tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38797377095507841882024-03-13T15:32:36.593-04:00Crystal Amaris CreationsInk and paper mixed with lots of love.Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.comBlogger222125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-85109767302565820212015-05-01T20:38:00.003-04:002015-05-01T20:38:23.834-04:00Oh, Happy DayAnother week has passed with still no craft time. I tried today to get down to my craft table during nap time/quiet time for my boys but was interrupted so often and eventually had to get the baby back to sleep in my arms (which don't get me wrong, I will cherish every second of that limited cuddle time)!<br />
Anyhow, here is what I got done in the short time I had today. I was attempting a new technique and it's not quite finished yet. I still want to add more details and doodles to it.<br />
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I used my Dylusions paints and stencils for the background and then the flower is from Unity's LOL kit Much of a Good Thing and the sentiment is from Unity's sentiment kit Bright, Happy You. <br />
I hope to find the time to finish this up soon but wanted to share what I had for <a href="http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/2015/05/friends-with-flair.html" target="_blank">Friends With Flair</a> today.<br />
I hope you all have a beautiful weekend!<br />
Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-7293989960218624682015-04-24T12:27:00.000-04:002015-04-24T12:27:07.681-04:00Sending LoveI almost didn't have anything to share today for Friends With Flair because I haven't had any crafty time in nearly 2 weeks! :( I was having severe withdrawl so instead of going to bed last night when I should have (my toddler has currently been waking me up for the day at 4am), I forced myself to go to my craft table for at least 10 minutes and try to make something. I spent a little longer than that because this card started coming together by itself pretty quickly!<br />
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The flower stamps are from Unity's Feb 2015 SMAK kit Life is What You Make It. The leaves are Dylusions Around The Edge and the sentiment is from Hero Arts. I created the background using Worn Lipstick and Broken China distress inks sponged on and then spritzed lightly with water. While that dried I stamped the flowers and leaves onto watercolor paper, colored with ink for the flower and Dylusions for the leaves and cut out. When my background was dry I stamped the flowers and leaves onto it and colored the leaves with a paintbrush dipped into my Dylusions spray ink. I also spritzed the cut out flowers with a clear glimmer mist and popped them up onto the card.<br />
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I am linking this up to <a href="http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/2015/04/fwf-time.html" target="_blank">Unity's FWF linky party</a> and look forward to seeing everyone elses lovely Unity creations from this week!<br />
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Happy Friday, <br />
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CrystalCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-31156233301309914962015-04-17T13:03:00.003-04:002015-04-17T13:03:37.164-04:00Bright, happy {dylusional} tagsLast week I was so excited when my Dylusions paints finally came in that I just had to get playing as soon as possible! I made up a bunch of tag backgrounds for future use and of course I had to make up some tags right away with some of my newer Unity stamps as well. :)<br />
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These tags use stamps from Don't Be Like The Rest Of Them (butterfly, flower), You Are Important (sentiment), A Round Of Cocktails (margarita sentiment), Need a Squeeze (orange slices), and When Life Gives You Lemons (margarita glass). I white embossed and painted with my Dylusions sprays for a very vibrant color.<br />
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The envelope is painted and then stenciled with paints as well. The sentiment on the front is a Donna Downey sentiment and the Da Vinci girl is an old unmounted stamp from origins unknown.<br />
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The back of the envelope uses Unity's Art & Soul kit and I was able to lightly sponge my new Dylusions paints right onto the stamp and got a gorgeous and clear impression!<br />
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I am linking up to<a href="http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/2015/04/friends-with-flair-linky-time.html" target="_blank"> Friends with Flair</a> super quickly today and then it's outside with the little ones to enjoy this phenomenal spring day!<br />
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Have a happy weekend everyone!<br />
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CrystalCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-72511566179044793382015-04-09T21:36:00.000-04:002015-04-10T07:17:00.919-04:00Vintage, shabby chic encouragement tags and envieI've been busy this week and have so much to share but not enough time to share it all so here is one of my favorite projects of the week, some distressed tags and a matching envie using some of my favorite Unity stamps, distress inks, a sheet of Prima rub-ons, and some Melody Ross chipboard stickers.<br />
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This post is picture heavy because I wanted to show you all of the details on each of the tags as well as the front and back of the envelope.<br />
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I started by using Antique Linen distress ink on the tags and envelope front and back and then used some Walnut Stain ink on the edges and blended it in.</div>
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I used walnut stain again to stamp the images which are all from Unity. I used a few different sets here. This first tag is a little different because I used Worn Lipstick distress ink instead of the walnut stain for the hearts which are from Unity's SMAK November 2014. I made this tag special for my hubby just because. It's even extra special because I used what tiny bit of silk ribbon I had left from when I made our wedding invites years ago and used this pretty sunset colored ribbon.<br />
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This next tag is from an older Melody Ross kit All Worth It, which is on sale at Unity this weekend. Don't you just love their weekly sales!?!<br />
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This tag was actually the first one I made and uses my new favorite Unity kit <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/vintage-era-background-kit/" target="_blank">Vintage Era Backgrounds</a>. It is a gorgeous kit and I am so happy I picked it up during their huge 60% off sale. I almost passed on it but it has been one I've come back to over and over!<br />
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This tag uses another Melody Ross Unity set called She Sprouted Wings which is also on sale this weekend. I think all of the gorgeous Melody Ross Unity stamps might be on sale and I just adore all of her lovely stamps! I love how this chipboard sticker coordinates so wonderfully with the Be Brave mantra because aren't we all So Much Stronger Than We Think We Are?<br />
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This next tag uses another SMAK kit (Dec 2014) and one of my favorite background images from Unity. I just love these Moroccan tiles! <br />
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The envelope uses stamps from the Vintage Era background kit. All of the colored images are actually from one sheet of rub-ons from Prima that I've been hoarding for the longest time and finally decided to just use and am super happy that I did!<br />
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I hand wrote the Please Deliver To with my Walnut Stain distress marker. I am still crossing my fingers each Thursday in the hopes that Unity will finally release some stamps that say this as well as a few others for decorated envelopes. Please, Please, Please Unity!!! I really need a few of these as I don't care for my hand writing at all. <br />
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I am linking this up with <a href="http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/2015/04/friends-with-flair.html" target="_blank">Unity's Friends With Flair</a> and if I get a chance I may try to post a few of my other projects from this week as well. Thank you all so much for the wonderful comments each week, I truly appreciate them all and look forward to reading them all as well as visiting your blogs to see what you've been creating!<br />
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Have a wonderful weekend and happy crafting!<br />
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CrystalCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-52513759149929485842015-04-03T13:14:00.003-04:002015-04-03T13:14:39.768-04:00ATC's and APC'sI started making ATC's (artist trading cards) and APC's (altered playing cards) this past month and have become addicted to these tiny art forms! I love to grab my paints, stencils, stamps, dylusion ink sprays and just start playing and see what emerges. <br />
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Here are a couple of things I made within the week using my Unity Stamps. The first ones use a lot of background stamps from a few different SMAK kits as well as the butterfly from Vintage Era Backgrounds. The sentiment is from the Nov 2013 SMAK kit Be Your Own Beautiful. The stars are from a Dylusion stencil.<br />
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I made 2 of these putting my ATC's side by side to paint so they are not exactly the same. I used white acrylic paint on my Unity background stamps and did a layer of white paint with the star stencil and then a layer of pink so the pink would pop a little more.<br />
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I also used the same Vintage Era Background kit to decorate my envelope as well as a Tim Holtz sunburst stencil and some yellow acrylic paint. <br />
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Envelope backside.<br />
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This last one is an Altered Playing Card that I covered with a light layer of gesso, sprayed with Dylusion inks, stamped the wing and pure heart background from Nov 2013 SMAK for the background and then used a gel medium to adhere the sentiment (from Dylusions) and the bird from Unity's March KOTM. Both were painted with Dylusion inks.</div>
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I am linking up to <a href="http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/2015/04/friends-with-flair-link-up.html" target="_blank">Unity's Friends With Flair</a> today and I wish you all a very wonderful weekend and a Happy Easter if you celebrate!Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-30284741475537210112015-03-27T13:01:00.000-04:002015-03-27T13:02:06.938-04:00Dream and HarmonyJust a quick post today with some cards I made last night using Unity's Dream Girl and Harmony Girl.<br />
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The backgrounds were made using some glossy paper and alcohol ink blending and Staz-On black ink to stamp with. The dream girl card has some gold smooch ink flourishes because I tried to transfer a gold rub-on and it didn't work and left random marks that needed to be covered up.<br />
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It's Friday and that means <a href="http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/2015/03/friday-means-friends-with-flair-time.html" target="_blank">Friends with Flair</a> on the Unity blog so I am linking up there. Have a wonderful weekend friends!<br />
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CrystalCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-45676079313832182422015-03-20T12:08:00.001-04:002015-03-20T19:42:41.664-04:00Happy spring!!!I just love the 1st day of spring, probably one of my favorite days of the year! <br />
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I have a little card to share today using Unity's latest Kit of the Month, Always Begin Again and an oldie but goody sentiment kit called Inside & Out, which I'm not sure they make anymore because I couldn't find it on their website. They should make it because it was awesome! A whole sheet of red rubber filled with great sentiments for the inside and outside of your cards! I didn't take a pic but the sentiment inside from the same kit says, Thanks for being you.<br />
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I stamped the sentiment, masked it and then stamped the beautiful you flowers all around and watercolored them. There are a few gems in the centers of some of the flowers but its kind of hard to see in the pics.<br />
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I'm linking up with <a href="http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/2015/03/friends-with-flair_20.html" target="_blank">Unity's Friends with Flair</a> today and can't wait to hop through all of the wonderful link-ups this weekend to see what everyone's been creating with their Unity stamps!<br />
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I am also linking up to the <a href="http://anyaoddiesandothers.blogspot.com/p/unity.html" target="_blank">Anything Goes March challenge at Anya, Oddies, and Others.</a><br />
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Have a beautiful weekend!<br />
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CrystalCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-22544951877384788352015-03-15T01:00:00.000-04:002015-03-15T07:34:07.208-04:00Phyllis Harris/Unity Blog HopI am so excited to be hopping along with the other talented Growing In Unity ladies today and showcasing the wonderful images of Phyllis Harris! <br />
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Last week I was thrilled to receive this beautiful stamp set in my mailbox from Unity called <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/best-day-includes/" target="_blank">Best Day Includes You.</a><br />
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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).<br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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. <br />
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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).<br />
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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!<br />
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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!!!<br />
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<tr height="18" style="height: 18pt;"><td height="18" style="height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://scrapbutterfly.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Lena Nunn</a></span></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="18" style="height: 18pt;"><td height="18" style="height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://wavingmywand.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Teri Burson</a></span></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="18" style="height: 18pt;"><td colspan="2" height="18" style="height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://jazzypaper.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tenia Nelson</a></span></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 15pt;"><td colspan="2" height="15" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://riacreations.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Maria Levine</a></span></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 15pt;"><td colspan="2" height="15" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://anjenicgibson.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">An'Jenic Gibson</a></span></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 15pt;"><td colspan="2" height="15" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://karey2005.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Karen Nofziger</a></span></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 15pt;"><td colspan="2" height="15" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://www.inkyfairydesigns.com/" target="_blank">Carisa Zglobicki</a></span></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
<tr height="15" style="height: 15pt;"><td colspan="2" height="15" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://crystalamariscreations.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Crystal Rodner</a> {you are here}</span></td></tr>
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<tr height="18" style="height: 18pt;"><td class="ecxxl65" height="18" style="height: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/2015/03/growing-in-unity-blog-hop.html" target="_blank">Unity Stamp Company Blog</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Have a great day!</span></span></span><br />
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Crystal<br />
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Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-4206420482382170832015-03-13T09:22:00.002-04:002015-03-13T09:22:42.464-04:00Birthday cupcakeI haven't had any mojo since the time change on Sunday. I love spring forward and the warmer weather we have been having but the kids don't want to sleep when it's light out and we have been playing A LOT outside all day and by the time I get them all to bed I am just about ready to fall asleep myself!<br />
<br />
I forced myself to go down to my craft space last night and at least attempt something. I still wasn't feeling much mojo but I needed a birthday card for my son (boy cards are always challenging for me) and I decided to use the sketch from <a href="http://www.theunitystampco-challenge.blogspot.com/2015/03/unity-be-inspired-challenge-march-12.html" target="_blank">Unity's {be inspired} challenge</a> as a jumping off point.<br />
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<a href="https://scontent-2.22773.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t31.0-8/1553274_10205083385237673_8923308960424392500_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://scontent-2.22773.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t31.0-8/1553274_10205083385237673_8923308960424392500_o.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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I used the cupcake and sentiment from Unity's March KOTM and threw together a quick card coloring the cupcake in with my copics. <br />
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I cut it out and popped it up on some coordinating papers and added a #4.<br />
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Since it's Friday I am linking up with <a href="http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/2015/03/friends-with-flair-time.html" target="_blank">Friends with Flair</a> over on Unity's blog. Always lots of wonderful inspiration there and hopefully just what I need to get my mojo back!<br />
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We are suppose to hit 60 today so we are very excited. It's hard to believe it was below 0 last Friday. We have already pulled out the sidewalk chalk, scooters, wagon, bubbles, and running shoes and have been having a blast! Enjoy your weekend everyone!<br />
<br />
Hugs, <br />
<br />
CrystalCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-61689932692224609072015-03-06T12:14:00.000-05:002015-03-06T12:14:57.259-05:00 TGIF!!!Woohoo, we have made it to another Friday! Some weeks feel so long that I am just not sure if Friday will ever come and then it sneaks up on me at times too. It does not even feel like March to me. I know the calendar can be pretty convincing but when it's still below 0 most mornings and the bitter cold wind blows I need the help of my BFF calling and trying to convince me her trees are budding already (they are not, she is also buried under a foot of snow still) to get my hopes up that spring really will come!<br />
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And with the promise of spring, I have a St. Patrick's Day(ish) card to share!<br />
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I made the background using the script from Unity's My Dear in an Antique Linen distress ink on cream cardstock. The sentiment and clover-like vines are from Unity's February 2013 KOTM and stamped in a bright grassy green. The trim is from Webster's Pages.<br />
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I also have a quick bonus card to share today because yesterday was my MIL's birthday and I didn't have a card made and we're celebrating with her this weekend! <br />
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I used the pretty Wish With Your Heart sentiment kit from Unity and clear embossed it onto watercolor paper. Originally I had an idea to use light pastel watercolors around it but you just couldn't see the sentiment or little dandelion puffs very well so I had to go BRIGHT to cover up the light colors and used my Dylusion ink sprays and then it showed up quite well! A bit more 'in your face' than I had imagined but thankfully she likes lots of color.<br />
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I am linking up with the wonderful and FUN <a href="http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/2015/03/friends-with-flair.html" target="_blank">Friends With Flair</a> on the Unity blog today, check it out for some amazing inspiration!<br />
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Have a fun and crafty weekend!<br />
<br />
Hugs, <br />
<br />
Crystal<br />
<br />Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-25426351515202016332015-03-02T10:00:00.000-05:002015-03-02T10:00:04.125-05:00Winners, winners, and more winners!!!{also mixed media Monday}<br />
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I don't even know how to start this post, you have all left me speechless with your sweet comments and kind words on my Growing in Unity projects last week! I love the crafting community and Unity's little corner of it is filled with some of the sweetest people ever! I love the sharing community that they create on both Facebook's Unity Show and Tell and with their on-going Friday Friends with Flair. It really is such a great and supportive community and it's where I go when I want to be inspired. So THANK YOU for inspiring me, because I am sure you have at some point!<br />
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Well, I have to share something today because my craft-related New Years Resolution was to blog more regularly and frequently so Mondays have become my attempt at showcasing more mixed media projects. This little tag is one of two different ones I made for a Birds and Bees swap and then decided to send the other more "mainstream" if you will, as I didn't know the recipient or her art style. I ended up using some of these stamps on the envelope which you can see <a href="http://crystalamariscreations.blogspot.com/2015/02/my-favorite-weather.html" target="_blank">here (as well as the tag I decided to send).</a><br />
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The background of the tag was sprayed with Dylusion sprays (which I LOVE) and I got to meet their creator, Dyan Revealey, and take one of her classes over the weekend which was an awesome experience! I am sure you will soon be seeing many more colorful projects featuring her Dylusions sprays and paints because they are just FUN to play with! <br />
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I used stamps from Unity, Catslife Press, and Dylusions on here. The background has some of Unity's Tattered Chicken Wire in both white and black ink. The flowers in the bottom corner are from Unity's Take Note, stamped in black and doodled around with a white gel pen. The lower bee is from Unity's One Precious Life. I stamped the Queen Bee* from Catslife Press, masked it and stamped Unity's bee over top so the sentiment appears where the bee head would be. I stamped the sentiment along the side from Catslife Press, stamped the top bee from Catslife Press on separate paper and fussy cut it and adhered it to the tag. The leafs in the top corner are Dylysion stamps and colored with a paintbrush dipped in the Dylusion spray. <br />
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There is lots of doodling with white gel pen, details with a glitter pen, gold stickles, and gold smooch ink to finish it off.<br />
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Oh, yes, you are probably interested in seeing the winners from last week! Well, I won't keep you waiting any longer...<br />
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I used Random.org and put in each day (1-5), then put in the number of comments from that day and here are what Random.org came up with!<br />
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First the winners of the grab bag of 25 stamps from Unity:<br />
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From Day 4, comment 15:<br />
<img alt="Blogger" class="comment-icon blogger-comment" src="https://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" /> <span dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12781485909115359188" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Donna K</span></a></span> said...<br />
<dd>I love what you said about the cards being a "hug sent across the miles"...so true. The result of your technique and the pastels on this card is amazing. Such a heart felt sentiment and of course you created an envelope as well. Cause you're awesome like that! Have a happy day Crystal!<br />
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February 26, 2015 at 12:55 PM</div>
</dd><div class="comment-timestamp">
and from Day 1, comment 8:</div>
<div class="comment-timestamp">
<span class="item-control"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=3879737709550784188&postID=8592858970688466832" onclick="window.open(this.href, 'deleteWindow', 'height=370,width=750'); return false;" style="border: currentColor;" title="Delete Comment"><img alt="Delete" class="icon_delete" src="https://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" style="border: currentColor;" /></a></span> <img alt="Blogger" class="comment-icon blogger-comment" src="https://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" /> <span dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/05011176638412513011" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Kris B</span></a></span> said...</div>
<dd>Beautiful card! Love how you made the border by using only part of a stamp! Wonderful idea, and it turned out fabulous! Congrats on being this week's GIU gal! Looking forward to a great week! <br />
<div class="comment-timestamp">
February 23, 2015 at 12:08 PM</div>
</dd><div class="comment-timestamp">
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<div class="comment-timestamp">
Now for the winners of my personal giveaway:</div>
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<div class="comment-timestamp">
From Day 3, comment 32:</div>
<div class="comment-timestamp">
<span class="item-control"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=3879737709550784188&postID=1364811025739797516" onclick="window.open(this.href, 'deleteWindow', 'height=370,width=750'); return false;" style="border: currentColor;" title="Delete Comment"><img alt="Delete" class="icon_delete" src="https://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" style="border: currentColor;" /></a></span> <img alt="Blogger" class="comment-icon blogger-comment" src="https://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" /> <span dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/13308728621651836815" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Janis</span></a></span> said...</div>
<dd>LOVE the bright, happy colors and your wonderful expression of spring in your art!!! This is just fabulous!!!<br /><3 J<br /><br />jwoolbright at gmail dot com<br />HerPeacefulGarden.blogspot.com<br />
<div class="comment-timestamp">
February 26, 2015 at 6:25 PM</div>
</dd><div class="comment-timestamp">
and from Day 2, comment 25:</div>
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<span class="item-control"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=3879737709550784188&postID=2530021441158000285" onclick="window.open(this.href, 'deleteWindow', 'height=370,width=750'); return false;" style="border: currentColor;" title="Delete Comment"><img alt="Delete" class="icon_delete" src="https://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" style="border: currentColor;" /></a></span> <img alt="Blogger" class="comment-icon gplus-comment" src="https://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" /> <span dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/07566492893802327507" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Kristin Whaley Yeager</span></a></span> said...</div>
<dd>The colors are, so, vibrant! And, love the postcard idea. (I, actually, came to your page, for the GU-Day 3, and was blown away. So, I decided to backtrack & see GU-Day 2 & Day 1.) I'm very glad I did. You are, so, thorough in your project walk throughs. I, almost, feel like I could attempt something like these w/your descriptions. Thanks!<br />
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February 25, 2015 at 10:50 AM</div>
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AND THEN, because you were all so super sweet and I wish I could pick you all I decided that since there was a random winner from each of the other days that I would pick an additional winner for a little something from me from Day 5 as well and Random.org picked...</div>
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Day 5, comment 27:</div>
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<span class="item-control"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=3879737709550784188&postID=7744099390901318195" onclick="window.open(this.href, 'deleteWindow', 'height=370,width=750'); return false;" style="border: currentColor;" title="Delete Comment"><img alt="Delete" class="icon_delete" src="https://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" style="border: currentColor;" /></a></span> <img alt="Blogger" class="comment-icon gplus-comment" src="https://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" /> <span dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12620634350662824138" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Carolyn Bounds</span></a></span> said...</div>
<dd>Each and every creation is FABULOUS! It is easy to see that you have a love for creating, as well as a love for Unity. :) Your poppy card is stunning! Poppies are one of my favorite flowers, especially since I come from a military family...so this beauty definitely touched a soft spot. The lunchbox notes are positively precious, and I know your daughter truly enjoys finding these works of heART each day. Awesome, awesome creations, and so happy I was introduced to you and your beautiful work through Unity. :) <br />
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February 28, 2015 at 4:03 PM</div>
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Winners, please message me at crystalamariscreations at outlook dot com with your mailing info and I will get that passed on to Unity ASAP for the winners of the Unity grab bags and for the winners of my personal giveaway I will try to get your goody packages out by the end of the week (or when I get your info).</div>
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Once again, my most sincere thanks to everyone who took time out of your day to leave me such sweet comments, it really made me so happy to read each and every one! I tried to respond to each one so if you were one of the ones who asked me a question about technique, please go back to check that post and comment as I didn't know how else to reply. </div>
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If you are interested in keeping up with me and my crafty journey I have recently started an <a href="https://instagram.com/crystalamariscreations/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> where I post something crafty almost daily. You can always follow my blog here as well, but I know blogger is not the easiest for navigating at times. I also try to link up my blog posts to my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/crystalamariscreations?ref=bookmarks" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> as well so you can keep up with me there as well if you'd like.</div>
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May you all have a happy March! It's the month when spring is supposed to be in the air although we'll probably have snow all month long.</div>
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Hugs, </div>
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<span class="item-control"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/delete-comment.g?blogID=3879737709550784188&postID=3909583457184968225" onclick="window.open(this.href, 'deleteWindow', 'height=370,width=750'); return false;" style="border: currentColor;" title="Delete Comment"><img alt="Delete" class="icon_delete" src="https://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" style="border: currentColor;" /></a></span> Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-56998475842932879162015-02-27T06:00:00.000-05:002015-02-27T07:04:45.008-05:00Growing in Unity Day 5I always look forward to Fridays but I'm a little sad to see this one come because it means it's my last day as your GIU gal. I have had such a FUN week sharing my Unity Stamp projects with you all and reading your lovely comments. I can't thank you all enough for taking the time out of your day to write such wonderful comments on my posts, you have really made my week special!<br />
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AND did you see that <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/" target="_blank">Unity</a> is at it again with ANOTHER amazing sale this weekend!?! 60% off of regular price stamps so get those wish list stamps now because these prices won't come around again soon! <br />
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I have two projects to share today for my last post. The first is a card I made using the lovely <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/donna-poppies-donna-downey/" target="_blank">Donna Poppies</a> and a sentiment called <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/strong-is-your-only-choice/" target="_blank">Strong is Your Only Choice</a>. I stamped the small poppy outline in india black ink 3 times each going a bit off the paper. Then I used Ripe Persimmon and Barn Door distress markers to color the small silhouette poppy, spritzed lightly with water (repeated 3 times) and tried to go slightly off of the outline to get a better watercolor look. I kept it clean and simple and used a blue cardstock to contrast a little. Everyone needs a reminder now and again of just how strong they really are!<br />
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My next project that I'm sharing is an ongoing project that I started back in September when my oldest started Kindergarten. I have shared some of these last fall when I sat down one night and made a big batch of lunchbox notes and the ones I'm sharing today are ones I've made and given to her with her lunches since January. She LOVES these little notes and keeps them all in a small Project Life album. The paper I use is just plain white 3x4 Project Life cardstock so it's already to size and the corners come rounded. I sometimes sit down and make a few at a time and other nights I just quickly stamp something and color it for the next days note. Most of these were colored with Copics and I have used A LOT of different Unity sets here! It was hard for me to let my baby go to Kindergarten, these notes have really helped to make it a little easier because I know that when she opens her lunchbox she gets that little reminder in the middle of the day that I am thinking about her and love her. I write a little personal note on the back of each card along with the date.</div>
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Honestly, at the beginning of the year, I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep up with a new note each day of the school year but it really hasn't been a problem at all (and my Unity collection sure does make it easy to create a fun new note for her 5 days a week)!<br />
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The panda notes are some of her favorites and as soon as I saw the <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/plenty-pandas/" target="_blank">Plenty of Pandas</a> set by Unity I had to grab it! It's also on sale for only $6 this weekend and you get 5 adorable pandas and lots of little sentiments, you can't beat that price!!!<br />
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I am linking this post up today for <a href="http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/2015/02/friends-with-flair_27.html" target="_blank">Unity's Friends With Flair</a>. If you haven't heard of it, check it out, it's awesome! They have a linky party each Friday and we all link up our Unity projects we've been working on and there is always a ton of beautiful inspiration and also prizes because Unity is so generous like that!</div>
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Also, if you haven't checked them out yet, go back and see all of my GIU projects from this week and leave a comment for a chance to win! Unity is giving away grab bags of 25 stamps to 2 winners and I will be picking 2 additional winners for a personal giveaway from all of the comments on my GIU posts this week! </div>
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<strong>GIVEAWAY DETAILS:</strong></div>
I will be posting a new project each day this week (Monday-Friday) on my blog using Unity stamps and when the week is over I get to pick 2 winners from all of the comments during the week who will each get a grab bag of 25 Unity Stamps! I will also be having a small giveaway of my own with 2 winners so there will be 4 winners total!!! I will post the winners on Monday, March 2nd.<br />
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Thank you for visiting me today and hanging in there all week with my long posts! I'll see you back here on Monday with some winners!!!<br />
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Have a happy weekend, <br />
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CrystalCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-14977588858187312022015-02-26T06:30:00.000-05:002015-02-26T20:32:29.666-05:00Growing in Unity Day 4I'm back with for Day 4 of my Growing In Unity week with some card inspiration. I don't think anyone likes to make sympathy cards. They're hard, you want them to be just perfect with the perfect "feel" to them. You want them to be more than a card, you want them to be hug sent across the miles. Luckily Unity Stamp Company has some perfect kits for those tough-to-create cards with beautiful images and heartfelt sentiments to help us card-makers out. Thankfully I don't need this card now (I can NEVER create them under pressure), but I do need to replenish my stash so here is just a simple little card that will hopefully be a "hug" to help someone during their grief.<br />
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I used the<a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/beautiful-life-blessed-memories-february-2015-sentiment-kit/" target="_blank"> ...Beautiful Life, Blessed Memories</a> kit for this card and stamped that pretty floral heart in Versamark ink onto a non-textured white cardstock. Then I got out my pearlescent chalks and used a small cotton ball applicator (q-tip size) to color in the stamp. It can be hard to see the details of the image in the clear ink but if you go a little off, don't worry. You can color over it again with a different color chalk and it still sticks. When you have the chalk where you want it you can brush any excess off with a dry Swiffer sheet. This technique also works really well on black cardstock with a completely different look.<br />
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For the sentiment I stamped it on clear vellum with a black Staz-on ink and let it dry for a moment and then colored the vellum with the pearlescent chalk. This sentiment actually has a small error on it which Unity was kind enough to make note of in the kit. It's really easy to "fix" though. The word in is repeated twice in a row so I simply put a small piece of tape over the second one at the beginning of the next line, inked the sentiment and then removed the tape before stamping. After I adhered the vellum I added a few small pearls and popped it up on a lavender piece of cardstock.<br />
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I tried getting a picture of some of the pretty shimmer of the card from the pearlescent chalks. I'm not sure how well it photographed.</div>
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I also made a quick matching envelope using Unity's <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/insightful-meadows/" target="_blank">Insightful Meadows</a> kit and the same technique with the Versamark and chalk.<br />
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<strong>GIVEAWAY:</strong></div>
I will be posting a new project each day this week (Monday-Friday) on my blog using Unity stamps and when the week is over I get to pick 2 winners from all of the comments during the week who will each get a grab bag of 25 Unity Stamps! I will also be having a small giveaway of my own with 2 winners so there will be 4 winners total!!! I will post the winners on Monday, March 2nd.<br />
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Thank you all for visiting all week and leaving such kind comments! I love learning new techniques and so I try to share the techniques I'm using when I remember because we are all on a different place in our crafting journey and it's fun to evolve and see where new techniques may lead us!<br />
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Hugs, <br />
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CrystalCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com55tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-8558085372175479732015-02-25T06:49:00.000-05:002015-02-25T22:11:28.372-05:00Growing In Unity Day 3I can't believe it's already my 3rd GIU post for Unity Stamp Company, this week is flying by and you are all so sweet and kind with your comments! I have another art journal page to share today, I call it: She Blossomed in the Spring. <br />
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I love winter. Seriously, I really do, but it's been SO COLD this winter and getting outside with little ones in tow becomes practically impossible so I was feeling a little bit of cabin fever when I started this page and I went with bright, spring colors and it just took off from there.<br />
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I started with a scribbled gelato background with yellows and a touch of blue and moved it around with water and my fingers. I randomly stamped the <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/shescript/" target="_blank">Shescript</a> background in india ink and the <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/plump-polka-dots/" target="_blank">Plump Polka Dots</a> in Mowed Lawn distress ink.<br />
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I used the Heidi Swapp confetti stencil with some gesso for the dots and when that dried I went over it again with some Picked Raspberry distress ink. The lovely SHEart lady is <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/she-was-a-daughter/" target="_blank">Christy Tomlinson's SHE was a daughter.</a> I paper pieced the skirt and watercolored the top half. I added some perfect pearls for details on the dress and some lace around the collar and the bottom hem. The butterfly wings are from the <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/magic-beginnings-kom-115/" target="_blank">January 2015 KOTM Magic of Beginnings</a>. I stamped them on a scrap piece of glossy brayered background paper that I had made previously and used a Staz-on ink due to the glossy surface.<br />
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I adhered her to the page with some gel medium. The scalloped floral border stamp is from the <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/wildflowers-wings-smak-414/" target="_blank">April 2014 SMAK Wildflowers and Wings.</a> I wrote the sentiment out on a piece of Dylusions soaked up scrap paper that I had laying around. I cut it apart and edged the pieces with gold glitter glue and then added a few gold sequins to give it an even sunnier look. She makes me happy and has me dreaming of walking barefoot in the grass and getting my hands dirty in a garden!<br />
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<strong>GIVEAWAY:</strong></div>
I will be posting a new project each day this week (Monday-Friday) on my blog using Unity stamps and when the week is over I get to pick 2 winners from all of the comments during the week who will each get a grab bag of 25 Unity Stamps! I will also be having a small giveaway of my own with 2 winners so there will be 4 winners total!!! I will post the winners on Monday, March 2nd.<br />
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Thanks for stopping by and remember to comment here for a chance to win!<br />
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Have a happy day, <br />
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CrystalCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com64tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-2266864995033071292015-02-24T06:30:00.000-05:002015-02-24T06:30:01.288-05:00Growing In Unity Day 2Hi and welcome back to day 2 of my GIU week where I am showcasing the wonderful Unity Stamp Company stamps! I'm really excited to share todays projects with you. My passion is leaning more and more towards mixed media and I just love playing with colors in my art journal and dabbling in new areas. Today I have an art journal page, a postcard (yes, I've started making and mailing my own mixed media postcards!), and a decorated envelope to share with you all. I still have a lot to learn but it's making me happy to try new techniques and ways to express myself artistically!<br />
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First up, the art journal page:<br />
I lightly sprayed my art journal (which has heavyweight watercolor paper) and then scribbled on some gelatos in yellow, orange, and pink. I smeared them around with my fingers and when that dried I stamped the gorgeous flower from <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/important/" target="_blank">Donna Downey's You Are Important</a> kit in Picked Raspberry distress ink a few times in the page. I then stamped the grid from <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/track-this-graph-that-smak-1012/" target="_blank">Track This, Graph That SMAK Oct 2012</a> in Spiced Marmalade distress ink around the page randomly. I stamped the chevron from <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/love-story-clips/" target="_blank">Dec 2012 SMAK Love Story Clips</a> in India Black ink. The sentiment is from <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/trust-soul/" target="_blank">Nov 2014 SMAK Trust Your Soul</a>. I stamped the <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/hollyhocks-donna-downey/" target="_blank">Donna Hollyhocks</a> in white gesso and when that dried I outlined them with teal Liquid Pearls. The butterfly is from <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/summer-collapsed-fall-kom-814-non-member-purchase/" target="_blank">Feb 2015 KOTM Happiness Looks Gorgeous</a> and was stamped on watercolor paper and spritzed with some teal Heidi Swapp Color Shine.<br />
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Here are some close ups for more detail.<br />
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I always have so much fun when I get time to play in my art journal. It's so rejuvenating!</div>
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Now for the postcard: </div>
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I had a 12x12 sheet of thin cardboard that I dropped some pink and yellow acrylic paints onto randomly and I used an old credit card to swipe the paint around and when it dried I cut it into 4x6 sizes for some artsy postcards. I used the <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/serenity-fashionista/" target="_blank">Serenity Fashionista</a> and some sentiments from that kit as well and the large mandala is from the July 2012 SMAK kit Cre-ate (I think Unity now sells just that <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/half-of-her-doily/" target="_blank">stamp separately</a> from the kit too). I used a white gel pen to add some details and then I paper-pieced the yoga mat onto a scrap that I had used to soak up some Dylusions ink previously. I edged the yoga mat in gold glitter glue and added some sequins in two shades of blue/turquoise. Maybe she's juggling, maybe she's just found her zen.</div>
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And finally the envelope:</div>
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I have been having a blast with mail art and decorating envelopes lately and here is my most recent creation that will be mailed out by the end of the week. I just think it's so FUN to get happy mail and bright and colorful packages and envelopes are sure to bring smiles all the way through their snail mail journey! </div>
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I painted this bubble mailer by smearing around some pink and blue acrylic paints and when it dried I flipped it and painted the backside in the same way. I stamped the <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/carnivale-alpha/" target="_blank">Carnivale Alpha</a> alphabet and the elephant from <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/original/" target="_blank">Original You</a> in India Black ink. I stamped the border from Carnivale Alpha in purple paint. This is for an alphabet swap so I went with an alphabet theme for the envelope! </div>
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<strong>GIVEAWAY:</strong></div>
I will be posting a new project each day this week (Monday-Friday) on my blog using Unity stamps and when the week is over I get to pick 2 winners from all of the comments during the week who will each get a grab bag of 25 Unity Stamps! I will also be having a small giveaway of my own with 2 winners so there will be 4 winners total!!! I will post the winners on Monday, March 2nd.<br />
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Thanks for sticking with me through this long post. I hope I've inspired you in some way to try something new to you, it can be SO fun!<br />
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See you back here tomorrow crafty friends, <br />
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CrystalCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-2478408699340802972015-02-23T06:00:00.000-05:002015-02-23T20:00:32.399-05:00Growing In Unity Day 1Hello and welcome! I am so excited to be your Growing In Unity gal this week! I have been a huge Unity Stamp fan from the beginning and it's been so exciting to see how much they've grown and expanded both their little company and their stamp lines. They just reached 60K followers on Facebook and are having their biggest discount sale ever which ends today (so go <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/" target="_blank">shop</a> if you haven't)! <br />
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For my first project I wanted to showcase one of the beautiful sentiments from the newest Kit of the Month, <a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/summer-collapsed-fall-kom-814-non-member-purchase/" target="_blank">Happiness Looks Gorgeous</a>. <br />
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I wanted the sentiment to stand out and I was inspired by Swarups beautiful watercoloring to try to stamp a beautiful flower border around the sentiment. Now the bouquet I used is actually the "hair" from the<a href="http://www.unitystampco.com/shop/let-inner-beauty-shine/" target="_blank"> Let Your Inner Beauty Shine</a> set. It had just the right sized flowers for what I wanted so I just inked up the top portion of the stamp with some Distress Markers in Spun Sugar, Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed, and Mowed Lawn. I spritzed it with water and after re-coloring the stamp each time around the card I took a paintbrush and moved some of the color around to make it look painted. <br />
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I colored in a few bits of the sentiment, used a glitter gel pen on the stars, inked the edges with charcoal ink and popped it up on white cardstock. <br />
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<strong>GIVEAWAY:</strong></div>
I will be posting a new project each day this week (Monday-Friday) on my blog using Unity stamps and when the week is over I get to pick 2 winners from all of the comments during the week who will each get a grab bag of 25 Unity Stamps! I will also be having a small giveaway of my own with 2 winners so there will be 4 winners total!!! I will post the winners on Monday, March 2nd.<br />
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Stop by every day this week to see what else I've been working on and remember to leave a comment on each post this week for a chance to win some Unity Stamp grab bags!<br />
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Happy crafting, <br />
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CrystalCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com85tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-31969445025674718702015-02-20T10:58:00.002-05:002015-02-20T17:00:12.556-05:00My Favorite WeatherIt was -10 outside this morning and I could still hear the birds chirping. I just love that they don't let anything stop them from singing and living their lives!<br />
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Here is a tag/bookmark I made yesterday for a birds/bees theme swap. <br />
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I used an old Kaleidacolor ink pad in Riviera and applied it directly to my watercolor paper tag and quickly spritzed with a light gold glimmer mist to lightly blend the colors and add some sparkle. When that dried I stamped Unity's Worn Script background in grape. I used some woodgrain patterned paper on the bottom and as a little tab at the top of the tag. I inked up the bird from Unity's Just Be You kit with Marvy markers and fussy cut it before adding it to the tag. I used some small letters from Cosmo Cricket for the sentiment and finished it with a little wood veneer heart and some blue ribbon and a twine bow.<br />
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Here is a close-up showing the hint of shimmer.<br />
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And of course I have another decorated envelope to share with you as well! Since it was a birds and bees swap I went with a bee theme for the envelope and used the queen bee from Unity's One Precious Live as well as some sentiments from Unity's Just Be You kit and the Tattered Chickenwire background stamp.<br />
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The queen bee on the back of the envelope and the Yes, I'm the Queen sentiment are stamps from Catslife Press that I've had forever. They just crack me up everytime I use them!<br />
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I hope you are all having a wonderful Friday and enjoying the <a href="http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/2015/02/friend-with-flair.html" target="_blank">Friends With Flair</a> hop inspiration!<br />
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I am also linking to <a href="http://anyaoddiesandothers.blogspot.com/p/unity.html" target="_blank">Anya, Oddies, and Others: March Anything Goes challenge.</a><br />
and <a href="http://dianamlarson.blogspot.com/2015/02/dlart-thankful-thursday-challenge-150_19.html" target="_blank">DL. Art Thankful Thursday Challenge #150 Blue</a><br />
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Happy crafting!<br />
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CrystalCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-33564197020771976772015-02-16T14:17:00.002-05:002015-02-16T14:17:37.516-05:00Mixed Media Monday & Creative Blog HopA couple of weeks ago my talented friend Cari, from <a href="http://papercraftingwithcari.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Creative Paper Crafting</a> had asked me if I'd like to take part in a creative blog hop, answer 4 questions, and post on a certain day. Well today is that certain day so I will share a project and a few other things with you today!<br />
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Here are my 4 questions and the answers.<br />
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<strong>What are you working on? </strong>I am a paper crafter so I love working with paper! I started out as a scrapbooker and cardmaker over 10 years ago, started doing Project Life about 5 years ago when my first child was born and in the past year have started playing with some mixed media techniques. Currently I have become obsessed with mail art and although I have always loved sending out cards and happy mail I have really been loving taking it to the next level and decorating my envelopes too.<br />
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<strong>How does your work differ from others in your genre? </strong>I love art because I think everyone brings something different to the table. Past experiences, personal likes, dislikes, everything that is you goes into your creative outlet, whatever form that may take. I wouldn't say any one thing makes my work different but for the fact that I create what makes me happy and others create what makes them happy.<br />
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<strong>Why do you create what you do? </strong>Simple, I love it! Creating is like breathing to me, something I need to do on an almost daily basis. Even if it's just a simple little note for my daughter that I put in her lunchbox each day or something of a mixed media nature that I have to come back to over and over and keep adding to and waiting for things to dry, I am making something almost daily.<br />
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<strong>How does your creative process work? </strong>I get ideas for things everywhere. Sometimes the most ideas come at night when I'm trying to fall asleep and something will pop into my head. I try to keep a pen and paper handy for times like that when I need to write something down to remember it. Other times I just head down to my craft space and play with whatever catches my eye first (my craft table isn't neat so there is often a lot of stuff to choose from!).<br />
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I think it's about time to show you all what I've been working on this past week!<br />
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I made a postcard this week! It's not traditional in any way but it was fun to make and my very first one ever! I got my acrylic paints out and swiped them around on a piece of recycled cardboard with an old credit card to mix them up and spread the paint evenly. I stamped that glamorous gal from Unity Stamp Company's February 2015 KOTM and highlighted a few areas with a white gel pen. I sketched the sentiment out, filled in the lady with yellow paint and used a black pitt pen around the paint. I stamped the flowers from the same Unity kit in white and then again in black slightly off and highlighted with the white gel pen again. The flower was fussy cut from a piece of patterned paper, it's sparkly with glitter. The feathery, fancy ribbon at the bottom is from Webster's Pages. <br />
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I also made a tag on watercolor paper. I watercolored the background first and then stamped the flowers and sentiment from Unity's Have A Little Faith. I colored in the hearts with a white gel pen. I used gelatos to stamp the butterflies (from Unity's January 2014 KOTM Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful), fussy cut them and added some black gems to the yellow one. I added a little black tab that I cut out on the top of the tag, punched a hole through the layers (there's cardboard on the back to keep the watercolor paper from curling), and added some pretty ribbons and a bow.<br />
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I'm linking this up to the <a href="http://mixedmediamc.blogspot.com/2015/02/mixed-media-monthly-challenge-9-think.html" target="_blank">Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #9: Think Pink</a> for all of the pink in the postcard.<br />
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Also be sure to go back to <a href="http://papercraftingwithcari.blogspot.com/2015/02/perfect-feathers-creative-blog-hop.html" target="_blank">Cari's post</a> to check out her great creation from last week!<br />
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Thanks for stopping by today and have a wonderful week!<br />
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CrystalCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-55827853935305055982015-02-13T08:49:00.000-05:002015-02-13T08:49:49.034-05:00AlwaysWoohoo, am I ever happy that Friday is here!!! Can you tell it's been a long week? The hubby has a 3-day weekend, it's mid-winter break next week so I get extra cuddles and time with my oldest, and yesterday was just a comedy of errors so here's to a new day, Friday and <a href="http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/2015/02/friends-with-flair_13.html" target="_blank">Friends with Flair</a>!!!<br />
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Today I'm sharing a card I made for a swap and the theme was to try a new technique. I didn't know what I wanted to try until I saw these great burlap cards at Joann's from DCWV. They had regular burlap and a package of brights. I was naturally drawn to the package of brights with turquoise, green and pink. <br />
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I have never stamped on burlap before so I thought I'd try an acrylic paint in gold and generously covered my stamp in gold paint and stamped it onto the burlap. Even though I had put a lot of paint on my stamp the burlap really soaked it in so I had to go over the heart with a sponge and add more paint and then over the always with a paintbrush dipped in the paint to bring out the details. The heart is from Unity's Beautifully Confused and the Always is from Unity and Donna Downey's 'Adore' Words. I added some flowers with a gold sequin center to finish the cards off. I think these would work nicely for guy valentines!<br />
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Once again I got creative with my envelopes as well. The Snoopy stamp is from Stampabilities but all of the other stamps are from Unity. The happy day and zigzag stars on the back of the envelope are from the May 2014 SMAK kit Day Dreaming. The clouds and banner on the front are from Unity's Playground kit. The flowers on the bottom by Snoopy are from Unity's A to Z Coordinates.<br />
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I hope you all have a great weekend!<br />
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Hugs, <br />
CrystalCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-63171462157494019902015-02-09T08:50:00.000-05:002015-02-09T08:50:20.717-05:00Truly, Madly, DeeplyI just have to say that I LOVE Bogart and Bacall and think they must have had one of the best Hollywood love stories of all time. Classic movies have been a passion of mine for a long time and Humphrey Bogart is one of my favorite actors from that genre. Now onto my card!<br />
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I made this tag (a few of them for a Valentine's swap in fact) and knew I wanted to incorporate it somehow in my valentines card to my hubby who also loves cuddling and watching classic films with me. <br />
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For the tag:<br />
I found this fantastic kiss image of Bogey and Bacall and did a bit of editing to give it a stamped look and then printed it onto a cream colored shipping tag. I stamped the lips (Unity Stamp Co: You Make my Heart Puffy KOTM) in red once and then again without re-inking for a second generation image. I distressed the tag with both Antique Linen and Walnut Stain distress inks. I put some heart washi on the bottom of the tag. The stickers are some super old epoxy stickers from Creative Imaginations that were perfect for this project (yes, I am a craft supply hoarder)! I added some silky, red ribbon and some rustic twine to finish off the tag.<br />
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For the card:<br />
I love this old American Crafts patterned paper and decided since it had such a nice kraft inside to just make my whole card out of patterned paper and that way the back of the card has all of these romantic words and sayings too! I did distress the edges with Walnut Stain ink. For the inside I used a Dylusions red spray ink to color a white doily (which was also used as a stencil on the envelope). I stamped two sentiments from Unity's January 2015 KOTM Magic of Beginnings.<br />
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For the envelope:<br />
I used the doily in the card as a mask and sprayed the envelope with red Dylusions ink. The arrow stamp and the express delivery are from Unity's December 2013 KOTM Happy LOVE Day, the white rabbit stamp is from Stamp Francisco, and the hearts are from Unity's December 2014 SMAK kit Moments Like These.<br />
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As for the chocolates, they were Lindt and they are long gone!<br />
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Other Supplies used:<br />
Stamps are Unity Stamp Co and Stamp Francisco (white rabbit).<br />
American Crafts patterned paper<br />
Dylusions spray to color the heart doily<br />
washi tape<br />
Epoxy stickers: Creative Imaginations.<br />
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I am linking this to several challenges going on right now.<br />
The <a href="http://allsortschallenge.blogspot.com/2015/02/week-297-love-is-all-around.html" target="_blank">Allsorts Challenge: Love is all Around</a>.<br />
The <a href="http://fantasystampers.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/29-ps-i-love-you.html" target="_blank">Fantasy Stampers: p.s. I Love You</a>.<br />
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Thanks for visiting today and I hope you have a wonderful week and a very happy Valentines weekend!!!<br />
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Hugs, <br />
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CrystalCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-23539552916953073092015-02-06T07:51:00.000-05:002015-02-07T20:18:55.750-05:00Floral notecardsI never seem to have certain cards on hand when I need them, you know what I mean? Thank yous, sympathy, birthday, are the usual ones I am scrambling to make at the last minute and I don't usually have the time to sit down and create as needed either. The other day I decided to fix this and make up some quick notecards for those "Oops, I need a card for this NOW!" occasions. <br />
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I cut my watercolor paper down to size and stamped the flower from Unity's Imperfection Is Beauty and sentiments from Everything Wonderful and then later I grabbed my watercolors and brush and painted them at the kitchen table while the kids did arts and crafts. I love pre-stamping images on watercolor paper for that reason because it doesn't take up much space and is a pretty portable project for my busy life.<br />
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Here are some closer looks.<br />
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I made 2 sets before I ran out of watercolor paper, one of which I'll be shipping to a friend in Australia! For hers I stamped some of the wonderful botanicals from the gorgeous Wildflowers and Wings SMAK kit by Unity onto the envelopes.<br />
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Happy Friday and <a href="http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/2015/02/friends-with-flair.html" target="_blank">Friends with Flair at Unity</a>! I wish you all an amazing and crafty weekend! <br />
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I am also entering this into the <a href="http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/simon-says-all-things-bright-and-beautiful/" target="_blank">Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: All things bright and beautiful.</a><br />
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p.s. If any of you are on Instagram I finally just got around to starting an IG account and would love it if you would come by and follow my crafty endeavors. There is a giveaway in the works that I'll hopefully have organized by next Friday! Here is the link to my page: <a href="http://instagram.com/crystalamariscreations/">http://instagram.com/crystalamariscreations/</a><br />
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Hugs, <br />
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CrystalCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-81259643766152890412015-02-02T14:12:00.000-05:002015-02-02T14:12:46.496-05:00Mixed Media Monday!!!I'm going to try something new and attempt to post a mixed media project every Monday. Hopefully that will help me to create more mixed media projects and play in my art journal more which I love! Here are two pages I made over the weekend. <br />
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The first page I made around a wine label I really liked. I glued it down in the middle of the page and then used some Twinkling H2Os to paint around it. I added a few Unity stamps (Age & Wine and Let's Uncork), used a Crafters Workshop stencil and some distress ink for the blue arrows and then added another Unity stamp (from the Magic of Beginnings KOTM) for the vine-like border.<br />
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The next page was kind of a weird experiment. I made the background using my Dylusions spray inks and added lots of water to blend it around. When that dried I added the sun rays in the top corner with some acrylic paint and a Tim Holtz stencil. Doodled around it when it dried and really didn't like it. I stamped the couple under an umbrella from Unity's January 2015 KOTM Magic of Beginnings, added some torn paper, stamped the hearts (Unity's Dec 2014 SMAK Moments Like These) in gesso, and finally added some stenciled arrows with Peacock Feathers distress ink and the sentiment from Unity's December 2012 KOTM. This one took a while because most of the steps needed drying time in between.<br />
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Hope you enjoyed my first Mixed Media Monday and I hope to bring you many more as I learn the ropes and play around with new techniques. <br />
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Happy crafting!<br />
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Crystal<br />
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Crystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-71964730218316556002015-01-30T08:09:00.000-05:002015-01-30T08:09:59.569-05:00Happiness FairyThis sentiment from Unity makes me smile! It's called Happy Dust and I paired it with the gorgeous fairy from Unity's November 2014 What Lies Within Us KOTM. It's going to make a wonderful birthday card for my bestie!<br />
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I used my Twinkling H20's to color her so the whole image sparkles. I also used a Heidi Swapp stencil and some gold ink for the stars.<br />
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I've also got another little something to share today. Do you decorate your envelopes too? I used to and then just got so busy that I'd find myself grabbing an envelope at the last minute and it was pretty boring. I feel that the envelope should be just as happy of a treat when you open your mailbox, like getting an instant smile before you even open the contents! I've made it my goal to start decorating all of my outgoing mail to make it truly HAPPY MAIL!<br />
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Here is the envelope I decorated for this card using my Unity Stamps.<br />
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I used the Melody Ross Domestic Bliss set from Unity for the envelope as well as a couple of stamps from Unity's kit of the months and some washi tape. The awesome, amazing, hilarious stamps came with one of my Studio Calico project life kits.<br />
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What do you think, do you like the happy mail/mail art idea? Would it bring a smile to your face to open your box and see this?<br />
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It's Friday and <a href="http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/2015/01/friday-friends-with-flair-linky.html" target="_blank">Friends With Flair</a> today at Unity so be sure to check out all of the amazing creations made by my Unity friends this week, always inspiring!!!<br />
Thanks for visiting!<br />
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CrystalCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-59609357357196807332015-01-26T09:31:00.000-05:002015-01-26T09:31:42.081-05:00Thank you flowersI played with my Prismacolor pencils on kraft again for a little thank you note.<br />
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I masked a space off for the sentiment (Unity's Everything Wonderful), and stamped the flowers all over the card. The flowers are from Unity's December 2014 Warmth of Winter KOTM. <br />
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This took forever to color since I colored everything in cream first to make the colors pop more vibrantly. I think next time I may try stamping with white embossing powder to get a different look.<br />
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Thanks for visiting and happy crafting!<br />
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CrystalCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3879737709550784188.post-61539495546042457292015-01-23T20:48:00.002-05:002015-01-26T09:38:32.182-05:00Your wings exist...I started making some tags this week to swap. This took me a few days of doing a little here and there and waiting for things to dry but all 5 of them are finally done so I'm linking them up to <a href="http://theunitystampco.blogspot.com/2015/01/happy-friends-with-flair.html" target="_blank">Friends with Flair</a> since it's Friday and there is some Unity on here! I'm also linking up to the <a href="http://mixedmediamc.blogspot.com/2015/01/mixed-media-monthly-challenge-8.html" target="_blank">Mixed Media Monthly Challenge: Something New for the New Year.</a><br />
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I tried a few new things here. The tag was sprayed with some Heidi Swapp Color Shine in teal, citron, and gold. It was my first time using them and they have a gorgeous color and shimmer! When that dried I stamped Unity's Woodgrain Script. <br />
I then cut some hearts out of a natural fabric, used a bird stencil and painted them with gelatos. I have never used gelatos on a fabric before either and they blended so nicely. When those finally dried I doodled some stitches around it and added it to the tag with a brad. The sentiment is from Unity's Your Wings Exist set, one of my favorite sentiments and sets! I fussy cut the sentiments out and sponged with some Mustard Stain distress ink and finished with some ribbon from the awesome 3 Girl Jam!<br />
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I don't make a lot of tags and still feel pretty new to the mixed media scene, this is also my first tag swap, yikes! I really hope the recipients like them. I would love to hear your feedback!<br />
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I'm linking this up to the <a href="http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/simon-says-have-a-heart-2/" target="_blank">Simon Says Stamp Have a Heart Challenge</a>.<br />
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Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful weekend!<br />
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Hugs, <br />
CrystalCrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794917171694475541noreply@blogger.com22