GROWING IN UNITY DAY 4

Thanks for visiting for day 4 of my Growing in Unity week.

This is the facing page to yesterday's layout.

We went on a cruise around San Diego Bay and went under Coronado Bridge.

The pictures were really fun and these 2 pages will feature those photos.

Again, I used the Carta Bella collection, "Ahoy There".

The photo mats are from Authentique, the aqua stripe paper is by Fancy Pants, bling from Queen & Co., ink is Tim Holtz distress inks by Ranger, alphabet stickers from Simple Stories, banner stickers from Carta Bella, and burlap from Canvas Corp.  

On this layout, to continue the look of the facing page, I cut a strip of red burlap and 

adhered it down the side of the long fishtail banner strip on the right side of the page.

The anchor, seashell, and starfish stamps are part of the "Beach Cottage" co-branded set with Iron Orchid Designs, the arrow in a circle stamp is from the January 2014 SMAK kit, "Adventure",  the remember stamp is from the February 2014 SMAK kit, "Camera Ready",  and the best day ever stamp is from the April 2013 SMAK kit, "Celebrate the Good Times".

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a prize from Unity.    So, comment every day for more chances and good luck.

GROWING IN UNITY, DAY 3

Thanks for stopping by again for my Growing in Unity week.  This is one of the wonderful things about Unity Stamp Company:  they are so customer oriented.  They have this program where 52 of their customers are featured along with their work featuring Unity Stamps.  You don't have to apply to be the guest designer, you just volunteer!  Maria Levine is so sweet to organize this, and I'm sure it is not easy.  So, not only does Unity have phenomenal stamps at a fantastic price, they love their customers.

This is another layout for our recent trip to San Diego. 
I again used  paper from Carta Bella's collection, "Ahoy There" along with the aqua stripe from Fancy Pants and the white cardstock from Authentique. The inks I used are Tim Holtz's distress inks and Ranger's Archival ink. The sticker letters are from Simple Stories, I believe.  I also added a small piece of red burlap from Canvas Corporation under my group of stamped images.  The journaling block where I placed my title and the seashell stamp are from "The Beach Cottage Collection"  a co-branded collection by Unity Stamp Company and Iron Orchid Designs.  If you ever need some beach themed stamps, I HIGHLY recommend this set--it is BEAUTIFUL!!!   The "Never forget this day" stamp is from the April 2013 SMAK kit "Celebrate the Good Times".  The map heart is from the "Going Places" kit, February 2013 SMAK.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a prize from Unity.    So, comment every day for more chances and good luck. 

 I can't pass up a chance to shout out a 

HAPPY 89TH BIRTHDAY 

to my  amazing Daddy.  Love him so much.

GROWING IN UNITY DAY 2

I apologize for the lateness of this post.  I have had a nasty stomach bug that pretty much wiped me out!  Plus, no internet access for some reason.  Working on a permanent solution for that, but have solved it temporarily at least.

This is the facing page to yesterday's page to complete the two page layout.

I really like how this two page layout turned out even though I struggled with it for a while.

The products I used are the same:   I used paper from Carta Bella's collection, "Ahoy There" and Imaginisce's collection "Perfect Vacation".The inks I used are Tim Holtz's distress inks and Ranger's Archival ink.  The bling I used is by Queen & Company and the ribbon is by May Arts.  I used Tim Holtz's tiny attacher to attach the ribbon.  On this page I also useed a sticker from the "Ahoy There" collection.  Again, I used stamps from SMAK kits.

The film strip journal stamp and "Good Times" stamp are from the  April 2013  Kit, "Celebrate the Good Times."    The compass rose stamp, the destination arrow, and the here, there, everywhere stamp are all from the "Going Places" February 2013 Kit.  

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a prize from Unity.    So, comment every day for more chances and good luck.

GROWING IN UNITY, DAY 1

      I am really excited to once again be able 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. Although I don't actually own ALL of the Unity stamp sets, I have a HUGE collection.  So, this week I am excited to be featuring these wonderful stamps on my projects.

     My first project is a layout that will have some photos from our recent trip to San Diego.  I used paper from Carta Bella's collection, "Ahoy There" and Imaginisce's collection "Perfect Vacation".

The inks I used are Tim Holtz's distress inks and Ranger's Archival ink.  The bling I used is by Queen & Company and the ribbon is by May Arts.  I used Tim Holtz's tiny attacher to attach the ribbon to the ticket.  The stamps I used are from SMAK kits, which are one of my favorite products of Unity!!  "Love this day" is from the February 2014 kit, "Camera Ready".  The ticket is from the "Going Places" February 2013 kit.  The "Good Times" image behind the ticket is from the "Celebrate the Good Times" April 2013 kit.  

     One of the great things about having a stamp collection is the ability to create your own embellishments.  Instead of having to purchase expensive stickers and other embellishments, I was able to create my own.  I love that!   Stamps aren't just for making cards...they are great for creating embellishments for scrapbook layouts.  

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a prize from Unity.    So, comment every day for more chances and good luck. 

WOW, IT'S FINISHED !

This is the lapbook album that I've been working on for the past several weeks.  This album was inspired by an album designed by Kathy Orta, aka Paper Phenomenon.  I also used Rachel's modification of adding a chipboard cover and one inch spines.  I definitely want to give credit to these ladies for coming up with the design of the structure of this album.  I used a Tim Holtz die to create the cupid and heart on the front of the album  I used Viva Decor "Ferro" on the heart and arrow.

When you open the album, you see this page  It has space for a large photograph  The scrolls above and below the photo mat were made using the Viva Decor mother-of-pearl modelling paste and a stencil.  The two "folders" you see peeking out of the side pocket on the left are actually mini albums:

I made these using a Coluzzle template and blade set that I have had forever.  The bottom mini album has a cascade album inside to hold lots of photos.

As you "turn" the page, you come to this page, which has a place for another large photo and two more of the folder mini-albums peeking out of the pocket on the right.

These mini albums were made the same way the other two mini albums were made.

The back side of the page has another flap and some tags slid inside a pocket.  The flap has a spot for another photo on it, and the tags will hold three to six photos.

As you flip that page you see this flap with room for another vertical photo and it then another cascade album is revealed, as well as a spot for a "landscape" photo - there are two of these, one on each side of the album.

That flap also opens up to show more places for you to put photos.

This is what it opens up to on the opposite side.  

Paper from numerous manufacturers was used in this album.  One of the things I enjoy most about scrapbooking is mixing and matching paper collections.  The main collection I used was an older collection from SEI.  I supplemented it with paper from My Minds Eye, Echo Park, Bazzill, Little Yellow Bicycle, Pebbles, Heidi Grace, and BoBunny.  I used washi tape on the hinges inside the album and some cloth tape on the outside from Oriental Trading Company (it is similar to 7 Gypsies Gaffer tape).  I used punches by McGill, EK Success, Fiskars, WeR Memory Keepers, and Martha Stewart to create some of the embellishments.  There are not very many embellishments because this is a gift to a non-scrapbooker and I wanted to make it easy for them to adhere their photos.  Plus, the addition of the photos will significantly increase the thickness of this album and if there are very many embellishments it would be too fat.  

Several people asked me about teaching this as a class at Cat's.  Cat and I talked about it and the class will be on Saturday, August 24th.  I will begin working on the sample album this weekend using a current paper collection at the store.  Stay tuned for more details about the class as the sample is created so that we can share photos of it and will be able to give you a price.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment.  This post is linked to Cat's Creations WOW Wednesday and you will be eligible for a prize just by commenting  

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. 

 



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

 Today is WOW Wednesday over at Cat's Creations Scrapbooks' blog and I wanted to share an album I made for a dear friend of ours who turned 90 years old back in December.  I used one of the BoBunny word albums that I had in my stash for quite some time.  The paper I used is some that Cat gave us in a goody bag at the retreat (thanks, Cat!) and I combined it with some SEI paper.

There were some little party hat cut-outs, so I couldn't resist putting one on her!  The flower is by Petaloo, the button and bling is by My Minds Eye, and the sticker is by Imaginesce.

On the right is one of the little accordion albums that Lance Anderson taught us to make using duct tape for the hinges.  Embellishments are by Sassafrass Lass and SEI.  

 This is a folder album I made using a "Coluzzle" template that I've had for years.  Really loved how it turned out.  More paper from SEI with punch-outs.

This is the folder album opened up.  It held lots of photos!

This a little cascading album I made after being inspired by the Heidi Swapp product.  I used Tim Holtz dies for the shaped pages.  LOVED how it all came together just the way I wanted it to.  Fun when that happens!  The paper is by SEI and American Crafts, the bling and button are by My Minds Eye, the flower is by Petaloo and the sticker flower is by Sassafrass Lass.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win some blog candy from Cat! Be sure you visit everyone's blogs and leave comments for even more chances to win.

WOW, IT'S TAG-TASTIC WEDNESDAY!

I want to share some tags I made at our tag class and then this past Monday.  I have had so much fun playing and making these tags. 

This is a tag I created last Saturday at the second tag class with Nanci Holtsford.  I wasn't real happy with it, so I worked on it some Monday.  I added some "holly" stickles to the tree and then added the sentiment and paper clip.  You can't see how sparkly the stickles are in the photo, but they are really neat because they have red and gold glitter in them as well as green...makes it look like lights on the tree!

This is a tag I created Monday.  I used a Stampendous text stamp to create the background on the tag in addition to inking it.  The doily was made using Tim Holtz's tattered doily edge die.  The holly leaves were created using a Sizzix die/embossing folder combo--love those things.  I painted them with my Twinkling H20's.  I used three red buttons for the berries.  The Santa image is from a little ATC booklet that Cat gave me years ago.

This tag was started on Saturday, but couldn't ever get it going.  So, got a fresh start Monday.  I used some of the fabulous "frantage" products from Stampendous...aged green, aged ivory, and aged aqua embossing powder were used on the corner and then added some pearl fragments.  I used a Tim Holtz embossing folder for the music background and inked it with broken china ink.  The Santa is another one of those Sizzix die/embossing folder combos.  I painted him with my Twinkling H20's and his face and buttons were painted with my gelatos.  His hat was inked with black soot distress ink. 

 

Thanks for stopping by my blog.  Don't forget to comment for a chance at some blog candy this WOW Wednesday.  You never know who is going to win...just might be YOU!

 

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.