The Friends Of Unity Blog Hop • December 2022

Welcome to the hop, thanks for joining us. Let’s bring on the Glitter, Glitz, Sparkle and Shine!!! I love it all. Especially this time of year, there can never be too many holiday lights, illuminating the sky, filling the air with energy and emotion. I hope my cards reflect some of these feels of the season. I had a wonderful time creating them. Taking photos was a bit of a challenge getting the right angle to see the sparkle, but I believe I captured some of the magic!

Card #1 – Illumination~Keep Shining Bright

Metallic watercolor paint is brilliant as color shifts and dances when meeting up with light. I’ve always been fascinated by iridescent objects. I love crystal, opal, and even the sight of rainbows in fine layers of oil on a roadway. This card reminds me of these sights. I am so excited to share it with you.

How to create this card:
1. Stamp the image on black watercolor paper with Versafine ink (heavy black cardstock is fine too).
2. Heat emboss with pearl embossing powder.
3. Watercolor the image with metallic watercolor paints.
4. Die cut the image with a fancy-shaped die, I used a Spellbinders die.
5. Create the background panel painting with silver, blue and a good amount of water. Let the colors flow into one another and keep in mind empty space gives the background depth.
6. Cut the background to 3.75″ x 5.5″.
7. Dry emboss the panel using a Tim Holtz Sizzix snowfall embossing folder. (optional)
8. Adhere to an A2 black card base.
9. To finish the card, wrap silver thread around the left side and tie in a bow close to the top!

I couldn’t decide which pictures to share so I narrowed it down to these. With every tilt of the card, it gave a different view. I can’t say enough about metallic paint and its spectacular display of color.

Some of the supplies I used. The watercolor paints are by Komorebi Mozart. The set comes with metallic and neon paints as well as great other colors. The quality of the color movement is amazing.

Ornament stamp from the Kit of the Month-10/17 “Conspiracy of Love” by Unity Stamp Company

This metallic paint reminds me of moonlight. The effect paints have on dark paper is extraordinary.

Card #2 – A Santa Portrait

A minty green, a true red, brown and sprinkles of gold make up this Santa card. There is a saying that “less is more” but in this case I went against that thought and I say “more is more!” This creation reminds me a little bit of what Santa’s workshop might look like as I dug out all the crafty goodness I could find. Sometimes it is amazing how many supplies it takes to create one card!

How to create this card.
1. Stamp Santa on heavy white card stock with Versamark ink and heat emboss.
2. Paint Santa focusing mainly on his face. The suit will be covered in glitter.
3. Fussy cut out Santa.
4. Using an embossing dabber, apply embossing ink on Santa’s suit. sprinkle embossing glitter over the ink and heat set. Be careful not to overheat as the glitter will get to hot and lose its sparkle.
5. Apply Liquid Pearls and Stickles frosted lace to Santas hat and coat.
6. Adhere jewels for buttons on Santa’s coat.
7. Ink blend Tim Holtz Salvaged Patina on a 6″ x 3.75″ card front.
8. Stamp the background with embossing ink and heat set it with glitter gold embossing powder.
9. Blend distress and distress oxide inks in salvaged patina and various browns around the edge of an A2 card base. You can mist with water for a desired effect.
10. Die cut a wood grain frame by Hero Arts in kraft.
11. Dab embossing ink unevenly on the frame and heat with gold embossing powder.
12. Using Tim Holtz distress texture paste, apply on frame where desired. A grungy option is to emboss gold on parts of the snow.
13. Stamp the sentiment on a scalloped die cut. Distress the edges with brown ink and add Stickles around the border.
14. Assemble the pieces to complete the card. Begin with the card base, next the card front, next Santa (do not glue down the pompom on Santa’s hat), then the frame and last the sentiment. Add additional card stock to back of part of the sentiment to pop it up. Whew, that’s it!

The picture on the left is the original card before I added more glitter and red jewels for the buttons. I was going to call it Santa Grunge. I kept the picture in my post because it really shows off the glitter, gold embossing and liquid pearls.

Then I decided to fill in the empty spots (pic.2), still grungy but I felt compelled to change the name!

Supplies I used.

“Christmas All Around Background” by Graciellie Design and “Jolly Ol’ Santa” by Angie Blom for Unity Stamp Company.

Notice the gingerbread man and the tree on the pocket are barely visible. They got lost in the sparkle. Pointing out mistakes are not necessary, because no one has to know it wasn’t intentional, right?! Let’s just say I was keeping along with the grunge look. Also I applied the snow and it came out very uneven and perhaps messy. I have to admit the paste was a bit thick and it didn’t go on the card as smoothly as I intended…. happy accidents because overall, I love this Santa card!

Card #3 – Festive in Pink!

I see so many beautiful holiday cards with a pink color scheme. I love her warm, soft, pink winter coat. I’m a fan of green and pink together. It brings out the tree, the focal point. I may not have captured the sparkle of the ornaments on the tree and the shine of the gold foiled sentiment. Below I produced a close-up to show off the bling!

Steps to create this card are as follows ~
1. Stamp the image on watercolor paper with Versafine Ink.
2. Next using watered down distress ink, paint the images.
3. Hot foil the Poppystamps sentiment and blend inks over the strip on each end.
4. Die cut the card front out using a Gina Marie Designs border die and adhere to light pink card base.
5. Randomly place dots of Stickles glitter glue in red, gold and white on the tree. Lots of fun!
6. Thank adhere the sentiment strip to the card and adhere an iridescent sequin on it.
7. Finally, stamp a second sentiment above the strip with Versafine green ink to finish the card!

The tree makes me happy when I look at it. I can imagine this might be a young lady’s first Christmas tree in her new apartment. It takes me back to memories of my first place when a friend delivered a real tree to my back porch with a stand. All I had to do was decorate it. What a great surprise!

Also loving the hot foil sentiment gives just the right amount of shine. Using ink other than black is something I am trying to do more often. The green ink is a fun, easy extra!

Supplies I used.

Image from The KOTM 10/17 “Conspiracy of Love” by Unity Stamp Company

The “With Love” sentiment strip was hot foiled on white card stock. Not planned was the green to pink gradient color, I was pleasantly surprised how it turned out! I will be using this technique for more sentiment strips.

Card #4 – A Season of Joy

A soft palette with lit candles, this card depicts a holiday season of dear memories we hold close. The sentiment “Joy” encompasses so much more meaning than what meets the eye. Full of wonderment and anticipation– we hope to gather and reconnect with loved ones this year.

Steps to create this card.
1. Stamp the image with Versafine Ink.
2. Color the image with Copic markers. Keep in mind the coloring will be covered up with Stickles glitter glue so coloring does not need to be precise. For the candles, I colored around the image lines, leaving the blank spaces white.
3. Die cut the image with a fancy stitched circle die.
4. Cover the entire image with coordinating Stickles.
5. Using light weight watercolor paper, create a background with a wash of purple, blue and green Tim Holts distress inks. Spritz with water for reactive effect.
6. Trim to fit an A2 card base. (5.25 x 4″)
7.Die cut the Poppystamps “joy” die using silver card stock. Mine is actually a lid from a “to go” box! Die cut it again on white card stock to make it extra sturdy.
8. Adhere all the pieces beginning with the watercolor background, next the image and last the sentiment.
9. Adhere iridescent sequins around the image.
10. Organza ribbon in white, tied on the card, adds a special finishing touch!

The “joy” sentiment is die cut from a thick silver covering for a “to go” box from an Italian restaurant! It was perfect and I love using found/recycled products for cards.

Supplies I used.

“Shiny Holidays” by Joslyn Nielson for Unity Stamp Company

Organza ribbon always sets the tone for an extra special occasion.

Card #5 – An Elegant Christmas

Simple, yet elegant, this Christmas tree is complete with glorious multi-colored lights on rich gold limbs. The sentiment and bordering edge are made up of sparkling black embossing glitter. Set on a dark background, the tree glows handsomely.

Following are the steps to create this card.
1. Stamp the tree on black card stock with Versamark ink and heat emboss with gold powder.
2. Cut another piece of black card stock leaving about a quarter of an inch border.
3. Next rub an embossing dabber along the edge of the black card stock.
4. Heat emboss with Ranger black sparkle embossing powder.
5. Stamp the sentiment on a blue card base using Versamark ink and heat emboss with black sparkle embossing powder.
6. Adhere the tree image to the black sparkle border.
7. Using Stickles, randomly dot glitter glue on the tree, leaving round spots of light! After it starts to dry, add more glitter if necessary!

Supplies I used.

Christmas tree image from The KOTM 10/17 “Conspiracy of Love” by Unity Stamp Company

The tree is lit, “Hope and Peace” goes out to all the world!

Unity Stamp Company is celebrating our 5th anniversary of hopping and is giving away (3) $25 gift cards!
Thank you to Unity Stamp Company for your generous support! Winners will be chosen from those that comment on every blog. You will have until Dec. 10th to comment. Winners will be announced on Crystal’s blog and in the “Unity Show and Tell” Facebook page on the 11th. Good luck and thank you for your comments, we appreciate it so much!

Now to announce my winner from last month’s hop is Cathy Preissing! Congratulations Cathy! Please message me your address and I will send your prize in the mail. Thank you so much for your comments, we appreciate you!

Let’s keep the “Glitter and Glitz” going! Just click on each friend’s name and you will transport directly to their wonderful creations!

Crystal

Eileen

Amber

Dawn B.

Gaylynn

Rachel (me)

Dawn F.

April

Joyce

Alaine

Kim

Thank you for hopping during the hustle and bustle of this busy time of year. May your days be merry and bright…just like the cards this month! Until 2023, have a safe and beautiful holiday season!

Rachel

Please follow me on Instagram and TikTok @cardartbyrachel for short videos on how I make these cards. Videos are posted throughout the month on these social platforms.

(A snapshot of my Christmas tree!)

“Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.” Maya Angelou