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!

Mrs. Edwards Gets "Lit" as the kids would say

Hello my dear Unies!  Welcome to our Growing In Unity blog hop.  You get to start here with me today, and I am more than excited about that.  Below you will see the blog hop order and you will have the chance to click on other spectacular blogs and comment to win a fabulous prize pack from Unity Stamp Company.  

I have two little projects for you today. For me as a teacher, summer break is coming in 4 DAYS! I can barely believe it.  But with the end of the school year comes the need for graduation cards.  I think light bulbs are a perfect alternative  to owls or cap and gowns for a graduation.

To achieve this effect I stamped with Versafine Onyx black on kraft cardstock.  I used Gina Marie Wonky stitched rectangles for the base.  I stamped the image from the kit See the Light and sentiment. Then I used Prismacolor pencils to give a faint glow.  I used three colors, white, cream, and a goldenrod color. to diffuse the light.  To make it pop a little more, I used a brown ink called Desert Sand to distress the edges. I was struggling with the sequins, so I grabbed a small handful of the colors I wanted, I dropped them, and then picked a couple off and tweaked them to make sure they didn't cover anything important.  It gave me the randomness my eye wanted. I think this card could be a great gender neutral gift for any graduate.

The next mini project is an ATC.  I've been OBSESSED with Artist Trading Cards since my good friend Annie Sterner introduced me to them.  I've been sharing my pieces on the Show and Tell, which you should join if you haven't already.  The ATC I made could be put inside the above card with an encouraging note on the back that a graduate could stick in one of the 300 dollar textbooks they will probably never read.  I say this from experience.  

I didn't want to make all the bulbs from the kit Glowing and Beautiful a traditional yellow or white.  I thought some colorful lights would make the card pop a bit more.  I'll share a tip for how I colored my lights. Caution: I'm not an expert at coloring; I just experiment and do what looks best to me.  I used four shades of the same hue for each light, and started with the darkest color on the outside. I then overlapped lighter colors toward the inside, using white to give the inside of the bulb a glow. After I blended using a colorless blending pencil, I added a couple white glares in the corners of the bulbs and did not blend those. 

As I said before, these projects are just the beginning of the beauty to come.  Please click on all the links below to visit more amazing craft pages and leave them some love.  If you do, you will be in the running to win a crafty prize from Unity Stamp Company, and you know they never skimp on the prizes.

1. Shannon Pavlovic Edwards- You are Here
2. Sandra van Blaricum
3. Amanda Garrett 
4. Tricia Veinot Moore
5. Chris Dayton 
6. Avra Williams 

One card will make you smile and one will haunt your dreams

My week is coming to a close Unies!  Do you know how hard it has been to make all this awesome and keep it to myself!?  Really, really hard.  My last two cards for the week are extraordinarily different.  I wanted to show you the range of cards you can make from SMAK sets. Not everything has to be distressed or worn looking sometimes you can do sweet and simple like I did with this beauty.

I could not stop looking at this card after I made it.  I started with a piece of kraft cardstock, my Misti, and a mandala from the kit Let it Go. I love this image so much.  I need all the kits in my life that have these shapes.  Bohemian Backgrounds and Love What's Meant to Be would also be amazing with this technique.

Here's how to do it.  Place your stamp where you want it on the card, and pick it up with your MISTI or stamp platform.  Then, starting at the inside, use Distress Oxide in twisted citron and ink up the middle.  Spritz with water that first color and stamp.  Then, wipe it off, and do a ring of the next color, Peacock Feathers, spritz and stamp. Wipe and repeat the process with two more colors, Seedless Preserves and Picked Raspberry.  Spritzing the oxides with water give it that milky effect on the kraft paper.  I love how using the MISTI my image stays perfectly in place so I don't have to worry about continually lining things up.

Once the oxides dried, I found the perfect sentiment to go with my simple card.  "The littlest things in life is where we find real, true joy."  How true, how true.  I feel it when I get a hug from a person I love, when I get a piece of happy mail, when I smell dinner cooking when I get home, or even fresh sheets on my bed.  The sentiment is from the kit Find your Zen.  Double mat with white and black and stick on a coordinating card base.  Instant love.

Another feature of the SMAK sets is the distress style stamps.  The vintage style women were what initially attracted me to the membership.  I love them.  They are just the slightest bit spooky. The newest kit has probably the creepiest gal yet.  My goal is to haunt your dreams with this eerie character.  She is from the newest SMAK called Normal is Boring.

What a creep. Am I right?  I just watercolored her, but something about the angle of her neck and the way her eyes follow me around the room gives me a delightful case of the heebie-jeebies.  

I hope you enjoyed my week.  Comment below with your favorite project, kit you just have to have, or a technique you can't wait to try.  Two people who comment on my blog will receive 25 red rubber stamps courtesy of Unity Stamp Company!  What a prize.  Love you all so much.  Muah.

My husband is real and the layout that proves it.

Day 4 Unies, and I'm coming in HOT!  I don't know if you can tell this about me, but I'm a bit of an extrovert.  I love talking with people, getting to know them, encouraging them to be their best selves etc.  My husband, however is not quite so sociable.  In fact, many of my friends have never met him and doubt his existence.  They joke that I don't really have a husband, just a neighbor that I borrow for pictures sometimes.  Well, I showed them!  Would I make an amazing photo layout like this for a random neighbor?

Come on, how flipping cute are we!?! We have the kind of mushy love that if my friends ever did see us together, we would make them sick. After almost 8 years of marriage I'm still gaga for this guy!

I am not a scrapbooker, and I honestly had no idea what I was doing when I decided to try a modern layout.  I found a layout I liked on Pinterest and used what I had and changed it how I wanted.  

I started with my picture.  I liked the pop of red in my scarf and hat, so I used that as my starting point.  I used a piece of kraft paper and got out some of my favorite mixed-media, distress style stamps.  For the background stamps I used parts of the following kits:

• She Never Says Never
• Be Fearless
• Inspired Minds
• Let Adventure

I stamped using distress oxides in Candied Apple and Black Soot, as well as using Versafine Onyx Black and gold embossing powder for some of the hearts.

When the background was stamped, I found some coordinating Washi Tape and just added a few strips to add interest to the background.  I think the gold washi brought the project together.

When all was said and done, however, it needed a little bit of cute.  I just bought the kit I Tolerate You by Lisa Arana, and I ADORE that bear and bunny.  I think they look like me and Brian.   I colored the image using my Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils, and popped it up overlapping my image.  I added the sentiment from the kit in the bottom corner too.  

Last steps were matting the page, hot gluing on some buttons, and sticking it in an old frame I had laying around the house.  Now my layout sits proudly on my desk at school where my students constantly are asking me, "Is that your husband?"  I reply, "Maybe. Or is it my neighbor?" They walk away very confused.  Seventh graders are so funny like that.

Have you ever used your Unity stamps for a layout or with pictures?  Do you have a significant other that may or may not be your neighbor?  Comment below for a chance to win 25 deeply etched red rubber stamps from Unity Stamp Company!

ATC- Artist Trading Card or Almost Too Cool

Day 3 UNIES!  I hope you are having fun and seeing things you like on my blog this week.  Today I have some ATC's for you.  What is an ATC you ask?  It stands for Artist Trading Card and you make these little 2.5" by 3.5" cards with cute designs and send them to others to add to a collection.  They've been really hot lately since Annie Sterner started blowing up the Show and Tell with all her ATC beauty.  That being said, she sent a lot of them to my sister who was/is in need of a pick me up since she is battling cancer, so I love her for those little ATC's.  To honor Annie's prolific ATC making and to show you don't have to make an A2 card to make someone's day, I give to you 2 artist trading cards I made using some mixed media techniques.

This lil' guy has a lot of bang for the buck, I must say.  I started with my watercolor paper cut to size.  I used Vicki Boutin art crayons colored on my mat and added with water.  I smooshed my card into it to get some random color effects.  I then used a cool wavy stamp from Find your Zen and used the art crayons to color right onto the red rubber. I spritzed the crayon with a water spritz before stamping.  I did the lines in blue crayon and green to make it look dimensional.

I then stamped the sentiment from The Ocean is Calling in Versafine Black Onyx ink and embossed with clear.  The texture on the sides is from another Vicki Boutin product called iridescent glaze.  The glaze comes in a tub and is whitish, but when you add a little bit of her magic crayon scrapings, you can blend the glaze into colors like this!  I just love the color.  I used a palette knife and the Tim Holtz Burlap stencil and went around the sentiment with the glaze.  

One more ATC. For this background, I used Tim Holtz distress spray in cracked pistachio and mermaid lagoon.  The paper is canvas paper, so it has a bit more texture than normal.  I used the tinted Vicki Boutin iridescent glaze through a mini stencil and with a palette knife to get some texture.  Then I got stuck, so I asked the ATC master, Annie Sterner what to do, and she said, "throw a butterfly and a sentiment on there and be done.  It's just a piece of paper!"  She is a wise woman, so I added the image and sentiment from Quilted Wings.  I did add a smidgen of glitter and some white accents to the stamp to make it pop a little.  

I want to know, how do you feel about ATC's (making them or receiving them).  What images or sentiments do you think would be the perfect piece of inspiration on a trading card?  Anyone excited about using glazes through a stencil?  Comment below for a chance to win 25 Unity red rubber stamps!

Art Crayons, Sentimental Cards, and People Who Care

Day 2 of GIU 2018.  Let me be real with you all. I am obsessed with looking at cards and paper crafts online.  My Instagram is full of beautiful works by clever and artists who are incredibly talented.  I go on the Show and Tell and stalk all of your creations. Sometimes in my stalking I run across a technique I can't quite put my finger on, or someone repping a new product I've never seen.  Curious stalking is what led me to my newfound love of Vicki Boutin mixed media products.  Pair her art crayons and glazes with some UNITY realness and you have instant paper craft gold.

Today I'm going to share 2 cards I created using some of Vicki's magic art crayons and the STUNNING SMAK and other Unity kits that I love.

Check out this butterfly card from kit Truest Life.

I embossed the butterfly in gold on printed paper from the pad "Preserved Paper" by DCWV and tore the edges of the paper to get a rustic feel.  Then I colored some of the Vicki Boutin art crayons on my mat, (3 colors of blue) and added some water until it dissolved like a very pigmented watercolor.  I used my colors inside the butterfly, but also let them drip down the page to mimic the stamp's drips.  Honestly, I stole this idea from Laura Mooney who made the most insanely cool drippy flower canvases.  I used the sentiment from Inspired Minds to set this off.  I distressed the edges with distress oxide ink in Walnut Stain and set the sentiment off with a touch of gold washi.  Add a few neutral sequins and voila!


The next card has a special meaning to me.  A friend asked if I would make her a card for her brother who was celebrating his third year being sober.  She always sneaks a little card in the mail to remind him of how proud of him she is, but had trouble finding masculine cards.  I made the card with a little extra love because my uncle who we celebrated for his continual sobriety just passed away last month.  While I was making the card for my friend, I felt like I was making it for my dear uncle Kevin too.  It's funny how making a card can be so cathartic and meaningful.

For this card I used the kits The Ocean is Calling and Sentiments for Graduates.  I embossed the lighthouse in gold again on a piece of watercolor paper.  I used the art crayon in the sandy color right on the bottom part of the box, then water blended it out.  For the sky, I wanted it to look a little stormy, so I smooshed some of the gray and light blue art crayon watered down using acetate.  I could control where it got darker or lighter using the acetate.  That cool rock paper came from DCWV pad called "Beach House."  The little sailboat charm actually came to me in a care package from a dear friend on the Unity Show and Tell named Bobbie Sue!  The Unity Show and Tell is bursting at the seams with the kindest people who have the biggest hearts.  It was awesome to share her kindness on a card with so much meaning.

Don't forget to share some feedback in the comments for a chance to win 25 beautiful stamps from Unity.  Share a story of how someone made a card for you that gave you the feels, or one you made that gave you the warm fuzzies.  Is there a product you are dying to try out?

You'll never believe what she did with alcohol inks....

Congratulations, my fellow Unies, on making it here to Growing in Unity by Shannon Edwards. Folks, I'm getting out of my comfort zone this week, and I'm going all mixed media using distress style stamps from SMAK and a few other favorites. I promise you we will have some fun this week with some ridiculously funny, sometimes messy, and always amazing projects, if I do say so myself.  Not to toot my own horn here, but *toot toot* this first project is probably the coolest thing I've ever made. 

If you know me or have followed my work on the Show and Tell, you know how much I love a sassy lady stamp.  For my first day, I went all kinds of sassy lady crazy and made a set of coasters!

Here's how to make them and exactly what I used.

• Travertine Tiles
• Tim Holtz alcohol inks in:
• silver 
• gold
• purple twilight
• eggplant
• lettuce
• sunset orange
• sunshine yellow
• cranberry
• Alcohol ink mixitive or rubbing alcohol
• Tim Holtz felt applicator and handle
• Staz-on Black ink
• DecoARt DuraClear Satin Varnish
• Stick-on cork circles for the feet

Take your travertine tiles and put a few dots of the alcohol inks you'd like to mix on the tile randomly.  They can touch and overlap just fine.  Then, take one of the metallics, gold or silver, and put it on the applicator with some mixative.  Bounce the handle up and down on the tile, twisting it until the ink gets a marbleized feel.  If you want to add a few drops more of color, go for it! Blend until you like the look.  Make sure you get the edges too.

Once they dry, ink up your sassiest lady in a heavy coating of Staz-on Black ink.  I was surprised how clearly they stamped out on the tiles.  They were nice and smooth, probably because of the deeply etched red rubber of the stamps! ;-)  Once the gals and the sentiments were stamped, I let them dry for probably 20 minutes, and put on a thin layer of varnish just to seal them in and give them a little bit of a shine.  Finally, I stuck a cork circle on each of the corners once the varnish was dry. Now I have classy, sassy ladies to hold my Diet Coke or whatever other beverage I'd like to indulge in.  Here are the up close pics of these wonders.

Honestly, you MUST try this technique.  Even if you want to switch out sassy ladies for, I don't know, snowflakes or flowers or owls, or whatever else you might be into.  Just try.  This technique is so much easier than it looks

Here are all the kits I used for these coasters, including the sentiments

That sucks

Damn Girl

Love that Face

Let it Go

Be Fearless

Are you going to try this out, or which is your favorite gal coaster?Don't forget to leave a comment below to be entered in for a chance at winning 25 beautiful stamps from Unity Stamp Co!