Hi to everyone! Welcome to our blog hop and the first day of February. Hope you’ve had many crafty days in 2025 so far. This month is a fun theme–“Monochromatic”. Color combinations are an integral part of a card design so choosing one color and changing the intensity and contrast is a wonderful technique to tackle.

Card #1- …I see the wind by Phyllis Harris for Unity

I decided on brown watercolor for this card. I went with this because I looked at the girl and her surroundings and saw that each object could actually be brown in the real world! Also a scene sepia-inspired pairs well with beautiful images by Phyllis Harris.

To create this card I stamped the image with Versafine black ink on watercolor paper. I used reddish-brown Prang watercolor. I kept in mind to use sharp contrasts of light and dark tones for depth and interest. I die cut the image with a Gina Marie Designs border die.

I created a smooshed background and sized it down to create a border for the image. I glued it onto the panel and then onto a white cardfront. I roughed up the right edge as if it were a tattered page. Then I stamped the sentiment in black on an extra strip of paper and attached a copper brad. I love brads–they wont ever fall off the card! Finally I glued it onto the card leaving a bit running over the edge. Not only is the image amazing but I love this sentiment so much!

Card #2 ~ Zinnia by Angie Blom for Unity

An explosion of gorgeous zinnias fill the card. I veered off a bit from the traditional monochromatic theme. I used yellow as my choice color and small amounts of other colors on this card. I was definitely inspired by yellow but as I painted I felt it was difficult to achieve the deep contrasts I created in the first card.

I stamped the image on watercolor paper with Versasfine black ink. I painted the flowers using yellow from my Prang watercolor set. I added (to yellow) a slight hint of brown and green to the leaves, brown and orange to the flower centers, and red and orange to the small blossoms. I created the background using tons of water to add visual fluidity.

I die cut the image using a Gina Marie Designs border die and another piece to add under the original for strength. I glued the outer piece of the background onto an orange cardstock and painted (Mozart Komorebi) white watercolor onto the orange so it was less bold. I attached dimensionals for more height before adhereing it. I thought about a bow, other embellishments, a sentiment but I opted instead for Stickles glitter glue on the flower centers and Hero Arts crystal clear lacquer on the yellow flowers!

Card #3 ~ Galactic Dino Party

Monochromatic, clean and simple, or is it?! Maybe less clean as the busy background might not fit into the clean category? Nonetheless, I watercolored the background using Prang watercolors. It is always a relaxing time painting them and i love this beaautiful fuschia color. After it dried completely, I stamped the image with Versafine black ink.

I painted the balloon as dark as possible. I dabbed it with a paper towel to give it varied depths of color. I went for a medium shade for the dinosaur and left a slight light area on the top of his back for variation as well. I stamped the sentiment on the background, I love how tiny it is!

Finally I die cut the cardfront out using a border die by Gina Marie Designs. I adhered it to a white cardbase and that’s it! Cover the balloon in crysal clear lacquer? I might do that!

It was a joy to create these cards. I must say not thinking about what colors to use was somewhat freeing! Please continue on the hop to see so many more monochromatic creations. Below is the list of friends who are hopping, you won’t be disappointed.

Crystal

Kari

Jenni

April

Toni

Rachel {me}

Amber

Dawn F.

Doreen

Joyce

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you try out this technique, I am sure you will love it. If you do, please share it in the Unity Show N’ Tell Facebook group. Until next time, have a joy-filled month and find some time to do what makes you the most happy.

Rachel

Please follow me on instagram @cardartbyrachel

Hi Crafty Friends! It’s January and time for some of us to clean up and organize those papercrafting supplies. The theme for this month is “Use Old Stuff from Your Stash”. I can’t think of a better cue to inspire us!

Card #1 – Cozy Platy – Platypus Peculiarities by Unity Stamp Company

This Platypus is too cute for words. I couldn’t wait to ink him up. I colored him and the background using watercolor pencils and paint. I rummaged through my stash and found the kraft border die cut saved from another project. I adhered the platypus to the kraft border and then to a pale blue card base.

The sentiment strip, embossed in white, looked like it belonged on the card. I love it! Finally, the little metallic tree and snowflake embellishments were just right to decorate the card. I have no recollection from where I got them, but I knew they would be put to good use!

I thought this card was funny because the platypus is huge compare to the trees he stands beside! Let’s just say he is the abominable snowman disguised as a platypus.

Card #2 – Is it Spring yet? – Frosty and Feisty by Unity Stamp Company

It’s not spring yet and wow, this kitty is grumpy. Kitty can get away with it because the look on it’s face is ridiculously hard to resist! Perusing through my stash, I came across this background of layers of dramatic dark hues dancing in the moonlight and of course the kitty was the first image that came to mind. I stamped the image in Versafine black ink. The detail is incredible.

I chose this gorgeous navy organza ribbon that is probably 20 years old! I love the contrast of grumpy vs. beautiful. To keep with this idea, I adhered a diamond jewel embellishment. I stamped the sentiment directly on the cardfront, making sure I stamped it in the moonlight, otherwise it would be hard to read.

To enhance the image, I darkened the eyes with a black Sharpie fine point marker. And for the most dramatic effect, I painted white acrylic paint in the whites of the eyes!

Card #3 – Featherly and Bright! – Cozy Vibes Owl by Unity Stamp Company

A sweet, little birdie, innocent and young! Another image by Unity Stamp Company that is too adorable to pass up! The expression on it’s face is precious and reminds me of little ones wanting to take in everything around them. I rummaged through my premade background stash, I found this heavy vellum with Sharpie scribbles and alcohol added to run the dyes magically around the surface. Thank you Amber for the technique!

I also found an oval shaped piece of cardstock. I stamped the bird on it in Versafine ink. I painted the bird with watercolor paint and then the background in a rainbow sky. Next I adhered it to the vellum and in turn, to a white A2 cardbase.

Then I embellished the card with sequins positioning them with their corresponding colors. I found this awesome silver “Hello” embellishment, adhered it to the cardfront and finished the card off with iridescent sequins! Oh I almost forgot I added teal Stickles to the hat. Yay!

Thanks so much for joining our hop. There are so many great cardmakers and ideas they have to show you. Please continue along. The list is below.

Crystal

Amber

Jane

Dawn F.

April

Toni

Jenni

Joyce

Rachel (me)

Doreen

Have a wonderful January. Stay cozy, warm and full of crafty ideas!

Rachel

Please follow me on instagram @cardartbyrachel

Hi crafty friends! It’s December and “Winter Wonderland” is our theme for this month’s blog hop. Snow has yet to fall where I live but I am hoping for a white Christmas! Also it’s our 7th year anniversary of hopping, I joined the team about 3 years ago and it has been so much fun! Thanks to Crystal Minkler for all she does to make this hop possible.

Card #1 – White Out!

How fun is a group of grumpy birds caught in a blizzard?! Hilarious I say. I decided to create a card depicting this idea. To begin I stamped “The Grumpy Bird Club” set using black Versafine ink on watertcolor paper. I die cut the image using a Gina Marie scalloped border. Next I colored the birds with Prismacolor watercolor pencils. Each hat is a shade of green. I blended blue outlining the birds and blending out until little pigment can be seen.

I positioned the birds over an A2 size kraft card base. I splattered watered down white acrylic paint over the entire area with the exception of the bird faces. I placed circles over the faces to keep paint from covering their eyes completely. After the blizzard was completed, I removed the circles and lightly splattered a few specks over the faces.

Then I stamped the funny sentiment, “birds of a feather sulk together” sideways on the panel. It fit perfectly! I tied a bow with natural and chartreuse twine around the panel. I made the bow slightly covering the sentiment, a fun way to make the card interactive! A smoky blue strip of cardstock is added to the edge for interest. I adhered the birds to the card with dimensionals to raise it up. Finally I stamped “Merry Christmas” in the lower right corner. These grumplings make me giggle every time I look at them!

Card #2 – Farm Fresh Girl by Angie Blom for Unity

Christmas trees come in all shapes and sizes. This set reminds me of a small surprise Christmas tree delivered to my apartment my first year out of college. It was much bigger than the tree on the card but the memories brought back were wonderful.

I stamped the girl off the cardfront edge and the sign sign selling trees for sale. Using Prang watercolors, I painted the girl and background. I left the area around the sentiment untouched. Next I adhered the cardfront to red and roughed up the edges. I tied a red grosgain ribbon before adhering it to a deep raspberry cardstock.

A few embellishments add so much merry and bright! Stickles for the Christmas trees and hat. Iridescent sequins randomly placed, finish the card.

The stamped sign, Christmas trees for sale, drew me to this set. I love the mixed fonts and design.

Card #3 – Grungy Christmas

I stamped two images, one on white (previous card) and the other in light blue. I colored each with watercolor paint and then trying out a few different ideas, I made two cards. It is always fun to see how the cards look so different depending on the style, techniques and products aree used.

I painted the background with Prang watercolors making blotches of paint and spritzing with generous amounts of water letting the colors blend naturally. I kept the sentiment/tree sign area lightly colored. I was feeling brave so I took out Ranger distress mica stain and without even a practice try I spritzed the cardfront. A large area covered part of my beloved sentiment and two more splotches were in hopes of balancing out the mistake. Next I thought, “Embellish those problem areas to make them look like they were intended to be there”! I adhered the cardfront to a patterned paper for the border.

Then I found an iridescent snowflake to cover one splotch. Red, orange and white baker’s twine covered another. And a small sequin for the little blunder at the bottom. Stickles in a beautiful blend of red, green and gold for the tree, little trees, and the pompom on the hat.

I added a few more jewels and and dots where I thought looked best/ Finally I adhered the cardfront to a cardbase of forest green!

Please continue on the hop, I know you will find fun ideas to try and a whole lot of inspiration from these wonderful crafters below!

Crystal

Amber

Kari

Toni

Jenni

Rachel (me)

Joyce

Dawn

Thank you so much for stopping by. May you have a wonderful holiday season and many hours of crafting happiness!

Rachel

Ig @cardartbyrachel

Happy Holidays! Decorations are up and beautiful ornaments glow against lights on the tree! It’s Rachel here to bring on the holiday spirit with a card full of sparkle and shine. I used the Poppystamps “Nordic Layered Ornament” die cuts in gorgeous fancy papers. 

I began by die cutting quite a few ornaments in an array of colors. I had no set plan of what I was going to make so i grouped colors and textures that I felt visually pleasing. I ended up using the jewel tones. As I pieced the ornaments together, I made sure no two same colors were together. I varied the  textures as well. I kept the toppers all the same in silver. Next I die cut the “Nordic Wintertide Border Set” two times in the beautiful sheets of red cardstock new on the Poppystamps site! They are heavyweight, bright and can be used as a card base. I spaced the borders to my liking and adhered them to the cardfront. Then I die cut three “Little Bow and String” pieces in silver glitter! I arranged the ornaments and bows and adhered them to the cardfront. I cut the strings to be even with the top of the card. Each bow was different to give the card character and notice the middle bow is the fullest! Finally fairy jewels adorn the card.

Oh wow! I almost forgot the sentiment–the Poppystamps “Happy Holidays Moonlight Script” die cut out in the same silver glitter paper as the bows. 

As previously mentioned, I die cut numerous ornaments out of assorted paper. I arranged and glued them onto the black glossy cardstock from Poppystamps and glued them down. Dimensional foam was added under the areas that overlapped other pieces. I used a gold foiled precut black sentiment.

I didn’t add any string or bows to the ornament tops. I love the clean, sleek feel I get when I look at this card!

And another card came into being…this is a monochromatic one. I die cut the “Double Scalloped Stitched Frames Die” from a sheet of the turquoise cardstock. I adhered it to a white cardbase, arranged the ornaments, glued them down and splattered everything with white acrylic paint. I  used dimensional foam under the overlapping pieces.

Finally I glued a pre-made thick gold foiled sentiment at the lower base of the card. I thought about adding silver thread to the ornament tops. If you scroll to the next picture, you will see it pictured on them. Which do you like, thread or no thread?!


Making these cards got me into the holiday spirit. I am so happy to feel the festive vibes coming alive in the air. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Hi crafty friends! It’s November, I can’t believe another month has gone by and now, here we are, the last two months of 2024! The theme for November’s hop is “Gratitude”. There are so many things I am grateful for. I decided to make cards from a few Unity Kit of the Month membership sets that are in the fall season.

Card #1 ~ Warm Hug

I used a style called no-line watercoloring for my first card. I stamped the image in a light brown ink on watercolor paper. I painted the subjects using watercolor paints and distress inks. The idea is to create the lines by using the color of the object and applying dark shades to the edges of the color used. The lines that were stamped disappear and the new lines are defined by the paint.

Next I die cut the image out with a square wonky stitched die. I mounted it on a white square a little larger and adhered it down to a white A2 card base. I stamped the thankful sentiment on white and then cut it out and adhered it to the pumpkin with a dimensional. Finally I stamped the sentiment in dark brown.

Card #2 ~ Thankful Things

I love this stamp! I had my eye on it for a long time and was more than excited when I was able to own it! I love the three fonts grouped together and also the list of everything I love about fall.

I created this card embossing the stamped phrases on watercolor paper and then heat embossed it in clear. Next I watercolored the background with distress ink. Then I mounted it on a creme cardstock slightly larger than the image. I roughed up the edges.

I mounted this on an orange cardstock for added detail. On a green cardbase, I watercolored a darker greenish teal to give the base texture. I adhered the sentiment to the cardbase. Finally I chose two orange gems and placed them in the lower right corner.

Card #3 ~ Serenity and Blessed

This swing is so simple yet gorgeous and I can just imagine swinging every morning with a cup of coffee to start my day. I stamped the image on watercolor paper. I painted the image, it took only a few minutes as there is very little area to fill in.

I die cut the card front with a Gina Marie border die. It reminds me of an eyelet dress my mom made for me. Next I adhered it to a thin, orange cardstock and then slate blue cardstock with a wider edge. I glued this down on kraft and then onto a cardbase.

Finally I added a sentiment with the same blue border (as in the larger border) with a dimensional adhesive.

Thanks so much for hopping. Below are the links to our creative friends on the hop.

Crystal

Kari

Toni

Jane

Dawn F.

Jenni

Rachel (me)

Joyce

Have a great time raking leaves and drinking the pumpkin lattes! Be sure to save some time for crafting and fun!

Love,

Rachel

Please follow me on instagram @cardartbyrachel

Hi crafty friends! It’s October, the leaves are turning their beautiful colors, another Unity Blog Hop is here. The theme is “CASEd It!” In the cardmaking world, CASE stands for “Copy and Share Everything”. Find a card that you love, grab your supplies and recreate it! A CASED card is perfect when time is limited or if a creative block is preventing ideas from flowing. CASE-ing a card takes the design step out of the equation and then the fun can ignite.

Card #1 – Gnome card CASED and inspired from Gaylynn Martling, “So Mushroom” and “Gnome-one like you” stamp sets by Sandhya Iyer for Unity, “Snailed It” by Lisa Glanz.

I began with an A2 cardfront. I die cut a border by Gina Marie. Next I used a Poppystamps heart die to create a stencil. I placed the negative space over the cardfront and stamped the images. I used Versafine black ink for the gnome, snail and dragonfly. I used grey for the mushrooms. Then I ink blended salty ocean distress ink around the straight edge of the heart and yellow in the center. I removed the scalloped border and ink blended wilted violet in the space.

I colored the images with Prismacolor watercolor pencils. A brush with water blends the color. Finally I stamped the sentiment on a white strip of cardstock. I glued it at the bottom left corner slightly overlapping the heart.

I love these garden images!

Card #2 – CASED from and Inspired by Bobbie Sue McConathy, Stamped image is “Clara Girl” by Angie Blom for Unity Stamp Co.

I chose this image as the return to school is underwway. I stamped the girl off the edge of an A2 cardbase with Versafine black ink. I colored the image using Prismacolor watercolor pencils. I can’t say enough about these pencils, they are fun to work with, they are bright and full of color and they blend so smoothly with water. Next I stamped the sentiment and the heart above it. Finally a strip of washi tape adorns the right edge of the card.

I love the simple design of this card. Stamping the image off the edge gives the card so much interest and character. And I angled the image for even more fun!

Almost any image can be used to create this card. So many possibilities…

Card #3 – Inspired by and CASED from Tenia Nelson. The stamp set used is “You Otter Be” by Tierra Jackson for Unity Stamp Co.

This adorable otter doesn’t need much of an introduction. He really is too cute and just takes a minute to color. To create this card I stamped him on white watercolor paper. I colored the otter with Prismacolor watercolor pencils. I fussy-cut him out. Next I found two left-over pieces of background splotches and tore the edges. Then I cut a rectangular shape, smaller than the cardbase. I glued and stapled the scraps on the card. I placed the staples in x’s as they act as embellishments as well as functional way to attach the pieces to the cardfront.

I adhered the otter overlapping the paper. Finally I stamped the sentiment on a white strip of cardstock. I glued it on the lower left corner, slightly overlapping the heart.

i love you!

Thanks so much for hopping! Below is the list of friends on the hop with amazing CASED creations. Please follow along to the next person.

Crystal

Amber

Kari

Jenni

April

Colleen

Jane

Rachel (me)

Joyce

Have a wonderful day! I hope you find some time to CASE a card, you will love it! Thanks to Gaylynn, Bobbie Sue and Tenia for their beautiful designs I CASEd.

Rachel

Please follow me on instagram @cardartbyrachel

Good morning crafty friends! September is underway and it’s time for another hop with a color challenge. This bold, rich, warm palette was so inviting that immediately coffee came to mind…which leads me to the “Coffee is Not Enough” stamp set that Unity Stamp Company recently released and I fell instantly head over heels for this image.

Caffeinate Not Procrastinate!

As you can probable see, I created this card using the darker colors as my background and worked in the lighter hues for highlights. It was so much fun working with a set amount of colors and not spending any time deciding what colors to use!

I began this card by stamping the image using Versafine ink in black on watercolor paper. I kept a picture of the challenge color palette beside my set of paint to restrict myself from getting off track and dipping in teals and greens! I used MozArt Komorebi watercolor paints pictured later in this post. Burnt Umber combined with black is the first color to outline the image to suggest an early morning just before sunrise, kind of like right now writing this entry. Lots of water and dabbing with a paper towel is continuous to achieve the background style.

As I worked my way out, I added brown, burnt sienna and red ochre. i left the area above the coffee cup for yellow ochre, gambage(orange) and brilliant yellow. This created a hint of light suggesting the many superpowers that coffee can posess!

I painted the girl and kept the color bright to contrast the moody background. The kitty has touches of gambage and and yellow. The kitty’s expression is priceless and keeping it in light colors helps it little size stand out.

After the paper dried, I die cut the cardfront using the Gina Marie stitched border. I adhered it to a black frame and roughed up the edges with a scissors edge. Hard to see, but the black border has specks of metallic copper on it. Then I adhered the cardfront to an A2 kraft cardbase.

These are the supplies I used. The black fine point Copic marker was used to go carefully over the eyes to make them more intense. tip–leave the tiny white speck in the eye if possible. It is the lightsource and gives the eye a realistic focal point.

Finally, I heat embossed the sentiment in Ranger’s gold embossing powder on black, adhered to copper metallic cardstock. I added Stickles copper glitter on the sentiment strip and around the image. By the way, I love “unleash the joy”, it is a perfect way to say we all have joy, we must give ourselves the power to allow it in our lives, we have to unleash it!

I hope this card makes you smile and unleashes the joy as I only have one card to share. With so many fun things going on before the hop I let procrastination get the best of me. I need a stamp that reads “Caffeinate not procrastinate” or Caffeination not procrastination”!

As I finish this post, I am drinking my coffee and then going back to sleep as the light of day is still upon me. I hope this card finds you well and your day is full of many wonderful outcomes. Until next month, as the leaves begin to turn and fall, stay warm, cozy, crafty and caffinated!

Rachel

Please follow me on instagram @cardartbyrachel

Please continue the hop with the amazing and talented Unity friends!

Crystal

Kari B.

Tammy

Joyce

Jane

Jenni

Dawn F.

Rachel(me)

P.S. Don’t forget to try this out!

Hi Crafty Friends! It’s August and we are sharing cards with the theme of “Friendship”. Choosing which stamps to use was challenging as Unity has limitless stamps fitting into this category. I can’t wait to show you my cards, so here we go …

Card #1~Cherished Friends by Angie Blom for Unity Stamp Company

This image is so beautiful. I didn’t realize until just now how much it reminds me of the artist Gustav Klimt. He used gold flakes with oilpaint directlly on the canvas. I think that must have been why I felt it wasn’t complete until I added metallic paint! If you get the chance, look up “The Kiss”. Have you seen his paintings?

I began by stamping the image with black Versafine ink on watercolor paper. As most often, I didn’t have a plan for color or card design. I decided to try a set of Prang watercolors my daughter brought out the other day still laying on the table. I love the vibrant color.

I painted the background and then colors started to pop into my head. I decided to use fun colors for the hair giving it a mystical feel. One of the things I love about watercoloring is that even after paint is applied, highlights can be added by simply applying water to the area and then dabbing it with a paper towel. Much of the paint is substantially erased. I used this technique alot on this image.

As I already said previously, I felt it needed something more. I added metallic copper paint to the flowers and the top edge of the blanket. When the light hits the paint, it is gorgeous.

I also painted copper along the entire border. Then I splattered more paint metallic white and copper over the entire area excluding the faces. I framed the panel with a thin purple border and mounted it on a black cardbase. The speckles on the cardbase happened when I left it laying close to my carefree splattering. It looked great just like that!

Finally I sprinkled a mix of Ranger silver and gold embossing powder on the stamped Versafine sentiment, heated it, and wow, I love this effect!

Card #2~Brandy & Emma Constant Companions by Phyllis Harris for Unity Stamp Company

Switching gears (not literally!) I had to include this little girl and her best friend. Our furry pets are so loved and I can’t imagine life without them. They bring so much joy to me. I love Phyllis Harris images and the stories her timeless images tell.

I stamped the image with Versafine ink on watercolor paper. I used the Prang watercolor paints as in the previous card. I chose a subtle palette but emphasized the light areas by the contrasting dark ones.

I was going to leave the background untouched but then decided on a faint wash of color making sure to keep the friends the focal point and not competing with a busy background. Next I die cut the image using a Gina Marie stitched border die and adhered it onto a pale gray cardbase.

Then I die cut a heart and border by Poppystamps. I painted the border in a wash of blue and stacked up three layers for dimension. I stamped the sentiment on the inside heart. I added one layer before glueing it down. You can see the dimension in this picture.

Here it is again at another angle. It gives the card more interest but does not take away from the friends!

Finally, I know the composition of the card might seem completely uncentered. I thought about putting the sentiment in the upper left corner and sizing down to a square shape. I often go against the rules and have fun changing things up. I am not sure how this looks to you but I really love the finished card. Let me know what you think!

Card #3~…whimsy warmth by Phyllis Harris for Unity Stamp Company

This Phyllis Harris image is a newer stamp by Unity. I love this sweet embrace of two young friends. I can feel the warmth…

I stamped the image on watercolor paper using Versafine black ink and watercolored it using Prang paints. (I think I said this before on my other two cards!) Instead of paper piecing the printed shirt, I painted my own pattern!

Next I stamped the sentiment in Versafine gray ink. I thought about using teal for the sentiment but went ahead with this.

I wanted something different so I grabbed a Sizzix floral die and placed it on the top area to fill empty space. I mounted the cardfront onto a pink cardbase. Then I used watercolor paper I had made last week to die cut a frame by Poppystamps. I used it to frame the floral pattern and was pleasantly pleased with the visual. I’m not sure what it is but I imagine it to be a window or piece of artwork on the wall.

Finally, I die cut Unity Washi Tape metal dies out of the same paper I used for the frame. I dug out floral brads and placed them on a few of the strips. I adhered the strips to complete the card. So sweet!

Thanks for hopping, below is the list of friends sharing cards full of “friendship” inspired cards. I appreciate all of your comments!

Crystal

Amber

Jenni

April

Kari

Tami

Joyce

Rachel (me)

Colleen

Friends are gold and you can never have too many. I love this theme. There are so many reasons to send a friend a card. I hope you are inspired to create a friend card.

Please let me know if you have any questions, I love exchanging ideas about cardmaking! Have a rich and bountiful August.

Your Friend Always,

Rachel

Please follow me on Instagram @cardartbyrachel