~ March 2025 Friends of Unity Blog Hop ~ Sketch Challenge!

 How is it already March?!?! January took forrreeeeevvvveeerr and February was a *blink* and over! Welcome friends to the Friends of Unity Blog Hop! So glad you are here! This month we are hosting a sketch challenge on the Unity Show & Tell facebook page. Unity is offering two $25 gift certificates for the winners!!

Here is the sketch!

Those that may know something about me may already know this.....but I LOVE A SKETCH! Sketches are a fantastic jumping off point! A great place to start. After looking at the sketch for a minute or two, I needed more of a visual. So I arranged my scalloped and stitched rectangles and circles to resemble the sketch and it was easier for my brain to "see" the vision! I followed the sketch pretty much true to form....I am a creature of habit! 

This cute card consists mainly of papers from Barnyard Blowout and an Itty Bitty called The Little High Road. This sweet fluffy bundle of cuteness is quickly becoming a favorite of mine! That sweet face gets me everytime!!

Took the dies from the "vision board" and cut the papers all in a row! I tied on some thick burlap twine (dollar tree), added some foam adhesive, added a paperclip and some red enamel dots and there ya go! Super cute and super easy! 

(psssst....what do you do when you have ink on your fingers and it smudges on part of your image?!?! after you are done pouting (I totally did) you get more ink on your fingers and smudge in other spots! 

I planned it....I really did!!

Couldn't stop there! I have graduation cards to get made! 

For this cutie I used Graduation Gnome. I fussy cut him out to place on top of the circle. The patterned papers are all from Unity but each from a different pack! I added some black organza ribbon to one panel and also to the paperclip!

Next up is a Birthday Card! I love this paper pack called Pastel Party Parade! I paired it with Planner Gal: Simply Perfect Birthday

Cut all my pieces with the nesting die sets! All of my images were colored with KingArt Alcohol Markers. I wanted to give alcohol markers a try, but the Copic price tag was too steep for something that I may not like or master! I luckily found this giant box at a discount store and knew they had to be mine! I'm slowly but surely getting the hang of it (at least I think so)!

I added some organza ribbon, foam adhesive and yellow enamel dots to bring it to life!

Last one I wanted to try something a little more subtle. Kraft and black never disappoint! 

It's been said before, sketches are meant to inspire, not require. I replaced the circles with the typewriter from June 2023 {from the countryside}. I stamped the background with Just a Number background. Die cut all my pieces, fussy cut the typewriter, added foam tape and black enamel dots!

Unity's nesting die sets made these cards super easy! 

Be sure to give this sketch a try! When you do, enter it into the album in Unity's Show & Tell Facebook group! Two chances to snag a $25 gift certificate!

To start the hop at the beginning, you'll want to start with Crystal. If you are ready to move on, you can visit Dawn.

Until next month! See you soon!!

{BYSHC} Sketch 52!

Hello friends! Welcome to December! It's either crunch time, or because you've followed along this year, you are feeling no stress because your stash is FULL of cards to mail! :)

If you are still working on getting some cards finished, this sketch is great! 

While the sketch appears to be for a "slimline" card, I don't typically make that shape, so I adjusted it to make an A2 card! Sketches are meant to inspire, not require (stole this line from our fearless leader, Crystal)! The patterned papers happen to all be from Carta Bella Home For Christmas paper pad. Since the measurements on the sketch are for slimline, I had to adjust. I just eyeballed it!  The sentiment is from Unity Stamp Co. Kit of the Month (September 2015) called Our Hearts to Yours. The wreath is from the 2020 Advent Calendar, was colored and die cut, then mounted with foam adhesive! I also added some white enamel dots from Gina Marie Designs.

 

Gina K Designs is the sponsor this month and is providing the prize! Be sure to play along and have a chance to win at the end of the month!

Fall Colors Instagram Hop!

 Hello friends! My friend Bobbie Sue McConathy (bobbiesue.two38creations) asked if I would be interested in participating in an Instagram hop....of course I said sure! I'm always up for a good hop! This particular one is on Instagram. The link to my instagram page is here.

I made two cards....I was sort of indifferent about the first card. Not sure if I liked it or not, so I made another! 

So this one started with a particially stenciled piece that was sitting around. So I ink blended the edges, splattered some white acrylic paint, distress spray stain (vintage photo) and some crackling campfire oxide. The sunflower is from Unity Stamp Co. called ...sunflower wishes. The bees and sentiment are from this set too.  I stamped onto watercolor paper with versfine clair in nocturne, colored with Tombow ABT markers, then fussy it and attached it to the panel. The sentiment was stamped in black and embossed with clear embossing powder and then cut out. The bees were just stamped right onto the panel and then I added some enamel dots and some burlap twine to bring it all together.

The second one started with an ink smooshed panel that I made using a bunch of different colors. After I did all the smooshing I added to the top a background stamp from Unity Stamp Co. called rustic foliage. Stamped it in versafine clair nocturne. I then splattered some white acrylic paint and distress spray stain onto that. Once dry, I die cut it with a fancy edge die. The red piece is a scrap that I didn't measure of have to cut! Just added it behind! I then added some natural bakers twine, a preprinted sentiment, a button and some clear shiny sequins. 

Have fun hopping!!

~ October 2024 Friends of Unity Blog Hop - CASEd It! ~

 Welcome to October! This month's theme is near and dear to my heart....CASEd It! Do you even know how many cards I have screenshot, saved on Pinterest, printed and have in a file.......more than I care to admit! Let's just put it this way.......I have PLENTY of card designs to choose from! CASEd means to copy someone else's card and to do your best to recreate it or "CopyAndShareEverything!" But don't forget to give credit where credit is due!!  

It took me a hot minute to figure out which cards I wanted to recreate....as I mentioned I literally have thousands saved! Enough to last a lifetime! :)  But alas, I ultimately decided on three.....

First is a card by Julissa Sargo from the Plaid Builder stencils examples from the Unity website. I had created this background some time ago, but it got put aside. Just found it and the lightbulb went off! I did not mask off the section for the sentiment, so had to improvise! I used Journee Girl and fussy cut her out, like Julissa's card, then added a sentiment and a paperclip. The sentiment words are from a kit called Full of Fall by Tierra Jackson, but since I don't have the set (and it wasn't configured as I needed) and I liked the sentiment, I typed it up and printed it out! :) Die cut with the scallops and banners nesting die set. 

Julissa's card for reference!

Next is Lisa Arana's Watercolor technique!! My nephew got married a couple weeks ago and the dress code was black tie formal :/ So I figured a soft neutral card would work since I have no idea what the colors are. I used the same floral set, He Provides, but a different script background...a faithful letter.

Colors I used on the flower boquet are speckled egg watercolor pencil, then used hickory smoke oxide w/ water to blend out the pencil. Next I used some walnut stain pencil and added some shading. For the leaves I used peeled paint pencil and a mix of forest moss and old paper distress inks. Water, blend, mix, water, dab, mix, blend.....

Then I watered down some speckled egg pencil and went around the image and then splattered some watered down white acrylic paint and shimmer watercolors onto the image before I fussy cut it out. 

The background started with a 110lb piece of white cardstock, versamark and white embossing powder. Ink smooshed hickory smoke, vintage photo and forest moss. Smoosh, blend, water, smoosh, blend, etc. Lastly, I splattered some tea dye ink to bring in some dimension. I couldn't find any newsprint that would work, since my background is lighter than Lisa's. But this piece of green polka-dot paper that came in a KOM goodie bag works perfectly!

Lisa's cards for reference!

Lastly I've chosen Crystal Minkler! While I didn't have the exact same snowman, I think Snowmie will work!

The blue on blue on blue, die cut and splattered with white is what I loved about this one! I stamped the snowman onto watercolor paper with Versafine Clair, colored in with some water and distress watercolor pencils. Fussy cut this cutie out and added some shimmer watercolor, which unfortunately are not really very visible any more! Grabbed the scallop and rectangle nesting dies and used the two largest to die cut those panels. Mounted the snowman and sentiment using foam adhesive to pop up! 

Crystal's for reference! Looks like I needed more white splatter! LOL

Ok, but maybe one more! LOL I was going through my saved inspiration photos and saw that I had saved this one FOUR times! :| Who does that?!? Well Tenia has been a favorite of mine for some time. The first save of this one was in June 2022! I love how she uses multiple layers, pops things up, use of staples and washi and how creative and interesting her cards are!

Here's my take on her card. While I didn't have the same rose, leaves or the same washi, the look is very similar! I used Numbers, Etc. itty bitty (appears to be no longer available), Gotta Love Sentiments, the rose is from KOM December 2016 {always been you} and leaves are from KOM August 2016 {open your soul}. You may be saying to yourself...that rose looks different than what's in the kit. That's because I cut it down a little bit. It was a little too big for what I needed so you do what you need to do! Stamped the numbers and sentiment with Versafine clair, stamped the rose and leaves in versamark and embossed with white embossing powder. I then ink blended over the embossing with Saltwater Taffy. Because I used distress ink and not distress oxide, the water trick didn't do quite the job I needed it to. So I splattered on some watered down white acrylic paint. Washi tape from stash, rose gold staples and multiple layers of foam adhesive! I LOVE it!!!

Tenia's card for reference.

I could do about 1,000 more CASEd cards, but that would make for a long blog post! LOL For the time being, enjoy these four and I have no doubt that there will be more!

Thank you for hopping with us this month! Be sure to leave me some love! I get so excited to hear what y'all think! To start the hop at the beginning you can visit Crystal here, or to move on to the next stop, April!