Growing in Unity - Day 5

Happy Friday!  

Are you in the holiday shopping and partying frenzy yet?  We hit the ground running every single year as soon as Thanksgiving is over.  My husband and kids are all instrumentalist which means Christmas concerts and holiday performances almost every weekend in December.  My daughter was chosen to represent her school in an honor band at the local university which has added to our already busy schedules this week.  But I will make good use of the empty house catching up on creating my Christmas cards.  I am so far behind, I think some people will be receiving Happy New Year Cards.

Thank you for visiting my blog during my GIU week, I have loved inking up my stamps and sharing them with you.  The final card of the week is one that I received just last week.  I was in the process of placing an order when my husband walked over to my desk, he asked what I was ordering and I replied "stamps that I don't really need but they are so pretty".  He started browsing with me and decided he (yes, HE) needed the Adornment border background stamp.   

Truth be told he is an amazing artist and certainly colors with Copics better than I can on my best day.  But he got busy with a report at work and wasn't able to color the image for me.  I broke out the Copics (B16, B18, E50, Y28, G05 & RV29) and created this fun card with the set.  Oh My Goodness, this is hands down my favorite Christmas stamp this season.  The sentiment is an older Stampin' Up set that I believe is retired now but it pairs perfect witht he Adornment background. 

Have a lovely weekend!

Traci

 

Growing in Unity - Day 4

It's hard to believe it's already Thursday of  my GIU week.  When my name was picked last year this week seemed so far away and honestly it was!  All year long, I'd get a stamp set and think: Oh! I'll use this one for my GIU week.  Then another sale would pop up or I'd find another stamp and think the same thing.  It happened more often than I'd like to admit.

If you knew me you'd know that I am seriously addicted to coffee.  I am from New Orleans so I come by it naturally since we were given coffee from the time we could hold a cup!  I did the same with my kids. As a matter of fact one of my niece's likes to share the story of when my youngest was about two and a half years old and spent the night at her grandma's house with her, in the morning she toddled into the kitchen and asked "is the coffee ready".  That toddler is now a senior in high school and still loves her coffee.  

Being such a coffee lover means that I hoard no HOARD coffee stamps.  I fell in love with this set by gracellie Design Stay Strong and had to have it.   I created the back ground on water color paper by layering two shades of blue and two shades of brown out of my watercolor palette then I colored the coffee cup with Copic markers # E11, E13, and E41.  

Thank you for dropping by today don't forget that new followers to my blog will be entered into a drawing to receive a Unity Stamp set.

Traci

Growing in Unity - Day 3

Today we are celebrating my lovely daughter's 24th birthday.  She's the girl who made me a momma and has kept me on my toe's from day one.  Her arrival was by far the most difficult because she wanted to make her way into the world on her own terms and in her own way.  I realize this is how she's been her whole life. 

Most little girls dream of being a princess, they tend to say they want to be Cinderella with the fancy dress and cute animals.  But  not my little girl, she wanted to be Mulan or Pocahontas.  Strong, independent  from the start.   There was rarely a time when I could get her into a cute frilly dress and when I did she hated every minute of it. 

Today her strong independence has taken her a half a world away with her military husband.   While it is never easy to be away from family, I am sure that her natural independence has helped with this transition.

  

I made my first shaker card for her.  After all was said and done, I am fairly pleased with the outcome. I wish I had added a bit more to the front but I was trying to get the shaker part just right.  

For those of you who make shaker cards, is it normal to have the sequins stick to the sides?  If you look to the left you'll see a bunch of them are stuck. 

Thank you for dropping by and happy Wednesday!

Traci

    

Growing In Unity - Day 2

Thank you for joining me on Day 2 of my Growing  in Unity week.  

Today's post comes with a tissue warning.  

The angel in the set Too Beautiful for Earth by Phyllis Harris reminded me of my toddler, Malena, who went to heaven in 2000.  I purchased the set and hoped it would just sit on my shelf  unused. 

Sadly, a couple of weeks ago I received a call that the 2 yr old daughter of a friend died in her sleep.   Baby A had in her short life battled seizures and illness but that did not define who she was to those around her.  She was always smiling and a constant ball of energy.  She was adorable even when she was being stubborn.  So many things about Baby A reminded me of my Malena.  I like to think that they are playing in heaven today.

There is no pain, no grief and no trial in life that compares to having to plan a funeral for your toddler.  But I am thankful that Unity has created a stamp that deals with such a difficult issue. 

Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win an assortment of Unity stamps.

Traci

Growing In Unity - Day 1

It's my first day as the Growing In Unity Girl of the week!  I cannot tell you how excited I was when my name was drawn almost a year ago.   This week each day I will be showcasing a card made with stamps from Unity Stamp Company. At the end of the week two names will be randomly drawn from the comments to win an assortment of stamps from Unity Stamps. 

 

Today's card features stamps from the Heart Times stamp set.  This is an amazing set that is all about get well wishes.  But as you can see it also has cute umbrellas that can be used for wedding and baby shower cards.  I love stamp sets that can be used for occasions other than the obvious one.

The inside is stamped with the cute tissue box from the stamp set.  

I used Stampin' Up! Bashful Blue cardstock with Balmy Blue and Gray Granite inks for this card.  The technique is what I call random pattern stamping to create my own background. I am sure there is a real name for it but I don't know what it is. 

In addition to the give away sponsored by Unity Stamp Co.  I will be giving away a surprise stamp set drawn from NEW followers of my blog.  Click on the "BLUE Follow" link at the top right side of the page.

Thank you for joining me this week! 

Traci

Memories on Butterfly Wings

CoolMomCreations 2018

Do you ever swap or sell a stamp then have seller's remorse?  That's what happened with this lovely image.  I'd received it in a grab bag from Unity Stamp Co.  a couple of years ago and used it only once, to create this card.  This card was sent to someone that I was partnered with in a swap.  She loved the image so much that I swapped it with her for something else.  Within a month, I regretted that decision.  

I am told by fellow crafters that selling/swapping remorse is why we all turn into hoarders of craft supplies.  The lesson here is keep everything, you never know when you will need it.  

Have a great Wednesday.

Traci