Welcome to my GIU Week

 Hello & Welcome.  Today is the first day of my week as the featured Growing In Unity stamper. - I have something special planned for this week which I hope you enjoy. - Click on images to enlarge.

Let's get started.  For my week I chose to feature a KOM (Kit of the Month) that I got a year ago. - It's called, Feelin' Fall The Things.

This set features 5 main images and sentiments to match them.  I will be using an image a day from this kit. Here's the "surprise part"...I'll use the same stamp 2 different ways!

Up first:  The adorable Bear image.

Yes I realize this was a (Fall) themed set but I wanted to show that you could turn it into a (Winter) themed card as well.  For this card I used:  Crumb cake card Stock for the card. The background paper (Sugar Plum Frost) is also from Unity. That is what I based my color scheme off of for the card. I cut it out with a Unity Scalloped Rectangle die. The image was stamped with Memento Tuxedo black ink and colored with pencils. - The sentiment is from another older Unity KOM - (Oh Christmas Tree - Oct. 2013)! The snowflakes are from a Die set from Momenta and an old punch I've had for forever. I added Wink of Stella to them for shimmer. - The image was mounted on Pretty in Pink (SU) card stock and the edges were distressed.  The ribbon is from a retired SU ribbon pack.  I added tiny pink pearls to the snowflakes (Queen and Company).

Okay now for the 2nd card... This one is totally different in so many ways. 

First the first card was done in (Landscape) and this one is done in (Portrait) style. Also there was no actual coloring of the focal image.

This one was so much fun and a little messy to make but worth it.

Card Base is: Early Espresso (SU). Same die was used but on watercolor paper.  So for this I started with some ink pads (Tim Holtz Distress ink in Dried Marigold, Brushed Corduroy, and a Distress Oxide, Rusty Hinge) that I pressed down on a piece of Acetate and spritzed with water then dabbed them down in various places on the paper. After it dried I used some Distress Mica Spray (Bronze) and did the same thing.  This added some awesome shimmer to the card.

The bear image was Stamped with Early Espresso Ink and done the same way as the background.  I then fussy cut the image out. The sentiment was stamped with the Espresso ink and fussy cut. I punched 2 hearts (retired SU punch) left over from the paper I used to create the background. I cut a circle from Crushed Curry card stock and mounted the bear, sentiment and hearts with foam tape.  Some sequins were added to finish the card off.

That's it for my first day as the GIU featured stamper.  Please leave a comment if you want to be eligible for a, $20 Store Credit at Unity Stamps. - If you comment (anonymously) please leave your name so I can know who you are if you get picked.

Join me again tomorrow for another set of cards from this kit.

Inspired by...Winter Knits

 Hello & Welcome.

I'm excited today to share my first card of 2026.  I chose the Inspired by Winter Knits challenge for this card.

I decided to go for the colors and the textures for my card from the Inspiration photo. - There is also a sketch you can follow.

Here is my card:

So for this card I used, Frosty & Feisty (pissy kitty).  I wanted to use this particular piece of patterned paper (which took me forever to find in my paper stash). I've had it forever.  It was called, Alpine Stash from KI.

My card base is Night of Navy then I used a Unity rectangle/scallop die to cut the patterned paper out.  You can see in the photo but it has a slight shimmer/sheen to it.  I then used a piece of Close to Cocoa (retired SU) card stock and embossed it with a Herringbone folder and cut a strip of.  I layered that to the patterned piece.  

The kitty was stamped with Memento Tuxedo black ink and colored with pencils that I blended with Gamsol.  I added some white splatters and layered that on a piece of Early Espresso cs. - Unity and MFT circle dies were used.  The piece was mounted with foam tape.

The sentiment was stamped with Night of Navy ink.  - To finish the card I added some light blue gems.

Hoping to get back into stamping more as the year progresses. Thanks for stopping by.

ARTNUDGE125A and NBUS#70

 Welcome - Well the year got off to a difficult start with the passing of my niece, Krissy on New Years morning.  -  Thank you to everyone who offered condolences and prayers.  She will be greatly missed.

Today I'm sharing my first ever card for the Art Nudge challenges.

This one is for ARTNUDGE125A

Here is the Inspiration Photo:

Here is the card that I created:

For this card I chose (Frosty & Feisty) from the (pissy kitty) line of Unity stamps. - This is my first time inking it up.

I started with a White card base that I brushed on some chalk to distress the edges. - The image was stamped with Memento Tuxedo black ink and colored with chalks and a Q-Tip.  I then sprayed with hairspray to seal it.  I added some white paint splatters and decided they were to faint so I also used my Lustre Brush to add more white splatters which showed up better.

To mimic a sweater pattern I used an embossing folder (Herringbone) on some Not Quite Navy card stock. I panel out first with a (Scallops/Rectangle) die from Unity Stamps and then did the embossing folder.  I cut the image out using an SU Stylish Square die and added a larger piece of Only Orange (retired SU) cart stock that I distressed with a distressing tool (also retired SU).  I mounted that over the embossed panel with foam tape.

The sentiment was also stamped with Memento Tuxedo black ink and distressed with the chalk.  I used a fishtail die (MFT) and added an old SU button that I put a small piece of pink card stock as the thread and glued it down with a glue dot.

Everyone who knows me well knows that I am NOT a fan of winter so this card is something I can relate too.  I hope you find it as amusing as I did.

Thanks for stopping by.  I appreciate your visit and comments.

BC228 - Get the "Blues"

Happy Friday everyone! - It was a good week here up until yesterday afternoon. I took a bit of a spill after catching the tip of my flip-flop on a ride in the concrete of our driveway and crashed down on top of my mom's concrete steps. OUCH!!! - Scared poor little Coleen who was outside playing and saw Grandma fall. I managed to scrap and bruise my left knee which hit the steps and reinjured my right wrist (I get tendonitis in that wrist all the time) because I threw my arm out and hit my mom's door. That was better then crashing all the way down. So today I'm rather stiff and sore but happy it wasn't a worse fall. But enough about me as I'm sure you'd rather hear what the Blogger's Challenge group is up to this week.

Lisa
gave us a wonderful challenge theme: Monochromatic Blue
I tried to find varying shades of Blue patterned paper because I wanted to make a specific card based off of this card that I saw while blog surfing but couldn't find any patterns that matched enough so I went and bought some shades of solid blue card stock to use instead.

I'm sorry I can't credit the designer because there is no watermark information on the card and alas I forgot to write down the website where I saw it. ETA: I've found the Designer (thanks Jennifer) It's none other then Cristina from My Paper Secret. You can find her card here:

If this is your card let me know & thanks for the inspiration.

Here is my version:

I started out by cutting strips of the blue paper and glued them on a piece of cardboard. Then I stamped the snowflakes with white craft ink and let it dry. I added the sentiment, some Baker's twine and a Snowflake brad colored with a Copic marker and added some glitter for sparkle.
I embossed the blue panel with a snowflake embossing folder and added some blue pearls. Here's another view so you can see the pearls better:

While I'm not quite ready for winter/snow I really like how this turned out and hope you do as well.

Now it's your turn to give this challenge a try. You can show us your Shades of Blue by linking below:


Card Details: Stamps: Snowflakes are from a Foam Stamp set I bought off the Internet years ago and had never used. I'm not sure who the manufacture was though. Sentiment stamp: Hero Arts
Card Stock: SU - Brilliant Blue, Bashful Blue
Varying Shades of Textured cs - Coordinations
Pearls-Zva
Bakers Twine
Snowflake Brad-Making Memories

3CT47 - Baby It's Cold Outside and TESC97

Hello!  Well it's time once again for the 3CT Challenge.   This week Kerry chose the theme: "Baby it's COLD outside" or Winter themed cards.  Many of you have been experiencing severe snow storms, ice storms, and extremely cold weather and while we long for Spring let's just enjoy the season for what it is.  Me I'm not so much a fan of winter but luckily for us we've had very little snow this winter.  It's been cold though so I'm more then ready for some warmer temperatures.  In the mean time for my card this week I chose this sweet little cat image from Whipper Snapper Designs (Cozy Critters) designed by the fabulous Anna Wight.  I found some paper that I fell in love with today and based my color scheme around it.  The paper is called Alpine Fashion and is made by KI Memories.    I also chose to use this weeks sketch from Taylored Expressions (TESC97) but flipped the sketch to fit my design.

Don't forget to stop by Three Clover Designs and check out the other DT members cards.  Why not drop by their blog too and leave some comment lovin!

Other Details:  Card Stock: Chocolate Chip, Close To Cocoa, Baja Breeze, Shimmery White.  Stamps by Whipper Snapper, Designer Paper KI Memories.

Snowflake Punch by Martha Stewart, Chocolate Brad from Pink Hedgehog Paper Crafts, Swiss Dot Embossing Folder, Circle Nestabilitie Dies, Blossom Pink Glitter Pen (Spica), White Liquid Applique.

Winter Watercolor Wonderland

It's time for the weekly Blogger's Challenge and this week we had to use Watercolor on our projects. It could be any watercolor technique. Since I basically stink at watercoloring with crayons, pencils, paints...I decided to go for something easier. I chose the wet-on-wet (watercolor wash) technique with a bit of a "twist" in that it also uses table salt.

I started with some watercolor paper and took 4 different colors of watercolor crayons and scribble them across my paper. Then I misted the paper with water until the colors begin to bleed into each other. While this was still pretty wet I sprinkled on some table salt and then let the paper dry. After it had dried I brushed off the salt and it left the little star-like marks you see on the image as it picks the color back up off your paper. Then I embossed the Snowboarding Penguin (Stampendous) with Black EP and a Versamark Pad.

I rounded the corners with a large corner rounder and layered it onto some Basic Black CS. My card base is, Lovely Lilac, Basic Black & Tempting Turquoise which was stamp with the Polka Dot BG (Cornish Heritage Farms) I added some stitched ribbon (May Arts) Then I stamped the JOY sentiment (Studio G) with Tempting Turquoise ink on Shimmery White CS, punched it out with a 1" circle punch and layered it with Lovely Lilac, Basic Black also punched with 1 1/4 & 1 3/8" circle punches. Then I punched out a small snowflake and added a faux jewel to complete my card.

I love the wonderful winter feel this card has.

Be sure to check everyone's blogs for their creations and don't forget to leave a comment on my Blog Candy post as well for your chance to win some goodies.