Unity HHH - my first post

My first post for a Unity Hip Hop Hangover.  I hope that I'm "playing" right.......

I actually started this card with Jen Buck's sketch challenge in mind, but dilly-dallied and didn't get the card posted before the deadline.  But that doesn't mean I can't share, right?

I used the "bird sings" stamp from the May KOM and the butterfly from the March KOM.  Further details follow.  For some of the items used I don't know the sources.  I'm trying to use up some of my stash -- trying to be more frugal & decrease my stash (Kristine Werner's "scrap crap").  I'm hoping to get moved out of this apartment into a house before winter and less stuff to move is good, no?

Materials: cardstock: base (Bazzill), kraft (stash--unknown); ink: brown, dune (Colorbox chalk inks), brushed corduroy used on edges (Ranger); ribbon: satin (stash -- Michaels??), multi-colored & threaded thru buttons (EK Success); buttons: (stash -- maybe, Making Memories???); adhesive: (Pioneer mounting tape) & (Mono-multi).

Thanks for taking a look today.

One Nation under God

I love the 4th of July. I love the United States of America. I'm grateful for the freedom which we enjoy. I do believe that our country is blessed because of our religious freedom and the stamp used on this card is among my most favorite.

Materials: stamp: One Nation (Ann-ticipations); cardstock: colored (Bazzill), base (Georgia Pacific); ink: cranberry (Colorbox); buttons: stars (Dress It Up); adhesive: Xyron & Mono-multi.

A simple card, but I love the sentiment. Happy 4th of July. Thanks for looking.

MLSC #75 --Japanese doll

Once again it's Monday and Mary Jo has posted her Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge.  It's number 75 this week and she even has blog candy as a part of this week's challenge.  What greater incentive does a girl need to make a card?!?

This is the sketch which she provided..........

And here's my card........

I've had this Hero Arts stamp set for a couple of weeks and knew that I wanted to make a card with at least 1 or more of the stamps.

Materials: cardstock: (Bazzill, Georgia Pacific); designer paper & brad: (Creative Imaginations); ink: (colorbox); embossing powder: (Stampendous); die cut: (Nestabilities);  black cord: (Joanns); markers: (Marvy); adhesive: (Pioneer).  

Thanks, as always, for looking.

Recent favorite photo -- my year of change

Ali Edwards give-away this weekend asks readers to tell about their most recent favorite photo.  And link to it, if it's available online.  Well, we all know HOW easy it is to put stuff up online......

In January I moved to Arizona to take a new job.  My marriage of 29 years had fallen apart and I needed to get out of Florida.  

I snapped this photo at the AZ-New Mexico border as I crossed into the state.  I haven't left the state since.  (But that's less out of any great love for my new home state and more related to being on probation at work and NOT having any vacation time!!!)  I found the Tim Holtz stamp at a local store in the spring and saw the vision of this composite image.

The photo was manipulated in PhotoShop Elements to a more watercolor texture and the stamp was stamped with distress ink (black soot); the ink was also used on the photo's edges.  I then scanned the finished photo for future use (as well as having the original with which to craft).

It's not a  plain snapshot, but it's my favorite photo so far this year.  My year of change.

Butterflies for the Hero Arts Challenge

The challenge at the Hero Arts blog this week was a project with a die cut.  And of course some Hero Arts stamping.  That seemed like a challenge that I could complete.

The background paper is Basic Grey, which was also used for the right-hand butterfly.  The background stamp is Hero Arts Italian Poetry background.  The Eiffel Tower and the harlequin stamps are Tim Holtz' Stamper's Anonymous.  

Materials: cardstock (Georgia Pacific); designer paper (Basic Grey); metal (ArtEmboss); ink: (Ranger distress inks -- Old Paper, Antique Linen, Aged Mahogany); adhesive (Pioneer mounting tape, Tombow Mono Multi; die cut: Cuttlebug butterfly die/embossing folders.

Thanks for looking.

MLSC #73 - dream

I've been looking at MaryJo's sketch all week........  what to do, what to do, what to do.........  I knew that I had the already stamped & embossed tree image and I knew that it worked well die cut into a round medallion.  I just didn't really have the crafting mojo going to know HOW to finish the design.

But luckily inspiration came through as it often does for me on the weekends and I now have this "dream" card.

The main medallion is the same stamp used in this post.  When I first purchased the stamp, I stamped and embossed it on both black and white cardstock.  (I had wanted to see how well the image embossed on the different background colors.)  I stamped "dream" on medium pewter ArtEmboss metal with Staz-on ink.  When I cut the circle with the nesties die, the metal got sorta wrinkled.  I kinda like it.  I layered it to a black piece of metallic ArtEmboss; the black scallop is a little darker black than the cardstock.  I like the contrast.

Materials: cardstock: black (Bazzill), metallic silver (stash--source unknown); pewter & black metal (ArtEmboss); stamps: Fantasy (Penny Black), Dream (Unity Stamp Co.); inks: black (Staz-On), distress embossing (Ranger); embossing powder: liquid platinum (Ranger); metallic star eyelets (Making Memories); dry embossing folder (Cuttlebug/ProvoCraft); circle & scallop dies (Nestabilities/Spellbinder); adhesives (Pioneer mounting tape, pop-dots).

Thanks for looking. 

SFYTT challenge -- June 13, 2009

I really liked the SFYTT sketch posted by Jen del Muro today.  I think that I've got another card inside my head that could use this design as well, but we'll see if it escapes in the next day or two.

I love to travel.  I got to go to Europe last year for the first time and I'm currently saving up my vacation time for a visit to Japan (and maybe even my Navy son-in-law, my daughter and her family, who are living there currently).  I have several different stamp sets which can be used for a travel theme and I thought that I'd pull some of them out for this card.

My apologies for the poor quality of the photo.  My little point and shoot camera doesn't seem to be taking as good photos this week as it has in the past.

The background stamp is from Inkadinkadoo; the postage image is from Tim Holtz/Stamper's Anonymous.  The rub on (World Traveler) is from making memories.

Materials used: miscellaneous kraft, cream, black cardstock; black ink (Colorbox); black embossing powder (Stamp'n'Stuff); stamps and rub-on as noted above.

Thanks for looking.