You're the Bee's Knees ~ Unity Stamp Co.

Hello there crafty friend! 

Sharing one more card using new goodies from Unity's 16th birthday celebration!! I am a huge fan of the background stamps at Unity. The new You're the Bee's Knees is a fabulous new addition to the line!

I stamped the background and sentiment using Black Amalgam ink from Gina K Designs. I'm not sure what kind of flowers these are so I had fun mixing colors when I colored them up using my Copic markers. This one actually took me a few days in between other projects, homeschool lessons and well, life. Haha... it was very relaxing and I enjoyed every second of it.

Here's a quick list of the Copic markers I used:

Pink & Yellow Flowers: RV0000, RV10, RV02, Y11, Y15, Y35

Pink & Purple Flowers: RV0000, RV10, RV02, V000, V12, V15

Flower Centers: Y11, Y15, Y35, YR14

Leaves / Stems: YG11, YG23, YG05

Background: B0000, B00, Colorless Blender

Once my coloring was completely dry, I used a Sakura White Gelly Roll pen to color in the little dots in the center of the flowers. I die cut the background using the largest die from the Deckle & Stitches Nesting Die Set.

I debated using a card front of yellow or purple or even kraft, but decided to go with just a white A2 top fold card base. Not only does it make for less layers so it's easy and cheaper to mail, the white background also helps the white dots pop on the flowers. I absolutely love how this turned out! Hope you have an ink-tastic day! And Happy Mother's Day weekend everyone!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky hugs,

Crystal

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Membership Wednesday ~ January 2024 BOM Butterfly Breeze Meadow ~ Unity Stamp Co.

  Hello there crafty friend!

Today I'm sharing a quick sympathy card featuring the January 2024 Background of the Month membership from Unity called Butterfly Breeze Meadow. Yesterday was a rare day where I just didn't feel like coloring and a monochromatic card sounded perfect.

I stamped the beautiful A2 background stamp on Stampers Select White Card Stock from Papertrey Ink using Lost Shadow Distress Ink. I trimmed the panel down to 3-3/4 x 5".

I die cut a piece of Smokey Shadow Card Stock from Papertrey Ink using the largest die from the Postage Stamp {nesting dies}, also from Unity. I adhered the stamped background to the postage panel and then adhered the panel to a Stampers Select White Card Stock A2 card base.

I could of sworn that Unity has or had a 'with sympathy' die but I looked through my stash and didn't find one and then I checked the website and didn't find one. Maybe I imagined it. I don't know, but I still wanted to go with a sentiment that conveyed the feeling of a sympathy card so I went with the On My Mind {die}. I die cut the sentiment from Weathervane Card Stock from Papertrey Ink two times. And then I die cut it from Smokey Shadow Card Stock. I adhered the layers of the sentiment together using the awesome Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue. I love the fine tip on this glue!! And it hasn't clogged up on me one time! Love, love, love it!!

Here's a quick look at the Background of the Month membership this month! So gorgeous!

 Well, that's it for me today! I'll be back next week with a card probably using a stamp from the January 2024 Kit of the Month. Not totally sure, but that's what I'm leaning towards. Until then, have an ink-tastic day!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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Salad Spinner Art ~ Technique Tuesday ~ Unity Stamp Co.

 Hello there crafty friend!

I'm back with another Technique Tuesday! Can you believe it's December already? Sadly, that means it's my final blog post of 2023. I hope that you've been inspired to get inky and maybe even played along with some of the techniques that I've shared. If you missed some and want to check them out, you can do that here.

I do love getting inky and the technique I'm sharing today is another fun inky technique called Salad Spinner Art. This technique is wonderful for making awesome backgrounds! Lots of fun for mixing up colors. And can be used with a whole bunch of mediums.

I made a couple fun holiday cards using two of the four backgrounds that I created using the Salad Spinner Art technique. 

For the first background I used Sepia, Tangerine, and Alizarin Crimson Color Burst. I thought it was a fun mix of colors for a holiday card and I added a couple touches of gold by heat embossing the sentiment from Cute Santa using Gold Glory Embossing powder from Stampin' Up and adding some Gold Foil paper also from Stampin' Up.

I stamped Cute Santa with Black Amalgam ink and colored him with the following Copic markers:

Skin: E000, E00, E11, E04

White: C00, C1, C3

Red: R20, R14, R46

Black: N1, N3, N5, N7

Holly & Berries: YG11, G24, G46, R59

I then fussy cut Cute Santa and cleaned up the edges by coloring them with a Memento Tuxedo Black marker. The Spinner Art panel is adhered to a 4-1/4 x 5-1/2" card front of True Black card stock from Papertrey Ink that was adhered to a white A2 top fold card base. All the layers are nice and flat for easy mailing. 

Card number two uses the last panel that I created with the Cosmic Shimmer pigments I got back in June at the Unity Lovers get together in Deepwater, MO at The Craft Lab. I've been anxious to play with them and boy, were they fun! 

Continuing the copper color in the background which is very light, I decided to heat emboss the Blanket of Snow Background stamp. I used the Wow Clear Embossing ink and Penny Embossing Powder from Brutus Monroe. And for a bit more copper... I heat embossed the season's greetings sentiment {minus the dot for the i... I lost it}.

I die cut the season's greetings from the Greetings of the Season {die set} from a scrap piece of white card stock. Pressed the sentiment into the clear embossing ink using my tweezers doing one side of the sentiment at a time so I had a place to hold the sentiment with my tweezers. Quick tip... be sure to let the melted embossing powder cool before touching! Not only does it hurt a smidge, but it can smudge up the pretty embossing. I speak from experience! LOL

I wasn't able to record my card making but you can check out my process in creating the backgrounds I used for my cards plus two more backgrounds that I didn't get to play with just yet. Check it out here... Salad Spinner Art | Technique Tuesday | Unity Stamp Co.

Two very different holiday cards using one fun technique! I've had a blast the last 12 months sharing some fun techniques with you all. I hope you've enjoyed them! If you give this fun technique a try, I'd love to see what you create so please share your cards in the Unity Show & Tell group and tag me. Have an ink-tastic day!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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It's Brown Thursday!! ~ Frosted Fauna with Just Know Bunny ~ Unity Stamp Co.

Hello there crafty friend! 

The awesome Brown Thursday Sale over at Unity Stamp Co. is here!!! What's Brown Thursday, you ask? Well, it's Unity's version of Black Friday and it's filled with a HUGE new release and a fabulous sale! I'm sharing a sweet card featuring two stamps from the Brown Thursday release!! The sweet and adorable Just Know Bunny {ooops... the bunny is actually the freebie with a $100 order!} and the beautiful Frosted Fauna Background stamp! Love love love these!!

I ink smooshed my background with Kitsch Flamingo and Salvaged Patina Distress Oxide inks. I left it nice and light with some white space... kinda like snow. I stamped the gorgeous Frosted Fauna background stamp using Black Amalgam ink from Gina K. Designs.

Die cut the background using the largest die from the Scallops & Rectangles {nesting dies} and then I tore the bottom off revealing the white core in the paper. Adhered the torn background to a white A2 top fold card base.

The new Tawny Owl Paperie Inky Inspiration Sketch 16 inspired the design of my card. I decided to move the sentiment for this card. As with all my sketches, it's meant to inspire - not require so if you play along feel free to adjust to fit your design.

I stamped the adorable bunny on white card stock and die cut it using a stitched circle die from the Scallops & Circles {nesting dies}. I didn't want to cover up anymore of the background so I die cut another circle from vellum card stock using the next largest die from the same die set. Keeping with a white snowy kind of card, I colored up the image using just a little bit of color. Here's a quick list of the Copic markers I used:

Bunny: C00, C1, C3, R00, R20

Scarf: RV0000, RV52, RV13

Clouds: BG000

Butterflies: BG000, RV52, RV0000, Y06

Ground: C1, C3

I adhered the circles directly to the card but I only applied liquid glue behind the white circle. I trimmed the sentiment and cut fishtails on both ends. I added foam tape to the back and popped it up on the card. That's it for me today! Go check out the awesome new releases for Brown Thursday over at Unity! It's a HUGE release friends! Lots and lots of fabulous new goodies!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky hugs,

Crystal

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Membership Wednesday ~ October 2023 BOM & KOM ~ Unity Stamp Co.

  Hello there crafty friend!

Today I'm sharing a pretty Fall card using the awesome October 2023 Background of the Month membership from Unity called Woodgrain Whisper along with the October 2023 Kit of the Month membership from Unity called Golden Glow. 

A fun ink smooshed background of Fossilized Amber, Carved Pumpkin, Peeled Paint and Vintage Photo Distress Oxide inks. I stamped the Woodgrain Whisper background stamp over the ink smooshed background using Ground Espresso Distress Oxide ink. 

I stamped the pretty flower from the Golden Glow Kit of the Month membership using Squeezed Lemonade and Fossilized Amber Distress Oxide inks and a bit of Vintage Photo Distress ink in the center. I also painted the center of the flower using the Vintage Photo Distress ink. The leaves were stamped with Peeled Paint Distress Oxide ink.

The lines in the center of the flower were lost when I painted it so I used a white gel pen to add some highlights. I may have gone a little overboard with them. I also did some dots. I fussy cut the flower and the leaves and adhered them together. The sentiment from the October 2023 KOM was heat embossed with white pigment ink, white embossing powder and a heat tool.

Here's a look at the whole Kit of the Month for October!! Another great kit fill with Fall images! Can you believe that you get this full sheet of rubber for only $44.99. That includes shipping! You also get a $6.95 discount on every order from Unity over $45. And you can purchase any past kits for only $34 plus shipping. Such a great value!

Here's a quick look at the Background of the Month membership this month! So fun! This membership is available for only $18.99. That includes shipping! Included with both of these memberships is a wonderful inspiration sheet with pictures and step-by-step instructions for two cards so you can easily recreate the cards yourself. And now when you sign up you have the ability to pause, skip or cancel your subscription within your Unity account.

 Well, that's it for me today! I'll be back next week with inspiration using the gorgeous October 2023 Whit Kit. Have an ink-tastic day!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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Magic Is ~ Magical Motif ~ Unity Stamp Co.

Hello there crafty friend!

I have one more card to share using a beautiful new set from Unity's latest release. This one is called Magical Motif. Such a pretty bunch of stamps!

I'm continuing my challenge to myself and I grabbed three colors to ink smoosh... colors that I wouldn't normally grab to play with. This time I chose Fossilized Amber, Shaded Lilac and Bundled Sage.

I die cut my panel using the largest die from the Make a Tag {die set}. I also die cut a piece of Kraft card stock. I adhered the two tags together and added a cute purple bow using Winter Wisteria Luxe Satin Ribbon from Papertrey Ink. I also ink smooshed a bit of the yellow and purple oxides on the top and bottom of the card base.

All that was left was to adhere the tags to the card base. Easy peasy! I really like how this one turned out, too! So glad I'm trying different colors. It's been fun. Until next time... have an ink-tastic day!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky hugs,

Crystal

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Heartfelt Holiday Wishes ~ Velveteen Noel ~ Unity Stamp Co.

Hello there crafty friend!

I finally had some time to play with the new releases at Unity. Of course, I had to play with the new Velveteen Rabbit stamps! Oh my heart... so I've mentioned a few times before that my daughter loves bunnies. I got her The Velveteen Rabbit book years ago and it's a favorite for us! 

And I do love to make Christmas cards so... it was only natural for me to be drawn to the Velveteen Noel stamps. So cute! I gave my card a vintage feel with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

Inspiration for my card came from the Tawny Owl Paperie Inky Inspiration Sketch 15. I flipped the sketch and omitted the fishtail banner for a small sentiment on the side. 

The background is stamped with The Wisdom of Becoming Real background stamp and then I ink smooshed it just a bit with Candied Apple Distress Oxide ink. I also splattered some Vintage Photo Distress ink that was left on my desk. I colored up the adorable Velveteen Rabbit with the following Copic markers:

Rabbit: W00, W1, W3, W5, R20

Stocking: C00, C1, C3, R20, R14, R46, YG11, G24, G46

I die cut the background layer, a piece of vellum card stock and a piece of Kraft card stock using dies from the Postage Stamp {nesting dies}. I wrapped the corners of the background layer with a bit of Ivory May Arts Burlap String that I secured on the back of the panel with some tape.

I'm entering my card in the Cut It Up Challenge #287 Inspired by a Book.

Head on over to Unity to check out all the fab new releases! Lots of cute holiday stamps and, of course, the fun Velveteen Rabbit stamps! Have an ink-tastic day!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky hugs,

Crystal

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Membership Wednesday ~ September 2023 BOM Off the Grid ~ Unity Stamp Co.

  Hello there crafty friend!

Today I'm sharing a fun card using the cool September 2023 Background of the Month membership from Unity called Off the Grid. I had a fun idea for a background only using a portion of the stamp.

I stamped a piece of white card stock using Sugar Cube Pigment ink from Taylored Expressions. I applied Alabaster White Embossing powder from Brutus Monroe and melted it with my heat tool. 

Then came the fun part... I ink smooshed some Candy Apple and Wilted Violet Distress Oxide inks. I also blended some of the inks to fill in the background.

I die cut the background using the largest die from the Deckle & Stitches Nesting Dies, also from Unity. I dried the background completely, added some white acrylic paint splatters, and then adhered it to a white A2 top fold card base.

I stamped the beautiful Zinnia on a scrap of white card stock really only focusing on the one flower. I didn't want the whole cluster for my card so the grid background would show. I colored up the zinnia with just a few purple Copic markers: V0000, V000, V12, V17. I didn't want it very dark so it would pop on the background. I stamped the 'hello' sentiment from the September 2023 Kit of the Month called Harvest Hues. Love the distressed look of the sentiment. The flower is fussy cut and I colored up the edges using a Memento Tuxedo Black marker to make it all nice and neat. I also fussy cut the sentiment but I left the edges white. Both are popped up on the card with foam tape.

Here's a quick look at the Background of the Month membership this month! So fun! This membership is available for only $18.99. That includes shipping! Included with both of these memberships is a wonderful inspiration sheet with pictures and step-by-step instructions for two cards so you can easily recreate the cards yourself. And now when you sign up you have the ability to pause, skip or cancel your subscription within your Unity account.

I'm playing along with the Color Hues Challenge #72: Purple & Red

 Well, that's it for me today! I'll be back in two weeks with inspiration for one of the fab October memberships. Just not sure at this point which one I want to play with first. {Be warned... they are ALL amazing!!} Until then, have an ink-tastic day!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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Baby Wipe Technique ~ Technique Tuesday ~ Unity Stamp Co.

 Hello there crafty friend!

I'm back with another Technique Tuesday! On the 2nd Tuesday of each month I'll be sharing a bit of inspiration and a video featuring a fun technique. I hope that you'll be inspired to get inky and play along with some of the techniques that I share.

Today's technique is one that I love to play with when I'm using large block stamps without much detail on them... the Baby Wipe Technique! This is an oldie but a goodie, for sure!

First up, I used the gorgeous Painted Poinsettias for two no layer cards. These were so fun to make and super easy!

I opened up the card base and masked off the back of the card using a post it note and Pixie Tape. Added a bunch of drops of reinker from a few fun dye ink colors in my stash to a clean baby wipe. Basically, this turned the baby wipe into my ink pad. I then stamped the larger poinsettia all over the background filling up as much of the white space as I could.

 Once I was happy with that I stamped the smaller poinsettia using the medium color from my dye inks. I just adore pink on holiday cards!

 My second card using the very same technique and steps. The only difference is I moved the sentiment for this one. I do love how the black sentiment pops on the card.

Once I had the backgrounds done, I removed the mask and stamped the sentiment using Black Amalgam ink.

Experimented a bit with my third card and used the lightest pink color for my smaller poinsettia on a couple of the flowers. And I just didn't like it as much. I set it aside for awhile but decided to add some gold silk splatter and I think it makes the card so much better.

I dried the background and then stamped the sentiment using Black Amalgam ink again.

And my last card... I wanted to show how you could step up the card a bit if you're wanting more layers. I used Distress Watercolor Paper for this one which gives the card a lot of texture. I do think the Baby Wipe Technique worked well with the watercolor paper. 

Die cut the background using the Scallops & Rectangles {nesting dies}. Wrapped it a few times with some Black May Arts Burlap String. I then adhered it to a black card base.

You can check out my process video here for creating the backgrounds... Baby Wipe Technique | Technique Tuesday | Unity Stamp Co.

Such a fun and simple technique with so many possibilities depending on what colors you use and the mix of stamps! If you give this fun technique a try, I'd love to see what you create so please share your cards in the Unity Show & Tell group and tag me. Have an ink-tastic day!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

See ya next time.

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

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