Hi Crafty Friends! Welcome to our May hop, “Masculine” is the theme. I created my cards to share with the intention of adding “Happy Father’s Day” sentiments inside the card. They can also be used for birthday and encouragement. Some of you may get to spend the special day with your dad. For others like me, remembering our dads during this time is beautiful and heartfelt….memories that last a lifetime.

Card #1 ~ A Bear and a Leaf, “Woodland Cuteness” by Angie Blom for Unity

This card is clean and simple. I love the adorable bear, something about him is so sweet! I stamped the image on watercolor paper and painted him with Prismacolor watercolor pencils in browns and gold. A light blue wash of Salty Ocean distress ink for the sky and splatters add subtle character. I stamped the sentiment at an angle and die cut the cardfront with a Gina Marie double stitched border die. I mounted it on kraft and roughed up the edges. Finally I adhered it to a creme cardbase.

This card might be simple but I love how it turned out. Inside the card, a happy father’s day stamp would be great.

Card #2 ~ “from the countryside”, Unity Stamp Co June 2023 Kit of the Month

A collage of images for a father on his special day. I knew I wanted to use this awesome Kit of the Month and instead of choosing one stamp I decided to create a background! I stamped the images at angles in Versafine black ink. I stamped on watercolor paper because I wasn’t sure how much I would paint them. It turns out, I could have used regular card stock! I stamped the “i love you” sentiment and accented it with a swoosh of turquoise. I shaded under the typewriter to give it dimension. I added bits of color to the tie and tractor. Then I lightly painted the gears and parts of the ties with grey. I die cut the card base using a Gina Marie border die and adhered the cardfront onto a turquoise cardbase.

Finally I die cut “dad” in teal and black and glued it onto the front. I love this card and it is also a quick make! Next time I am going to recreate this card and paint all the images!

Card #3 ~ You’re Cool, “Keepin It Classy” by Jessica Pickeral for Unity

The front view of this old car is just super cool! Another unique, must-have image! I stamped the car on watercolor paper. Yellow for the hood, and pale orange lights and grey for shadows of the chrome. Not planned, I ended up making a cloudy backdrop and a hint of a road underneath. Then I stamped the sentiment in Versafine black and the second sentiment in teal. I wanted the second sentiment to be kind of a humorous afterthought, so I tilted it and used a color to express this.

I trimmed the cardfront to a square and adhered it to a light grey base. 3D Crystal Laquer gives the headlights and foglights dimension and shine. It’s hard to see in the picture but the laquer adds so much to the overall card. Finally, a yellow Nuvo drop is placed at the lower left corner.

These three cards were so much fun to make. I hope they might have sparked some creative energy in you. Please continue on the hop with all the friends in the line-up below. Thank you for hopping and I can’t wait to see you next month!

Crystal

Kim

Dawn F.

Jane

Gaylynn

Rachel(me)

Joyce

Bye for now, enjoy these gorgeous spring days doing what you love best!

Take care and keep on crafting!

Rachel
Please follow me on Instagram @cardartbyrachel

Hi Friends! April is here and beautiful cards are in full bloom! Our theme is “Mother’s Day” and I am sharing cards that can be used for this special day and other occasions. I hope you love them and find a few ideas to spark even more creativity!

Card #1 – Laney Girl by Angie Blom for Unity

This Angie girl reminds me of my childhood watching “Wonder Woman” with my sister! It was one of our favorite shows. How great it would be to receive a SUPER MOM card…. well that’s just awesome! I absolutely adore the little girl hiding behind her mom. I am pretty sure I was one of those shy kids! Funny that my three kids were never shy at all!

To create this card I stamped the image with Versafine Ink on watercolor paper. I painted the image with Komorebi Mozart paints. I stamped the top sentiment in black. Next I inked up the SUPER in red, stamped it and then inked up the MOM in black and stamped that! I love adding in a color to emphasize a word.

Stickles glitter glue in red and gold on the mom’s badge continue the SUPER vibe. I also added glitter to the little girl’s heart.(see below) Do you like the purse? I styled it with a white pocket on a charcoal base, I think it works!

Finally I mounted the cardfront onto red cardstock to create a thin border before adhering in to a white cardbase.

Card #2, Card #3 – Lilacs & Birthdays (Floral Collage) by Graciellie Designs for Unity

This lilac stamp set is gorgeous. When I look at it I immediately imagine an old, worn piece of tattered paper that has fallen in a puddle and the ink has run, causing the image to fade. Nevertheless, it is more beautiful with the imperfections and adds to it’s character and charm.

I assembled the stamp on my stamp positioner. Next I inked up the image using distress inks in purples and greens. Once on the paper, I lightly misted the lilacs in uneven areas. Then I stamped the script in Morning Mist Versafine ink, making sure it is overlapping the blossoms.

I found a crackled background stamp in my stash. I inked up the perimeter with a cool shade of purple, stamped it, and blended more ink to frame the image. Then I stamped the birthday sentiment and heat embossed in gold. Finally, I adhered the cardfront to a white frame and adhered it to a lavender cardbase leaving a thin border. I roughed up the border with scissors.

I created another card with the same idea. I used warmer purples, a darker cardbase, left off the crackle background and mounted it on a dark purple cardbase. Blended purples frame the image and mists of water move the color around. The sentiment is placed in the lower center area in grey and a citron twine is tied on the top.

I love this image so much, it reminds me of vintage wallpaper. Also I chose this birthday sentiment because it comes with the set. It would be easy to swap out for a mother’s day sentiment!

Card #4 – Enchanted Petals

When I saw this flower I was drawn to the beautiful stain glass window style. Always looking to add images to my ever-growing collection of Unity stamps, I had to have this one! It reminds me of the many beautiful stained glass windows found in church buildings.

I stamped this image on watercolor paper in black Versafine ink. Some of the lines were not even due to the slightly textured paper. No worries I knew I would llater go over those areas with a fine Sharpie marker. Coloring in the panes of glass was relaxing and fun. I used Komorebi Mozart watercolor paints.

I chose yellow to border the flower because to portray the glow of sunlight hitting the glass. I varied the density of paint as I remember each glass piece was not always uniform in color density.

I mounted the image on a black border and then adhered it to a light mauve cardbase. As said earlier, I went over a few lines with a fine black Sharpie to create crisp dark edges. I am excited to try painting this again with another set of colors, it will change dramatically each time!

Thank you for hopping with the Friends of Unity. Below is the list of all the creative friends sharing cards. Please continue along the way, there are so many great ideas waiting to be discovered!

Crystal

Amber

Tammy

Gaylynn

Kim

Jane

Dawn F.

Rachel (me)

Joyce

Have a wonderful April! I am grateful for my daily visits I get to have with my mom. And if you are a mom, you are a SUPER MOM…. trying our best to be an example of a life well lived! I am also a mom to three humans, a dog mom to two furry adorables and a grandmom to two bunnies!

I hope you found something here that sparks creative ideas! I look forward to seeing you next month. Take care and enjoy all of your spring activities.

Rachel

Please follow me on instagram @cardartbyrachel

Hi Everyone! Spring is upon us and I feel renewed energy in the air! The theme for March “Found in Nature” is so fitting as birds begin to sing and flowers are blooming. I can’t wait to share my cards with you.

Card #1 ~ March Beginnings by Sandhya Iyer for Unity

Daffodils are so beautiful, I love the hand-sketched style of this image. I colored it with Prismacolor watercolor pencils and fussy cut it out.. Then I embossed the sentiment in gold and adhered it and the image on copper textured paper.

I sprayed Ranger Distress Mica Stain over the daffodils. Have you tried Mica Stain? I love the gorgeous effects they produce! Two burnt orange jewels finish the card.

Watercolor pencils are a fun medium. When water is applied with a brush the color blends like butter!

Card #2 ~ A lighter approach

I stamped the daffodil image on white cardstock, colored it with watercolor pencils and die cut the cardfront with a Gina Marie slash stitched border die. I stamped the sentiment vertically for interest. I framed the cardfront with a thin black border.

I added a narrow black and white stitched ribbon, then adhered the cardfront to a bright yellow cardbase.

Card #3 ~ Wildflower Critters

This scene is sweet and I love the little creatures tucked in the garden! At first glance I missed the mouse on the stem. I thought it would be fun to give the creatures a wash of color and the rest of the scene a gray scale appearance. To highlight the animals even more, I added Stickles glitter glue in various colors. The heart on the “HI” sentiment also got lucky and received some sparkle!

I sprayed the Ranger Mica Stain over a black card base. I glued the image down and thought the card was complete… After it dried, I noticed it was a bit crooked. I tend to do this more ofter than not. To fix the problem, I added a ribbon on the bottom and distressed the left top corner to make it appear more even on the card. Finally, in keeping with the distressed feel, I frayed the edges to give it a worn look.

Card #4 ~ hello human

Are you kidding me?! The minute I saw this giraffe, I knew I had to have it! So majestic are these animals and oh so cute is this one! I stamped the image on watercolor paper and painted it using Tim Holtz distress inks. At first I planned to keep the background plain, but then thought it might be fun to watercolor splotches of color repeating the pattern of the giraffe’s gorgeous spots.

I die cut the cardfront with a Gina Marie fancy die, wrapped burlap twine around the top and adhered it to a kraft cardbase. I stamped the sentiment on scraps, separated the words and adhered them toward the top. I glued the cardfront to a kraft cardbase.

Card #5 ~ Lily of the Valley (border backgrounds) by Angie Blom for Unity Stamp Company

This lily of the valley border is so lovely and perfect for a birthday or Easter or many occasions. There is something so sweet and innocent when I see these beautiful flowers. I heat embossed the image using Ranger gold embossing powder. I watercolored the flowers with Tim Holtz distress inks. I chose blues(Salty Ocean) but any color would look fabulous! I added a touch of grey at the bases of each bloom to make the white part stand out. Also more intense color surrounding the blossoms makes the white pop even more.

I die cut the sentiment in pale blue and then glued a fine glitter over it for an extra fancy appeance! I love how it turned out.

Inside the card I stamped “wishes” to complete the sentiment.

Card #6 ~ Lily of the Valley, take two

I often stamp an image two times with the intention of having another just in case of a mess up. The previous card turned out, so yay! I decided to color this time with a whole different family of colors–pink, orange and yellow.

Next I die cut the cardfront with a stitched Gina Marie die and adhered it to a buttery cream cardbase. Finally I die cut lower case “h” and “b” letters with gold glitter and solid green paper.

Here is a pic of my cards this month. Which one is your favorite?!

Listed below are the Friends of Unity, please continue along the hop for awesome ideas and inspiration. We appreciate all of your comments.

Crystal

Jane

Amber

Tammy

April

Colleen

Rachel (me)

Kim

Gaylynn

Joyce

Dawn

Thank you for stopping by. Until April, have a wonderful March full of blue skies and blooming creativity!

Rachel

Please follow me on Instagram @cardartbyrachel

Hi Everyone! I am here with a fancy Valentine. I am so excited about the Poppystamps “Nordic Flourish Background” die. It has so many inticate details and can be used for many occasions throughtout the year. Do you have your Valentines ready to send?! Here’s hoping you might want to try this one out.

To create this card I die cut the “Nordic Flourish Background” in white cardstock and adhered it to an A2 white card base. Next I used red glitter paper from the Memory Box shimmering cardstock “Glitzy Glitter Pad” and cut the second largest heart from the “Scallop Pinpoint Hearts” die. I die cut it two more times in white. Next I die cut the Poppystamps “Nordic Flourishes” using the Memory Box “Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad” red foil paper and the Memory Box Vintage Pastel Mirror Pad in pearlized gold.  Then using the Memory Box “Lush Green Collection” paper pad in two shades, I die cut leaves from the “Nordic Fancy Blossoms” die. I stamped and cut the sentiment in black ink from the Poppystamps clear stamp and die set called “Sentimental Banners”.

Now for the arranging and gluing part of the card! I chose a few random pieces to glue on the existing white background. I adhered the heart frame to the background and arranged the leaves. Next I taped the leaves in place, glued the solid white heart, second white frame, and red heart on top.

Finally, the gold accent flower grounds the sentiment!

The pearlescent gold and the shiny red embellishments complement the gorgeous heart! I just love this card. It has so much character and movement when it interacts with a light source!

May your Valentine’s Day be full of love and happiness. Take care and see you in a little while with another card. Please take a look at the amazing Poppystamp collection full of endless creativity, it is spectacular! You can find it @www.poppystamps.com.

Hi Crafty friends! February is here, I am enjoying a few blue skies and I can feel a hint of Spring. That makes me happy! Our theme for this month is a sketch (pictured above). Sketches are a great starting point, just fill in the spaces and there you have a card design. If you ever get into a creative slump, have no fear, try out a few sketches to get those ideas flowing.

Card #1 ~ “the heart of a bff” by Phyllis Harris for Unity Stamp Company

I love this stamp so much by Phyllis Harris. The fine lines, the two friends stretching into a heart shape, the carefree vibes… it’s all so good.

I stamped the image on watercolor paper and then die cut it out with a Gina Marie wonky stitched pattern. I trimmed off the sides to mimic the sketch. Next I grabbed a scrap of watercolored paper in greenish blues and a roll of washi tape with the same hues. Then I chose Tim Holtz distress inks and painted the image.

Keeping with the sketch, I added a sheer organza ribbon over the image. I added the washi tape to the background and die cut the love script in light pink. All of this went nicely on a rich lavendar cardbase. Just a tiny bit of a border adds so much.

Finally I embellished with Stickles glitter and Nuvo drops. I strategically placed the glitter to similate jewelry.

Card #2 ~ “Winnie the Pooh Rainbow Searching” by Angie Blom for Unity Stamp Company

This Pooh card is a completely different style than the previous one. I went for a grittier, grungier look. It’s always fun trying new things out, I never know if it works but love to share anyways!

I stamped the partial image using VersaFine Claire Morning Mist making sure the Pooh image was complete but faded out the umbrella. Next I stamped the “Love & Wisdom Background” by Sandhya Iyer for Unity in the upper right side and at the bottom. I watercolored Pooh and created a hint of a rainbow on the umbrella. Washi tape with hearts was adhered on the panel in keeping with the sketch.

I stamped the script again on a black cardbase masking off areas to avoid ink. I adhered the cardfront. Then I stamped the sentiment, cut it into two pieces and adhered at an angle. Finally I applied 3D Crystqal Laquer to Pooh and Stickles glitter over the raindrops.

Card #3 ~ “Hoppy & Hedgie” by Lisa Glanz for Unity Stamp Company

A funny thing about me is that I love coloring balloons but in real life I am actually afraid of them. The anticipation of sharp, loud popping noises makes me so uneasy! Anyways, I decided I was going to have fun creating balloons with a marbleized look to pair with a calico kitty!

After coloring the images, I wrapped fishing line around the panel with a threaded heart button. I wanted to keep in line with the sketch and I was toying with vellum vs. fishing line so that it did not completely cover the kitty. I framed the image on a muted lavender. Then I found a coordinating patterned paper and cut to fit the sketch. I glued it onto a buttery cream cardbase. I stamped the sentiment directly on the pattern, which I usually don’t do for fear of it getting lost in the pattern– I love how it turned out. Finally I positioned the front panel onto the base and that’s it!

What I love about this card is that the balloons go off the edge and it creates a feeling of upward movement to me.

I hope you found a few ideas and inspirations in my cards this month. Please play along with our sketch on the Unity (show & tell) Facebook group page and add your card to the album. I can’t wait to see your creations!

Below are links to the friends on the hop.

Crystal

Tammy

Gaylynn

Colleen

April

Dawn F

Amber

Joyce

Rachel (me)

Kim

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful month and Happy Valentines to you all! Did you notice I snuck in a heart on each card?!

Lots of Love,

Rachel

Please follow me on Instagram @cardartbyrachel

Hi everyone! It’s Rachel here to share a light-hearted card with subdued hues. The Poppystamps “Nordic Spectacular Butterfly”, the focal point, is nothing short of pure beauty. The detail on this die is just like it’s name-Spectacular!

To create this card I began with a gorgeous floral patterned paper from the Memory Box “Anemone Grove” pack.  I die cut a border using the “Double Scalloped Stitched Frames” using the outer piece of the largest frame. 

Next I chose colors I saw present in the border from Memory box paper packs “Ocean Blue”, “Stormy Blue” and “Lush Green”. I die cut the butterfly and mushrooms and glued the pieces together. Many were cut to come up with just the right color combinations! For a whimsical feel, I added an extra layer of mushroom tops at varying angles. 

Next up was a hot foiled sentiment in gold on black cardstock from the “Modest Banner Greetings” foil and cut die set. I love the elegant feel it gives to the card!

I adhered all the pieces to a steel grey cardfront and then a black cardbase.  The cardfront was slightly smaller than an A2 size card, leaving a narrow black border. Notice I was able to fit the butterfly right over the sentiment without it covering up the words?! 

Finally I added Fairy Jewels for the finishing touch.

I hope you love this card as much as I do! Please take a look at the awesome Poppystamps Nordic dies on the website @www.poppystamps.com. There are so many to choose from and they all work so beautifully together. Have a wonderful day and I will see you very soon!

Hi! It’s Rachel here sharing a Valentine card using the beautiful Poppystamps “Nordic Fancy Blossoms” and the “Scallop Pinpoint Hearts”.  Soft pinks, sage and mustards may seem like an unlikely palette but it’s fun to try something new and change up the traditional colors. This card creation is a little bit delicate and a little bit vintage with a whole lot of flair!

To create this card, I began with “Nordic Fancy Blossoms” and chose 3 shades of yellows from the Memory Box “Sunny Orange Collection” cardstock pack. Next I cut the stems from the Memory Box “Lush Green” collection. I used the green to diecut letters L,V, E and U from the “Marzipan Alphabet” set. I die cut the “Scallop Pinpoint Hearts” and the L, V and E letters with the Memory Box “Berry Red” and the “Vibrant Violet” collections paper pack.

As I combined the petals, I decided I wanted to add some glitter to give it some extra pizazz. I grabbed the Memory Box “Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad” shimmering cardstock and die cut the middle layers of the blossoms. 

I also die cut the border of the smaller heart and the “U” in the same pink glitter cardstock.

I found the perfect patterned paper for the background from the  Memory Box “Poinsettia Garland” paper pad.  It’s a Christmas release but there are many papers that can be used for other occasions.

I love the gold foil paired with the glitter, awesome!

Arranging the pieces together, finding just the right design, I adhered it to the floral background and then onto a pale pink cardstock base. 

I hope this card might have sparked some crafty ideas for you. Here’s hoping you have lots of fun designing Valentine’s Day cards. Poppystamps has so many gorgeous dies to create with, please check out their latest release of Nordic designs @www.poppystamps.com. Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by!

Happy New Year everyone! I look forward to a fresh start as the new year commences. The theme for this month’s hop is all about a little humor and fun. I think my resolution in 2024 is to laugh more and make lots of cards.

Card #1 – …could be better

I love a vintage image and this woman is so stylish and chic. When I saw this Unity set I read the sentiment and found it hilarious and spot on– I had to have it!

I stamped the image on light blue cardstock in black ink and die cut it with a jagged border. Next I blended Tim Holtz peacock feathers distress ink around the edge. I mounted it on black cardstock and again on vintage paper. (My daughter saved a paper bag she received thinking I might use it for cards. I love it!) After that, I adhered it on a black card base.

Next the embellishments. I dug through a drawer of washi tape and chose pink, orange and teal patterns. I layered the tape at the top and the bottom. I threaded a button with orange twine and placed a few Ranger liquid pearls in random areas for interest. Rosy cheeks were filled in with a Prismacolor pencil. Last of all, the jewels placed on her waistline for the finishing touch!

Card #2 – A Cold One by Joslyn Nielson

I love the realistic look of this beer mug image. Paired with a sentiment telling the recipient they get a nice cold beer for their old self is just too hilarious.

On a maize yellow cardfront slightly smaller than an A2 size, I stamped the beer in Versafine black ink. Next I colored the image using Prismacolor watercolor pencils in blue, yellow and red. For the foam and reflection, I had to use Prismacolor white but it was not a watercolor pencil so I couldn’t blend the color out when it went over the lines. (I am hoping to expand my watercolor pencil assortment soon with white included!)

At first I was going to leave the background untouched, but then decided to use a fine pattern to stencil in a color slightly different than the background. I love the subtle look and the quality it gave to the image. I stamped the sentiment in heavy black cardstock with Versamark ink and heat embossed it in Ranger gold powder. I dug out worn gold brads and placed them on both sides of the sentiment for balance and interest. Finally I mounted the cardfront to a kraft base.

Card #3 – Change Is a Good Thing by Lisa Arana for Unity Stamp Co.

Yes, change is a good thing in more ways than one! Need I say more?! 

I love this “Itty Bitty” set because it is fun to stamp on pattern paper and so easy to fussy-cut. I actually used a large scrap I kept with the blue splotches. After stamping 4 images, I ink blended yellows, red tones and blues on them and spritzed water over the top. I cut them out. Next I went over the waistband with ink and a brush for definition. I also added a slight shadow on the inner part of the underwear. Then I stamped the sentiment on the same paper and mounted it on white to give it a thin white border. I arranged the pieces on a white stitched square cardfront and then on a light blue cardbase. The blue border is wider on the top and bottom for interest and it gave me more room to arrange the pieces at sharper angles.

I often have a hard time with change. I get comfortable in my life and it is easy to stay safe in familiarity. Sometimes I have to force myself, give me an extra push to try something new and just “go for it”. It’s usually a personal choice and that in itself is another reason to try. The outcome is almost always the right decision. Now when it comes to underwear… I can’t think of any scenario where change is a bad thing!!! If you have one, I would love to know, or do I? And one more question…. who would be the recipient of this card and why?!

Thank you so much for checking out our hop. Below is the list of friends to keep on hopping!

Crystal

Colleen

Tammy

Amber

April

Jane

Dawn

Gaylynn

Kim

Rachel (me)

Joyce

I hope you had a laugh or two along the way. I never get tired of creating cards with humor as I feel we all need to use humor more in our lives to get through the ups and downs of the daily grind. Now that the hustle and bustle is coming to a close, may you enjoy more crafting and stamping those images for pleasure and lots of smiles! 

Happy New Year!

Love, laughter, giggles and smiles,

Rachel

Please follow me on instagram @cardartbyrachel.