Live for Adventure

I was inspired yesterday to scrapbook a traditional page for the first time in a LONG time!  It's hard for me to find the time these days but in the world of papercrafting it was my first love.  I love Project Life for it's simplicity and memory keeping but there is just something about the creative process of making a traditional layout that I love.  I used the sketch from Unity's Be Inspired Challenge and turned it on it's side to suit my picture and scrapbook paper.

My kids were playing dress-up last week and I snapped this picture of my son who NEVER poses for photos and I was feeling very inspired to scrap it.  He'll be 3 next month and the last time I did a layout of him he was 14months, about time for a new one!

The PP is from Glitz Designs Color Me Happy collection.  The stamps are all Unity Stamp Company.

Unity sets used:
All About the Journey (compass)
Sail Away (sailboat)
Pirate Madness (treasure map)
Aug 2013 SMAK (imagination & you can do anything)
Jan 2014 SMAK (adventure & go see explore)

I gold embossed most of the images (embossing on glossy photo paper didn't work out so well).  I used Staz-on ink to stamp onto the washi tape.  The cute camera charm was a freebie I got with a Unity order.

Brave, Strong and Courageous

I hope you are all having a happy Valentine's Day!  The best part of  mine was a sweet cuddle nap with my 8 month old.  Those are getting more and more infrequent and I cherish them SO much!
I haven't had much time to craft lately but I threw together a couple of super simple Valentines cards last night with Unity's Everything Love set (which is currently ON SALE)!

This next card is one I made when I was still recovering from skin cancer and reconstructive surgery on my nose and cheek under my eye.  I love creating, it feels therapeutic to me and making this made me feel better.  Wednesday I gave it to someone who needed it more than me.  My son has a great Speech Therapist/teacher and she had the same surgery/complications as I did shortly before I went through it.  Today she is having a second round of reconstructive surgery to help fix some of the problems she is still experiencing.

I used the Strength and Dignity KOTM which is one of my all time faves (also on sale now)!  The inside sentiment is an Itty Bitty.
Can't wait to look through all of the Friends With Flair entries this week, you ladies are all so creative and inspiring!

Celebrate You

I needed to make a birthday card for a 70th birthday and of course I waited until the last minute and am also sick to top it off.  What's a girl to do?  Pull out my all time favorite go-to Unity stamp of course and the card practically makes itself!
The Donna Poppy stamp is probably my most inked stamp and is just gorgeous to play with and watercolor.  I paired it with a sentiment from the Everything Wonderful set and used some pretty glimmer mists after masking the flowers.  The sentiment is stamped on vellum.

Sharing for Friends with Flair today.  Gotta love Fridays and all of that lovely Unity inspiration!

Project Life 2014

Happy Friday, Friends with Flair and New Year!  Cause it's just been that long since I've blogged.  There's the meme I've seen going around FB and Pinterest that comes to mind, something like "Sorry I've been such a bad friend, I've been busy being an awesome mom."  I don't know that I'd use awesome, just busy and trying to do my very best and enjoy this special time.  My crafting and my blog have certainly been severely neglected.  I had some time last weekend when the in-laws took my two older children for the night and I got started on my 2014 Project Life album.  WooHoo!  Of course I am 3 months behind on my 2013 album but I will go back and get that when I have the time.  My goal is to stay on track with 2014 and catch up on 2013 little by little.  I love using my Unity stamps on my album and today I am sharing my album with you, here goes!

This is my title page, I love working on the title pages and it always takes me a long time of carefully picking and choosing just the right mixture of elements.  I used 4 Unity stamps on here and the cute heart button was a freebie with my last order!  I love all of the wonderful and inspirational quotes that Unity is always coming out with and there were some perfect ones for my family album.

Some close ups:

I wrote down the kits used but it's down in my craft space and I totally have a sleeping almost 7 month old on my lap and can't get it.  If I find the time I'll add it later.

Here is part of my first weeks layout.

I love Unity's SMAK kits and use them often on my layouts.  I really like to stamp directly on my photos with Staz-On ink too.

I have my second weeks layout finished but just didn't have time to photograph it.  I was taking these pics during lunchtime and almost had a little one spill milk all over my album, had to get it out of there quickly!

Thanks for hanging in there with me today.  I hope that I have time to visit all of your wonderful blogs and see what you've been doing with your Unity stamps too!  Have a wonderful weekend!

Crystal

Halloween Chatter!

It's almost Halloween and the kids and I have been making Halloween cards for each other and family/friends.  So fun creating with them, my 4 year old daughter especially loves it!  All of the cards I'm showing today are using the Halloween Chatter sentiment kit from Unity Stamp Co.  I LOVE that kit and have used almost every stamp in it so far!

This one is my favorite!  The design is from a card by Erin Schreiner, I thought is was just the cutest and had to try my take on it.  I also used 3 Unity Itty Bitties for this card:  Witching Hour, Hello My Pretty Friend and You Witch!

 This card was quick to make since I had made this pumpkin last year for a layout and didn't end up using it on there.  The pumpkin stamp is from Tattered Angels and I just stamped this cute sentiment and added some brads on a cute patterned paper.

This one is using some TH distress inks, the tree stamp is from Tattered Angels and the bat is a cute one from my August 2012 KOM.  The gate is something I cut awhile ago from a Cricut cartridge I borrowed from my LSS.

Tonight we are taking the kids on a special Halloween night at Greenfield Village to go Trick or Treating.  I am SO excited (and the kids are too)!  They're going as Minions from the Despicable Me movie and they are just the 3 cutest minions you ever did see!

Happy Friday my Friends with Flair!

Growing in Unity Winners!!!

I would like to thank you all for being so supportive and for all of the kind comments during my week as your GIU gal.  It was a truly great experience and I look forward to signing up again in 2014!
Now for winners!  I used random.org to pick the winners from all of the comments from my GIU posts from Monday-Friday.  The winner of 2 Itty Bittys of choice from Unity Stamp Co was cinmfoster's comment from Day 4.  Please contact Kelli@unitystampco.com with your choices and let her know you were my GIU winner.
The winner of my giveaway was sam's comment from Day 3.  Please contact me with your address and I will get that in the mail to you ASAP!  My email is crystal _ hubbs at hotmail dot com

Congrats to the winners and a huge thanks to everyone who visited my blog!
Have an amazing week!

Growing in Unity Day 5

It's Friday and that means it's my last day as a Growing In Unity gal.  It sure has been a fun week and you all have been so sweet and your comments have made my day(s)!  It's also Friends With Flair Friday over on the Unity blog so be sure to stop by there for lots of wonderful inspiration!
I had so many projects I wanted to share with you all during my time as GIU gal and it was tough to choose but today I decided to show you a layout.  My first traditional layout in almost a year!  Crazy, I know!  My craft time is so limited these days that I normally keep up on my family's memories through a Project Life style album (greatly embellished with lots of Unity stamps of course).  I was inspired to scrap a traditional layout when I snapped this great picture of my wonderful hubby playing in the yard with the kids.  It deserved to be a centerpiece!

I love the recent chalkboard art craze and this was my first time playing around with it.  Definitely want to play around some more and Unity has such great stamps for this!

Unity stamps used:  My Dear (ornate flower in top left corner), June 2013 SMAK (heart), Modern Chit Chat (heart bubble), Generations (always & forever), April 2013 KOTM (photo love and best dad ever), March 2013 SMAK (arrows, hand, count your blessings chalk art).
Other supplies:  black card stock, white chalk ink, Momento Rose Bud ink, Amy Tangerine sketchbook stickers and die cut, washi from Target.

GIVEAWAY!!!

Courtesy of Unity Stamp Co:

2 Itty Bitties of your choice to one lucky winner!

To win: simply  comment on any of my GIU posts this week.

My giveaway:  A goodie bag filled with Unity Stamps!

To win:  You must be a follower of my blog and comment on any of my GIU posts this week.

***all winners chosen by random***

I will post the winners on Monday, Sept 23rd

Thank you all for being so wonderful and supportive!  I have loved being your Growing In Unity gal this week and hope you all have a fantastic and crafty weekend!