Phyllis Harris/Unity Blog Hop

I am so excited to be hopping along with the other talented Growing In Unity ladies today and showcasing the wonderful images of Phyllis Harris!

Last week I was thrilled to receive this beautiful stamp set in my mailbox from Unity called Best Day Includes You.

It is such a timeless image, reminding be of both my own childhood and also my kids who are now growing up faster than I can sometimes comprehend. When this arrived I was so excited because it's a stamp I didn't already have (because I really do love the PH images) and also because I had an idea in mind for it immediately! The horizon called to me and reminded me of many a summer night my brothers and I played in the waters of Lake Michigan as the sun set (so my dad could get sunset pictures) and I just knew I needed to create a sunset with this pretty image. I decided to make a little wall hanging for my daughters room with it (because like most 5 year olds, she takes her job as big sister pretty seriously).

I love the sentiments that are included in the kit but for her wall hanging I wanted something a little bit bigger so she could read it easier. I even skipped my normal cursive handwriting and printed as neatly as I could making it easier for my beginning reader. I've seen this quote a lot but always about brothers but she likes superheroes too and it was more fitting for her than the "being a princess" girl version of the quote.

I used some distress inks and sponged them onto some watercolor paper for the background and then lightly sprayed it with a mist of water to lightly blend them. I used Faded Jeans and Tumbled glass for the water and Mustard Seed, Wild Honey, Worn Lipstick, and a little bit of Tumbled Glass for the sky. When that was dry I used the Tim Holtz Rays Stencil and sponged on some Mustard Seed for the sun rays. I stamped the image again onto another piece of watercolor paper and used the Tim Holtz distress markers in the same colors plus a green and a Tea Dye and used a wet paintbrush to move and blend the colors. When everything was dry I fussy cut the kids, boat, and sand and used a gel medium to adhere them down.
I did have to extend the scene a little bit to fit it onto a 5x7 size. I wrote out the sentiment with a fine point black Pitt Pen and then used some Worn Lipstick distress marker to color it in after I had cut each word out.

I wasn't sure how to finish it after that. It didn't look right in a frame and I tried to find a small wooden plaque I could adhere it to but didn't find the right fit so finally I used some pretty tye-died crinkle ribbon from 3 Girl Jam and adhered it between my watercolor paper and a sturdy piece of cardboard. I wanted to use some eyelets for the ribbon holes but the only craft time I had this week was when my kids were napping or sleeping and I only have an old-fashioned noisy eyelet setter so that idea was out (because I do have my sanity to consider).

I love how this turned out and think this Phyllis Harris stamp from Unity was just the perfect fit for me. I think my daughter is really going to love it and probably going to start asking how soon we can go to the beach!

If you came by randomly and want to start at the beginning of the hop here is a list of the gals hopping today along with their blogs in case you get lost. This is such a talented group of ladies and I just love all of their beautiful creations! I am the last stop on the hop today and I'm so glad you stopped by.  Remember to leave a comment as there is one awesome prize pack that Unity will be giving away to one of the commenters along the hop!!!

Lena Nunn
Teri Burson
Tenia Nelson
Maria Levine
An'Jenic Gibson
Karen Nofziger
Carisa Zglobicki
Crystal Rodner {you are here}

Unity Stamp Company Blog

Have a great day! Crystal