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! 

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 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 - tis the season

 

Another day another scrap card! {BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party runs until Friday at midnight! Be sure to have your entries posted before then! I've said it once, and I'll likely say it again, but the Linky Parties are my excuse to use up a bunch of scraps!

This card is no exception! The background papers are all scraps from the Unity Stamp Co. paper pack called North Pole Collection. The piece was die cut using the largest of the scallops and rectangle nesting die. The image is from the October 2024 Kit of the Month called {sweet bliss of christmas}. I stamped it with antique linen distress oxide and then die cut with the make a tag die set. Next I distressed the edges of the tag with some vintage photo, added a rose gold paperclip, pink burlap twine and the sentiment. Lastly I added some Cotton Candy Stickles (appears that Cotton Candy is no longer offered...this is the link to hibiscus) to some of the ornaments for a little sparkle!

Although I didn't plan on it, this card resembles {BYSHC} Sketch 55!

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

 Happy Wednesday of the {BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party!

Another card.....more scraps! 🤷‍♀️ These scraps are from Stampin' Up as well as the embossing folder. The sentiment is from Unity's November 2023 Kit of the Month {festive flair}.

I stamped the sentiment on a scrap piece of red cardstock using the Ink on 3 Clear Embossing Ink, then sprinkled on some Unity Embossing Powder in Alabaster White.

More "MERRY" tomorrow!

{BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party - O Holy Night

 Hello and welcome back! The {BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party is happening this week and my scrap pile couldn't be happier!

For those who have followed along with my card journey for a while knows that I am the scrap hoarder! I have a very hard time throwing away any scrap, large or small! I tend to gravitate to the scrap pile for the Linky Parties each time....it's a great reason to get some extra use from some papers that are just too pretty to pitch!  This card is no exception!

To start I had made this glitter paste snowflake panel a while back with no particular project in mind...so it's just been sitting around waiting for it's time to shine! The background panel (Crafty Stamp Co. Christmas Snow paper pack) has a large circle cut from it that had to be covered up....bring in the blue solid. I had the idea to cut the square from the center of that panel (cut with the scallops and squares nesting dies) and fit the snowflake piece into it 🤷‍♀️ I think it works! The sentiment is from Unity Stamp Co., an older itty bitty stamp called brightly shining (sadly has been retired) that had also been stamped and laying around waiting! Die cut it along with some vellum with the scallops and circles nesting dies. Added a little foam adhesive and some enamel dots and it's ready to be mailed!

Keep following along! The Linky Party continues until Friday!

{BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party - Merry

 

Hello again and welcome back! My card today is brought to you by one of our amazing sponsors.....RAM Stamps! The cutest digital images and patterned paper ever! 

The image today is called Christmas Merry which I paired with the digital paper pack....Snowy Christmas.  I also utilized another {BYSHC} Sketch #18! Printed and cut the paper according to the sketch. Colored with KingArt Alcohol Markers and then added some flat clear sequins to give it a little sparkle.

Use coupon code GETCARDEDBYJENNI!

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

 

Sunday Funday! {BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party is here to share in the fun! What's more fun than Santa's booty in the chimney!?!

This is one of my favorite images! Crafty Stamp Co. stamp set called Here Comes Santa, along with their paper pack called Season of Giving. Colored with KingArt Alcohol Markers, die cut with a die from Unity Stamp Co. called scallops and circles nesting dies. I chose one of the {BYSHC} sketches from a few years ago....sketch 17!

The sentiment is courtesy of an old-school Dymo Label maker!

Lucky for you (and me) there is still a lot of time left to get your entries posted!

{BYSHC} Sketch 71 - Merry Christmas

 Hello friends and welcome to {BYSHC} Sketch 71! Our sponsor this month is A Colorful Life Designs!

I tend to utilize a lot of different supplies that I have accumulated. The sentiment on this card is cut from a photo card from 2018! The truck is cut from a "frame" that was gifted to me as a prize!

I utilized the scallops and rectangles nesting dies from Unity and enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs.

Did you know that the {BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party is happening RIGHT NOW?!?! It runs through the 24th so there is still plenty of time to get entered to be eligible for some amazing prizes!  Details are on the {BYSHC} Blog!

{BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party - Warm Winter Wishes

 

Hello friends and welcome to the {BYSHC} Christmas in July 2026 Linky Party! The fun will continue from now until midnight on the 24th. Sooooo many sponsors with some amazing prize donations! Sponsor list is at the bottom of this post!

If you have followed my blog and/or the linky party in the past you know that I use this event to clean up my craft space! I utilize as many scraps and abandoned images that I have saved throughout the past few months. 

Kicking it off today with this super fun and festive scrap background card. This sweet snowman is from Unity Stamp Co., called snow buddies. The background papers are from all different manufacturers and thickness, but once you start mixing and matching colors and putting them together, they just meld!

More Unity products were used on this card as well....scallops and rectangle nesting dies, scallops and arches nesting dies, scallops and banners nesting dies. The sentiment is also part of another kit called simply holiday. The sentiments came as one piece, so I ended up cutting them up into individual pieces! Colored with KingArt Alcohol Markers and popped up with some foam adhesive. Gina Marie Designs enamel dots finish off the look!

Stay tuned for more scrap cards! They are my favorite!

As promised, the sponsor list is below!

Tawny Owl Paperie

Unity Stamp Co.

QT Cards with Mom

Jaded Blossom

RAM Stamps

A Colorful Life Designs

Not 2 Shabby

Digi Doodle Studios

Gina K. Designs

Club Scrap

Lawn Fawn

Creative Worship Stamps

Taylored Expressions

Crafty Stamp Co.

Newton's Nook Designs

Stamping Bella (NEW SPONSOR!)

Kraftin' Kimmie

Gina Marie Designs

Therm-O-Web