Christmas in July 2024

Welcome to Build Your Stash Holiday Hop! Let this holiday linky party inspire your creativity and get you in the mood for some holiday cards. This is the time of year where Christmas is the furthest from our mind. Tank tops and flip flops fill our wardrobe, with our boots and jackets safely stored away. Yet, if you start to look around, you will find hints of fall and Christmas in the stores. Hallmark has their ornaments on display and school supplies are on the shelves.

I have always said Christmas is my favorite season (minus the weather that goes along with it) and this is the holiday that I own the most stamps for. I especially love Christmas music. I didn’t marry a Grinch, so once November is here, it’s Christmas music, books, and movies all the time. We usually have to stream our music online because some of our favorites don’t get played as often, while others get played a tad too much. That can be said for music on any station during anytime of the year.   

This year I am attempting to make all my cards with paper scraps or use sketches that require the use of paper scraps. This is something I have an abundance of and thought that this would be a fun challenge to try and could possibly inspire you! Here is the sketch that inspired me for my first card. 

We hope that you are inspired by our creations and will play along with us, so make sure to check out our BYSHC blog. We have awesome sponsors that have generously offered up wonderful prizes, so don't miss out! Dates for this hop are July 19-26, 2024. 

 

Stamps:

None

Paper:

Snow Day Remix Patterned Paper (Lawn Fawn)

Costal Cabana (Stampin Up)

Stampers Select White (Papertrey Ink)

Ink:
None

 

Accessories:

None

Christmas in July 2023

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 where Christmas is the furthest from our mind. Tank tops and flip flops litter our wardrobe, with our boots and jackets safely stored away. Yet, if you start to look around, you will find hints of fall and Christmas in the stores. Hallmark has their ornaments on display and school supplies are on the shelves.

I have always said Christmas is my favorite season (minus the weather that goes along with it) and this is the holiday that I own the most stamps for. I especially love Christmas music. I didn’t marry a Grinch, so once November is here, it’s Christmas music all the time. We usually have to stream it online because some of our favorites don’t get played as often, while others get played a tad too much. That can be said for music on any station during anytime of the year.   

We hope that you are inspired by our creations and will play along with us, so make sure to check out our BYSHC blog. We have awesome sponsors that have generously offered up wonderful prizes, so don't miss out! Dates for this hop are July 21-28, 2023. 

 

Stamps:

None

Paper:

Stampers Select White (Papertrey Ink)

Salt Water Taffy (Taylored Expressions)

Toffee (TE)

Ink:
Salt Water Taffy (TE)

Sea Salt (TE)

Poblano Pepper (TE)

 

Accessories:

Sizzix Big Shot

Create in Quads Snowflakes layering stencil (TE)

Giant Let is Snow die (Lawn Fawn)

Happy Medium- Fresh Snow (TE)

Friends of Unity March Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity March Blog Hop. We are featuring a Winnie the Pooh theme this month. I simply could not be more excited about this theme. I love Disney and especially Winnie the Pooh. 

Classic Pooh was the theme we went with for the nursery for our youngest child. Very cute and neutral as we opted to not find out the gender of our baby. My mom convinced me that it is truly the one and only surprise you will ever have in life. This little one just turned 25 in February. I never regretted waiting until the end to find out... and applaud those who do wait for the gender reveal as well.

I have a friend who loves Pooh as well, and with her birthday coming up in March I decided to combine those two elements (as I did last year as well). She was also the one who inspired me to get into paper crafting, so it is only fitting. I was inspired by a recent sketch from Newton's Nook Design when creating this card.

  Hop along with the other Friends of Unity and see what they created with this theme:

Crystal O. Minkler

Amber Trubiak 

BobbieSue McConathy 

Gaylnn Martling 

 Rachel Duong 

Colleen Balija 

Kim Klinkovsky  

Eileen Mathys (you are here)

Joyce Verdon 

Alaine Tanner

 

Stamps:

Sweet Little Smiles (Unity Stamp Company)

Gotta Love Senitments (Unity)

Paper:

Stampers Select White (Papertrey Ink)

Birthday Girl (Echo Park)

Ink:
Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Mowed Lawn Distress Oxide (Tim Holtz)

Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide (Tim Holtz)

Accessories:

Sizzix Big Shot

Grassy Border (Lawn Fawn)

Cloud Border Stencil  (Newton's Nook Design)

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!!

Friends of Unity April Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity April Blog Hop. This month the theme is birds and bees. Since I jumped the gun and did a bee card last month, it is only fitting that I do a bird card this month. It felt like spring the last few weeks of March, and the robins have arrived and I even saw a few early spring flowers in bloom. I have lived in New York long enough to know that there may still be a few days ahead of us where we need a winter jacket, so it is still hanging in the closet.

I picked this stamp out and then searched for a fun sketch to use with it. I used some bright and colorful paper as spring makes me think of lots of colors, leaves return, grass starts to grow, and flowers of all sorts start to bloom. Spring and Fall are two of the most colorful seasons in my opinion, they are so different, and yet so beautiful. 

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

Crystal O. Minkler

Eileen Mathys (you’re here)

Alaine Tanner 

Dawn Bryson 

Colleen Balija 

Dawn Fields

 Rachel Duong 

Joyce Verdon  

Robyn Jordan

Stamps:

Note This Birdie (Unity Stamp Company)

Paper:

Pacific Point (Stampin Up)
Stampers Select White (Papertrey Ink)

Spring Rain (Papertrey)

Really Rainbow (Lawn Fawn)

Ink:
Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories:
Sizzix Big Shot

Subtle Embossing Folder (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!!

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 

Bobbie Sue McConathy 

Kim Klinkovsky

Dawn Fields
Robyn Jordan

Dawn Bryson

Alaine Tanner

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!!

Friends of Unity August Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity August Blog Hop. This month the theme is Furry Friends. While I won’t sit here and bore you to death talking about my cat... I will say that I am an animal lover of almost every kind. Our four legged fur baby has been with us for 8 years this fall, and life has never been better. I now can fully understand the concept of “pets are like family”.

I was inspired for the layout of this card by a similar card made by the talented Dawn Bryson. I liked the use of the cloud stencil background and decided to create a scene using dies and stencils to achieve a similar look. The cat and butterfly were fussy cut out and colored in with my Copic markers.

Hop along with the other Friends of Unity and see their creations. I am hosting a giveaway too... Make sure to comment for a chance to win!

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

Dawn Fields

Jeanie Hayes 

Joyce Verdon

Bobbie Sue McConathy

Robyn Jordan

Stamps:
Kitten Encouragement  (Unity Stamp Company)

Paper:
Blueberry Sky (Papertrey Ink)
Stampers Select White (PTI)
Garden Green (Stampin Up)

Ink:
Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Spring Rain (PTI)

Accessories:
Clouds for Days Stencil (Simon Says Stamp)
Essential Fishtail Sentiment Strips (My Favorite Things)
Grassy Border (Lawn Fawn)

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!!

Friends of Unity May Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity May Blog Hop. This month the theme is Fruitful. This can mean producing good or helpful results; productive. It can also mean fertile, producing many offspring. With that in mind, I decided to make this a “baby” themed card.

When I sat down to decide what set I would use, I quickly came upon the April KOM. The eggs in the nest reminded me of the storytime we recently had in my library for the Pre-K group. We read stories about birds, their nests, and made a cute craft that resembled a robins nest. I simply couldn’t pass this one by.

cghundley (Carla from Utah) you have been selected as the winner of my giveaway from the April Blog Hop. Please reach out to me at emathys93@gmail.com to claim your prize.

Thanks for stopping by, don’t forget to hop along to the other
Friends of Unity blogs and see their creations also. Psst... there are giveaways. Comment to win.  

Crystal O. Minkler

Robyn Jordan

Kim Klinkovsky
Bobbie Sue McConathy
 Dawn Fields
Jeanie Hays

Eileen Mathys (you’re here)

Stamps:
Have & Hold KOM 4/19 (Unity Stamp Company)

Paper:
Stampers Select White (Papertrey Ink)
Aqua Mist (PTI)
Polka in the Meadow (Lawn Fawn)

Ink:
Memento Tuxedo Black (SU) 

Accessories:
Sizzix Big Shot
Copic Sketch Markers
Nesting Basics: Circle Dies (PTI) 

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!!

Friends of Unity November Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity November Blog Hop. This month the theme is strength. While I don't have any stamps that portray the image of strength, I knew I had plenty of sentiments that did. So I decided to go with the first stamp set that I came across in which the sentiment spoke to me. I was excited that this sentiment also had my favorite flower on it as well.

I was inspired for the layout of this card by using the layout from Crystal Minkler's GIU day three card. If you missed it, you can check it out here. I know I was not the only one who was inspired by this layout... I saw several cards pop up with this design. Way to go Crystal!

I am not sure what set these papers are from, but I think the yellow really brings out the color of the sunflower. Although my daughter never had hair that long as a child, it reminded me of some of the pictures we had of her around that age. Freckled faced and always willing to smile for the camera.

Hop along with the other Friends of Unity and see their creations...Pssst! There is a giveaway too!

Crystal O. Minkler
Kim Klinkovsky
Bobbie Sue McConathy
Eileen Mathys (you’re here)
Wynne Grob

Robyn Jordan

Dawn Fields

Joyce Verdon 
Jeanie Hayes

Stamps:
Sunny Days (Unity Stamp Company)

Paper:
Enchanted Evening (Papertrey Ink)
Stampers Select White (PTI)
Perfect Plaid Chill (Lawn Fawn)

Ink:
Tuxedo Black (Memento)
VersaFine Clair Nocturne (Unity) 

Accessories:
Clear Embossing Powder (Unity)

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!!

Rawr means Happy Anniversary

Yesterday my husband and I celebrated eleven years of marriage. I don’t normally make him cards, but this is the first time in all our years together that we are celebrating our anniversary apart. Our oldest daughter lives in Virginia (we live in NY) and we are assisting her and her family as she gets back on her feet from a recent catastrophic illness.

I have loved this set since I first saw it. For some reason, my mind only viewed it as “Valentines” and I initially dismissed it. I thought about it more and given the fact that I have four grandsons, this would be great for them too. Valentines card, maybe even a birthday card... I know I LOVED getting cards and letters from my grandma when I was younger, so hopefully they will too. So I bought this bundle with my grandkids in mind, never realizing it would make a cute and fun anniversary card for my husband. As much as I love a super mushy card, I appreciate a card that makes me laugh out loud too.

Stamps:
Rawr (Lawn Fawn)

Paper:
Dapper Denim (Stampin Up Retired)
Stampers Select White (Papertrey Ink)

Ink:
Memento Tuxedo Black (SU)
Faded Jeans Distress Oxide (Blitsy)
Cracked Pistachio Distress Oxide (Blitsy)
Broken China Distress Oxide (Blitsy)

Accessories:
Sizzix Big Shot (SU)
Wonky Stitched Rectangle Dies (Gina Marie Designs)
Rawr Lawn Cuts (LF)
Hearts Collection Framelits (SU Retired)
Copic Sketch Markers (Jerry's Artarama)

Our Friendship Grows

Everyone has certain stamps they have multiples of. I have a friend who loves coffee themed stamps and another who loves cowboys, horses and Wild West themed. My favorite stamp is the sunflower, which is also one of my favorite flowers.  We have multiple bird feeders around our house that have sunflowers seeds in them. Every year the chipmunk that lives under our front steps steals whatever seeds that have fallen to the ground and “plants” them around our yard. Each year as a result of his efforts (and forgetfulness for where he hides them) we have beautiful sunflowers that grow in mid to late summer.

This Lawn Fawn stamp set had two different sizes of sunflowers. I used the smaller one to create the background. I colored the larger bloom and popped it up to give the card dimension. I considered lightly coloring in the background flowers, but I was really satisfied with the black and white look. This card was quick to make that will definitely go on the repeat list.

Stamps:
Our Friendship Grows (Lawn Fawn)

Paper:
Crushed Curry (Stampin Up)
True Black (Papertrey Ink)
Stampers Select White (PTI)

Ink:
Memento Tuxedo Black (SU)

Accessories:
Sizzix Big Shot (SU)
Copic Sketch Markers Assorted (Jerry's Artarama)
Our Friendship Grows Lawn Cuts (LF)

Friends of Unity January Blog Hop

Welcome Unity fans to our Friends of Unity January blog hop! This month our theme is anything Winter that is Non-Christmas. Angie Girls are a main staple of the Unity line... and nothing like diving in head when learning coloring and shading than with an Angie Girl. 

When we decided on a theme for our blog hop, this stamp set was first on my list. While I am my own worst judge when it comes to coloring, I really like how this one turned out. The open spaces in this stamp set pushed me outside of my comfort zone and had me utilize the skills I have been learning with my Copic markers. 

Here are the supplies I used:

Stamps:

Shine Bright Girls (Unity Stamp Company)
...abundant Blessings (Unity)

Paper:

Basic Gray (Stampin Up)

Stampers Select White (Papertrey Ink)

Spring Rain (PTI)
Perfectly Plaid Winter (Lawn Fawn)

Ink:

Memento Tuxedo Black (SU)

Accessories:
Sizzix Big Shot (SU)
Wonky Rectangles Dies (Gina Marie Designs)

Copics (Various)

FRIENDS OF UNITY BLOG HOP MEMBERS

Crystal O. Minkler

Amber Trubiak

Eileen Mathys (You're Here!)

Dawn Fields

  Wynne Grob

 Robyn Jordan

Jeanie Hays