunter green.  The shimmery corners are from the 3D Glitter Stamp Paint by Viva Décor.  I just got some on my finger and smeared it on the corners. 

This is the end panel and features a sentiment from a Fiskars stamp set.  In case you can't read it, it says "memories are the most beautiful pictures our minds can paint and nothing can ever erase them".  I thought that was a great sentiment for a sixtieth anniversary card. 

These are the center panels and I put a photo of each of us girls on them.  On the back is a pocket for each of us to put a note for them. 

Thanks for stopping by.  I am linking this blog post up to WOW Wednesday which is hosted by Cat's Creations Scrapbooks--you can comment to win a prize.  I'm also linking this up to Unity's Friends with Flair Friday blog hop, where you can also comment to win a prize.  SO.....comment for a chance to win two different prizes!!!

FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY GROWING IN UNITY

This is a two page layout I did featuring my parents and using paper by Echo Park. 

This is the left-hand page of the two page layout and I used the sketch from the Unity Stamp Company Challenge.  The tape is paper tape by 7 Gypsies.  The black cardstock is by WorldWin and the shimmery red cardstock is by The Paper Company and the white is from my stash.  I used Adirondack, Staz-On, and Ranger inks.  The banners are embossed using Stampendous shabby green embossing powder--love this stuff!  The twine is the red shimmer twine from The Twinery.  The vellum is from my stash.  I used Glossy Accents on the word GaGa, which is what the grandkids all call my Mother.  The banner and holly border stamps are from "A Simple Christmas".  I used the Marah Johnson "Carnivale" alphabet set again for the word GaGa.  The ruler stamp, love them/love her stamp, and the date block are all from the June 2012 SMAK kit.  The heart is from "The Time is Now" kit. 

This is the right side page.  I also heat embossed the banners like I did on the other page.  I also heat embossed the journaling spot using the Stampendous shabby green embossing powder.  In addition to the 7 gypsies tape, I also used some Tim Holtz tape.  The journaling spot stamp and the sentiment on it are from the "Throught All Time" set and the words mother, father, grandmother, and grandfather are from the "Roots and Wings" set. 

 

I'm very blessed with wonderful parents and wanted to do a layout of them this past Christmas.  My mother has been battling cancer and just finished radiation treatment on Wednesday for the second metastases.  Hopeful that it will stay gone this time.  Very thankful for the wonderful doctors and facilities at UT Southwestern. 

 

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win some Unity stamps.  I am going to link this up to Friends with Flair, so you will have two chances to win some Unity stamps.  I have really enjoyed my week of Growing with Unity and appreciate everyone's sweet comments very much.  I will announce the winner on Monday for the two itty bitties. 

 



FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY

This is a very simple card that I made using the card bases I bought from My Minds Eye.  I used one of the beautiful pendant dies from Spellbinders to make the doily-like centerpiece.  I cut strips of paper from the 6 x 6 pad by My Minds Eye that I purchased at Cat's Creations Scrapbooks.  The stamp is from the August 2011 Kit of the Month, "What I Know".  I loved the font used on this stamp.  So beautiful.  I inked the die cut with a powder puff chalk ink pad. 

This is another card I made from the other set of card bases by My Minds Eye that I purchased.  This features a tag that I made using the Fancy Tags set of dies by Spellbinders.  The "live" banner/tag is from a Simple Stories itty bitty, "Year-o-graphy Banners" by Unity and the happily ever after is from the "Heartfelt Sentiments" set by Unity.  I love both of these sets of stamps.  The grey strip of paper is some of the embossed "Two Scoops" paper from Bazzill.  I used Archival Ink by Ranger for my stamping.  The heart brad is from my stash.

Thanks for stopping by my blog and don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win some fabulous Unity stamps.  Go back to the Unity blog and continue hopping and leaving comments for more chances to win.  Unity is having a sale this week on the wonderful Phyllis Harris stamps---buy 1 get 1 for $1.  Time to stock up!

FRIENDS WITH FLAIR FRIDAY

Thanks for stopping by on this Friday before Christmas.  I made some cards to give as Christmas gifts this year.  I purchased some boxes of My Minds Eye card bases and then went to work dressing them up.  Of course, Unity Kit of the Month stamps are fabulous for using on cards.  I used some tag die from Spellbinders and a 6 x 6 paper pad from My Minds Eye to create the sentiment tag.  The sentiment stamp is from the September, 2011 kit of the month.  I love those little banner sentiments in the kit of the month.  The butterfly is from a kit of the month that is no longer available, but Unity has lots of butterflies on kits that are currently available for purchase.

This is another card that I made from another boxed set of My Minds Eye card bases.  The script paper is from Bazzill and I used a Fiskars border punch on each side.  I used another of the tag dies from Spellbinders to cut out the tag for the sentiment.  The stamp is August 2011 kit of the month--love it!.  I finished the card off with a couple of rhinestones. 

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win some Unity goodness.  Merry Christmas to you and yours!

I USED SKETCH INSPIRATION FOR MY CSI FRIENDS WITH FLAIR

This is the layout I created for CSI Case # 43, using sketch # 344 from Sketch Inspiration  The color scheme was black, sunny yellow, pale green, white, and medium green.  The black and white are in the background and photo mats, the pale green is in the paper clip, the medium green is in the distress marks on the background paper and the frame around the journaling, and the sunny yellow is on the flourish and the paper clip.  I used my gelatos to color the chipboard frame and flourish--LOVE them!  My evidence was the damask paper, the patterned brad, the black and white patterned script paper, and the flourish.  My testimony is the frame around my journaling.  I am really enjoying doing these challenges.  The test your creativity so much.  The background paper I used is from Authentique's Peaceful collection.  The black and white script paper is by Bazzill, and the black and ivory damask is from Teresa Collins.  The patterned brad is by 7 Gypsies, the paper clip and flourish are by Basic Grey.  The letter stickers are by Tim Holtz, the chipboard frame around the journaling is by Cosmo Cricket, and the flash card is by Teresa Collins. 

This is the facing page, using the same damask paper, background paper, and cardstock.  In addition, I used some tissue tape by Tim Holtz and paper tape by 7 Gypsies.  I used old paper distress ink on the cardstock where I stamped, using Unity stamps.  The date tag down in the lower right corner and the circle stamp around the brad are from the February 2012 SMAK kit.  LOVE those SMAK kits!  The brad is by 7 Gypsies and the journey title stickers are by TCP.  Had so much fun creating these two pages. 

IT'S A SKETCHY FRIENDS WITH FLAIR

This is a layout I did of my son's trip to Canada last year and a trip to the botanical gardens.  I used Little Yellow Bicycle's "Escape" collection and used my Creative Memories cutting system to cut the circles.  The title uses some mini alphabet stickers from My Little Shoebox and Thickers.  The pedestrian sign in the upper right hand corner is from Basic Grey and I colored it with my Gelatos and the tags hanging from it are by Creative Imaginations.  The epoxy stickers on the left hand sign are by Creative Imaginations.  The doily is from Dollar Tree and I used my Stormy Sky distress ink to color it and distress the edges of my circles and paper strip.  The embossed white paper behind the picture is by Bazzill.  No stamping on this page, but the facing page has some Unity stamps on it.

I used the same collection, a larger doily, and the same distress inks on this page.  In addition, I used a bingo stamp from an older kit of the month that is no longer available, I believe.  The stamps that I used for the circles behind the brads are from the February 2012 SMAK kit.  LOVE those kits!  The paper I stamped the bingo stamp on and the journaling block beneath it are both by Creative Imaginations.  The brads are by My Minds Eye, the quotation is by Cloud 9, and I used crackle accents on the quote square. .  I love how you can create such great embellishments with your stamps.  The SMAK kits are so fabulous for scrapbooking, but there are some great stamps included on the regular kits of the month as well.

Both of these layouts were created using Sketches from Sketch Inspiration.  The top layout used sketch #338 and the bottom layout used sketch #339.   I love the sketches from Sketch Inspiration and they have a weekly challenge...stop by and check it out!  In addition, my local scrapbook store, Cat's Creations Scrapbooks, has a weekly blog hop called WOW Wednesday with a prize awarded to a random participant or commentor.  Join us if you can.  We would love to see your work.

CSI FRIENDS WITH FLAIR

And, I'm back with a Friends with Flair post and my very first CSI (Colors, Stories, Inspiration) case file (#41).  CSI is a challenge site and they have wonderful challenges that really stretch your creativity.  I actually used a paper crimper that I've had for several years and never used...now I LOVE what it did and will probably use it quite often.  I also used Sketch Inspiration sketch #342.

For the background, I used paper from the All is Bright collection by My Minds Eye. The ticket, hexagons, journalling card, and flash card are from Teresa Collins Tell Your Story collection. I used washi tape from various collections. The Life bingo stamp and Live flag are by Unity. The flags on the side are cut from some old Creative Imaginations Creative Cafe paper. I used a Fiskars paper crimper to texture the cardstock mat for my photo. For my evidence, I used flags, ruffles (the washi tape), textured white on white (the photo mat), and layers - the doily, photo mat, bingo card, ticket, flash card, washi tape. My testimony was to list six things about my picture on the journaling card.

I'm planning to finally post on my blog more frequently.  I'm the blogger for my local scrapbook store, Cat's Creations Scrapbooks, and we have a weekly linky party/blog hop on Wednesdays and I'm planning to participate in that each week.  In addition, I plan to participate in the weekly challenges on CSI, use the sketch of the week from Sketch Inspiration, and participate in Friends with Flair with Unity.  I can combine several of these, but the minimum is two projects a week for Wednesday and Friday.  So excited about finally getting to be creative on a regular basis. 

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment for a chance at some Unity goodness.