GROWING IN UNITY - DAY 3

It's hard to believe we're at the midpoint of the GIU week.  It goes so quickly!   So, here are a couple of cards from the set that I am now obsessed with!

Although I am a Bostonian, I have lived in Texas for 40+ years and these sayings definitely resonate!

Now for a couple of cards.  I have an ancient hoarded Webster's Pages paper here.  The coloring was an issue but I like it anyway.  I will definitely try this again in a more understated coloring job. LOL

But, of course, the "butter my biscuit" sentiment is my favorite!  Here is a photo of this year's State Fair of Texas butter sculpture for reference.

My favorite butter character is our cat April - she LOVES butter like no other animal I have ever had.  If she hears me put something in the toaster, she will not leave the kitchen until she has some butter.  She is single-minded in these attempts.  Pretty irresistible, though, especially when she's showing her belly.

Here is the card - I love this one - and it was a lot of fun to make!

Don't forget to leave a comment on the blog for a chance to win a $20 gift/credit for Unity.  You know you need some stamps!

Have a great day!

Jennifer

 GROWING IN UNITY - DAY 2

Today's creations use a stamp from a 2022 Kit of the Month and a Sentiment Kit that is no longer on the website called ". . . so very grateful" designed by Lisa Arana.  I love this kit!  And, I have used this kit of the month a lot.  I absolutely love the hydrangea, the dress, and, of course, the strawberries!

So, on to the cards, another try with markers and then with watercolors.  I am not great with either medium but I have to say that I personally prefer watercoloring.  I'll continue to practice with both, though.  The paper I used is from an ancient October Afternoon paper pack that I have been hoarding.  I absolutely love this paper.  Strawberries are a weakness of mine so I will be using this stamp a lot more in the future!

Markers above...watercolor below...

Remember to leave a comment on this blog post to have a chance to win a $20 gift.credit to purchase Unity stamps.  You know you need some more!

Jennifer

GROWING IN UNITY - DAY 1

 I am so excited to be back as a host of this week's Growing in Unity blog posts.   My first post is going back in time - I don't think these stamps are available any more but I wanted to show you that Unity's products are timeless so take out some of your old sets, especially in this economy, and use them.  Some people are not fortunate enough to be able to afford to place orders.  

This is also a memorial to my mother and our favorite two vacations in Newfoundland.  We lost her right after I had cancer surgery last year.  I am finally back to having hair (thinner thnn before) and feeling nearly normal.  But, I miss Mom.

This is a scrapbook I created back in 2010 to memorialize our trips.  (I'm not much of a scrapbooker but I had some cool photos to showcase.). All stamps are from Unity and they fit the photos perfectly and they stand the test of time.  I think you will agree!

This is the cover - this wonderful "Memories" sentiment is so clean and easy to stamp.  The embroidery is one I did when I was a teenager and never used.  I also embroidered others with traditional colors that are probably long gone.

This was an amazing sight - the fog was on the water only so we went out on a boat to experience it. So beautiful! This alphabet is so fun.

This just points out how magical this all is.  A beautiful view with great company.

On the gorgeous Victoria Street, one of the most photographed streets in Newfoundland.

And the adorable mailboxes with paintings of jelly bean houses!  So cute!

A list of some of the fun things about the trip.

My favorite photo of Mom wearing her hat on the whale watch and surveying the scene.

Watching the parade on Canada Day.

Mom on the whale watch boat wearing her fabulous hat!  I love these alphabet stamps and banner stamps that carry the fun motif of this brightly colored hat!

This is the Government House in St. Johns, Newfoundland.  Although not pictured here, this building has a moat!

I do have to say that my first trip was somewhat miserable due to all the sneezing and a sore throat!  When I showed this photo to my husband, he said "no wonder, this is pollen!"   So, I used my alphabet to spell "allergens" and I used the leaves at the top of the page to add more greenery.

A photo from St Joseph's Church.  The paper is reminiscent of the houses St Johns is noted for and I love the way it turned out with the Unity stamped cross at the top.

I hope you will leave a comment below for a chance to win a $20 Unity credit/gift card so you can buy some new stamps!

I will be back tomorrow with a new set or two to show you!

Jennifer 

Growing in Unity Week Winners!!

 Thank you all for your support last week.  It was amazing and I appreciated getting to show some of my creations.

Winners of the $20 Unity credit are:  Debbie Farrell and Wilma DeG.  Please email kelli@unitystampco.com to claim your gift credit within 2 weeks".  In the subject line have them put "winner from "Jennifer's GIU week.

Thank you!!

Jennifer

GROWING IN UNITY - DAY 5

 Welcome to my Growing in Unity Week!!  I have been looking forward to this for months and I am glad you stopped by.  Just leave a comment at the end of my post each day (Monday through Friday) of this week for a chance to have your name drawn to win a $20 credit to Unity.  Two names will be drawn.  How is it already the end of my week?!

Today I've got a couple of cute critters for your enjoyment.  This cat totally cracks me up and I love this adorable mouse.

I have enjoyed making my cards for the week and enjoyed sharing them.  Remember to leave a comment on each day for your chance to win.

Jennifer

GROWING IN UNITY - DAY 4

 Welcome to my Growing in Unity Week!!  I have been looking forward to this for months and I am glad you stopped by.  Just leave a comment at the end of my post each day (Monday through Friday) of this week for a chance to have your name drawn to win a $20 credit to Unity.  Two names will be drawn.

How is it already Day 4?  I have so many ideas!!  I have a watercolored card today.  I find them more forgiving than alcohol markers - for some reason, I am quite initiated by the markers. LOL

Look at this beautiful floral image called "Sweet as Honey."  I takes up almost an entire A2 card so all you need is the image and a sentiment.  

As you can see, I used an arch die to cut this out and do a foil border for it.  I added some shimmer spray since I like it sparkly.

Have a great day!

Jennifer

GROWING IN UNITY - DAY 3

 Welcome to my Growing in Unity Week!!  I have been looking forward to this for months and I am glad you stopped by.  Just leave a comment at the end of my post each day (Monday through Friday) of this week for a chance to have your name drawn to win a $20 credit to Unity.  Two names will be drawn.

So, I am back to the June Whit Kit and the 2022 Kit of the Month.  This time I have focused on the hydrangea stamps that are in each set.  They are both stunning but I personally like the Whit Kit one a bit better.  I tried coloring with markers, watercolors, and perfect pearls.  I have to say I find watercolors more forgiving and I prefer them.  I need practice on my alcohol markers:-). The first two are the Whit Kit and the second two are the 2022 KOTM.

All of these cards are great and the stamps are stunningly gorgeous.  Enjoy!

Jennifer

GROWING IN UNITY - DAY 2

Welcome to my Growing in Unity Week!!  I have been looking forward to this for months and I am glad you stopped by.  Just leave a comment at the end of my post each day (Monday through Friday) of this week for a chance to have your name drawn to win a $20 credit to Unity.  Two names will be drawn.

Yesterday was about the dresses and today is about Pooh and being nice to others.  I love the gentleness of Pooh, Piglet, and the rest of the characters from Winnie the Pooh.  I am trying to bring back positivity, encouragement, and friendship.  The past few years have been tough on everyone and it is time to get back to kindness.  One thing about our Unity community is positivity and encouragement.  You don't see our folks making negative comments on others' posts.  I think it comes from Angela - she is always kind and encouraging to others!

Enough about that!  I realized after I took the photo that the sentiment has a slight error - I will be handwriting the extra "me" before I send this out.

Here is my card.
- I absolutely love Pooh and Piglet in case you couldn't tell.

Jennifer

GROWING IN UNITY - DAY 1

Welcome to my Growing in Unity Week!!  I have been looking forward to this for months and I am glad you stopped by.  Just leave a comment at the end of my post each day (Monday through Friday) of this week for a chance to have your name drawn to win a $20 credit to Unity.  Two names will be drawn.

So, I recently heard Jennifer McGuire repeat yet again that red rubber is the best for stamping and gives the best impressions.  Thank goodness for Unity and their beautiful red rubber stamps!!!  We are the lucky ones who buy from this wonderful family business.

I have to say that the June Whit Kit totally caught my eye.  I saw the hydrangea theme and was smitten and placed my order.  I got it in the mail a few days later.  The paper pack especially blew me away!  The stamp set is great and the mica powders are very interesting.

And another thing about these stamps - Angela recently did a small post about the inks you need to use to get clear images from finely detailed rubber stamps.  I followed her advice and bought this ink and it worked beautifully.  Unity sells it but if they are out of stock you can find it anywhere.  I highly recommend!

If you missed the kit and only wanted that hydrangea stamp, you are in luck.  The June 2022 KOTM has a hydrangea that is the same size although it is a little different.  I had pulled it out because I wanted to paper piece the gorgeous dress in the kit with the hydrangea papers. This whole kit is amazing.

Here are some cards that I made with these two beautiful kits.  I absolutely love these kits and the papers are incredible.  So today I am sharing three cards I made with the June Whit-Kit paper pack and the dress from the June 2022 Kit of the Month.  I hope you like them and get some inspiration!  I also used some foil yardstick I had hanging around.  I am obsessed with it:-). Sorry for the images here - I bought a special white box to do these photos but when I transferred them to my computer, they don;t look too great.

A lot has happened since my last GIU week in November.  If you looked at the Facebook post, you'll see I have ovarian cancer and my PSA is that you need to get checked even if you've had a hysterectomy because those cells can hang around for 17 years before becoming stage 3.5.  Anyway, my prognosis is good and I am in a good place with good care.  Just wanted to share with other women that we need to stay up to date with medical appointments.  Please take care of yourself!

Remember to leave a comment for a chance to win a Unity $20 credit.

Have a wonderful day!!

Jennifer

WINNERS FROM GIU WEEK!

First, our winners - Jan Golden and Beckie MacArthur, please email kelli@unitystampco.com to claim your gift credit from Unity within two weeks.  I hope you select something as great as my Brown Thursday haul, below!  Thanks to everyone for their kind comments last week.  

Jennifer

 

GROWING IN UNITY - DAY 5

I am sad to say, this is my last day as the GIU person. I selected Winnie the Pooh for my last card - I love the message of kindness and inclusion that   Winnie has.  It is more important now than ever that we accept people the way we find them, right?  This is another beautifully stamped image with an error - an upside down sentiment.  Definitely not awake sometimes...

But, it all turned out okay.

I can never get these photos just right.  People take photos with their iPhones that decorate the sides of skyscrapers and are incredible and I always struggle with taking photos of cards.  This is another thing I need to work on.  In real life, the coloring looks more blended but I think I have the right colors for Pooh.  I bought some alcohol markers recently so have spent the week experimenting with them and hope you enjoyed it as much as I have!

Here is the set - as you can see, you don't even have to figure out a layout - the picture already does it for you!

I did get my Brown Friday order and every set is fantastic.  

Remember to comment for a chance to win a Unity prize!

Jennifer