Growing in Unity Wednesday

Hi everyone!  Here's a card I put together using the Unity Stamp Company kit "Best Fishes."  Isn't it a fun set for the guys?

I achieved the coloring of the fish by using a lot of white and a little bit of blue watercolor pencil over top of the stamped image.  Then I used a blender pen to activate the watercolor pencil and push the white onto the dark fins for some pop.

About the embellishments: The paper clip is one that I brought home from France ten years ago because I loved the shape and bright metallic colors.  And in the world of coincidences, I bought those paperclips at a "papeterie"- a "stationery store" which is one of the words on the stamp.  Funny how that works, huh?  The button is a freebie from a Unity order I received long ago.  One thing I appreciate is that Unity typically sends a free gift with every order.  Small orders might get a tag and some buttons or a journaling card while bigger orders often qualify for free stamp sets.  It's always fun to get a thank you gift.  

What is going to get you through your Wednesday?  I have a dinner out with friends from my church tonight, so that should be a fun motivator to get me through the work day.

Don't forget to leave comments each day this week for chances to win the grab bags Unity is offering.  Their grab bags are awesome and you don't want to miss out!

Growing In Unity Tuesday

Hello all!  Today I have a gift project for you.  I purchased this little decor item at the Dollar Tree with the intent of reworking it.  I live in a small town without a craft store, so I often make do with the little  craft section at Walmart and fun finds at the Dollar Tree until I get to a bigger town for craft stores.

I had intentions of removing the wooden heart and using the item as a blank canvas, but I was thwarted by some good glue.  That just made me get a little more creative!

After several coats of white paint, I had something resembling a blank canvas.  I stamped an image on the left and a sentiment on the heart.

With some Distress ink, I filled in around the image from First Love, First Hero, an awesome Unity Stamp Company set for Father's Day or for scrapbooking little girls and their dads.  Then I used embossing ink and powder to create clouds in the upper right with the clouds from this set, City of Love.

On the back/inside, I made a place to sign and write a special message, again using distress ink to match the front.

If the recipient wants to sit this on a desk, both sides are decorated.  If it's hung on a wall, this message is preserved for those times the canvas is taken down and moved.  

Have you made anything like a canvas with your stamps?  Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win Unity Stamp Company's generous grab bags of 25 stamps! 

Welcome to my Growing in Unity Week!

Hi everyone!  It's my turn to be a Growing in Unity gal and I couldn't be more excited to share my creations with you. Remember that two commenters this week will win an awesome grab bag of Unity stamps! 

I've gotten into a bit of a crafting slump (again!) and so I was thinking about how I could use my week to inspire others who might also be having a little trouble getting to crafting.  One thing that sometimes overwhelms me and keeps me from crafting is having TOO MANY choices.  Have you been there, too?  So, I thought for my first project I'd showcase an idea that keeps it simple for me to churn out several cards with only one round of decision making: sketches and paper pads.

First, I shuffled through my 6x6 paper pads and chose one of my favorites.  I pulled out four of the double-sided sheets and went to my cardstock to grab 5 coordinating solid sheets.  I love orange and teal together on cards, so these colors already had me motivated!

These papers reminded me of birthday cards even though they're supposedly "boy" papers.  I browsed my Unity stamps to pick a few I wanted to use for upcoming birthdays.   


I stamped some images in inks that coordinated with my paper choices.  For others, I stamped in black Memento ink and colored with Copic markers that coordinated with my papers.  

Next, I picked out a few sketches.  Before it closed, I was a big supporter of Operation Write Home.  I still love to use their sketches because they're designed for A2 cards and include measurements.  Good news for you: they're still available here even though the organization closed in 2015.

Here are a few of the set of twelve cards I made using the sketches and materials from above!  These cards will refill my supply of birthday cards.  It seems like birthdays are always sneaking up on me so one of my goals for this year is to stay on top of things by having some go-to birthday cards waiting in the wings.  In fact, I just used one card other from this set recently before I'd photographed them!


https://www.unitystampco.com/another-year-older/

https://www.unitystampco.com/whoooooos-birthday/

https://www.unitystampco.com/yippee-skippy/


https://www.unitystampco.com/wild-about-you-giraffe/

https://www.unitystampco.com/hold-your-hand/



Sadly, I think this one is no longer available.  It was called "Celebrate" but there's a similar sailboat in this set: https://www.unitystampco.com/set-sail/


https://www.unitystampco.com/include-yourself-in-beauty/

So, everyone, what's your favorite way to replenish your stash?  Remember to leave a comment here for your chance to win a fantastic Unity grab bag!