love

Three weeks in a row--I'm on a roll! Mojo Monday's sketches are really keeping me up on being creative, I love it. This week I made my first Valentine's card of the season! Check out the sketch...

Here's what I came up with...

I had fun with this one! I found this "Love is kind" Bible quote stamp and knew I had to make a Valentine's Day card for my mother. I used a stamp from Unity Stamp Co's December 2013 Kit of the Month: Happy Love Day and distress the inks with Tattered Rose. The patterned papers are from Echo Park's Head Over Heels pack. I embossed all those fun hearts using Cuttlebug's Cross My Heart embossing folder + border and topped it off with a few bubbles from Queen & Co.

I loved the stamp, but felt it needed some more sparkle. I went over the big "love" part of the stamped image with my Martha Stewart ballpoint-tip glue pen and sprinkled on some red glitter. Here's a close-up, but pictures don't do it justice!

This was such an easy card to create, but I love all the layers and slightly "alternative" colors for a Valentine's Day. Fun stuff! Thanks for stopping by and come back soon! :)

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!

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!

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!

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! :)

A bit of red, white and blue

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend, spending time with family and reflecting on the meaning of Memorial Day. I just couldn't give up, so I tried my hand again at watercoloring and came up with this little bit of red, white and blue...

I used the limited edition Beautifully Confused set and made this card with the 4th of July in mind, thinking of fireworks and people going "just a little crazy" with patriotism, happiness, fun and all that good stuff. I think I'm into the imperfect look here, because it covers up my mistakes. ;) 

Mountain Plains Crafters is having a contest that ends TODAY!!! It's a super easy like/comment-type contest with a pretty awesome prize of May Arts twine and a Unity stamp, so make sure you swing by the blog and enter before it ends in 5 hours!

***Flash giveaway at Mountain Plains Crafters!!***

MPC Lawn Fawn Challenge

Hello, all and happy Friday! This week I am so so excited to announce that I have been selected to be a member of the brand-new Mountain Plains Crafters design team--my very first design team ever! YAY! You might have noticed all the cool logos off to the right over there--those are our super awesome sponsors: Unity, Lawn Fawn, May Arts, Graphic 45, Fancy Pants...what else could a crafter ask for?!

To kick things off, MPC has a way cool new challenge starting today; all you have to do is create a project with a lawn or a fawn...of course, this challenge is being sponsored by the ever-awesome Lawn Fawn! The winner gets a 6x6 paper pad AND a stamp set of your choosing...that's one sweet prize! 

Here's what I came up with for the challenge...

I am so loving it! It was a little out of my comfort zone, but that's the fun thing about challenges...they challenge you! ;)  The sky was done with Distress Inks (Faded Jeans and Broken China), the lawn and fawn were cut on my Explore and the sentiment is from the Unity March 2014 KOTM. And how official-looking is that cool MPC logo down there? ;)

Now it's your turn to play along and try for a seriously awesome prize. For real. I wish I could win it. ;)

Click below for the challenge post and let's see those lawns and fawns! ^_^

*Lawn Fawn Challenge*

First Mountain Plains Crafters challenge!

Hey everyone! Mountain Plains Crafters is hosting their first ever challenge and in typical fashion, I am sliding in on the last day to submit my entries! ;) I actually did two cards for this challenge, but I am only going to post one in this blog because the second one came out kind of...meh. Anyway, here's the inspiration picture we were given...

And here's my entry!

I was inspired by both the flowers and the colors in the photo; I used more subdued versions of the pink and orange so it would go better with the colors of the Anna Griffin Perfect Palette cardstock/card base I chose (her Perfect Palette really makes cardmaking so much quicker!). You can't tell in this picture, but I chose random green leaves and covered them with some coordinating glitter glue that really stand out in person. The heart in MOM is glittery, too. :) I used the Unity April 2014 KOTM: Botanical Bliss.

That's it for today's post! Remember that life is short: have fun and spend time with the ones you love.

A post-Easter card!

A quickie blog post; I wanted to show off the Easter card I made for my mother this year. It's definitely a simple card, but I had fun coloring in the eggs and flowers! I used colored pencils, as well as some Liquid Pearls and Stampin' Up! Dazzling Details to highlight the decorations on the eggs...

If you look closely, you can see the raised pearl dots on the far left egg; Liquid Pearls are so cool! I love the pop of orange from the patterned paper! I added the bow as an afterthought and I think it added the perfect extra touch that brought the entire card together. I used the Pretty Easter Find stamp from Unity.

Short and sweet for today. Thank you so much for stopping by! :)