Saturday, December 5, 2020

Friends of Unity December Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity December Blog Hop. This month the theme is our favorite things.  The card I made encompasses two of my favorite things... books and coffee. The only thing missing from this picture is my cat. Those three things equal a perfect lazy day in my opinion!

My cup could contain coffee, cocoa, or tea. There is something about a warm beverage, a good book and no plans for the day to equal pure bliss. I colored the spines of my books in a rainbow because I will read just about anything you put in front of me. From romance to mystery to nonfiction... I am not a finicky reader, but I don't like to caught without a book. Waiting never bothers me as long as I have something to read. 


Hop along with the other Friends of Unity and see their creations... Comment to be entered into my giveaway. I will announce the winner on next month's FOU blog. The winner from my November giveaway is Cindy Knickerbocker. Please contact me to claim your prize.
We are celebrating THREE years hopping, so look for all the giveaways and make sure to comment to win!

Crystal O. Minkler
Eileen Mathys (you’re here)


Stamps:
Chapter One (Unity Stamp Company)
Flourish Wonder (Unity)

Paper:
Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
True Black (Papertrey)
Blueberry Sky (Papertrey)

Ink:
Memento Tuxedo Black
Blueberry Sky (Papertrey)
 
Accessories:
Tim Holtz Stamp Platform
Copic Sketch Markers

Disclaimer:
We all on the Friends of Unity design team appreciate every single comment we get.
That's why we use our own stash every month for a giveaway.
We are NOT sponsored by Unity Stamp Co. but, they do approve of our hop, and that make us all very happy.
We started this hop because we love Unity. That's it. This hop is our way of showcasing our cards made with our favorite stamps!!

Saturday, November 7, 2020

Friends of Unity November Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity November Blog Hop. This month the theme is backgrounds.  I love my big background stamps. I was so excited for this theme! Sometimes you will fall in love with the perfect patterned paper and then fear cutting it out because then it will be gone. With background stamps you can create that pretty paper over and over again.

There are so many fun techniques you can do with these stamps. I was inspired by a video by Echo to color these leaves and add a sentiment. I have extra cards cut out waiting to be colored. These came together so quickly and look beautiful. Thanks Echo!

Hop along with the other Friends of Unity and see their creations... Comment to be entered into my giveaway. I will announce the winner on next month's FOU blog.

Crystal O. Minkler
Eileen Mathys (you’re here)
Bobbie Sue McConathy


Stamps:
Frondescence (Unity Stamp Company) 
Count Your Blessing KOM 8/20 (Unity Stamp Company)
 
Paper:
Cocoa Bean (Papertrey Ink)
Stampers Select White (Papertrey)
Terracotta Tile (Papertrey)
 
Ink:
Memento Tuxedo Black
Vintage Photo Distress Oxide (Tim Holtz)
 
Accessories:
Copic Sketch Markers
Sizzix Big Shot
Rectangle Stitched Dies (Stampin Up)


Disclaimer:
We all on the Friends of Unity design team appreciate every single comment we get.
That's why we use our own stash every month for a giveaway.
We are NOT sponsored by Unity Stamp Co. but, they do approve of our hop, and that make us all very happy.
We started this hop because we love Unity. That's it. This hop is our way of showcasing our cards made with our favorite stamps!!

Saturday, October 3, 2020

Friends of Unity October Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity October Blog Hop. This month the theme is birthday. These cards, along with sympathy cards are the few that I always have on hand. While I try to be better about sending them out early... each year I make it a goal to be better about remembering. 

When I first saw this stamp as a new release, I knew that I had to have it. My friends and I are getting to the age where we find delight in the wisdom that comes with age. No longer are we talking about someone else's ailments, we are talking about our own! Between me and my two closest girlfriends, all of our children have grown up, moved out, and now several are married with a plethora of grandchildren are between them.

With this card I followed a sketch that Crystal Minkler shared for inspiration. Sometimes when you are pressed for time you find your inspiration where you can and run with it. The paper used in this card were some freebies that I received in my recent Lawn Fawn orders. They were sitting on my desk waiting to be filed away and I decided to just run with it. 


Hop along with the other Friends of Unity and see their creations... Vanessa Osbourn is the winner of my giveaway from last month. Please reach out to me to claim your prize. 

Crystal O. Minkler
Eileen Mathys (you’re here)
Joyce Verdon 


Stamps:
Demand a Re-Count (Unity Stamp Company)

Paper:
Sweet Blush (Papertrey Ink)
Stampers Select White (Papertrey)
Lawn Fawn Patterned Paper 

Ink:
Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Melon Mambo (Stampin Up)
 
Accessories:
Nesting Basics: Circle Die (Papertrey)
Banners Pick a Punch (Stampin Up)
Copic Sketch Markers

Disclaimer:
We all on the Friends of Unity design team appreciate every single comment we get.
That's why we use our own stash every month for a giveaway.
We are NOT sponsored by Unity Stamp Co. but, they do approve of our hop, and that make us all very happy.
We started this hop because we love Unity. That's it. This hop is our way of showcasing our cards made with our favorite stamps!!

Saturday, September 5, 2020

Friends of Unity September Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity September Blog Hop. This month the theme is friendship. I wanted to share two cards this month. One being a card I always have on hand and ready to go. The sentiment fits lots of occasions and is easy to add a couple of lines and drop in the mail. 

The first card has a border made from a large background stamp. I die cut a frame from it to hopefully give the appearance of a picture frame. I blended some distress oxide colors in the background to give a blurred appearance of ground and sky. 


The second card is one that I tend to make in bulk using up paper scraps. I mass stamp the typewriter using my stamping platform, add splatters to compliment the patterned paper and the card is ready to go. I believe this is a CASE’d card from a fellow Unity member. Thank you for the inspiration whoever you were!
 

Hop along with the other Friends of Unity and see their creations... Comment to be entered into my giveaway. I will announce the winner on next month's FOU blog.

Crystal O. Minkler
Eileen Mathys (you’re here)
Bobbie Sue McConathy
Stamps:
Hope in Uncertainty KOM 4/2020 (Unity Stamp Company)
Paneling (Unity)
Type-Write (Unity)

Paper:
Classic Kraft (Papertrey Ink)
Stampers Select White (Papertrey)

Ink:
VersaFine Clair Nocturne (Unity)
Frayed Burlap (Distress Oxide)
Antique Linen (Distress Oxide)
Stormy Sky (Distress Oxide)
Bundled Sage (Distress Oxide)
Crumb Cake (Stampin Up)

Accessories:
Sizzix Big Shot
Wonky Stitched Rectangle Die (Gina Marie)
Stitched Rectangle Frames (My Favorite Things)

Disclaimer:
We all on the Friends of Unity design team appreciate every single comment we get.
That's why we use our own stash every month for a giveaway.
We are NOT sponsored by Unity Stamp Co. but, they do approve of our hop, and that make us all very happy.
We started this hop because we love Unity. That's it. This hop is our way of showcasing our cards made with our favorite stamps!!

Saturday, August 1, 2020

Friends of Unity August Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity August Blog Hop. This month the theme is a sympathy.  These are cards I try to always have on hand. Death usually occurs with no notice. It’s helpful to have a few of these on hand, so the card can be sent out in a timely manner.

Sympathy cards can be difficult to make, especially if emotions are wrapped up in the need to make this type of card. This card was CASE’d from a Unity video I saw a short while ago. I made this card early in the morning only to get the devastating news later that day that a friend of mine had lost her son to a medical complication. Needless to say this card went into immediate use.

Each of the colors are stamped tone on tone. This card style/layout will easily fit any sentiment. Perfect card to make use of scraps and add the sentiment right before you send it out.


Hop along with the other Friends of Unity and see their creations...

Crystal O. Minkler


Stamps:
Insightful Meadows (Unity Stamp Company)
Feeling Sad, Feeling Sorry (Unity)

Paper:
Classic Kraft (Papertrey Ink)
Lemon Tart (Papertrey)
Aqua Mist (Papertrey)
Antique Linen (Papertrey)
Vintage Cream (Papertrey)

Ink:
VersaFine Clair Nocturne (Unity)
Lemon Tart (Papertrey)
Aqua Mist (Papertrey)
Antique Linen (Papertrey)


Disclaimer:
We all on the Friends of Unity design team appreciate every single comment we get.
That's why we use our own stash every month for a giveaway.
We are NOT sponsored by Unity Stamp Co. but, they do approve of our hop, and that make us all very happy.
We started this hop because we love Unity. That's it. This hop is our way of showcasing our cards made with our favorite stamps!!

Saturday, July 25, 2020

Christmas in July 2020 Hop


Welcome to Build Your Stash Holiday Hop! Let this holiday hop inspire your creativity and get you in the mood for some holiday cards. This is the time of year I try to create one or two a week as time allows to prepare myself before I am in the mad dash between Thanksgiving and Christmas.



All of the cards I make and send out will be hand made. Some of my friends are very special and dear to my heart and will get very special one of a kind creations. Other friends will get very punny cards, and other friends yet don't celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or even Kwanzaa. They celebrate Yule, more of a pagan holiday. Being respectful of that, I opted to create this card for those who don't celebrate the traditional winter holidays as we know it.


I am a big fan of my Copic markers, but chose to experiment with some inexpensive watercolor paints that I picked up from Michaels. While I have a lot to learn yet with them, I figured the wide open spaces on this stamp set would be very forgiving to my novice hand. I splattered white acrylic paint over the finished image to give the appearance of snow, which isn't clearly visible in the picture.

Stamps:
Warm and Cozy KOM 8/2019 (Unity Stamp Company)

Paper:
True Black (Papertrey Ink)
Stampers Select White (PTI)
Watercolor Paper (Tim Holtz)

Ink:
VersaFine Clair Nocturne (Unity)
Accessories:
Watercolor Paint (Michaels)
White Acrylic Paint for splatter

Saturday, July 4, 2020

Friends of Unity July Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity July Blog Hop. This month the theme is a paper piecing challenge.  True to form, I had to think outside of the box. I grew up with paper dolls and Barbies, but didn't want to use an Angie girl. I opted for something to spark some creativity in others. 

This onesie is perfect for this months theme. I also had a friend who was expecting a baby when I made this card. If it was going to be a boy, I figured I would just need to make a second card in shades of blue. Lucky me she had a girl and this card was quickly whisked away to them to celebrate.

I utilized one of my favorite layouts to make this one. I didn't default to this design because I was stuck in a creative rut, but rather a lack of time with college classes and back to work taking up my precious free time. Happy to have finished what I decided on and a baby card to boot! That totally slipped my mind until she made the announcement. I guess lucky for me I picked pink. 

Hop along with the other Friends of Unity and see their creations...
The winner for my giveaway last month is Denise Bryant. Please message me your info so I can mail out your prize. 

Crystal O. Minkler
Kim Klinkovsky


Stamps:
New to the Crew (Unity Stamp Company)

Paper:
Lovely Lipstick (Stampin Up)
Stampers Select White (Papertrey Ink)
Flirty Flamingo (SU)
All My Love DSP (SU)

Ink:
VersaFine Clair Nocturne (Unity)
Accessories:
Sizzix Big Shot
Subtle Embossing Folder (SU)




Disclaimer:
We all on the Friends of Unity design team appreciate every single comment we get.
That's why we use our own stash every month for a giveaway.
We are NOT sponsored by Unity Stamp Co. but, they do approve of our hop, and that make us all very happy.
We started this hop because we love Unity. That's it. This hop is our way of showcasing our cards made with our favorite stamps!!

Saturday, June 6, 2020

Friends of Unity June Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity June Blog Hop. This month the theme is wings. Once again I looked through my collection to find one that it sitting unused and decided to give it a little love. 

The Cuddlebug line from Tierra Jackson has to be one of my favorites. I think I have just about every one of them. They are cute and whimsical, but some of the animals would make great birthday or baby shower cards. Can't you just see it? Since I have no baby showers coming up, I opted for some bright fun colors to send to one of my friends.

I ink blended some complimentary distress oxide colors and die cut and oval out of the middle to have the ladybug peeking through the card. I fussy cut her out and opted to color her in an orange shade to highlight the carved pumpkin ink used in the center of the background.


Hop along with the other Friends of Unity and see their creations... Comment to be entered into my giveaway. I will announce the winner on next month's FOU blog.

Crystal O. Minkler
Eileen Mathys (you’re here)
Dawn Bryson
Kim Klinkovsky
Joyce Verdon 


Stamps:
Cuddlebug Ladybug (Unity Stamp Company)

Paper:
True Black (Papertrey Ink)
Stampers Select White (Papertrey)

Ink:
Tuxedo Black Memento
Squeezed Lemonade (Distress Oxide)
Carved Pumpkin (Distress Oxide)
Barn Door (Distress Oxide) 
Accessories:
Sizzix Big Shot
Gina Marie Designs Wonky Stitched Rectangle Die



Disclaimer:
We all on the Friends of Unity design team appreciate every single comment we get.
That's why we use our own stash every month for a giveaway.
We are NOT sponsored by Unity Stamp Co. but, they do approve of our hop, and that make us all very happy.
We started this hop because we love Unity. That's it. This hop is our way of showcasing our cards made with our favorite stamps!!

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Friends of Unity May Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity May Blog Hop. This month the theme is our favorite Angie Girl or Guy. I narrowed it down to two. One because it has one of my favorite flowers, the other because it has my favorite beverage.

In my first card I opted to go for a colorless image. Sometimes we need to make a card quick, other times we feel intimidated by people who just seem to color better than we do. This card was made to show that sometimes you can make a fabulous looking card without coloring it at all! The sentiment is meant for our current time. I am really "missing out time together". 
In the second card, I used some Tim Holtz Distress Oxides over a stencil. I love creating my own background paper with stencils and ink. Oxides and blending brushes make it so easy. The image was colored in with Copic markers to compliment the overall color palate. 
Hop along with the other Friends of Unity and see their creations... The winner of my giveaway from the April blog hop is Wilma DeG. Please contact me to collect your goodies!

Crystal O. Minkler


Stamps:
Emerson Girl (Unity Stamp Company)
Hope in Uncertainty 4/2020 KOM (Unity)
Daisy Girl (Unity)

Paper:
True Black (Papertrey Ink)
Stampers Select White (Papertrey)
Blueberry Sky (Papertrey)
Petal Passion Designer Series Paper (Stampin Up)

Ink:
Versamark
Memento Tuxedo Black
VersaFine Clair Nocturne (Unity)
Stormy Sky (Distress Oxide)
Bundled Sage (Distress Oxide)
Antique Linen (Distress Oxide) 

Accessories:
Sizzix Big Shot
Slanted Sentiment Strips (My Favorite Things)
Stitched Mod Square STAX (MFT)
Drifting Stitches Borders (Simon Says Stamp)
Scripty Thanks (Lawn Fawn)
Alabaster Embossing Powder (Brutus Monroe)
Copic Markers

Disclaimer:
We all on the Friends of Unity design team appreciate every single comment we get.
That's why we use our own stash every month for a giveaway.
We are NOT sponsored by Unity Stamp Co. but, they do approve of our hop, and that make us all very happy.
We started this hop because we love Unity. That's it. This hop is our way of showcasing our cards made with our favorite stamps!!

Saturday, April 4, 2020

Friends of Unity April Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity April Blog Hop. This month the theme is a sketch challenge.  Crystal picked out an amazing sketch for us this month. I just needed to decide what I would make with it. I had a great idea in mind... just needed to find the perfect stamp to play along.

The March 2020 Kit of the Month has to "bee" one of my favorites. I am a friend to our pollinators, as well as a fan of all things spring! The beehive stamp and the punny sentiment combinations were just the right size to bring this sketch to life.


I stamped the beehive in an ink that after it was cut out, I realized wasn't Copic friendly. So I decided to watercolor it with my distress oxides instead. Easy peasy... I squeezed some of the ink on my Tim Holtz media mat and began to fill in the colors. The end design came out exactly as I anticipated. I fussy cut the bee and added some Wink of Stella to the wings for a little bit of shimmer.


Hop along with the other Friends of Unity and see their creations... Comment to be entered into my giveaway this month. I will announce the winner on next month's FOU blog.Good Luck!

Crystal O. Minkler


Stamps:
Spring & Things KOM 3/2020 (Unity Stamp Company)

Paper:
Weathervane (Papertrey Ink)
Stampers Select White (PTI)

Ink:
VersaFine Clair Nocturne (Unity)
Scattered Straw (Distress Oxide)
Fossilized Amber (Distress Oxide)
Brushed Corduroy (Distress Oxide)
Vintage Photo (Distress Oxide)
Peeled Paint (Distress Oxide)
Weathered Wood (Distress Oxide)

Accessories:
Bubble Layering Stencil (Tim Holtz)
Wink of Stella Clear


Disclaimer:
We all on the Friends of Unity design team appreciate every single comment we get.
That's why we use our own stash every month for a giveaway.
We are NOT sponsored by Unity Stamp Co. but, they do approve of our hop, and that make us all very happy.
We started this hop because we love Unity. That's it. This hop is our way of showcasing our cards made with our favorite stamps!!

Friday, March 20, 2020

Coffee Date with Robyn and Eileen

I am excited to share my coffee date card with my friend Robyn Jordan. We have lots of stamps in common, but decided to use a color combination and surprise each other with our creations. She knew the stamp set I was using so there wouldn't a duplicate. What fun!
The color combination was randomly selected from my Pinterest board that I have created for just this reason. Sometimes you have everything you need for a creation but can't decide on your color scheme. The colors are also very bright and spring feeling since the season is now officially upon us.
I love the turnabout stamps from Concord and 9th. They are so much fun and since the addition of the alignment aid and the jig to help with image placement, they are almost foolproof. If you haven't tried them before, give them a shot.


Before you go... hop over to Robyn's blog and see what she created!

Here is what I used to create my card:
Stamps:
Coffee Blend Turnabout (Concord & 9th)
Winter Wear (Concord & 9th)
Daily Wear (Concord & 9th)

Paper:
Cocoa Bean (Papertrey Ink)
Calypso Coral (Stampin Up)
Vintage Cream (Papertrey)
Bermuda Bay (SU)

Ink:
Soft Suede (SU)
Calypso Coral (SU)
Bermuda Bay (SU)
Pool Party (SU) 

Accessories:
Tim Holtz Stamping Platform
Stitched Rectangle Dies (Papertrey)
Daily Wear Dies (Concord & 9th)
Copic Sketch Markers

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Friends of Unity March Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity March Blog Hop. This month the theme is “Designers Choice”. This cue was completely done by random... and I mean random. I catalog all my Unity stamps on a Google Sheet. So when it came to deciding what I was going to use, I let random.org decide for me. Luckily it picked a stamp set that I haven't already used. I'm sure we all have a few (dozen) of those in our possession.

Once I had the stamp set, I next need to decide on my layout. Luckily I have a Pinterest board overflowing with ideas that are just waiting to be used. With my card, I embossed the center image which is hard to detect from my picture. Instead of using navy embossing powder, I stamped the image in blue ink, then stamped again with Versamark than used clear embossing powder to achieve the end result. I use this trick often since my crafty space is limited, but also it prevents stray embossing powder from mucking up my project.


Hop along with the other Friends of Unity and see their creations...


Stamps:
So Very Grateful (Unity Stamp Company)

Paper:
Dark Indigo (Papertrey Ink)
Stampers Select White (Papertrey)
Floral Boutique (Stampin Up)

Ink:
Dark Indigo (Papertrey)
Versamark

Accessories:
Sizzix Big Shot
Elegant Rectangle STAX (My Favorite Things)
Clear Embossing Powder (Unity) 
Stamping Platform

Disclaimer:
We all on the Friends of Unity design team appreciate every single comment we get.
That's why we use our own stash every month for a giveaway.
We are NOT sponsored by Unity Stamp Co. but, they do approve of our hop, and that make us all very happy.
We started this hop because we love Unity. That's it. This hop is our way of showcasing our cards made with our favorite stamps!!

Saturday, February 1, 2020

Friends of Unity February Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity February Blog Hop. This month the theme is “Monochromatic”. When deciding which color I would work with, I decided that since Valentines Day was coming up, I would choose red/pink and have my cards be love themed.

With my first card I created an ombre background with blended distress oxide inks over a white embossed background. The "life changing blending brushes" made quick work of this card and a quick wipe over the embossed image cleaned up my background ready to add my sentiment.


The second card I created the same ombre background, this time using cardstock. I cut my strips longer than needed and trimmed down instead of trying to trim to an exact fit. I centered and stamped my daisy image over the squared cardstock before matting onto a slightly larger black background.


Hop along with the other Friends of Unity and see their creations...
Crystal O. Minkler

Stamps:
Floral Tapestry (Unity Stamp Company)
Be Unstoppable (Unity)
3 Little Butterflies (Unity)

Paper:
Stampers Select White (Papertrey Ink)
Scarlet Jewel (Papertrey)
Autumn Rose (Papertrey)
Pale Peony (Papertrey)
Sweet Blush (Papertrey)
True Black (Papertrey)

Ink:
Versamark
VersaFine Clair Nocturne (Unity)  
Aged Mahogany Distress Oxide
Victorian Velvet Distress Oxide
Milled Lavender Distress Oxide

Accessories:
Alabaster Embossing Powder (Brutus Monroe) 
Sizzix Big Shot
Slanted Sentiments Die (My Favorite Things)
Sunshine Wishes Die (Stampin Up)
Subtle Embossing Folder (SU)

Disclaimer:
We all on the Friends of Unity design team appreciate every single comment we get.
That's why we use our own stash every month for a giveaway.
We are NOT sponsored by Unity Stamp Co. but, they do approve of our hop, and that make us all very happy.
We started this hop because we love Unity. That's it. This hop is our way of showcasing our cards made with our favorite stamps!!

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Friends of Unity January Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity January Blog Hop. This month the theme is our favorite Unity stamp of 2019. Initially I was overwhelmed by this thought... I had so many favorites! Then I started to think about my favorite things and the stamp sets I always buy when they come out. One of them stood right out to me, sunflowers. They are my favorite flower. Granted, I will never likely get them in a bouquet, but to drive by a field of sunflowers just makes me smile and my heart happy.

I went to my stash and gathered all my sunflower stamps. Trying to figure out what I would do with it became the next challenge. Christmas was coming and I knew that if I didn't start before Santa's big day, I would be in an epic rush the last few days before New Year's. In the mail comes the prettiest card from fellow Friend of Unity Member Jeanie Hays. The card was gold and black and I decided I would use that color scheme to make my card. Unity stamps are so nicely detailed that I knew my embossing powder would pick up the details and let this card dazzle without needing to be colored.



Hop along with the other Friends of Unity and see their creations...
The winner of my giveaway last month is Linda Abel! Please contact me with with your mailing information so I get your prize package out to you ASAP. 


Stamps:
All Kinds of Holiday Love 9/19 KOM (Unity Stamp Company)
Distressed Dots (Unity)

Paper:
Classic Kraft (Papertrey Ink)
True Black (Papertrey)

Ink:
Versamark

Accessories:
Gilded Embossing Powder (Brutus Monroe)


Disclaimer:
We all on the Friends of Unity design team appreciate every single comment we get.
That's why we use our own stash every month for a giveaway.
We are NOT sponsored by Unity Stamp Co. but, they do approve of our hop, and that make us all very happy.
We started this hop because we love Unity. That's it. This hop is our way of showcasing our cards made with our favorite stamps!!