Growing In Unity Blog Hop

Welcome to the January/February Growing In Unity Blog Hop!

I had such a great time with my GIU week and I'm excited to share a project using the kit I received as a thank you. I chose Wonder, the November 2019 Kit of the Month. It's perfect for my wanderlust self and photos from my trips.

I loved the girl with her packed suitcases, so I chose to use her in my traveler's notebook spread documenting street life in Arusha, Tanzania. It's fascinating to watch life being lived. There is so much activity and what seems to be a chaotic environment, but there is order here. I chose to stamp her right onto my Gelli print background and leave the suitcases as is. I love the texture. I used opaque watercolors to color in the girl. You still get some of that texture showing through, but have the vibrant color too. I love how it turned out and I can't wait to get back to Tanzania. I have to go visit the piece of my heart that I left behind.

Be sure to visit all the blogs along the hop and leave those comments for a chance at an awesome Unity prize! You can find the hop order below.

Edelmira - www.winecheesescrapbooking.blogspot.com
Katie- https://katiedufourblog.wordpress.com
Laura - https://www.tapthumpart.com/2020/03/giu-blog-hop.html <<<You are here
Linda - https://blueskyscrapping.blogspot.com/.../unity-giu-blog...
Joyce - https://1ashjoy.blogspot.com/
Karen -https://www.tapthumpart.com/2020/03/giu-blog-hop.html
Selena -https://www.facebook.com/Live-Love-Craft-238059246879098/...

Until next time, happy stamping!

Unity GIU, Day Five: 1 Stamp, 5 Projects: Art Journal

And so it has come, my last day as your GIU gal for Unity Stamp Co. It's been a great week and I hope I have shown you that your stamps can be used for more than just card making. 

To finish off my week I have decided to get whimsical and colorful spread for my art journal. An art journal is a fabulous place to play around, try out new techniques, and just create for the fun of it. I decided to go all rainbow. I saw a cute meme on Facebook the other day and it inspired this page. The Cuddlebug Zebra is the star, with a guest appearance by the cloud from Sending Up Something Beautiful Be sure to see how it was made by viewing the video below.

Cuddlebug Zebra

Sending Up Something Beautiful

Thanks for joining me this week. I hope I was able to show you how to stretch your stamp stash to use in a variety of project formats. Be sure to leave comments on all the days so that you have a better chance at winning one of the prizes! Until next time, happy stamping!

Unity GIU Day Four: 1 Stamp, 5 Projects: Traveler's Notebook

Welcome to day 4 of my GIU week. How can it be day four already‽ Today I am using the Duddlebug Zebra to embellish my traveler's notebook.

A traveler's notebook is a bit of a mini album. they are designed to be slim, something you can travel with. You can add bits and bobs whilst you are traveling or you can fill them when you get home. Many people use them to just document everyday life too. I think it would be fun to do an "A Year In" project with one. I made this one before I left and plan on filling it with stories from my trip.

I used the image of the zebra as well as stamping the grass onto the background.

Cuddlebug Zebra

Grid Alpha

Come back tomorrow for my last day as your GIU gal. I can't believe it's almost over. I saved something a bit of fun for you tomorrow. Be sure to leave a comment to be in the running for one of the grab bag prizes. Until tomorrow, happy stamping!

Unity GIU Day Three: 1 Stamp, 5 Projects: Canvas

Welcome back to day three of my GIU week. I'm exploring different ways to use our stamps by showing a variety of projects.

Today the cute lil zebra will be starring in a canvas. I have a little display of wooden animals that I bought back from Africa and this canvas fits right in. The sunsets there are seriously amazing. I think it's all the dust in the air, so I made my background to reflect the amazing sunset. Yes, my burlap is back, this time as a stand in for grass. Be sure to watch the video to see how this came together.

Cuddlebug Zebra

Be sure to tune in tomorrow for my next project, showing you how to stretch your stamps in so many ways. Be sure to leave a comment each day so you can have a chance to win one of the prizes! Until tomorrow, happy stamping!

Unity GIU Day Two: 1 Stamp, 5 Projects: Layout

Welcome back to day two of my GIU week. Hopefully you tuned in to yesterday's post. If not, go ahead and take a look. I introduced my intention to use one stamp kit and show how versatile it can be by using it on five different types of projects. Today I'm taking a look at how to use stamps in scrapbooking.

For this project, I made an embellishment spot to add to my layout of zebra seen on my recent trip to Tanzania, Africa. Pundamilia is the Swahili name for zebra. I really enjoyed the zebra sightings. They are super smart, friendly, family oriented, and just fun to watch. I love their stripes. The coolest zebra encounter I had was seeing a very pregnant female, close up. She was so close that we could see the baby moving inside her! 

I stamped the Cuddlebug Zebra out onto a circle spot, colored the grasses the color of the dry season and added it onto my layout. Simple and easy way to stretch your stamps for different formats of paper crafting. You can see how this came together in the video posted below.

Cuddlebug Zebra

Brian Guy

...Meant For Adventure

Be sure to leave a comment on each post this week to be in the running for a prize of your very own deeply etched red rubber! You don't want to miss out. And be sure to visit the Unity site to check out what's new and what's on sale. I'll see you tomorrow with another type of crafting project using our favorite cuddly zebra. Until tomorrow, happy stamping!

Unity GIU Day One: 1 Stamp, 5 Projects: Card

Hello, fellow Unies! Welcome to my GIU week 2020. This week I thought I would look at different types of projects to use our stamps on. And for an added bonus, I am using just one kit all week, with a few supporting kits here and there.

The star of this week is the adorable Cuddlebug Zebra. Isn't he just the cutest? I got to go on safari in Tanzania, Africa last year and I came to love the zebra. All the cats were so cool and I got to see a lot of them, but the zebra are everywhere and they are so smart and seem very caring within their herds and look really cool against the golden grasses, a look that I tried to convey in my card with the color palette and burlap texture. Be sure to check out the video of how it was put together below.

Cuddlebug Zebra

Be sure to leave a comment to be in the running for a prize of some deeply etched red rubber of your very own. Tune in tomorrow to see this lil guy in action on a project of a different kind. Until then, happy stamping!

Creating A Scene

Happy Thursday and welcome to the blog. How are you all getting on with your Christmas shopping? May I suggest a Unity Stamp Co gift card for that stamper in your life? I know it would be greatly appreciated.

Unity has so many great background stamps and a few scene stamps. I love building a scene for my main subject, so I pulled a couple out to create a scene for an Angie Girl and Angie Guy. Make It Happen Girl and Brian Guy are the stars of this week's cards. I paired Make It Happen Girl with Cafe Delights and Brian Guy is hanging out in A Walk In The Woods. Be sure to watch how they were made in the video below.

Cafe Delights

Make It Happen Girl

A Walk In The Woods

Brian Guy

Use one of the many background or scene stamps to create a place for your subject to hang out in. No background stamp? No problem. Build your own using as many kits as you like. You have a week to upload into the album in the Show & Tell group, in order to be eligible for a prize. Until next time, happy stamping!

Stamping Gifts

Happy December! It's the season of giving and what better gift to give than one made with your own hands? I love giving and receiving handmade gifts. I like to think about my recipient as a create a little something special just for them. If you also love to give your heart in a gift, this is the challenge for you!

I have been giving handmade ornaments with the Christmas cards, to my co-workers, for years. When I saw the new wood slice die/embossing folder from Tim Holtz, I knew I wanted to make ornaments. As soon as I saw A Little Mousy, I knew I had found my stamp! This is such a cute kit, very versatile, and was a fairly simple project to make. Cut and ink the wood slices, stamp and color the image, cut out and add to the wood slice. You can see the process in the video below.

A Little Mousy

Tim Holtz Mini Tree Rings

For this challenge, I task you with making a gift of some sort. It can be a pack of cards, canvas, coaster, jewelry, ornament, the sky is the limit! Bless someone's day with a gift from your heart and hands. The challenge will be open all month, so you have time. Be sure to upload to the Unity Show & Tell group to be in the running for a prize. Until next time, happy stamping!

Unity Stamp Co Challenge - Thankfulness and Gratitude

Welcome!For all of my American friends, Happy Thanksgiving! All of us should remember to have an attitude of thankfulness and to be truly grateful for what we have and for those in our lives.

A friend asked if I would make him a card to give to his wife, to let her know how much he appreciated her and her support during a rough season. What better way to let someone know how much they mean to you than to send a handmade card? This is one of the ways we can use our craft for good.

I made this pretty floral card, using Don't Give Up, that is loosely watercolored. It's a pretty quick way to whip out a fast card. I love this sentiment kit. Not only a gorgeous image, but really thoughtful sentiments to accompany it.

Don't Give Up

I challenge you to make a card to send to someone showing your gratitude. It's a tangible way to tap into the thankfulness in your heart. This challenge will be open for one week, until December 4th. Be sure to upload your project to the Unity Show & Tell groupto be in the running for a prize. Next week I will have a new month long challenge, so be sure to tune in then! Until then, happy stamping!

Single Layer Card - Unity Challenge

Happy Thursday! I'm up on the Unity blog today. We are entering the Winter and holiday seasons and I have a cool card for you today.

Today I'll show you how to make a single layer card, with a masked stamp image. I used the new Tierra Jackson snowman found in Stay Warm. He's such a cute snowman and the lil bird just kills me. Be sure to watch the video below to see how I used masking to make my inky background, whist leaving the stamped image clean and ready for coloring.

Create a single layer card, bonus points if you incorporate masking in the making of, but not required. Be sure to upload to the Unity Stamp Co Show & Tell FB page. There will be prizes given! This challenge will be open for one week, until 11.28.19. Until next week, happy stamping!

Unity Grounding Challenge

Good morning and welcome to another regarding grounding. We've grounded to the ground, in space, and now we'll look at grounding using supplies.

Today I am using the new, super retro chic Make It Happen Girl. This girl is perfect for a lesson on grounding images that don't reach the ground or occupy space. How does one ground a partial person? This is where our supplies come in. You can anchor images such as this one by adding strips, washi tape, ribbon, twine, sentiment spot, etc. I used paper strips, my sentiment, and twine to anchor my girl.

Use paper strips, washi, ribbon, and/or twine on your project. Bonus points if you use them to ground an image, but not necessary. This challenge will be open for one week, until 11/21. Be sure to upload your project into the challenge album in the Unity Show & Tell FB groupto be in the running for a prize! You'll want that prize! And don't forget to shop the huge, site wide, sale.

Unity Challenge - Black & White

Hi and welcome to another Unity Stamp Co mini challenge! I have a simple card and some thoughts on the rule of odds for you today.

Today I am sharing a simple card using just black and white. White paper and black ink. There are plenty of great images you can use that don't need any added color. For this project, I used Damn Girl and a sentiment from Not Always...But. I love the lacy background! My gems were placed using the rule of odds. The brain loves to have things arranged in odd numbers. Even numbered things confuse our brains. I'm not sure why, but this is a classic interior designer rule in arranging photos, vases, other decor, and it works for adding embellishments to our art pieces too. Check out the tutorial here.

Make a black and white creation. Put your colors away and use the textures found in your black and white supplies. Be sure to upload to the Unity Show & Tell FB pagefor the chance at winning a prize! Try to keep the rule of odds in mind too, I think you will find it helpful.

Until next time, happy stamping!

Gelli Print Card Background

Hi, I am up on the Unity Stamp Co Blog today with another tutorial! And it's one that's near and dear to my heart.

I adore making Gelli prints. It's so soothing and satisfying to pull print after print. You never know what you're going to get. I love the mix of paints and seeing how they play out on the paper. Check out the video below to see how this one came about. After I had my background, I stamped the flowers from Insightful Meadows and sentiment from Abundant Blessings in black, giving a silhouetted look. I also stamped the flowers slightly off the edge of the painted area. This adds a lot of interest that grabs the viewer's attention.

Abundant Blessings

Insightful Meadows

You can see how it was made here:

This week begins the monthly challenge for November. Use paint in your project. It can be a painted background, stamping with paint, splatters, however you feel like adding paint. This challenge will be open all month, so you have some time to think it over. Be sure to upload your work to the Unity Show & Tell FB groupfor your chance at a prize.

Until next time, happy stamping!

Grounding To Space - A Unity Stamp Co Challegne

Welcome to another lesson in grounding, with an added bonus of undersea ink blending. Now grounding to the ground seems obvious. You don't want people or animals floating off the ground, but what about grounding in space? A bird should float in the sky, right? What about a fish in the water? A rocket in outer space? Sure, these things don't have to be anchored to their surroundings, but I think it gives a more finished look when the elements are grounded. You can use things found in the scene to accomplish this. Clouds or the sun for sky scenes, seaweed for under water scenes, planets or stars for outer space.

I created an ink blended background, using under the sea colors, a die cloud piece,  and blending brushes. This technique creates a watery, wavy backdrop for my mermaid. I used the gorgeous She Mermaid and a variety of die cut greenery for my under the sea scene, finishing off with some Morning Dew Nuvo Drops.

She Mermaid

Create an ink blended background as a canvas for your focal image. You can use blending brushes, ink daubers, foam blenders, sponges, your pet's tail. It's up to you. Give a thought about how you might ground your image to the background. This is a mini challenge that will be open until 10/21. Be sure to post in the Unity Show & Tell FB group to be eligible for a nifty prize. Until next time, happy stamping!

Fall Color Palette - Unity Stamp Co Challenge

Welcome back to the Thursday challenge! I feel the crisp, cool air. The kids are back in school. The days are getting shorter. It must be Fall.

Today I have a fun Fall color palette to share with you. Fall is my favorite time of year. I just love the colors of the changing leaves and this palette has them all. For my project, I did some ink blending with each of the colors, creating a fun seasonal background for the leaves in the Love Never Leaves kit. I love these images, with their little hearts. So fun for mixed media cards.

Love Never Leaves 

. 

You can see how it was made here

Use the color palette above for any project of your choosing. Sky is the limit, you don't have to make a Fall piece. Be sure to share in the Unity Show & Tell Groupto be in the running for prizes! What's better than that? Inspiration and prizes. The challenge will be open for one week, until October 17th, when you can check back here for a new challenge. Until next time, happy stamping!

Unity Blog - Grounding To The Ground

I am back up on the Unity Blog for the 4th quarter and I am so excited! I had a blast last time I was here and so look forward to spending my Thursdays with you once again. This round, I thought I would teach some design principles. I've learned a lot over the years. I have a friend who loves applying how the brain works to creating art that makes the viewer stop and linger over our work and that's one of the reasons we do this, right? We want people to find enjoyment in what we create and there are ways to engage viewers into stopping and really soaking in all of your hard work.

Cierra Girl

Today I am going to look at grounding. Specifically grounding to the ground. I know that sounds redundant, but if elements aren't grounded, they seem to be floating and that confuses the viewer's brain. By grounding, you make your piece more solid and finished. I've chosen to use Cierra Girl. Unity has so many fantastic people and animals that are so fun to play with, why not give them some firm ground to stand on? You can do this with coloring, die cut hills or grass, adding to a scene that has built in ground. There are so many different ways to achieve this result. I love this stamp because the fabulously talented Angie Blog has drawn ground right in, it just needs coloring. We will look at other forms of grounding in future weeks, but for now we shall plant our feet firmly on the ground.

You can see how it was made right here!

Great news, Unity will be hosting a challenge! Use a Unity person or animal and try your hand at grounding them to the ground. I can't wait to see the creative ways you ground your subjects! Be sure to share them to the Unity Show & Tell group to be in the running for a prize! This challenge will be live for the whole month too, so you have time to think this through. Until next time, happy stamping!

Maps

Welcome to CSI's mid month case release! This case is all about take a trip or planning a trip. I couldn't resist capturing this photo of my husband and son mapping out a bike trail excursion. My grandson had to pop in and take part of the planning. It was just adorable.

I used map paper, people elements, and stamps, from the evidence list and my journaling is about this planning of the trip. Aren't they just adorable?

I used flair from A Flair For Buttons and stamps from Unity Stamp Co.

Travel Map Flair



Fly Away

Come play along with us and upload your photo into the CSI FB group. Until next time, happy crafting!