Yippeee ~ Friday :) and FWF

Good morning all!
I've been slacking in my posts recently.  I have been really busy making cards, but haven't taken pictures.  I took this photo with my smartphone, so please forgive the quality.

This was my main Christmas card that I sent out.  I got about 25 of them made at a crop that I did at the Arts and Crafts House in Brantford.  I had an amazing time, Lesley Langdon is an amazing person and the food they provided us with was incredible!! I can't wait to go back.  I ran out of the red cardstock though, so ended up making about another 15 of a different design that day.  In the past week, I have done about another 30 cards!  I only have about 50 on my mailing list, but by the time you do all the teachers, etc at the kids school, plus co-workers, it really adds up.

I used a Unity Itty Bitty as my focal image on this card.  I misted the patterned paper (Echo Park Happy Holidays) with Studio Calico white mist to tone down the colours a bit and finished with a bakers twine bow and a little rhinestone.

Hope you are somewhat close to being ready for Christmas - I feel like I could use another week.

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!

Michele

Friends with Flair Friday.... finally!!!

Hello all!  Finally back again for a Friends with Flair Friday :)

Been doing some crafting, but haven't taken too many photos of finished product. 
Today's card was made for my ladies card night - the theme was birthday, and on the inside I adhered a small kraft bag (sorry I didn't take a picture) that a gift card could be slid into.  I had also thought later, I could have only adhered the sides of the bag on the front and then slid a gift card into it as well.  The bag stamp and the sentiments are from the July 2012 KOM - Ol' Bag of Fun.

Make sure you make it over to Unity here to check out all the other lovely creations.

Have a great weekend!
Michele

Unity KOM sketch Challenge & FWF!

Hello!
I hadn't played along with the Unity KOM sketch challenge recently, and this month there is some extra motivation - if you complete all the World Card Making Day challenges along with the two monthly challenges from Unity, you get an extra entry into the grand prize for WCMD - one year free of either the KOM or SMAK!

Below is the sketch for October:

And here is my take on it:

I used the August 2012 KOM and added some glaze to the paint to make it look wet.  Love my drippy goo punch.

Great thing about the week following the long weekend - nice and short!

Michele

Unity WCMD Challenges - Re-cap

Good evening :)  I'm posting here all my entries to the Unity World Card Making Day Challenges.  I was having problems yesterday and early today posting to my blog, so many of the cards I uploaded to my Gallery in Splitcoast Stampers here.  However, I thought it would be fun to show them all together, so here goes:

Challenge #1 - Shaped Cards
I used the stamp sets 'Jar of Sunshine', 'Inside & Out' and the June 2012 KOM

Challenge #2 - Texture (use at least two different kinds)
I clear embossed the leaves from 'Autumn Grunge' before cutting them out, as well as using corrugated cardboard and twine.  The sentiment is from the set 'Harvest of Memories'.

Challenge #3 - Embossing
I used the beautiful butterfly image from the July 2012 SMAK and embossed using white embossing powder then colored it using Gelatos.  Thought it was such a beautiful image so just finished it off with some ribbon.

Challenge #4 - Sketch Challenge
Again, used the July 2012 SMAK (those images are huge!!) as well as the sentiment from 'Grandma's Closet' - colored the image using watercolour pencils and blended.

Challenge #5 - Fall themed
I saw this one come up just as I was putting together my card for the texture challenge :) but decided to do a turkey rather than fall leaves since I had just done it for the 2nd challenge.  I used the 'Build a Turkey' set for this one.

Challenge #6 - Stamp a border (using a non-border stamp)
I used stamps from the June 2012 KOM, and turned the condiments (and watermelon) into a border.  I also lightly stamped the words, and added some glossy accents to the BBQ to give it some dimension.

Challenge #7 - Coloring
I absolutely love the Phyllis Harris images, so I grabbed 'It's no Fun' as the little boy is so cute and colored him up with my copics.  I've enrolled in some in-depth copic coloring classes in November, so I can't wait to sharpen my skills, although I'm pretty happy with how this turned out.

Challenge #8 - Color challenge (cream, pumpkin, olive and brown)
I had the Bella Blvd 'Too cute to spook' set sitting out and once I pulled out all my colored cardstock, I realized that the Frankenstein could be paper pierced in olive, and of course the pumpkins would be pumpkin, so I used cream for my base with some brown ground and a tree.  I tried to splatter some white mist on the ground, but unfortunately got more all over my workspace than my card.

I had a lot of fun completing these challenges, I found it really helped get the creative juices flowing having to follow a challenge.  My 8yr old son started them with me and has so far completed the first 3;
Shaped cards:

Texture challenge:

Embossing:

We'll see if he finishes all the challenges.

Okay, I'm off to try to complete the KOM challenge and the Unity Challenge for an extra entry for the grand prize!
Michele

WCMD Unity Challenge #8

Final challenge for the Unity WCMD activities was Colour - Cream, Pumpkin, Olive & Brown.  So rather than do the typical fall, I had the Bella Blvd co-brand - 'too cute to spook' sitting on my desk waiting for some ink so I used that.  I decided to do a little paper-piercing.  The pumpkins, of course were pumpkin, the cute Frankenstein was a perfect shade of olive, and I used cream cardstock as my background.  A brown spooky tree and a cute spider thrown in the mix finish things off.  As well, I tried splattering some white mist on the brown ground, but I think I got more all over my workspace than on the card.

Now time to do a recap post.

Michele

World Card Making Day - Unity Challenges 6 & 7

Yesterday I decided to take part in WCMD fun - and decided to join the Unity Challenges.  My 8 yr old son decided to join me, so I will be posting his creations along with mine, although I am quite a few challenges ahead of him.
I was having a hard time creating my posts on my blog, so I was uploading my cards to my gallery on Splitcoast Stampers here.  Although once, I am done all the challenges, I will do a re-cap post showcasing all my entries, as well as an additional one with the two Unity monthly challenges, as that increasing the odds of winning the grand prize.

Challenge 6 was Stamping a Border (using a non-border stamp).  I used stamps from the June 2012 KOM, and repeated the cute condiments and watermelon across the card.  I also added some glossy accents to the BBQ to give it dimension.

Challenge 7 was Colouring so I stamped up this cute image from the Phyllis Harris co-brand 'no fun' and then used my Copics to colour him in.

Hope you are playing along too!

A jump on Christmas cards ...

Wow, it seems like forever since I have posted!  I have still been getting crafty and even doing monthly card nights with girlfriends, but haven't posted anything here.  Well let's get back to it!  I am also taking this opportunity to play along (for the first time!) with the Simon Says Stamp Challenge which is all about Glimmer and Sparkle.  For this card, I really wanted to focus on the beautiful Teresa Collins paper I had, so I just added some ribbon and a die-cut pointsetta, but wanted to give it a little 'bling' so I sprayed the pieces of the flower with some shimmer spray before assembling them.
I think I may make a few more of these cards :)

Have a great Wednesday!!
Michele

Yippee - it's Friday again...

Time for another Friends with Flair over at Unity's blog.  I have a card night coming up with friends and was working on a card using a completely different paper and theme, and struggling with it, so a friend suggested I go completely non-traditional with the colours, so that is what I did.  The patterned paper is from Bella Blvd, and I played off the colours in the paper.  The cute little penguin is a Jillibean Soup Itty Bitty (which Unity is having a big Itty Bitty sale this week - you really need to check it out.
Without further ado, here is the card I came up with.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Michele

TGIF! Which means FWF :)

Good morning everyone!  It's Friday and the start of a long weekend here in Canada.  I had so much fun during my GIU week, and still grab my Unity stamps first when looking to start a project.  Today's card was created using a SMAK kit (I grabbed a few a while back when they were on sale) as well as a stamp from one of the recent KOMs.  I have seen many people stamp using a rainbow of colours and was anxious to give this a try.

Sorry for the picture quality - it was a quick photo taken before it was sent off in the mail to my father-in-law.

Hope you all have an amazing weekend.  Don't forget to go check out the sale that Unity is running right now, here.

Michele

Growing in Unity Winner!

Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments last week.  I really enjoying being the Growing in Unity girl, and hope to do it again :)

 

 

So....

 

  

 

Congratulations Victoria!  Please email me your address and your selection of your two free Itty Bitty stamps.

 

Thanks again!

Michele

Growing in Unity Day 5

Welcome to my last post as the GIU girl this week.  Thank you for visiting me this week - I've really enjoyed sharing my creations with you and I've really appreciated all the kind comments.  Be sure to make sure you leave comments each day to increase your chances of winning two free Itty Bitty stamps courtesy of Unity Stamp Company.

Today's card was created for a friend's wedding using one of the Stamp of the Week's; Happy Couple.  I just love getting a Unity treat each week.  If you are not already signed up, you need to be!  Just follow the link HERE

Have a great weekend and don't forget to check back on Monday to see if you were a winner!


Michele

Growing in Unity Day 4

Welcome back!  Today is day four of my Growing in Unity week.  Don't forget to leave a comment each day for your chance to win two free Itty Bitty stamps courtesy of Unity Stamp Company.

Today's card was created for a friend of mine who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and has just started undergoing treatment.  I turned to one of my favorite co-brand sets, Melody Ross Brave Girl Boots.  I have just started playing with Washi tape, so I added some to the card.

Thanks for visiting and I hope to see you tomorrow,
Michele

Growing in Unity Day 3

Hello and welcome!  I am so excited to be the Growing in Unity girl this week.  I have been a huge fan of Unity Stamps and a Kit of the Month member for a few years.  One of my motivations for starting my blog was to be able to participate in Friends with Flair Fridays :)
Please be sure to comment on each day's post for your chance to win two Itty Bitty stamps courtesy of Unity Stamps. 
I thought the ice cubes stamps from the June KOM, Sweet Summer Love were so cute, so I matched them with a stamp from the Simple Stories Itty Bitty - Boys Rule. I used a 'drippy goo' border punch to simulate dripping ice, added dimensional glaze to the ice cubes and carried the theme through with the vellum.

Remember to leave comments every day for your chance to win Unity Stamps!

Thanks for visiting,
Michele

Growing in Unity Day 2

Welcome back to my 2nd day as the GIU girl :).   Remember to comment all five days to increase your chances of winning two free Itty Bitty stamps courtesy of Unity Stamp Company.

Today's card was made using the FORE!!! Set.  I had alot of fun with putting this together for my dad for Father's Day.  I used punches for the clouds and grass and colored the golf cart using Tim Holtz distress markers.

Tomorrow I will be featured on the Unity Company Blog, so please come by and check it out.

Michele

Growing in Unity Day One

Welcome everyone to my week as the 'Growing in Unity girl - I am so excited!! Each day this week, I will be posting creations using Unity Stamp Company stamps and at the end of the week I get to pick one person who comments to win two free Itty Bitty stamps, so don't forget to comment each day to increase your chances of winning.

 My first card uses two different stamp sets; the May 2012 Kit of the Month, Love in an Instant and the crown is from a retired store kit which I couldn't find the name of.

I also just recently acquired the ribbon tool, so I was anxious to try it out.  I made this card for my girlfriend who just got a promotion so I thought the sentiment was perfect for her.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and stop by each day for your chance to win two free Unity Itty Bitty stamps.

Michele

Another Friends with Flair...

which means it's Friday!  Yipeeee!!! and the start of holidays for me.  Both boys finished school yesterday, so there was excitement mixed with a little sadness.  Of course there always needs to be thank you gifts.  The card below I gave to the ladies at the YMCA daycare which my youngest son attended, as well as my older son in their after-school program.  It was inspired by a card I saw on a blog, and I really owe an apology as I was trying desparately to find the source of the inspiration so I could give proper credit, but I can't find it - so I am really sorry.

As well, I gave my two son's school teachers journals as thank you gifts, and although there is no stamping on the bags, I wanted to share them, as I thought they were pretty cute too!

Be sure to head over to the Unity Blog as they are having some great sales this weekend.  For all my Canadian friends, have a great Canada Day Weekend.

Oh, and I am going to be the Growing in Unity Girl the second week in July!!! So please make sure you come visit my blog each day and leave comments for your chance to win some Unity goodness (and I might just throw together my own goodie bag too!)

Yippeee ~ another Friends with Flair Friday

Good morning everyone!  It's Friday!  I thought I would show you one of the cards I made for Father's Day - I made this one for my FIL using one of my new Ippity Stamps - I love that you can now order these directly off of Unity's website.  I had a lot of fun paper piercing the shirts.Sorry for the blurry picture - I really need to invest in a light box soon.
Make you you head over to the Unity Blog to check out all the other inspiration.

Have a wonderful weekend.
Michele

Yay! It's Friday again....

Which means it's time for Friends with Flair. I created the card below with one of the Phyllis Harris sets from Unity Stamp Company - I am loving having little boys stamps to play with (I have another one all coloured, just waiting to be incorporated into a card).  I used a stencil for the background and sprayed it with Mister Huey's mist.  It is for my nephew for his birthday, so I hope he likes it.  Make sure you check out all the other incredible creations linked up for Friends with Flair Friday - you'll notice Unity is having an awesome sale going on right now!  Have a great weekend.

Michele

It's another Friday!

I guess I really need to post more often than Fridays, but I always look forward to linking up to FWF over on the Unity Stamp Company blog.  Last night I had our monthly ladies card night where we decide on a theme and then we all make a card, and bring all the products so that everyone else can make the same card.  It is a great evening, lots of chit chat, learning new things, and at the end of the night we each come away with 5 additional cards.  I'll try to post the cards next week.  For the Friends with Flair over at Unity, the card I'm showing is one that my son needed for a birthday party for a little girl in his class.  He picked out the stamp (which I've used a few times for little girl birthdays) and I had fun colouring it.  I also had a punch for the cupcake and then added stickles for the icing. 

Hope you have a great weekend.  It's raining here, but we've needed the rain, so it's a good thing.

Michele

TGIF!! FWF Friday :)

Yippee!  it's Friday!  I'm sure I always seem excited for Fridays.  I had an amazing time last weekend at the Creating Keepsakes convention in Buffalo - learned some new techniques, and bought way too much product ;)  This weekend, I am so looking forward to Sunday afternoon, as I am taking a mixed media class with DONNA DOWNEY!!!  whoooo hoooo!!! Ideally, I should be posting something using one of her Unity Stamps, but I didn't have anything created (don't worry, I'm sure I'll have lots to share for the upcoming weeks, as this class is supposed to create a 40 page journal using a slew of techniques).  Today's card I created for my sister, and bought this Phyllis Harris stamp set, as it reminded me of her.  We are only a year and a half apart, but I moved to a different province almost 15 years ago, and I really miss her.
Sorry for the blurry picture ~ my next splurge will be on a proper light box so I can take better pictures of my creations.  Have a great weekend everyone :)

Michele

FWF Friday!

Happy Friday everyone!!!

It has been a really busy couple of weeks at work, so I'm so glad it's Friday.  Also, next weekend I am off to the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Buffalo ~ whoop, whoop!!!  I noticed there is also a big convention this weekend in Novi, MI ~ wish I had seen it sooner ~ but it's now on my radar for next year :)

Today's card was made for a girlfriend of mine who just completed her first half-marathon.  I used a Unity SOTW - love this butterfly :)  Although adding the pearls for the body, made the card just bulky enough that it cost me double postage to send it ~ no worries though :)

Have a great weekend!
Michele

FWF Friday!!

TGIF!!  Today I am sharing a card that I made for a wedding we are going to tomorrow.  The sentiment is from one of my Unity KOM.  I have a few of these transparencies in my stash and have been wanting to try one out on a card for awhile.  I also have quite a few of these 'journalling-type' cards and thought it would be fun to used one for my stamp base.
Make sure you head over to Unity's Blog and check out all the wonderful birthday celebrations happening.

Have a great weekend.
Michele

Crop Chocolate Challenge

It's Wednesday - hump day!!  The current challenge for Crop Chocolate was to make a homemade flower.  Below is the card I entered in the challenge.  The patterned paper and cardstock is EP A Boy's Life, with MME zipper ribbon, and journalling card, BoBunny brad, and stamps.  Not my normal colour scheme, but it is fun to think outside your comfort zone.

We originally started out making a different type of flower, but I wasn't thrilled with how it turned out. My son was having alot of fun helping me and making his own flower.

Hope the rest of the week flies by. We have a wedding on Saturday and the couple entered themselves for 'Four Weddings Canada' and we're supposed to be sitting with the 'guest brides' at the reception, so it should make for a fun and interesting evening.

Unity KOM Sketch Challenge

It's been a little while since I've posted, although I have had a chance to get crafty quite a bit lately.  Recently, a bunch of crafty girlfriends and I have been getting together on a monthly basis, where we pick the theme ahead of time, and each one makes and then demos a card, and then we all make it.  It's been alot of fun, not just learning new techniques and ideas, but also having some social time too.
I noticed the new Unity KOM challenge  was up, and when I saw the sketch, I immediately thought of the banner from the March KOM, I paper pierced the banner using papers from EP's A Boys Life, and inked only the 'celebrate' part of the 'let's celebrate' sentiment.  I also used the 'Good Times' sentiment from the February KOM.  I finished off by adding Tim Holtz tiny attachers to ground the banner strings.

Playdate Cafe Challenge 120

I had a bridal shower to go to on the weekend, so I grabbed some inspiration from the PDCC120:

I inked up a kit from Unity, and combined with the It's the Little Things by Fancy Pants paper and embellishments, and here is the result:

TGIF - FWF Friday!!!

Yes! It's Friday - and the start of a long weekend, yippeee!!  I'm hoping to get some craft time this weekend, as I have two events next week.  First, I'm getting together with a few other crafty chicks and each one of us is going to teach a card, and bring all the supplies to make it (I have a few ideas in my head, but nothing made yet) and the second event is my monthly stamp club and each month she has been issuing us a challenge, and this month is a sketch challenge, so I hope to get a card done up for that.
For FWF on Unity, I'm uploading photos of the Valentine Day cards I made for my two sons.  I decided to go pretty simple, as I thought the Unity Itty Bittys spoke for themselves.  I added a little glossy accents on them, matted with red paper, and done :)  Plus, they were really just looking forward to the chocolate.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I made this card for my hubby for Valentine's Day, using one of my Unity Stamp of the Weeks.  The patterned paper is Yours Truly from Echo Park.  Twice now in the past week I have been looking for a small heart punch (yes, I have a few other heart ones, but no small one) and then I remembered I had bought some chipboard from Stampin Up, and sure enough, there were hearts ~ yippee!! I sprayed it with Tattered Angels and then covered it with red stickles.

Hope you all have a great Valentine's Day.

TGIF - FWF Friday!!!

Whoo hoo - it's Friday, yippee!!!  I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted anything.  I guess I got all caught up with Christmas, and after making all my Christmas cards, I really haven't been too creative lately.  Today's card was made for a dear co-worker whose dog passed away.  The stamp set is from Unity, from the Phyllis Harris series.  It was the perfect set, as the dog that passed away was a golden retriever.  Hope you all have a terrific weekend.