~ November 2024 Friends of Unity Blog Hop ~ Gratitude!

Welcome to the Friends of Unity Blog Hop!! The theme for November is Gratitude! 

In this season of giving thanks, it's good to take some time to think about what you are truly grateful for. Health, family, friends. But also for other things....the ability to create, sleeping in on the weekends, hanging out with my almost grown kids, laughing so hard you are crying, big forgiving sweatpants and let's not forget Unity Stamp Co.! LOL But I digress......let's get on with the hop!

I absolutely love the sweet pumpkin from the September 2024 Kit of the Month {wander and wonder} I love how the stamp is so textured and detailed that it looks beautiful just on it's own! I stamped it using VersaFine Clair in Nocturne onto canson XL watercolor paper. Die cut it and the kraft mat with the scallops and squares nesting dies. I colored in the image with distress watercolor pencils and a water brush, then took some of the leftover color and splattered it onto the panel. I distressed both the mat and the watercolor panel. The edge piece is one of my favorite parts! I found an image on pinterest and just had to try it! I've been saving these giant safety pins with no idea what I would do with them!

The sentiment is the actual definition of gratitude that I printed, ink blended and added water to give it some dappling. Added some jute twine, foam tape and some Gina Marie Designs enamel dots!

I stamped this pumpkin on a couple different pieces to be sure I had the right version and paper so I happen to have one more pumpkin to share! 

This time I stamped it onto one of the manilla tags from a "thank you gift" that was in my last order! :) We all love those bags and actually look forward to them! At least I do! I wanted to color this in neutral colors, less "pumpkin-y" that usual. I added a little whispy white gel pen just to break it up a little. This bag had the manilla tags and a piece of patterned paper from the Whit Kit September 2023 paper pack called Golden Autumn Whispers, among other things. I tore the paper in half, added a piece of torn cardstock from Antique Annotations, another Whit Kit paper pack from May 2024. I distressed EVERYTHING! LOL The edges of the brown background with a pair of scissors, then distress inked all the other edges! 

I dug through my ridiculous stash of ribbon and found several that I thought worked well. I wanted something big and bold on there since it needed to take up a big of space. The sentiment was the next piece. I wasn't sure where to put it....here, there, up here, down there.....then it hit me......on the tag!! I used a piece of acetate and my misti to line it up just where it needed to go. After I stamped I embossed with clear embossing powder. Some clear with color enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs. I absolutely love this one!! 

The month of October has been absolutely CRAZY!! While I was preparing for November's theme, two hurricanes, no power for a week, no internet for longer and missed school and work days...I'm grateful crafting is here to keep me sane! I truly feel grateful and blessed to be able to create with my hands, I hope it never goes away. Between the card making and paper crafts, I also crochet. 

Thanks for following along on the blog hop. If you'd like to start at the very beginning, you'll want to start with Crystal. If you are ready to move on, Rachel is next! See you in December!