Growing in Unity 2023 - Day 5

 Happy Friday!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful week.  I've enjoyed sharing my designs with you this week.  I love Unity Stamps and appreciate the chance to be a Growing in Unity gal.  If you love Unity as much as I do (or are new to them and would like a chance to try them for free), you can win a prize pack just for commenting!  Links to all my posts will be at the bottom of the page.  I will announce the winners next week.

My mom is celebrating her birthday next week, so I couldn't pass up the chance to use the February Sketch challenge on the Unity Blog one more time, to make her a card.  Mama's and Grandma's stamp set seemed the appropriate choice to use on this card.  This is an older sentiment kit (April 2016!!!), but this just shows how Unity Stamps never go out of style.  I stamped the image on white Neeha paper, and colored with watercolors.  A bit of gold from a a Stella Wink pen and some sequins and a twine bow, and this card is ready to give.  I hope my mom likes it as much as I do.

As promised, here are the links to all my cards from the week.  Make sure you leave comments on all of them for a chance to win one of those prize packs from Unity Stamp Company.

Day 1 

Day 2   

Day 3

Day 4

Thanks for visiting me all week!  I love seeing all the comments

Cheers!

Kristy

Growing in Unity 2023 - Day 4

It's Thursday. If you are in the United States, the 3-day weekend is almost here. We can make it!

I thought a few flowers would help brighten the day and make the last few days a little easier.  Remember to leave a comment on this post, and all my Growing in Unity posts, for a chance to win 1 of 2 AMAZING prize packs from Unity Stamp Company!  

I loved the fun mix of succulents in Succulent Greetings. Succulents are the only plants I can seem to keep alive, so this is the perfect stamp for me to use.  Unity Stamps is the best at giving us stamps that are fun to color.  Today I used Copic markers to bring some depth to the flowers.  I thought about adding some gems or Nuvo Drops, but sometimes, just using layers of paper and ink are all the embellishing a card needs.

If you missed any of my cards this week, be sure to hop over to my previous posts and leave a comment!  I'll be drawing 2 winners of Unity Stamp prize packs next week.  

Day 1 

Day 2   

Day 3

Cheers!

Kristy

Growing in Unity 2023 - Day 3

 Happy Wednesday!

Half way through my Growing in Unity week.  Hard to believe how fast it goes.  Remember to leave a comment on this post, and all my Growing in Unity posts, for a chance to win 1 of 2 prize packs from Unity Stamp Company!  

Valentine's Day was yesterday, but love should reign supreme all year long. So today, I'm sharing another "love" card, using one of my favorite critters, the otter. Otter Love This Much is such a cute stamp set. He looks like he just wants to reach out and give you a bug hug. As a matter of fact, I can see covering the hearts with washi tape (like I talked about yesterday with the sentiment stamp) and using the otter stamp on  a "hug" card, or thinking of you, or just a little card to make someone smile.  I used colored pencils and a touch of Stella Wink to add some sparkle to this simple red and black card.  

Thank you for visiting me today.  I love you enjoyed seeing the little otter all colored and ready to make you smile.

If you missed any of my cards this week, be sure to hop over to my posts and leave a comment!

Day 1 

Day 2   

Cheers!

Kristy

Growing in Unity 2023 - Day 2

Happy Valentine's Day!

Welcome back to my Growing in Unity week.  Yesterday, I shared the card I designed for my son, using Unity Stamps.  Today is my daughter's turn.  Like most teenage girls, she loves going to those coffee shops that start with the letter "S", so I couldn't resist telling her I love her a latte on this Valentine's Day.

Again, I started with Unity’s February card sketch (found on their blog here).  Then I grabbed my Love to Go stamp set, some colored pencils and a little ink and had some fun.  For the sentiment, I used half of the saying from Sad Stymie.  To do this, I covered the portion I didn't want on the card with some washi tape, inked the stamp, then pulled the tape off before stamping onto the tag.  An easy way to get more use out of your sentiment stamps! 

I hope I've inspired you to reach for those sentiment stamps where you might not want to use the whole saying, only part of it.  

Remember to come back everyday this week and leave comments for a chance to win an amazing prize pack from Unity Stamp Company.

If you missed my card yesterday, be sure to hop over to my Day 1 post and leave a comment.   

Cheers!

Kristy

Growing in Unity 2023 - Day 1

 Hi!

Welcome to my first day of my Growing in Unity feature week. I'm happy to be here and hopefully provide you with a little inspiration. It’s been a while since I’ve shared some of my work. I hope you enjoy visiting every day this week to see what I have to share with you. Come back everyday and leave comments for a chance to win an amazing prize pack from Unity Stamp Company.

When planning my week’s worth of projects, I like to center around a theme. This week, I’ll be using Unity’s February card sketch (found on their blog here) as my central starting point. I love its clean and simple design that makes building cards around it fun and easy. 

Without further ado - my first project! This week is also Valentine’s Day, so I thought what better than to make some cards for the family. Today’s card is for my soon to be 16 year old son. He isn’t into mushy stuff, so I took this in a different direction. 

The minute I read the sentiment on the You Make Me Happy {itty bitty} stamp, I knew how I wanted to layer the card together. To make the background, I used the Cloud & Wave stencil with Hickory Smoke Distress Ink to create a gray sky pattern. The suns were made with a Deco Foil paste spread over a sun mask on vellum paper. Here’s a close up. Hopefully you can see the clouds a little. 

I hope you have enjoyed a quick look at my first project. Check back every day this week for more inspiration. Leave a comment for a chance to win an amazing Unity Stamp prize pack. Have a wonderful Monday!

Cheers!

Kristy

Growing in Unity 2021: Day 3

Happy Wednesday!  I can't believe we are half way through my Growing in Unity week.  I've had so much fun creating birthday cards this week.  I hope you have been following along with the fun, and commenting on all the posts.  I will be choosing 2 commenters to win $20 gift cards from Unity Stamp Company.  If you missed any of my previous posts, you will find links to them at the bottom of this post.  

Today's card may be one of my favorite (...stay tuned for my most "important" one tomorrow).  I simply love the gnomes from Unity Stamp Company.  The minute I saw this little guy, I KNEW I had to use him in during my week.  Little did I know they would be on sale at the same time.  BONUS!  😉

Today's card features stamps from Happy Birthday Gnome.  First I stamped the gnome, present and cupcake on white cardstock.  After the ink dried, I painted over those images with Masking Fluid.  This created a cool barrier that I could ink over and create the background I wanted, using Distress Oxide inks (I love their blending abilities).  After inking the card using the Cloud & Wave stencil, I peeled the Masking Fluid with a simple rub of my finger, leaving the stamped images all ready to be colored.  

To color my gnome and his birthday goodies, I used a combination of Copic markers, Stella Wink pens, and Nuvo Glitter Drops.  Then I mounted the die-cut sheet onto a card base, and i have a quick and easy card, ready to give to someone on their special day.

I hope you love this little gnome as much as I do.  Don't forget to leave a comment on today's project for a chance to win a Unity Stamp Company gift card.  On Monday, March 29, I'll pick 2 random winners from the comments from all my posts.  If you missed any, click on the link(s) below: 

Day 1

Day 2

Thank you for visiting!  See you tomorrow!

Growing in Unity 2021: Day 2

Welcome back to Day 2 of my Growing in Unity week.  Today's card is a pretty floral design from Whole Lot of Lovely (November 2018 KOM).  I love the open floral designs that Unity includes in their stamp kits.  They give us lot of opportunity to color and make them our own.  In my case, I colored with Copics and added a touch of gold here and there. The birthday sentiment is from ...Say it Big.  

I hope you enjoyed today's card.  Don't forget to leave a comment on today's project for a chance to win a Unity Stamp Company gift card.  On Monday, March 29, I'll pick 2 random winners from the comments from all my posts.  If you missed any, click on the link below: 

Day 1

Thank you for visiting!  See you tomorrow!

Growing in Unity 2021: Day 1

 Hi! 

Welcome to my Growing in Unity week for 2021. I'm happy to bring you some of my creations this week.  My son's birthday just happens to fall during this week, so that may give you an idea of the theme for my projects.  It's been a while since I've created (thanks busy kids' schedules!), so it has been fun to dust off some trusty friends and do a little crafting.  I hope you enjoy my projects.  Remember to comment every day for a chance to win one of two $20 gift certificates to Unity Stamp Company!

Let's start this week on an uplifting note...pun intended!  First up is a cute little Hedgehog flying away with some balloons from the Hoppy & Hedgie set. The sentiment is from ...It's a Mug Hug.  I colored the hedgehog with Prisma pencils.  Then I used Nuvo Jewel Drops in various colors to give the balloons a little translucent dimension. 

I hope you think he is as cute as I do.  Don't forget to leave a comment.  I'll be giving away 2 gift certificates to Unity Stamp Co.  

Thank you for visiting!  See you tomorrow!

Growing in Unity 2018: Day 5

Hi!

Today is Friday, my last Growing in Unity post for 2018.  Thank you for coming along on this journey with me this week!  If you haven't left a comment on all my posts, you will find all the links at the bottom of the page.  Remember, Unity Stamps will send 2 lucky commenters an amazing grab bag.

To celebrate my last project of the week, I was so excited with work the Celebrate the New stamp set.  Even though you can't see the face, you can simply feel her excitement!  I used Prisma Colored pencils to color her in, and Distress Oxides to make the background.  A little black embossing powder mixed with some glitter and you have some exciting fireworks.  I kept the whole design clean and simple, as to not distract from the Angie girl.

I also wanted to show you a closer up of the fireworks so you can see how iridescent they came out.  Bright and sparkly like real fireworks!

Thank you again for visiting me today - and every day this week.  If you missed any of the previous posts, here are the links:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Here is one last look at all my projects.  I hope you have enjoyed seeing a little of my work this week.  Come back on Monday, when I will have drawn the winners for the grab bags.

Cheers!

Kristy

Growing in Unity: Day 4

Happy Thursday!

I hope you are having a wonderful today.  As promised in Monday's post, I'm back again using the rest of the stamps in the Jolly Ol' Santa set by Unity Stamp Company.  This Santa is so much fun to color.  There are a lot of great ideas out there, using "non-tradional" colors, but for me, Santa is a jolly old guy in a red suit, so that is what I stuck with.  I colored him with Spectrum Noir pens and did his background with Distress Oxide Inks.  I think Santa was really excited with the gold mist I added to the card.  ;-)

I also thought it would be fun to add a little texture with some white fluff on his hat and cuffs.

Thank you for visiting me today.  Make sure you comment on this post, and all my posts, to be entered to win 1 of 2 prizes from Unity Stamp Company!  You can find my previous post here:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

See you again tomorrow with my final project.

Cheers!

Kristy

Growing in Unity 2018: Day 3

Hi!

Today marks the halfway point of my Growing in Unity posts.  I hope you have enjoyed my projects so far!  If you have missed any, the links are at the bottom of this post.

For today's project, I decided to keep with the tropical theme I started yesterday.  My mother-in-law loved flamingos.  Whenever I see them, I think of her.  The flamingo stamp in the Standing Tall (July 2018 Kit of the Month) set is no exception.  I love how tall and graceful this flamingo looks.  I hope I did justice to her when I colored her with my Prisma pencils.  Colored pencils on kraft paper have such a fun look.  I can't wait to do more kraft coloring.

Thank you for visiting me today.  Make sure you comment on this post, and all my posts, to be entered to win 1 of 2 prizes from Unity Stamp Company!  You can find my previous post here:

Day 1

Day 2

Hope to see you again tomorrow!

Cheers!

Kristy

Growing in Unity 2018: Day 2

Hi!

Welcome back to the second day of my Growing in Unity week.  I decided to ignore the snow falling outside my window right now and use bright colors to color my favorite cupcake from the Whole Lot of Lovely (November 2018 Kit of the Month) kit.  I used Spectrum Noir and Wink of Stella to add color and sparkle to this card. 

Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win one of two grab bags from Unity Stamp Company!  Head over to my post from Day 1 to leave a comment there, as well, if you haven't yet.

See you tomorrow!

Cheers!

Growing in Unity 2018: Day 1

Hi! 

I'm so excited to be back, featured as a Growing in Unity gal, this week.  I love Unity Stamps and the variety they offer.  They truly have something for everyone.  Make sure you visit all week, and leave comments, for a chance to win an AMAZING grab bag from Unity Stamps.  On Monday, Dec 10th, 2 lucky winners will be picked from all the comments.

Without further ado, let's get started.  For my first project of the week, I went with a clean and simple card.  I love the new border background stamps from Unity Stamps.  They make quick and easy cards...and Adornment is no exception.  After coloring ti with Prisma colored pencils, I layered a couple die cut "happy"'s and the sentiment from Jolly Ol' Santa (this big guy may show up later too - he's too cute not too!) and a few embellishments, and I have a fun card to send this Christmas.

Thank you for visiting me today!  I hope I've inspired you to break out your stamps and die cuts.  Don't forget to leave a comment below for a chance to with that amazing grab bag.  

See you tomorrow with my next Growing in Unity project.

Cheers!

Growing in Unity Blog Hop

Hi!  Welcome to the Growing in Unity Blog Hop, featuring the December Growing in Unity Girls! You should have hopped here from Beth Fiscus.  Make sure you visit all the designers, as well as the Unity blog, for a chance to win a Unity Prize package.  A complete list of blogs can be found at the bottom of this post.

When I was working on my cards for my Growing in Unity week, I really wanted to use Sloth Endearments.  Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be then, so I am SOOO excited to be able to use it today.  After seeing the movie, Zootopia, I became obsessed with sloths.  There is just something about them...I can't explain it.  For this guy, I used watercolor pencils and a water brush to color the sloth, just hanging around.  The background was done with a shimmer watercolor (scroll down for a better look at this).

Meet Slothie, the inspiration for my card.  😁  This little guy was a Christmas present from my husband.  This card is going to be a Valentine's Day card for him!  I hope Slothie approves of how I colored the sloth.

This is one of my "in process" stages.  I love it because you can see the shimmer in the watercolored background.

Again, thank you for visiting and commenting on my post.  Good luck to everyone!  Be sure to visit everyone to see their amazing work.

Paula Quick Driver https://scrapyourworld1.blogspot.com/
Wynne Cochran Grob https://cropsscissorspaper.blogspot.com/
Berina Febin https://moxiecraftie.blogspot.com/2018/01/giu-blog-hop.html
Helen Gullett http://helengullett.com/
Beth Fiscus https://nursiebethsbeauties.blogspot.com/
Kristina Corzatt MacKeen Http://mamasanity.blogspot.com
Tina Rackley Riddle http://www.tinascropshop.com/
Pam Stang https://mustangcreations.blogspot.com/

Cheers!
Kristy

Growing in Unity: Day 5

Hi!  Welcome to my last day (Day 5) of my Growing in Unity week.  It has been so much fun and humbling reading all your comments.  I hope I have inspired you as much as you have inspired me.  Check out the links to all my posts...every comment will be an entry for 1 of 2 prize packs from Unity.  I will be back next week to announce my winners. 

When I saw the sentiments in the Spark set from Unity, it spoke to me. "No matter how dark the night, the sun will always rise again."  This is so true.  This summer presented challenges I had not had to face before, and I was determined for it to make me stronger, not break me down. 

For my card, I watercolored the background using shades of pink, blue and yellow to highlight the saying.  The butterfly was colored with my trusty chalks.  As I have all week, I needed to add my sparkle and twine.  Today's was sparkly thread instead of twine and Gold Lame mist for my splatters. 

Thank you for visiting me today...and all week.  Make sure you comment on this post, and all my posts, to be entered to win 1 of 2 prizes from Unity Stamp Company!  You can find link to my previous post here:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Cheers!

Kristy

Growing in Unity: Day 4

Hi! 

Thank you again for joining me for Day 4 of my Growing in Unity week!  As you can probably tell from my previous cards, I prefer a Clean and Simple style, with a touch of sparkle and twine...and today is no exception.  When I saw the Cuddlebug Kitty stamp set by Unity, I KNEW I needed to have it.  If you have met my son over the years, you will know, he doesn't go anywhere without his Kitty.  It was a gift to us from the USO in San Diego, and this now flat stuffed cat has gone with us everywhere!!!  So, this card is for you, Bubba!  I hope you like it.  Don't forget to leave comments on this post, and all my previous posts, for a chance to win an AMAZING prize from Unity Stamp Co.

After stamping and die cutting the cat image, I colored him with shimmer chalks.  I also used Zig glitter pens to add some sparkle to his eyes, nose, whiskers, and paws (as you can see in the close up picture).  I wanted a touch of sparkle, but not too much since this card for a 10 year old boy.

 Thank you for visiting me today.  Make sure you comment on this post, and all my posts, to be entered to win 1 of 2 prizes from Unity Stamp Company!  You can find link to my previous post here:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Cheers!

Kristy

Growing in Unity: Day 3

Hi!

Welcome back to day 3 of my Growing in Unity posts.  I can't believe we are already half way through the week!  Time flies when you are having fun!

It's gifting season, whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, or many of the other holidays this time of year.  Often the best gifts, and the simplest ones, like the snowflake in the Snow Gift stamp set.  I used chalks and Zig glitter pens to color these cute little guys.  The tag and the snowflakes were inked with Distress Oxide inks.

Thank you for visiting me today.  Make sure you comment on this post, and all my posts, to be entered to win 1 of 2 prizes from Unity Stamp Company!  You can find link to my previous post here:

Day 1

Day 2

Cheers!

Kristy

Growing in Unity: Day 2

Hi!  Welcome back to my 2nd day as a Growing in Unity gal.

I'm enjoying breaking out my stamps and my coloring skills (or maybe lack there of...but hey, I'm still having fun!) to create these projects for you.  Today, I grabbed Beautiful Birthday Wishes stamp set.  I particularly love the big flower from the set.  I thought it would create a clean and simple card. After I stamped the image, I colored it with Distress Inks and a water brush pen, a Distress Pen for shadowing, and some gold inks for the center.  I love the way the color layered into this card.  A little gold mist splatters and a few sequins to add some sparkle and shine to the card.  I feel like the twine was the perfect finishing touch.  Let me know what you think!

Thank you for visiting me today.  Make sure you comment on this post, and all my posts, to be entered to win 1 of 2 prizes from Unity Stamp Company!  You can find link to my previous post here:

Day 1

Cheers!

Kristy

Growing in Unity: Day 1

Hi!  Welcome to the first day of my Growing in Unity week.  It is always such an honor to be asked to be one of the Growing in Unity girls.  I hope you enjoy the projects I have for you this week.  Remember to comment on each post.  Monday, Dec 18th, I will draw 2 names from all the comments  Each will win an amazing grab bag from Unity Stamps.

For my project today, I decided to feature the stamp set: Decorate My Life.  I love this little bird.  She is just a little sassy and a little goofy, like me.  I had fun picking what colors I wanted to color her clothes to be.  I thought she needed more than your standard red and green of Christmas.  She is colored with colored pencils and a Wink of Stella.

Thank you for visiting me today!  Please come back tomorrow and see my next project.

Cheers!

Unity Stamp Blog Hop

Hi!

Welcome to the Unity Stamp Blog Hop.  You should have come from Gaylynn's page.  If you missed any of the projects, you will find a complete list of blogs at the bottom of this post.  You will want to visit and comment on all the posts for a chance a 25-stamp grab bags from Unity Stamps.  They will announce 2 winners on their blog on Wednesday.

For this hop, we were asked to feature our favorite kits.  For me, it is the Chalk It Up {elements} SMAK-3/13 kit.  There is so many different elements in this kit, that you can use it to make cards, scrapbook pages, and more!  Check it out:

I decided to make a card featuring my favorite stamp from this set...the subway art stamp.  I simply love the sentiment in within this stamp.

Thank you for visiting.  Here is the list of all the participants.  Remember to leave comments on all the blogs for a chance to win a 25-stamp grab bag, courtesy of Unity Stamps.

1. Kristina Beagle http://lllscrap.blogspot.com/
2. Kim Rippere craftisanstudios.com
3. Riette Gasser www.redcardcorner.blogspot.com
4. Gaylynn Martling http://neatnook.blogspot.com/
5. Kristy MacKeen http://mamasanity.blogspot.com/
6. Nazia Naz - Rubeena http://arareruby.com/

Cheers!
Kristy