Unscripted Sketches #101

I am very excited to be posting my 1st artwork as part of the Unscripted Sketches Design Team. As you know, I love sketches as they are such a great starting point to any artwork. Having a sketch to work with really helps me get the creativity going because part of the work (the layout) is already done for me! And every Saturday, Unscripted Sketches brings a new sketch to create with so let's get to this week's sketch - #101:

Now one of the great thing about the US challenges is that you can use the sketch to create anything - card, layout, altered item - whatever your heart desires (and the sketch inspires you to create)!

I have had a special baby on my mind this past week - my new granddaughter, born 15 weeks early. And to track some of her "firsts" I decided to put together a little mini book and this sketch was used to create the cover - take a look:

I was suprised as I was making this how many "ones" she has in her stats! And yes, you are seeing that right - she weighed just 1 lb., 1 oz. at birth - she's a peanut! The paper I used is from Cosmo Cricket, the die cut "one" from a Papertrey Ink die and the number one stamp from Close To My Heart. I also stamped the 3 butterflies (from Unity), cut them out and then stitched them together to add a dimensional element to the page.

I hope you will give Unscripted Sketches a try this week  - I would love to see what you create! Thanks US for allowing me to be a part of the team!!

Short and Tweet

Good Easter morning! I am going to keep this short as I a). have only had 4 hrs. sleep and need to go back to bed and b). have a list of things to get done yet this morning so we can have a lovely family Easter so let's get to it.

Today's challenge at Corrosive Challenges by Janet is a sketch challenge that is simple and sweet and we would love to have you play along. Here's the sketch and my springy sample:

My image is from Unity Stamp Co and the paper is from Basic Grey. Here's a couple of quick Big Ideas used in today's card:

* Mat your image using the same shape but turned to 90 degrees for a different look. Both my image and my mat were cut using Nestabilities Label 10 (I think - might want to verify that if interested) but I rotated the mat so it created more visual interest - and also gave me a great place to add my pearls.

* Add a strip of embossed paper on a patterned DP. As long as the image or texture of the embossed piece coordinates with the DP, the two will look great together!

So how about playing along with us this week? Create your project and link it up at the Challenge blog for a chance to win this month's prize package!

I will be back tomorrow with the 1st Heart 2 Heart Challenge - I hope you'll join me! Until then, have a wonderful Easter Sunday~

Back to being a little Corrosive!

I am so excited to be back on the Corrosive Challenges by Janet Design Team! I enjoyed my time on Janet's team before and when she asked if I would like to return, I jumped at the chance! So I will be here every Sunday bringing you a new challenge as well as some of my Big Ideas. If you're new to my blog, the Big Ideas are things I have included with the card posted each Sunday that might be a technique or an idea for you to try. Hopefully some of the ideas inspire you!

For today's challenge, we are working with a sketch (which I adore!!) Here's the sketch for you to try:

And here is my card:

This was so much fun to make and will be my brother-in-law's birthday card. Stamps are from Unity (tree) and My Time Made Easy (argyle background). Here's the Big Ideas for the week:

* Don't be afraid to mix and match Nestability cut shapes for images and mats. On this card I used the new Nestie Labels 11 and a simple Nestie oval for the mat.
*Every little thing on an image does not have to be colored. Note the designs on the tree. I added a little color here and there but left a lot of spots plain so the colors wouldn't overwhelm.
* Let your sentiment hang out! Adding your sentiment piece so it overhangs the edge of the card creates some visual interest. Give it a try sometime.

If you would like to play along with this week's Corrosive sketch, create your card and post to your blog or other online gallery and then add a link to it over at the Challenge blog. We would love to stop by and see what you create!
Until next time, have a creative day!

Last Day of Unity plus Snow Pics!

Today is my last day of Growing in Unity week although I will certainly be posting more Unity goodness in the future! How could I not? I love their stamps!!

This is also the last Valentine card I had to complete and Unity came through with another great image!

So romantic for Valentines! The DP is from Close To My Heart and the crocheted lace is from an unknown source. I added a little trail of pearls for the winged heart and a couple of extra pearls here and there for embellishment. The image itself was stamped with Memento black ink on adhesive backed linen and then colored with a combination of two Copic markers to get the right shade of color. I then painted the entire piece with Diamond Stickles to give it some sparkle - here's a close-up:

The sentiment is computer generated and printed on the reverse side of one of the DPs. I also added a little bit of white gel pen to the dots on the heart to give it a little more detail.

I wasn't sure I would like the finished project but I'm actually pretty pleased with it - it reminds me of vintagey Valentines - what do you think?

I also have a couple of photos to share with you of my Leia in the snow earlier in the week.

Talk about your action shot! This is her at a full head-on run directly toward me. Look at those ears flapping and the snow kicking up behind her!

And here she is after her run wondering why Mom is holding that camera (again) and not taking her inside where it's warm!  Dogs don't get photo ops! Go figure.

Thanks for joining me this week for my Growing in Unity week. I hope you have a relaxing weekend and be sure to spend a little time being creative  -

Another Unity Oldie but Goodie!

I ran out of crafting time yesterday so I am digging through the archives to share another of my favorite Unity creations with you today, during my Growing in Unity week~ I think you'll like this one:

I {heart} this card and this stamp set so much! I can't recall where the DP strip is from but the majority of the card is created with cardstocks from PTI and CTMH. There are also some little sparkles dressing up the main lamp and of course, the embroidery floss fringe - love it!

I will be back tomorrow with a final (new) Unity card to finish up my week. I hope you have enjoyed visiting - I have enjoyed having you here!

Smile! Still Growing in Unity!

I have two posts today and you don't want to miss out on the MyGrafico Challenge sketch so be sure to scroll down to see the earlier post!

I have another fun Unity card to share with you  - this time, it's a Birthday card for my wonderful sister-in-law:

Isn't it fun? I started with Watermelon cardstock from Close To My Heart and embossed some lines on it using my Scor-Pal. Then I lightly sanded the front so the white core of the cardstock would pop out. The band of Olive cardstock was added and I hand drew the stitching lines with a white gel pen. The Buttercup mat was corner rounded and also lightly sanded. And then the awesome image on a Labels 6 Nestie cut piece of White cardstock. This is one of the images in the November Kit of the Month (can you tell how much I LOVE these kits???) I colored the camera with Copics, using the same kind of colors as the papers. I also added a little pink sparkle pen on the camera's hearts but it's hard to see in the photo.

Last but certainly not least, I added the sentiment, tucked slightly under the image which was mounted on foam tape and a few matching buttons. I love the bright colors and it just makes me smile! I hope it brings a smile to the Birthday girl as well.

I think the snow has finally let up here - total of about 10-12 inches. I have to plow one more time and I think we will be able to get back to normal tomorrow. I will be posting another Unity card tomorrow as well as some picture of my puppy-girl out in the snow. Until then, hope you are staying warm!

Growing in Unity - You're Just my Type!

If you are looking for today's Sherrod Studio Tuesday Throwdown, scroll to the post below this one.

This is Day 2 of my exciting Growing in Unity week!

I am on a mission to get a few more Valentine's Day cards completed and Unity came to the rescue!

This super cute typewriter is the focal image of the card I made for my son - I think he will love it! This image is part of the November Kit of the Month from Unity as is the sentiment on the inside:

That looks a little crooked but it's the photo, not the card - it's really straight in the card - I promise!  Anyhow, I used papers and ribbon from Papertrey Ink for my card and tied a couple of buttons to the ribbon for a little something extra. The scalloped oval was also "detailed" with red dots created with a Copic marker (the typewriter was all colored with Copics as well). I think I was able to achieve a masculine looking card that is still sweet and Valentine-y. So one more card done and ready for V-Day!

See you again tomorrow for the weekly MyGrafico Challenge as well as another great Unity post! Until then, have a creative day!

I'm Growing in Unity all week!

This is my week to be Growing in Unity! That's right, every day this week, I will be posting something I have made featuring Unity stamps!

Today I am kicking off my week with a look back at one of my favorite Unity creations - maybe you've seen this one:

This features one of my favorite Kit of the Month sets - June 2009. That was my 1st ever Kit club purchase and I am so glad I joined! I can't wait to get my February kit - it is just so durn cute!!

Well I am off to finish shoveling snow from this past weekend in preparation of the snow we're getting tomorrow! Have a good day everyone and be sure to stop by again tomorrow for more Unity!

OCC Challenge - for Baby

I'm back again with a second post for today (be sure to scroll down to see what else I posted earlier) -

I have another sketch challenge from Our Creative Corner to share with you - this time, I created something for baby. Here's the sketch:

Again, I veered away from Christmas with this sketch...and I think the end result is perfect!

Now first let me tell you, the quality of this photo is not the best. That's because I moved some things around in my stamp room, including my light tent and I'm having a little trouble getting the lights set up in a good position for the best photos. So I also took a close-up picture of the cloudes so you could see the images and the sparkle a little better -

The beautiful DP is from My Mind's Eye and the cutie clouds are from Unity Stamp Co. The sentiment is from The Greeting Farm. Ink is from Close To My Heart. I stamped the clouds and cut them out, then attached white cord to them to hang them on the card and secured them in place with foam tape (1 layer for the blue cloud, 2 layers for the pink). The saying (Tiny Happiness) was then stamped on a small piece that was cut with a scalloped Nestabilities die and added to the front on foam tape, as well. All pieces were lightly sponged with a pale grey ink to dull the whiteness down so the images would match the paper better.

I think this would make a perfect baby shower or congratulations card. It's simple and sweet - just right for a little one.

Thanks for stopping by today - I am off to get a little Christmas decorating done. Not tackling the tree yet - hopefully this coming week I will get that done. But I do have a lot of other decorations to fill the house with so I guess I better get started! Enjoy your day!

2nd post - Hip Hop Hangover with Unity

** Be sure to scroll today to see my earlier post from today - it's too cute to miss! **

This is my first ever Hip Hop Hangover with Unity post. You know I am lovin' these Unity stamps and I wanted to join in the fun of the HHH! Here's my "entry":



This card was created based on Taylor's Sketch Challenge #78 and features an image from the new August Kit of the Month at Unity Stamp Co. The paper is from Cosmo Crickey and Papertrey Ink and there's another of those awesome buttons I found at Wal-Mart (see the post below). The ribbon is something I have had in my stash for-ev-ah! I was happy to find a good use for it! Of course, I colored the image with Copics and cut the main image using a Large Labels Nestabilities die.

So what are your plans for the weekend? I am hoping to have a quiet, relaxing weekend filled with stamping and book reading. I am rereading Harry Potter 7 (just finished 6 for the second time because I just had to read it again after seeing the movie) and then I am going to get on to the rest of the Twilight series (I have only read book 1 and I want to read 2 before the new movie comes out).

Whatever you do this weekend, hope it's a great one for you!