Friends of Unity December 2023 Blog Hop, Furry Friends

Hello there! I wasn't sure if I was going to take part in this hop because of us losing our beautiful girl, my best friend Charlee, a week ago today. She was an amazing girl. She was almost 13 1/2 years old. Boy do I miss her. It is so hard coming home from work and she's not there to greet me. I miss her companionship. I miss her wolf like appearance. I miss our adventures. But most of all, I miss her. She was my ride and die. She was also my crafting buddy. She would always try to get in my pictures as I took photos for our hops. Now, she is. I have included a picture of her in a few photos. These three cards along with her photo will be going to her doggie daycare, the veterinarian who cared for her in her last days, and the staff at the hospital who assisted in making her comfortable while we said good bye. They were so caring. We are so appreciative of their kind, supportive words during one of the most difficult times in our lives. 

Here is the graphic for this month's hop. So cute, right?

This first card is going to the staff at her doggie daycare. They loved her. They were always so good to her.

This second card is going to the hospital:

The third and final card is going to the veterinarian who cared for her during her last days. He was so kind and caring. His practice even sent us a sympathy card.

As you can see, I used the same two stamps for all three cards. The adorable cat and dog image is from the January 2019 Kit of the Month, beautiful forever & ever. The background image is peaceful grove. I stamped it on different sheets of pattern paper and inked them with various Tim Holtz Distress Oxides. 

George and I are going to bring her ashes home tomorrow. We will give the staff at the hospital their card as we are picking up her ashes. I really LOVE how each of these cards turned out. I think Charlee would approve.

Here is the hop order once again. 

Crystal

Amber

Tammy

Colleen

Kim

Gaylynn

me

Rachel

Jane

Joyce

Well that's a wrap! Thank you for your continued support. Wishing you a joyous holiday season! See you in 2024!

Dawn

Friends of Unity November 2023 Blog Hop Slimline

Hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween! It is such a fun and spooky holiday filled with adorable trick or treaters. We have a fun cue for you this month, Slimline. Here is our cool graphic:

I only have one card to share for this month's hop. My youngest son had a medical emergency this past Friday and I have caught a stupid cold. I am happy to say that my son is fine. With regard to this cold, I expect misery for the next day or two. Anywho, here is my slimline creation:

I LOVE HER! She is absolutely gorgeous! I am so happy I purchased her from a fellow card maker. Unfortunately, I was unable to find her on the Unity site, so I don't know if that means she has been retired. She is a huge stamp, 3.5" x 7". She is from a set called Eva. This set is a Donna Downey Studios and Unity Stamp Co. collab. Maybe, she is available on Donna's site, if you are interested. 

To create this card, I used water color paper. I first inked a stencil with Tim Holtz Oxide ink pads. The stencil is from a Colorful Life Designs. It is called flower overlay. I then stamped Eva over the stenciled image. I colored her with Prima water color pencils. The water color piece was cut with a Gina Marie die. I stamped a sentiment at the bottom. The sentiment and hearts are from the April 2019 Sentiment Kit, don't give up. This, too, is a beautiful set of stamps.

Well, thanks for hopping with us. We always appreciate your support. Here is the hop list once again if you need it:

Crystal

Jane

Amber

Tammy

Gaylynn

Kim

April

Colleen

me

Rachel

Joyce

Take care,

Dawn

Friends of Unity October 2023 Blog Hop. Build a Scene

Hey everyone! We are building scenes this month. This is spooky month, so I had to make at least one Halloween card. Check out our cue:

I kind of cheated on my cards because the scene was already provided by the stamps themselves. For the Halloween card, I did add two witches at least. 

Let's get to the cards. First up, is the Halloween card:

It's been a minute since I have made a Halloween card. I'm a little rusty, but I do like how this card turned out. The background scene stamp is called R.I.P. I stamped it on heavy weight white card stock. I cut it with an arch die by PhotoPlay. I used metallic pencils and colored pencils. Gamsol was used for blending. This stamp is perfect for Halloween. I love the zombie hands. I stamped the witches from the August 2023 Kit of the Month, phases, and cut them out. I placed one on each side of the card with foam adhesive. The sentiment, sisters of the moon, is also from the same Kit. I found a purple, bat grommet and placed it under the sentiment. I layered a metal bat over the metal grommet. I finished the card with pattern paper, glitter paper, and green bling.

Next up:

I have been wanting to stamp this beautiful image since it first came out. I am so slow in stamping. I shop so much faster than I create. This lovely image is from the August 2022 Kit of the Month, hope is stronger. This kit has so many beauties. In my defense, I have at least used a couple more stamps from this kit a little while back. This beauty was stamped on water color paper. I used several Karin Markers for coloring. Once I stamped the image, I cut it with a tag die, also from Unity. The encouraging sentiment is from the December 2021 Kit of the Month, smile wider laugh longer. I received the heart die cut as a freebie from Unity. I stamped the sentiment on heavy weight white card stock and cut it down to size. I placed a heart clip on it and applied using foam adhesive. Pattern paper was also used. I used the pinpoint fern background die by Gina Marie designs on both pieces of pattern paper.

Well, there is still more inspo. Keep hopping. Here is the hop line up:

Crystal

Amber

Bobbie Sue

Gaylynn

Joyce

me

Rachel

Thanks for stopping by. We always appreciate your support. We hope you have been inspired and maybe we have enabled to add to your collection. LOL!

See you next month,

Dawn

Friends of Unity September 2023 Blog Hop, Technique

Hey, it's that time again! The Friends of Unity are hopping with a brand new cue, technique. But before I dive into this post, let me announce my winner from last month. Carla Hundley, you are my winner from last month's hop. Congratulations my friend! I can't wait to send you an Angie girl. Please email me at lovepaperetc@gmail.com with your address, so I can get your prize to you. 

I decided to try a technique I have never tried before. I have always wanted to try alcohol inks. Since our cue is technique, I said it's no time like the present to try something new. I watched a couple of Youtube videos first, before going in blind. I love the look of alcohol inks. They add a beautiful, grunge look to your art. I bought some alcohol inks awhile back and used them on this card. Enabler alert: Hobby Lobby has Ranger alcohol inks on sale right now. Packs of 3 for under $3. 

Here is my card:

All I can say is, "I'm hooked." Alcohol inks are my new obsession. I LOVE how this card turned out. I had so much fun moving all the inks around with the Tim Holtz alcohol ink blower. These are the inks I used: stream, butterscotch, and wild plum. I also used Tim Holtz alcohol blending solution. I also used Yupo paper by Ranger. 

This lotus is one of my favorite flowers Unity offers. It is from imperfection is beauty. This set was a collaboration between Unity and Donna Downey Studios. The beautiful sentiment is also from the same set. I used the Unity postage die on the Yupo panel. It was adhered to a white card base using foam adhesive. The lotus image is huge. I cut some of the stem off to make it work on my card. I colored the lotus with Karin markers. Since I placed the lotus at an angle, I thought it would be cool to do the same with the sentiment. Jewels were added last.

If you have not tried alcohol inks yet, do it. You will be obsessed! So many different color combinations. Please tag me on the Unity Show & Tell page with your alcohol ink creations. I can't wait to see them.

I am the second stop in our hop this month. You have arrived here from the beautiful, talented Crystal. Next up is my beautiful friend, Jane.

Here's the whole line up:

Crystal

me

Jane

Joyce

Rachel

Tammy

Gaylynn

Colleen

Bobbie Sue

Oh, I forgot to mention that my birthday is tomorrow, Sept. 3. Happy Birthday to me! I can't wait to celebrate with my family. See you again next month!

Inky hugs,

Dawn

Friends of Unity August 2023 Angie Girls 10 Year Anniversary

Y'all can you believe it's been 10 years that we have been loving and creating with Angie Blom's girls? I can't. Her girls are always sensational. I absolutely love creating with them. They each have their own style and personality. I have my fingers crossed that there will be a new release of her lovelies. Before we get to my creations, let's hear it for, Becca Yahrling. You are the winner of my July 2023 blog hop prize. Congratulations! Please email me your address at lovepaperetc@gmail.com.

Here is our lovely cue:

                              

I pulled many Angie Girls that have not even seen ink for this extra special hop. Unfortunately, I was not able to create with all of them. Things got pretty busy around here, but I hope to make more throughout the month and beyond of course. 

I used Robyn Girl for my first card:

This girl is sassy, fierce, sexy, intelligent, and confident. She is my shero. I just love her. Both her and the sentiment are from Robyn Girl. The flowers are from an older KOM, flowers, foliage, & fall (September 2017). These flowers are amongst my favorites. Images were colored with Prismacolor colored pencils and blended with gamsol. Flowers, Robyn, and sentiment were layered on a die cut I created using pattern paper. 

Amelia Girl was used on my second card:

Now this girl and myself share a similar vibe. She's laid back, ready for the next adventure, and into layered, colorful ensembles. My favorite color is green so I felt green needed to be a part of her outfit. I feel like Amelia and I could be best friends. The sentiment comes from the April 2022 KOM, true colors. Amelia and the sentiment were layered on 49 and Market acetate cut outs and a stenciled image I cut out. This leaf is huge. Card measures 5 1/2" x 5 1/2".

This month I am giving away another prize. I'm thinking an Angie Girl, so be sure to leave some love on all our blogs.

Well that's a wrap. I'm getting ready to go to Stampaway in Cincinnati, Ohio. Before I go, though, here is the hop order just in case you need it. 

Crystal

Jane

Bobbie Sue

April

Gaylynn

me

Colleen

Rachel

Amber

Until next time,

Dawn

Growing in Unity July 2023, Day 5

It's Friday, the last day of my Growing in Unity week. This week has been so enjoyable. I enjoyed stepping out of my comfort zone and working on something I've had in mind for a little while. I hope I have inspired you to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. If you have been thinking of something, just do it. You never know unless you try. Today I am sharing two note cards. When it's all done, it will be a set of 4 note cards. Check out the two completed cards here:

So I had these canvas pieces awaiting to be used in some shape or form. I was thinking that if I stamped them, they would be awesome on note cards. I took these four canvas pieces and applied heavy white gesso on them. I stamped a flower on the first one; a bird on the second; a fern on the third; and a butterfly on the fourth. I am trying to keep these cards simple, natural, and organic. Each one will have a heavy weight, white card stock base. The vintage ledger stamp will also be used on each card. 

The first card features a sparrow stamp from the August 2020 SMAK Kit, you are my people. Lace was placed near the bottom of vintage ledger. The stamped canvas was glued down on vintage ledger. A Tim Holtz metal charm was placed on the canvas piece. The natural twine is also Unity. A small rectangular piece of ephemera was added last. The ephemera comes from the September 2022 Whit Kit, vintage naturalist.

The second card features a fern from the September 2022 Whit Kit. It was stamped on canvas. A tag from the same kit was placed over vintage ledger. Lace was applied near the bottom. The stamped canvas was glued down. This card was finished with a Tim Holtz metal charm and black twine from Unity.

I'll be sure to share the other 2 cards once they are done.

Well thank you for hanging with me all week! I truly appreciate you taking the time to leave comments. Thanks for an amazing week! Hugs to you all!

Don't forget to leave a comment today for a chance to win some Unity yourself.

Until next time,

Dawn

Growing in Unity July 2023, Day Four

This card happened totally by accident. I knew I was going to use the beach babe and I really wanted to incorporate the tropical scene. I thought I was going to stamp the tropical scene at the top of the card, but as I was removing ink from the tropical scene stamp by stamping it over and over at the bottom of the beach babe, I saw something that looked pretty cool. Here is the result:

So what do you think? I used two stamp sets on this card. The sentiment and woman are from, look out beaches, by Jessica Pickeral. The tropical image is from a throwback Kit of the Month, June 2010, fly free. I have always loved this scene and 13 years later, it finally sees ink. That's a totally different subject, but long story short, I shop so much faster than I create.

The card base is a heavy weight, white card stock. The images and sentiment were stamped on water color paper. The tropical scene was colored with Art Anthology sprays and some Prima water colors. She was colored with Prima water colors. Background was created using a Prima water color and an Art Anthology spray. Some jewels were added for a finishing touch.

Thanks for coming back! I am enjoying all the generous comments. I appreciate each and every one. Thanks for hanging out again. See you tomorrow for my last day of Growing in Unity.

Dawn

Growing in Unity July 2023, Day Three

 Hi friends! Thanks for coming back and leaving generous comments. I so enjoy reading them. Thanks, too, for all the lovely comments on Facebook as well. I went with a border background stamp for today. The border background stamps at Unity are perfectly perfect for a quick card. This border background is called featherly from Angie Blom. I was thinking this stamp would be stunning on kraft, so I gave it a go. I am happy with the results. Now, I'll have to try it with water color on water color paper.

I used three colored pencils and blended them with Gamsol. The card base is heavy weight white card stock. The featherly stamp was stamped on heavy weight kraft card stock via my MISTI. The stamped piece was layered onto the card base using foam adhesive. This beautiful sentiment is from the April 2021 Kit of the Month, love dwells here. This is a beautiful kit. I think you need to add it to your stamping arsenal if you have not done so already. Ha ha! I cut the sentiment piece with a Gina Marie mini slimline die. I cut off the decorative edges, but still have the stitching. This piece was placed onto the kraft with foam adhesive as well. To complete this card, I added a metal bird embellie and a few sparkly jewels.

That's it for me today. Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win some Unity. Also, remember to follow me on IG @lovepaperetc.

Hugs,

Dawn

Growing in Unity July 2023, Day Two

Hey there crafty people! It's already Day 2 of my Growing in Unity Week. Thanks for all your love on my first day. I appreciate you all. When hello human was released, I knew I had tohave it in my life. The giraffe is so stinkin' cute and the sentiment is perfect.

Isn't she cute? This card was created on heavy weight green card stock. I took heavy weight white card stock and cut it with one of the Unity deckle and stitches dies. This is my first time using this die as well as the hello human set. Once it was cut, I sponged Tim Holtz Distress Oxide in Fossilized Amber over it. I spritz some water on it and set it aside. I stamped the giraffe on water color paper and fussy cut it. I used a Prima water color on it along with a Prismacolor colored pencil with a little Gamsol. I then grabbed the Resilience set. First time using this set as well. I stamped the fern in Stampin' Up Old Olive and the bamboo shoot in Stampin' Up Soft Suede on the white card stock. I then layered 3 acetate pieces from 49 and Market over the fern and bamboo. The giraffe was added with foam adhesive. I placed a strip of Tim Holtz fabric tape on the left side of the card base. I placed the stamped panel on the card base with foam adhesive. The sentiment, hello wonderful human, is also from the hello human kit. I stamped it on white card stock and rounded the edges. The edges and cut piece were inked with Fossilized Amber and Ground Espresso, also from Tim Holtz. A Basic Grey metal brad was added next to the sentiment. The sentiment piece was adhered at the top of the card with foam adhesive.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Also, make sure you leave a comment each day for your chance to win some Unity. Thank you for hanging out with me for a bit!

See you again, tomorrow!

Dawn

Growing in Unity July 2023 Day One

 I am so excited to be the Growing in Unity person this week. For my first day, I am sharing a wedding card for a very special couple. I incorporated their colors on the card. I hope they both like it.

Here is the card:

Heavy weight light blue card stock was used to create the card base. Bo Bunny pattern paper was cut down to size and placed directly on the card base. Gray pattern paper was run through my Big Shot Pro using a Gina Marie texture plate. This piece was placed on the Bo Bunny paper using foam adhesive. A Pink Fresh tag die set was used to cut three different tags from pattern paper. They were layered on each other using foam adhesive. 

The large floral is from Birthday Blooms (Sandhya Iyer). I stamped it on water color paper by way of my MISTI. The coordinating die was used to cut it out. I just received the die last week. Perfect timing! Zig Markers were used for water coloring. The flower was placed over Prima sky blue wax cord and a couple of Pink Fresh die cuts. The sentiment, two became one, was stamped on a Prima ticket. I cut the sides of the ticket, just a little, and rounded the corners. I just could not cover up this gorgeous floral, so I selected a small sentiment. It was added under the flower with foam adhesive. The sentiment is from, love is a magical thing (Lisa Arana). This set is perfect for wedding and anniversary cards. It is a November 2015 Sentiment Kit. A My Minds Eye metal brad was placed next to the sentiment.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. 

If you are not familiar with Growing in Unity, make sure you leave a comment for a chance to win some Unity. I get to pick two winners. It may just be you!

Thanks for hanging out with me! See you again tomorrow!

Dawn