Herb Garden

One of the things that I love about Unity's Kit of the Month is the variety of styles of images to choose from. The silhouettes in this stamp are so beautiful & I love the coordinating watering can! I used some of Jenni Bowlin's Buttercup paper (from her Front Porch collection) and yes - you guessed it - paired it with denim. I just love the fresh country feel of the two of them together.


I embossed the watering can is embossed in silver & I added a little button embellishment. The ribbon was just gathered and sewn in place. The sketch comes from this week's CPS layout. I didn't have any matching flowers, so I used a white Kaiser flower and colored it in with Copics.


Thanks for checking out my latest project! Your next stop on Unity's Blog Hop is......

***CHRISTI***

I just uploaded new music to my blog. You'll have to let me know what you think! :) The lyrics can be found on the right side of my blog near the bottom.

Thankful Folk Bird

After a long day of work, I thought it would be nice to unwind a bit and get crafty! To get the mojo flowing, I went to one of my go-to sketch sites and found this fun little number:

This sketch was kind of tricky and a little complex for my tired brain, but after a little tinkering, I came up with something that satisfied my creative itch.

This beauteous little folk bird is part of the July Kit of the Month by Unity. For those of you who know my creative style... you probably know that I LOVE anything folk! It makes me feel all warm & fuzzy inside. :)

I used some of my coveted Pink Paislee paper & paired it with some red felt (cut with a Nestabilities die & my Cuttlebug), a vintage button (from my dh's great grandmother's button tin), & some black twine. The little decorative pins are from Fancy Pants & the twill is old SU twill that I've had for eons. I aged everything with a bit of Ranger Distress Ink. The sentiment is a rub-on from Creative Imaginations.

The black die cut panel is embossed using a Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder & coordinates really well with the patterned paper. It's there. I know you can't see it, but just trust me on this one. ;) Oh! And my bird is colored with Copics.

Thanks for coming to read my ramblings. I'm getting slap happy from lack of sleep & need to get my buns in bed. (My boys were up past midnight last night, attempting to 'camp' in the back yard with Daddy... & I had to get up for work at 5 am.) Nite!!!

a message for you:

I love this sentiment from Anna Wight's Hooked on Fishing set by Whipper Snapper -- 'May the holes in your net be no larger than the fish in it.' I thought this would make a fun 'encouragement' card. :)

One of my absolute favorite designers posted a card with a really cute layout & I wanted to try something like it for myself. You can check out my inspiration from Amy HERE. She's always coming up with the best color combo's and layouts! If you're looking for a new creative blog... make sure to check her out! :)


The entire design started with this "Elements" spot from Cosmo Cricket's Girl Friday collection (the part that says 'a message for you:'). This sheet of paper is packed with little journaling spots and tiny design blocks... so it really gives you a lot of 'bang for your buck'. I stamped the chicken and paper pieced parts of it... and added hints of color with a Copic marker. The rest of the paper is from Cosmo's Snorkel collection.

I'm on Etsy!!!

It's been ages... but I've finally updated my Etsy shop! I'm still adding to it, but I'd love for you to check it out! :)

***MY SHOP***

A Pocket Full of....

Hip Hop! Are you ready to see Unity's NEWEST Kit of the Month?!? July's kit is called "A Pocket Full of"... and it's packed FULL of THE cutest images! As always, today's blog hop starts with the Unity Blog. Make sure to check in there to see all of today's specials and goodies! And... since it's a new month, we have new friends with us! Please welcome July's Guest Designers -- Lisa & Shemaine! :)

I love how versatile this kit is! Once again, I used Claudine Hellmuth's Sticky Back Canvas for my main image. I think it gives the 'denim' pocket an authentic texture. The denim tag at the top is the real deal (part of my son's worn out jeans). The paper is by October Afternoon & the felt heart is by Chatterbox.

And... since the 4th of July is right around the corner, I wanted to share a few patriotic cards that I made using Unity's "Unity in America" set. (This set can only be purchased right now through Memory Making Crafts.) I really love the Americana images in the set!

I paired one of the sentiments from the set with some gorgeous Webster's Pages paper below.

And... here is another one using the same paper line. I wanted to make the pitcher look like yellow ware & added a crackle finish. (You can always see a close-up by clicking on the picture.)

And... here is another one of the images paired with some Jillibean Soup paper & Sassafras chipboard.

Your next stop on the blog hop is our fearless leader....

***AJ***

Here's Your Chance!!!

Have you ever wanted to be a Guest Designer for Unity Stamps? Are you a Kit of the Month subscriber? Here's what you need to do:

Using this sketch, create a project using Unity's May or June 2009 Kit of the Month. You have until July 8th to upload your project to the Splitcoast Stampers gallery, using the keyword: USGD03

Want a little inspiration? I just so happen to have the NEW July KOM (and are you going to LOVE it!!!). :) I paper-pieced the three clouds from the kit and added bits of color with my white gel pen & a Copic marker. The sentiment is stamped on Claudine Hellmuth's Sticky Back Canvas.

Would you like to see more ideas AND see what some of the girls from the Design Team have made with their new KOM? Check out these links:

Christi Snow
Jeanne Streiff
AJ Otto
Amber Height
Maren Benedict
Kimber McGray
Jennifer Buck
Lisa Henke