{BYSHC} Sketch 49 - Merry Christmas

 We are to the last Friday of the month, so be sure to get your entries in for the {BYSHC} Sketch 49 before midnight on the 30th!

As I have mentioned before, the sponsor this month is Therm-O-Web! Be sure to give them a look! 

Today's card went together somewhat easier than the others this month! Maybe because it was the fourth one I had done! LOL The papers are from a My Minds Eye pad called Christmas! Lots of rich colors! Glued the two papers together, then die cut with the largest scallop and rectangle nesting die from Unity. To that I took a piece of ribbon from my stash and, because it was wider than I would have liked, folded it in half and glued the center together with Therm-O-Web tear tape! I tied the bow and stuck it to the ribbon with some Zots (also from Therm-O-Web). The Merry Christmas is by Hero Arts. I had the brilliant idea to use the Therm-O-Web adhesive sheets. I stuck it to the back of the red cardstock I wanted to die-cut the "merry" from and ran it through the big shot. When I pulled the word off....it was sticky! :) Christmas was stamped onto black cardstock with versaMark and then embossed with gina k. designs white embossing powder! I did add a rectangle of vellum under the sentiment because it was just getting lost on that background!

Don't forget to get your cards in before the 30th to be eligible for the Therm-O-Web prize!

Hurricane Crafting - it's a thing!

 Well here we are, Tampa, Florida, waiting on Hurricane Helene to drop a bunch of rain! Worked from home today and school is out until Monday. Crafting soothes me and makes me think of something else for a little while. I can hear the wind outside, but when I'm focused on coloring and creating, I tune it out!

I dug out a pre-created stenciled background that's been hanging around for a while. With it's soft colors, I wanted to add something that was also soft. I used the tulips from the Unity Stamp Co. KOM 4/24, colored with distress watercolor pencils and a water brush. I found a card of Tenia's that I modeled this after. I die cut the tulips, backed it with an olive/kraft color piece to make it stand out. Popped it up with some foam tape also. The sentiment is from gotta love sentiments. Stamped in versamark and embossed with white embossing powder. I also added some pearls for extra "Easter" vibes!

Wanted to get this colored and posted before we lose power! 

Inky Paws Challenge 232 - Fall Birthday

 I managed to create another cozy fall birthday card for the Newton's Nook Designs Inky Paws Challenge!

Started with a  Spellbinders embossing folder...plaid company...to which I added some vintage photo to one side and then embossed a piece of kraft cardstock. I ink blended around the edges with first some wild honey, then more vintage photo, then die cut with the largest scallops and rectangles nesting die set from Unity. Onto the image! The stamp set is from NND, called Loads of Blooms. I'm sure this is meant to be a "spring" stamp set, but just change the colors and viola it's fall! :) After I stamped it onto white cardstock, I die cut it with a tag die set called fancy edges tag die. Colored according to the inspiration picture....reds, oranges, yellows, greens. Sentiment is also from that stamp set and was stamped onto kraft, embossed with clear embossing powder, then die cut using a stitched banner die from Unity. Ink blended around the tag and the sentiment with some vintage photo. Tied on a few colors of twine, burlap twine (MayArts Ribbon), and two colors of bakers twine (Timeless Twine by BellaCreationz). Popped it up with some foam adhesive and added some enamel dots for an extra shine.

Not sure I have another one in me today, but you just never know! :)

Inky Paws Challenge #232 - Cozy Fall!

 I struggle with fall cards...."fall" in Florida is basically the same as summer! Also, I don't typically send fall-ish cards! Soooooo, BIRTHDAY CARDS it is!

I created the plaid background based on the inspiration photo. Evergreen bough, festive berries, scattered straw and tea dye are the colors I used. I blended over a plaid builder stencil by Unity Stamp Co. Then I splattered some watered down white acrylic paint and some distress stain in vintage photo.  I die cut the panels with a Tim Holtz nesting die set called Stacked Deckle. Then I ink blended around the edges with more vintage photo and arranged them as I thought would look best. On to this cuuuuute mouse!! This little guy is from Newton's Nook Designs set called Garden Mice. Colored with some kingart alcohol markers and then used the matching die set to cut him out. The sentiment is from an older NND set called Simply Sentimental (sorry, it's no longer available). Stamped onto kraft with versamark and white embossing powder then tore the ends. Added some enamel dots, a cute little paperclip and a couple little accent flags for extra detail! Hope you like this one! It took awhile for me to figure out what to do! LOLOL

{BYSHC} Sketch 49 - Have Yourself a Merry!

 Hello again! We are still working to fill our stash of Christmas and Holiday cards at {BYSHC}! Hope you have been following along all year! With Fall approaching, thoughts ultimately drift to Christmas and Holiday planning. 

The sponsor this month is Therm-O-Web! Be sure to get your cards into the sketch 49 album on Facebook for a chance at an awesome prize!

Today's card was inspired (loosely) by the cards Echo Noble posted on the Unity Stamp Co. website under this set...called Ornamental Greetings. This stamp set, the papers and the "ornament" die were all included in the November 2022 Whit Kit. 

I did decide to turn the card horizontal for this one, for no other reason than I had a horizontal card base laying out! LOL I started with the red background paper, then die cut some kraft using the largest scalloped and stitched rectangle die. This is where I didn't really think this through all the way before I glued everything together! LOL I glued everything together, then cut the patterned paper panel with the largest rectangle die. My papers were a bit thick! So had to go a couple times! (Learn from my mistake and just cut the papers to meet in the middle!)

The sentiment was stamped onto white cardstock, die cut with one of the circles from the scalloped and circle nesting dies and then distressed with some vintage photo. I also distressed the edge of the panel with the same. The red polka dot banners were added with a paperclip and don't forget the ornament topper!

Grab some scraps and create!

 Today I saw a card posted by my friend Crystal Minkler using scraps to create a card based on the TOP Inky Inspiration Sketch 25. If you've been around my blog before you know that I am a scrap-a-holic! I have scraps on scraps laying all over! So I found a piece of scrap double sided patterned paper and went to town!

Unsure as to the manufacturer of the patterned paper, but the flowers are on one side and the diamonds are on the other. I found a scrap of cardstock that matched and there you go! The butterfly was getting a little lost, so I added the vellum circle. The sentiment is from Unity Stamp Co. kit He Provides. Because I don't have the exact size needed for the sentiment, I improvised by using one of the scallops and squares nesting dies and manipulating it to fit what I needed! The butterfly is really pretty old! An online friend from several years back started her own company called UmWowStudio. Lots of yummy goodies! Chipboard, mixed media stuff, washi tape! The butterflies are called layered butterflies! I added some enamel dots from Echo Park to add some interest!

I sometimes get a spark to make something interesting that wasn't expected! This is that thing! Crystal posts a sketch quite often and they are usually amazing!! This particular sketch goes until September 23rd! 

{BYSHC} Sketch 49 - Merry & Bright

 We are half way through the month of September.  Plenty of time to get your entry in for sketch 49 at {BYSHC}. This sketch runs through the end of the month. The sponsor for this month's prize is Therm-O-Web! I had wanted to use Therm-O-Web products, but all I had on hand was the deco foil, tear tape and foam adhesive! So here ya go!

The stripes at the bottom are created using tear tape and deco foil from the Shades of Aqua pack! I tried to run the tape as close together as possible so that you couldn't see any white....it's there, but I guess I did the best I could! The snowflakes, sentiment and snowman are all from Unity Stamp Co. as is the banner die used on the sentiment. Two different sets were used.....the snowman and snowflakes are from Snow, Snow Cute and the sentiment is from Winter Cheer and Deer.  A couple staples, some foam tape and glitter enamel dots finish it off!

~ September 2024 Friends of Unity Blog Hop ~ Color Challenge!

Here we are...September! Whew that was fast! The Friends of Unity are hopping again! This month is a color challenge! Just in time for all the fall/thanksgiving cards! 

 If you have arrived here from Jane's blog and wanted to start at the beginning.....you can click here to be taken to Crystal's blog!

Living in Florida, doesn't give much of this color pallette during the fall! I am originally from Southeastern Lower Michigan so I have experienced it in my lifetime but definitely missing the beautiful colors, crisp fall air, cider mills this time of year!

Unity Background of the Month August 2024 ...rustic foliage, stamped onto ink blended panel. 

I started with a piece of white cardstock, then blended scattered straw, wild honey, crackling campfire, walnut stain and black soot, around and around blending as I went. This is when I die cut it with the scalloped and stitched edge nesting die. The yellow got a little muddy when I went back in after I had stamped the background on. Sentiment from September 2023 harvest hues stamped in black onto kraft, die cut and mounted with foam adhesive, may arts ribbon burlap string and gina marie designs matte enamel dots.

Next is a completely different look, but similar fall colors.

Image and sentient from August 2024 KOM {thanks in all the things}. 

Started with a piece of white cardstock and stamped the image in black. Then started the coloring with Tim holtz watercolor pencils. I'm new to using these, so some of my colored parts don't really look like I had wanted, but all in all its a thumbs up!

 Spritzed some of the colors all over the panel. I then cut the colored panel with the largest rectangle from the scallops and rectangle nesting dies and then distressed it a bit with a distressing tool. I did ink blend around the edges a bit both before and after the distressing with walnut stain and some vintage photo. I added a white mat so that it popped a little more off the black background (also die cut with the largest scalloped rectangle), then added white bakers twine, clear dew drops.

Next is a card that I created using a background technique from Crystal from a few months back....double background stamping. 

The backgrounds I chose are September 2023 BOM ...off the grid and August 2024 BOM ...rustic foliage. Started with a white piece of cardstock. Stamped the grid using vintage photo. Next the fall foliage was stamped using several different oxides stamped all over to show all the colors! Crackling campfire, wild honey, vintage photo, scattered straw. After die cutting with the scalloped and stitched nesting die, I blended on some black soot along the edges. 

Typically I do not send a bunch of fall cards, so thought I would make this one a birthday card! These colors were perfect to create this monarch butterfly (from April 2020 Whit Kit grow. transform. evolve) which was stamped in black and then colored with Tombow Art Markers and some white uni-ball white gel pen and fussy cut. 

I popped up the top, but glued the bottom to the cardbase.

And last but not least, I created a card based on a card I saw on pinterest. It was an advertisement for Walmart so it did not have a name attached to it, so I cannot give credit.

When I viewed the original, it appeared to be ink smooshing in a few different colors, then a black silhouetted image on top of that. So that's what I went with! Colors are wild honey, scattered straw, walnut stain, tea dye, crackling campfire and black soot. Tree line is from December 2023 Whit Kit (radiant moonlit forest) and the sentiment is from April 2024 KOM {petal post}. 

This somber looking scene didn't feel like a "happy birthday" or a "happy fall," definitely feels like a sympathy card. I am very pleased with how this turned out!

This was midway through.

Thanks so much for visiting! If you've made it this far, congrats!! This was a long one! Next on the hop is Dawn!

Be sure to leave me some love, I am so thankful to hear your feedback! 

{BYSHC} Sketch 49 - Merry Christmas!

New Month = New Sketch! {BYSHC} Sketch 49 begins today! 

Ever have one of those days where it just seems like the universe it telling you to just give it up and move on for a while!!? That's how this card came about! LOL

The sponsor for the September Sketch 49 challenge is Therm-O-Web! I started off with a bunch of TOW stuff and moving it around and trying new things.....nada! The only Therm-O-Web on this is the foam adhesive! Therm-O-Web has so much good stuff! I have high hopes for more cards this month!

As I said above, this card was a lot more work than I expected! I tore it apart two times before this version that was acceptable! LOL Papers are from PhotoPlay Tulla & Norbert's Christmas Party! I love this pad!! I'm going to need to get another! I tore the vellum, then I tore the cardstock. The vellum mat and letters were cut from the same pieces as were torn. I felt like it needed more so I fussy cut some of the presents out of the paper and layered them along the tear line. I added some red enamel dots for a little bit of color on the other corner.

All in all, I'm happy with this version! It took some time, but I'm glad I'm not hating it anymore! :)

Happy 21st Birthday!

 Where does the time go. My first born is 21! Legally allowed to drink! :/ 

I am NOT ok!!

So what does a crafter do when they are stressed and not ready for the inevitable.....WE CRAFT! :)

Crystal posted a technique in January of 2023, called debossing inky resist. The reason I have two cards is because the first one didn't have enough embossing ink on it and the embossing powder didn't take! :/

This one, the birthday boy's card, is embossed with the white embossing powder. I used Distress embossing ink and gina k designs embossing powder in white. The inks I used are the same for both, because whatever I had left on the acrylic mat from this one ^ I used for the one below! Broken china, antique linen and vintage photo. The letters and numbers are cut from scraps using a die set from Tim Holtz called alphanumeric bulletin.

While they are not "perfect" he will still love it and be thankful! :)