Melted Snowman

Thinking ahead about the long winter months, I couldn’t wait to take out my Poppystamps “Melted Snowman” die. I envision this as a “thank you” for presents received over the Holidays and also an “I can’t wait for Spring” card as well! A clean and simple style that can be made in multiples and very little coloring is involved.

This is the “Melting Snowman” Poppystamps die. It has few pieces and oh, so adorable!
Below are the steps to create this fun card.
1. Die cut the snowman three times in medium weight white cardstock.

2. Using watercolor paints, lightly paint random areas of pale blue on the snowman for shadow
3. Paint the arms brown, the scarf reds/oranges and the nose orange. Let dry.
4. Die cut the “thank you” sentiment from the Poppystamps “Thank You Stitched Tag”. Cut two sentiments depending on how high you would like it to lay on the card.
5. Adhere the pieces to a kraft cardbase.
One layer for the body directly on the cardbase.
Two layers for the head, the arms, and the scarf.
Three layers for the nose. This keeps the nose at the highest point and gives it dimension.

6. Glue two layers of the sentiment to the cardbase above the melting snowman.
7. Embellish the sentiment with embossing glitter or Stickles, etc. to finish the card!

Create an all-white card and no coloring for another option. A sentiment in a colored ink would look wonderful too!

Have a cozy day and see you very soon! Check out the Poppystamps.com site for these products and so many more! Thanks for stopping by before Frosty goes…thumpity thump thump…over the hills of snow!

Rachel
I am on Instagram and TikTok @cardartbyrachel for more inspiration and short, fun videos!

Whittle Gnome Tag

Hi there! I am here to share a quick and easy Holiday gift tag I made. It’s not too early to start getting ready for the festivities! And this tag is simple, but has two parts to make it especially fun. And who doesn’t love plaid?! I do!

These are the Poppystamps dies I used.

I also cut plaid options from the Memory Box “Jolly Christmas” paper pad

Steps to create this tag.
1. Die cut the Poppystamps “Thank You Stitched Tag” three times, once in plaid and twice in kraft.
2. Die cut the “Whittle Gnome” in white, red, and peach.
3. Die cut the “joy Freestyle Script” in black.

4. Glue pieces together. The nose has three layers. The plaid tag has the 2nd kraft tag glued to the back. The hat has two layers.
5. Trim the ends of the joy sentiment.
6. Glue clear sparkles on the end of the hat. Mine are not visible, but they look great!

Thanks so much for stopping by! The products I used are on the http://www.poppystamps.com site. There are so many amazing Poppystamps papercraft dies to choose from, have fun shopping!

Rachel
Please follow me on Instagram and TikTok for short videos @cardartbyrachel

Old World Deer

Hello, let’s welcome Fall, the season of crisp air, leaves turning color and days getting shorter with an “Old World”card! What is “Old World”?! It’s a style that is worn, slightly tattered, yet familiar and nostalgic. Finishings are distressed and faded. I love this look!
To create this card I am using the Poppystamps “Pondering Layered Deer” and the “Leafy Branch Oval”. The dies are from the Fall and Christmas 2022 releases. I hope you like it!

Here are the steps to create this card.
1. Die cut the Poppystamps “Pondering Layered Deer” out of kraft cardstock.
Die cut the scarf in burgundy.
2. Lightly blend brown ink on the deer to create shadow and interest.
3. Adhere the pieces together.

4. Using a fine tipped black marker, dot in the eye.
5. Using a snow marker, add highlights and spots on the deer. It does not need to be exact or realistic.

6. Die cut the Poppystamps “Leafy Branch Oval” in brown and yellow. Use small scraps for green, lime, yellow, orange and burgundy. They will be used for the leaves.
7. Take the yellow die cut and trim off the branches of the oval frame.
Distress the frame unevenly with brown ink.
8. Take the brown die cut and paint it in a wash of darker brown.
9. Trim green, lime, yellow, orange and burgundy leaves off the die cuts. Glue leaves onto the brown branches of the die cut.

10. Using a neutral cardfront, blend brown and green distress oxide inks mimicking an oval shape. Spritz water on each color and dry between applications for this effect.
11. Glue the finished “Leafy Branch Oval”on the card front.
12. Blend distress oxides and inks around the corners and edges. Trim down the cardfront to slightly smaller than an A2 size.
13. Glue the deer on the cardfront. Add a few leaves for embellishments and balance in the lower right corner.
14. Tie 1 mm burlap twine on the fold to complete the card.

Supplies I used. These dies can be purchased at http://www.poppystamps.com.

I hope my card finds you well. I love the heartwarming charm of this adorable deer. It has a timeless feel and I can see this deer in the forest, munching on leaves.
Both dies are great for so many occasions and events throughout the year.
Have a wonderful day!
Rachel
I am on Instagram and TikTok @cardartbyrachel

The Friends Of Unity Blog Hop ~ October 2022

Happy October 1st! Are you ready for Fall and all that nature has to offer this month?! As the leaves turn their brilliant colors, the days get shorter and the air is crisp. I welcome the idea of more time for papercrafting. “Anything But a Card” is October’s theme. I love this, it reminds me how far and wide these Unity stamps can go in the world of crafting. The projects I am sharing are quick, easy and fun to make, I hope you like them!

Blender brush holder

**Not only is this fun to make, but it is so useful too! You can personalize it for your craft room…. any theme, color or size.** Here are the steps to create a brush holder. 1. Find a tin that fits what you plan to put inside. For blender brushes, I needed a wide low tin. 2. Using medium weight watercolor paper, measure the height and cut the paper accordingly. 3. Stamp the floral image in gray to create a background and paint it with your chosen colors. 4. Splatter DecoArt metallic acrylic paint in random areas. My paint was a bit too thick so it smudged more than splattered but I love it! 5. Stamp a sentiment in black ink so it stands out from the background. 6. Adhere the finished paper with glue to tin. I used a glue stick. 7. If the paper is not long enough to cover the tin, cut a strip from the same paper to piece in the open area and cover with a piece of washi tape. 8. Grab your blender brushes and see how great they look in the holder!

**The image is stamped in gray and the sentiment stamped in black. This brings the sentiment front and forward.**

**“Sakura” by Ann Corbiere Scott for Unity Stamp Company** **and the supplies I** **used to make this brush holder. This stamp is huge and fills up more that an A2 size card!**

**The watercolor paper I used didn’t quite fit around the tin, so I cut a strip of watercolor paper and adhered washi tape that coordinated with the colors I used.**

**Look how lovely these brushes are in their new home!**

2. Memory Dex file

This is a Memorydex file. It is similar to a Rolodex, but larger and can be used for addresses, recipes, inspirational quotes or for anything you like. How fun would it be to trade files and when you receive your file, you have a great place to display it?! Here are the steps to recreate this card. 1. Die cut the file using watercolor paper. 2. Stamp the image in black Versafine ink and heat emboss with clear powder. 3. Paint the image. 4. Stamp the sentiment in green VersaFine clair ink. 5. Stamp the lower sentiment on black cardstock in Versamark ink and heat emboss in gold powder, 6. Adhere embellishments. Washi tape, heart button and Stickles on the dandelion. 7. Blend Tea Dye Distress ink around the edges of the file. 8. Insert your file in the Memorydex or mail it to a fellow Memorydex friend!

**“…every wish” by Phyllis Harris for Unity Stamp Company and some of the supplies I used.**

**Stickles on the flower to add a dramatic touch.**

**A close-up of the orange heart button and sentiments in green ink and gold embossing powder**

Trade this or create to keep at home with sentiments that make you happy. The files can also act as an be idea book to scroll through during those times when you might have a crafting block or need a little more inspiration!

3. Bookmark

I can’t think of a better project for this time of year than a bookmark. Besides crafting, Fall is a wonderful time to read! Here are the steps to make a bookmark. 1. Die cut a rectangle on heavy cream cardstock. This die is a mini-slimline from Gina Marie Designs. 2. Die cut a larger coordinating one in kraft. 3. Stamp the image in Versafine Clair ink. 3. Heat emboss with clear powder. 4. Stamp leaves to give the scene a Fall look. 5. Ink blend around the edges with Mowed Lawn Distress Ink. 6. Punch a hole at the top and die cut two reinforcement circles. 7. Tie 1mm burlap string at the top. 8. Go get your favorite book and try out your bookmark! Tip: keep embellishments to a minimum as the less bulk the better. Also, heavy ink could bleed onto pages if moisture is present.

**“beauty around you” by Phyllis Harris for Unity Stamp Company and supplies I used.**

**A quote about reading or your favorite author’s quote would be awesome on the front or back** **of this bookmark.**

**A close-up, I love the point-of-view from this adorable image.**

4. Travertine Drink Coaster

This is literally a five minute project! Why on earth would I use a partially broken tile? I love vintage and imperfections. it has character and is a great conversation piece… maybe?! Steps to create this coaster. 1. Start with a travertine tile or a tile with a rough surface. 1a. Rent a jackhammer to break off the top right corner. 2. Stamp the image with StazOn black ink. This will STAIN your stamp! There is stamp cleaner for this ink but DO NOT USE this CLEANER for CLEAR STAMPS, it will ruin them. 3. Heat set the ink. 4. Paint the image with ink smooshed on a palette, preferably not distress ink. 5. With the thinnest of layers, scrub on DuraClear varnish. Keep applications so light that you cannot see brush lines. 6. Add craft foam, cork, or felt for the back. 7. Grab a cup of coffee and set it on your new coaster. Better yet, make a set of four, wrap up with a ribbon and surprise a friend! One more thing…I use my handmade coasters daily and they are awesome…. strong, sturdy and hold up perfectly.

**Supplies I used. The stamp is an Ittty Bitty by Unity Stamp Company called “Your Season”. It also comes with a sentiment.**

**The shine of the thin coat of varnish**.

**Many more colors can be used. Keeping it simple, I love the brown, green and black together. If I were to add anything I would color the star. Holiday lights would be awesome too!**

That’s it for this time, I am excited to see your projects. Thank you for visiting and please continue on the hop with my friends listed below. Don’t forget to comment on each blog for a chance to win a “thank you” prize. One commenter will be randomly selected to win.

Crystal

Amber

Kim

Rachel(me)

Bobbie Sue

Gaylynn

Dawn F.

Colleen

Eileen

Joyce

Dawn B.

Robyn

The winner from September’s Hop is Andre! Congratulations! Thank you for commenting and please message me your mailing address and I will get your prize sent out to you.

Thanks again, I would love to know which is your favorite project and any thoughts or ideas. I so enjoy all your comments. Until next month, have a wonderful October!

I am on Instagram and TikTok @cardartbyrachel. Please follow me for fun short videos of how I make my cards and projects.

Rachel

“As long as autumn lasts, I shall not have hands, canvas and colors enough to paint the beautiful things I see.”
**Vincent van Gogh**
(more flowers from my backyard)

A Bride and Frankenstein

Greetings! It’s not an ordinary-kind-of-day card, it’s Frankenstein and Corpse bride celebrating their wedding anniversary. This is a mix of many fabulous Poppystamps dies, paper and embellishments.

Please keep reading for directions on how I made this card…if you dare!

1. Die cut the “Whittle Witch” and the “Whittle Creatures” die sets onto watercolor paper or heavy cardstock. Additionally you can die cut an extra forehead for Frankenstein if you want it to stick out!

2. Die cut Frankenstein’s clothes and hair with black, shiny metallic paper from the “Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad”. Then die cut the Corpse Bride’s dress and shoes with glitter paper from the “Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad”.
3. Color the faces and foreheads of both figures and don’t forget the legs and bangs of the bride. I used markers but watercolor would work just as well.
4. Cut sections from a pale blue organza ribbon for the Corpse Bride’s dress and veil. Witchy tip: cut the dress’ ribbon a little longer to leave room for glue.
5. Cut two shades of pale blue embroidery thread for the Corpse Bride’s hair.

6. Hot foil and die cut the “Best Wishes” sentiment from “Modest Greetings 1” in gold and frame it with a slightly larger piece of cardstock.
7. Die cut the smaller piece of the two “Layer Cake Drip Icing” die set with glitter paper and the spiderweb from “Halloween Assemblage” in cardstock.
8. Cut a rectangle piece of gray cardstock from the Earth Neutral Collection slightly smaller than an A2 card and adhere to a white base.
9. Glue the figures and the coordinating pieces down.
10. Place a “Fairy Jewel” on the sentiment piece to finish the card.

This card was enchanting to craft. It will be perfect for the couple who welcomes a Halloween or Fall themed wedding. I love that it is clean and simple, yet silly and fun. Thank you for visiting and now I am off to another festivity!

Check out Poppystamps.com for all the supplies I used. I am also on Instagram and TikTok @cardartbyrachel with short videos of how I made this card and many others.

Toil and Trouble

Today is going to be a hauntingly great day! Hi, it’s Rachel and I am sharing a little scary, but mostly fun Halloween card. These dies are from the “Whittles” line by Poppystamps. I love them–especially the “Whittle Witch!”

Here are the steps to create this card.

Using watercolorpaper, die cut 2 of each: “Whittle Witch”, Boo Poe Script”, “Halloween Assemblage”, and “Whittle Wood Picture Frames”.
Watercolor the images the colors of your choice.

3. Paint the “Boo Poe Script” sentiment in black distress ink. After that, lay the sentiment in a splatter box and generously splatter watered-down white acrylic paint over the die.

4. Randomly place the spiderweb die cut from the “Halloween Assemblage” dies on a black cardfront measuring approximately 4″ x 5.25″. Then blend white ink over the web to create a background. Uneven spiderweb images five the card character!

5. Glue the witch and the “Whittle Wood Picture Frames” (large frame) on the cardfront.

6. Cut and unravel orange/red/yellow embroidery thread into small pieces. Then glue around the top of the witches head–give her a haircut as needed. The messier the better!

7. Layer and glue a second die cut to the “Boo” and the broomstick for extra strength. Then adhere to the frame.

8. For the hat and the caldron, you can either glue a second die cut down as in the previous step, or cut off the area where the pieces overlap the witch. This will be the handle for the caldron and the brim for the hat.

9. Choose different sizes of the “Clear Fairy Drops” and glue for bubbles coming out of the caldron.

10. Glue gold Stickles onto the hat for extra sparkle

11. Adhere the cardfront to a black card base.

The “Whittles” and the new Poppystamps Halloween release are to DIE for! I am over the moon about them!

Have a BOO-tiful day, I will be back soon and until then, BEWARE of more creative posts!

Please follow me on Instagram and TikTok @cardartbyrachel for short videos of how I made this card.

Thanks for stopping by!

The Friends of Unity Blog Hop ~ September 2022

Fall is in the air! Hello to crisp mornings and leaves turning their brilliant, beautiful colors! Welcome to our blog hop and definitely a favorite theme for me! Not a day goes by without many cups of coffee…. and if there is chocolate in our home, I will be inhaling it! My favorite drink has recently become Matcha Lattes, so so good.

Card #1 ~ Miss You!

**A hot drink on a cold autumn morning sounds wonderful! This stamp is so beautiful and it takes little time to watercolor.** **Following** are steps to create this card. 1. stamp the image in Versamark Ink. 2. Watercolor the image. 3. Ink blend Oxide ink to resemble sky and lightly spritz with water. 4. Die cut the image with a border die. 5. Stamp the sentiment with black ink and heat emboss with clear powder. 6. Using an embossing ink pen, color over the cup. 7. Sprinkle Distress glaze over the cup and apply heat to emboss. 8. Stamp the heart in distress oxide ink. 9. Wrap 1mm burlap string around the card front and glue it down to a black card base at an angle.

**Supplies I used and the stamp set featured is called “Take a Break” by Unity Stamp Company**

**A close-up view and I love the open heart in brown distress oxide ink.**

Card #2 ~ Vintage Teacups

**These teacups say vintage, elegant , fine detail, and light. Steps to create this card**. **1. Stamp the image** with a medium gray ink. If you only have black you could first stamp the image on a scrap and then without reinking, re-stamp again on card front for a lighter image. 2. Stamp the sentiment slightly overlapping the teacups. 3. Heat emboss the sentiment with clear powder. 4. Washi tape across the top and then again on the bottom leaving a torn area. 5. Sequins for interest. 6. Mount card front to a black border and then adhere to the grey card base.

**The few supplies I used and “the little things” itty bitty stamp set by Unity Stamp Company**

Card #3 ~ Coffee and a Cinnamon Stick

Fun with texture! This card was fun to add elements and mix patterns and elements. Here is how to create this card. 1. Stamp the coffee cup with Memento ink on pattern paper and fussy cut it out. 2. Stamp the image again on heavy card stock. and cut out. 3. Glue the two pieces together. 4. Emboss a light creme card front. 5. Color the coffee in the cup and the cinnamon stick. 6. Ink blend walnut stain distress ink around the edges of the coffee. 7. Add crystal laquer on the coffee for a shiny effect. 8. Stamp the heart and cut out and color. 9. Paint Pixie Dust on the heart and glue to card. 10. Die cut the shape and stamp the sentiment in brown ink. 11. Ink blend Purely Pomegranate on the sentiment and glue to card. 12. Adhere card front to a kraft base. 13. 2mm burlap string and a button in the lower left corner finishes the card.

**Supplies I used and stamps are by Unity Stamp Company**

**Pixie Dust on the heart and Crystal Laquer on the coffee for a little extra fun**

**I love cinnamon in my coffee. Mixing it with a cinnamon stick is even bette**r, isn’t it?

Card #4 ~ Coffee to Keep You Warm

This border stamp is a definite favorite! The many shapes of coffee cups are incredible. These are the steps to create this card. 1. Stamp the image with green ink and heat emboss with clear powder. 2. Watercolor images with various green and brown colors. 3. Using a crimping tool, run a strip of kraft through it and adhere to card front. This is to resemble corrugated hand protectors on coffee cups! 4. Die cut shape with heavyweight vellum. 5. Stamp the sentiment on pattern paper and die cut with the same shape as the vellum. Trim off the top and bottom. 6. Add a copper brad to the sentiment and glue down to the kraft strip. 7. Glue card front to a kraft card base.

**Supplies I used and “Hot Mess” border background stamp by Angie Blom for Unity Stamp Company**

A few close-ups. The crimper was fun to dig out to simulate a hand protector on a coffee-to-go. Brads are great because there is no fear of it falling off the card… I sometimes worry about glue holding down embellishments.

**Super fun to loosely paint this border stamp. Notice some of the cups actually have coffee in them!**

**The cards I made for the hop in an evening light. Don’t fall asleep now. (Yawn)**

Thank you for joining in the hop. Please keep hopping to the next friend on the list below. Also please comment and I will randomly pick one person to win a “thank you” prize! The winner will be announced next month.

Crystal

Eileen

Amber

Kim

Bobbie Sue

Rachel(me)

Dawn B.

Gaylynn

April

Colleen

Dawn F.

Robyn

Joyce

Alaine

And the winner from the August Hop is…. Stephanie Puccini! Congratulations Stephanie, thank you so much for your comment, we appreciate it! Please message me your mailing address and I will get your prize in the mail.

Have a wonderful September and take time to enjoy cardmaking as we welcome the new season!

Rachel

Please follow me on Instagram and TikTok @cardartbyrachel where I post videos on how I make these cards!

“**Blushing Bride” Hydrangea in my backyard**

“It’s not just about creativity, it is about the person you’re becoming while you’re creating” Charlie Peacock

A Poppystamps Butterfly Wish!

Hello! It’s a beautiful day to share a whimsical butterfly card with you. I love the Poppystamps Stained Glass Butterfly collage and the Large and Small Stained Glass Butterfly and Background. They can be used together or individually.

I chose a soft watercolor background of blue, green and purple swooshes to die cut the Stained Glass butterfly collage from.

Next I die cut the Large and Small Stained Glass butterfly and Background dies from heavy vellum. I glued the wings and antennae over the two butterflies with a glue dot adhering only the center. I also glued a small antenna on the butterfly without the layered wings.

A close-up view showing the dimension created with the wing layers. The vellum gives the butterflies a fluid, dreamy feel.

I chose the “Best Wishes” sentiment from the Modest Greetings 1 Hot Foil Plate and Die. I rolled the plate through the die machine for a letterpress look. Then I mounted the sentiment on a thin frame of the watercolor paper and mounted it again on white cardstock.

I glued two tiny butterflies from the Stained Glass Butterfly collage on the background. Finally I placed Autumn Fairy Jewels around the image for extra sparkle.

I love how this card turned out. It can be used for many occasions. I can’t wait to try more washes of color. Until next post, have a fantastic day!

You can also find me on Instagram and TikTok @cardartbyrachel for short videos of how I make my cards!

A Poppystamps Birthday Treat!

Hi everyone! I am so excited to join the Poppystamps Design Team! Here is a sweet birthday card where The Grand Whittle Ice Cream cone takes center stage. It looks delicious, can you taste it?! I am also using letters from the Happy Birthday Background.

To create this card, I watercolored the ice cream cone combining distress inks and watercolor paints. I placed random blocks of color on the ice cream scoop to give it a textured feel. Next I glued the cone directly on the kraft card base. For the scoop, I glued two layers together, then trimmed off the scalloped portion that meets the cone to keep the image level on the card.

Now the fun is continuing because the letters are making their appearance! With quite a few sizes and fonts to choose from, I had a blast arranging the letters on the card. Finally I came up with a satisfying display. I began by gluing the letter “T” at the bottom of the cone and “P” at the top making sure they fit and were centered on the card. The funny part is when I got to the end, the “Y” in birthday didn’t fit…but instead of panicking, I was able to fix it. I found another “Y” that was a bit more narrow. Thank goodness!

Using a fan-shaped brush, I splattered watered-down white acrylic paint mixed with a hint of green. (Green to tone down the brightness.) I lightly tapped the top of the brush, holding it close to the card to control the amount of paint and placement of the splatters. A one mm thin burlap string tied close to the fold finishes the card!

Here is another card I made, this time using the background part of the Poppystamps Happy Birthday Background. What I love about this most is that every piece of it can be used on more than one card! If you don’t have this die, you have to check it out. It has so many possibilities!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you like this sweet card. The Grand Whittle Ice Cream Cone is one of my favorite dies. I can’t wait to make so many more ice cream flavors. Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a wonderful day!

The Friends of Unity Blog Hop ~ August 2022

Hello! We are super excited to welcome an amazingly talented and crafty friend to our blog hop, Gaylynn Martling!

Now that summer is in full swing, let’s take a detour from this season’s themes of ocean beaches and exotic vacations. Let’s focus in on holidays celebrated throughout the year. There are so many choices!

Card #1 ~ Happy Halloween!

A coffee and a witch make quite a combination! Here are the steps to create this card. 1. I stamped the image with black Versafine ink on watercolor paper. 2. I heat embossed her with clear embossing powder. 3. Next I watercolored the witch with purple, green and orange. Lots of fun, festive colors! 4. I punched out a circle to use as a stencil, I set the circle aside. I placed the stencil where I wanted to create a full moon and blended squeezed lemonade inside. 5. Then I laid the circle cutout over the moon as a mask and blended chipped sapphire and black soot distress ink for the background. 6. I removed the cutout and misted water over the chipped sapphire allowing it to bleed into the moon, a cool effect! 7. After dry, I painted in areas of carved pumpkin on the moon. 8. I die cut a border by Gina Marie Designs. 9. Then I heat embossed a sentiment with Ranger gold embossing powder on a strip of black cardstock. 10. Finally I heat embossed a second sentiment with winter white embossing powder **directly on the card.**

**A close-up. Stickles gold glitter glue on the hat is an extra bit of bling.**

**“A Real Witch” by Angie Blom for Unity Stamp Co.**

**I love that the outline of the moon can be seen as if the darkness is ever changing and moving.**

Card #2 ~ Happy Thanksgiving!

This house is perfect to create a fall scene. I thought how awesome it would be to send as a Thanksgiving card! 1. I stamped this image on watercolor paper with black onyx Versafine ink. 2. Next I painted the home and surrounding background with Tim Holtz distress inks. 3. I splattered watered down distress inks in fall colors over the trees. (you can cover the house to control how much splatters you want on the image.) 4. I stamped the lower sentiment in Hero Arts tangerine ink. 5. Using the same ink, I stamped the sentiment and roughed up the edges. I mounted them on a fine border of dark brown. 6. Finally, a Nuvo drop finishes the card **in the lower left corner.**

**A close-up. The lower sentiment is a bit hard to read. Next card I will change that but I do love the orange ink!**

“**Warm Wishes for your Home” by Unity Stamp Company**

**A final look at the little house on the hill. I wonder what kind of fun is happening in there on this day?!**

Card #3 ~ Happy Holidays!

**I love how festive I feel when I look at this card! It is super easy to make. The timeliest part is waiting for it to dry. 1. I stamped the snowflakes in** Versamark ink and heat embossed them with clear embossing powder. 2. I brushed on candied apple distress ink with various amounts of water. I let it dry naturally and the feathering effect is gorgeous. 3. I stamped the same three snowflakes with red distress ink and added bits of water so the color would bleed. 4. I stamped the sentiment in Versamark ink and heat embossed it with Ranger gold embossing powder. 5. I added paint around the sentiment to make it more visible and to bring out the beautiful gold. I also added color to the center of the snowflakes to highlight the details and to create contrast.

**A close -up of the gold embossed sentiment over the deep red hue. It is so warm and inviting.**

**“Conspiracy of Love” by Unity Stamp Company, Kit of the Month**

Card #4 ~ Happy Easter!

A card with a bunny to celebrate Easter! 1. I stamped the bunny on heavy cardstock and colored it with markers. I used a dot technique for texture and less precise blending. 2. I fussy-cut out the bunny. (I cut off the whiskers and will restamp them later in the process.) 3. Next I blended Tim Holtz kitsch flamingo distress oxide ink in the center of a white card base. 3. I die cut a spiral and splatter shape by Tim Holtz. I glued them on the background. 4. Then I stamped the bunny image over the die to allow the whiskers to be visible. I lined up the whiskers and glued the bunny down. 5. I stamped the sentiment in black onyx Versafine ink and added a pink organza ribbon to complete the card. Oh, I can’t forget the fruit punch Stickles for that special touch of sparkle on the bunny’s heart!

**Die-cuts in fun shapes adds character and interest.**

**A close-up of the heart that sparkles and shines!**

“**You’ve got HEART” by Tracy Malnofski for Unity Stamp Co**

**One more view of the bunny. Organza ribbon is timeless and goes great with the vintage bunny who has a patch underneath the heart.**

Thank you for stopping here on the hop. Below is the list of Unity friends to visit along the way. Please comment for the chance to win a fun “thank you” prize! A random person will be chosen and announced at the September blog hop.

And now, the winner from the July hop is……..beccab33324!!! Congratulations to you, please message me your mailing address and I will send your prize in the mail! Thank you for commenting and hopping with us.

Crystal

Eileen

April

Amber

Rachel (me)

Dawn F.

Colleen

Kim

Gaylynn

Robyn

I hope you enjoyed the “Holidays” theme as much as I did! Until next month, stay safe and healthy. Wishing you wonderful summer days ahead and I hope you find a few minutes to craft in between the activities of the season!

Rachel

Please follow me on Instagram and TikTok @cardartbyrachel for videos of how I make these cards. The videos will be posted during the month of August.

**This Fuschia is just about to bloom in my backyard.**

“Create what sets your heart on fire and it will illuminate the path ahead” Karma Voce