~July 2026 - Friends of Unity Blog Hop ~ Color Challenge

Hello and welcome to the Friends of Unity July 2026 Blog Hop! 

We have a color theme this month! Where I live, Florida USA, we are marking the 250th birthday of the USA! HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

I did NOT want to make only "4th of July" cards, so I created a mix!

My first card features a ink smooshed background (colors are Distress Oxides in stormy sky, faded jeans and speckled egg. Next I die cut that panel using the scallops and rectangle nesting dies. The boots are from the April 2022 Kit of the Month - True Colors which I colored with KingArt Alcohol Markers and then fussy cut out (cutter bee scissors are the best)! The sentiment is from Joy & Brighter Days. 

I then popped the image and sentiment up with foam adhesive and adorned with clear dew drops, thought they looked like rain.

Next up is a celebration card featuring lovely red flowers against a blue wood-look background.

The floral image and sentiment are from the July 2020 Front & Center Sentiment kit called ...aging gorgeously. I die cut it and the blue wood-look background paper (which is from rustic wood paper pack) using the scallops and rectangles nesting dies. I created a tag with the sentiment and attached it using some natural twine from Timeless Twine.

I added some Nuvo Aqua Shimmer in Glitter Gloss to the petals of the flowers. It was a little difficult to photograph, but it's there! :) I also added some enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs too!

Next up is a card that utilizes one of the amazing backgrounds of the month! 

I grabbed ...assorted blooms (BOM 2/2023), stamped it onto white cardstock with VersaFine Clair, colored with KingArt Alcohol Markers and then die cut with the scallops and rectangles nesting dies. Coordinating red polkadot paper was in with my scraps. The sentiment is from a grab bag I received, but the kit is Well Hello There, which I die cut by manipulating the scallops and banners nesting dies to accommodate the size I needed. I added some natural burlap twine from May arts designs and multiple colors of enamel dots and pearls from Gina Marie Designs.

And last but not least, what is red, white and blue without a cow!?!? I just felt the need to add a cow! LOL

I took some inspiration from the examples on the Unity website, created by Tammy Hawes and Shilo Miles. The postage stamp nesting dies are what makes this card! I grabbed the Barnyard Blowout paper pack, which has OOOOODLES of Red, White and Blue! Die cut the red gingham, then took the bandana page and cut it to fit. The cutest cow set..thinking of moo, was the set of choice! Such a sweet face!

The Friends of Unity are sponsoring a challenge on the Unity Show & Tell Facebook group! This same color palette! Let's see what YOU can create! Link to the album is here!

If you came here from Von Marie, but want to start at the beginning, Crystal's blog is here. To continue to the next, please visit my friend Rachel's blog here.

Thanks for the visit! Please leave me some love in the comments! 🩷🩷

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!

~ October 2025 Friends of Unity Blog Hop ~ Color Challenge

 

Hello friends! Welcome to October! Another "BER" month is upon us and that means we are getting into the cozy fall season! Although in Florida that only means we patiently (not so much) wait on the first "cold front" to make it this far south and to keep our fingers crossed that no Hurricanes decide to visit! 

The Friends of Unity are sponsoring a Color Challenge on Unity Show & Tell! The colors are listed above in the graphic....red, gold, orange and brown. Cannot wait to see what is created!!

Rather than create a bunch of "fall" cards with this traditionally fall color pallet, I decided on Birthday Cards! I am always in need of more Birthday Cards!!

First up is a floral card created with the challenge colors using the acrylic block and water stamping technique! LOL I'm sure it has a much more technical title, but that's what I did! 

I used Distress Oxides in Lumberjack Plaid, Crackling Campfire and Vintage Photo and the Distress Ink in Scattered Straw. Smeared the ink on an acrylic block, spritzed with water and just sort of pounced it all over! Drying with my heat tool between colors to keep it from getting too muddy. I didn't have enough yellow in the mix so I took an ink blending brush and blended on some yellow in the blank spots.

I grabbed a favorite background stamp, Obsessed with Floral, and stamped it in Versa Fine Clair Nocturne. I die cut the rectangle using a set of diagonal stitch dies from the December 2023 Whit Kit. I backed the die cut piece with some white cardstock. I added the die cut piece with some foam tape over the opening that I just cut out. Next I stamped the large "happy birthday" from the Many More Birthdays and die cut with coordinating die. Stamped "hugs and wishes" as well. I added some natural twine from Timeless Twine to the back and added more foam tape, added on the remainder of the sentiment and then added some clear flat sequins. 

I found inspiration for this one on Pinterest. I used the 3-in-one stencil. I placed tape in between the openings to be sure I didn't over blend. The ink choices for this one were Nuvo Hybrid Rubber Duck, Gina K. Designs Sweet Mango, Red Hot and Kraft. I cut it down to a rectangle and then stamped one of the images from Insightful Meadows (unfortunately looks like it's retired) on top of it with Versa Fine Clair in Nocturne. 

What happened next I can only describe as a flurry of paper, stamps, die cuts, punches, paperclips, washi tape.....anything and everything! I couldn't decide how to finish! Happy Birthday is from ...there is no reason (may also be retired), "make a wish" from ....extended celebration. Ribbon and brad were literally laying in front of me! Added some foam tape to the sentiment and some enamel dots from Carta Bella and she's finished! 

Ever have those cards that end up nothing like you imagined in your head? Maybe you have had to take it apart a couple times and try again?!? Both of these cards were that for me! Whew! As chaotic and uncertain as these both were, I love the end results!

Thanks for stopping by and following along with our Color Challenge Blog Hop! If you want to start from the beginning, you'll need to go to Crystal's blog. If you are ready to move on to the next, Doreen's blog is where you'll head next!

P.S. ~ We have a special giveway - play along with our color challenge and add your card to the album over on the Unity Show & Tell FB page. Amber has a special giveaway happening for entries and all of the details are over on her blog...it's the last stop on the hop....GOOD LUCK!!

p.p.s. sometimes you can find the retired stamp sets at the Unity Stamp Swap FB page :)

~ 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! 

Newton's Nook Designs Inky Paws Challenge #191

 Hello there friends! I am going to throw my hat into the ring for the Newton's Nook Designs Inky Paws Challenge #191. It's a color challenge. This is my first time posting here so we'll see how it goes! LOL According to the rules Newton's Nook Designs images are to be used.......well......I don't currently own any of them, so luckily they offer a few freebies!

Today I have chosen the sunflower "bloom" freebie! I thought it would be perfect to color up for this color challenge! I printed it on 100lb cardstock, die cut it with some Unity Stamp Co. dies, colored with some alcohol markers! Distressed around the edge with some Hickory smoke Distress oxide and popped it up with some foam tape! It's simple and cute! I love it!

I added some red checked ribbon from Jillibeansoup and some red enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs.