DAY 4 OF GROWING IN UNITY

Thanks for visiting my blog for the fourth day of Growing in Unity.  I have been touched and greatly encouraged by all of your sweet comments.  We sometimes struggle to use our stamps on our scrapbook layouts so that is what I focused on this week.  I have a huge collection of Unity stamps and my first love is scrapbooking.  By concentrating on scrapbook layouts during my Growing in Unity week, it helps me to remember to use these wonderful stamps when scrapbooking.  The SMAK kits are especially wonderful to use when scrapbooking, but there are also lots of great stamps in the regular kits of the month and the various other sets of stamps.   So the next time you work on a layout, challenge yourself to use at least one stamp on that layout.  That is what I'm going to start doing.

This is a layout I created using the first exclusive sketch that Trisha Hill created for my lss, Cat's Creations Scrapbooks.  The left page is the one that actually uses the sketch and features photos of my sister's family.  I used the "Grid Alpha" alphabet stamps for their name on the banner and then the family tag from the February 2012 SMAK kit.   I love this Grid Alpha (on sale this week!) and love the unique look it has with the grid.  The  facing page is just some random Christmas photos:  one of our spaghetti diner and my great nephew, Nick, enjoying his spaghetti.  Then I had to snap a photo of my husband, Butch, taking an after dinner siesta.  The "love it" stamp and the journaling circle stamp are from the May 2012 SMAK kit and the "I dream" stamp is from the April 2012 SMAK kit.  I used Adirondack ink, the ribbon is by May Arts, the paper collection is more from the St. Nick collection by BoBunny, and the striped borer stick down the middle of the page is from Close To My Heart.

I always make two-page layouts, so this is the facing page for the page I shared on Monday.  Sergei, my son's dog, is such a sweet and cuddly dog, but sometimes he gets irritated and starts growling.  He shows his teeth and growls and growls.  So, I wanted to show him growling--you can see my son grinning, since we all think it is rather funny.  I only used one stamp on this page, the journaling flag from the December 2011 SMAK kit.  I used a red pearl pen by Viva décor for the red dots on the journaling flag and glossy accents on "Bad to the Bone" and "Cute and Cuddly" on the designer paper by Karen Foster. 

 

Thanks again for stopping by my blog.  Don't forget to comment for a chance to win two itty bitty's of your choice from Unity.  I will announce the winner on Monday.

GROWING IN UNITY WITH SOME CAT'S SKETCH FEVER!

I am really excited to have the opportunity to share some of my creations using one of my favorite products, Unity stamps.  I have joked with Angela that it is pretty sad when she has a sale and there is nothing for me to purchase since I already own it all.  I may not own all Unity stamps, but I do have a vast collection.  So, this week I am excited to be featuring these wonderful stamps on my projects.

Today, I am using sketches from my local scrapbook store (lss), Cat's Creations Scrapbooks, and participating in "Cat's Sketch Fever".

This is a layout featuring my son on his 29th birthday.  The patterned paper is from the Lost and Found collection by My Minds Eye.  I used Tim Holtz distress inks and the tiny attacher by Tim Holtz.  The washi tape is by Teresa Collins and My Minds Eye and the glitter ribbon is by American Crafts.  The shimmery paper is by WorldWin.  The dotted mesh across the top is by magic mesh and the brad is by My Minds Eye.  I used stamps from lots of kits:  the number background and @ sign- December 2011 SMAK; airplane from October 2009 KOM; tag from the March 2012 SMAK; son of our heart from June 2012 SMAK; banner from "The Best" kit; the letters are from "Frame this Alphabet"; the number 29 from January 2012 SMAK.  Bryan was deep in thought in this photo, and when I mentioned that he posed like "The Thinker" for the photos on the facing page.

The paper, washi tape, and ribbons are the same as used on the other page.  For the epoxy words, I used my Epiphany Crafts punch and epoxy stickers to make the custom embellishments for my page.  The words are from the November 2011 SMAK kit.  The journaling tag is from "The Best" kit and the months of the year are from the Simple Stories Yearography Itty Bitty.  The calendar stamp is from the new IOD kit "Welcome to my Life" and the clock stamp is from the IOD kit "Time Well Spent".  The words background stamp are from the December 2011 SMAK kit.  I really enjoyed making these layouts. 

I created this layout for the sketch that Trisha from Sketch Inspiration shared exclusively with Cat's customers.  This is a photo of my son and his dog, Sergei.  I was excited to get to use the picture wheel die from Tim Holtz/Sizzix and combine it with the stamp by Unity.  They have taken the stamp of the website since the wording on it is backwards, but I used it anyway since the print is so little and I wanted to use it on this layout.  Unity will replace the stamp for me.  The "Best Friend" stamp is from the May 2012 SMAK kit.  This paper collection is by Karen Foster.  The washi tape is by Glitz and the cardstock is from my stash.  The pawprint on the twill ribbon is from a stamp from the "I Ruff You" kit. 

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win one of two prizes.  You have a chance to win a prize from Unity and a prize from "Cat's Creations Scrapbooks" for Cat's Sketch Fever (no international winners, sorry!).   So, comment away and good luck. 

 

WOW WEDNESDAY

I made this card for my husband's birthday yesterday.  I purchased the dies from Cat's after admiring the card she made at The Collins Show this past fall.  I  had to get her card to see exactly how to make it.  Really pretty simple to assemble once I was able to see the example closer.

I used a turquoise and dark brown cardstock by Bazzill for the card.  I chose the colors of the cardstock to compliment the stickers, which are by Imaginisce and Karen Foster.

Here is a close-up where you can see the stickers a little closer.  The last sticker by Karen Foster is one of the "lil stackers" and is very dimensional.  I wish I could have taken a picture of Butch's face when he opened the card.  He is planning to take it to work to display on his desk.  That he loved it so much is priceless.

Thanks for stopping by this WOW Wednesday and don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a prize.  Go back to Cat's blog and visit everyone's blog and leave comments on their blogs for more chances to win.