~ 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! 

TOPII Sketch 45 - Have Faith

 When I spotted the new sketch from Tawny Owl Paperie and saw the sample the Crystal posted....I knew I needed to recreate it! 

I created a video about how this ink smooshing beauty came to be, but it's in "production edit" at the moment (which means I asked my son to edit it for me and he's working)! I will post to my YouTube channel soon! I will also link on the video all the products I used too!

Started with two pieces of white cardstock, ink smooshed lumberjack plaid distress oxide and festive berries distress ink over both pieces. I stamped onto one a couple background stamps, small details and (retired) dinged dots, both from Unity Stamp Co. The flower stamp came from the December 2022 Kit of the Month called {a new chapter}. I stamped it first on which cardstock and colored the flower with KingArt Alcohol Markers and then fussy cut pieces of it out. I also stamped it onto the inked circle. The sentiment is from faith & hope which I purchased separately. The circles were cut with the scallops and circles nesting dies from Unity.

Here is the sketch I followed:

and Crystal's card that I had to attempt to recreate:

Thanks for the visit!

{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! 

{BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party - Merry! :)

 

Well......what's one more card!?! All this pretty stuff still out from all the cards I made this week were just screaming at me to make one more card for the {BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party!

Paper is from a prize I won some time ago, so not sure what brand....the sentiment/image is from RAM Stamps! Remember when I mentioned that I print an entire page so I have extra....this is what I meant! :)

Colored with KingArt Alcohol Markers. While I'm not 100% satisfied with the bow/ribbon behind the sentiment I was working against the rain and the night! LOL So I'll likely go back and fix it later, but wanted to get the pictures taken before it was too late!  I also followed {BYSHC} Sketch 44!

So this card makes it an UNEVEN 15!

{BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party - Merry Christmas

 

One last card to make my entries even for the {BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party! And one more sponsor!

My card features a mosaic background which I created with scraps (my youtube video tutorial can be found here). As you can see, the scraps are a wide variety of colors, yet they still work together! Typically with this type of background I try to make the sentiment and/or focal image minimal to not distract from either.

I followed {BYSHC} Sketch 28. The image and sentiment are both from another of our amazing sponsors.....Lawn Fawn. The set is called Ho-Ho-Holidays, along with the coordinating die set.  The circle was cut using the Unity Stamp Co. scallops and circles nesting dies. I distressed it a bit with whatever blue was left on my blending brush, then went over the edges with a little darker color (faded jeans) to create a night-ish scene. I tapped on some distress spray stain in picket fence to give it a little depth. Colored everything with KingArt Alcohol Markers. 

This brings my total to an even number of 14! I utilized 8 of the {BYSHC} Sketches, and 5 of the sponsors listed!  

Thanks for playing along with us and again be sure to have your entries posted before midnight! You won't turn into a pumpkin, but you will miss the opportunity to win an amazing prize! :)

{BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party - Joy Hope Love Peace Christmas

TGIF! The {BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party ends at midnight tonight! Be sure to link up your creations to be eligible for one of the amazing prizes! 

I am sharing another card featuring some scraps from the North Pole Collection paper pack from Unity Stamp Co. I utilized a couple of the nesting die sets as well, scallops and rectangles and make a tag.

The stamp I chose is from the 2024 Unity Advent Calendar. I stamped it with VersaFine Clair in Nocturne onto white cardstock. Die cut both the white piece and another in kraft. Distressed the white tag a bit with a blending brush and distress oxide vintage photo. 

Lastly I added some seam binding from My Scrap Cabin Shop in ivory and milk chocolate along with a snowflake charm and some foam adhesive. I sprinkled some Nuvo aqua shimmer in glitter gloss over everything to give a bit of sparkle!

The deadline is midnight tonight! Good luck and thanks for playing along with us all week!

{BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party - Merry (again!)

 Hello again! The {BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party is in the final days....be sure to get your entries in before the deadline to be eligible for one of the amazing prizes being offered by some amazing sponsors!

I'm back with another card from an awesome sponsor RAM Stamps!

When I print digital images, I print the entire page! That way I have extra! Well, after I looked at the website for the Christmas Merry link, I found a great card done by Maartje (DT member) and wanted to do something similar! 

I liked the variation of her coloring on the letters! That's what I was going for on this one! :) Again with the digital papers from Snowy Christmas, again leftovers from the other card I made using RAM products! Nothing goes to waste! :)

I colored the image with KingArt Alcohol Markers, cut the image using the Make A Tag Die Set from Unity Stamp Co., tied some natural twine from Timeless Twine around and tied a bow, added some foam adhesive and then added some NUVO Aqua Shimmer in Glitter Gloss! So sparkly!

Use coupon code GETCARDEDBYJENNI!