~ Friends of Unity April 2026 Blog Hop ~

Hello there crafty friend!

It's time for another Friends of Unity Blog Hop!! Woohoo! I can't believe that it's already April! How is that even possible?! This month's cue is a fun one...

Today we are sharing inspiration for Earth Day / Recycle!! I was kind of all over the place trying to decide which direction to go with my makes this time. But I'm happy with them and I hope you enjoy them.

Where would the world be without mothers?! Well, the answer is absolutely no where as we birth the babies that populate it so I decided to make a Mother's Day card. My first card features the super cute and new Little Miss Moo stamps from this month's Kit of the Month membership. You can sign up for the KOM membership and get this adorable stamp along with all the others in the kit, plus all the perks of the membership, mailed straight to your door. OR buy it as a 1-Time Purchase. Isn't it just the cutest stamp?!

 

 I die cut the adorable moo cow and my background using dies from the BIG Scallops & Rectangles {nesting dies}. I found a fun ink smooshed background in my "To Be Used Later" pile that looked MOO-velous with this sweet cow. LOL! I really like the pretty spring colors! I had ink smooshed it with Mustard Seed, Picked Raspberry, and a tiny bit of Chipped Sapphire Distress Inks. 

I couldn't decide which sentiment to use so I used both! I adhered them to the cow panel and then popped up the panel and sentiments together with foam tape.

Copic markers used:

Cow: E000, R00, R20, E51, C0, C2, C3, N0, N1, N3, N5

Flowers: Y11, Y15, RV14

Flower Centers: YR02, YG68

Tiny Flowers: RV14

Leaves / Grass: YG11, YG23, YG67

Basket: E21, E23, E25

Do you ever look at packaging and think that would be cool on a card?! I can't be the only one. LOL! I was tearing up a cardboard/paper envelope and I just loved the look of the corrugated paper. I HAD to use it for a card! And it brings the Recycle element to my second card.

I stamped the beautiful Elise Girl with Black Amalgam ink on white card stock and colored her up with Copic markers. I decided early on that I would fussy cut her because she has a lot of extra hearts and flowers around her so I cut all of those off so the background would show through. I masked the sentiment and used Black Amalgam ink as well as Candied Apple Distress Ink for the heart.

Copic markers used:

Skin: E000, E00, E11

Hair: C0, C3, C5

Dress: Y11, Y15, RV10, RV14

Pants: RV000, RV10

Flowers: Y11, Y15, RV000, RV10, RV14, BG000, BG10, BG01

Leaves: YG11, YG23

Bird: Y11, Y15, BG000, BG10, BG01, Y28

 I wrapped the recycled paper with some aqua twine from my stash. I secured the pieces with tape on the back and used a lot of glue to adhere the it to the card base. I adhered Elise Girl to the bottom of the sentiment and popped them both up on the card with lots of foam tape. And then I finished off the card with a few raindrop embellies.

It only made sense to use the cute world stamp from the 2025 Advent Calendar for my last card. I stamped it with Black Amalgam ink and fussy cut on the line. I colored the edges of my fussy cutting with a black marker.

My card design was inspired by the Tawny Owl Paperie Inky Inspiration Sketch 41. I'm hosting a fun sketch challenge in the Tawny Owl Paperie Inky Inspiration Facebook group. The challenge is open until April 27th. Lots of time to join in the fun and play along.

I paired up the cute world stamp with the Cloud Hopper Chronicles {paper pack}. I die cut some of the scrap papers using the smallest circle die from the Scallops & Circles {nesting dies}. I used my last full sheet for my striped background. I trimmed it to 5-1/4 x 4". I adhered the circles and cut off the excess on the ends. And then adhered the panel to a Kraft A2 card base. I popped up the world circle with foam tape.

All that was left was the sentiment and searched and searched through my stamps and came across this one. I stamped the sentiment from the Whole Wonderful World stamps. I think it works nicely.

Copic markers used:

Water: BG000, BG10

Land: YG11, YG03

Heart: RV10, RV14

Now before we get to the hopping, I chose a lucky winner from the comments on last month's hop to win a fun prize and the lucky winner is...

... Sue D!! Congratulations, Sue!!

Please email me at crystalominkler@gmail.com to claim your prize. 

Please claim the prize before April 29th, 2026. 

Well, that's it for me this time! It's a short hop this month with just six of us sharing makes. I'm so excited to see how our friends were inspired for this month's hop. I will be doing another fun giveaway this month!! Be sure to hop along and comment for a chance to win. {When you comment please leave your name just in case it posts as anonymous.} I'll announce the winner next month! 

Let's get to the hopping...

Crystal <--- you're here

up next ---> Jenni

Toni

Joyce

Rachel

Dawn

Thanks so very much for supporting our little hop!

We appreciate you so much!!

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

International Women's Day ~ Lauren Girl ~ Unity Stamp Co.

Hello there crafty friend! 

Today I felt inspired to share a card for International Women's Day!! Let's support and cheer each other on! You are amazing. You are fabulous. Beautiful girl, you can do hard things.

I inked up Lauren Girl from Unity but fussy cut her on the line removing the large flower over her shoulder. I colored her up with some Copic markers and colored the edges of my fussy cutting so it looks much neater.

Copic markers used:

Skin: E000, E00, E11

Hair / Shoes: C0, C1, C3, C5

Shirt: BG70, BG72

Dragonfly: BG49

Jeans: B000, B91, B95, B97

I used the Blue Medallion paper pad from Love Nicole... some very old papers in my stash. I wanted to jazz up the papers so I blended some Hickory Smoke Distress Ink over the Falling Dots Stencil from A Colorful Life Designs. It's a little darker than I intended but I still like how it turned out. I die cut the background with a die from the Scallops & Rectangles {nesting dies} from Unity.

I die cut a scrap of Weathervane card stock from Papertrey Ink using the same Scallops & Rectangles {nesting dies} and then I heat embossed my sentiment using white pigment ink and white embossing powder for a vibrant white on the gray card stock. I thought the sentiment was fitting for International Women's Day... I hope you have a wonderful day!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Inky hugs,

Crystal

{BYSHC} Sketch Challenge 63 ~ Christmas Shop with Gifting Girl ~ Angie Blom Digital Designs

Hello there crafty friend!

I'm back with a little inspiration for the {BYSHC} Sketch Challenge 63 hosted in the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Facebook group! Today I'm sharing a pretty card featuring two gorgeous digi stamps from our fab Sponsor, Angie Blom Digital Designs.

I combined and resized the the Christmas Shop digi and the beautiful Gifting Girl digi stamps in a Word Document. I printed it off on white card stock and colored it up with Copic markers.

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

Skin: E000, E00, E11

Hair: E31, E37, E29

Hat / Coat: C0, C2, R20, R14, R29

Dress: G12, G24

Boots / Planter: E30, E31, E37

Gifts: E30, E31, R20, R14, R29, G000, G12, G24, C0, C2, BG0000, BG000

Sidewalk: C0, C2

Building: E30, E31

Roof: N0, N2, N4, N6

Windows / Lights: Y11, Y15

Wreath / Tree in Store: G12, G24, G46, R20, R14, R29

Outside Tree: G000, G12, G19, G29

I stamped the sentiment, fussy cut it and popped it up on the card with foam tape. I paired up this pretty scene with the beautiful I'll Be Home for Christmas {paper pack} from Unity. The two red strips of card stock are Pure Poppy card stock from Papertrey Ink.

Here's a look at {BYSHC} Sketch Challenge 63 for the month of November. If you're interested in seeing a bit more inspiration for this sketch, check out the amazing inspiration from the design team over on the {BYSH} Cardmakers blog! The design team did an amazing job with this month's sketch!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Inky hugs,

Crystal

~ Friends of Unity September 2025 Blog Hop ~

Hello there crafty friend!

It's time for our Friends of Unity Blog Hop!! This month's cue is SO much fun! 

It took me a while to get started. I was really stuck for ideas. But once I got started I couldn't stop. So with that said. There's a lot of content on this blog post. I made three projects and the last one was very involved. There's lots of photos and I'll try to keep the chatter to a minimum so the post isn't too terribly long. I hope you enjoy my projects and if you're inspired by my makes, I'd love to see what you make.

First up is a cute accordion tag book that was inspired by our sweet crafty friend, Jenni Shamblin. She's sharing one today that is SO beautiful. Be sure you stop by her blog {down below in the hop}.

Here's the tag book opened. I used small pieces of white card stock to attach the tags together. I didn't cover the back. I still might but I couldn't find a paper I liked to do it so for now it's just blank. I used four Fall themed tags that I received from Unity. Not sure if it was a gift or if I ordered it, but they sure made this project come together quickly.

Here's a photo sharing the Itty Bitty stamps I used: Planner Gal: Seasonal Hello, Pumpkin Spice Please, Bountiful Fall {retired}, Pumpkin Greetings {retired}, and three of the sentiments are from the August 2025 KOM Season of Soft & Spooky. 

Copic markers used: 

Orange: YR20, YR15, YR27

Yellow: Y11, Y15, Y21, Y38

Brown: E000, E00, E11, E23, E43, E44, E57

Green: YG11, YG63, G94

Red: R20, R14, R35.

Next up is a cute tag that could also be a bookmark. I was inspired by my favorite bookmark that I made eons ago. I thought I'd case it and maybe send it to a friend. I just realized I didn't write down the Copics I used for this one. Sorry about that.

I used a fun mix of stamps for this one: July 2021 KOM Special Spot in My Heart, Books a' Flutter {retired}, and Better With Friends. 

Inks used: Peacock Feathers and Vintage Photo Distress Inks, Black Amalgam Ink, Memento Tuxedo Black marker.

Here's a quick photo of my original bookmark and my cased bookmark. Original used the same book stamps, but the girl is from Part of the Story {retired}. Not sure about the other background stamps on that one. They might be Stampin' Up.

I wanted to share one more photo for this one. Once I had my background done on the bookmark I stamped the girl so that when I fussy cut off all the dots and hearts around her it would still be a part of her on the bookmark. I love those little details.

And my last project... a Mixed Media Mini File Folder. I had just received this awesome file folder die in an order and I was inspired to make something for the hop. It's the Floral Slots File Folder from Elizabeth Craft Designs. Once I got started with this project it took off so please bare with me. There's lots of photos and I recorded a quick video that I share at the end just sharing the finished project. The cover features a bunch of stamps but the big new pumpkin is the star. This pumpkin is in the September 2025 KOM Harvest to Holiday. It's also available separately here... Pumpkin Hearth. I ink smooshed the pumpkin with Spiced Marmalade, Carved Pumpkin and Abandoned Coral Distress inks. I blended some Vintage Photo Distress ink around the edges and colored the stem with Copics {E21, E25, E57}. In the background you'll find the big leaf from Beautiful Change, the stitch stamps from Time to be Happy Again, and a couple stamps from Love Who You Are.

The inside of the mini file folder. I inked smooshed the whole thing with Salvaged Patina, Peacock Feathers, Vintage Photo and Carved Pumpkin Distress Inks. The big tree is from the July 2021 KOM Special Spot in My Heart and the fun pumpkins are from Beautiful Change. The 'fall feels' sentiment on the tab is from the August 2025 KOM Season of Soft & Spooky. I masked it so that it would fit in the little spot.

Here's a look at the tag fronts. I ink smooshed the manila tags with Spiced Marmalade, Carved Pumpkin, and Abandoned Coral Distress inks. I blended a bit of Vintage Photo Distress ink to soften the white and then I distressed the edges with some too. I used the Tree of Gratitude stamps for these. All four of them are heat embossed with Penny EP from Brutus Monroe. The spatters are Ground Espresso Distress ink that I diluted with a tiny bit of water.

The other side of the tags. I distressed the edges on this side too but didn't do the spatter. I used a leaf from the Tree of Gratitude, another leaf from the August 2025 KOM Season of Soft & Spooky, and then trees also from that KOM. The three sentiments on the left are also from the KOM. And then the last one on the right is from Beautiful Change.

I just had to keep on going but I kept the back simple with just a few trees and a sentiment from the August 2025 KOM Season of Soft & Spooky. They are also available separately here... Long Rooted Truths. I tried to keep my chatter to a minimum. If you have a question about anything I made, please ask away in the comments. 

I recorded a quick video just sharing the finished project. You can check that out here if the video above doesn't work... Mixed Media Mini File Folder | Unity Stamp Co.

Now before we get to the hopping, I chose a lucky winner from the comments on last month's hop to win a fun prize and the lucky winner is...

... Dee in N.H.!! Congratulations, Dee!!

Send me an email at crystalominkler@gmail.com to claim your prize. 

Please claim the prize before October 1st, 2025. 

Well, that's it for me this time! We have a full hop this month with lots of inspiration so I hope you'll grab a cup of coffee or tea or water... what have you, and keep on hopping! I will be doing another fun giveaway this month!! Be sure to hop along and comment for a chance to win. {When you comment please leave your name just in case it posts as anonymous.} I'll announce the winner next month! 

Let's get to the hopping...

Crystal <--- you're here

up next ---> Doreen

 Jenni

Amber

Toni

Joyce

Kari

Rachel

Dawn

Thanks so very much for supporting our little hop!

We appreciate you so much!!

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

~ Friends of Unity August 2025 Blog Hop ~

Hello there crafty friend!

It's time for our Friends of Unity Blog Hop!! This month's cue is a lot of fun! 

Technique is such a broad scope for a cue... it took me a while to figure out what I wanted to make. I decided to play with my Distress Crayons again. It's been awhile.

I masked my 4-1/4 x 5-1/2" panels with iCraft Removable Pixie Tape from Therm O Web. And then I colored the masked off area with three distress crayons. For my first card, I chose Fossilized Amber, Mustard Seed, and Spiced Marmalade. I used a baby wipe to blend those colors and then removed the tape. I swiped my white pigment ink pad across the raised part just to add a touch of white.

I wanted to add some texture to my panels so I ran this one through my Big Shot with the Dot Matrix embossing folder from Tim Holtz/Sizzix. I paired up this fun background with an adorable bee from the  July 2025 Uniquely Unity Bee-Hold stamps. The die cut hexagons are cut out using the Hexagon Frames from Newton's Nook Designs.

Copic markers used: Y11, Y15, B000, C0, C2

I masked off my second panel at a diagonal. For this one I used Picked Raspberry, Spun Sugar, and Kitsch Flamingo distress crayons. I blended them with a baby wipe and then ran this one through my Big Shot with the Tattered Poinsettia embossing folder also from Tim Holtz/Sizzix.

I paired up my second panel with the beautiful Seasons of Life stamp. The sentiment is from Deck the Halls. I fussy cut the girl and adhered her and the sentiment to the card.

Copic markers used for this card:

Skin: E000, E00, E11

Hair: Y11, E43, E44

Hat / Scarf / Mittens: G000, G82, C0, C2

Coat: E21, E33, E25, R20, R22

I've kinda been on a roll with the Christmas cards so... I made another! For this one I masked the paper horizontally and I used Peacock Feathers, Salvaged Patina, and Mermaid Lagoon distress crayons. And I used a snowflake embossing folder that I believe is Tim Holtz but there's no brand name on it so I'm not sure.

I paired up this fun wintry background with the awesome Sending Christmas Smiles stamps. I adore this snowman! I fussy cut him and adhered him to the card. 

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

Snowman: C0, C2

Nose: Y11, YR20, YR15, YR68

Arm: E00, E59

Hat: N2, N4, N6

Scarf / Hat Band: R20, R14, R27

Now before we get to the hopping, I chose a lucky winner from the comments on last month's hop to win a fun prize and the lucky winner is...

... Becca Yahrling!! Congratulations, Becca!!

Please email me at crystalominkler@gmail.com to claim your prize. 

Please claim the prize before September 3rd, 2025. 

Well, that's it for me this time! It's a short hop this month with just six of us sharing our makes. Be sure to hop along and enjoy some more inspiration! I can't wait to see how our friends were inspired by this month's cue. I will be doing another fun giveaway this month!! Be sure to hop along and comment for a chance to win. {When you comment please leave your name just in case it posts as anonymous.} I'll announce the winner next month! 

Let's get to the hopping...

Crystal <--- you're here

up next ---> Jenni

Toni

Rachel

Dawn

Joyce

Thanks so very much for supporting our little hop!

We appreciate you so much!!

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

Christmas in July 2025 {BYSHC} Linky Party ~ Cozy Vibes Girl ~ Angie Blom Digital Designs

 Hello there crafty friend!

It's day 3 of the Christmas in July 2025 {BYSHC} Linky Party!! I'm excited to share another holiday card that I've made to add to my Christmas stash! This time I played with an awesome digital stamp from our fabulous Sponsor Angie Blom Digital Designs. I love this fab girl and the great big coffee cup!! I could use one of those this morning! LOL!

This beautiful girl is from the Cozy Vibes Girl digital stamps. I used one of the printable sheets so there was no need to resize or combine anything. I just printed it off... easy peasy! I colored the images with Copic markers and used a ruler to get that line above her head just right. I fussy cut around the images leaving some white around the pom pom and hair, otherwise the rest is cut on the black line. I colored the edges of my fussy cutting on the line with a black marker so the cutting looks nice.

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

Skin: E000, E00, E11, E04

Hair: E21

Coat: E21, E25

Hat / Scarf / Gloves: BG10, BG01, BG23

Snowflake: B000, B00, B02

Cup: BV31, BV02

Lid: C0, C2, C3

Keeping with a wintry theme, I chose the Christmas Snow 6x6 Pattern Paper Pad from our NEW Sponsor Crafty Stamp Co. I wanted a pretty blue paper that would coordinate with the blue of the snowflake.

Inspiration for my card came from one of our past sketches... BYSHC Sketch 23. I love using the past sketches and changing them up a bit to fit my card is always fun too.

All of my background paper layers are adhered using iCraft UltraBond Adhesive from Sponsor Therm O Web. I added foam tape called iCraft 3D Foam Tape Jumbo Roll (white), also from Therm O Web, to the back of the main panel and popped it up on the card. And then I finished it off with a little confetti called Metallic Turquoise Card Bling from A Colorful Life Designs.

If you haven't already, stop by the Christmas in July 2025 {BYSHC} Linky Party to check out all the wonderful Holiday inspiration being shared!! I have so many wonderful ideas for future cards! So inspiring! I hope you have an ink-redible day!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Inky Hugs,

Crystal