Friends with Flair ~ Holiday Joy

Hello, hello! I've been busy, busy, busy making Christmas cards! I'll share some of them over the next couple of weeks during Friends with Flair ~ and hope to enjoy visiting many of you to get even more inspiration!

Today I'll show the cards I made using the Holiday Joy Stamp of the Week ~ I love how you can make your designs look so different, even using the exact same stamp!

This one focused on neutral and muted colors, showcasing the lines of the stamp itself.

I used part of the same stamp on the inside, just coloring what I wanted with brush markers. You can also see the envelope that I stamped, coloring just the wording on the stamp.

This card is all about bright and happy colors! I took my cue from the patterned paper that I used, and just used the brush markers on the image this time, sweeping it along the lines of the stamp, not worrying too much about following anything exactly.

The inside has a punched snowflake (the same as the front) and I used the negative from the punch to decorate the envelope...using it as a stencil and sponging in some ink.

Have a happy day, and thanks so much for stopping by!

Meredith

Snowman Tag ~ Silhouette Challenge

Hello Friends!

I'm participating in the Silhouette Challenge for the first time this month, and look forward to hopping around to see all the great projects!

I participated in the Tag Swap that the Facebook group did in October, and figured that I would share what I did with y'all!

Meet my little snowman tags!

I used this pin and this pin as my template, taking the details from each that I liked and combining them...isn't he cute?

You have to love little adventures in crafting...I went to use my iridescent glitter glue on his nose, and when I squeezed the bottle, it literally exploded in my hands!!! So I got out a small paintbrush and painted it onto his nose from the pieces of the bottle...hah!

Supplies:

• cardstock: American Crafts
• patterned paper: The Paper Studio
• cut file: my design!
• ribbon: Recollections
• stamps: Studio G
• sequins: Tree House Studio
• jingle bells: Tree House Studio
• ink: Ranger (faded jeans and Wild Honey), Colorbox
• glitter glue: Studio G
• gems: Recollections

I couldn't possibly leave the back plain...I'd purchased sequins and had to use them! I left plenty of space to write a greeting...I get so annoyed when I don't have room to write a full name on a gift tag!

One advantage to making your own cut file, is that I get to share this little cut file with you so that you can make your own snowman tags, have fun! And when you use him, I'd love to get a comment on how he worked out or see a picture! 

Step by step instructions are included in the download.

Snowman Tag .studio file

If you like penguins...maybe you'd like to visit my penguin tag here...that's a free cut file too! Hmm...looks like I'm making this an annual thing!

Thanks for stopping by!

Meredith

Here is the list of Silhouette challenge participants...31 this month, wow! If you would like to see more inspiration and projects, visit each one!

DIY Ironing Board Hanger by The Turquoise Home
Silhouette Challenge: Time Zone Bathroom Art by Nearly Handmade
Santa's Christmas Countdown by Tried & True
Nautical Anchor Pillow Tutorial by The Thinking Closet
Christmas Card Ornament with Free Cut File by unOriginalMom
Thanksgiving and Christmas Dual Sign by Architecture of a Mom
Itching to Etch by Get Silvered
Snowman Tag ~ Silhouette Challenge by Whats Next Ma <----- You are here
Thanksgiving Sign by Chicken Scratch NY
DIY Horse Silhouette Pillow by Rain on a Tin Roof
Sketching on Fabric by The Sensory Emporium
Paper Leaf Garland by Lil' Mrs. Tori
DIY Blessing Board - Silhouette Challenge by One Tough Mother
Christmas Pillow by Create & Babble
Glass Painting with Reverse Stencils by Givemeapaintbrush
Chalkboard Thankful Tree by Cutesy Crafts
Bottoms Up! MYO Wine Tag by From Wine to Whine
'Happy Holly-days' Tags for the Swap by An Elegant Touch...
Thank You for Dinner (Card) by Everyday Paper
Advent Star Christmas Countdown by My Favorite Finds
Geometric Fabric Bowls by Please Excuse My Craftermath...
Paper Carnival by Home At Eight
Silhouette Cameo Tutorial: Dual Sided Business Cards by Black and White Obsession
In Case of Emergency Baby Bag Tags by Tossed Salad Life
Christmas On My Mind by Creative Turn
Jingle all the Way! by My Paper Craze
Christmas Lights Garland by Making Home Base
We Are Thankful by 4 You With Love
Seattle Skyline Silhouette by Sowdering About in Seattle
DIY Stenciled Mugs by Coley's Corner

Friends with Flair ~ Shake Your Bootie

Hello Friends! I've got a fun Halloween card to share today - enjoy! And if you've got some Unity goodness to share...or just want to see lots of inspiration...come join in on Friends with Flair!

I'm making up the Halloween cards to send out to friends and family, including a card exchange that I joined up with over at the ScrapZee Forum. As I was browsing the Silhouette store I came across a card file that I decided to try...its called a 'penny slider' card, have you seen one?

The rest of the stamped saying is on the inside...I thought that this one went with the interactive card quite well!

I'll spend this weekend making up the other 12 that I need to send out...fun!

Supplies:

• cardstock: American Crafts
• patterned paper: Cloud9Designs
• stamps: Unity Itty Bitty Shake Your Bootie
• card cut file: Silhouette America
• die cut: Spellbinders
• ink: Versafine

Thanks for stopping by!

Meredith

Here is a tiny video of the card in action. How fun is that? And just in case you are not able to view the video, the way the card is put together the ghost rolls across the front of the card when you tip it to the side!

Friends with Flair ~ Kraft Card Set

Ooh, another Friends with Flair Friday! And I have another card set made for auction to share...but first, a peek at a new visitor to my craft room...

She is a new addition to the household, much to the dismay of our older cat...and much to the delight of our Great Dane!

She has decided that her favorite roost is the tippy top of the tower on top of the workbench in my craft room...at least when I am in there!

Now, on to the cards! I made another set of cards for auction...this time for the professional group I belong to. I had my kraft cardstock out on my workbench and decided to use it all up! Seriously, I only have a partial page left!

I only have a picture of one card, because this time I made the set and had it out the door in one morning...without taking time to grab the camera! So I used my last piece to make one for myself, so that I could remember what I'd done!

I know that looks like a lot of fussy cutting around the sentiment, doesn't it...but not me!

I measured the square and used the Silhouette Studio software to draw a square slightly larger, welded with circles (subtract) to make the curved out corners. I cut lots of that shape out of kraft cardstock. I used the shadow function to make a larger shape to cut out of the colored cardstock. Then I used my stamp-a-ma-jig to line up the frame and sentiment stamps with the kraft pieces that I cut out. I had a few off center stamps, but not many!

The sentiment portion is on foam tape to give some dimension, and the kraft mat is dry embossed for texture. I did make several sentiments for each card base, that seems to be popular at auctions, so the winner can choose whichever they need at the time.

I love the bright color with the kraft...I guess I'll have to go to the store to get another pack of kraft cardstock...what a trial...LOL.

Supplies:

• cardstock: stash
• stamps: Unity Everything Wonderful Sentiment Set
• ink: Versafine
• embossing folders: Cuttlebug

Just one more pic of the new cutie...such adorableness!

Thanks for stopping by, I know that I will enjoy looking at all of your projects today and over the weekend!

Meredith

Friends with Flair ~ Card Sets for Auction

Happy Friday!!! Its time for tons of inspiration from my Friends with Flair 'buddies'! I love seeing the creative ways that each of you use the Unity stamps...thank you so much for sharing!

The women's group at my church holds an annual Service Auction, where the ladies offer to share their personal talents with others, the services offered range from two hours of weeding or babysitting, to homemade cinnamon rolls (yum!) and various handmade crafts. Since I'm a cardmaker, I made up two sets of cards to donate to the auction. 

I had such fun putting together these two sets, and let me tell you, it was fairly difficult to narrow down my choices!

Here is an example from the first set...strait up a CASE of this card set. Well, ok...I changed it up a bit...but not much. I loved choosing the paper for this set, so fun to combine the patterns!

I used a sentiment that I thought could be used for many different situations and celebrations...congratulations, thinking of you, birthday, whatever the auction recipient wants, hopefully!

The base cardstock is not exactly premium weight, so I like to line the inside of the card to give it that special something extra.

I even decorated the bag that I put them in...because I had some extra butterflies floating around!

Supplies:

• cardstock: cream(wausau), brown(stash)
• patterned paper: Prima()
• ink: Ranger Distress Ink(Walnut Stain)
• stamp: Unity()
• punches: Martha Stewart(butterfly), ???(circle)
• die cut: Birds Cards(label)
• bag: Hobby Lobby
• ribbon: Hug Snug seam binding(cream)

The second set ended up a bit more colorful...I like this patterned paper! 

I started with this sketch, varied it just a bit...and went to town mixing the patterned papers.

I guess I didn't get a picture of the inside, but I lined the card again, with a layer of cream, and added an inked strip of the patterned paper near the top, as in the other set.

I went ahead and used specific sentiments for this set, just to differentiate from the first set. It doesn't show in the pictures, but I embossed the sentiments with a sparkly embossing powder, just to add a little something extra.

And of course, since the first bag was decorated, I couldn't leave this one plain!

Supplies:

• cardstock: kraft(unknown), cream(wausau)
• patterned paper: Basic Grey(Life of the Party)
• stamps: Unity(Circle Sentiments)
• ribbon: Celebrate it
• bag: Hobby Lobby
• punches: EK Success
• ink: Ranger Distress Ink(Walnut Stain)
• embossing powder: StampCraft(crystal sparkle)
• bowmaker: 3GirlJam

Thanks so much for stopping by! I love reading your comments!

Meredith

Friends with Flair ~ Achieving Dreams

I love Fridays...although last Friday was a bit frustrating, since I couldn't get blogger to work on my ipad! Time to get my post for Friends with Flair finished!

I know a lovely young lady, who is my 'daughter from another mother', as a family we have known her for years, and love her dearly! We have hung onto eachother through good times and bad times...and this card was made to celebrate one of her very good times! 

She was homeschooled, and struggled with some things, but just last month she passed her GED!!!! We're incredibly proud of course, and I wanted to make her a special card to celebrate.

I used a couple of Distress Ink pads to add color to the background...and used the same ink pads to dye the ribbon I used for the bow!

And I love the stamp I used on the inside...so inspiring!

I followed this tutorial to dye the ribbon...and made a few more while I was at it! Try it! You just need a bit of water and a Distress Ink pad...really, that's it!!!

Would you believe that the ribbons started out looking like this???

Supplies:

• cardstock: Neenah
• ink: Ranger Distress Ink, Memento
• ribbon: Hug Snug seam binding
• stamps: Unity 'Impossible Dream', 'empowered words'

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have fun hopping around for inspiration!

Meredith

Friends with Flair ~ Face the Sunshine Tag

I ordered the Phyllis Harris stamp, "Face the Sunshine" with my last Unity stamp order, and managed to color it up...I thought it would make a perfect bookmark for my niece to use now that she is in school again...to help remind her of summer! She actually started school three weeks ago...wow, that seems so early to me!

I dyed the ribbon myself...I'll share more about that next week, but here's a closer look!

I do love the style of Phyllis Harris' illustration...I need to save up to get some more of her sets...the hardest part is choosing which ones...since they are all so adorable!

Here's hoping that she will like it!

Supplies:

• markers: Spectrum Noir
• skin: TN4,TN5,TN6,TN7,TN8
• hair: BG3,BG4,BG5,BG6,BG7
• flowers & grass: GB3,GB5,OR1,CT4,CG2,CG4,DG3
• dress & sash: LV1,LV2,LV3,IG1,BGR1,blender
• stamp: Unity: Phyllis Harris Face the Sunshine
• cardstock: Neenah(white),Coredinations(green),scrap(purple)
• ink: Ranger Distress Ink(Dusty Concord)
• ribbon: Hug Snug seam binding
• embossing folder: Darice Basket Weave
• punch: EK Success(square), Martha Stewart(border),1/4" hole punch

I'm entering this tag into three challenges:

• Unity Friends with Flair
• 3GirlJam - Back to School w/ Ribbon
• Spectrum Noir - Anything but a Card

Thanks for stopping by!

Meredith

Friends with Flair ~ Itty Bitty a Day Facebook Contest Entries

For those of you who follow the Unity {Show and Tell} group on Facebook, I apologize for the repeat cards...for those of you who don't...it's a fun group full of inspiration like FWF, but daily! Either way, I figured that for Friends with Flair this week I'd post details of the cards I made for the challenge (however many that turns out to be!)

Monday's card is a CAS masculine one...I have a second image colored and I plan to line the inside of the card with white paper and put these in the pile for OWH. I figure that any hero would be comfortable sending this card home!

Supplies:
stamp: Unity SOTW Itty Bitty Anchored
ink: Memento
markers: Spectrum Noir
cardstock: white(Neenah), black and gray(stash)
ribbon: The Paper Studio
die cuts: Spellbinders

Tuesday's card....I'm two for two! I colored up the Phylis Harris stamp...this little girl is so adorable! 

I entered this one in a different linky party/contest, so the details are in a different post, here.

Day three...and I'm still making cards! My family had s'mores a few nights ago...which got me thinking about this SOTW and it rolled from there!

And will you take a look at that bow...I received a new toy in the mail this afternoon, the 3GirlJam bowmaker...wow, is it easy peasy to use!!! 

Supplies:

• stamp: Unity SOTW Chocolate and Friendship
• cardstock: white(Neenah), brown(stash)
• ribbon: The Ribbon Boutique
• pencils: Prismacolor
• ink: Memento(black), Ranger(brown)

Wow, I've managed to find time to make a card four days in a row...the thought of that just makes me happy!

Rainbows and happy thoughts for today!

Supplies:

• cardstock: white(Neenah), others(stash)
• stamp: Unity
• pencils: Prismacolor
• ink: Memento
• ribbon: Offray
• die cuts: Spellbinders

WooHoo! I completed five projects in five days! And judging by the number of projects posted on facebook...I'm not the only one by far! A little bit different project today...a special order for my son...he's going to a birthday party and wanted something to put the gift card in, (ok, in reality...mom told him that he *had* to put the gift card into something! lol) So a little spiffing up of the bag was in order...

I colored my own ribbon with markers again, this time using several different colors and flicking them on the ribbon randomly. I also wet the ribbon slightly with water and crumpled it into a ball then left it to dry ~ that's how it gets the crinkle. :-) Voila! I have ribbon that matches the stamp that I colored!

And check out that cute bow...made with the 3GirlJam bowmaker again...I'm loving how cute it makes the bows! 

Just a little bit of sparkle with some glitter glue, and I'm done! Do you ever gussy up the gift bags that you use?

Supplies:

• cardstock: white(Neenah), others(scraps)
• stamp: Unity SOTW Candles, Stars & Birthday Wishes
• markers: Spectrum Noir
• ribbon: Snug Hug Rayon Seam Binding
• die cuts: Spellbinders
• glitter glue: StudioG

Have a super day, and thanks so much for stopping by to visit! Have fun hopping around to see all the great Unity inspiration!

Meredith

Let Beauty Surround You

I'm finally eeking out some time in my craft room...even though it still looks like a tornado hit it from when I made space for a new sewing desk...am I the only one who resorts to stacking things higher in order to make space????

I've been getting the emails about the latest 3 Girl Jam Challenge ~ Kraft with Ribbon, and am loving the inspiration! So I decided to join in on the fun.

Supplies:

• cardstock: white(Neenah), kraft & yellow(stash)
• ribbon: Hug Snug Ribbon
• stamp: Unity SOTW (Let beauty surround you)
• pencils: Prismacolor
• marker: Spectrum Noir
• ink: Memento

Here's something that many of you probably know already, but maybe a few of you don't, so I thought that I'd share...If you want a custom color of ribbon, its not necessary to pull out the dye pots, you can just grab some white ribbon and an alcohol marker, then color that ribbon! I used white rayon seam binding ribbon, and the marker made the ribbon a bit stiffer than it is normally, but that was great, since it made my bow keep shape better!

And I just wanted to show a closer picture of the coloring...look...shading! And moreover, shading that doesn't look amateurish (shh, keep your opinions otherwise to yourself!) 

This is encouragement to any of you who look at your own coloring and think that you'll never get better...my advice to you...keep coloring anyway!!! The practice with your chosen medium will have you oohing and ahhing at your own work in no time at all!

Thanks for stopping by!

Meredith

Friends with Flair ~ Succeed in the Moments

Yeah! I'm home and able to participate in the Unity Friends with Flair linky party!!! I love to pull out my stamps and play along...and was able to do just that last night!

I liked the newest Stamp of the Week as soon as I saw the design team's projects, and was so happy to receive it yesterday that I put it to use that very night!

I was going to make a one layer card, but decided that adding some dimension to the flowers would look better.

This one will be off to my daughter tomorrow...she's moved into her first apartment, wow, where does the time go???

Supplies:
cardstock: Neenah
stamps: Unity SOTW - Each Moment is Success
ink: Memento
markers: Spectrum Noir

Thanks for stopping by to visit ~ I'm looking forward to seeing all your creations!

Meredith

Friends with Flair ~ Free Flower Image

Hello Friends! I'm so happy to be participating with the Unity Friends with Flair linky party...it got posted later than usual on Friday, so the linky was open until Saturday, yeah!

Last week I was able to play just a bit with the free image that Unity provided as part of their CHA celebration (there's a sale too, have you checked it out?) and I pulled out some coloring utensils to have some fun.

I didn't like the way that markers were going (I'm still a novice, so if I don't take my time I mess things up quickly) so I turned to my pencils...not much more experience, but at least they don't bleed like markers. ;-)

Anyway...here is the result

I like the way the flowers turned out, the pencil almost makes them look fuzzy and soft to me...not so much the leaves...I should have looked at the other entries (there was a contest on facebook) too see examples of how to color them in a way that would highlight the design, not hide it, as I feel mine did.

A huge thank you to Unity for sharing this image with us...such a talented team of designers they have!

Supplies:

• cardstock: both are stash...
• image: Unity Stamp Company
• pencils: Prismacolor

Thanks for stopping by! I look forward to visiting your blogs to see what you've been up to!

Meredith

Friends with Flair ~ Field of Sunflowers

It's Friday again! The day I get to play along with the Friends with Flair linky on the Unity blog! If you've created with Unity goodies, play along! If you haven't, then click through and comment anyway, there are so many talented projects to see!

Friday is typically the day I receive my Stamp of the Week in the mail, and last Friday, my favorite one *ever* arrived! You see, a few weeks ago the owner of Unity Stamps asked on facebook what images we (the customers) would like to see on the upcoming SOTW's, and my reply was sunflowers. To anyone who knows me, this is no surprise...I love those happy flowers! 

In fact, I've got some blooming in my backyard right now!

Well, the sunflower stamp is gorgeous, of course, but I kicked it up a notch by using a mask to stamp multiple times on my cardfront...then I actually pulled out my markers and used my meager coloring skills to brighten things up a bit! With some distress ink around the white areas, my work was done! I didn't think that the front needed much embellishment, so popped the colored panel up for a bit of dimension, tied a ribbon, and that was that.

It reminds me of the fields of sunflowers that I used to drive by when I lived in Kansas...quite a sight to behold! I used another Unity set to stamp an encouraging sentiment on the inside.

And look...I want to show off the 'signature' on the back, too. My sister took a trip to China (she got to hold a baby panda!!!) and while she was there she bought me something called a 'chop'. It is a stone column stamp carved with a unique identifier that traditionally has been used to verify documents. In my case, my name in English and phonetically in Chinese. (Although for all I know, it could say, "Crazy crafty lady"! LOL)

When she sent it to me, I tried to use it with my regular stamp pads...no luck. So I ordered the special ink and gave it another try...awesome! The ink almost acts like a dense sponge...and the ink itself is solid, I don't know how else to describe it...but it works like a charm!

Supplies:

• cardstock: Recollections (brown), Neenah (white)
• stamps: Unity Stamp Co
• ink: Memento (brown), Ranger Distress Inks (blue)
• markers: Spectrum Noir
• ribbon: stash

I hope you had a crafty week, and thanks for stopping by!

Meredith