Extra Day of Unity and MyGrafico Challenge

I've been having some printer issues and wasn't able to create a sample for the MyGrafico Challenge blog this week. I was just now able to complete the challenge. The challenge was to make a recipe card but since I don't cook I don't really make those typed of cards, so what I did instead was make a 'Recipe for a Happy New Year' card that can be displayed as it's 8x8. I like the touch of flourish that is on this as it gave it just a little something extra (and is part of the Belli Blog challenge) and worked so well with the hearts. The hearts, tag outline, and circle label is from Lindsay's Stamp Stuff over at MyGrafico.





I also created an extra project for my week Growing in Unity. I used two stamps with this project: Create Yourself and Feel the Joy. I really like how this one turned out and can so see me using this for little gifts.

Growing in Unity - Day 5

I've got another card for ya'll using Unity. This post is going to be short though as I'm getting tired and need to clean up still before bed. I used another great word/quote stamp from Unity called Shine. I used my markers to color this in so the clouds, sun, and words could be different colors. I then took the colors of the image and used them for the colors of the card. I put sitcky tape down where the shimmery see-thru white ribbon would go and covered it in glitter so that it sparkled even more. I used a cloud stamp I have for the clouds popping off the bottom corner of the quote too. Be sure you come back tomorrow for the bonus project I am working on too for an extra chance at winning the Unity stamp Vicious Circle. I used the sketch from CPS.

Growing in Unity - Day 3

Can you believe that it's Wednesday already! Time for my third day of showing off some Unity stamps. For this card I used two Unity sets that I have already shown ya'll: Vicious Circle and Jolly Little Winter. I love how they can be so versitile. I stamped the VC on some more transparency (don't you just love the look and frame it creates) only this time I stamped it in white stazon and then covered it in glitter to bring some bling to my card. This time I used the fireplace from the JLW set and colored it in with my copics. I am really proud of the wood look the floor and mantal took on. The fire was a new technique for me too as I mixed different colors together to make the fire glow. Once it was colored I punched it out with a nesstie (and it just happened to be the perfect fit for the VC frame) and glued it behind the frame. I then glittered the border of the card base as well as the frame for the sentiment (which came from the song "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow"). I also promised ya'll yesterday that I would let you know what Unity stamp I'm going to give away this week: Vicious Circle. My goal is to show ya'll two more ways to use this great Unity stamp later this week.

Challenges used:

Die Cuts R Us - project with a holiday feel

Cupcake Craft Challenges - sing a Christmas Carol

Pile It On - Glitter

All That Scraps - anything Christmas

Paper Cutz Challege - use a digital or rubber stamp image

Growing in Unity - Day 2

I hope you all enjoyed the first card yesterday. I've got another goodie for you today using the wonderful Unity Stamps. For today's card I used a cute little stamp set called Jolly Little Winter. I just love the little penguins in it and decided I would take a stab at creating a little scene. This is the first time I've tried this out and it was really fun. The stamps in this set also make it easy as I used the igloo, the snow drifts sans the fence, and the penguin with earmufffs. For the little snowflake punch I used the lefterovers from yesterday's card. I outlined the drifts with Stickles Frosted Lace and I also used it on a few of the snowflakes to jazz them up. The background for the scene and the embossed DP was done on Shimmery White paper to give it a subtle touch of sparkle. What helps the scene to pop is that the snow drift and a few of the snowflakes are on a piece of transparency that I poped up and the penguin is popped up on that. Be sure you come back tomorrow for Day Three and to learn which Unity stamp I'll be giving as a blog candy.

Challenges used:

The Fresh Batch - sketch

Copic Creations - color snow (I colored the igloo and created some subtle snowdrifts with my copics

Stamp Challenges - Glitzy Somethings

PaperPlay Challenges - Christmas theme sans red/green

Growing in Unity - Day 1

I am so excited about this week as it's my turn to host 'Growing in Unity' week. For those who aren't familiar with the stamp company Unity, they offer fabulous red rubber stamps for card makers and scrapbookers alike. You may buy their FAB stamps in singles, small groups, or even by a kit of the month club. Their stamps come mounted and unmounted (I'm the unmounted type myself) and ready to use. I've just gotten into them in the past year (maybe a little longer) and I love the broad range of style they have. I'm also going to host a little blog candy thanks to the wonderful owner, Angela: one single stamp from Unity of my choice. I'll let you know what it is later this week. You will need to leave a comment to be put in the drawing. Your name will go in the number of days you leave a comment (i.e. you just leave love on Tuesday then your name goes in one but if you leave love Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday they your name goes in three times). The winner will be name next Thursday at the Hip Hop Thread over at Splitcoast Stampers (SCS).

Now for my kick-off card. For this tone on tone card I used two Unity stamps: All Santa's Reindeer and Vicious Circle. I love how I can punch out the center part of the circle stamp and use it as a frame. It worked wonderfully on the transparency too. I embossed the Vicious Circle with white embossing poweder on transparency, used a circle nestie to cut out the center, and only taped the top part down to the Shimmery White c/s I embossed the reindeer on. This way the reindeer could be framed but it still gave the card a bit of something extra to enjoy. I embossed the renideer with Iridescent Ice embossing powder since I was going on the tone on tone effect but still need it to show. I also water-colored it with light greys and vanilla to add a little depth (although it got lost in the pictures I think - sorry about that). The bottom was punched with Martha Stewarts snowflake border punch while the transparncey was punch with the corner rounder. I think made a little flap with the cardbase so that the image pieces could be attached to the card. To make the flap look like it should be there I used the same snowflake punch to help add the the frame. I also used some shimmery sheer white ribbon to go across the top to finish it off. This card looks so much better in person than in the photos and I am really sorry about that.

Be sure you come back tomorrow to see what I have in store for Day 2.

Challenges I used:

A Spoonful of Sugar - non-traditional Christmas card

Instyle Stamps - winter that uses 3 punches (I used the corner rounder, snowflake border, and the circle nestie)

Creative Card Crew - theme/Christmas

My Time to Craft - Winter Pals (the reindeer is a pal of Santa's)

Orange: For Fall and Christmas Too

I'm involved in a Growing in Unity and my week will be the week of December the 7th, and thought I would give ya'll a little tease. I really do like the style of their stamps and their sayings stamps are perfect for so many different types of projects. Today both of my projects are cards. The first card makes for a great fall card but the colors can be changed up so easily for any season. The branches/leaves were punched from a Martha Stewart punch and then sprayed with Shimmerz Baby's Breath spray to give it some sparkle. I watercolored the path in a medium brown then sponged in edges of the saying in three shades of brown. The first layer of matting behind the saying is a very thin dark brown c/s the mounted on the medium brown c/s that I crumpled and then sponged dark brown over it (I like how it gave it a faux leather look to it). I really like the clean and simple lines of the card.

Challenges I used:

Lord Have Mercy - sketch

OCC - color challenge

Hope Stamps Eternal - cupcake challenge

Stamp Stacular Sunday - reminds you of the outdoors

This second card uses the beautiful All Santa's Reindeer from Unity and is embossed in copper and watercolored to give it a little more depth on rust colored c/s. The saying was stamped in the same color and I sponged the edges with the rust color too to soften the edges. The blue was punched with another Martha Stewart punch (a snowflake border punch), sponged in a light brown, and then sprayed with Shimmerz Baby's Breath spray for a subtle sparkle. The base is a pumpkin color and I stamped different sizes of snowflakes on it in a matching ink color. The final touch is the rhinestones. I am really surprised at how this card turned out and that touch of soft blue really works with it. This is so not in my realm of color schemes for anything let alone a Christmas scheme, but I really am getting into this one. Kind of a modern meets vintage.

Challenges used:

Sunday Sketch and Stamp

Just Us Girls - color challenge (I've had to not play along with the last few challenges due to what we've been going through here and have found that I have really been missing this challenge blog)

Kraftin Kimmie Stamps - Christmas

Paper Take Weekly - Christmas

Sweet Dreamers' challenge - sketch

For the Sweet Dreamers' challenge this week we were to use the sketch from a very talented 10 year-old. She is the daughter of one of the ladies in this wonderful group and they both run this sketch challenge blog. The daughter not only creates the sketches but also the sample cards. Please head over there now and check it out.

The stamp set is Unity's Eco Chic
The DP is Cratepaper's Lemon Grass Collection