PCC #70 & FWF

Hi Everyone!

This week's PaperCrafter's Corner challenge is PERFECT for using up a few scraps.

And...here's my take on it....using scraps:

You really should play along. The challenges are fun. Steph even gives you ideas in case you draw a blank. ;) There's even a PRIZE! So, go check it out and I hope to see your creation!

It's been fun making cards using just scraps. Here are a few more:

These are all done using Unity stamps.

I am spending my day redoing scrapbook pages from 1999. I really don't like them at all! Photos cut into shapes, sticker sneeze, poor matting, decorative scissors....You name it, I probably did it. Have you ever redone your early pages? They'll be put into project life pages. Maybe then I can look at them without my eyes bouncing all over the page!  The following few years are alright. I won't be redoing those.

******EDITED TO ADD*****
After reading Rachel's comment and looking through my 1999 pages I decided NOT to redo all of them. Just the worst of them. I started scrapbooking to focus on the pictures. On some of my pages the pictures are lost in the colors and 'embellishments'. If the pictures are the focus then they'll stay....and still show the "evolution of our scrapbooks". Thanks Rachel for the reminder. :)
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Have a great week!

just the scraps...

Hi Everyone!

It's been a crafty week for me. After organizing my stamps thanks to a GREAT idea that Rachel shared on Facebook my stamps are now organized....mostly. Take a look at the video here: Unity stamp organization. Just an FYI...Ziplocks work too for all those grab bag stamps. :)

As I was organizing my crafting area I came across a box filled with scraps of patterned paper. So, I decided to make some cards using just the scraps. Other than cutting the card bases no full sheets were cut in the making of these cards. The first one is for the PaperCrafter's Corner challenge #69. Here's the inspiration:

There's still time to join in the challenge. Give it a try!

I used one of the grab bag stamps that now has a visible home.

Unity stamps, Colorbox & Ranger inks

 Unity stamp, Palette ink, Spellbinder's die, Michaels's butterfly

 Unity stamp, Palette ink, Prima flower, punched leaves.

 Unity stamp, Palette ink, punched butterflies

 Unity stamps, Sharpies, Lifestyle Crafts embossing folder

Unity stamp, Prima flower

 I made at least a dozen more that I'll be sharing in the coming weeks.

Congrats to Unity for having 40,000 Facebook fans. To celebrate they're having a 50% off sale.

Have a great week!

PCC #68

Hi Everyone!

You know when you're searching for something and can't find it? And you end up finding all sorts of things you weren't even looking for? That happened to me this week. While trying to find the sink strainer I knew I bought I came across a few little wood plaques. I used the inspiration from PaperCrafter's Corner challenge:

 
 and made this little plaque.

I used a black gelato to color the background. I stamped 6 little Unity butterflies and colored them in with Sharpies. Then added the sentiment with another Unity stamp inked with Colorbox frost white.

PaperCrafter's Corner #67

 Hi Everyone!

Sometimes I get in a mood to play with watercolors. It's so relaxing. Today was one of those days. I had the Papercrafter's Corner challenge in mind when I started. Here's this week's inspiration:

 

 I really liked all the colors around the edge. Here's what I came up with:

 While I had the paints out I remembered a technique I saw on the JustRite Papercraft blog done by Heidi Blankenship. It's called Bokeh. Mine didn't turn out as well as hers but I still like it.:

It was a fun technique that I'll be trying again.

I think I like this one better for the PaperCrafter's Corner challenge. :)

Unity Stamps

Artist Loft watercolors

Colorbox Ink

cards week!

Hi everyone! 

This has been a bit of a rough week. Our Cocker Spaniel, Penny, became ill with a mammary tumor. That thing grew so quick! We took her to the vet where they ran a couple tests. No results yet. I've been staying home to keep a watch on her. So, I made some cards...

There are a couple more on Unity's Facebook group. Thanks so much for all the likes and comments.

All the stamps are Unity. 

I didn't really want to make any more cards today so I made a couple bracelets instead. 

These are made with Blue Moon Beads. 

Have a great week! I'm going to make some more bracelets.  :)

For my daughter

Hi Everyone! I hope this past week has treated you well. 

This week's inspiration for PaperCrafter's Corner challenge #66 is one my daughter would love.

She collects makeup like I collect crafting supplies. One of her favorite makeup purchases are lip products. Here's my card that I'll be sending to my daughter:

Unity has several monthly subscriptions for their stamps. Sometimes they're put on sale as individual kits. There were a few that I told myself that I would buy if they ever went on sale. The hearts stamp came from one of those kits. It's from the Jan. 2014 kit of the month. The 'i love you' is from 'frames in the house'. I added Ranger's Glossy Accents to the red hearts and to the word love. 

Have a great week!

Papercrafter's Corner #65

Hi Everyone

I hope you're enjoying the long weekend. My daughter is home from so I'm HAPPY!

This week's Papercrafter's Corner challenge is awesome:

I tried a couple designs and finally settled on this one:

I took inspiration from all the text. I started out using watercolors on the background. Remember that paper I didn't like before? I still don't like it but it worked fine for this card. I just wet the whole sheet and added colors wit a waterbrush. All I wanted the colors to do was run & blend. All the stamps are Unity.

I hope you'll join me in this challenge. I'd love to see what you create.

FWF & PCC #64

Hi Everyone!

Well...I finally got my daughter all set up in her dorm. When I went to school (ages ago) I could fit everything in a little car. My daughter needed something bigger. We filled our Blazer with most everything my daughter wanted to take with her. There's more that she'll be taking next weekend. I have no idea where she'll put anything else!

I was able to make a quick card for this week. I have new stamps & dies that I REALLY wanted to use.

First up is PaperCrafter's corner inspiration piece:

And now my card: 

The butterfly stamp is from the April 2014 Layers of Life

Spellbinders die

Darice embossing folder

Have a GREAT WEEK!

FWF & PCC63

Hi Everyone!

I didn't get a chance to play last week because I've been trying to get my daughter ready to send off to college. She'll be staying at the dorm so, of course, she thinks she NEEDS everything on the school list! Between that and trying to get her laundry done.....no time left for crafting. It would be easier if she didn't knock out her knee. Anyway....

Here's my Unity card for this week. 

The flowers are from the October '12 Kit of the Month. I colored them with Zig photo markers. I was very surprised they still worked!

My next card is for PaperCrafter's Corner Magazine Monday challenge #63. Here's the inspiration:

I chose to use the black/white background and the color blue:

I used the Midnight Chic paper from DCWV. I like that it has matching patterns in the black & white. I used a Unity stamp and a little bling and the card was done. 

Have a great week!

PCC 61

Hi Everyone!

This week's Papercrafter's Corner challenge had me using something I haven't used for a long while....embossing powders.

At first I couldn't figure out what to do. I kept seeing the trees. But the more I looked I began seeing other things. The word holiday, the red & white umbrella, the blue sky. Then I thought...Christmas!

If you haven't played along with these challenge you should really give it a try! Who knows, you might even win a prize :)

A challenge in a challenge

Hi Everyone! 

This week's PaperCrafter's Corner Magazine Monday inspiration is this image:

I had a hard time with this one until I remembered what Stephanie said about it...a grey-blue background....a single word title. I created a monochromatic card with a single word sentiment. But, I didn't stop there. I also challenged myself to make a trio of cards with the same supplies but different looks. And here's my cards:

They were all made with paper scraps, Unity stamps, and Colorbox ink. 

Have a GREAT week!

A grey-blue backgro

Ink & Alcohol

Hi Everyone!

It's been a busy week for me. My daughter injured her knee :( Since she can't drag me out anywhere I took today to play with some inks and rubbing alcohol. It's a technique my daughter found online. 

I started with Unity's color challenge

 And here is my card:

To make it I added Colorbox & Distress inks to a craft mat. I sprayed the inks with water and tilted the mat to get them to blend. I pressed a piece of watercolor paper into the wet ink until it was covered. While the paper was still wet I splashed on the rubbing alcohol. It makes it look like the galaxy print. I love this technique!

 For the PaperCrafter's Corner Challenge there is this colorful magazine cover. 

And here's my card:

On this card I used the Colorbox Crafter's ink. I added the ink with a cosmetic sponge directly to the watercolor paper and then sprayed it with water. The ink hardly bled at all. It also didn't react to the alcohol.

I used Unity's Insightful Meadows on both cards. The 'Thank You' is from the Blossom Stackers.

I hope you have a great week!

Another week of challenges

Hi everyone! I hope you had a good week.

Papercrafter's Corner has a fun inspiration piece for this week's challenge.

I knew I had a balloon stencil somewhere that I thought would be fun to use with watercolors.

 I used Artist Loft watercolors, watercolor paper, and a Unity stamp from the Jan 11 KOM. 

Next up is a Mixed Media Monthly Challenge canvas...

I am having so much fun finding things 'around the house' for this challenge. I used a toy hairbrush for the dots, hearts punched from an old gift card, some leftover screening for the 'ribbon,  and then I broke up a very old cd for the spikes around the Prima flowers. 

The stencil is a 6x6 from DCWV and the stamp is Unity. I wanted to make the word 'happy' bigger so I found a second stamp to finish the sentiment. All the paint is from Plaid.

I'm also entering this for Eileen Hull's Red, White and Beautiful challenge.

Have a GREAT week!!

Unity & Crafty Steals

Hi everyone!

It's been a while since I played in either the Unity Be Inspired challenge or the Crafty Steals third Thursday challenge.

I picked Unity's color challenge:

 

And combined it with Crafty Steals' sketch challenge:

And here is what I created:

It started out a little differently  I had cut the paper in strips for the sketch but I didn't like it at all.  I flipped the paper and started the weave. I liked that. While looking through my scraps I came across the black scallop with a circle cut out of it. Next came the stamps, watercolors, and a little bling and the card is done.

Challenges...

Happy 4th of July to the USA! We usually celebrate with a cookout and FIREWORKS 

This week's inspiration from Papercrafter's Corner is very patriotic. 

I was also inspired by this pin from Pinterest:

And, here's what I created...

It's a small canvas that also fit the current challenge at the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge-Around the House. For the challenge we are supposed to use household items. I used crayons, a blowdryer, the cap from a spray bottle (the circles), and post it notes for masking stamps.

The stamps are all Unity. Christy Tomlinson Classified Newsprint, Dream Big Itty Bitty, Learn-Live-Hope Bitty Itty Bitty, and the April13 KOM.

This was so much fun to make but I'll have to wait to do the crayon thing again. I tripped a circuit. Seems using the AC unit and blow dryer was a little too much for my house. Who knew? Or maybe I could just unplug the AC long enough to melt the crayons. Artists sometimes suffer for their art right?

Have a great and creative week!