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!