Growing in Unity Winners announcement

Hi folks,

It's time to announce the winners from those who left comments on my Growing In Unity blog posts last week.

The winners are Judy B and Cindy Thick. Ladies please email me at the link you see in the left sidebar under "email me!" ASAP. Please do this within two weeks or your prize of 25 random stamps from Unity will be forfeit.

Of course, I also have a couple of cards to share today as well using the December 2016 Kit of the Month - Always Been You.

There's a couple of big anniversaries in my family in October so I made these two cards to mark the occasions.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

A little extra Unity - After Dark

Hi folks,

Well, if you tuned in to my Growing in Unity posts this week, you know that on Tuesday I made mention of another version of one of that day's featured cards featuring an {after dark} sentiment. Well - here it is!

Commenting on this post doesn't earn you an entry into the draw for the goodies from Unity for commenting on the GIU posts - but it is appreciated all the same!! But please do double-check that you commented on the five previous posts so that you qualify for the draw! Two winners will be announced on Monday!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Growing in Unity - Day 5

Hi folks,

Welcome back to my final day as this week's veteran Growing in Unity Gal.

If you are a frequent visitor, you know that I also sew. Specifically, I quilt. So it probably would come as no surprise to know that I have the "Sew Cute" set in my collection of stamps from Unity.

I don't have cards to share with you today. But rather, I made use of those cute little bags that are often tucked into the KOTM package from Unity and came up with these! I thought they would make cute little gift bags to tuck either a few small note cards or sewing notions into for friends of mine who also sew/quilt.

I must admit - I debated whether or not to share that last photo. This was actually the first bag I made and, while I know to be very careful with Copics when colouring on fabric, I wasn't quite careful enough and got a little colour bleed past my stamped lines. I was a lot more careful with the other two and it shows. Maybe I'll keep this one for me!

Now don't forget - be sure to leave a comment on this post if you would like to be entered into a draw to win a grab bag of 25 random stamps from Unity at the end of the week! I have moderation enabled on the blog comments so don't be alarmed if you don't see your comment right away - it will be visible once I approve it!

As always, thanks for stopping by! And don't forget - if you aren't bothered by the {after dark} collection, I'll have something to share tomorrow as well. It's not part of the official post for GIU this week - just consider it a bonus for those who share my sense of {edgy} humour.

Growing in Unity - Day 4

Hi folks,

Welcome back to Day 4 of my Growing in Unity Week. Like many of you visiting this week, I'm a subscriber to the Unity Kit of the Month so I decided that today I would share a couple of cards featuring this month's kit "Flowers, Foliage, & Fall"

Dearly beloved and I spent a few hours at his motorcyle mechanic's place for an emergency exhaust repair. While I was sitting around waiting, I was chatting with the mechanic's wife and she showed me her pumpkins and sunflowers that were just about ready to harvest. I was inspired to grab the pumpkin and flowers image to make these two cards.

Autumn - my favourite time of year!

Now don't forget - be sure to leave a comment on this post if you would like to be entered into a draw to win a grab bag of 25 random stamps from Unity at the end of the week! I have moderation enabled on the blog comments so don't be alarmed if you don't see your comment right away - it will be visible once I approve it!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Growing in Unity - Day 3

Hi there and welcome back to my week as the Growing in Unity Gal.

I couldn't let the week go by without sharing some creations with a couple of Angie girls - and those lovely kraft shipping tags that often show up as a little extra in my kit of the month.

Up first, this card featuring Brystl Girl

At 5 x 7 inches, it's a bit larger than the cards I usually make but I really wanted to get all of the image on the card.

 And here's a card featuring Wakely Girl

One of the things I love about these stamps is that if you don't feel like colouring the image, you don't need to! Stamped like this onto a kraft tag (or kraft paper), they look just fantastic!

Now don't forget - be sure to leave a comment on this post if you would like to be entered into a draw to win a grab bag of 25 random stamps from Unity at the end of the week! I have moderation enabled on the blog comments so don't be alarmed if you don't see your comment right away - it will be visible once I approve it!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Growing in Unity - Day 2

Hi folks,

Welcome to my second day as the Growing in Unity gal this week.

Today I thought I would share <gasp> a masculine card! Yes, I know we are all big fans of the Angie girls and all the feminine images but did you know that Unity has masculine stamps as well? You betcha!

Do you have "Not Always ... But" in your collection yet? I do!

And here's the cards I have to share with you today featuring this set:

To me the image looks like an old style portrait so I decided it needed to be framed as such. I actually have a couple of feminine images in this style and I'm thinking I'll be making cards similarly styled to these with this sentiment.

Oh - I ALSO have the {after dark} sentiment that goes with this set as well. If you pop back on Saturday (not part of the hop), I'll share the card I made with THAT one!

Now don't forget - be sure to leave a comment on this post if you would like to be entered into a draw to win a grab bag of 25 random stamps from Unity at the end of the week! I have moderation enabled on the blog comments so don't be alarmed if you don't see your comment right away - it will be visible once I approve it!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Growing in Unity - Day 1

Hi folks,

This year I once again have the privilege of being a "Growing in Unity" gal for a week. All this week, I'll be sharing my creations with stamps from Unity Stamp Co.

I have quite a varied collection of Unity stamps so I had a very difficult time choosing what I would feature this week - I love them all! So, I hope you are ready for some eclectic posts over the next five days.

For my first day I decided to share - a couple of BABY cards with you. 2017 seems to be the year of the newborn amongst our family, friends, and neighbours. So far, there have been four newborns and there is another one about to arrive!

If you need a quick baby card (or two), I love the set "Hello Little One". The solid, graphic, cute wee critters come together in a baby card in a jiffy.

And here's the two baby cards I made:

Very simple, little cards. One of these will look great paired with the baby quilt that is about to be gifted. The colours coordinate with the quilt fabric which was selected to coordinate with baby's nursery.

Now don't forget - be sure to leave a comment on this post if you would like to be entered into a draw to win a grab bag of 25 random stamps from Unity at the end of the week! I have moderation enabled on the blog comments so don't be alarmed if you don't see your comment right away - it will be visible once I approve it!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Growing In Unity Blog Hop

Hi folks!

Today I'm taking part in a little Growing In Unity Blog Hop where past Growing In Unity Gals take the chance to share with you again a creation using our favourite Unity Stamps!

Be sure to visit each of the blogs on the hop and leave a comment for a chance to win!

If you came here from Rachel Bogner's blog, then you are on the right track.

Today, I'm sharing a card using one of my fave Angie Girls "Diana Girl".

Did anyone else watch "Wonder Woman" when they were a kid? Yup! I did! Maybe that's why I love this image. I had some fun with this card, using a clear acetate overlay with some gold dots on it to give this card some pop.

I won't keep you long. Be sure to hop along to your next stop at Deirdere's blog after you leave a comment!

And if you get lost along the way, the full list of stops is right here:

Sarah Vait Rachel Bogner Sheena Brooks >>> Here! Deirdere Smith Berina Febin
MariLynn DeGroot Lena Nunn
Unity Stamp Co Blog
Have fun hopping!

GIU Winners Announcement

Hi folks!

Just popping in to announce the two winners who left wonderful comments all last week on my Growing in Unity posts. If you missed the posts, just scroll down and you will find them from Monday to Friday.

Drum roll.......the winners are Sarah and ionabunny. Please contact me via email ASAP with your snail mail addresses so I can pass them along to the wonderful folks at Unity Stamp Co so you can get your stamp goodies!

Thanks to everyone who paid me a visit last week and left such wonderful comments. Looking forward to seeing you all on the various Unity Stamp Co social media pages!

We're friends because

Hi folks,

If you were tuning in this past week, each of my weekday posts were for Growing in Unity. I played nice and didn't do a single "after dark/edgy" card for my entire week - even though they are among my favourites from Unity.

So since it is the weekend and my official GIU posts are finished (except for the one where I will announce the winners of the stamps from Unity), I figure it's safe to share some fun cards for any fans of the edgier stamps from Unity. Comments on this post do not count towards the draw for the prize from Unity.

I pulled this set out of my as yet unfiled Unity stamps to make these two cards. The set is called "She used to care" and definitely has a retro vibe with the image and typewriter font for the sentiments.

Of course, me being me I had to make two cards. And for the second one I took a little liberty with the sentiment. I'm pretty sure MOST of my friends would agree that my version is more accurate when it comes to our friendship. I'm generally the one that gets labelled a "little off-kilter"

card details:

• finished size: 4.25 x 5.5 inches, kraft cardstock base
• patterned paper: CTMH "Florence"
• stamped image and sentiments: Unity Stamp Co "She Used to Care"
• layout: Unity {show and tell} sketch challenge

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Growing in Unity - Day 5

Hi folks,

Thanks for stopping by today for my last day as the "Growing in Unity" gal. Each day this week, my posts have been a project created using stamps from Unity Stamp Company.

Today I am NOT <gasp> sharing a canvas and card duo. Nope! Today I'm sharing three cards I made using a couple of different stamps from a grab bag I picked up some time ago.

I needed to make a card for our niece who just turned one this past weekend and I thought this cute little elephant would make an adorable card for a toddler. BTW - it's available as the Itty Bitty "Ellie's Wish" here. How many Itty Bitty's do you have in YOUR collection? Or would that be telling?

And then, because I stamped out a bunch of little Ellie's, I thought it would be a shame to waste them so I put them together for this card. Woo hoo! Bonus birthday card for the stash!

I used a couple of the other stamps in the grab bag to make this card as well. I thought it would make a nice "Just Because" card. You can pick up "Walking on Sunshine" from the Itty Bitty Collection here

I just thought that flowers on the background paper were a perfect, happy match for the sunburst and sentiment. Of course, I sprinkled a few sequins on there as well for a bit of sparkle.

Well, that's it for my last official GIU post this week. I REALLY wanted to share some projects using the "After Dark" stamp category - I'm a BIG fan of those stamps and have most of them - but I know there are folks who are quick to take offence at some of the images or sentiments. So, I didn't include any in my official posts for GIU this week. But....if you ARE a fan of the cheeky after dark stamps, drop by again this weekend for a few additional creations. Commenting on THOSE will not be eligible for the prize draw but they might make you giggle.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Growing in Unity - Day 4

Hi folks,


If you are a regular visitor then you know that all this week I am the "Growing in Unity" girl. Each day this week, I've been sharing a project (or two) I created using stamps from Unity Stamp Company. I hope you've been enjoying the week so far!

So are you tired of the canvas and card combos yet? I hope not as I'm sharing another pair today!

This is a very simple canvas. I just watercoloured in a few shades of pink for the background and then stamped the "...with her own wings" butterfly background and sentiment in Memento black ink. I know a few people who enjoy butterflies so this will probably be gifted to someone.

And then there is the card.

I seem to be on a bit of a monochrome kick lately so I tried to break out of it by adding a pop of colour with a few sparkly pink butterflies.

Hope you enjoyed today's projects! Be sure to leave a comment to get your name into the draw for a special gift from Unity Stamp Company!

And don't forget to pop by again tomorrow for my last post as the GIU gal!

Growing in Unity - Day 3

Hi folks,

Thanks for stopping by today. In case you missed it - all this week I am the "Growing in Unity" girl. Each day this week, I'm sharing a project I created using stamps from Unity Stamp Company.

Today I'm sharing another little canvas and card, this time using "Reach for the Stars"

Again, for the canvas the background was watercoloured but this time I tried colouring with my Copic markers directly on the canvas for the little girl and her cat. I think it came out okay. I added a little bling to make the stars sparkle in the sky. I know the sky isn't a dark dark blue - I kind of wanted to keep the colours a bit lighter so just imagine the sun is just setting and the stars are just starting to peek out. <grin>

For the card, I watercoloured the sky again but the rest of the image was coloured with Copic markers.

Hope you have all been enjoying the projects I've been sharing this week. Be sure to pop back again for tomorrow's GIU post!

Growing in Unity - Day 2

Hi folks,

Thanks for stopping by today. If you happened to stop by yesterday, then you already know that I am the Growing in Unity Gal this week. Each day I'll be sharing a creation of mine using stamps from Unity Stamp Company. Be sure to leave a comment as there are goodies up for grabs from Unity at the end of the week!

As I mentioned yesterday, I decided to get brave and try my hand at watercolouring this week. Nothing fancy, mostly just trying to master backgrounds first before I step into watercolouring images - mostly because I NEED to find an ink that I can use on my canvases for stamping that doesn't smudge when I add the watercolours. I'm thinking an archival ink will work - or maybe Stazon? My black Stazon had dried out so I need to pick up a new one to try.

Here's another little fun canvas I tried. Again, the canvas background is watercoloured but the cute little unicorn and rainbow cloud (from Unicorns & Rainbows) are stamped on paper, coloured with Copic markers and then adhered to the canvas.

 I'm thinking it would make a fun, inspirational prezzie for someone in my T.O.P.S. group.

And, again, I made a quick little card with the second image I had coloured up.

Not sure if you can see it but I added a little sparkle to the stars with my Copic clear Spica marker.

Hope you enjoyed today's projects! Pop back again tomorrow when I'll be sharing my Day 3 GIU projects!

Growing in Unity - Day 1

Hi folks,

Thanks for stopping by today.

Again this year, I am lucky enough to be one of the many fans of Unity Stamp Company who gets to share with you, for an entire week, my creations using their delightful stamps. I hope you enjoy!

If you leave a comment on each of my Growing In Unity posts, your name will be entered into a draw to win some goodies from Unity Stamp Company!

I decided with this week of GIU that I would try my hand at making a few little canvases. Nothing fancy - just playing a little bit with stamping and watercolouring.

For this canvas (and the card which follows) I used the gorgeous "Be Amazing" stamp. The image is stamped on paper and coloured with Copic markers as I have not yet mastered colouring with watercolours on the canvas. I then affixed it to the watercoloured canvas and stamped my sentiment.

I felt like the piece needed a little something more and the watch gears just jumped out at me as being a perfect accompaniment to the sentiment. A little play on time so to speak.

And since I never just colour one image, I used the second one to make this card.

I thought the flowered paper was a perfect match to her beautiful tattoo.

As always, thanks for stopping by. Be sure to stop by again tomorrow for another Unity creation! Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win some goodies from Unity!