Unity Stamp of the Week #143: Warm & Cozy

For this week’s Unity Stamp of the Week, I stamped cute little cozy socks with the perfect sentiment this time of year to adorn cards, tags, scrapbook layouts, gift wrap--you name it.

This stamp set makes me want to put on some warm socks, grab a cup of hot tea, and relax with a warm blanket in front of a fire, a good movie, or read a book.

Above is a tag I put together inspired by the feelings I had for this week’s Unity Stamp-of-the-Week set.

By signing up to be a Stamp-of-the-Week member, you get an exclusive stamp delivered to your door EVERY WEEK for just $5.79 – that INCLUDES SHIPPING {$7.79 International}.

THEN, you can purchase ANY past Stamp of the Week for $4—THAT’S pretty cool!

Click HERE to sign up NOW!!

I hope you have a WARM & COZY week ahead!

Create & Inspire Podcast #28: Unconventional Ways to Create a Dedicated Creative Space

Recently, I was contacted by Aunia Kahn who is the Podcast host from Create and Inspire. 

Every Thursday, this podcast shares creative tips, tricks and advice regarding art and crafting. She also interviews successful artists and art-focused businesses and shares their stories on success, struggles, and the passion of being in the world of creativity.

I was over the moon that she shared a link to my Laundry Room Studio YouTube Video Tour I posted last May for her latest Create & Inspire Podcast #28: Unconventional Ways to Create a Dedicated Creative Space.

This podcast gives you some unconventional space ideas to help you create your own dedicated space and enlighten you on how any space, big or small, can be transformed into an area all your own AND why it’s important for creative people like us.

Here’s a link to the Podcast: http://www.createandinspire.com/28/

And in case you missed it before, here’s my Laundry Room Studio YouTube Tour.

This video was captured last May—my room has changed a “little” since then.

Happy, Thankful, & Blessed

Today will be the first full day of Fall—Yay!

Unity’s September’s Kit of The Month theme is Happy, Thankful, & Blessed. It’s got a little bit of everything you may need this time of year to get the start on making some Fall projects that will make others in your life happy, thankful, and blessed.

In the above card, I used a sentiment and an image from this month’s kit to thank someone in my life for all the little things they do for me. 

The patterned papers used are from Basic Grey’s Capture kit available at snapclicksupply.com.

To fussy cut the flower stamp, I used Silhouette’s Pixscan mat with my Silhouette Cameo.  The card and its layers were constructed in Silhouette Studio. Pop dots were used to give dimension to the cut flower. 

Tim Holtz Distress Inks (Pumice Stone and Aged Mahogany) were used to edge the card layers.

Sign up today to be guaranteed this month’s kit.  It’s an impressive 8.5-x-11-inch FULL sheet of rubber.  Then every month you will have something to be even more thankful about in your life—I promise!

Here’s a link to all the details:

http://unitystampco.com/shop/kit-of-the-month/

When I try to maintain a positive state of mind, recognize what makes ME happy, and remind myself of the little things that make the ones I care about happy AND healthy, I achieve amazing results. Life tends to be much easier for me when I can DO the things that make me happy, like stamping, crafting, and making beautiful things.

Unity/Faber-Castell Co-HOP!!!

It’s Blog Hop Thursday with Unity Stamp Company--NEW ANGIEGirl Releases as well as a new sentiment kit--AND we’re hopping with Faber-Castell, too! 

Today I’ll be showing you how I use Faber-Castell product with Unity Stamp Company stamps.

Below are a couple of pictures of projects I’ve put together using Unity Stamp Company stamps with Faber-Castell product.  I’ve also put together a video showing you how to print your own tissue paper at home using your printer and how to adhere the tissue paper to canvas as a background for stamped images.

Tissue paper provides excellent texture for any of your projects--canvas, cards, scrapbook pages—you name it! 

The background in the canvas below is printed tissue paper, using a digital patterned paper from the Cashmere Dame collection by Glitz Girls, and it was adhered to the canvas using Faber-Castell Gel Medium. The printer I use at home is a Hewlett Packard Officejet 7610.

In the video, I also show ways to use Faber-Castell Gesso to mask little mistakes that happen along the way while creating—YES, mistakes happen, but that’s okay. 

A black Big Brush Pitt Artist Pen was used in the video to help provide shadow to the stamped image, and a Squid Ink Gelato was used to frame the canvas. 

The size of the canvas is 9-x-12-inches and it was purchased from my local Walmart.

The background for the card below was printed tissue paper using a digital patterned paper from the Truffle Paper Kit by Adrienne Looman that I printed at home, crumpled, and adhered to the card base using Faber-Castell Gel Medium.

Here’s a link to the video, StampTech, Episode 5, Printing Your own Tissue Paper to Adhere to Canvas with Faber-Castell Products.

Here I am using Unity Stamp Company & Faber-Castell Goodies!

NOW onto the really good stuff . . .

We have ONE ah-mazing prize package to giveaway!

(Unity sign not included)

Leave a comment on EACH blog in the hop (including the Unity blog) for your chance to win.

Be sure to visit Faber-Castell while you’re hopping along for a chance at a prize from them as well.

Comments are open until September 21!

ONE winner will be announced Monday night on the Unity blog: http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/

Good luck to you ALL!

Be sure you take advantage of Unity’s latest promotion . . .

GIRLS WEEKEND SALE!

SALE STARTS AT NOON CENTRAL TIME

PLEASE share your lovely creations on Facebook with the Unity {show & tell) Facebook group. Lots of us check-in there daily (I check in several times daily—I’m addicted to inspiration).

Thank you all so much for hopping along with us all and leaving positive comments. They are MUCH appreciated.

If you ever have questions regarding my creative process or crafty items or tools that I use along the journey, PLEASE leave me your questions in the comments.

Click on the next picture below to be taken to the next blog in the hop for some Unity inspiration!

StampTech: Using Distress Markers Video

Happy Saturday!

A couple of days ago, I uploaded a NEW video showing how I colored Tracey Malnofski’s NEW Beauties from Unity Stamp Company that were released this past Thursday--they’re on sale all weekend long!!

In the video, I colored the beauties with Tim Holtz Distress Markers and a waterbrush onto 90lb watercolor paper. Tattered Rose was the color I used for the skin tone. Then I used my Pixscan mat with my Silhouette to fussy cut them.  Also, using the same traces from the Pixscan mat, I welded a base for them so that the three could be together on one card.  That’s what you see me place them on towards the end and trim the bottom to fit them to the card.

If you haven’t seen it already or want to see it again, here it is.  Thanks so much for watching!

Evelyn, Sophia, & Autumn on ONE card!

If you want to see the Pixscan process in action, see my video below that was posted last weekend.

This is the process I used to fussy cut Evelyn, Sophia, & Autumn

Unity Blog Hop 09.04.14!

It’s the beginning of the month which means new kits at Unity!

AND because it’s THURSDAY, there’s NEW releases, a new SALE, a blog hop, and I’ve got a NEW video for you, too!

Today I’m sharing an 8-1/2-x-11-inch scrapbook layout I completed about a strong, loving, and funny lady I know—our Grandma Jeffa.  In the beginning of my story, she was my (then) husband’s mother. Unfortunately, that relationship didn’t work out BUT that didn’t change OUR relationship. She continued to love me and my children and even took the time and energy to get to know my youngest two children that I had when I remarried. Sadly, she passed away around seven years ago from ALS. Her spirit lives in the fond memories we have of her and by which I mother and care for my own children. She was a big role model in our family and gave me motherly advice WHEN I wanted it, sometimes when I didn’t want it, but the advice always came from her heart and with good intention. She had an awesome sense of humor and we all loved to see her smile and hear her laugh. I hope she knew how much she was appreciated and loved.

Thank You, Jeffa, For That Thing You Did—Mentoring a young mother to become a mother and showing unconditional love.

Look! Wasn’t she a beauty?

In the above layout, I used a couple of stamps (that beautiful heart—perfect for this layout--and the awesome sentiment) from this month’s Kit of the Month, Happy, Thankful, & Blessed.

In the layout, I used a PageMaps sketch to get me started.  Most of the time when I use sketches, I retrieve them into Silhouette Studio software and trace the shapes, etc., that’s on the sketch. Before cutting the shapes, I place the Silhouette Sketch Pen into my machine and it draws the sketch onto the patterned paper I choose to use—kind of like a sketch “cheat sheet”. I will also use the Silhouette Pen to add dashed lines to my layouts, just like I did in this one. This is usually the time I add stamping to the base of my layout. Then I fill the shapes with pictures, patterned paper, etc, and then cut the shapes/embellishments and add them to my layout. Lastly, I will add any sewing that needs to be done and embellishments made from stamping on patterned paper, etc, usually attached with some sort of dimensional adhesive.

Below is the video where I assemble the above layout. It’s less than five minutes long AND it’s a very stable video, I promise!

I hope you watch and enjoy it.

Thank You For that Thing You Did

NOW onto the really good stuff . . .

Here’s a peek at one of the NEW RELEASES by Tracey Malnofski! I’m so GIDDY over this release!

We have TWO amazing Unity filled prize packages to giveaway (Unity sign not included). Leave a comment on EACH blog in the hop (including the Unity blog) for your chance to win.  The winners will be announced Saturday night on the Unity blog:http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/

Good luck to you ALL!

Be sure you take advantage of Unity’s latest promotion by clicking the graphics below which are just like magical portals that will take you away to Unity Stamp Company where you can SHOP—SHOP--SHOP!

SALE STARTS AT NOON CENTRAL TIME

PLEASE share your lovely creations on Facebook with the Unity {show & tell) Facebook group. Lots of us check-in there daily (I check in several times daily—I’m addicted to inspiration).

Thank you all so much for hopping along with us and leaving positive comments. They are MUCH appreciated. If you ever have questions regarding my creative process or crafty items or tools that I use along the journey, PLEASE leave me your questions in the comments.

Click on the next picture below to be taken to the next blog in the hop for some Unity inspiration!