Growing In Unity Blog Hop

Welcome Blog Hoppers.  You should be coming to me from Trudy's blog. She does such lovely work! Well done Trudy!

I assume you all are in full holiday mode.  Stressed out, house in chaos, and everyone dreading the visit from weird Uncle Kenny or Crazy Aunt Thelma.  So, thank you for taking time stopping by this blog hop!  Please take a moment and use this hop as a way to reclaim a small piece of your sanity before chaos of the really season begins!  Enjoy this little journey to happiness, even if only for a moment.

My submission for this blog hop is brought to you by everyone's favorite sugar cookie decoration.  SPRINKLES!!

Sprinkles you question?!.  Yes! SPRINKLES.  Honest to goodness sugar sprinkles!

After watching a few soothing Facebook videos on cookie decorating these past few weeks, I started to wonder if sprinkles would make good shaker card filler.  I mean, why not?  Sugar doesn't go bad in the foreseeable future so no fear of it damaging your precious card. Besides,there are so many different types of sprinkles available for just about any occasion.  Might as well use them up before Uncle Kenny starts sneaking them off the cupcakes!

During my Thanksgiving shopping, I came across the seasonal baking department, and sure enough, loads of fun sprinkles out there.  Best part, the large jar I selected was only $1.97! That is sure a heck of a lot cheaper than a jar of chunky glitter! And you definitely don't have to find a place to store it in your craft space.  Back to the kitchen pantry it goes when you are done making your card!  I bet if you are a holiday baker, you have sprinkles sitting in a cabinet right now! How cute would regular sprinkles  be in a Birthday shaker or one for New Years?

So,I humbly submit my Sprinkle creation for your review:

Besides the price of the jar of candy sprinkles, the best part of this embellishment is if you spill any you can always eat them!!


Stamp& Sentiment from:
All Kinds of Holiday Love


Supplies:

• White cardstock
• Light Blue cardstock
• Text paper from Pebbles "Cozy and Bright" collection
• Blue/Green Baker's Twine
• Great Value Nonpareils & Snowflake sprinkles
• Acetate
• 3M Foam tape
• Tumbled Glass and Broken China Distress ink by Tim Holtz

While I'm sure you have lots more internet-ting to get to, please make sure, you mosey on over to Rene Moran's blog to see what awesome Unity Creation she has in store for you!

And if you need the other ladies addresses, here they are. be sure to check them out and leave some love to be entered in the drawing for some deeply etched red rubber stamp prize pack!

1. Tammy Huber Murphy https://www.youtube.com/user/tjskids...
2. Joyce Verdon https://joycielcreations.blogspot.com/
3. Shanna Slater, https://caffeinatedcraftiness.wordpress.com/
4. Edelmira Rivera http://winecheesescrapbooking.blogspot.com/
5. Sharon Duff https://dannyandpeteysmom.blogspot.com/
6. Trude Julie Berg https://parentesfantom1.blogspot.com/
7. Annie Sterner https://justascrapdork.blogspot.com/
8. Renee Moran https://delaneyjanecards.blogspot.com/

A big Thank You to everyone who spent their valuable time visiting my blog.  It was a fun week revisiting the past.  I'm not sure if it reinvigorated me to use up forgotten crafty items, or if I just feel old!  I am super grateful for each of your warm and supportive comments though!

I have randomly selected the following comments as the prize winner for some deeply etched red rubber stamps from Unity Stamp Co!

• PAT
• PHALINE HAYS

Congratulations!

Please send me a message with your name & address so I can forward on to Kelli @ unity!

Be sure to check out the rest of the years GIU blog posts.  I'm quite certain we all have lots of fun inspiration to look forward to!

Annie

GIU Day 5

Well, we made it to Friday!  WHEW… It’s been a roller coaster ride of fun.  For some of you, it may have left you feeling nauseated, others just with an urge for a concession stand hot dog.  Either way, I hope you got your money’s worth these past 5 days.

It took all week, but you and I found our way through the chaos that is my mind and the frenzied purchases I have made over the years. And today is really no exception. Vellum.  Yes, vellum.  The one supply we still take out every now and again and wonder how we are going to adhere it to our project without the adhesive showing. No matter the method, we always somehow feel unsatisfied. I chose using EYELETS another “postmodern” embellishment in my stash.  Not a go to fastener, but one that works perfectly for adhering that opaque paper that makes you scream when you try and emboss on it.  But, also the one supply that can bring elegance to your project.  Here’s my submission.  I’m using the vellum as a ground for the mason jar of flowers.  Hopefully it helps give some separation from the busy patterned paper.

Finally, some parting words that you can read when you are sitting on the pot after that concession stand hot dog you decided to buy.

Buttons, brads, eyelets, lace, felt, embossed paper, washi tape, thumb punches, they may have been purchased years ago, but they still can have relevance today.  We just need to dig them out of the bin they are hiding in and use them.  I’m not saying that you should dig those 4” stilettos out and wear them on your next trip to Target, but you could put them on to reach that box of paper flowers you have stashed in the back of your closet.  Rethink, repurpose, reuse. that’s the point here.  Don’t let those forgotten supplies sit idle. You loved them once, love them again now.

Supplies:

• Unity-Hello New Life
• Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink
• Paper Studio Vellumn
• Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens
• Paper Studio Eyelets
• Yellow & White Baker's twine
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink-Wld Honey

GIU day 4

You're back.  Wow. I didn't think many of you would stick around after that entire Mulberry incident. You must be super dedicated to win some deeply etched red rubber stamps!  I'm impressed.

All I can say is my Wednesday did what Wednesday's do. It came and went. Oh, and for the record, I'm not a fan of the term "Hump Day" either.  I raised boys.. my mind goes elsewhere when I hear that phrase. I mean, Wednesdays do have a way of "humping" you, but not in a pleasant way or in a manner that makes you excited for the weekend. It's just a day that reminds me of all those un-ticked to do items I still need to get done, before the real work of Saturday and Sunday begins. I try my best to leave at least Saturday available for some well deserved ME time.  But, it always ends up as WE time and this is why Karma and me have a gentlemen's understanding on my behavior. I never seem to carve out enough play time for myself. Hence the foul language and hoping people step on Legos on their urgent run to the bathroom, when they annoy me.

I'm rambling.. I'm sorry.

What does this have to do with anything card related? Nothing... just ramblings of a crazy lady here.  Wait.. wait.  Yes. I do have a point to make. You know Saturday is coming  & if you are like me, you don't have a ton of time to make a birthday card for your best friends' mother's sister's niece. Well, here's a simple card to make using your stash of horded CHIPBOARD alphabets and clear acetate embellishments.  The Unity collaboration with Brutus Monroe and his epic background stamps makes creating a card simple and fast! Don't have his background stamps, how about using some of that new patterned paper from Unity they just released?  Add some chipboard letters for dimension and a clean and simple card has been created.

Supplies:

• Unity- Floral Tapestry
• Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink
• Teal Glittered chipboard alphabet by American Crafts
• Acetate Heart by Heidi swap  (recycle plastic packaging by cutting out images with die cut)
• Dymo label maker
• Black & White baker's twine

If this posts hasn't made you run you off, then stay tuned for tomorrow and my last crafty adventure in digging waste deep in the stuff I had to have back in 2009!

p.s.  Have you entered to win some Unity stamps?

GIU Day 3

Wednesday seems like a good day to take you deep into your stash of supplies.

I have two words for you.  MULBERRY PAPER.  If you have to ask me what it is, then you are too young and I don't like you anymore.  I'm kidding.  I like you fine. But you have just made me feel real-real old.  All I'm going to say to you is... Handmade fibrous paper that everyone had to have, but no one could quite figure out how to use. I think the real purpose of this paper is for origami creations. But, us "crafters" just KNEW we could incorporate it into our projects.  Many a handy woman tried.  Some succeeded, but I was a total failure at it. Sadly, the frenzy fizzled faster than Milli Vanilli.  And if you don’t know that reference…..we are back to the part when I say I don’t like you.

If you still have no idea what I'm talking about.  Think about those 4" stilettos in the back of your closet that you bought for your cousins’ neighbor's sister's wedding. Adorable, but a total pain in the ass to wear and they hurt like hell. You put them on for pictures, then proceeded to make your feet dirty by going around barefoot at the reception. You've never put them on again, but because you spent good money on them, you can't part with them either.  That's the gist of Mulberry Paper.

I'm not claiming that I have been successful using Mulberry Paper this go around either.  But it does offer some texture and framing to these gorgeous flowers Lisa Arana created. For those who still have this supply in your stash, take it out and see what you can do with it!  If you are successful, I'll send you my stash of this odd supply for you to make more!

Supplies:

• Unity- Girl Truly 
• Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink. 
• Unity- Sometimes I wonder 
• Paper Studio- Black cardstock
• White embossing powder
• Purple sequins
• Kuretake Gem Colors watercolor
• Lavender mulberry paper

GIU Day 2

Ok,  How'd Monday treat you?  You step on any Legos barefooted or get a paper cut yesterday? Swallow a bug?  No?  Ya didn't spill any coffee or ketchup on your new white shirt? Wow, you have Karma on your side then.  Don't tick her off, I hear she's been moody lately!  At the time of this writing. Karma and I have come to a bit of an understanding. She can kick me in the rear now and again but only when I think really bad thoughts about the people who really annoy me.  In exchange, I wont curse too much when I'm angry.  For the record, I've been getting kicked hard lately!  I'm peopled out and haven't had time to craft.

I digress...

I'm not sure about you but once my life with children transitioned into 4th gear, the idea of pocket page scrapbooking really caught my eye.  Buy the kits, print your pictures, add a little journaling, stick them in the page protectors and bam a completed album! It was advertised as "no muss, no fuss, instantaneous type of memory keeping."  Yeah.... No.  I bought the kits, organized the cards to an inch of their life and stalled out.  I have done maybe 6 pocket paged layouts in total. I gotta say, there wasn't enough hands on creativity in it for me. As I have described, I like collecting the supplies as much as I like using them.  So, now all those neatly organized cards just sit there idle.

But, wait.... We can bring new life to those cute PL kits and it makes a fast card too!  And, look I used some foiled card bases I bought on clearance for $2.99 from the Lob. It's a box that I justified buying by saying "the envelopes alone are worth $2.99".  You've made that purchase before I know you have... tell me I'm not the only one!

Anyway, the best part of Unity stamps is that there are always perfect images to "jeuge" up a premade card and make it extra special for the one you love. Doesn't have to be a Project Life Card.  Could be a post card,  or a simple greeting card you've been holding on to.  Maybe by adding a little Unity, you can turn it from MEH to Wow in an instant.

Supplies:

• Unity "Sending up something beautiful" 
• Unity "Love Runs Deep"
• Versafine Clair Nocture Ink
• White paper Doily
• Gold Sequins
• Pink & White Baker's twine
• Paper Studio Foiled box of pre-made cards- no longer available
  (but re-think the way you can use old stationary)

Bonus tip.  Look in your stash and see if you have any stationary note cards that you no longer use.  Those make great bases!  When I visit my local Goodwill, I always look at the stationary sets they have for sale.  As long as they don't smell musty, they can be less expensive than making or buying blank white card bases.  Something to think about anyway.

Remember- leave a comment or some love to be entered into the drawing at the end of the week for a Unity prize!

GIU Day 1

Happy Monday people!

As I mentioned in my opening post, this week is about using up your stash of stuff.  You may not be a seasoned crafter like me with a room full of crap.  (Uh, let rephrase that…a room full of precious supplies.)  But, even if you are new to paper crafting/card making, I'm sure you have a supply or tool in your horde that you quite haven't figure out what to make with it.

Today's submission is using those "old school" border punches. Back in the day, (insert old timey music) Fiskars Border punches were a frenzied item any good papercrafter HAD to have!


And we used them for a hot minute until the next "have to have" item came along. Before that were deco scissors. Any seasoned crafter had these in their stash at one point or another.  (I can say, I still have mine tucked away in a drawer somewhere!)




Now, a days it's thin border dies.

Well, just know they basically all do the same thing.  So, I encourage you to use which ever tool you have now and use it differently.  They really do more than just make borders for scrapbook pages!

SUPPLIES

• Unity- "....so glad you were born" 
• Marty Steward edge punch
• Black & White Baker's twine
• Silver Star Confetti
• Versafine Clair Nocturn Ink