Giving Thanks MPC Blog Hop!

Good morning, crafty people! Today is day 2 of the Mountain Plains Crafters Giving Thanks blog hop. This is the month where most of us (in the USA) are thinking about what we're thankful for as the holiday season begins. I prefer the word grateful in my own life; thankful means we are happy for something that's happened, grateful means we are simply showing our appreciation for something. Gratitude is a way of life and recognizing everything good. I am grateful for my health, my safety, my ability to gain an education and my family. What are you grateful or thankful for?

This week's blog hop is sponsored by the fabulous Unity Stamp Co and Tombow Adhesives (stop by their Facebook pages and thank them for sponsoring this hop if you have a moment!). In the grand scheme of life, stamps and adhesives may seem silly, but considering that creating can be a form of therapy in a hectic world for some of us, we at MPC are thankful for fabulous sponsors who help foster our creativity and inspire our readers/fans.

My project uses a stamp from Unity Stamp Co and Tombow's Xtreme adhesive. This is a Christmas gift for a friend whom I am most grateful for; I hope she doesn't see this! (April, look away!)

I think it came out quite pretty. The wood base is from The Wood Connection (I used the Plaque: Circle--so affordable and the possibilities are endless!) and the paper is from the Anna Griffin Lovely Layers 5" x 7" Cardstock Kit. I painted the base a neutral cream color, then cut out a piece of the patterned cardstock roughly to size of the face of the plaque and Mod Podge'd it down. I then sanded down the cardstock to size and Mod Podge'd the entire face and edges. I stamped my sentiment from the Unity Happy, Thankful & Blessed Kit of the Month on cardstock with Stampin' Up! Cherry Cobbler pigment ink, heat embossed it with clear powder and dabbed some distress ink around the edges. Last, I adhered my sentiment circle down with my Tombow Xtreme runner (pro-tip: this is THE adhesive for your envelopes; if you have the WRMK envelope punch board, you NEED this adhesive!) and Mod Podge'd it all again just to give it a finished look. A little hot glue and some Stampin' Up! Calypso Coral ribbon on the back and it's ready to hang. What do you think? :)

I hope this reminds my friend how grateful I am that she's in my life whenever she sees it. Thanks for stopping by and leaving me some love; your comments always inspire me to keep creating. Now hop on to the fabulous Debra Davison's blog for another creation. If you get lost, head back to the MPC blog and find your way. Make sure you enter the giveaway there as well--there is a wonderful prize in store for one lucky crafter and you won't want to miss out! Have a wonderful weekend!

Growing In Unity Blog Hop!

Afternoon, ladies! A while back, I was given the fun opportunity to be a Growing In Unity girl; I spent a whole week creating stuff using Unity Stamp Co stamps to show you and I had a blast! Today, we are doing a GIU blog hop using this week's brand new stamp of the week!

One lucky crafter has the chance to win a MONTH of the stamp of the week--that's so awesome! Unity Stamp Co subscriptions are seriously the best around, hands down. I'm a KOTM subscriber and it's so awesome to get stamp love show up in your mailbox! :)

I got this week's SOTM in the mail and was so happy, it's a gorgeous wintery stamp that's perfect for any of the upcoming seasonal holidays! I love the retro feel. Take a look at what I made:

It's not amazing, but I kind of like it! I used a pretty, retro tree-printed paper from Anna Griffin's Christmas Kitsch paper collection and matched up a pretty celedon ink with it. I used my new Simon Says Stamp bracket dies to make that pretty shape on the front layer and add a few white iridescent sequins for some shine. I like that's it's fun and visually appealing, but lets the stamp really take the front stage! 

OK, all you need to go is hop hop hop and comment for your chance to win that month of stamp of the week! You should have come here from Sheryl and your next stop is Crystal! There's a full list below in case you've gotten lost. Thanks for stopping by and happy hopping!

Tracy http://queeniesscrapmad.blogspot.co.uk/

Kristy http://mamasanity.blogspot.com

Sheryl igottacraft.blogspot.com

Christina http://christinascreations1.blogspot.com

Crystal Crystalamariscreations.blogspot.com

Angela http://angelascraftyspot.blogspot.com

Mandi http://faithhopecrafts.blogspot.com

Happy World Cardmaking Day!

Hello crafty people and happy World Cardmaking Day! The cardmaking world is abuzz today with blog hops, Facebook hops, giveaways, contests and more. Over on the Mountain Plains Crafters Facebook page, we're having a tag-a-friend contest with an awesome prize from Graphic 45! Want to see what you can win? Take a peek below!

I'm already jealous of whomever wins!  ;)  This is a HUGE prize pack and it's so easy to enter, so make sure you swing by the MPC Facebook page and find the pinned post at the top to enter! 

Since Graphic 45 is all about the retro, vintage, old-world feel, the MPC design team decided to make cards in the vintage style. Now, vintage is not usually my style, but I tried; check it out:

I think it came out alright! I used some really pretty vintage-themed Anna Griffin cardstock and matched it with a sentiment from the August 2014 Unity Kit of the Month: Summer Collapsed into Fall. Distress Inks give pretty much anything a vintage touch, so I edged my sentiment and the little paper flower in Frayed Burlap. The pretty crocheted lace piece was a scrap from my stash.

SO, don't forget to hit up the MPC Facebook page, find that pinned post and tag, tag, tag away for your chance at that pretty Graphic 45 prize pack; thanks for stopping by!

Purr-fect!

Howdy and happy Friday again! Today I am sharing with you all a card I made as part of Mountain Plains Crafters' inspiration post earlier this week; we all decided to make cards with cute critters on them and after an allergy attack from my furry friend Salem, I decided to go with kitties!

It didn't come out exactly as I had envisioned, but it's growing on me! I used Nancy Girl from Unity Stamp Co and watercolored her with my Distress Markers and Anna Griffin Watercolor Markers, neither of which I have had much luck with using before. I actually quite like the soft colors here! I think they go well with the SU! Pink Pirouette base. I also threw on some pretty iridescent sequins by the hearts. The little specks are the punched-out centers of the sequins. Take a closer look:

Aren't they pretty? The sequins are white with an iridescent finish, so they really sparkle and shien in the light. Sorry, don't have a brand name for you; got them in a bargain bin at a scrapbook convention this summer. I'm not a big sequin gal but I think these came out pretty. :)

That's it for today, I hope you liked my kitty card. Thanks for stopping by, friends!

Best Witches!

Hey howdy hey and happy Friday! Today I have my first Halloween card of the season--yay! Halloween is my favorite holiday. People who know me know I LOVE to dress up and wear silly hats any old day, so any holiday where I get to dress up all over town is a winner in my book. I really love how this card came out and I plan on making it in a bunch of different colors for people at work!

Isn't it so fun?!? I used the Witch Boot Card Kit from SVG Cutting Files and cut it on my Explore. I had this gorgeous black glittery Bazzill cardstock I've been dying to use and it worked so perfectly for the boot and skirt! You can't tell from a photograph, but the glitter has all different colors when you move it in the light--so witchy! I also threw on my Wink of Stella in purple on the scalloped circle for more glitz. I stuck with pretty fall colors with the deep purple, dark green, burnt orange and cream. I will definitely be trying the next one with brighter spooky colors. My favorite part of this are the details on the boot!

Aren't you in love with it? I swear photos don't do it justice. I used some purple Queen & Co Bubbles for her buttons and tied up some pretty purple and white baker's twine just for an extra touch. I love how those details look on her glittery glam boot! :) I almost forgot to mention, I used the Halloween Chatter {october 2013 sentiment kit} from Unity Stamp Co; I love this kit!

That's it for today! I am entering this in the Unity Friends with Flair challenge and the SVG Cutting Files Anything with Fall Colors Challenge! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend. :)

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Yay, school has started and that only means one thing: fall is imminent! Well, this is Texas so imminent might not be the right word, but it's on it's way...at some point. Autumn is my favorite season, when it's cloudy and blustery, chilly and windy, time to break out the cardigans (yay!) and jackets and watch the leaves change colors when we're not watching football. ^_^

Over at Mountain Plains Crafters, we've got another fun challenge for you! This month, create something with a leafy/autumn theme and you'll have the chance to win a Donna Downey Mixed Media paint set from PanPastel--awesome! Head over to the MPC blog for all the details. Here's what I created:

It's simple but I I had fun making this one! The pretty browns and golds on all the trees is one of my favorite parts of this season, so I wanted to show that on my card, but still keep it simple. CAS is my favorite style, you know. :) It will be a sweet "just because" card to send to a friend once the weather changes.

The leaves are from Kelly Purkey's Thankful (an old Simon Says Stamp exclusive)--I LOVE THEM!!! I bought this set forever ago and hadn't used it yet, but I plan on using it a lot this autumn season. The quote, so lovely, is from the August Unity Kit of the Month - Summer Collapsed into Fall. You know I love my Unity. If you're not a KOTM member, you should be! It's my favorite stampy shipment of every month. :)

That's it for today! Make sure you swing by the MPC blog and enter the giveaway! There's 25 days left to enter, so you've got plenty of time to make your best creation and link it up. Thanks for stopping by!

A Christmas Card for the Cutting Edge Blog Hop!

Hey hey hey! I've got a quick CAS Christmas card for you as part of the Pretty Pink Posh Cutting Edge Blog Hop! This is a very simple one, but I love how it came out! Take a look:

I am in love with the clean white and bright red. I used the Mama Elephant Dainty Bow Creative Cut die--isn't it adorable?! The bow is so easy to assemble and is such a cute little size. I should also mention a "behind the scenes/workhorse" type die I used here, and in most of my cards, are the Spellbinders A-2 Matting Basics sets. They're just the best die investment I've ever made and they help me keep my sanity by spacing my layers perfectly for me! :)

That pretty red is Real Red and stamp set is Wishing You, both from Stampin Up!

I wanted something simple, clean and a little "masculine." By leaving the cutesy tails off the bows, they almost look like little red bow ties. This will probably be a Christmas card for my manager, with just the right amount of cheer without being glittery or glitzy! Check out the inside sentiment:

I love the tiny present! Again, see that wonderful, perfect layering...yeah, I love those Spellbinders dies. :)

That's it for tonight; thanks for stopping by and make sure you hit some other creations on the hop!

Back to school!

Happy Saturday, crafty friends! This week on the Mountain Plains Crafters blog, the design team has created a bunch of fun inspiration cards for you to celebrate the end of summer and back to school season. It's still baking hot out there (at least it is in Texas!), but thoughts are turning to backpacks and new teachers as we head into the new school semester. For me, my thoughts are of senior level classes (eep) and figuring out how to pay for books! ;) Check out the card I made to celebrate going back to school and read a little about my own inspiration behind it...

Special teachers have always made a strong impact on me throughout my life and continue to do so to this day. I made this card with one of my favorite sociology professors in mind, as she definitely encourages her students not only to think outside the box, but to approach all matters from a place of love rather than judgement, which is crucial when studying sociology. Hope you enjoy it!

I love how this card came out. I used JEN Girl from Unity Stamps; isn't she cute? Her dress is paper-pieced using the peace joy love petite paper pack from Lawn Fawn. The cork layer is trimmed from the DCWV pastel cork stack, which I am super in love with right now. The sentiment layered on top reminds me of those inspirational quotes teachers tack up above the chalkboard in grade-school classrooms. :) Oh! And the green pearls are from Queen & Co, as is the fun red Twinkle Flower I used on her lapel. Isn't it cute? I love me some Queen & Co. ^_^

Thanks for stopping by; have a wonderful weekend!

Bright Butterflies and a winner!

Happy Monday, everyone! Today I've got a new card for you and oh, the winner of my Unity Stamp Co random grab bag giveaway. Yay! First up is the card; the fabulous ladies of the Mountain Plains Crafters design team decided to make a flurry of butterfly cards this weekend. Here's mine, which I am also entering in the card sketch part of the Unity {be inspired} challenge!

I love the embossed butterflies! The Hero Arts Neon ink went great with these bright patterned papers! I love any reason to use Queen & Co embellishments (bubbles and rhinestones) and, as usual, I used a Unity Stamp here, the Wish with Your Heart {august 2014 sentiment kit}.

Now it's time for the grab bag winner announcement! And the winner is...Katie S.!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats, Katie! Everyone else, thanks for entering! I will be doing another giveaway sometime in September, so stay tuned here and on my Facebook page for updates. :)

Thanks for stopping by today; y'all have a great week!

Mountain Plains Crafters Christmas in July Blog Hop

Happy Friday and welcome to the Mountain Plains Crafters Christmas in July Blog Hop! This is the first blog hop I've had the privilege of being a part of, so I'm really excited. :) 

The ever-rad Clearsnap gave us three awesome products to play with: Colorbox ink, Smooch Spritz and Smooch pearlized accent ink! I've never used Smooch accent ink, so I was excited to try it for the first time. Here's what I came up with for our fabulous Christmas in July hop!

This is my absolute favorite Christmas stamp, Small Stuff Christmas from Unity Stamp Co! I used the Smooch Spritz in Cashmere to give my background some shimmer and texture. Next, I used the Colorbox ink in Saddle for both my sentiment and my tree. Note: Saddle is great for wood/branches when stamped off first! Then, I used the awesome Smooch pearlized accent ink in Spruce for my little pine needles; I really loved this stuff! Finished off with some glitter ribbon and a single red rhinestone and just like that, my first official Christmas card of the year is done! :)

Super big shoutout to Clearsnap for these awesome products; I am definitely going to be investing in more of the Smooch pearlized accent inks! The color is so pretty and shimmery and it layers so well. Woohoo, new craft supply discovery! ;)

I am going my own giveaway seperate from this awesome blog hop! I will be giving away one random stamp grab bag from Unity Stamp Co! This is super easy to enter using Rafflecopter below; this giveaway starts on Saturday and will run for a week, so stay tuned for the winner!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now it's your chance to win these awesome products from Clearsnap! All you have to do is comment on all the blogs listed below for your chance to win. The blog hop runs through this weekend, so don't delay!

Your next, and last, stop on the hop is the wonderful and talented Paula! Happy hopping!

Mustang Creations - Pam

Waving my Wand - Terri

Sheryl's Creative Corner - Sheryl

Mississippi McGyver - MariLynn

Meticulosity - Debra

Caffeinated Papercuts - Jennifer

Christina's Creations - Christina (you are here!)

Scrap Addict's Attic - Paula

Growing in Unity: WINNER!

Sorry for the delay in announcing my GIU winner; congrats to Patricia Meadows!

Patricia, please send me a message through my Facebook fan page or email me at tinaroxursox at yahoo dot com if you don't have Facebook. :)

Thank you to everyone who came by and commented on my GIU posts! As I mentioned before, I will be doing a giveaway...which will be NEXT WEEK--yay! If you're a stamper/cscrapper/crafter, you won't want to miss it. I have another giveaway lined up for the beginning part of August as well, so make sure you've either liked my Facebook page or are following my blog through Bloglovin' or email (links on the right!). I hope to have lots of people entering the giveaway! 

Have a wonderful week!

Growing in Unity: Day Five!

This week has flown by; I'm a little sad that my GIU week is up--tear! Since it's my last GIU day and I've been feeling extra crafty the past couple of days, I have two cards for you today!

This first card I just drummed up last night for my mom's birthday this weekend; my birthday is the 12th and my mom's is the day after mine on the 13th! She and I are both wine drinkers, so as I was scrambling around my stamp collection trying to find something to make her the perfect birthday card, I remembered this gem of a stamp, Age and Wine!

(PS--Mom, if you're reading this right now, look away and close the browser!)

 

I'm kind of seriously in love with this card. I used this rich, burgundy pearlescent cardstock that matched the Raspberry Ripple ink so perfectly and is reminiscent of merlot! The scrollwork is an Anna Griffin Cuttlebug die and the flowers are by Recollections. Look closely; the largest red flower is glittery and there's a sheer fabric layer above it! They are so gorgeous together and really make the card.

Warning: This second card has some profanity, so if you are offended by that, please skip it. I made this card for a friend who was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, so I'd appreciate everyone refraining from leaving any negative comments! This stamp, F*** Cancer, is pretty straight to the point. I hate glitter getting everywhere, so I used some really rad glitter washi here for the diagonal stripes (you can't tell, but it's very glittery). I matched that with some gold sequins and threw on a couple of orange Doodlebug jewels to coordinate with the orange base. It took me a while to be able to make this card without tearing up, but my friend is done with chemo and remission is on the horizon, so yay. :)

That's it for today's post and my GIU week! I've had such an awesome week sharing my creations with y'all. Don't forget that later this month I will be doing a post-birthday crafty giveaway of some stamps and another crafty surprise or two! If you haven't liked my Facebook page...you know the drill.  ;)

Last, don't forget that all your comments on my GIU posts this week put you into a drawing for two Unity Stamp Co itty bittys of your very own, so make sure you've commented on all five posts and cross your fingers! Thank you for stopping by this week and have a great weekend! <3

Growing in Unity: Day Four!

Good morning! Wow, this week is going by so quickly, I'm kind of sad it's already Thursday. On the up side, another day means another GIU project for y'all to see! Today, I've got a pretty, soft colored card made with the May 2014 Hey Girl Kit of the Month.

This is one of my favorites right now! I always wonder how to use floral stamps and I'm generally scared about layering stamps, but this one came out pretty decent if I say so myself. ;) I absolutely love my Unity KOTM subscription; there's always something I love and can't wait to use and something I wouldn't have normally purchased on its own. This quote and these flowers are perfect examples!

I used the gorgeously shimmery Tsukineko Brilliance DewDrop in Pearlescent Purple and a piece of cardstock from the Anna Griffin Metallic Card Layers Kit, matched with a piece of pleated Stampin' Up! ribbon in Blushing Bride. The pearlescent effect from the ink and cardstock are so pretty with the smooth, satiny ribbon at the bottom. Here's a better look at the shimmer:

I am so proud of how this one came out...and now I don't want to give it away! :) Another reminder that every comment you leave on my GIU posts this week is an entry to win two Unity Stamp Co itty bittys--yippee! And don't forget to like my Facebook fan page if you're so inclined and want to be in on a crafty giveaway I'll be doing later this month. ;)

Thanks again for swinging by my little blog; see y'all tomorrow for my last GIU day! <3

Growing in Unity: Day Three!

Hello and happy Wednesday, y'all! It's heating up in Texas like crazy, so it's perfect weather to stay indoors and craft. Today is the third day of my GIU week (already?!) and today's project is a birthday card I made for one of my fashionista friends who turned 32 on July 4th! 

I have to give credit where credit's due; I totally took inspiration from the fabulously talented Erin Schreiner! When I first bought Claire {fashionista} specifically to make a birthday card for this particular friend, I immediately knew I wanted to pair it with this sentiment from Sassy Pants, which was designed by Erin herself! Great minds, right? I always color Fashionistas to look like whomever I am giving the card to, but the BEST part is that when I gave this card to my friend, she was wearing her hair up in a bun and wearing pink just like on the card--how funny!

So cute! Thanks for stopping by my little blog today. :) I'd be remiss if I didn't remind you that every comment you leave on my GIU posts this week puts you in a random drawing to win TWO Unity Stamp Co itty bittys, which is a SWEET prize if you ask me. See y'all back here tomorrow! :)

Growing in Unity: Day Two!

Good morning and welcome to day two of my Growing In Unity week! Today, I am sharing two

birthday tag sets I made for a Swap-Bot tag swap. These were simple and quick to make

and would be easy to recreate again and again!

I used stamps from Sabrina {fashionista}, MAGGIE girl {it’s your birthday} and Bee Happy Hexagons, all from Unity, of course! The black chevron ribbon, stretch glitter elastic and net ribbon are all from May Arts; I am loving using more ribbon and fabric on my tags and cards lately, it gives such great dimension with little effort--which I'm all about. ;)

Thanks for stopping by and leaving me some love; I read all comments! :) Be sure to come back tomorrow for another GIU project and don't forget, every comment you leave on my GIU posts this week is a chance to win two free itty-bittys from Unity Stamp Co! See y'all tomorrow!

Red, white and blue!

Note: If you are looking for my first GIU post for this week, please go here!

Hey, y'all! So, I know July 4th is over, but I made this really cute red, white and blue card to celebrate the holiday and for the Unity {show n tell} Facebook group's "Red, White & Blue" challenge!

You may notice I used this same sentiment on a different card in an earlier post; I try to buy stamps I can use again and again for different cards and the Unity Lasting Thoughts kit is really perfect for that. A stamper can never have too many good quotes/sentiments. :)

This was also for a washi card swap on Swap-Bot; if you're on S-B, add me and let's swap sometime!

I will be doing a fun, crafty giveaway later this month as part of my birthday celebration, so make sure you're following me by email or on Bloglovin' (follow buttons on the right side on the blog) and that you're "liked" my Facebook fan page if you haven't already. Thanks for stopping by! :)

Growing in Unity: Day One!

Good afternoon, all! I know I am posting this late, but I have been in Chicago on vacation for the last week and I left Sunday morning to make the 14 1/2 hour drive back to Dallas, getting in earlyearly this morning and passed out when I got to my bed! Super tired, but had a lot of fun. Now, it's my birthday week AND my Unity Stamp Co GIU week--so excited! :)

For my first day, I've got a vintage-y card I made for a friend of mine who is a total book addict. 

Isn't it super fun?? I got these vintage-type library check-out cards forever ago and never did anything with them. I used to love filling out these cards back in elementary school and knew I wanted to incorporate that little bit of nostalgia into this card. I distressed and inked the check-out card up quite a bit and used some frayed jute twine to fasten that fun little flower-shaped button on for some dimension (it's in the same Gumball Green as the card base). I used two Unity stamps here: the book stack is from Love is in the Pages and the sentiment is from I love BIG books. 

This card was really pretty simple, but I loved how it came out so much, I didn't want to give it away!  ;) Don't forget, every comment you leave on my GIU posts this week is a chance to win not one, but TWO itty-bittys from Unity Stamp Co--aweeesooome!

I also want to let you all know that I've got a giveaway planned for later this month as a late birthday celebration, so be sure to follow my blog on Bloglovin' or by e-mail, "like" my Facebook fan page if you haven't already and stay tuned for that fun little contest coming up! :)

 Thanks for stopping by and leaving me some love and I'll see y'all tomorrow with another creation! :)

It's been a while!

I've had quite a busy June and haven't posted in some time--so sorry! I have a few projects all ready to post, I just haven't had the time to do so, so here we go!

Today is a simple card I made for my mother. She has been going through a rough time at work and I wanted to make her something to keep at her desk and lift her spirits (hope you liked it, mom!).

I used Unity's Lasting Thoughts kit. I love how versatile this kit is, with several quotes perfect for all different occasions. I added some silver Stickles on the stars and tied off a piece of black May Arts baker's twine. (Their baker's twine is seriously the best!) The embossing folder is from Darice. Simple and quick, but I love how it came out.

Thanks for stopping by! :)