Growing In Unity ~ Day 5

Happy Friday crafty friends! I have enjoyed a wonderful week with you. Unity Stamp Company is so kind to allow me to share my card creations this week. I appreciate it so much, thank you Unity!

My final card is a bit of a mash-up combining two sets into one card. It has vintage elements and yet contemporary hints of colorful hair and fish eye camera angles inhabit the card.

Creating this card began with choosing the placement of the images. After many trials, I liked this one the best. The little girl is in the foreground and the dog is a little further back watching dandelion seeds blown in its direction.

First I stamped the images on watercolor paper in Tsukinemo Versafine ink. I used Komerebi MozArt paints. I gave the girl a teal streak in her hair and decided on a tri-colored beagle.

I love these stamps! “…breath of bliss” is from the artist and author Phyllis Harris. Her talents are incredible and she often depicts childrens’ carefree postures with hair blowing in the wind.

Next I found my Sizzix floral die and ran it through the top of the card with my Cuttlebug. The intricate deal was just what it needed. I loosely painted a border with distress ink in spun sugar. Then I ink blended over the edges with distress ink, tea dye. I adhered it to a pale pink cardbase.

I stamped a sentiment from the dog set, cut it in half and mounted it on patterned paper. I stamped the paw print in lieu of another embellishment. It also goes with the sentiment “Paws a moment to enjoy the little things today”. A burlap twine completes the card.

A close up. A nice addition would be glitter on the dandelion.

As my GIU week comes to a close, I hope you’ve seen something that sparked ideas and creativity. Thank you for dropping in and your comments are so encouraging. Thank you Unity for the GIU program. It’s awesome connecting with cardmakers all over the world and getting to see their creations.

Have a beautiful weekend. I look forward to seeing you on the Facebook Show N Tell page

Rachel

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I am on instagram @cardartbyrachel

Growing In Unity ~ Day 3

Hi everyone, it’s Wednesday. Hope your week is going well. In keeping with Unity Stamp Company’s Membership Wednesdays, I thought I would create something from the June Kit of the Month. We are in a bit of a heat wave, no rain this month and lots of sunshine and blue skies. My card today is a reflection of citrus, summer, water and happy vibes.

I began this card with stamping the image on an A2 size of watercolor paper in Versafine black ink. I watercolored the lemons, grapefruit, limes and oranges using Komorebi MozArt paints. I had the most relaxing time painting these juicy fruits! I have to admit my mouth puckered a few times when working on the lemons!

I die cut the image using a Spellbinders fancy stitched nesting circle die careful to keep the remainder of the cardstock in good condition. Next I used the larger die to cut out a larger circular border. Then I glued the the pieces to a turquoise cardbase.

I painted the open space between the image and the outer border of the card. I used teal and I liked the way the teal enhanced the image and filled the dull space. It reminds me of a pool and waves! I stamped the sentiment.

Finally the embellishments complete the card. Pink, clear and fuschia sequins were randomly placed around the card to carry on the festivities. Stickles glitter glue gave sparkle to the fruits which created monement and that extra special quality. My favorite part are the new Unity Stamp Company’s washi tape – metal dies. It was so satisfying imagining these die cuts were pieces of torn washi!

Thanks for stopping by! Don’t forget to comment each day to win a prize. Have a beautiful day and squeeze a little summer citrus into your week.

See you tomorrow!

Rachel

Please follow me on Instagram @cardartbyrachel

Growing In Unity ~ July 16

Hi everyone! Today I am sharing something other than a card–Unity Stamp Company’s adorable bunny images stamped on coasters! One of the reasons I love to give handmade gifts is that they can be personalized. My daughter rescued two Holland Lop bunnies last fall. She asked if I could make bunny coasters for her. Yes I could! And not only could I, but how fun would it be to try to make them look like their actual selves?!

I must say that Unity Stamp Company’s huge selection of thousands of images do not disappoint. When I tasked myself with this project, I found these two bunny stamps perfect for the project.

These are the stamp sets I used created by Tierra Jackson for Unity. They are just perfect.

Meet Elvis and Prince. My two grandbunnies! I can’t tell you how much I love these guys. I can go on and on, I won’t, but I will share more pictures if you keep scrolling!

To create this coasters: Get two adorable bunnies! Take pictures to reference when painting. Next find 4X4 tiles, unpolished and preferably tumbled, at your local hardware store. Travertine is what I like to use if you don’t mind the natural holes occurring in the rock. Then wipe off any excess powder on the tile. Using permanent StaZon black ink, stamp the images directly on the tile.

Here is the catch — you only get one chance to stamp the image. Tip: Make sure there is ink covering the entire image but do not oversaturate. Stamp the image, pressing evenly but not hard. If it is stamped too forcefully, the lines might be overly thick and uneven. (practice on paper a few times) Paint the bunnies with ink that binds with the tile. By trial and error, I use some of the Hero Arts mini inkpads. Also, I use Sharpie markers to color in small areas. Finally, apply a very thin layer of varnish over the top to seal the image and add small round cork table protectors on the backside. That’s it, and a useful handstamped and painted coaster is made that will stand the test of time.

Romaine lettuce makes a nice snack.

So my daughter’s friend met Elvis and Prince. She also fell in love and promptly got herself a bunny. I made personalized bunny coasters for her!

Meet Willow! I love her sweet face and I can’t wait to see her.

One more look and I will be off to get ready for another crafty day.

Adventure awaits. See you tomorrow. Thanks again for stopping by!

Rachel

Please follow me on instagram @cardartbyrachel

Growing In Unity~July 15

Hi, it’s Rachel! I am super excited to be the Unity Stamp Company GIU crafter this week. I have enjoyed stamping for over 20 years. I discovered Unity Stamp Company while looking for card ideas on Pinterest. Their unique, wide variety of images are refreshing and beautiful! The community of friends built around Unity is inspiring and supportive. Cardmaking is my escape as I enjoy creating daily. I find this craft relaxing and exhilarating. If I’m not making a card, you will find me gardening in my backyard! Thanks for allowing me to share my cards with you!

Hay there! Why not start this week off with an a-MOO-sing image of Unity Stamp Company’s new finely detailed stamps?! I love this happy cow and his nearly perfect teeth are a must have. I say nearly perfect because of the piece of hay stuck in his front teeth. I wonder if he knows it’s there?

To create this card I stamped the cow with Versafine black ink on watercolor paper. I painted it using Komorebi MozArt watercolor paints. This is such a quick image to paint. Next I framed it in black cardstock leaving extra on the left for interest. Then I stamped the “artistic pallet” background image on a pale grey cardstock and painted it in many colors of wood found in nature. I adhered the pieces together and mounted it all on a kraft cardbase.

I stamped the “Hay Y’all!” sentiment on a Poppystamps word balloon die. I used Versafine clair ink, green oasis. A nice change is to use a color for the sentiment. I popped up the speech bubble by adding a few extra layers before gluing it down.

Keep scrolling for the fun part…

So I knew when I chose this cow, it had already been used many times on the Unity “Show & Tell” facebook page — I thought hmmm, let’s add something a little different and fun. The perfect set of teeth needed to be “fixed”.

A little back story, my husband does this funny thing when out to eat with friends… he leaves a piece of food (like spinach) wrapped on his front tooth pretending he doesn’t know it’s there! We have a good laugh as someone sees the unsightly food stuck to his tooth is just another one of his silly jokes!

Here is a close-up. I stamped the teeth on a separate piece of watercolor paper and painted the front two using metallic white. I painted brown and green in fine layers for the hay. I fussy cut the two front teeth and adhered them to the perfect set!

I’m not sure if this is funny to you or not but I love it, and it goes with the sentiment!

I love this stamp set and the new finely detailed stamps that Unity offers. They are MOO-tastic!

I had the best time making this card. Thank you for stopping by. Please comment each day on my posts to be entered to win one of two prizes at Unity. Have a MOO-rrific day and I hope to see you tomorrow.

Rachel

Please follow me on Instagram @cardartbyrachel

Poppystamps Cuddle Bunnies!

Hi crafty friends! It’s Rachel here with 3 clean and simple cards using the Poppystamps “Cuddle Bunny” die. I fell in love with this bunny the moment I set my eyes on it– absolutely sweet and so easy to assemble.

The “Cuddle Bunny” is five pieces and creates this adorable furry friend. The bunny can be transformed with floppy-ears by trimming them off, turning them upside down, and adhering each ear to the opposite side of the face.

To create my first card, I die cut the “Cuddle Bunny” many times using creme, white, three shades of pink, and grey. I cut small strips of black to insert behind the eyes. I adhered all the pieces together, making one with floppy ears. Next using an A2 size kraft card, I arranged the bunnies and glued them down.

Then I stamped the sentiment with Versafine black ink from the Poppystamps “Spring Banners” clear stamp and die set. Clear “Fairy Drops” framing the sentiment finish the card.

There are many more ideas to add to this card–a foiled background, a natural jute twine tied at the top, and patterned paper pieced bunnies. I can’t wait to create the later!

My second card is to encourage a special someone. I die cut the “Cuddle Bunny” in white. I used pink for the ears. A black strip is placed behind the eyes. Then I adhered the pieces together.

For the flower embellishment, I used pearl paper from the Memory Box “Vintage Pastel Mirror Pad” and die cut the Poppystamps “Nordic Flourishes” die. (I save the extra pieces). Next I die cut the “Scallop Pinpoint Hearts” die using the Memory Box “Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad” in shiny red and the Memory Box “Glitzy Glitter Pad” for the heart outline in sparkly red. I hot foiled the sentiment from the “Modest Banners Greeting Hot Foil Plate” set in gold on black paper. I cut out another banner in charcoal grey and trimmed it down to go under the main banner as an accent.

Finally I adhered it all together onto an A2 charcoal grey cardbase. A true sweetheart!

My last card is my favorite! It’s simple but has so much personality.

I created this bunny using handmade paper my daughter made. I love the rough, natural, worn look of it. The paper reminds me of my old stuffed animals! As described above, I turned the bunny into a floppy-earred one by trimming the ears off and adhering them upside down to each opposing side.

I adhered the bunny to an A2 card front from the Memory Box “Berry Red Collection” paper pad and then to a white card base. Finally, I added a sentiment using the Memory Box “Happy Birthday Foil Greetings Black Tabs” and an Open Studio “Fairy Jewel” in pale pink.

I have to mention my daughter rescued two Holland Lop bunnies last fall. They are the sweetest and I am delighted to take care of them when my daughter is home from school. With the ears turned down, they look just like my grandbunnies!

Thank you for “hopping” by! I hope you find the Poppystamps “Cuddle Bunny” as irresistible as I do. The sky’s the limit. Until next time, have a wonderful day and don’t forget to check out the latest Poppystamps release. It is filled with overflowing goodness!

Rachel