EIC #128 - The Hidden Alphabet

Hey everyone. Still a little down for the count, but working as hard as I can to get back to normal. I don't like scaring my kids like that, and I know my 14yo (Hannah) was terrified to see the EMTs cart me off Wednesday night. The ER doctor says the cartilage attaching my lungs to my sternum is inflamed, which is part of what is making it so painful to breathe. Most likely this is from coughing so hard with the bronchitis. So, nothing major, just a huge inconvenience, and literal pain, and I'm getting less air than I should, since it hurts to take a deep breath.

Anyway, you guys aren't here to read about that. You want to know what's up with the EtsyInspired Challenge this week, right? Right! This week our shop is called The Hidden Alphabet. Have you ever noticed how sometimes certain shapes in our environment look like letters of the alphabet? Well, Laura at The Hidden Alphabet sure has, and she has taken some of the coolest photos of these "hidden" letters and turned them into fabulous art! One of our winners this week will win a personalized LOVE print, like the one shown here.

I had a kind of crazy idea based off the alphabets in this week's shop, so I made myself a zentangle bookmark. I've been reading a lot lately - there's not a lot else one can do when one is stuck on the sofa, and I'm a bookworm anyway - and I can never have too many bookmarks. I think I need a lot more practice with Zentangles, but it was still fun to make!
It's really about 2"x 6", so it'll fit perfectly in a paperback book! Apologies for the photo. My desktop flipped out on me with my CompactFlash card in it, so this pic was taken with my phone so I'd have something to post.

We have another great sponsor this week. Paper & Roses is an Etsy shop filled with romantic paper art. There is a neat prize package for one of our winners...yet another one I wish I could win!! Good luck to all our players this week!

Check out the rest of the DT and then head over to the EtsyInspired blog to link up your own project. Full challenge deets are on the EIC blog.

Angi
Ann Cox - February Guest DT!!
Ashley
De
Emily B.
Jackie
Joy
Kerry
Ruby
Savannah
Sherry
Virginia
EtsyInspired Blog (LINK YOUR PROJECTS HERE!)

TE Blog Hop - ER Trip

Hi everyone. I had intended to post a project for you here, but my second trip to the ER in a week and a half made all plans go by the wayside. I still hope to have a project up later this evening. In the meantime, please enjoy the rest of the hop.

I'm doing okay. I still have bronchitis with wheezing, and the docs say I have costochondritis, an inflamation of the cartilege where the upper ribs join to the sternum. It kind of hurts when I breathe. I had another breathing treatment in the ambulance, which helped, as well as did the couple hours on O2, so no worries, okay? I'll be fine.

I'll have my project up asap. I'm sorry for throwing a wrench into the hop.

Altering All Things Unity

Wowie, I did not think I was going to get to post this today! Well, at least not from home, anyway. We lost our electricity at 11:19 this morning (Saturday, as I write). BGE (Baltimore Gas & Electric) had a recording that stated "the vast majority of customers" to have service reestablished by late Sunday evening. Sunday evening!?!?!? YIKES!! Well, we were exceedingly fortunate and ours was restored just before 5pm on Saturday. Whew!I hope everyone is as excited as I am about our newest challenge at All Things Unity! I very, very seldom alter anything. I don't know why I don't. I guess I just get nervous about it, but you know what? I think I was making it a heck of a lot harder than it really is!

In any case, I started out working on a journal for DD#2, Hannah - but she took the innards with her to a sleepover, so I couldn't put it back together for a photograph. I set it aside first thing this morning (after texting her to see what she'd done with it and discovering that yes, she did have it with her), and pulled out my own spiral notebook, which I use as a combination "list of things to do"/notebook/idea-book/journal. I got it out of the dollar bin at Michael's. If I'd thought to do it, I would've gotten a before picture, because it's a pretty big transformation.

I used a combination of Unity/Melody Ross co-branded stamps. This is the front.

And here is the back. Full supply and other challenge deets will be at the end of the post.

Now it's your turn!! Choose YOUR favourite Unity or {ippity} stamp and create something. Link it up to the ATU blog no later than 11:59pm on Saturday, March 5, and you'll be eligible to win this month's prize/and or the challenge blinkie.Remember, the prize for February is a February KOTM straight from Unity !!

Check out what the rest of the fabulous DT has to share!

Ashley (February Guest DT)
Cathy
Lynn
Sara (on hiatus)
Savannah

Card deets:
Stamps: Unity - Brave Girl Boots, All Worth It..., Love Life, Just Be You, She Sprouted Wings, She did it Anyway
Paper: Basic Grey - Sultry, Wisteria, Urban Prarie
Ink: Distress Ink - Pine Needles, Fired Brick, Victorian Velvet, Peeled Paint, Vintage Photo; Palette - Moulin Rouge
Spellbinders: Fancy Tags, Heartfelt Creations
Etc: Stickles, Copic Spica, clear embossing powder

Challenges:
Crazy for Challenges: C4C75 - use dies
The Stamp Man #16: Hearts
Res-Q-Challenge #71: RESQ71 - use something that makes you happy. Things I used that make me happy: Unity/Melody Ross stamps, PINK!!!, Basic Grey, Spellbinders dies, Distress Inks, embossing powder, hearts
CRAFT #90: Not a card
PaperCrafting Journey #4: Anything Goes (ooh, a new challenge site for me!)
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #105: Patterns! - the birdcage is stamped onto BG Wisteria and Free Spirit was stamped onto Urban Prarie
...Wee Memories #44: Source of Inspiration - Melody Ross, whom I think is just amazing.
Unity Challenge #1: Hearts!

EtsyInspired #127 - Claylicious

Good morning everyone! It's time to be EtsyInspired! This week, our fabulous shop is Claylicious, a great shop full of functional and decorative pottery, and just for our amazing players, it's 10% off this week with the code "INSPIRED" at checkout! One winner will even win this darling little inspire owl! I wish it could be me!

Our sponsor this week is Your Next Stamp!

Your Next Stamp offers a unique variety of fun and whimsical rubber stamps for every occasion! Their signature lines include Fhiona and Friends, Heather Collections, Dale Designs and the humorous Franfou Collection. Stamps are produced with top quality rubber, which are then mounted onto cling foam, trimmed and are ready to use with any clear block!

Pretty cool, eh?

Before I get to my card, here are a few of my favourite pieces from Claylicious.
As much as I liked those, as soon as I saw this sweet little plate, I knew I had to use butterflies.

Not only did I have to use butterflies, but I had the absolute perfect stamp! I pulled out my Memory Box Butterfly Twig and Happy Spring stamps, some Memory Box DP, some pretty May Arts ruffly yellow gingham ribbon, and this is what I came up with.
In addition to the items mentioned above, I also used Memory Box cardstock in Dill, Vintage Photo Distress Ink, Spellbinders In Spades Borderabilities, yellow Prismatics, SU ribbon (lt. green) and some mystery bling. The sketch is CPS #205 and the colours are from gkdfeb11gs.

Thanks for stopping by today! I always love the feedback I get from everyone. Be sure to check out the rest of the DT, listed below, for some amazing inspiration, then hop on over to Claylicious, find an item or items to be inspired by, and create! For full deets, and to link up your project, visit the EtsyInspired blog!

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend. Thank you all very, very much for your sweet wishes over this past week.

Angi
Ann Cox - February Guest DT!!
Ashley
De
Emily B.
Jackie
Joy
Kerry
Ruby
Savannah
Sherry
Virginia
EtsyInspired Blog (LINK YOUR PROJECTS HERE!)

Braving FWF

Hey everyone. I'm sorry I'm so late today. I'm still pretty sick, but I really didn't want to miss a FWF Friday. I had these made in my head yesterday, but couldn't get across to anyone all the stuff I needed in order to make them - or rather, exactly where the supplies were. That's the problem with having no voice and with running out of air when you try to do anything yourself. Oh well. It'll get better.

So, All Things Unity is finishing up the "Use your favourite stamp(s)" challenge. I just love the Brave Girl Boots set, and the boots are my favourite stamp from the set, so I knew I needed to use them. I needed to go easy, due to circumstances, and I had this thought of an ATC. I wanted to do some emboss resist with Distress Inks. It just seemed fitting.
Supplies used:
Distress Inks: Black Soot, Fired Brick, Faded Jeans, Vintage Photo, Tumbled Glass, Bundled Sage, Aged Mahogany, Embossing Ink
Stamps: Unity Brave Girl Boots, Just My Type
Etc: October Afternoon alphabet stickers, Ink blending tool, Taylored Expressions Choice Snow White

EtsyInspired #126 - GlowGirl

Saturdays are all about being inspired. EtsyInspired, that is!! This week, we're bringing to you a shop that is not only environmentally conscious, but has an owner with an inspirational back-story of her own: GlowGirl! Oh! And she's fairly local to me! How cool is that?

Here is what she has to say:
My inspiration for starting this business was - I'd lost a great 15 yr position that I thought I'd be retiring with...was in a panic realizing that as a 50 yr old, I was going up for jobs against younger and better educated folks than me. The challenge was on! I decided to step out of the corporate world and return to my crafty roots (I had a successful crafts business in the 80's). I bought a sewing machine, learned how to sew...and fell upon some cool upholstery fabrics and starting making grocey/tote bags. Was starting to successfully sell them at craft fairs and told my husband I'd start clipping coupons to help save money...didn't like the store bought ones and designed this for myself, and they quickly became my best selling items! Had a set-back in late 2009, breast cancer, and my etsy store became my sole source of income, and also provided me with some peace of mind as I spent almost a year battling cancer. I missed two holiday seasons of craft shows but etsy was a godsend for me, both emotionally and financially. I'm now fully back on my feet, planning shows for 2011 and getting ready to expand my lines and soar!

In addition to her Etsy Shop, she has a blog and she's on Facebook! While we are concentrating on her GlowGirl shop, I highly recommend checking out her GlowGirlFibers shop as well. I'm particularly enamoured of a woven messenger bag she's got listed.

For my inspiration this week, I chose a coupon organizer holder, made from this lovely floral print. Pink and flowers...what's not to love?
I made my card using StampTV's Sketch Spotlight Challenge STVSKSP12 and the colours from the Play Date Cafe Challenge #68, along with the pretty flowers from the coupon holder.

Now, before I send you off to the rest of the team, there are a couple little details for this week. One winner will win a coupon organizer from GlowGirl - winners choice of mega or regular!!! How cool is that???

Second, we've got an awesome sponsor for this week. It's The Stamping Boutique. I was simply unable to choose a stamp to use from the store - because there were too many that I wanted! Too be honest, I *think* my favourite may be this one, but if you ask me again in another hour, I'm liable to give you a completely different answer! A second winner this week will be able to choose 5 digis from The Stamping Boutique!!

Thanks for stopping by today. I always love the feedback I get from everyone!!! Check out the rest of the DT (below) for some amazing inspiration, then hop on over to GlowGirl, find an item or items to be inspired by, and create! For full deets, and to link up your project, visit the EtsyInspired blog! Have a fantastic weekend!!!

Angi
Ann Cox - February Guest DT!!
Ashley
De
Emily B.
Jackie
Joy
Kerry
Ruby
Savannah
Sherry
Virginia
EtsyInspired Blog (LINK YOUR PROJECTS HERE!)

FWF - Feb 11 2011

Hey Peeps. We're still in hack city around here. That's one of the things about some big families - once something starts to make the rounds, it usually goes around a few times before it's all done. No big deal, really, just a minor annoyance in the greater scheme of things. When it causes me to miss Hip Hop, though...that's really pushing it!

For FWF, I have a super CAS card pulling my sentiment from the Unity/Samantha Walker set Swirling Snow and layering it onto some Jillibean Soup paper. You can pick up both at Paper Maniac. The sketch is Clean & Simple Sunday Challenge #5.
For a full list of this week's participants, check out the Unity blog.

Lucky

I don't think I say it enough, so I just wanted to put this out there.

I really, really love my kids!!
I think I'm the luckiest mom in the world!

Hack City

I live in a house full of sick people. Meg brought home a cold about 2 weeks ago. It spread to Cody, who gave it to Taylor. The spousal unit was sick for about 2 days. Somebody gave it to me. The younger two girls have been fine, the lucky ducks!

Taylor and Meg are still a little bit runny/stuffy, but Cody has bronchitis. This is not good for his school attendance. I'm coughing. Neither of us has a voice. There was one day last week when he tried to talk to me through a door and I thought he was Holly! Oops??

We're still squeaking along, trying not to talk any more than we have to, but we sure sound funny when we do!

I had my first quiz for Intermediate Accounting. I got an A. Woohoo!! I have 2 more quizzes and a test to take this week. Cross your fingers for me!

Catch you in a couple days with some new news....

ATU Asks The Serious Question...

Yes, that's right. All Things Unity wants to know

- What is your favourite Unity Stamp? That's the challenge Savannah posed to the team. We had to figure it out and use our favourite stamp. This was perhaps the most difficult challenge I have ever faced! Pick a favourite? Are you kidding me? This is the stuff of nightmares! Oh, the dreams I had as I suffered, trying to narrow down my options. What was I to do???

Unity has released so many fabulous stamps lately. Some I have yet to use, some I don't yet own...and then there are the {ippity
} kits...how was I to choose??? Inspiration struck with Rachel Bogner's Neglected Unity Challenge. When I first saw the January 2009 KOTM, I immediately fell in love with the peacock. I absolutely went nuts over him! Yes, it is a him. According to the designer who drew him (Lindsay Spencer), he even has a name. In any case, once I saw Petey again, I knew my quest was over and I'd found my all time favourite Unity stamp.

I used this week's Sketch Spotlight from StampTV (STVSKSP11) and colourQchallenge #70 (poppy, coral, blush, vanilla & espresso) to create my card, which decided about half-way through that it wanted to be distressed. I think it was the Tim Holtz Texture Fadez rubbing off on the rest of the card. What can you do but just go with it!
Now it's your turn!! Choose YOUR favourite Unity or {ippity} stamp and create something. Link it up to the ATU blog no later than 11:59pm on Saturday, Feb. 19, and you'll be eligible to win this month's prize/and or the challenge blinkie.

BTW, this month's prize is a doozy!! There is a February KOTM straight from Unity on the line!! Some lucky winner is going to be very, very happy!! Will it be YOU??
Check out the rest of the team and see what awe-inspiring goodies they have to share with you today. We're SUPER thrilled to have the utterly fantabulous Ashley joining us as a second guest DT for the month of February!!

Ashley (February Guest DT)
Cathy
Lynn
Sara (on hiatus)
Savannah

BTW, I still have 8 stamps left to use from Jan '09. I'm not quite sure I'll be able to fully accomplish that one, as 2 of the stamps are New Years' - and one is specific to 2009. I guess maybe I'll have to do a layout!

EtsyInspired #125 - Daisy Petal Designs

Welcome to another EtsyInspired Saturday! This week we're off to the very lovely shop, Daisy Petal Designs. It's utter heaven, especially if you like fabulous hair accessories! For the little ones in your lives, the owner has a second shop called Littlest Blooms. TOOO cute!!

Here are just a few of the gorgeous offerings.

It was this last photo, of the pink and green floral headband, that was my inspiration for this week. I found some paper in my stash that reminded me a lot of the larger flower on this headband and the colours were spot on, so they became the basis for my card. I used two digistamps from our sponsor this week, Shannon's Sentiments, and Mojo Monday 176.

Thanks for stopping by today! I love the feedback I get from everyone!!! Check out the rest of the DT (below) for some amazing inspiration! Hop on over to Daisy Petal Designs, find an item or items to be inspired by, and create! For full deets, and to link up your project, visit the EtsyInspired blog! Have a fantastic weekend!!!

Angi
Ann Cox - February Guest DT!!
Ashley
De
Emily B.
Jackie
Joy
Kerry
Ruby
Savannah
Sherry
Virginia
EtsyInspired Blog (LINK YOUR PROJECTS HERE!)

February's First FWF

Wow. I think yesterday was the absolute slowest/least attended Hip Hop I've ever seen. I think a lot of peeps are either still traveling back from CHA or just haven't yet recovered from all the excitement and exhaustion, not to mention catching up with the lives they put on hold while they were in LA having fun while the rest of us were wishing we were there, too! I know we will all reap the benefits in the coming months, so I'm working on my patience.

In the mean time, there's a new Hip Hop Sketch Challenge (#43) and since I'm still working on Rachel's unofficial Neglected Unity Challenge, I've used one more stamp from the January '09 KOTM, Love, Etc. The heart stems come from the Sept. '09 KOTM, Go Ahead Wish. I may use it for my next "neglected" kit, particularly as these are the first stamps I've used from it! Three down, 18 to go...
Other than the two mentioned, I'm only entering this one in two other challenges - both Flourishes Timeless Tuesday (#103) and Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge (#40) have asked for a Valentine this week.

I tried Patter Cross's (ex-Unity DT) method of tying ribbons (shown here), just to see if I liked it better than my normal way. I think I will need to give it a few more tries before I make a decision. I had a little bit of a hard time making the bow lie straight, but that may just be because I need more practice. In theory, it should make things much easier, so for now I'm going with user error. In the end, I think the bow came out pretty well.

Head on over to the Unity blog to see who is hopping today. I'm sure the rest of the peeps are not as wordy as I. Good luck at finding the blinkie!