Unity World Record Blog Hop is here!

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ~Philippians 4:8

Next up: my friend Jessy at My Sanity Depends on Stamping!

Thanks for stopping by!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White CS (SU!); Kachina, Pollen CS (Bazzill)
Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Versamark (Tsukineko); Chocolate Chip (SU!)
Stamps: March 2009 KOTM "Simple Life" (Unity Stamp Co.)
Other: Detail embossing powder (Stampendous!); 'Labels One' Nestabilities (Spellbinders); rhinestones (Michael's); ribbon (unknown); Prismacolor Artist Pencils (Sanford) - Apple Green, Yellow Chartreuse, Pink Rose, Carmine Red, Scarlet Lake

GIU #5 - Happy Thoughts for HHH!

I can't believe the week is already over! I've had *so* much fun sharing my {love} of Unity with you all, and you'll all made my week with the sweet comments that you've left. Thank {{YOU}} so much!

I will be back tomorrow with a post in the Unity World Record Blog Hop (see the blinkie to the right)...have you signed up yet? There's still time! *wink*

Today's card is actually one I made quickly yesterday morning for one of the Hip Hop Thursday challenges...'No Sour Grapes at Unity!'. The challenge was to make a card using black, white, and purple, and this is what I came up with:
I have to say, I *really* like how it turned out! *grins*

I pulled out my new 'Feel the Joy' image, the sentiment from the March KOTM, some scraps of Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Basic Black, and Whisper White, and my new PaperTrey Palette inks, and got to work. I stamped the image three times using Lavender Moon ink, then twice more using Plum Pudding ink onto the Whisper White scrap. I trimmed it down, and then trimmed the Perfect Plum scrap and the Basic Black scraps to mat it, tearing the bottom edge of the black scrap. I tied a piece of Plum Pudding satin ribbon around the card (cutting a slit in the folded edge, since I didn't really plan this card!), and then mounted the matted image on top with foam mounting tape. I stamped the sentiment at the bottom, and accented the card with some Heidi Swapp Bling. Yet another card that took less than 10 minutes! Love that!

And now, the winner of a single of their choice from Unity:

True Random Number Generator Result: 72

Yaritza said...

You did a wonderful job on these cards. Specially love the trees.

March 26, 2009 6:38 AM

Congratulations Yaritza! I'll be sending you and Eryn an email, but be sure to send your choice of single and your address to Eryn[at]unitystampco[dot]com *wink*

Thank you all again for making *my* week so wonderful! Have a wonderful weekend, and I'll 'see' you on the blog hop!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Basic Black, and Whisper White CS (SU!)
Ink: Lavender Moon and Plum Pudding ink (PaperTrey Ink); Stazon Jet Black (Tsukineko)
Stamps: Feel the Joy, March KOTM 'Simple Life' (Unity Stamp Company)
Other: Plum Pudding satin ribbon (PaperTrey Ink); foam mounting tape (3M); Jet Bling (Heidi Swapp)

GIU #4 - Two CAS KOTM Creations

Are you all ready for HIP HOP??!! Make sure you go to the Unity blog to get all the details and to go through the blog hop...Unity's DT always has the *best* eye-candy! (The blog hop starts at 10 am CDT, and Hip Hop officially begins in the Unity Forum at 11 am CDT...come join us!)

Now, onto the cards!

First up is a 'No-layer' card...I just love this image! (See, told you I wasn't afraid of white space! *wink*)I recently ordered Amuse's Classic White cardstock, and let me tell you...I understand why Julie is so famous for her no-layer cards now...this stuff is thick, has a great feel, and stands up perfectly on its own as a card base! I made a 4 1/4" square card base, and then stamped the adorable tree 'couple' (from this month's KOTM) in the center using Stazon Jet Black, and then stamped 'happy' and 'together' (from Fall Festival) underneath using my Stamp-a-ma-jig. Then, I colored in the trees using my Prismacolors, and tied on some Papaya stitched grosgrain ribbon. Super EPLS! *grins*

My second card is also a quick, CAS one, based on a tag I got off of a shirt I bought recently! I loved the silhouette image and the color combo, and immediately thought of the silhouette flowers from the March KOTM:
I started with a French Roast square notecard (4 1/4" x 4 1/4"). I stamped the silhouette onto Whisper White CS using River Rock ink, and punched it out with my pink Marvy Uchida circle punch. Then I punched a scalloped circle from Soft Sky using the purple Marvy Uchida punch, and also punched three teeny little butterflies with the Martha Stewart 'Classic Butterfly' punch (it has three small butterflies). I stamped 'love grows' (from Love Grows) across the flowers using Bravo Burgundy, and adhered the three small butterflies to the image. I tied some Soft Sky stitched grosgrain around the card, and adhered the layered circles, using foam tape to mount them to the card. I honestly took me less than 10 minutes, start to finish...love that!

And check out how well the colors match the tag:
Oh, I miss Soft Sky and River Rock! Here's one last look at the card, with its inspiration:
Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be picking a winner for the Unity single (and a little extra goodie from me) this evening from ALL the posts this week, so be sure to leave some comments, if you haven't already! *wink*

Don't forget to go HIP HOP!!
~Michelle

Supplies used (Happy Together):
Paper: Amuse Classic White CS (Amuse Stamps)
Ink: Stazon Jet Black (Tsukineko)
Stamps: March KOTM 'Simple Life', Fall Festival (Unity Stamp Co.)
Other: Papaya stitched grosgrain ribbon (Amuse Stamps); Prismacolor Artist Pencils (Sanford) - Apple Green, Yellow Chartreuse, Sunburst Yellow, Carmine Red, Sienna Brown, Dark Brown

Supplies used (Love Grows):
Paper: French Roast solid square note card (Amuse Stamps); Soft Sky, Whisper White CS (SU!)
Ink: River Rock, Bravo Burgundy (SU!)
Stamps: March KOTM 'Simple Life', Love Grows (Unity Stamp Co.)
Other: Circle and Scalloped Circle punches (Marvy Uchida); Classic Butterfly punch (Martha Stewart Crafts); Soft Sky stitched grosgrain ribbon (SU!); foam mounting tape (3M)

GIU #3 - LIVE all the days of your life, and a mid-week WINNER!

I {{love}} this sentiment!

Today's card was a stretch (color-wise) for me...I mean, seriously, it has pink and coral! But, in the end, I think it turned out pretty well! *wink*
This time I started with the image...I knew I wanted to combine the sentiment and this wonderful journaling spot from this month's KOTM from Unity, and that I didn't want them on plain ol' white (not that I have a problem with white, as you'll see tomorrow!). It took me a couple tries, but I finally settled on stamping the journal block with Versamark onto Baja Breeze, and then stamping the sentiment over the top with Not Quite Navy ink. I colored in the frame and the 'Live', and cut out the frame, trimming closely. Then I pulled out one of my mystery coral-ly pink shipping tags (I *think* I got them at a stamp convention, but I'm not sure who the manufacturer is), and cut off the top portion. I matted it onto white, aligning the edges of the three layers. Then I adhered them to the Kiwi Kiss card base, tied on some hot pink stitched grosgrain, and accented with rhinestones. Voila! EPLS! *wink*
On a side note, I wanted to point those of you that have asked me about my coloring to {this fabulous tutorial} that the talented Lisa Spangler made for the Hero Club Blog. She demonstrates in 9 minutes and 57 seconds what I spent several architectural rending labs learning and practicing. Truly, her video will give you all the basics, and then it's just a matter of playing with color combinations and practicing! (No blending solution, odorless mineral spirits, Turpenoid, or Gamsol required...though I do use those on occasion, too!) HTH!

And, (drum roll, please) the winner of my own extra little bit o' blog candy is:

#4 - StampinCathy

Love the Spring look! I'm so ready for Spring! Congrats on being the Unity's Stamper of the week. Can't wait to see what fabulous eye candy you have for us. Thanks

(Cathy, I'm going to attempt to figure out how to email you, but if you see this before I do, could you send me an email with your addy? Thanks!)

Thank you {{ALL}} again for the wonderful comments! Y'all melt my heart! *wink*

Thanks for stopping by! (Hopefully) See you again tomorrow!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, and Baja Breeze CS (SU!); coral/pink shipping tag (unknown)
Ink: VersaMark (Tsukineko); Not Quite Navy (SU!)
Stamps: 'Simple Life' March 2009 KOTM (Unity Stamp Co.)
Other: pink stitched grosgrain (Dashes, Dots, & Checks); small clear rhinestones (Michael's); pink rhinestones (Studio18); Prismacolor artist pencils (Sanford) - White, Indigo Blue, Slate Grey, Lime Peel, Cream, Pink Rose, Pink

GIU #2 - Thanks a bunch!

Welcome back to day 2 of my Growing in Unity week! I want to start off by saying a big THANK YOU for all the sweet comments on yesterday's post! It made my day to read them all! *grins* I'm going to be pulling a name tonight (Tuesday night, 3/24/2009) for an extra little candy from me, so if you didn't leave a comment yesterday (or even if you did! *wink*), leave me one today so you'll be entered!

Okay, I know...onto the card!

This one is a much simpler one, showcasing one of the fabulous images from Unity's March 2009 KOTM (do you have yours yet?? It's fabulous, and probably the best deal in stamps you'll ever see!)
I used Taylor's Cupcake Challenge sketch from this weekend (TECC60), and built my card using that, and Friday's Limited Supplies Challenge (LSC212) on SCS to make a card featuring a bloom as the main image, and 'Soft Subtles' colors. I stamped this adorable little plaid flower onto Whisper White and colored it in with my Prismacolor pencils, then used my Coluzzle oval template to cut out the panel, and an Apricot Appeal oval to mat it. I punched the bottom edge of the second WW panel with my favorite Martha Stewart Crafts 'Scallop Dot' edge punch. That was matted with a panel of Pale Plum CS, and I tied a piece of PaperTrey Ink's Plum Pudding Saddle Stitched ribbon. Those were adhered to a Pale Plum card base (with a 4" x 5 1/4" Apricot Appeal panel) using foam tape. As a last touch, I highlighted the sentiment with a quick swipe of Chartreuse Prismacolor, a la Julie Ebersole, aka JulieHRR. *wink*
Thanks for stopping by! More Unity goodness for you (and a candy winner) coming tomorrow!
~Michelle

p.s. - Yes, I {{LOVE}} my Prismacolor pencils...they blend fabulously, they cost a lot less than Copics (not that they're exactly cheap, but they are cheap-ER), and I already had a full set from school. Glad I can finally put that color theory and blending techniques to good use! *wink*

Supplies used:
Paper: Apricot Appeal, Pale Plum, Whisper White (SU!)
Ink: Stazon Jet Black (Tsukineko)
Stamps: March KOTM "simple life" (Unity Stamp Co.)
Other: Plum Pudding ribbon (PTI); 'Scallop Dot' edge punch (Martha Stewart Crafts); Coluzzle cutting system; foam mounting tape (3M); Prismacolor pencils (Sanford) - Dark Purple, Greyed Lavender, Cream, Canary Yellow, Deco Orange, Chartreuse, Lime Peel, Apple Green

Growing in Unity Day #1!

It's here!! Since Spring arrived officially on Friday, I have a "Happy Spring" card to share as the start of my Growing in Unity week! *grins*

This is a Stair Step (aka Accordion) card...I started with a 5 1/2" x 10 1/2" piece of Pollen CS, and scored it at 1 1/4", 2 1/2", 4 1/4", 6", and 8 1/4", with the 1 1/4" fold at the front. Then, I stamped images from three different Unity KOTM's (August 2008 "Remember Happiness", November 2008 "Enjoy YOUR STORY...Laugh", and February 2009 "Endings & Beginnings") that had a Spring theme/feel onto Whisper White CS, using Stazon Jet Black ink.
I colored all the images with my Prismacolor pencils, trimmed them closely, and attached them to the different folds at various heights (the butterflies and the snail are adhered with foam tape). For the sentiment panel, I stamped 'spring' with Real Red ink and 'happy' with Tempting Turquoise, edged the panel with the Canary Yellow pencil, and then matted with 'Kachina' and 'Red Devil' Bazzill. I accented the card with 3 rhinestones, then tied it closed with some striped grosgrain from American Crafts.
Remember to leave me a comment...I'll be picking a winner for a Unity single from all of the comments this week, and am planning to throw in a few surprise blog candy gifts throughout the week! (hint, hint...)

Thanks for stopping by!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Pollen, Kachina, and Red Devil textured CS (Bazzill); Whisper White (SU!)
Ink: Stazon Jet Black (Tsukineko); Real Red and Tempting Turquoise (SU!)
Stamps: August 2008 KOTM "Remember Happiness", November 2008 KOTM "Enjoy your story...Laugh", and February 2009 KOTM "Endings & Beginnings" (Unity Stamp Company)
Other: foam tape (3M); striped grosgrain (American Crafts); Self-adhesive rhinestones (Studio18); Prismacolor Artist Pencils (Sanford) - Lilac, Aquamarine, Light Aqua, Apple Green, Chartreuse, Canary Yellow, Sunburst Yellow, Yellowed Orange, Pale Vermilion, Carmine Red, Scarlet Lake

Unity SALE!!

I just had to share...it's the enabler in me! I mean c'mon, it's THIRTY percent off!! Go check it out!

Plus, there are some amazing deals to be had if you sign up for the KOTM...like $15 off a past KOTM!

Sneak Peek Reminder!

Just a little sneak peek to whet your appetite!

I'm hosting Growing in Unity: day by day, week by week ALL THIS WEEK. That means I'll have a new project (or two) to share each and every day featuring my beloved Unity Stamps, and all you have to do is leave a comment for a chance to win BLOG CANDY on Friday! *wink* And I've been busy preparing...stamping, cutting, pasting, coloring, punching, tying, die-cutting, embossing...you name it! Lots to show you this week!

Plus, I'll have one more for you on Saturday when the Unity World Record Inspirational Blog Hop happens!

Thanks for stopping by! See you Monday! *grins*
~Michelle

USC28 - Eco Snail Mail

Oh, I loved this challenge!! Here is the fantabulous challenge that Sherry picked for us: "My challenge is going to be to use something that is not originally for card-making on your card or altered item. Like yarn, foil, something from a gift wrapped package, something recycled."

Now, I don't know about all of you, but I see card-making possibilities EVERYWHERE. And I gather up all these little gems, but rarely actually *use* them, so this was my chance!

How about the amazing texture on this drink jacket?
And look at all the great color and texture of these jeans:
(The jeans were my DH's. They were the 'thin' kind, and he quickly wore out the knees, and then ripped a hole in the seat while doing something manly like changing the oil in my car, so they weren't donate-able, and definitely not wearable. You'll be seeing denim on a lot of my cards...I have big plans for these!)

I cut a strip from one of the seams in the legs for this card:
And here is the final product:
Isn't that little snail just the cutest?!? I started with a standard A2-sized card base of Kraft, and cut a panel of Chocolate Chip down to 4" x 5 1/4". Then I cut some Basic Grey Granola paper (it seemed fitting for my earthy, eco-friendly card) to 3" x 3 3/4", and used red liner tape to adhere the strip of denim to the side. I frayed the edge a bit more, and used red liner on the back of the denim and foam mounting tape on the back of the DP to adhere them both to the Chocolate Chip panel.

I stamped the 'Snail Mail' (from February's KOTM 'Endings & Beginnings') onto a scrap of Confettie Cream CS using Chocolate Chip ink, and then colored it in with my Prismacolor pencils (see the colors in the photo below), edging the panel with the Peacock Blue, and running the Yellow Ochre across the sentiment to highlight it (a fabulous trick I've seen Julie Ebersole do on several of her cards). Then I mounted the image panel onto the square I cut from the drink jacket, and adhered both to the card with foam tape.
I hope you have a fantastic day today! I've already had a great morning...my town *finally* got a Trader Joe's, and I went shopping this morning!! (It just opened Monday) Be sure to check out who else is playing...go to {this thread}, or type {here} the gallery at SCS. Thanks for stopping by!!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Kraft, and Confetti Cream CS (SU!); 'Granola' DP (Basic Grey)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU!)
Stamps: February's KOTM 'Endings & Beginnings' (Unity Stamp Co.)
Other: Prismacolor Artist Pencils (Sanford); foam mounting tape (3M); jeans and a drink jacket *grins*

The "J's" have it!

**BLOG CANDY WINNERS!!**

Thanks for the suggestions, girls! I went to random.org, and it picked comments #1 and #5:

Jess said:

Go Michelle!! What an awesome prize!! My favorite Papertrey set, although I have NONE yet, is Damask Designs... someday when I have money again, I will be loading up on PTI stuff--it all looks fabulous!!

March 12, 2009 10:01 AM

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Jenn said:

hey stranger ;) Glad to have you back!

How generous of you to share your winnings, my favorite PTI set is My Punny Valentine.

Just FYI, I think your dates are a little off, the Unity blog hop is the 28th of March and if you unity week is next week, that Saturday is the 21st. :) Can't wait too see you Unity creations though.

March 12, 2009 1:02 PM

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I'll send you both emails so I can get your prizes out to you! *wink*

In other news, I went to work on my desk yesterday...and it's certainly better, though by no means 'finished'. Shannon and I did have an adventure yesterday, though! She came over to hang out, and just after she walked in the door, we heard a HUGE crash. The shelf I had hung to the side of my desk (in order to get some stuff *off* of my desk) had pulled its screws and wall anchors out of the wall, and was laying on the floor upstairs, with the 2 of the 3 glass jars of ribbon smashed all around it! Poor Shannon came over to hang out, and the first thing we ended up doing was cleaning up that mess! (and it was a MESS...the floor was stacked with stuff, so glass was all over and inside all of it!) THANKS SHANNON!! You're a gem! {{hugs}}

Here's a "before" picture...notice that there is NO open space on my desk!:

(psst....see all that ribbon hanging on the left side? That's the ribbon from PTI...GOBS of it!)

And here's a wider shot, showing all the junk on the floor that ended up being buried in glass:

Thanks for stopping by! Hopefully I'll actually have something for you all to *look* at SOON! And I'll give you an updated pic of the "after" of my craft space... *wink*

~Michelle

BAD blogger ....and BLOG CANDY!

Sorry! You know how life goes...so I won't make excuses, but I will give you a little update!

Last week, my AMAZING prize from PaperTrey Ink arrived:

It included a gorgeous card made by Nichole Heady, a $50 gift certificate, the Tags for Spring stamp set, eight of PTI's color-matched Palette ink cubes, 8 eggs full of their new Vintage Buttons, and TONS of ribbon. This container is 10" square and 4" deep, and it is *stacked* with tight little coils of ribbon:
Here's a picture of the loot in my lap as my 4-year-old gleefully opened all the eggs (everything came in plastic eggs...so fun!)
There is more ribbon there than I really need ( I could convince myself otherwise, but I'm trying to work through my ribbon addiction)...so I'm going to share! Go to PaperTrey's website, and leave me a comment {by 12:01 AM Pacific time on Sunday} with your favorite stamp set, and I'll pick TWO random winners on Sunday!

Coming up in two weeks is my Growing In Unity week...5 full days of Unity goodness, culminating in Unity's World Record Inspirational Blog Hop (see the blinkie to the right) on Saturday! There will be more blog candy to be had, so be sure to come back! (Now, I must go clear off my stamping desk...it currently has an 8" layer of stuff stacked across the full 6 foot length and 30" width!) My plan is to get it cleaned off, and do some warm-up next week to make sure the "mojo" is flowing, so there will (hopefully) be some eye-candy as well!

(*ETA: Thanks Jenn!! I gained a whole extra week...my GIU week dates are actually March 22-27, and the Unity World Record Inspirational Blog Hop is March 28th*)

Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to leave me a comment for your chance to win! *wink*
~Michelle

sympathy and strength for Sherry...

This week's Unity Challenge Wednesday is a special one...dedicated to one of own, Sherry Campbell, and to remembering that life is sometimes much to short. Sherry lost her mother this week, and we wanted to lift her up during this difficult time.

Sherry, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this difficult time...I'm praying for peace and comfort for you all, and for the strength to carry on...
I based my card on Amber's sketch challenge for this week. I started with a standard Chocolate Chip A2 card base, and added 1 1/4" x 4" strips of Cosmo Cricket DP. I stamped this sentiment from Something Within onto Kraft card stock, then matted it with Chocolate Chip (with the edges distressed), and then with a scrap of green Bazzill CS. I stamped the butterfly from February's KOTM onto Kraft using Apricot Appeal and Really Rust ink and rock-n-roll technique, and then stamped the flourish from the same stamp over the top of the butterfly. I trimmed it closely and mounted the butterfly over the top, using two layers of foam tape at the ends of the wings, and a glue dot at the center.

Thanks for stopping by today! If you have a chance, head over to Sherry's blog and give her a {{hug}}.
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Over Easy DP (Cosmo Cricket); Chocolate Chip and Kraft CS (SU!); green textured CS (Bazzill)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Apricot Appeal, and Really Rust (SU!)
Stamps: Something Within, February KOTM (Unity Stamp Company)
Other: foam mounting tape (3M); mini Glue Dots