~ Friends of Unity July 2026 Blog Hop ~

Hello there crafty friend & Happy 4th of July!!!

It's time for another Friends of Unity Blog Hop!! Woohoo! This month's cue is lots of fun because it's a challenge that we are hosting in the Unity Show & Tell Facebook group. I sure hope that you can find some time to play along with us! 

Today we are sharing inspiration for a fun Color Challenge!! A nod to America's 250th!! But it's not a 4th of July themed challenge - if that's how you are inspired though, go for it! We're just looking for fun and creative cards using the red, white & blue color combo. There are 4 fabulous prizes up for grabs for 3 lucky winners!! All you have to do is enter a card into the Color Challenge album in the Unity Show & Tell FB group.

I was inspired to use the new Sweet Bee Blooms stamp that's available separately or in the July 2026 Kit of the Month called Ahead of the Holiday Herd. Isn't it amazing?!!

Other than my addition of neutral black, I kept strictly to the color combo. A little out of my comfort zone giving the bees a little shading to keep them white and also keeping the centers of the flowers white with a little shading, but I think it turned out pretty.

Copic markers used:

Red: R20, R14, R27

Shadows for White: C0, C2

Blue: B000, B02, B24

I tore the edges of my layers and adhered them to a white A2 top fold card base. And finished it off with the sentiment that I popped up with foam tape. Kept it easy peasy and only made one card this time. My back is getting better but I'm still being careful not to sit too long and doing my stretches and exercises. Thanks to all those who are praying for me. I appreciate the get well wishes, too.

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

... Carla from Arizona!! Congratulations, Carla!!

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

Please claim the prize before July 29th, 2026. 

I'm also sharing the winners for our friend Dawn. She wasn't able to participate this month but wanted to share her winners so I'm sharing them here. The lucky winners are... Meghan K. and Vannessa Osbourn. Please reach out to Dawn at lovepaperetc@gmail.com to claim your prize.

Well, that's it for me this time! 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 ---> Von Marie

Jenni

Rachel

Toni

Joyce

Doreen

Thanks so very much for supporting our little hop!

We appreciate you so much!!

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

Pretty Wonderful ~ Buzzy Blooms ~ Unity Stamp Co.

Hello there crafty friend! 

Some days it just feels so good to get inky... I had a blast making this card. A little ink smooshing and ink blending and some white acrylic paint spatters can make for a good day in my book!

I inked up all of the stamps in the Buzzy Blooms kit. I used the honeycomb and script for my background. The blooms for my focal and then those beautiful bees for accents. I am smitten, y'all!! I made this beauty for a friend that is moving away. A little reminder for her that she is wonderful. The sentiment is from The Softest Thoughts stamps.

I ink smooshed and blended the background using Antique Linen, Evergreen Bough, Mermaid Lagoon, and Vintage Photo Distress Inks.

Copic markers used:

Flowers: Y21, YR21, YR02, R22

Centers: Y15, Y38, Y28

Leaves / Stems: YG00, YG95, YG67

Background: BG000, B000

Bees: Y11, Y38

I die cut the background panel using a die from the Zig-Zag Rectangles {nesting dies}. I wrapped the two corners with May Arts Natural Burlap String and secured them on the back with scotch tape. I tied a bow with two pieces of the string and adhered it using a mini glue dot. The sentiment is adhered to the flowers and then I popped it and the flowers up on the card with foam tape. I glued the left bee directly to the card and popped up the right bee to give it a little dimension. Love how this turned out!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Inky hugs,

Crystal

~ Friends of Unity May 2026 Blog Hop ~

Hello there crafty friend!

It's time for another Friends of Unity Blog Hop!! Woohoo! This month's cue is another fun one...

Today we are sharing inspiration for the Farmhouse cue!! There are so many directions to go in for this cue... I only had time to create two cards though.

When I was a kid I worked at a farm stand for a couple days and we were selling flowers. I'm pretty sure we weren't selling lilacs... I think it was daffodils or daisies but when I saw this gorgeous stamp in this month's Kit of the Month membership I just knew I had to ink it up. You can sign up for the KOM membership and get this gorgeous 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. Such a gorgeous stamp!

I inked up the gorgeous lilacs from the May 2026 KOM Odds, Ends & Adorable, also available separately in the Lilac Poise stamps. I stamped them directly on a piece of pattern paper from the Rustic Farmhouse {paper pack}. And die cut the paper using a die from the Deckle & Stitches Nesting Die Set.

I colored the lilacs on the pattern paper using the following the markers.

Copic markers used:

Lilacs: V000, V12, V15, B000

Stems / Leaves: YG11, YG03, YG17

Outline: C0, C2

I also stamped the lilacs on a piece of white card stock and colored up 5 of the tiny little flowers. I fussy cut them and colored the edges with a black marker and then I popped them up with a little foam tape. I love the dimension this adds to the card!

My second card also features a stamp from the May 2026 KOM Odds, Ends & Adorable. It's available separately in the Still Kickin' stamps. Such a fun stamp!

Copic Markers used:

Donkey: W0, W1, W3, W5, W7, R00, R20

Hat: RV10, RV02, RV14, B000, B00, B02, Y11, Y15, YR20, YR15

My card design was inspired by the Tawny Owl Paperie Inky Inspiration Sketch 42. I'm hosting a fun sketch challenge in the Tawny Owl Paperie Inky Inspiration Facebook group. The challenge is open until May 25th and there's no theme. Just the sketch to inspire creativity. Lots of time to join in the fun and play along!!

I paired up the cute donkey with the Yay, It's Today {paper pack}. I used colors from the papers to color up the donkey. And I wanted him to pop a bit more BUT I didn't want to cover up the papers in the background so I added a rectangle of vellum card stock behind him that I die cut using the Scallops & Rectangles {nesting dies}.

I popped up the donkey and the sentiment with foam tape. I adhered the vellum layer by adding glue behind the donkey. I finished off this one with a few enamel dots from my stash. I thought they were white, but it looks like they are an off white. Close enough! LOL!

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...

... Indy's Designs!! Congratulations, Debbie!!

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

Please claim the prize before June 3rd, 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 ---> Toni

Jenni

Rachel

Dawn

Doreen

Thanks so very much for supporting our little hop!

We appreciate you so much!!

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

~ 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

~ Friends of Unity March 2026 Blog Hop ~

Hello there crafty friend! Happy March to you!

It's time for another Friends of Unity Blog Hop!! Woohoo! This month's cue is one of my faves...

Today we are sharing inspiration using the fun Friends of Unity Sketch above!! Lots of fun layers that are perfect for those pattern papers in the ol' stash. If you're inspired and want to play along just use the sketch and share in the Unity Show & Tell Facebook Group. If you're not in the group, please tag me on your social media... I'd love to see your take on the sketch!

My first card features the cute new Just a Couple Spring Chickens stamps from this month's Uniquely Unity membership. You can sign up for the membership and get all the perks along with this cute stamp mailed straight to your door. Or buy it as a 1-Time Purchase. Isn't it just the sweetest stamp?! I die cut it using a die from the Scallops & Arches {nesting dies}.

Copic markers used:

Chicken: E21, E23, R00, R14, YR20, YR15

Eyes: C0, C2

Flowers: RV10, RV02, Y15

Stems / Leaves: YG91, YG95

Pot: B0000, B000, B91

 

My paper layers are a fun mix of pattern papers from the Jubilant Tapestry {paper pack}. I die cut the floral papers using a die from the Scallops & Rectangles {nesting dies}. I mat that with a 3-7/8 x 5-1/8" piece of Midnight Muse card stock from Stampin' Up. The background layer measures 4-1/4 x 5-1/2" and the grid paper measures 3-9/16 x 1-1/2". All of my layers are adhered to a white A2 top fold card base.

I die cut a piece of Midnight Muse card stock with a die from the Scalloped & Stitched Sentiment Nesting Dies. I stamped and trimmed the sentiment and adhered it to the die cut mat. I adhered the sentiment to the arch and popped them up on the card with foam tape. I die cut the heart from one of the pattern papers using a die from the Dashes and Frills Hearts {die set} and adhered it to the card finishing this one off. 

For my second card I inked up the adorable sheep from the Shear Surprise stamps. I die cut them using another die from the Scallops & Arches {nesting dies}. I colored them up with Copic markers that coordinated with the lovely colors in the Where Little Gardens Grow {paper pack} I used for my layers. Loving the spring colors!!

Copic markers used:

Sheep: N1, N3, N5, R00, R20, C0, C2

Eyes: C0, C2

Flowers: RV02, Y35

Stems / Leaves / Grass: YG11, YG23

Wall: YR20, YR21, YR02

Sky: B0000, B000

 I used the awesome Zig Zag Rectangles {nesting dies} for this card. PRO TIP: die cut smaller portions from the larger pieces of pattern paper for future projects. I really love the delicate floral paper in the background layer so I used the smaller stitched rectangle die {the plaid layer} to die cut a piece from the center of my background papers so I can use it for another project. To finish this one off, I adhered the trimmed sentiment to the arch and then popped up the sheep and sentiment with foam tape. 

Anybody else snag this cutie from last month's sale?! The sass is pretty serious with this one! LOL! I die cut this cutie with the Scallops & Arches {nesting dies}. I colored up the Already Old bird with just a handful of Copic markers.

Copic markers used:

Bird: Y11, Y15, Y38

Eyes / Ground: C0, C2

Balloon: RV000, RV10, RV02

Sky: B0000, B000

I paired up the bird with the pretty Swing into Spring {paper pack}. This time I die cut my layers using the Deckle & Stitches Nesting Die Set. I adhered the three layers in the middle {blue, floral and pink papers} all together and popped it up on the script background layer using foam tape. 

I adhered the sentiment to the arch and added a bunch of foam tape to the back of the arch and sentiment and then popped them up on the card. I finished this card off with a big blue button! This one will probably have to be hand delivered but I love how it turned out!

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...

... Denise Bryant!! Congratulations, Denise!!

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

Please claim the prize before April 1st, 2026. 

Well, that's it for me this time! Be sure to hop along and enjoy some more inspiration from our friends. I can't wait to see our friends' take on the sketch. 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

Amber

Jenni

Joyce

Dawn

Rachel

Toni

Jane

Thanks so very much for supporting our little hop!

We appreciate you so much!!

Inky Hugs,

Crystal

Throwback Thursday ~ Otter Nonsense with January 2026 KOM ~ Unity Stamp Co.

Hello there crafty friend! 

Today I'm sharing a fun custom birthday card I made using a mix of old and new stamps from Unity. I mentioned on my post earlier this month that I was wanting to start using some of my retired Unity stamps now that I'm getting them cataloged. Might as well start now with a Throwback Thursday post.

First off, I totally CASEd this card from the one I made last month for our Friends of Unity CASEd cue. Here's a link if you want to check it out... Where Butterflies Wait card. 

I used papers from the Oh Hey! It's Your Day {paper pack} for my background layer on a white A2 top fold card base. I stamped the gorgeous flowers from the January 2026 KOM on white card stock and stamped the otter from the retired Otter Nonsense on a scrap of white card stock. I die cut the flower panel using a die from the Scallops & Arches {nesting dies}. And then I got to coloring with my Copic markers.

Here's a quick list of the Copics I used:

Otter: W0, W1, W3, W5, N1, N3, N5, R00, R20

Pink: RV10, RV02

Red Flowers / Heart: R20, R14

Yellow Flowers: Y11, Y35, R20, R14

Butterfly: BG10, BG01, Y11, Y35

Greens: YG00, YG11, YG23

Background: B000

The awesome sentiment is from the Extended Celebration {Front & Center stamps}. I stamped and trimmed the sentiment and adhered it to the die cut panel and then I added foam tape to both pieces and popped it up on the card. Whatcha think?

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Inky hugs,

Crystal