Friends of Unity-December Hop

Welcome to the Friends of Unity December blog hop! Our prompt this month is Furry Friends. Most people would think of adorable puppies and kitties—I did at first, too. Then I realized how many owl images I own 😳 and decided to go that route—clearly, I’m drawn to the owl. 

Stamps I’ve used:  Older, Wiser, Better Owl (above) and Decorate My Life. 

Finally, I love these little guys from Ray of Sunshine and Great Day Owl. I started by stamping and embossing the Do More Awesome sentiment. I knew I wanted to do some ink layers and didn’t want my sentiment blending into the background. I added color to the background with some random stencils I forgot I had. I can always make a case for hoarding craft supplies 😂 Aren’t they just the cutest?

 Thanks for joining our hop!  To be sure you don’t miss anything you can start at Crystal’s blog—the beginning. From my blog, the next stop is Joyce’s blog. Wait until you see what she’s made 😍❤️ 

TTFN, jane

Friend of Unity-November Hop

 

Happy November!  It’s time for the Friends of Unity Hop! Our theme this month is slimline cards.  I haven’t made a slimline card in a minute. 🙂 It’s fun to play around with different sizes of cards and dust off some unused goodies again. 

Speaking of goodies, I had to use my new Warm Wishes for Your Home to create this fun neighborhood scene.

And, this beautiful floral image from Wonderful Like Us on this mini slimline card

I don’t remember anymore where I got my scalloped slimline dies, but they sure are fun!  Thank you for stopping by.  Your next hop stop is Amber 😍

TTFN, Jane

Growing in Unity Day 5

Happy FriYay! Today is the last GIU day for me, but definitely not the last time I will share projects I’ve made with Unity Stamp Co goodies! Please follow me on instagram @stampymom5 where I regularly share what I’m working on.

Today’s project was super fun to make.  You can make this tag accordion any size, fill it with pictures or decorate however you like.  I used Encompassed Beauty for the basic tag shape as well as Peony Ledger, and Rectified Poppies.  I used All Things Are Possible and the retired set Faith for my sentiments.

You need eight tags, a ribbon for closure and a good adhesive—I use scor-tape.  I decorate all of the tags first and then adhere them with the ribbon sandwiched between.

This is a great project for when you are looking for a little extra to share with another.

Thank you so much for stopping by this week….stay tuned for my winner announcement 😍

TTFN, Jane

Growing in Unity Day 4

 Good morning, Friends!

Today is Day 4 of my Growing in Unity week.  Today's card is a simple watercolor.  I have a terrible time visualizing size in my head.  I recall when I first ordered, Bailey Girl, thinking "wow!  this is a big image" and I love it!!  I added the die cut sentiment and some designer paper--tada!   Simple, easy to mass produce if you wanted to.  You can create Bailey to look like you or any of friends for a different look each time.

May your day be blessed with coffee and friendship and some inky goodness :)  TTFN, Jane

Growing in Unity Day 3

 

Hello Friends! 

It’s day three of my growing in Unity week.  Today, I am sharing a shabby chic card that features a beautiful image from Divine Dwellings.  This set is so beautiful and really perfect for all of what life might throw at you…weddings, baptisms, sympathy, encouragement—all the things!  It’s a great image for watercoloring which is generally my favorite thing to do.  Most of the time, I use my distress inks because they are vibrant and blend well.

I used a canvas stamp again inked with Vintage Photo distress ink to create some interest by over stamping and then removing ink in places.  With wet fingertips, I moved some of the ink around and then pulled some up with a cloth.  This is a simple way to add to the distressed, vintage feel of the card.

Thank you for stopping by 😍 TTFN Jane

Growing in Unity Day 2

 Growing in Unity, Day 2

Friends!  Thank you for all of the kind comments you left for me yesterday— they all warmed my heart 🙂. I did notice many did not register your name so please put your name in the body of the comment too.  I mentioned in my bio that I am now a membership gal.  You guys! It was so hard to decide which one to get and still be a financially responsible adult—for sure, I want them all!  I settled on a Uniquely Unity subscription and I’ve not been disappointed once.  My most recent stamp, From the Herd, is so adorable and resonates… I have five kiddos so the herd mentality was definitely a thing especially when they were younger—like, herding cats 😉😂

The donkey….oh goodness! He is so cute! There’s not much more for me to say about this card so, just enjoy!  Be sure to come back each day and leave me a comment so I know you stopped by.  Your name will be entered to win some Unity goodness 😍TTFN, Jane

 

Growing in Unity 2023

 

Happy Monday, Friends! I’m excited to be starting my Growing in Unity week! I’ve just returned from a Creative Worship retreat and I’m feeling all the things, but nothing more than this Winnie the Pooh sentiment: “It’s not what we have, but WHO we have in our lives that matters.”  The sentiment is also my “why” for picking this image, Oh Hello Pooh, to own and start my GIU week.

This image lives in my memories— a very vivid one of sitting in the darkened kitchen with my daddy and siblings watching our Pooh slideshow.  I would have been very young, maybe kindergarten age (so, like a zillion years ago!) I’m not sure why this particular part of the story is so vivid, but it is tied to being loved well and having so much fun with my dad ❤️

I watercolored the image using distress inks and then over stamped with a canvas background stamp to create a faux linen, vintage look.  It’s an easy way to create interest and a chic shabby feel to a project. The sentiment is from a sheet of Pooh sentiments also available at Unity Stamp Co.

Thank you so much for joining me today! I’ll be sharing a project every day this week to celebrate my GIU week and ever growing Unity collection 😉🤫 When you leave me a comment each day, you will be entered to win one of two gift certificates from Unity Stamp Co.  I do appreciate your kind words so it’s a win/win.

Have the greatest day ever!  TTFN, Jane

Friends of Unity September Blog Hop

 

Happy Saturday, Friends!  I hope you are enjoying a relaxing long weekend and can enjoy our technique themed inspiration hop! I’ve chosen three simple techniques that can add interest to any project and are both fun and easy. 

If you’ve not started at the beginning of the Friends of Unity Blog Hop, you can visit Crystal’s Blog so you are sure not to miss a thing!  I’m super excited for this one and cannot wait to see what all of my talented hopper friends have created 😍

My first project features the Bokeh Background technique.  You can easily find many different tutorials for this background in forums like Splitcoast Stampers or Pinterest. I simply laid down color using several different distress inks. Next, I created a “stencil” with a piece of cardstock and different sized circle punches. I applied white craft ink in the different sized circles in a random pattern over the background. The white ink creates a soft blur that imitates this “out of focus” technique used in photography and other aesthetic art forms. 

Featuring: Spring Flower Chic and Do More Awesome which I think I got in a grab bag— sorry, I can’t link to this exact stamp 😉

My second technique is masking. There are fluids and sheets you can use to create masks. I did get some super fantastic masking paper from the Unity store a while back. But, when all else fails and I need a quick mask, I use post it notes!  You just have to be sure to stamp where the sticky part is. This is a great way to create layers and depth. 

Using Keep Planting Seeds, I stamped the Apple Farm sign image first, masked it off and then stamped the larger tree image behind it.  This is one of my favorite techniques!

Finally, my last project features Windowsill and the spot lighting technique. I just love this scene ❤️

Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments ❤️

The next stop on the hop is Joyce’s Blog.  Enjoy!

TTFN, Jane

Friends of Unity Blog Hop-Angie Girl

Welcome to the Friends of Unity August blog hop!  This month our prompt is “Angie Girls”. There is literally a girl for every mood and celebration.  If you’ve not started at the very beginning of the hop, you will want to visit Crystal‘s blog here so you don’t miss a thing!

For my first cards, I decided to use an older image— probably one of the first that I ever purchased—Harmony Girl:

I wanted to play around with different papers and coloring tools.

My next card features Lauren Girl:

I’m really loving the different stitched dies that I’ve been able to add to my collection recently from Unity—especially the tags! 🙂 The sentiment is from Hello Fresh Start.

Finally, my favorite for today is Maria Girl 🥰

I used a page from an old Bible to create the background panel and added some stenciling around Maria. The Maria panel is more of a pocket that the sweet little heart shaped bookmark can slide in and out of.

Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments.

Your next stop on the hop is Bobbie Sue’s blog.  Prepare to be amazed—she’s so talented—Enjoy!

TTFN, Jane

Friends of Unity July Blog Hop

 

Welcome, Friends! I’m so glad you stopped by for the July Friends of Unity Hop!  If you have stumbled into the fun and don’t want to miss a thing, you can go to the very beginning of the hop at Crystal’s Blog!

This month, our prompt is “Watercolor.”  One of my favorite things to watercolor with is distress ink.  The colors are so rich and vibrant and they blend well.  My first set of cards features Rectified Poppies and a water colored background using distress ink. I experimented with different papers to see what kind of effect I’d get. I love the results; similar, but different.  

I also used watercolor pencils on the flowers to layer in extra color.  This first background is done on a traditional cold press watercolor paper and shows the typical texture of that kind of paper.  The sentiment is from Rectangle Scalloped

I used a smooth 110lb card stock for the second background. It’s a smooth surface and pools the ink well.  I dried between layers and used a dipping method, laying the cardstock into various smooshed inks on my nonporous sheet and spritzed with water. The sentiment in this rendition does not seem to be available any longer, but Do More Awesome is waiting for you! Such a great encouragement!

The remainder of my projects are typical water colored— although, we were challenged to use stamps previously uninked.  Unity Stamp Co has had some amazing sales lately so, I have to admit to having a pretty good stash of stamps I haven’t played with 🤫  The first set features Dallas Girl

The sentiment is from Hello Fresh Start and also uses A Little Bit Washi

Sentiment is from Lauren Girl

Finally, I just had to ink up this last beauty, Blooming Peonies . The sentiment is also from Hello Fresh Start.

Thank you so much for stopping by and for your kind comments! Now, you are off to Gaylynn’s Blog for more inspiration!  TTFN, Jane

Friends of Unity Blog Hop-June 2023

 

Happy June!  It’s time for another Friends of Unity Blog Hop.  This month, our prompt is Masculine projects. Not gonna lie, sisters, crafting for our men folk can be quite the challenge. Despite multiple recent orders 🤫 I have found my stash to be woefully void of “boy” stamps.  What’s a girl to do 🤷🏻‍♀️

You should have arrived here from Kim‘s blog.  However, if you stumbled by and want to start at the beginning, you can start at Crystal’s blog.

My first project uses a neutral image from Never Stop Growing and color to convey a masculine feel.  I used a scrap gel print background made in green earthy tones.  The sentiment is from Tree of Love.

I recently bought Tree of Love, so naturally, I wanted to use it! My second project combines another Tree of Life sentiment with a funky image called “And, then there was a boy” by Suzi Blu.  I also used Vintage Ledger on the background panel and lots of distress ink to add to the vintage feel.

Finally, I did use the tree! Again, using color to bring a more masculine feel and another gel print scrap; my sentiment is from a sheet gifted to me by the wonderful peeps at Unity Stamp Co.!

Thank you for joining us! I hope you are inspired and will share your own creations as well!  Your next stop is Tammy’s blog.  Enjoy!!

TTFN, Jane

Friends of Unity Blog Hop-May 2023

 

Hello, Friends! Welcome to the May Friends of Unity blog hop. If you haven’t started at the very beginning and don’t want to miss any of the inspiration you can find the first stop at Crystal’s Blog. 

Our prompt this month is “inspired by”.  Crazy, right?  Pretty wide open 🙂. Every time I thought about it, all I could think of is the stunning projects regularly shared by Bobbie Sue McConathy at Two38Creations. Her water coloring is just breathtaking.  I picked some of my favorite images and determined to practice and learn from Ms Bobbie Sue.  Above is my first inspired project which features the Coolest Chicks set because she IS one cool chick!  Be sure to check out this awesome post HERE where she gives wonderful pointers and reviews some of her favorite papers and coloring tools.  

The World Needs Your Light

Friends and Macarons 

Linen Flowers

Dreamin’ Daisies 

I still have a long way to go but it’s really been quite fun.  It’s always a good idea to stretch and learn new things. There is inspiration everywhere ❤️ Your next stop is Alaine’s blog— enjoy!

{BYSHC} Spring into Christmas 2023 Linky Party

 

I barely need a reason to bring out this beautiful Unity Stamp Co image. I paired it with the Vintage Ledger Background to create this sweet simple card for the Linky Party. 

 

I have to admit, I do struggle to create holiday cards all year, but I know it’ll pay off when the time comes 🙂

TTFN, Jane

Friends of Unity Blog Hop-April 2023

I’m so excited to be joining the Friends of Unity Blog Hop this month!  It’s been a minute since I blogged so bear with me while I dust things off 😉 Our April theme is butterflies. Who knew I had so many sets which include butterflies? Naturally I couldn’t pick just one, so I went with many. Unity is like that—great designs, great sales—you can’t stop with just one!

My first card, above, features the set Moment by Moment.  I used the Rectified Poppies Background to create a subtle impression behind the focal image.  It’s a bit hard to see in the photo, but a great finishing touch to include, especially for the shabby chic look.

I wanted to keep with the vintage look for my second card.  I started by stamping the floral image from Like A Lotus and then masking it off.  Next, I used distress ink to stamp the Vintage Ledger image which I lightly added water with my finger tip in places to spread the ink and create an aged look.  The butterfly and sentiment are from a set called Faith which, sadly, I just realized is now retired 🙁

My third project is a Faith-dex card featuring Moment by Moment and Trust in the Lord. 

Finally, my fourth project features Funky Flowers, Flutters and Prayers and Dreams Take You. 

Thank you so much for choosing to hang out with me and the rest of the Friends of Unity crew! Your kind comments are always appreciated! As you hop along, you’ll notice prizes to be won.  Please comment on all hop stops for your chance 😍. If you’ve not started from the beginning, you’ll want to start at Crystal’s blog. Blog. Your next stop is:

Colleen’s Blog

See you again soon! TTFN,

Jane