Inked by Eileen

Saturday, July 3, 2021

Friends of Unity July Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity July Blog Hop. This month the theme is summer vacation. I have never been one to take a summer vacation... I am more likely to take a winter vacation to a warm location and dream about the summer days to come and forget the wintery days I left behind. Winter days are when I stay home and stay warm. I am not much of an outdoors person, so whatever I can do to stay inside and keep warm I will do it. That could be reading, crafting, or baking.

Creating this card was so much fun. I like the cute gnomes that Jeanie has created for Unity, and it is hard to not want them all. The embossing folder was a perfect fit and an excellent choice for this card. I lightly ink blended over the raised image to give it the color of water.

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

Crystal O. Minkler

Colleen Balija

Eileen Mathys (you’re here)

Stamps:

Beach Happy Gnome (Unity Stamp Company)

Paper:

Dark Indigo (Papertrey Ink)
Stampers Select White (Papertrey)

Spring Rain (Papertrey)

Ink:
Memento Tuxedo Black

Faded Jeans (Distress Oxide)

Broken China (Distress Oxide)

Accessories:
Sizzix Big Shot

Waves 3d folder (Memory Box)

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, June 5, 2021

Friends of Unity June Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity June Blog Hop. This month the theme is masculine cards. Since none of the men in my life are much for cards... I really had to dig deep to find someone or some occasion in which I could make a card. I had this card completed and sitting on my desk for over a week without a sentiment on it. Suddenly signs started appearing on lawns and invitations started to arrive, and realized that this card would make a great graduation card.

I opted for a twist on the spotlight technique, I cut a panel from the middle of the stamp and colored the center vehicles while leaving the ones on the perimeter white. I even included a pink Cadillac, a subtle nod to Elvis Presley. Funny story... I took a trip to Nashville in the early 2000’s and all I wanted to do was see ‘The Grand Ol Opry’ and get my picture taken with an Elvis impersonator. After a week there, I never got that picture.

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

Crystal O. Minkler

Colleen Balija

Eileen Mathys (you’re here)

Stamps:

Vroom (Unity Stamp Company)
...Say it Big (Unity)

Paper:
Stampers Select White (Papertrey Ink)

True Black (Papertrey)

Ink:
Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories:
Sizzix Big Shot

Rectangle Stitched Dies (Papertrey)

Copic Sketch Markers

Saturday, May 1, 2021

Friends of Unity May Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity May Blog Hop. This month the theme is flora and fauna. Such as broad theme and so many choices! I wanted to use this background stamp as this was a recent addition to my collection and I was eager to use it. I had seen a lot of great inspiration in the show and tell page, and found that this was better suited for a floral image than fauna.

The next step was my color combination. After deciding on what you see here, I can see how this background stamp could be used in so many ways. I opted to shake things up a little and stamp a portion of it in yellow as I felt the monochromatic theme I started with looked a little drab. The flower was fussy cut and quickly colored to draw attention to this spring birthday card.

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

Crystal O. Minkler

Dawn Bryson

Eileen Mathys (you’re here)

Stamps:

Be Unstoppable (Unity Stamp Company)

Polka Dance Background (Unity)

Paper:
Stampers Select White (Papertrey Ink)

True Black (Papertrey)

Ink:
Memento Tuxedo Black

Daffodil Delight (Stampin Up)

Versamark

Accessories:

Sizzix Big Shot

Infinity Circle Dies (Hero Arts)

Wagner Heat Tool

Alabaster Embossing Powder (Brutus Monroe)

Copic Sketch Markers

Friday, April 23, 2021

Spring into Christmas Holiday 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 don't even think about holiday cards as the spring flowers are blooming, leaves are budding on the trees and the birds are returning to nest. Hopefully this allows me to prepare myself before I am in the mad dash between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I have always said Christmas is my favorite season (minus the weather that goes along with it) and this would be the holiday that I own the most stamps for. I have really been trying to use more and buy less as I have enough supplies to keep me busy for months and months to come. This fun card uses a sketch created by Crystal Minkler. Sketches and color combinations are a perfect way to get the juices flowing especially when you feel the creative bug bite, but aren't sure what to make.

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 the Spring hop are April 23-30, 2021.

Stamps:

Shakin' Things Up (Unity Stamp Company)

Paper:

Misty Moonlight (Stampin Up)
Highland Heather (Stampin Up)

Snowflake Splendor DSP (Stampin Up)

Ink:
Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories:
Copic Sketch Markers

Sizzix Big Shot

Subtle Embossing Folder (Stampin Up)

Saturday, April 3, 2021

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)

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

Saturday, March 6, 2021

Friends of Unity March Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity March Blog Hop. This month the theme is a sketch challenge. I love sketch challenges. These are the perfect thing when you are stuck in a crafting slump or when you need a dose of inspiration. The great thing about these is that it gives you a general layout but doesn't require you to conform to the design. Last year when we had our sketch theme, so many people played along. I hope you will join us again, and if you do, please share your creations on the Unity Show & Tell page.

I am so excited that next weekend we get to set our clocks ahead. While losing the hour of sleep is not on my list of fun things, it does mean spring is right around the corner. I don't know about you, but February is the slowest month of the year and I'm so glad it is finally over. I looked through my stamps and wanted to go with something that had a spring vibe. Ironically my sketch last year featured a bee, and it does again this year. I am a friend of the pollinators, and will be happy to see them when they return.

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

Crystal O. Minkler

Eileen Mathys (you’re here)

Joyce Verdon

Stamps:

Eyes of the Beholder KOM 4/2018 (Unity Stamp Company)

Cuttlebug Zebra (Unity)

Paper:

Stampers Select White (Papertrey Ink)
Harvest Gold (Papertrey)
Smokey Slate (Stampin Up)

Ink:
Harvest Gold (Papertrey)

Smokey Slate (Stampin Up)

Accessories:

Tim Holtz Stamping Platform

Sizzix Big Shot

Subtle Embossing Folder

Hexagon Dynamic Embossing Folder

Circle Dies

Banner Punch

Saturday, February 6, 2021

Friends of Unity February Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to our Friends of Unity January Blog Hop. This month the theme is paper piecing. This is a technique I admire in others but seldom do myself. This is a quick and easy way to get away from coloring images if that is something you struggle with or are a beginner crafter and just lack the tools to work with.

Looking through my vast Unity collection, I did not have many stamps that I felt that would work for this month. I try to use a new image each time, especially with the large collection I have. The image I chose was partly inspired by the beautiful creation made by Dawn Fields last month, and my desire to want to make a slim line card. If you missed our hop last month, check out Dawn's card.