There's More than Corn in Indiana.

For those of you who are Indiana natives -- you might remember that slogan from a long time ago. (I'm getting old!) Well... I found out last night that there really IS more than corn in Indiana! I met up with two awesome gals last night at Archivers for a little craft time away from the kids. :) Do you recognize these sweet little faces? I got to meet Kimber for the first time last night... and MAN does this girl have talent! And... that's little Miss Jen Buck on the right. I met Jennifer for the first time last year at CHA & FINALLY got to stamp with her! We've decided that WE'RE going to write a book. We're calling it... 'Stamping Secrets'. Kimber doesn't think it's going to be a hot seller... but I'm feeling confident. ;) (Kimber just so happened to write a book called 'Scrapbook Secrets'. I'm pretty sure that she stole the idea from me.)


I've never been to a 'crop' before... and I don't scrapbook. -- So, it was an interesting experience. Instead... I attempted to make some cards. My mojo had kicked the bucket and I wasn't too productive... but I did manage to make this little guy: The little owl is from Unity's Mix Up of Cuteness set. Kimber was nice enough to give me a Jillibean Soup Journaling Sprout to put behind him. The sentiment and stitching are rub-ons from American Craft's Craft Fair line. AND... that funky retro floral paper is one of my new favorites from Sassafras. Yum-o! Hope you're having a great weekend! Have a wonderful Easter! God Bless! :)

Earth Day is Hip!

Hip HOP, that is!!! Unity is going green today and is releasing a new single that I LOVE called 'Plant a Tree'. I used the stamp in it's entirety on this project... but you could also omit the sentiment and use this adorable image for any occasion!

And... here's a close up of my card. I stamped the image in black ink and then hand stitched the tree to give it some color. (Another hint: Pierce the holes in your paper BEFORE you start stitching. It makes it so much easier and prevents tearing.)

To make it even more 'Eco Friendly', I ripped a piece of denim and looped it through my card front for a cheap, recycled embellishment. (And yet another hint from me that you've probably heard before: Save those worn out jeans! My boys seem to rip holes in the knees of their pants on a weekly basis. Instead of throwing them out... add them to your craft stash!)

And... since we're being all 'Earth Happy' today, I wanted to show you a couple of 'tree' cards I made using Unity's April KOM:

This one uses some fun and funky new paper from Sassafras.

And... to tone things down a bit, here's a card using the same image, using some of the Kraft line by Jillibean Soup.

Now... hop on over to the next blog for more Unity Goodness!
***AJ***

Going Retro

Wow! I have a lot to share with you today! I've been going craft happy this weekend and finally got a few things finished that have been floating around in my mind for awhile. :) So... I have a lot to say, and hopefully you'll make it through to the end. :) I also have another fun project that will be on Angela's Unity blog today & I'd love for you to check it out too. :)

So.... I told you in an earlier post about how I purchased this fun kit from Scrap In Style that was full of 'vintage' themed products. As soon as I opened my box, I saw this shade of green and I knew I had to make a project for my friend, Libby. If you saw her kitchen... you would know how perfectly it fits her. She's got an awesome retro green fridge (maybe from the 50's???) and vintage accessories tucked everywhere.

I began by covering a Cosmo Cricket blackboard memory box with "Libby-like" papers (Urban Prairie BG, Graphic 45, and authentic OLD newsprint). I covered the newsprint with a clear acrylic sheet first to protect it... and everything was Modge Podged in place.
The monogram "L" is from Cosmo Cricket (Alpha-Buttons), painted with Juniper acrylic pant (Ranger), and then faux stitched with a fine tipped pen. I stamped the little birdie from Unity's Birdie Inspiration kit in the corner (I thought the "L" looked like his flight pattern). The fun Pom Pom trim and vintage buttons were part of my SIS kit too.

And... below is a what the box looks like opened up. I used the scalloped frame from the Birdie Inspiration set on the inside lid and then stamped the little teapot from Unity's Mix Up of Cuteness inside.

I thought this vintage fabric would be cute on a tea towel for her kitchen... so I traced the monogram letter and sewed it in place. (The fabric and the ric rack also came from my SIS kit.)

Are you still with me? ;) I HAD to make a coordinating card to go with my gift and decided to try out this week's 2 Sketches 4 You layout:

I used several of the same elements to make this 'Fancy Fold' card. (The sentiment is from Unity's April KOM set and the frame is the same image that was stamped on the inside of my box.)


When you untie the bow, the card opens up to look like this:

These cards are easy to make! Let me give you a quick tutorial using my Mini Scor-It tool:

When making a score line, it is important that you lay your card face down on the mat. In other words, the side you score should be the INSIDE of the card. Then simply start your tool in the notch above where your paper lays and start your score. This will keep your cardstock from cracking when you fold it.




From this point, you'll just adhere patterned paper on top of the ribbon and decorate the other two panels. Fold your card, tie & trim your ribbon. :) Let me know if you have any questions.... and bless you if you actually made it this far in my post! Have a great Monday!!!

I Love You, Sis!!!

I wanted to make a little gift box for my sister using this bonus sketch by Berdien for 2 Sketches 4 You:

I've been hoarding this Perfect Package box from Taylored Expressions. If you haven't seen these... you really should check them out! They are so 'boutique' fabulous and have a magnetic closure built in.

I used a couple of stamps from Unity's April Kit of the Month (KOM) and some new paper from Lily Bee (French Couture line) to pretty it up.

And... here is the inside of my gift box. For the life of me, I can't get it to go straight... so sorry for making you have to turn your head sideways! :)

Hope you have a great weekend! :)

Hip Hop WINNER!!!

My 3 yr. old (Emery) picks......

Congratulations Ravengirl!!!

You Won a New Unity Stamp!!!!

Ravengirl said...

Fab cards! I'm so glad your ego is intact after stories like that. I have heard time and time again about how I was a "Butterball" when I was that little! So I know what you mean!

April 2, 2009 7:51 PM

email eryn@unitystampco.com to claim your PRIZE!!!

Oh Baby! It's Hip Hop Time!

Today's Unity Blog Hop is 'baby' themed. There are fun new stamps & great specials going on... and a few fun & games along the way. We're all suppose to be posting our baby pictures, so I had to dig and find one out of the archives.

My dad loves to tell stories about how he lovingly called me 'Bubba'. You see... I've always loved to eat & THANK GOODNESS I was blessed with the 'tall' gene! My parents say that I weigh the same amount now as I did as a baby. My legs just grew. And... it might be hard to tell, but I had some pretty bad hair back in the day too. I hear that I wasn't taken out of the house without a bonnet on.... and since my head was a pretty good size, it was hard to find any that fit. It's amazing that I don't have issues after hearing these sweet stories all of my life. ;)

Here's another one. (See! I grew into that big noggin!) :)


BUT.... anyway - back to UNITY! :) Here are a couple of cards I made using their new baby sets: Tickled Pink & Bouncy Blue (click on pics to see details)
I used some super cute Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday paper & colored everything with Copic Markers. *Hint: If you airbrush your sky with Copic markers, you can easily create clouds by using a Colorless Blender! (Found this one out by trying to cover up a 'boo-boo') :)

Make sure to head over to Angela's blog to see all of the fun specials and games going on today. The Blog Hop begins there and you don't want to miss what she has in store! :)

From here... make your way over to my friend Laura's blog! I'm sure she was a beautiful baby! :)

I'm not Fooling!

I have some pretty exciting news to share with you today! I was asked to be Unity's Guest Designer for the month of April! Whoo Hoo! I am a huge Unity fan and can't wait to show you some of the things that I've been working on!

To kick off my month at Unity, I wanted to show you a peek at the April Kit of the Month (KOM). If you're not a kit club subscriber, you REALLY should check it out! Each month, members get a package FULL of awesome images... and in my opinion... the kits just keep getting better and better!

This card is part of today's challenge posted by Jennifer. We were suppose to make a 'spring' card using the colors: pink, blue, green & yellow AND incorporate stitching. I instantly fell in love with this sweet image of two little girls holding hands. Don't you remember doing that in Kindergarten. LOL!

Here's what I was going for on this card: ;) One little girl is really poor (wearing an old brown dress that looks more like a burlap bag) and the other is looking super cute in her new blue dress. The sentiment reads, "Thank you for being my friend." (from September's KOM). These two don't let their differences get in the way of their friendship. :)

Wanna see what the other girls are creating with their new kits? :)

AJ Otto
Christi Snow
Jeanne Streiff
Jimmi Mayo
Maren Benedict
Amber Height
Chelsea Cook
Patter Cross
Robyn Weatherspoon
Heather Brown
Brooke Lien
Jen Erickson
Jennifer Buc
Renee Morris-Dezember
Wendy Chang