~ September 2026 - Friends of Unity Blog Hop ~ Anything But a Card!

 

Hello crafty friends and welcome to my stop on the Friends of Unity September 2026 Blog Hop! Our theme this month is "Anything But a Card."

This is always a fun prompt to get the creative juices flowing! At first you think "how hard could this be?" The next thing you know you are thinking...."what in the world am I going to make?!?!" Pinterest is my best friend....so is my daughter! She wanted to create an art piece for her dorm room with a jean pocket to hold sunglasses and other stuff. Since I had to cut up a pair of jeans for that project, I decided to finally create a junk journal! No idea what I'm doing! 😆

I found an old journal that I had to tear out a few pages that were one of my kids school notes but then all was good! I tore the insides out and then covered the outside with some denim! I added a few bits and baubles, likely will add more! Covered the inside cover with a scrap piece of pink gingham fabric. Lots of glue and "gravity" to get all the glue to dry it's finally ready for page production!

Again, no real direction, just remembering some of the videos I had seen come across my feeds....I ink smooshed, then added a printed dictionary page that has words like: journal and journey. I then stamped the typewriter from the June 2023 Kit of the Month {from the countryside}. The butterfly was in a Unity thank you gift. The tags, brads and button are from stash. The journaling stickers at the bottom are from a Tim Holtz metallic sticker book.

Next page is a couple pages back in the book. I started with another dictionary page with words like: love, love-bird, lovable. Torn edges, inked with salvaged patina. I then cut the word "love" out with a heart die from Unity (now appears to be discontinued). Inked that heart with spun sugar. Stamped and die cut the beautiful  Seraphim Wings. Lots of colors on this giant butterfly! Stamped the "love" stamp from that set, with seedless preserves and then second and third and fourth generation to fade it out. "Hello" and "Beautiful" are both from the September 2023 KOM {harvest hues}. I added a button and then flicked onto the page, picket fence distress stain, black soot distress stain, antiqued bronze distress mica spray. 

Well, that may be about as much as my brain can handle without a plan 🤣 onto the next project!

I went looking for an idea of what could come next, then I found the cutest little album (link is here) posted to Pinterest in 2012!

As you can see I started with the postage stamp nesting dies and just went from there.   I cut 6 "pages" out of some cardboard mailers. This made 10 pages for photos. 

Lots of dies used on these....in addition to the postage stamp dies, I used the make a tag die set, the scallops and squares, scallops and arches, scallops and rectangles,  scallops and banners, and scallops andcircles.

Stamps sets used are May 2026 Kit of the Month oh baby KOMpanion set, twinkle twinkle itty bitty (retired), fairy from 2024 Advent Calendar, sentiment from Twinkleheart, wild about you (giraffe) itty bitty (retired).  Papers from several kits too...cozy textiles (WK 10/2020), hydrangea harmony (WK 6/2024), enveloped in love (WK 3/2022), cloud hopper chronicles (WK 6/2023), pastel gingham perfection (WK 3/2024).

I managed to get two albums finished! WHEW! The boy album is not quite as elaborate, but that's how boys are anyway! LOL

I started the same way with the die cut cardboard using the postage stamp nesting dies. Next I made each page! Using similar stamps and Unity papers. Some additional sets used were "hello sweet baby" sentiment is from a retired itty bitty called sweet elle. Additional paper packs used are Fields of Summer (WK 9/2021).

I am absolutely in love with these two albums! I feel that there will be more in my future! 🤣

Thanks for visiting! Hope you are inspired by the many talented ladies sharing their blogs! To start at the beginning, you can visit my friend Crystal. Ready to move on... Rachel is next, enjoy! 

{BYSHC} Sketch 72 - Merry Christmas Santa

Welcome to the {BYSHC} Sketch 72! This sketch runs through the month of August. Our sponsor this month is Lawn Fawn!

For this card I have chosen the Ho-Ho-Holidays set from Lawn Fawn, as well as the coordinating die set! I started with white cardstock to that I ink blended on some Distress Oxide in Speckled Egg and Faded Jeans. Next I sprinkled some Distress Oxide Spray Stain in Picket Fence all over for snowfall! Die cut down the center with a curved die from Newton's Nook called land borders. I added a scrap of glitter-look paper to the middle. Next I colored all the stamped and die cut pieces. Added them and then added the sentiment. 

last minute I stamped on a little star that is in this set using Rubber Ducky Nuvo Hybrid ink. You could see it, if you looked hard enough, but I decided to add some Nuvo Aqua Shimmer in Glitter Gloss to brighten them up a bit!

Unity Sketch Challenge - August 2026

Hello crafty friends! I have created a couple cards for the Unity Show & Tell Sketch Challenge! I got on a roll last night and made two! :)

First up is an Autumn/Fall/Thanksgiving card. Since this is the next "season" I thought it was a good time to get some fall vibes!

I started with the ink spot! I grabbed my blending brushes, added some water and smooshed it around! That's all! Leftover ink on the blending brush and some water! I had to be careful with the amount of water and rubbing that was used because it started to damage the cardstock.  The pumpkin is from September 2024 Kit of the Month {wander and wonder}. Stamped it onto the card base first to get all the swirlies and yumminess, then onto a scrap piece that I fussy cut and colored with KingArt Alcohol Markers.

The sentiment and enamel dots were added at the end according to the sketch!

I went in a completely different direction with this next one.....

I made the ink spot first and had a stamp set in mind, but couldn't find it! :/ so had to switch gears! I used the same blending brush and water technique for this ink spot. The butterfly I had received in a grab bag (it's from May 2017 Kit of the Month {free your dreams}). I loved the sentiment in this kit, but didn't have it in stamp form, so I printed it from my computer. Used basically the same technique as before, stamped the image onto the card front to get all the "extras," then onto a piece of scrap to fussy cut and color. Gina Marie Designs enamel dots again for the finishing touch!

Thanks for the visit! :)

 

~ August 2026 - Friends of Unity Blog Hop ~ Grunge

Hello crafty friends and welcome to my little corner of the Friends of Unity August 2026 Blog Hop! This month our feature is GRUNGE! I always have a hard time with this one.....I am more of a "less-is-more" sort of crafter so adding more and more is not the easiest for me! LOL

This first card ended up nothing like I had thought when I started! I ink smooshed two panels with spun sugar and old paper. I had plans for a large rose spray that I fussy cut and colored and was all ready to use it......but it didn't look right or grungy! 😝 So I started with some stamped words (Unity Stamp Co. Small Details) and dots (Unity Stamp Co. dinged dots) and linen (Unity Stamp Co. linen) all over the panel, some in spun sugar, some using vintage photo. Next I splattered on some Distress Mica Spray in Antiqued Bronze and more watered down vintage photo to boot. Next I grabbed an embossing folder which is rather textured and rubbed the vintage photo and walnut stain distress ink over the raised sections with a blending brush to bring it out a little bit more. I tore the edge and added a piece of kraft which I also tore the edge. Distress oxides and inks over the edges! 

Next on to embellishing! I made a tag from the second sheet of my ink smooshing pair and distressed the edges of this. I grabbed a butterfly that's been in my stash for way too long, found a button that worked and a tiny tag (from the Unity Advent Calendar) which I stamped with the Small Details background stamp. Added a heart paperclip, some natural twine and some baby pink seam binding from My Scrap Cabin. The sentiment comes from a Tim Holtz sticker book. I like how it turned out, even if it was unexpected!

Next I wanted to create a masculine card using a 3-D texture embossing folder and some masculine coloring!

I started with the Tim Holtz 3-D Typewriter Textured embossing folder and a piece of black cardstock. With embossing folders such as these, it's advised to spray a find mist of water over the paper before embossing to keep the paper from "cracking" when using the folder. I found this technique on YouTube (Natasha Foote) to apply ink with my finger to the raised parts of the design....that's what I did. Started with Antique Linen, then switched to Salvaged Patina. Then I "grunged" it up a little bit more! Sprinkled onto it...Distress Mica Spray Tarnished Brass, Distress Spray Stain Picket Fence, and some watered down Salvaged Patina. Roughed up the edges with a Tim Holtz Distressing Tool. 

The typewriter is from the Unity Stamp Co. June 2023 Kit of the Month {from the countryside}. I stamped with black ink onto white cardstock. After I fussy cut it out, I then antiqued it up with some vintage photo and walnut stain. I watered down some Salvaged Patina and sprinkled it here and there. The "paper" was printed and cut to fit in the space where the paper was on the stamped image. I wanted a background sheet to match so I ran the salvaged patina ink pad along with sides of my card base then added some vintage photo distressing. From the Unity website in the KOM samples, I found a great card by Karen Maldonado. I loved the script piece she put behind the typewriter, so I made my own! Manilla tag (Unity thank you gift), vintage ledger background stamp (appears to possibly be retired) and a faithful letter background stamp. I then finished it off with some jute twine!

I hope you are able to get through all of the blogs....there are some amazingly talented ladies here! 

To start from the beginning, visit Crystal's blog. If you are ready to move on, my friends Joyce is the next stop! 

{BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party - all is calm all is bright

 

Never say it's over until it's really over! LOL {BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party currently has 1 hour left! As I sit here in my craft space with my daughter, crafting & chatting & spending time together, I didn't want it to end so I started to look for other things to keep me here continuing this shared time....I found more scraps! LOL

Because it's 11:06pm, it's dark outside, so no "good" pictures! LOL  I used an itty bitty from Unity that I have discovered is now retired.....called All is Calm all is Bright. I stamped it on the blue piece that had already been die cut. I used a water brush and some vintage photo distress oxide to shade in the deer.  The plaid and blue snowflake papers are back to back and from Echo Park Snowed In. I utilized the {BYSHC} Sketch 44 for this one! Lastly I added some enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs and that's it.....my last card for the 2026 Christmas in July Linky Party! And just under the wire!

Good luck to all that participated and I look forward to the recap next week! 

MFT Color Challenge #1 - Believe in the Magic

 Hello again! MFT Color Challenge is the second challenge posted on the new Card Challenges blog! Again, as I shared in the last post, the only MFT product I have is the Polka Dot Background Stamp, so again I have utilized it for the background on this project!

The color challenge this go around is spring colors. I went through my Distress Oxides (and one distress ink) to come up with this combo. 

I started with ink smooshing, then when that was dry I randomly added the same inks to the stamp....random and scattered! I have a stamp set on the way but in the meantime, I used the Insightful Meadows stamp set from Unity Stamp Co. Stamped once in versafine clair nocturne and again in the seedless preserves as a shadow. I distressed the edges of the panel a bit with the Tim Holtz distressing tool, then for the sentiment, I reached for another Tim Holtz product, metallic sticker sentiments.

I also grabbed a wooden butterfly embellishment and some clear dew drops. With this bold of a background, only minimal additions is necessary!

{BYSHC} Sketch 62 - Ho Ho Ho

 Hello again! Welcome back! Sketch 62 is what we are working on this month! Christmas and Holiday card giving will be here soon! We are here to help you be ready for the busy season! Our sponsor this month is Gina K. Designs! I love her!

This card features a technique I learned from a Gina K video! It's not new, but it's new to me! Inked an embossing folder and ran the cardstock through it.  The embossing folder is Stampin Up Cable Knit, the ink I used is Gina K dye ink in Red Hot.  The image is from Angie Blom Digital Designs, called Christmas Joy Mugs.  Tag die cut with one of the make a tag die set from Unity Stamp Co. Enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs.

This card, while it may not be my favorite, is still a handmade card. Made by me, one of a kind and created with love! They don't all have to be masterpieces to be appreciated! :)

{BYSHC} Falling for the Holidays 2025 Linky Party - Christmas Joy

 TGIF! Today is the final day to get your creations posted to the {BYSHC} Falling for the Holidays 2025 Linky Party!

Today's card features another of the Christmas Joy Mugs from Angie Blom Digital Designs! I colored this yummy cup to coordinate with the plaid paper from Echo Park Snowed In Collection. I die cut the rectangle with the scallops and rectangles nesting dies from Unity Stamp Co.

I used some Vintage Photo Distress Oxide on the background panel edges as well as the cup panel. I added some Glossy Accents to the lightbulbs and to the sprinkles. The sheer ribbon happened to be sitting on the desk and matched perfectly! Some foam tape and we're all set!

Be sure to have your entries posted before Midnight and then we patiently wait for the random drawings to take place! :)

I hope you enjoyed the week as much as I did! I may just post another or two before the day is over! Just never know! :)