Friends of Unity- All Is Calm Blog Hop

 Welcome, Unity Lovers!

I was so honored to be invited as a guest designer for this month's Friends of Unity Blog Hop. Friends of Unity has been going for two years now, and I've been following them since their beginnings.  The designers are so dang talented.

Our theme this month is All Is Calm.  That theme is kind of tricky, because while the first thought in my mind was a nativity scene, I wanted to do something unexpected.  I began thinking about what calm could mean. Calm and cool. Who is cooler than... The Fonz?  So I made a Christmas wish card with a Fonzie inspired Angie Guy.

Kits Used: Zeke Guy, Winter Regards, Poinsettia with Love

To Make This Card:

• Background
• Stamp the snowflakes from Poinsettia with Love and Winter Regards in Versamark Ink
• Emboss with clear embossing powder.
• Ink blend with Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Victorian Velvet, Shaded Lilac, Tumbled Glass and Weathered Wood
• Splatter watered down acrylic white paint to give texture
• Zeke "The Fonz" Guy
• Stamp Zeke Guy on a separate sheet of paper
• Color skin and hair with Prismacolor Pencils
• Cut shirt, jacket, pants, and belt with different patterned and textured papers.
• Cut Zeke and clothing out, staying very close to the lines.  Do not cut around the dots from the stamp's background
• Sentiment
• Stamp sentiment on square die-cut from Gina Marie Designs with smoky gray Versafine Ink.
• Use same distress ink colors as background to give cohesion
• Double mat the sentiment with white and gray

Prizes 

We have tons of great prizes on our blogs, and you can only win if you comment on each one. Unity has been so kind as to donate 2 separate prize packs.  Look how generous these are!

 Follow the Blogs Here

Remember, to check out everyone's blog, and leave them some love in the comments.  The links are below. Happy hopping and have a lovely holiday season!

• Crystal
• Eileen
• Joyce
• Dawn
• Alaine
• Kim
• Amber
• Jeanie
• Dawn F.
• Robyn
• Donna
• ME-Shannon Edwards
• Jessica

GIU Blog Hop Spring 2019

Hello All!

Welcome to the second GIU blog hop for 2019.  We are excited to show you more pieces and ways you can use your Unity Stamp Company goodness.

I just received two orders in the mail, but this little guy called Tuxedo Bunny by Lisa Glanz was my most anticipated.  I had to have him!  I knew just what paper I was going to use too!  It was from one of my favorite 6x6 pads called Shine On by Amy Tangerine.  I chose the paper first, then watercolored my bunny to make sure my work would match.

I watercolored him with my Van Gogh watercolors.  I thought his little tux would be adorable in an emerald crushed velvet look.  The sentiment is from the kit "I'm Obsessed Birdies".

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you get a chance to shop Unity's sale.  They really are the best stamps you could ever want.  

Remember to visit each blog in the hop and comment below for a chance to win a Unity prize pack!

Lee Ann - www.greytpapercrafts.blogspot.com

Shannon - https://lingeringhappinessco.blogspot.com/?m=1&fbclid=IwAR12jtLg9WtE-NrsT1wrWMM07QfTpGBex4sWp6M6ThVuiO6ZDFDjnXkoUas (You are here)

Brianna - https://riversidedaydreams.blogspot.com/?fbclid=IwAR1uc-vqGmNfxKBXlSEx_xgtJynAoToHs5eGGRfWbeNLNrSPsH0KKcTJBwI

Jeanie - https://thewashihorse.blogspot.com

Bobbie Sue - https://www.two38creations.com/?fbclid=IwAR3gIIeh-um_jyNTVql2vuZDVt8LXeAXqKz56oR4cb6Zb1FPranzYEBaOk4

DeAnn - https://betterwhenimstamping.blogspot.com/

GIU 2019 Day 5- Rainbow

Hello Unies!  Welcome back.  

Today, let's not just play with one or two colors.  Let's play with them all!!!  I love rainbows, seriously.  I remember when I was a kid getting just the right shades of crayons to make the best rainbows in the class.  I remember all things Lisa Frank and coveting my friend's rainbow kitten folder.  And when I discovered Unity Stamp Company, I decided I could and should make everything with rainbows.  I'm going to show you first my brand new rainbow-riffic project, but then I'm going to loop back and show you some of my other favorite rainbow projects from the past.  Angeline Choo will be proud!  She and I are rainbow and glitter soul sisters, I think!

 First off, here is my take on a rainbow floral. I used the Angie Blom masterpiece Rebuild Your Life for the rose, and because it was so unique, I used the sentiment from "things will work out."  The splattery edges are from the stamp set, "Let Adventure."  I used Van Gogh watercolors, and a smidgen of glossy accents and glitter for the stamens in the middle.  

When I showed my friends, Mooney and Sterner, Mooney told me it made her feel things and it felt like real art.  When asked, Sterner said it reminded her of Jerry Garcia.  Either way, this rose is "fun."

Below are some of my past rainbow works.  I've linked to the kits I've used in each.  Enjoy the color!

 Radiate the World

Step Out Peony

Becoming that Person

Obsessed with Floral

There Is No Reason

Things will Work Out

Wakely Girl

She Never Says Never

Helluva Start

Empowered Words

Perfect Day Hummingbird

Normal is Boring

Let Adventure

Touch the Sky

Here's your challenge today.  Rainbow-ify your stamps.  Fill your world with color.  Use colored inks, colored pencils, watercolors, crayons.  I don't care about the medium, but you need to play!  There's a reason people love rainbows.  They fill us with joy, they inspire us to believe there is hope, and they make us laugh.  If you decide to bring a little rainbow into the world, be sure to post a picture of it on the Unity Show and Tell or Instagram, and use the hashtag #colortheorywithShannon so I recognize that you were sent there by me!  

I've so enjoyed talking about color, florals, and different forms of media this week with you.  I hope you will keep in touch.  If you want to continue to see my work, follow me on Instagram through the handle @shannon.edwards.  I am also a pretty prolific poster on the Show and Tell on Facebook. 

Remember, if you want a chance at the Unity Prize Pack, be sure to comment on each day of this week's Growing in Unity 2019 blog.  I'll choose the winner early next week.

Happy stamping and creating, my friends!

GIU 2019 Day 4- Tetradic Colors

Are you all ready for a bit of obscure color theory?  Today we are going deep into the color wheel and using a system of finding 4 colors that belong together.  For a tetradic or "rectangle" color palette, you need to choose colors that form a rectangle.  Check out the color wheel below.

Now you can move the rectangle in any direction and still get a group of colors that are interesting together.  Why do these work?  Well, first off, the four are actually two sets of complementary colors.  Notice the red and the green with the orange and the blue.  As I was reading up on the tetradic colors, they said that it works best if you let one color be more dominant.  So that is what I did.  

For my color palette of tetradic colors, I chose red-violet, red-orange, yellow-green, and blue-green (teal).  These colors are very rich and bold.  So instead of trying to use them all in one card, I decided to use them as bases for a set of magnets I was making.  So I used my red, blue, and yellow acrylic paints to mix my colors and make a solid base.   The little canvases had built-in magnets!  How cool!  And for 9 cents more than the plain, I had to pick some up.

I stamped each of the florals on white mixed media paper, and colored them with the contrasting colors to each of my magnet bases (red-violet base got a yellow-green flower).  When I was coloring the florals, I left them very light because the bases were so color rich. 

Then I stamped four floral images by Holly Hoffman on white tissue paper and Modge Podged them onto the magnets. The florals I used were Blossoming Beauty and Wild Florals.  Then I fussy cut out the colored florals and Modge Podged those to the floral tissue papered bases.

To add finishing touches, I painted some of the leaves and filigree white to add more contrast, and I distressed the edges of each canvas with black ink to add depth.  However, they still seemed to be missing something.

So, I stamped some sweet simple sentiments from a few adorable kits.  The sentiments I used came from Many Happy Birdies, Little Sunshine, and I'm Obsessed Birdies.  I stamped the sentiments in the distress oxides colors peacock feathers, peeled paint, abandoned coral, and seedless preserves and embossed them with clear embossing powder.  I modge podged those last.

This was one of those finicky projects I might not do again, but I wanted to try something different.  I think they all look great as a set.  My challenge to you is to make a set of something using tetradic colors.  Maybe you'll make a set of cards.  Maybe you'll make a set of coasters. Or maybe you'll try out making canvas magnets like me!  Whatever you try, be sure to post it on the Unity Show and Tell, and use the hashtag #colortheorywithShannon so I can see your projects.  

Also, be sure to comment on my blog below to be entered to win a prize pack from Unity Stamp Company.  The two winners will be selected at the beginning of next week, and will be sent 25 delicious red rubber stamps from Unity!  

Make sure you come back tomorrow to see my "trippy" project...

GIU 2019 Day 3- Monochromatic Coloring

Today we will be discussing monochromatic coloring.  I'm a language arts teacher, so let's break it down--  mono=one, chroma= color.  I'm going to show you how to make an outstanding piece with one color.  It sounds boring, but I assure you, it is not.

First, let's take a look at our color wheel.

Each wedge, or slice, of the color wheel pie, is one color descending in the intensity of color as it moves toward the middle.  In chromatic coloring, you will choose one hue, and you will create shadows and highlights with colors that differ only in value (lightness or darkness).  

For today's floral example of monochromatic coloring, I give you "Abundant Blessings".  If you haven't picked up a Unity sentiment kit, get on it!  They each have a half sheet of red rubber, and when they're on sale for $20, you cannot beat the value.  I love Abundant Blessings because it has a gorgeous floral that could be any color, and 9, yes, 9, sizable sentiments.  What a deal.

I chose a sepia-brown color to practice my monochromatic coloring because I thought, 'I don't often see a neutral floral.'  I stamped the image and sentiment with Versafine Clair ink in Fallen Leaves.  It is an almost-black, but still brown ink on Bristol paper.  Then I began to color with my Prismacolor pencils.  I used only 4 pencils-  PC997 (Beige), PC941 (Light Umber), PC947 (Dark Umber), and PC946 (Dark Brown).  I laid down a base color using the beige, and around the centers, ends, and lines I began to layer some of the darker colors.  When I was through, I blended them with a Prismacolor colorless blender pencil.  It helped eliminate any harsh edges I had when I got tired of coloring.  

Here's the finished product.  I gave it a wobbly little doodle border in the brown pen and layered it on kraft and a white square 5.5X5.5 inch base.  I had a little brown and white bakers twine, so I just made a simple bow to embellish.  

Here's the challenge.  Choose an image (I'd suggest something simple if you're a beginner), pick one hue, and color with just the values within that color!  Simple-dimple.  Make sure you share your creations on the Unity Show and Tell facebook group.  Be sure to follow me on Instagram as well by using my handle @shannon.edwards.  You can use the hashtag #colortheorywithShannon so I can make sure I see your beauties!

Also, remember to comment below for the chance to win a Unity Prize package of 25 glorious red rubber stamps.  

GIU 2019 Day 2- Analogous Colors

Welcome back my dears!

My project for today deals with analogous colors. OOOOHHH AHHHHH!

Let's take a look back at our color wheel for reference.

Analogous colors are next to one another on the color wheel. I think about a color palette of fire (red, orange, yellow).  A cool palette of analogous colors might include violet, blue, and green.  For that combo, I think about a field of lavender with a blue sky in the distance.  

The analogous colors work together simply because they are next to each other.  They have some similarities in color already.  For example, my analogous palette today goes from yellow-orange to blue.  

The yellow and blue are primary colors, but when blended in different recipes get shades of green.  I played with this basic color combo to get the yellow roses, green stems, and blue background.  If I had wanted to, I could have remained in the same palette and used blue florals with a yellow background and had a very different look.  

To create this beauty, I used the floral by Angie Blom called, "My Condolences" and the sentiment from the other Angie Blom kit, "Step Out Peony."   I used my Van Gogh watercolors, and as a secret (cheating) step, I embossed the image and the sentiment to help my watercolors stay in the lines.  

My challenge for you today is to choose an analogous palette and play!  Go orange to violet!  Pick purple to teal!  I want to see what you make on the Unity Show and Tell of Facebook.  Use the hashtag #colortheorywithShannon so I can see all the lovelies you made!

Finally,  remember to comment on the blog.  I try and respond to everyone's comments, and I love hearing from all of you.  Two lucky winners will be selected who comment each day on the blog.  They will each win a prize pack from Unity Stamp Company of 25 red rubber stamps!  What a deal!

If you want to follow me on Instagram, my handle is @shannon.edwards.  

GIU 2019 Day 1- Complementary Colors

Welcome, my wonderful, genius, crafty pals!

I'm so incredibly glad you are joining me this week as I cover some basic color theory lessons, new mediums, and do it all while using some fabulous Unity Stamp Company floral stamps!

So what is color theory?  In essence, it is getting to understand what colors belong together and when.  If you're anything like me, you just throw things together that you think look good but are not really sure WHY they look good or why they look bad when they do.  My friend, Annie Sterner, turned me on to thinking about why I choose the colors I do. She sent me a few videos and images that opened me up to new and different palettes I may not have chosen before.

Color theory is all about the color wheel.  Check out this very simple one.  The wheel shows you what you get when you mix basic colors.  It shows you secondary colors (red+blue=violet), and tertiary colors (violet+blue= blue-violet).

The first color theory piece I'm going to talk about is complementary colors.  Complementary colors are two colors that are directly across from one another on the color wheel.  For example, violet and yellow are complementary colors.  Violet is complementary to yellow because no yellow is added to make violet.  Also, if you mix complementary colors, they make a kind of brown.  So if your blue is ever too bright, you can always knock down some of the brightness and make it more neutral with a touch of orange.

For my example project using complementary colors, I used the kits, "You Are Forever Beautiful"  by Angie Blom, and "Empowered Words" by Donna Downey.  This floral is beautiful EVERY TIME someone colors it.  Angie hit it out of the park with this beauty.

So why do these colors work together?  I used the red rose and green stems because they are complementary.  That is why red roses are so iconic!  The red pops against the green foliage.  

To get these luxe colors on my kraft background I used Vicki Boutin's art crayons.  They are a cross between an oil pastel and a watercolor crayon.  They give me the opacity I want on kraft, and they layer and blend nicely too.  To use them, I scribble them on my craft mat, add a touch of water, and paint with them.  They are so magical.

If you like the look of the red and green together, I suggest you try another complementary combo.  Spring is here, so a purple and yellow would be fabulous together.  Try a red violet and yellow green combination.  Add a bit of contrast and make your own complementary color card!   Then, share it on the Unity Show and Tell using the hashtag #colortheorywithShannon

Please remember to comment below on my blog.  Two winners who comment each of the five days will be selected to win a Unity prize package of 25 stamps!  Seriously, it's a very generous prize.  

Also, if you are not a member of Unity Show and Tell on Facebook, I highly recommend it.   Crafters in the Show and Tell are experts, beginners, and everything in between.  Plus, everyone is so kind and encouraging.  No matter what stage you are at in stamping, you can post and feel accepted.

If you would like to follow me on Instagram, my handle is @shannon.edwards.  You will be able to see a whole lot of Unity made goodness over there as well!