Special 50/50

Hey guys. You are all cordially invited to join the 50/50 Digital Stamping Group and the Christmas Block Party!

All the deets are here. If you join, please tell them I sent you.

AiFactory Tuesday - Last Minute Gifts

I think my brain is still on overload. This week, we've been challenged to make something that could be created quickly and that could also be given to just about anyone. Since I've had multiple challenges on the brain (see yesterday's post), narrowing down "something" was harder than it should've been. Once that lightbulb went off, however, I had to stop myself from making more and more of these little goodies so I could take pictures and get them posted!!

The set we're using this week is Season's Greetings. It's a really cute set and would be great for Christmas party invitations, family Christmas letter stationery, gift tags, and a whole host of other goodies. I altered some binder clips that were leftover from work and made them into little photo or note holders.

In the first picture, I've shown them holding this year's school photos of my two younger daughters. The second pic is the clips close up.
I think they came out really cute! I think I'm going to give them to my mom when we go visit her later this week. I think she'll like them, especially if I include the pictures of the girls.

Please play along with us! You've got an extra week this time, due to the holidays, and you can win a clipart set of your choice from the AiFactory Store! Links to the rest of the team are on the left side-bar. You need not use an AiFactory image, but, as usual, we'd be thrilled if you did! Remember, if you post to SCS or PCP, this week's tag is AIF017.

Challenges this set is for:
Creative Card Crew - Anything Goes & DT Call (my third entry)
Color Throwdown #73 - except I linked it too late.
Easy Craft Projects #2 - inspired by the picture frame idea
AllSorts Challenge Week 32 - Anything But a Card
Bee Crafty 20 - Circles and a digi
(not sure if this counts, since I could have used the line art and it is a digital image?)

That's all of 'em for this set. Challenges are a lot of fun. Thanks for reading! Have a great one!!

My First Ippity Hop!

Hey there peeps! I hope you are all having lots of fun checking out the {ippity} goodness this morning.

I'm gonna keep it short this morning, since this isn't just for the {ippity} hop. I used Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge #52 and {ippity} Kissmas & Mistletoe. Patterned paper is Basic Grey's Eskimo Kisses.
This card is also for the following challenges (yes, I'm multi-tasking again):
EtsyInspired #67 - Kindly Noted (using this card for the colours)
BasicGrey - Colour Combo (cream, pink and blue are all there in the Eskimo Kisses paper)
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #30 - Free For All
Crafty Calendar Challenge #3 - Winter Sparkle
Corrosive Challenge #43 - Blingy (holographic embossing powder is blingy, right?)
Stamp with Us - Christmas (SU Garden Green and Pretty in Pink card stock, plus Whisper White craft ink, snail adhesive, dimensionals)
Kaboodle Doodles - Sparkly Winter (I see a recurring theme here)
Kraftin' Kimmie - Sparkle Baby
Creative Card Crew - Anything Goes & DT Call
Stamp Something - Holiday Something
One Stop Craft Challenge - Recycled (I recycled the cardstock for the snowman off another project, which is actually printed on the back side. Shhh!!)
Our Creative Corner - Let it Snow
Simon Says - Merry Christmas
Sophisticat - Christmas

Thanks for looking and have an awesome day!

Friends with Flair - End of the Year

Wow. Can you believe it's this close to the end of the year? And next week is...(taking a big breath)...Christmas??? I am SO not ready!! And this is so not the card I was going to make! But what are you gonna do when inspiration strikes?

I was trolling the net, trying to spark the mojo. I was going to use a challenge that required snowflakes or snowmen. That's great! I still need to make some more Christmas cards. Um, yeah. No. EIC struck again. Well, it did have some help from my friend, Becky, who is anxiously awaiting the birth of her son. I was looking through my stamps and looking at pictures and looking at sketches on different sites...

So I took the photo of this necklace from Marmar's shop, the sketch from this month's Sheetload of Cards, which, btw, is the last issue, so if you want them, you should scamper on over and download them before they disappear in March, and Unity's Bouncy Blue - and made a card for Becky.

Becky, if you're reading this today, I hope you like it!

Check out the full list of people participating this week on the Unity blog.

Quick announcement. You can purchase {ippity} stamps from me. Anything I sell is going to help my oldest daughter, Meagan travel to Europe next summer. She'll earn both high school and college credit, as well as it just being an incredible opportunity to learn and grow. I wish I could go with her! I can't, but I'm going to do what I can to make it possible.

Thanks for reading - and happy holidays!

Softpencil - It's Definitely Not a Card!

Happy Thursday everybody! It's Anything But a Card day today and believe me, I went about as far away from a card as I possibly could. When I first saw Gorgeous Life, the beautiful mandala designed by Elizabeth's very talented sister, Natalia, my brain went immediately to one of my other long-term hobbies.

I'm sure some of you have wondered where the name FibreJunky came from, considering I've been doing an awful lot of paper crafting these days. Well, for the past 15 years, I've been a spinner. I also knit, weave, sew...pretty much anything that has to do with some type of textile, yarn, thread, needle, colours...you name it, I've at least tried it. So, back to spinning. Some years ago, Spin-Off had an article about making your very own drop spindles out of used CDs. How could I not take this opportunity to make a pretty one??

Since it's Christmas time, I chose Christmas-y colours. The wool is some mystery wool/mohair blend - I think - that I had laying around. It's green. That's why I grabbed it and spun just enough up to make sure the spindle works.This handy, useful little project is also for Our Creative Corner's Holiday (Christmas) Challenge, Creative Card Crew's Anything Goes challenge, and the Whimsical Ink Society's Bright & Bold Challenge. I just love multi-tasking.

Hey - I've got 5 kids. If I don't multi-task, I'd never get anything at all done!

Now, two quick things before I go. First of all, please check out the rest of the DT's creations today. They're listed on the left side of the blog.

Second, I'd like to wish Elizabeth a great, big

AiFactory Tuesday - Challenge #16

Hi everyone! I'm typing on December 14. It's my youngest daughter's birthday - so a big Happy Birthday sweetie!!

Today the challenge is to do a Clean and Simple project using the clip art set Little Doctor Medical Cliparts. I was having some trouble with inspiration for this one, which is pretty backwards, since everyone around here has been sick! Then again, I'm pretty sick of doctors, doctor visit, medications, and illnesses at this point, so in that respect, not too surprising.

I was thinking of a few other things I wanted to do this week when I saw this cute necklace at marmar's shop on Etsy. Hmm....I like that blue. Bet I can get it to coordinate with that darling little nurse in the clipart set. Oooh, and wait! She has red on her little hat - and there's red in the necklace. I can do that, too! EtsyInspired Challenge #66 is done and so is my card for AiFactory.

Please check out what the rest of the team has done - and then it's your turn! When you're done, link your project to the AiFactory Challenges blog. If you post to a public gallery, please use the tag AiF016.

Angie
Erin
Fink
Kerry
Lola
AiFactory Challenge Blog (Link Posts HERE)

Thanks for all of the wonderful thoughts for Hannah. She's feeling much better. She'd never speak to me again if I shared the pics of her with her face all puffy. She's a teenager. I wouldn't humiliate her like that, anyway. Now...I may share them with her future husband, but that's an entirely different set of circumstances! It's my job to embarrass her at that point. Right??

Soft Pencil Thursday - on Saturday

Hello everyone. No, I have not fallen off the face of the planet, although it sure felt like it! Comcast was out in our whole area for over a day (what? me without a net connection?? HORRORS!!!) and then I spent the past 2 days taking care of two of my kids. Cody still needs some help, but Hannah, who had her bottom wisdom teeth extracted yesterday morning, is doing much, much better. Poor baby was in a lot of pain yesterday and didn't want me to leave her side. Today she just looks like a chipmunk. The dentist says her stitches will dissolve in a week or so. We're hoping she can return to school on Monday. We'll see.

This week we got the cutest image, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, to work with, and we were to use Christmas colours. A big can-do! I also chose to follow Sketch Challenge 257 from SCS, because sketch challenges are fun.

I wanted something puffy to use on their hats, but I don't have anything, so just used souffle ink. It's got texture, but not exactly what I wanted. I still think it came out pretty cute.

Thanks for visiting. Don't forget to check out the rest of the team. They're listed over on the left side of the blog.

If anyone has any advice on how to deal with a 19yo with Asperger's Syndrome, I'm open to suggestions.

AiFactory Tuesday - Tag Challenge

Good morning everybody! I hope you had a great weekend. I'm still sorting out everything for the upcoming blog candy, but it's definitely coming. I have it on good authority that I'll be able to offer something special, but I'm not saying just what that is yet, so stay tuned!

Today is AiFactory Tuesday and that means it's digistamp time again. This week, with Christmas looming ever closer, De challenged us to use the chic chandelier frames from this page. There are four to choose from!

I decided to colour my tags in Photoshop, just for practice, and then print them out. If you go this route, don't forget that you can zoom in on the file before you use the paint bucket on any one part. It's a lot easier to get into narrow spaces that way! Once I had one image done, I just copied it so that there were 8 of them on a page and printed them out. The font is Black Adder II, which I found here.

I punched holes in the corners with a Crop-a-dile and tied a ribbon through each set of 8, just to keep them together. These will definitely be getting used this year - and I've saved the file in case I need to print off more of them. With 5 kids, you know there will be lots of gifts under the tree!

Check out what the rest of the team has to show for you today - they're always so creative, I'm sure it's going to be fabulous!

Angie
De
Erin
Fink
Kerry
Lola
AiFactory Challenge Blog (Link Posts HERE)

When you're done checking them out, it's your turn! Make a gift tag or two. Link up to the Challenge Blog. If you post to SCS or another public gallery, please use the tag AiF015 so we can be sure to find your creations and leave 'em some love! This week's challenge winner will get the full set of four frames from the AiFactory Store!!

Friends With Flair - the Quick Version

Hey there peeps. This is a quick, down and dirty post. Kind of like my card. This is the last week of school before finals and so I thought I'd see how quickly I could pull off a decent looking card. I can do a really cruddy card in no time flat, but one that I wouldn't be horrified to send out? Well...that's another story! So in comes Sheetload of Cards. I've used their sketches before. They really are quick, especially if you're need to make a, er, sheetload.

Anyway. Just one, but I needed to make a birthday card. I pulled out one of the new {ippity} sets (and yes, you can buy them from me - just drop me a pm, email or a comment and we'll talk) and I think I even pulled off a fairly masculine card! What do you think?In case you're wondering, yes, that's a Basic Grey Indian Summer paper pad in the background. I took a second photo with the card and the paper, but I didn't like it and it's late, so I'm heading to bed. I have to be in class in less than 8 hours.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the wonderful Unity friends - you can find the full list on the Unity blog!

My First Softpencil Thursday!!

Hi everyone! I am SO super excited! I have been asked to join the Softpencil Design Team!! This is just amazing. I love Elizabeth's designs. I think they're just so adorable! Because I love them so much, I wanted to make sure I did a really good job on my first challenge, fever and nausea be darned!

This week we're working with calendar images. How appropriate for the end of the year, don't you think? I got to work with Spreading Fairy Dust, which I think is going to be perfect for my younger two girls. Our challenge was to use at least 2 layers. Well, I think I managed that!

I've double matted the calendar itself and then I did some paper piecing and layering within the image. I wanted it to be more dimensional - and I wanted to prove that just because it's a digital image, doesn't mean you can't paper piece! You CAN!! And no, I didn't print on patterned paper!!

I did a little cropping of the image, duplicated it onto a secondary file so that I could print just the fairy or just the house (actually, I printed 4 extra fairies and 2 extra houses, since I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to do with them and I wanted extra in case of mistakes - not that I ever make mistakes or anything...) and then I cut out the parts that I wanted out of the DP and traced them with black ink (I used my Copic multiliner, but any fine lined marker would work) and that was all there was to it! I also popped up one of her wings for extra dimension.Here's a close-up so you can better see the dimension and the stickles. The colour is actually nearly identical to the first photo, but you can't see the stickles in it at all, so here you go. The background is shimmery chalk from Pebbles.

Go check out the rest of the design team and the main blog. There are eight new members of the team today! I still can't believe I'm one of them!! Yes, I'm giddy. I think I'm allowed!

Kerry
Cathy
Tracey
Ashley
Cat Darling
Jodi
Lisa
Mia
Tenia
April
Leanne
Carole
Annette
Guest Designers for December
Poppet
Dawn

Thanks for stopping by! Come back soon. I'll be posting blog candy this weekend in honour of hitting 100 followers!

AiFactory Tuesday - Digipaper Challenge

Hi Everyone!! I bet you guys all thought I'd dropped off the face of the planet. Well, not quite, but it sure felt that way! My computer was giving me grief, the youngest one was sick, Thanksgiving, school - you know the drill. I'm starting to feel like that lovely quote "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get."

In any case, this is the first time I've used actual printed digi-paper on a card. My first few ideas weren't working like I wanted them to. I think I was over-thinking things again. I tend to do that, especially when I'm stressed out. So then I remembered that I'd seen this week's Clean & Simple challenge over at SCS. It was to rework a card of your own. I chose this card. Now, there's nothing inherently wrong with that card at all. In fact, a couple people have favourited it. So I thought, why not let the digital paper be the star this time?

This is what I came up with.

As you can see, the paper is a subdued stripe in a light, sage green. I added some snowflakes and stamped the word "peace" into the corner, using the same ink and embossing powder as I used on the original card. The dimensions are the same, too. As Jen Buck would say EPLS.

Now it's your turn! You have until Monday, December 7, at Midnight! Post your challenge links to the AiFactory Challenge Blog and if you post to online galleries, please use the tag AIF014.

Oh, you want to know what you can win this week?? Your very own set of AiFactory Digital Papers. While you're checking those out, take a peek around. Mia has extended the Cyber Monday sale through Saturday, December 5!! Everything in the shop is 50% off!!

We'd also love it if you'd head around to see what the rest of the DT has to share. Thanks and have an awesome day!

Angie
De
Erin
Fink
Kerry
Lola
AiFactory Challenge Blog (Link Posts HERE)

Shout Out to Limelight

This is just a drive-by posting, but I really want to give a shout out to Mandy at Limelight Papercrafts. There are people in the crafting world who go out of their way to give good service and who really care. Mandy is one of them.

She's also really talented and has an awesome design team. You can check out the Limelight blog here.

So Mandy, thanks for being you.

Friends with Sheetloads of Flair

Hello and happy Friday! I hope everyone out there in blogland is having better weather than we are. It's just rainy and yucky here - but my mom is on her way up and that makes it all better!

Did you guys see the fantabulous Donna Downey set that Unity released yesterday? Yup, that's right. I said fantabulous. That's the word you have to use when discussing anything and Donna Downey! That is one awesome lady! It's called The Artist in You, and it's on sale this weekend! If you haven't visted her blog before, you are seriously missing out!

So I took it a little on the easy side and went for a Christmas card. I used the sketch from this month's Sheetload of Cards. This is only a photo of one of them, but I did make more. The big branch from Christmas Bough stamp fits perfectly. It's stamped in a combination of Peeled Paint and Shabby Shutters Distress Inks. The sentiment is Fired Brick. The lovely striped patterned paper is from Basic Grey's Wassail collection. The ribbon is from work. It's leftover from the chocolate making biz.

Check out the Unity blog for a full list of peeps participating today. Spread the love around.

Multiple Challenges R Us

Hello everyone! My mojo took a slight vacation, but I think it may be back? This card is for several challenges and a swap-bot swap.

First of all, Etsy Inspired Challenge #61. JaredKS's Fine Art Nature Photography is the shop for the week. I was inspired by this photo of a magnolia blossom. I just love the pinks!

Next was the Whimsical Ink Saturday Challenge posted by Ashley, which was to use a butterfly. Lorali is a butterfly mermaid. Got that one! In fact, I've had Lorali coloured for days. It was just the rest that was stumping me.

Enter the Paper Makeup Stamps Release Challenge from this past weekend. It's a recipe challenge.
foundation: use textured cardstock (prism, bazzill, or embossed);
blush: use the color pink;
eyes: use the color black (like mascara);
lips: use something shimmery/shiney (like lip gloss)

I'm covered! My core'dinations paper is definitely textured. Then I embossed it with the divine swirls Cuttlebug folder and sanded over the top for some added dimension. The card was pink before I even started anything else, so check that one off, too. Oh, and because I was colouring with Copics, I used Tuxedo Black Memento ink. That's three...and to finish her off, I added some sparkles with Spica markers, which I adore.It was the sketch challenge from Just Us Girls Week 6 that was my lifesaver. The little butterflies are also Queen Kat and come from one of the monthly kits. I just don't remember which one off the top of my head.

And lastly, for the first time, I managed to pull off a Pile it On challenge! This week's was to use a leaf or leaves. The flower in Lorali's hair - has two leaves.

Whew! I hope the person I'll be sending this to likes it. It's not going to be an easy one to send away.

AiFactory Tuesday - Challenge #11

Good morning everybody! It's time for AiFactory Tuesday! This week it's Live Free with Brads and Eyelets! We're challenging everyone to use one of the freebie images in the AiFactory store and to incorporate brads and/or eyelets into the design. The design team is doing it Splitcoast Stampers CAS38 style, so we're keeping it clean and simple this week.

I chose the snowflake scatter brushes. Bet you'd never have guessed! It took a little bit of playing around, since I'm not quite used to playing around with different brush styles just yet, but I got the snowflakes to show up in the sizes I wanted, changed their colour - several times, actually, until I was happy with how they appeared. Then I printed them out, chose the ones I wanted, and used a circle punch to cut out the few that I wanted. I CASE'd this card. My sentiment is a traditional rubber stamp by Karen Lockhart, but the snowflakes? All digital, baby! Oh, and how do you like my new card stand? It's my Unity A handle. I couldn't find my card stand the other night and couldn't get the card I was trying to photograph to stay put. This worked brilliantly! Why not, right?

Okay, so the gory details. You have until midnight next Monday (11/16) to play along. This week we are requiring that you use a freebie from the AiFactory Store. It should also include brads or eyelets and be Clean & Simple. We don't ask for much, do we? Don't worry. I know you can do it!

This week, someone will win the Christmas Decoration Tree digi stamp! So get cracking, okay?? Don't forget to link your project to the challenge blog. When posting to online galleries, please use AIF011, aifactory and CAS38.

Now it's time to head over and see what the rest of the team has for you to see!

Angie
De
Erin
Fink
Kerry
Lola
AiFactory Challenge Blog (Link Posts HERE)

Growing in Unity Winner!

ACK! I almost forgot to post this! It's been sitting on my desktop since Sunday night.

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

6

Timestamp: 2009-11-8 23:28:32 UTC

So, by my count, the winner is...

Monika in VA said...

Love that 'tree'! Can't wait to see what you have in store for us this week!

November 2, 2009 8:37 PM

Monika, drop Eryn an email with your choice of Unity single!! Congrats and thank you for the sweet comments!!

Growing in Unity - Day 5 is Friends with Flair!

Hi everyone! Today is my final day of Growing in Unity. I have had an absolute blast this week. Please remember to leave a comment for your chance to win a Unity single of your choice. I'll wait until Sunday evening before drawing a name just to give everyone a chance to make the blog rounds.

I hope everyone has enjoyed this week as much as I have. I can hardly wait to see what next week will bring - and who will be the lucky stamper to be hosting.

For my final card this week, I chose a stamp that is very dear to my heart. It will always remind me of Hip Hop and all the friends and fun that went along with it. We all know that it's always All About the PIE!!The stamp is, of course, from Hodge Podge of Happiness, the ultimate stamp kit with all stamps chosen by Unity customers. This particular stamp was designed by Lisa Hetrick, of pie-loving fame. DP is by Graphic 45. The sketch (yup, the sketch kick continues) is Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #105.

Unity has some awesome sets on sale through Sunday. {ippity} is here, too. Check it out.

Thanks to all for being so supportive this week. You guys are awesome!

Growing in Unity - Day 4

Oh my wow! Did you guys see what Unity has up their collective sleeves now?? {ippity} is finally here and you can bet your britches that I'm signing up for this one! Or rather, I already have! This is super exciting!

Today I have a birthday card that I put together using Mojo Monday's challenge for this week. It gave me a chance to use a stamp I got from the ever-so-sweet Miss Ashley, Unity's Horn Honker, and to play with the Fleur-de-lis Borderabilities.
The DP is from Basic Grey's Lemonade and the sentiment is from Birthday Chic, which, along with several other kits, is on sale through Sunday!

Funny little story about Birthday Chic. I knew I had it somewhere, but could not for the life of me find it - and the birthday sentiment from Love in the Air was just too big for what I wanted this time. I had finally given up when I noticed it was sitting on top of the drawer to my craft table. Under the table.
This is the view from my computer chair. I have no idea why it was sitting there. I can't explain it at all. You may all laugh at me now.

I'll be back tomorrow with my final Growing in Unity post!! See you then.

Growing in Unity - Day 3

I know...finally. Card first. The tree is the same one I used on Monday, from Bright & Merry Winter Wishes. The sketch is from a challenge at Stamp TV, and the presents are from a GinaK kit (designed by Gina's daughter, btw. Talented kid!)
Tomorrow Angela is supposed to explain "ippity" to us. I don't know about you guys, but I am super curious. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's going to be interesting.

One thing I really like about Growing in Unity is that it really forces me to take the time to create, no matter how tired I am. It never fails to make me feel better, either. So even if you're stressed out the wazoo (yes, that's a technical term!), do yourself a favour and make something! I don't care what it is. Heck, make reservations, but make something. You'll be glad you did.

I'll be back tomorrow with some more Unity goodness!

GiU- Day 3 delayed

Have to run into work - and it's not gonna be fun. I'll get this up as soon as I get home.

Growing in Unity - Day 2

I'm back with Day 2 of Growing in Unity. Thank you for the kind words you left yesterday. They always bolster my spirit.

For those who may be looking for the AiFactory Challenge post, scroll down one post, please.

I'm in alter mode today. Some of you know that I swap on Swap-bot. One of my recent swaps involved creating something - as long as it included an owl in a Santa hat. Unity to the rescue!

I took the larger of the two owls from Owl Always Love You and gave him a hat, courtesy of the Cricut. The little notebook was one that came from the Philly Candy Show. Eldest son says it looks "much less boring" now. Coming from him, that is a huge compliment.I also used Snowflake Border from Bright & Merry Christmas Wishes and the inside has Worn Music stamped tone-on-tone using the same red paper. The whole thing is based on Card Patterns Sketch #39. (did I mention that I'm on a sketch challenge kick?) I hope my partner likes it.

AiFactory Tuesday - Challenge #10

Guess what? It's AiFactory Challenge day and this week Erin challenged us to a free-for-all! Yup, she gave us free reign to use any image from a prior challenge - or one from the AiFactory Store that we'd been hankering to try. I really like Alicia Goes Snowboarding so I'm using her again.

Speaking of hankering, does that word make anyone else think of that old commercial "hanker for a hunk of cheese" or is it just me? For those who are too young to remember, here it is.

Okay, so back to the challenge. Erin did have one teeeeensy little caveat. No cards. We had to alter something. Okey-dokey. I can do that. That I can do! Uh oh. Now I'm quoting A Chorus Line. I'll try to behave myself.

I've seen several "stamped" candles lately. I think they're really cool and would make neat Christmas/Hannukah/Yule/insert-your-holiday-of-choice presents, particularly if done in sets and presented in a nice, decorated box.

I wasn't exactly sure this would work - but it did! Because this is a digital stamp, it works a little differently than the tutorial I followed, written by Katie Renz. She did make a really cute gift box to go with her stamped candles. I haven't got any acetate, unfortunately, but it's on my shopping list! I placed my image in Photoshop and rasterized it. Using the paint bucket and the colours from Color Throwdown #66, I filled in the different areas to get a fully coloured Alicia. Isn't she cute??Check out the rest of the team and see what they've got to share with you this week. We've got another new team member, so please help us welcome Betty to the fold! She's going to be a great addition to the team.

Angie
Betty
De
Erin
Fink

Kerry
Lola
AiFactory Challenge Blog (Link Posts HERE)

The short rules for playing along: you do not have to use an AiFactory image, but we would be thrilled if you did. Freebies are available here if you're still a little leery of digital images. If you post your project to an online gallery, please tag your photo(s) with AIF010. The prize this week is a digi-paper of the winner's choice. For full rules, and to link your project, head on over to the AiFactory Challenges blog.

Lastly, AiFactory has a new Monthly Kit Club. It's on special for $5 this month. All the deets are here. Check it out!

Back later with my Growing In Unity post.

I'm Growing In Unity!

Good morning everybody! I'm hosting Growing In Unity this week. I'm super excited about it because this week is the first anniversary of Growing In Unity! It started out with a bunch of people who love Unity stamps doing projects for a week to showcase their love for the stamps and the company - and now it's been growing strong for an entire year! Not only that, but people have signed up to take weeks through next April! Now that's dedication! But we love our Unity!!

I've got a little Christmas card today. It's the first time I've used Spellbinders' Petite Borderabilities - and they're fun! I'm still on my sketch kick, so this one comes from The Sweet Shop's Saturday Sketch, #28.
The stamp comes from Bright & Merry Winter Wishes. I'm loving this set! A shout out to De S for the Bow-Easy. Once I got over being fumble-fingered, it worked great! Thanks, De!!

I'll be back tomorrow with two posts - one for AiFactory and another for Growing in Unity! See you then!!

Friends With Flair Friday

Good morning Peeps! It's Friday, and that means it's time for Unity's Friends with Flair! Yeah, I'm late. It's been a week. We're shutting things down at work, so I've been cleaning up the machinery, moving boxes, and lifting a bunch of stuff that I shouldn't have. I hurt so much it's just not even funny - so I took a flexeril after work. And then a vicodin. Yup, I brought out the big guns. And then I slept until 10:30 this morning. I kinda missed class, too. Oops??

On the good side of things, I'm going to have an awesome new desk here at home on which to create. And I've got a doctor's appointment this afternoon to adjust the medications so I can get something that won't knock me out. I really, really hate taking anything that strong.

Anyway, This week's card is doing double duty again. It's my card for Etsy Inspired #59 - The Little Red Door, and I've just been waiting to post it. I love this little shop - and as soon as I saw it, I knew exactly which stamp I was going to use. Of course, it was going to be Unity! This is the darling little house I used as inspiration. Isn't it cute??

I used the little house stamp from May's Kit of the Month, ...another sweet day! This is truly one of my favourites! The sentiment comes from one of the newer kits, Bright and Merry Winter Wishes.

For the card itself, I used Sketch Challenge #35 at Stamp TV. The patterned paper is some I got from Jan (tweetybugshouse) back when I first started stamping and had nothing. So a big thank you to Jan!!

I'll be hosting Growing in Unity next week, so don't forget to come and see what I've got planned. I hope I don't disappoint.

Poll for School - Blog Candy Involved!

Hey everyone. I need to do a little bit of research for a school project. I've decided the best way to do that it to ask my readers. In return, I will send someone a little surprise.

Here's what I need to know. What is your favourite kind of ice cream? Please leave a comment with your favourite flavour and your age range. For bonus entries, ask your family members too.

Age ranges: Under 18, 19-25, 26-40, Over 40.

Also, in the case of family members, if you could note the sex of the person answering, that would be fabulous.

Thank you SO much!!

AiFactory Tuesday - Challenge #9

I am very sad as I post today. This is the last week that my dear, sweet friend, Ashley, will be a part of the AiFactory DT. So, while this is my favourite of the projects I've made so far as a part of the DT, I can't quite be as thrilled as I might have otherwise been.

This week, De challenged us to use this adorable Bee and Flower image. In addition, she requested that we use CPS #138 and, if we had them, Shimmerz. I admit, I've had a couple jars - okay, 3 - sitting here for quite a few months without even being opened. I will also admit that I was a teensy bit afraid of them. Now I wonder why I was ever nervous. Oh, and I want more!

The first image is a close-up. I wanted to show the sparkle in the wings and the flower. I used Frosted Lace stickles for the wings, a spica marker for the centre of the flower and burgundy Shimmerz for the petals. I don't think the petals show up very well in the photo, but they sure are pretty in real life.
The card itself is coloured with Copics. The patterned paper comes from Basic Grey's Eva collection. It's a bit more pattern than I normally use at once, but I felt kinda wild today.Here is the inside of the card. I just chose a font (this one is called Kendric), printed it out, trimmed it to size and adhered it.Now, remember, you do not have to use an image from AiFactory to participate in this week's challenge. There is a prize involved, but you have to play to win. When you post in any online gallery, please use the tag AIF009. I'm sure the folks over at the CPS blog would be happy if you used CPS138, too. You can link your projects to the AiFactory Challenge blog or here at the AiF community.

Thanks for checking out my blog today. As always, I truly appreciate it! Check out the rest of my teammates. They're listed on the left side of my blog. Leave some extra love for Ashley. Her littlest one has been super sick. And a big welcome to Fink (aka Sheri), as she joins the team.

I hope you all have a super day!

Quick Note about AiFactory Challenges

There seems to be a little confusion over the AiFactory challenges, and part of this is my fault for not specifying, so I wanted to clear this up. I'll be putting this information into my AiF posts from now on, but just so it's out there, this is one of those challenges where you can make a card, a layout, an altered project...as long as it fits the challenge guidelines, go for it!

In addition, you don't have to use an AiFactory image. Of course, we would totally love it if you did! But it's certainly not mandatory. If you don't have any yet, (and what are you waiting for, hmm???) Mia has some freebies at the AiFactory Store. Digital stamps are really cool. There is one major plus - they don't take up any space in your house! Trust me, I know how much of an issue that can be. Remember, I have five kids and live in military housing.

So come and play along. Combine it with another challenge or 10. If you manage ten, I'll be uber impressed. The deadline each week is 11:59pm EST, Monday. Oh, and if you want to come and hang out with us, we're always happy to have more company at AiFactory/AiVault Land.

EtsyInspired #58 - Unity Friends With Flair

Good morning, peeps! I'm combining two posts today, as I run out the door. First off, it's Friday - and that means it's time for Unity's Friends With Flair! I know you know how much I love my Unity stamps! Check out the Unity blog for a list of everyone participating and for a run down on Angela's "garage sale" - there are, as usual, some excellent buys to be had.

In addition to FWF, it's been several weeks since I joined in the EtsyInspired Challenge, but it's one of my favourites. Now that I'm getting back into the swing of things, EIC was one of my first thoughts.

This week's shop is Linkel Designs. Kelly and Linda create some absolutely gorgeous jewelry pieces. I could get into some serious trouble spending money there. Oh, and I absolutely refuse to show it to my daughters until closer to Christmas! I don't want them to fall in love with anything that might be sold too early. When I'm ready to shop, though, the older two are going to be checking it out. Hannah, in particular, will go bazonkers.

For my inspiration, I chose these sweet little heart locket earrings, which they have named Fondly.

I'd been working on some other vintage-type cards, so had already been looking at my Unity Stampin' Store kit. When I saw these earrings, I immediately thought of the little hearts on the measuring cup and spoons, and the matching love sentiment. The designer paper is from Graphic 45 and reminds me of an old kitchen tablecloth. To add to the vintage feel, I ink-distressed the edges of all the internal layers of cardstock with Faded Jeans Distress Ink. I'm still on a sketch kick, and this one is CPS #137.
There's still time for you to participate in this week's challenge. Deets are on the EtsyInspired Challenge blog.

Don't forget to check out all the awesome Unity creations, too. There are some amazingly talented folks out there, and I'm fortunate enough to call some of them friend.

AiFactory AIF008 - Part Deux

I was right - DC traffic was hideous!! But Bethesda itself wasn't so bad at all and I got to see a very nice doctor. Short version: I have osteoarthritis in my back and fibromyalgia. It could be a lot worse. It could have been lupus.

So anyhoo...my card. You'll remember that part of our challenge was to use the colours Erin chose from the Kuler website. Well, the rest of it was to use either the Ivan-goes-snowboarding or Alicia-goes-snowboarding digistamps.I decided I needed a Christmas card, so that's what I made.When I printed this out, I used the draft setting so the ink-jet ink would be lighter. I then used Krylon Workable Fixatif over it. I no longer have trouble with my printer ink smearing when I use Copics. I am a happy camper in this regards, let me tell you! I was having a devil of a time before, but, as you can see, that is one problem solved!

Of course the team would love it if you would all join along. Full deets at the AiFactory Challenge Blog. Don't forget the keyword is AIF008. I know I'm looking forward to seeing what you make! Links to the rest of the team are on the left side of my blog. Leave 'em some love!

PS. I almost forgot to put this in here. I've been on a sketch kick and this one came from Jen del Muro's Sketch For You to Try for this week.

AiFactory Tuesday!

Good morning everyone! Today we're snowboarding with Alicia! Or rather, she's snowboarding and I'm out at Bethesda Naval Medical Center seeing a rheumatologist. Somehow I think she's having much more fun than I am.

Erin challenged us to use this colour palette. It's called Sh! and she got it from the Kuler website, which is a really neat place to check out. I'm having trouble seeing things lately, so I went in and made this handy little colour sheet. I just took the Kuler colours and made squares, then filled in the colours using the bucket. I did it in Illustrator, but it could be done in Photoshop just as easily.
Ack - have to run. DC traffic is going to be the death of me this morning. Back as soon as they're done with me - and will get the pic of my project up asap!

Friends with Flair - HHH style!

Wowie, I can't believe just how much I missed the Hip Hop chat. I don't know if it'll be back again, but I'm sure glad I was able to participate. I may well regret it this weekend, but I don't really care! It was worth it!!

This is the first real card I've made in 4 weeks. Yes, I am going crazy. Why do you ask?? I don't think that twitch is permanent...

Kidding. Little stressed - not crafting at all is just crazy-making! I'm sure you guys all understand that one. I need to do something creative every day. It's a balm to my soul.

So, first non-digital card since the last time I participated in FwF Friday. Digi-cards are cool. You always have the right colour, you don't run out of adhesive half-way through a project...but there's nothing like getting your hands all inky. Today I pulled out the first Unity Stampin' Store Kit from August, ...100% Happy. I love this one - and finally my favourite local shop, The Queen's Ink, is carrying them!! Woohoo!!!!! No more having to mail order these particular kits. I can go local now. I think the ferris wheel makes such a statement on a card. It's such a fun image, too. The patterned paper is from Graphic 45. The ribbon is actually Dusty Durango polka-dotted grosgrain from Stampin' Up, which I just turned upside-down so that it would match the paper better.

Now, if you haven't been there in a while, now's the time to get shopping at Unity. They've got a gigantoid sale going on this weekend.
I should be back to blogging much more regularly now that I can type again and now that I can actually stamp. Rejoice with me people, this is a happy day!!

AiFactory Challenge - Sweet Pea Fairies

Hi everyone!! I'm back! I have really missed creating and sharing with everyone.

This week, we're using the cutest digi-stamps! I've loved this set since the first time I saw it, and it may be my favourite at AiFactory. With a name like Sweet Pea Fairies, how could they be anything other than adorable?? We've got a second set that some of us are using this week - Hand Drawn Wings. These are gorgeous and I have visions of altered books and ATCs floating in my head for them.

Part of our challenge this week was to use either of those two sets (or both?) and to use the following sketch from Clean and Simple Stamping: Fall to Layout #43.
Because my wrists aren't quite fully healed from tendinitis, I went all digital this week. In addition, it's practice for CAT 118, my Digital Illustration class, so I can count my blogging as doing homework! Works for me. I used the Kuler website to help choose colours and then made a very subtle gradient as my background. I'm not sure if you can tell, but there are metallic gradients for the crown and the wings - though I reduced the opacity in the wings, since wings should be shiny or sparkly, but never heavy.Now it's your turn. You have until Monday, October 19, at midnight, to play along. All rules are at the AiFactory Challenge blog. If you post to an online gallery, please use the keywords AIF007 and FTL43. If you're feeling froggy, you might want to post to the CAS Stamping: FTL43 post, too. I'm sure the folks over there would love to see what you make!

Don't forget to check out the rest of the DT's posts. We all love getting comments!

Angie
Ashley
De
Erin
Kerry
Lola
Mia'
AiFactory Challenge Blog (LINK POSTS HERE)

Have a wonderful week! Now go create!!

AiFactory Challenge - Halloween Sentiments

Good morning! It's that time of the week again and we've got a colour challenge this week! The team is using the Haunted Tags & Quotes set, and everyone is trying to do something a little different. We hope we've succeeded in giving everyone some good eye candy to look at. If you want some real candy, feel free to Trick or Treat at my house on October 31 - but remember, I live in military housing and it's generally only allowed from 6-8pm.

Here are the colours Erin chose for our challenge this week.
In keeping with my party theme of last week, I decided that we needed some wine glass charms. Yup - time for the shrink plastic! If you haven't played with this since childhood, do yourself a favour and give it a whirl. It's fun!I had a little trouble with some of the printer colours, but overall, they came out pretty cute. Next time I won't use memory wire and I'll get some bigger beads for the sides, but sometimes you just use what you've got.
A couple quick notes - eldest son cut the memory wire for me. That was a big not-gonna-happen when I tried myself. Also, when you're recovering from tendinitis, don't decide that a project requiring lots of cutting and manipulation of jump rings is a good idea. It's not.

Now that you've had your moment to laugh at me for the day, head over to the rest of the AiFactory team and see what they've got to show for this week's challenge. The AiFactory challenge blog has all the deets.

Friends with Flair - week 3

Why is it that when you most need your internet connection, the whole thing goes kablooie? Mine shut down yesterday afternoon and I just got it back - nearly 15 hours later.

This is just a little CAS card using the bicycle image from the August '09 KOTM "Following My Heart..." It's a sweet set and this is one of my favourite images from it. It reminds me of a bike my grandparents had when I was growing up. Because the base of the card is so dark, I used the same light blue to line the inside and the patterned paper to accent the inner edge. I don't often do much to the insides of my cards, but I do really like how they look, so I may start doing it a lot more often.

Unity has come up with a new thing called "Who Does That?" They're as crazy as always, and have released 17 new kits and singles this weekend. Yesterday, someone won 551 stamps!

Who does that??

To see what else they've been up to, check out their blog. There's also a list of the other Friends with Flair participants - and I know they're just waiting to share their creations.

Have a great day!