Love, Paper, Etc.

Saturday, May 7, 2022

Friends of Unity May 2022 Blog Hop, Things with Wings

Welcome to our monthly hop! This graphic is everything don't you think?

It's absolutely gorgeous! My winnter of several Itty Bitty's from last month's hop is Andrea K. Andrea, come on down! Congratulations! Please contact me via Facebook messenger with your address so I can get your goodies to you.

I am having a giveaway this month as well. Up for grabs is a Monster Hugs Kit. There are 10 stamps in this kit. To be eligible for a prize, all you have to do is comment on each of our blogs. Easy peasy!

As much as I wanted to create two or three cards for this hop, life said only one card is going to happen. Here it is:

I love creating cards with butterflies. Lately, I have been drawn to nature for my card making. My recent purchases have reflected this. I can't wait to create and share. I am happy with how this card turned out. It is so pretty in person. I'm in love with the water colored background. The colors are so comforting. Two stamp sets were used on this card. The flower is from, better with friends. This flower is absolutely gorgeous. The butterfly and sentiment are from, not my fault. Isn't this sentiment the absolute sweetest? This card can be sent to anyone to let them know how much they mean to you.

Here is the hop order:

Be sure to leave some LOVE on all our blogs for a chance to win some awesome prizes.

Also, Happy Mother's Day, to all the lovely moms. Enjoy your day!

See you next month,

Dawn

Saturday, April 2, 2022

Friends of Unity April 2022 Blog Hop, Pattern Paper

It is spring! Just getting back from a much needed break in sunny Florida. I was welcomed back home with cold temps and ice. Tonight, we are under a wind advisory. Gotta love northeast Ohio. I do have a winner from last month's hop. Shannon Hart, you are my winner. Yay! Come on down! Please message me via FB with your address. Now, let's get to the fun for this month.

Here is our cue:

So excited for this one and for you. Hoping you get some inspiration for using all those fabulous scraps and/or whole sheests of pattern paper. I LOVE pattern paper. It is my weakness.

I AM HAVING A GIVEAWAY THIS MONTH TOO! Several Itty Bitty's are up for grabs. To be eligible, all you have to do is leave a comment on all our blogs. Easy peasy.

I made two cards for this hop. Here's the first:

Love these cute little bunny butts!

The bunny butts are from the March 2022 Kit of the Month, never lose hope. The Happy Easter sentiment is from the March 2021 Kit of the Month, hope to be, and some bunny loves you is from the March 2020 Kit of the Month, spring and things. The paper is from an older collection. It was one of my favorites. If my memory serves me correct, the brand is the girls paperie. Their paper was amazing. Perfect for shabby chic creations. I wonder whatever happened to them. I remember buying these papers from Archiver's. So glad I keep my scraps. They were perfect for this card. I still have some more scraps from these papers.

Here is my second card:

This beautiful stamp is called she was a daughter. She's huge, perfect for slimline designs. I used favorite pattern paper scraps for this card, too. Unfortunately this stamp is no longer available on the Unity website. I bought her in the swap a little while back. The paper collection is called Dame from Authentique. It is also an older collection, so no longer available. To create this card, I brushed wicker white paint on kraft card stock. Once dry, I stamped her. I set her aside. I decided to use her for our hop. A slimline die was used to cut the kraft card stock. I paper pieced her dress. She had several changes. Lol. I finally decided on this arrangement of scraps. I cut images from another sheet of paper in this collection and adhered to the bottom and top of the kraft piece. Some Gina Marie enamel dots finished it off.

I'm the last stop in the hop. If you want to start from the beginning, please click on Crystal's link, here.

Crystal

Thanks for hopping! I hope you discovered some new ways to use pattern paper.

Until next time,

Dawn

Saturday, March 5, 2022

Friends of Unity Blog Hoppers, March 2022, Kraft, Black, and White

Hello there and welcome to the Friends of Unity March 2022 blog hop. I am so excited for this month's cue, kraft, black, and white. I think this is a classy color combo. I don't believe I have ever created with this palette until now. Here is our cool graphic for the month:

Before I share my first card, let me announce the winner of my blog hop prize from last month. Drum roll please. VANNESSA OSBOURN, you are my winner! Come on down! Please message me on Facebook with your address, so I can get your goodies to you. Thank you for your continued support of our hop.

Love how this card turned out:

I so enjoy making cards for men. I love this background stamp called house of cards. So many possibilities with this one. I think this card is perfect to wish him well in his retirement or his birthday. The large sentiment is from rhe August 2017 SMAK, just go. I finished this card off with some Tim Holtz ephemera and a mini wood frame.

Next is a slim line card. I don't know about you, but I have the hardest time taking pics of slim lines. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

Let me just say, this stamp is a must have in your stamping arsenal. It is so gorgeous! It is called slimline feather. I stamped it on pattern paper and embossed with black powder. I wish you could see the fabulous sheen. The lovely sentiment is from the May 2021 Sentiment Kit, in my thoughts, girl. So many sweet sentiments in this set.

I am giving away a prize this month, too. This time the stamp set, Determined to Rise, is up for grabs. All you have to do is leave a comment on each of our blogs to be eligible for our prizes.

We all know of the horrific crisis taking place in Ukraine. I love all of the cards for Ukraine on social media. The outpouring of support is glorious. I love how we, as card makers, have come together in support and solidarity. I am proud to be a part of this caring community. My heart goes out to all those innocent people who have been displaced from their homes. I can only imagine the fear and uncertainity. Let's stand with Ukraine. Prayers and love for Ukraine.

Here is my card for Ukraine:

These flowers are huge. They are from the August 2017 Kit of the Month, never be afraid. This is an amazing kit filled with beautiful images and sayings.

Thanks for joining us each month. In case you have lost your way, here is the hop order:

See you next month my friends. Peace and Love Always!

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Friends of Unity February 2022 Blog Hop, Sketch

Welcome back to our monthly hop! Drum roll PLEASE...CAROL WORTMAN, you are the winner of my prize from last month's hop. Congratulations! Woot! Woot! Please email or message me your address so I can get your goodies to you.

Now for our current hop. Sketch is the word. Check it out right here and please share your creations on the Unity Show & Tell Page. I am offering a prize package this month as well. This month's prize is a grab bag of stamps and an Olive Branch paper pack. To be eligible for a prize, all you have to do is leave comments on each of our blogs. A couple of my friends are also giving away prizes so make sure you comment to be part of the fun.

Awesome sketch, right? Here is my first card:

I made this card on my mama's 87th birthday in heaven. Her favorite color was blue, so I decided to use blue hues on this card. I have always loved this stamp with the stacked bowls. I think the get better soon sentiment pairs well with the bowls. What do you think? You know I always appreciate your feedback. I think the bowls would be perfect on thank you cards, too.

This card was created on heavy weight white card stock. Blue card stock was placed directly on the card base. The polka dot paper was cut with a rectangle stitched scalloped die. I decided to stamp the image on kraft at the last minute. I'm so glad I did. I think the bowls look anazing on kraft. The bowls are from the July 2017 Kit of the Month, it's going to be beautiful. The sentiment stamps are from the February 2020 Sentiment Kit, hope is a beautiful thing. I really love Unity's sentiment kits. There are some beautiful sentiments for every occasion. You should really check them out if you have not done so.

My second card is in celebration of Black History Month:

Nala embodies beauty, strength, hope, pride, and wisdom. I love her. I remember when Unity came out with this line of stamps. I also have Jaz,, another beauty. I used two other Unity stamps on this card. The floral background is quilted blooms. This is a gorgeous stamp. Unfortunately, Unity does not offer this stamp any more. The sentiment stamp is from the February 2018 SMAK Kit, find your zen.

Black History month encompasses so many wonderful events. It is a time to acknowledge all the many, great contributions of Black people to the world. It is a celebration of our roots from the African diaspora, family ties, traditions, music, food, community, and so much more. It is a vision into the strength and perseverance of a people who were dealt numerous inequities. This is our month to shine. Please note that Black History really is not just one month... it is every day.

Thank you for hopping! Next up is the lovely Colleen. Here is the hop list, in case you lost your way.

See you back here next month.

Stay warm and cozy my friends,

Dawn

Saturday, January 8, 2022

Friends of Unity January 2022 Blog Hop, CAS Card

Happy New Year everyone! The Friends of Unity are kicking off 2022 with a CAS Hop. For my friends who might not know what CAS means, it stands for clean and simple. I really feel that CAS is subjective. What I feel is CAS, someone else may not. For instance, the two cards I am sharing for this hop are CAS compared to what I usually create. But do you think these two cards are clean and simple? I really would appreciate your input. I must admit CAS is difficult for me. I admire card makers who can pull it off with their cards looking complete. I feel like something is missing when I go for CAS. Check out our cool graphic:

Here is my first card:

I love this stamp image created by Jeanie Marie Hays. I think it represents my dog, Charlee, and I perfectly. Charlee is no longer a puppy, but she makes me so happy. She always takes me on these incredible adventures when we have our walks. She is now 11 years old. She has not slowed down. She is still moving and grooving. She has so much energy. The image is from the kit, A girl and her friend. The sentiments are from Hailey's puppy. So what do you think? Is this card CAS? Is it not CAS because I used paper piecing? I don't know. LOL. Again, subjective...for me this card is CAS compared to what I usually create.

Here is my second card:

So is this card CAS? I think so. It involves simple stamping, a piece of pattern paper, some twine, and a mini wood heart. It took no time to pur this card together so it is definitely CAS. The rainbow and sentiment stamps are both from the May 2019 Kit of the Month, sweetness, miracles and wishes.

I AM GVING AWAY SOME UNITY STAMPS FOR THIS HOP. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS COMMENT ON ALL OUR BLOGS. I AM GIVING AWAY TWO SETS TO ONE LUCKY WINNER. THE SETS ARE LIL' GIRL PRAYIN' AND LIL' BUNNY WISHES. As always, thank you for your continued support. We appreciate each and everyone of you.

Here is the blog hop order once again:

Stay crafty my friends,

Dawn

Saturday, December 4, 2021

Friends of Unity December 2021 Blog Hop, Retro/Vintage

Hello crafty friends! Happy Holidays! We are going retro for this hop. I absolutely love creating retro/vintage crafts. I am so excited for this month's hop.

I created two cards for this hop. This first one has more of a tetro vibe:

It is now only a few hours before our hop starts. For some reason, I was unable to upload my photos this past evening. I am so relieved I can now. I am so proud of these two cards and I couldn't wait to share. Isn't this woman fabulous? She screams, retro, don't you think? Six stamps were used on this card. The woman, Ikat background, stitching, and flower are all from the June 2019 SMAK, enjoy where you are. Filmstrip stamp is from the September 2017 SMAK, truest life. The beautiful sentiment is from simply blessed.

As you may know, I absolutely love layering stamps. The trick is finding ones that compliment each other and the right color palette. And the bonus, no coloring necessary. So if you need a quick card, this is definitely the way to go.

My second card screams vintage:

Three stamps were used here and they came from a 'vintage' Kit of the Month, I am referring to this kit as 'vintage' because it is from February 2013, so it is an older kit. It is called, let love grow. This has always been one of my favorite kits...just so many lovely images and sentiments. I stamped the ink well with quill on vintage themed paper. The sentiments were stamped on chipboard and sealed with a spray. Initially, I was going to use lace at the bottom of the card, but I saw this fun tulle trim in my stash and decided to go with that.

I hope you can see my love for retro/vintage on these two cards.

Now, for even more inspo. Up next is Colleen with her beautiful creations.

Thanks everyone for your continued support! We hope you enjoyed our hop this month. Come back next month. Oh wow, it'll be 2022. The Friends of Unity have some amazing things lined up for the new year...so stay tuned.

Wishing you peace and love this holiday season!

Dawn

Saturday, November 6, 2021

Friends of Unity, November 2021 Blog Hop, Non-Card Project

Hello there! This month we are making anything that is not a card. I love that there are so many things you can do with stamps. They are so versatile. I can't wait to share what I made! I love the organic vibe of this graphic:

Here is my non-card project:

I altered a Tim Holtz mini clipboard. I have not altered a clipboard in quite some time. This clipboard is different from the others though. I did not incorporate stamping on those. I decoupaged pattern paper on them. The grungy sunflower is from the September 2020 SMAK Kit, everything is up to you. I really miss my SMAK. They had gorgeous, large stamps...perfect for altering various projects. The flowers were painted with Prima and Art Anthology paints. The sentiment is from what will be...will be.

Here are the steps in altering this clipboard: first, remove the metal clip. Then apply clear gesso and let dry for 24 hours. Stamp flower randomly on the clipboard. Next, paint the flowers. Stamp sentiment on white card stock and place on journaling card. Round the edges with a corner rounder. Place sentiment on bottom right corner of clipboard with foam adhesive. Stick a metal memo pin in foam adhesive. Add metal heart. A wood butterfly button was placed in the center of the main flower. Add washi tape to film strip, cut to size, and place diagonally near the top of the clipboard. Finally, replace metal clip.

As you can see in the pictures, eyelash trim had been tied to the clip. I think I like it better without the eyelash trim. Which way do you like more?

Well that's it until next time. Here is the hop order just in case you need it:

I hope you enjoyed our hop. We always appreciate your support. We also really love your comments.

Until next time,