Welcome to our…

This is my first blog hop ever and I am excited! Hope you find our creations inspiring and full of new ideas.

“Wild Heart” by Angie Blom is whimsical, dreamy and flowing.

I chose this kit because lately I have been enjoying painting loose watercolor backgrounds and I thought “Wild Heart” would go well with one of them. I decided to use lighter, pastel colors to give this card an airy feel. I can imagine it for many occasions and can even picture it for a baby.

I stamped this sentiment with Versafine ink and used Zots to adhere the sentiment. I wanted the sentiment raised but not too high. Zots are very sticky and great for just a little dimension. The embroidery thread looks like a butterfly. I looped the thread four times and tied another piece around it.

I love embellishments! Opalescent sequins surround the image. Pink stickles fill in the hearts and Ranger liquid pearls fill in the circles. I loosely colored the feathers with water soluble markers.

**These are some of the supplies I used to create this card.**

If you love feathers and are a free spirit, you need this kit! Depending on the color scheme you choose, it can be used in so many ways.

Thank you for visiting my blog and don’t forget to visit all the blogs and comment to win!

Have a fantastical day!

Rachel

**“Quiet the mind and the soul will speak.” Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati**

Day 5 – Growing in Unity

Hello! This is the last day of my GIU week. It’s been a great ride! Thank you for allowing me to share my creations with you these past few days. I appreciate all the kind words and wonderful comments. I am ending my week with a stamp kit by Phyllis Harris “…happy mind happy life.” This girl is pure joy! I love how her hair is blowing in her face, the effortless smile and her bare feet.

She reminds me of how much I still love to swing. I sure do!I began by stamping the image with Memento black ink and colored her with Copic markers. Next I loosely masked the image and stenciled the sunshine with a Tim Holtz stencil called “Rays”. Then I used Stickles to add sparkle to the cloud. Stickles are my favorite embellishment. They are tiny bits of glitter glue that last forever and can be applied in small amounts. Stickles enhance a card when it needs a little umph! Sunny paper with a die cut edge complements the image. The sentiment is roughly shaded and bordered with dark teal. Finally I added holographic sequins loosely around the card to add impact and shine.Here are some of the supplies I used.I adore this stamp kit by Phyllis Harris ” …happy mind happy life”. It is packed full of positive energy, peace, joy and all that is good.

Thank you again for spending this week with me. I hope you enjoyed this time as much as I have.

Thank you to Unity Stamp Company for allowing stampers like me to have a place to share our creations.

Please leave a comment and you will be entered to win Unity stamps.

Hope you have a day spent doing what you love!

Rachel

“If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.” Eleonora Duse

Day 4 – Growing in Unity

Today I am just going to relax and stay at home!

Talk about soft, light and airy with tons of pattern and texture, I feel this room sings happy and light heartedness. I can’t wait to plop down and enjoy a cup of coffee with a hint of sweetened condensed milk.

This kit is “Warmth of Home” by Beth Duff. At its release, I immediately imagined all the paper piecing opportunities it brought. I will decorate this room for every holiday, the four seasons, a cabin retreat, a beach house getaway, a college apartment…

I chose Memento Rose Bud ink to stamp everything on this card. I use black and brown ink 99% of the time, so I challenged myself to try another color.

The floor is “Barn Wall” by Brutus Monroe. The rug, placed under the sofa at an angle, is to add interest and thus no fear of it being crooked or off-centered.

I used one embellishment, the blue floss bow. It is self restraint when I use just one embellishment. And it’s not even sparkly or shiny! I added a few specks to the sentiment, it looked a little too bright for the rest of the card. Here are the supplies I used. They look a little lonely. I added paper scraps for company.“Barn Wall” by Brutus Monroe is timeless and I love the contrast of the dark and light boards.“Warmth of Home” by Beth Duff. Notice the pillows have a deer and a tree on them! I paper pieced over the images for my card today but will definitely use them when I make a cabin themed card or Christmas card. Also the stamp I used for the rug makes a great wall hanging over the sofa.

Thank you again for spending time with me and please don’t forget to comment to win Unity stamps.

Enjoy your day today!

Rachel

“Always remember to fall asleep with a dream and wake up with a purpose.”

Day 3 – Growing in Unity

It’s the middle of the week and a good day to dive a little deeper.

I am using a stamp called “Windows to the Soul” by Donna Downey Studios to create this card. It is a single stamp of a face and comes in two sizes, this is the large one. She/he is absolutely mesmerizing. Take a minute to hear all that is going on in her/his soul.

I began by using Tim Holtz Distress Inks to create a watercolor background.

After stamping the face, I embossed it with clear powder to give it a shine. I used a small amount of chalk on the eyes and mouth… just enough to give these features depth.

I stamped mixed sentiments with the distress inks used for the background.

Then I placed a tear shaped jewel under the eye, a pewter heart brad under the nose and silver Nuvo drops around the card. If you’re like me and find it hard to wait for drops to dry, try squeezing them on acrylic sheets ahead of time. When a drop is needed, just take one off the sheet, it is ready to go!

Do you see the teal staples? I am glad to finally put them to use.

Here I am going for a natural organic-style looking tie. Not sure what it is but I like it. Do you see the fine gold wire? I must admit it’s been predominately used to unplug glue tips. Wire should make a comeback… It’s really a great embellishment that has been ignored for too long, and so much fun to twist and bend in all kinds of shapes. Two more things, I distressed the card’s edges with scissors and up in the top left, I used a photo corner for added interest.

Here are some of the supplies I used.

And the stamp…It is so amazing. There are limitless possibilities for this image. I hope you love it as much as I do.

Thank you for taking the time to see my card. Please leave a comment to win Unity stamps!

Until tomorrow, have a wonderful day!

Rachel

“The person who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The person who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever seen before.” Albert Einstein

Day 2 – Growing in Unity

Today I would like to share a card about friends. This kit is “Impossible to Forget” by Angie Blom and Joselyn Nielson. For some reason I am drawn to the back view of people images. Maybe it’s because I get to imagine who these people are when they turn to face me. As I look at this trio, I see three lifelong girlfriends together on a summer day enjoying each others company in the country.

I watercolored the girls with Tim Holtz distress inks. I love watercolor painting because it is not precise. I am learning that leaving empty spaces at the top of images can give it an interesting light source. I used Spellbinders Frameabilities Classic Frame with metallic bronze paper.

I stamped the sentiment with Versafine Black Onyx ink. I used a curve punch to round the edges to mimic the curved edges on the frame. The embroidery thread is a favorite because it has just the right amount of shimmer.

I think these pieces have a bit of a vintage country feel.

I love this kit because it reminds me of my friends from home. I come from a tiny country town with one stoplight. I wouldn’t have chosen anywhere else to grow up.

Thank you for traveling back in time with me. I hope this post brings you fond memories of time well spent with friends. Please don’t forget to comment to win Unity stamps. Have an awesome day!

Rachel

“In the midst of winter, I have found in me, an invincible summer.” Albert Camus

Growing in Unity

Hi, it’s Rachel. I live in Bothell, WA about 30 minutes from Seattle. I have three teenagers, two Havanese dogs, two fish tanks and a husband who supports and understands my stamp habit. I first attended a stamp party in 1999. It sparked an interest I have never lost (except for a short moment while raising 3 young children)! The true obsession began when I discovered Unity Stamp Company just over a year ago. What I love about stamping is how relaxing and fun it is to create something in a short amount of time that can be used to brighten someone’s day.

My oldest is a freshman at WSU, and I send him a card once a week to say “hello”. Choosing a stamp, creating a design, and hoping it will make him laugh or smile is the best! A few days back, he told me he will keep the cards forever! I also have two daughters in high school who love art, but have not yet caught the stamping bug. Kids often think snail mail is a thing of the past, but as they get older, they begin to understand the value of something handmade, delivered in the mail, that can be held and opened.

I volunteered for 10 years as an art docent at the elementary school my children attended. A famous painting or art piece is brought into the classroom once a month. The students discuss the painting, learn history about the artist and create a “masterpiece” to reflect the art. I am currently on the Northshore School District’s Art Docent Training Team. Art for youth is so important, as it gives each and every child an outlet to express themselves in a positive way. Other activities I love are gardening, running (maybe love is too strong a word), walking, and drinking coffee!

Day 1

This is my first time taking part in the GIU week. I love Unity stamps and everything about this company. The quality of the product is outstanding, the live videos are fun and informative, the overall feeling of community is awesome. It truly is more than just a stamp company!

It all began with this Phyllis Harris stamp kit “Your Wings Exist”. While surfing the internet for card ideas, I saw this girl and I knew I had to find her! I look at her and I see the world through a child’s eyes where life is carefree and all I might be feeling is the wind in my hair and the grass in my feet! So of course I chose this image to begin my week.

I paper pieced the dress. If you are new at paper piecing, this image is very easy. I used prismacolor pencils for the grass, dirt, skin and hair. I used a touch of pink chalk for the cheeks. The cloud background came from a paper pack of photographs of nature. The die around the perimeter of the card is a Gina Marie rectangular wonky stitched die.

The sentiment is framed with Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 2. The paper is a water colored scrap and the ink is Versafine Black Onyx. I almost forgot the silver dot, it is a Nuvo drop.

I tend to be a visual person so I am including a photo of some of the supplies I used to create my card.

I love this kit. It has three wonderful sentiments as well as this incredible girl. I love images that express action or an emotion that doesn’t need to be spoken or explained.

Thank you for taking the time to visit. I hope you enjoyed my first post. Please leave a comment for a chance to win Unity stamps. Have a great day!

Rachel

“I choose love because hate is too great a burden to bare.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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Welcome to our…

Day 5 – Growing in Unity

Day 4 – Growing in Unity

Day 3 – Growing in Unity

Day 2 – Growing in Unity

Growing in Unity

Blue Skies…