Inspired by…Valentine Hot Chocolate #IB321

 Hello again! This sweet Valentine is for the current Inspired by… challenge! 

I was inspired by all the things! The colors (red, grey and white), the cocoa bar and the sketch. Started with a white card base. To that I added a strip of torn patterned paper from Unity Stamp Co. the mug is from Angie Blom Digital Designs, Christmas joy mugs collection. I colored using the colors of the inspiration photo….shades of red and gray! Sentiment strips and the cardstock punched heart are all from Unity as well. Added some staples and foam tape for accent!

Thanks for visiting!

~ February 2025 Friends of Unity Blog Hop ~ Monochromatic

 

monochromatic [mon-uk-kroh-mat-ik] (adjective): of or having one color. relating to, or having tones of one color in addition to the ground hue.

Hello friends and welcome to February! This month, the Friends of Unity are creating in monochromatic tones!  Similar shades and tones of the same color families. 

When I started this card I was thinking yellows, but as it turned out it's more of a tan/off white shading. I tore the background papers (the scripty one is from Antique Annotations May 2024 Whit Kit). Next I stamped "Cast All Your Cares" with black versafine clair nocturne onto a piece of white cardstock. Probably should have used thicker cardstock, with all the water coloring and ink smooshing it was pretty warped! I used Tim Holtz distress watercolor pencils (mustard seed) for the yellowing on the flower. It didn't seem enough so I grabbed some Nuvo Hybrid ink (rubber duck) and ink smooshed it around. I distressed edges on all the pieces with Vintage Photo Distress Oxide. I die cut the image with the make a tag die set.  Finished with some seam binding (ivory) from My Scrap Cabin Shop, some burlap twine from May Arts and some clear flat sequins. 

After all the watercolor and ink smooshing was dry I did splatter on some gold and white inks!! 

After several more attempts for "monochromatic" they just didn't seem enough monochromatic! Too many other colors. Then it clicked! :) Don't get me wrong....I made a bunch of really nice things, but just not the RIGHT things! LOL

I grabbed two gina k designs ink cubes that coordinate...innocent pink and dusty rose. Then I needed a floral...(now retired) insightful meadows. Stamped in the dusty rose, moved the paper over, then stamped with innocent pink and repeat! Using the MISTI it was easy to just move the paper over, rather than try to get the stamp in the exact same position as before! I then went back and did the second stamping of both for some shadowing. (Second stamping means that I stamped it once, then the second time with just the ink left on the stamp...no re-inking.) The pink stripe paper is dated 2016! Somehow it was "on top" of a stack of papers and matched perfectly! Die cut the floral panel with the scallops and rectangles nesting dies. What do you do if you can't find exactly the color you need?? You make it yourself! This tag was white (and bigger). I dragged the dusty rose ink cube over it until fully covered, die cut with the make a tag die set and tied on some baby pink crinkle seam binding.

I die cut the circle (scallops and circles nesting dies) after I printed the sentiment from the computer. I used the "inking-the-inside-of-the-die" technique on this one in the innocent pink. The rose chipboard embellishment has been hanging around for ages! When it works it works!

I felt like I was on a roll, so I tried another! My daughter is a senior this year.....I'm going to be needing A LOT of graduation cards!

This one started with the blue check paper, next I created a background using the graduation cap stamp from snarky graduation. I stamped it all over in stormy sky distress oxide. It was the second generation stamping so it was a little bit lighter. Then I die cut with the scallops and rectangle nesting dies. Graduation gnome is one of my favorite graduation sets! He's just so cute! I stamped onto white cardstock with versafine clair nocturne, then watercolored using the stormy sky distress oxide, gina k innocent pink and some water based Tombow ABT markers. 

I see more of these gnome cards getting made in my future! In all the colors! :)

Give the monochromatic theme a try! It's definitely not as easy as I expected it to be at first! But once I got the hang of it, I want to keep making more! 

If you'd like to start at the beginning of the blog hop, check out Crystal's blog. If you are ready to move on, then April is next up!

Thanks for visiting! Please leave me some love! :) <3

{BYSHC} Sketch #53 - Let Your Heart Be Light

 How is it the last day of January?!? {BYSHC} Sketch #53 ends today! Be sure to get any and all entries in before midnight! 

This started out as an experiment! LOL I stamped the tree (from Unity Stamp Co. Kit of the Month October 2024 Sweet Bliss of Christmas), in honestly not sure, but guessing it was Nuvo Hybrid Lime Burst. I then sprinkled some WOW! Embossing Powder (neutral ultra shimmer) over the wet ink.  Heated it up with my heat gun and BAMMM Super Sparkle! I added some tiny pearls as ornaments in red, gold and pearl. I stamped the sentiment from the same Kit of the Month, then die cut the panel with the scallops and rectangles nesting dies. The patterned papers are from Echo Park Gnome for Christmas. 

Be sure to get your entries in before midnight! 

{BYSHC} Sketch #53 - Warm Winter Wishes

Hello again friends! As I clean up all the Christmas decorations, I like to take a minute and check out the cards that have been sent. Some of the artwork is really nice! I try whenever possible to recycle some card fronts from time to time and give them a second life! This one that I created for {BYSHC} Sketch #53 is one!

I took the card front (the tree with the cardinals) and die cut it with the smallest rectangle from the scallops and rectangles nesting dies, then I took one of the freebie tags that come from Unity and cut it down with the tag builder die set. I cropped the corners of the rectangle to match. I added some red and white bakers twine to the tag. The banner started out as a scrap sentiment strip that turned into a hot mess because it didn't fit and the was cut weird....so I stamped it again! :)

 

Unity Membership Makes!

It's Wednesday! You know what that means!! It's Unity Membership Makes day! My card today features a couple membership kits!

I have been saving this example from a-round and a-round for some time. I grabbed that set, and the feather from the November 2018 Kit of the Month {Whole lot of Lovely}. The two smaller circles are stamped with saltwater taffy and salvaged patina, the large one is wild honey. Following the example on the Unity sale page (not sure which designer created it) I then stamped the background small details, on the very back panel. I die cut the other two panels with the scallops and rectangles nesting dies. I typed up the sentiment, printed it and die cut with a die from spellbinders. A mini paperclip (from Unity) to finish it off!

Hello Love!

 Hello friends! After I organized some scraps, I found a lot of reds! LOL What a perfect color to create some "LOVE" cards!

This first one was created using a sketch I found on Pinterest (MojoSketch #539). I think it was from 2020. Anyhow....I grabbed the January 2024 Whit Kit, Sending Love, stamps and the coordinating paper pack, Whimsy Hearts! This particular Whit Kit included an envelope die too! I started with a kraft background, stamped on part of the "words" stamp, then added a few of the smaller ones...postmark and the "hello love" circle. I then cut the envelope from a darker piece of kraft paper, and the insert was cut using the postage stamp nesting dies. Following the sketch, I cut the patterned papers accordingly. The banner at the top was created with a chipboard banner (UmWowStudio Layered Banners) and a piece of patterned paper glued to the back of it. I added a stamped "happy valentine's day" and "hello love" sentiment to the front of the envelope and added some ivory seam binding I just received in the mail from My Scrap Cabin Shop! I attached the envelope with foam adhesive and then added some flat sequins for sparkle!

Love how this turned out!

(sketch for reference)

I still had more red stuff left over, so let's make another! :)

Again more scraps from the Whimsy Hearts Paper pack (January 2024 Whit Kit) and another sketch from Pinterest (#mojosketch547). I chose Alfie - heart & soul mouse and a sentiment from January 2024 KOM. Cut the patterned papers to the sketch (except I mis-cut the big piece of polka dot paper :/). Sketches are a suggestion anyway! :) I stamped Alfie onto a white tag (courtesy of Unity Stamp Co. thank you baggie) with versafine clair in nocturne, embossed with clear embossing powder and colored with Tombow ABT art markers. Added some crinkled seam binding (myscrapcabinshop) in the color coral, some tiny pearls, a sweet little heart paperclip  and some foam tape!

(sketch for reference)

Maybe one more?!?! Lots of scraps y'all!

More scraps from the Whimsy Hearts paper pack from Unity. The sketch for this one is from BYSHC Sketch #24. The heart is from the December 2016 KOM and the sentiment is from a cut apart sentiment sheet, pretty sure it came from Unity as well. I stamped the image onto white cardstock and colored with Kingart Alcohol Markers. Added some iridescent ribbon, foam tape and clear flat sequins.

(sketch for reference)

Glad I had some time to craft this morning! Thanks for visiting! :)

Inspired by.....Gnomes #IB318

 Hello again friends! I'm jumping in on the next Inspired by challenge which is gnomes! 

I was inspired by the name of the challenge "gnomes," also by the shades of grey in the picture and the sketch. I started with the stamp from a kit by Unity Stamp Co. called Peppermint Kisses Mouse Gnome. Stamped onto cardstock, colored with KingArt Alcohol Markers and then fussy cut. I colored around the edges with a black pen to make an even edge. Following the sketch, I then grabbed a paper pack from Unity called Snowflake Elegance (part of the Whit Kit from 12/23). The circle of vellum was cut with the scallops and circles nesting dies (Unity). The sentiment from the same stamp set was just added on a strip of coordinating patterned paper. I added some flat clear sequins for a little sparkle.

Love these challenges! They definitely get my mind working! :)

Coming back to add.......I'M A WINNER!! This cutie won the challenge! Thanks Inspired by!!!