Unity stamp co – My INKredible Life

Friends Of Unity February Hop

Published on February 3, 2024February 3, 2024 by SS23 Comments

Hellooo Friends!

It’s the first Saturday of the month which means another fun Friends of Unity Blog Hop!

This month we have a FUN sketch for you to try! I absolutely love sketch challenges as they help me tremendously to get “unstuck” when I can’t decide on a design. They can be used “as is” or you can add your own twist to them! I have done both for this challenge so that you can see how the sketches can be simply used as a creative starting point.

Before we start, just a reminder that Unity Stamp Co. does not sponsor our monthly hops BUT they do lovingly approve! Should any of our Team Members offer prizes please know they generously give away products from their own personal stash. We are so grateful that Unity Stamp Co allows us to showcase some of our favorite Unity stamps each month and we are super delighted to have YOU hop along with us! Please be sure to leave me a comment so that I know you were here! I read each and every one and it brings me so much joy to know that you stopped by for a bit. I hope you find something on my page today that INKspires you to give this month’s sketch a try! Tag me if you do!

Using the sketch provided I created my first card with the gorgeous floral kit called Cotton Embrace. This is a beautiful open floral that is so very easy to watercolor. I absolutely love it!

I started with a light brown cardstock base and used distress oxide ink to ink around the edges to give it an old/weathered look. I then ripped a page right out of a Nicholas Spark book and did the same. Once the edges were distressed I glued it to my base.

I stamped the cotton buds onto Hammermill cardstock using Versaclaire Nocturne ink and quickly added black embossing powder then heat set the image. I find I get better watercolor results this way-nothing bleeds!

I also used distress oxide inks around the edges after cutting the image out with a stitched rectangle die. I also used a texture stamp and some distress ink in walnut stain to add some visual texture to the background. It’s very faint so as not to take away from the focal point. I used watercolor pans to paint the image and once dry I ripped another piece of the book page and attached it as shown.

I had a piece of scrap pattern paper that I ripped, distressed with ink and glued down to my base. I used a sentiment from the “He Provides” kit and stamped on white cardstock. I distressed the sentiment as well and glued it to the base.

I wrapped some twine at the top of the card and using foam tape I then adhered the blossoms onto the card base to finish the project.

A few gems were added for a sweet accent.

I really love how this card turned out.

Here’s a little close up:

For some reason the gems look light blue in the picture but they’re actually more of a light gray.

For my next card, I turned my project horizontally and used the sketch as a guide. It’s really fun to see everyone’s interpretation of the sketches. Some people follow them exactly as created and some come up with their own versions! There are NO rules! (Which is great because I don’t follow rules very well)

I used the kits “Happy and Cozy” and “Winter’s Trust” to create this rustic card.

I started with a dark brown cardstock base and used a piece of patterned paper for my background. The pattern paper looks like rust. It’s really cool and I thought it paired well with the design.

I stamped the trees in dark brown ink and using shades of yellow, orange, green and brown I inkblended the background. I also stamped a bit of texture in the background as well. Its very faint but it gives it a but if visual texture. I added some splatters of white paint to break up the dullness the browns were giving off. While the splatters were drying I stamped the cabin, fussy cut it out and watercolored the image,

I tore a piece of green cardstock to run along the bottom of my stamped image. After gluing it down I then glued the cabin to the finished stamped piece.

I used a piece of scrap pattern paper and glued this down to my base as shown. The sentiment was stamped onto white cardstock, distessed with ink and I lightly stamped sprigs of grass to visual texture.

The sentiment was glued to a black background then adhered to the card using foam tape.

Lets see if we can take a closer look:

I think this would be a great non-traditional Valentines Day card especially if the recipient was the “outdoorsy” type, don’t ya think?

For my final card I switched the sketch up just a little by putting the sentiment at the top of the card vs the bottom. Remember, no rules! Use sketches as a guide and see what unfolds!

For the next card I used the kit “I really love you” and I really love this image!

I started off with a black cardstock base and cut a white piece of cardstock for the background.

I stamped the image using Versaclaire Nocturne ink and embossed over it with black embossing powder. Using a stitched die, the image was cut out and the edges inkblended. I used a cloud stencil and lightly inked the background in a pale pink. The hearts were brought to life using my watercolor pans.

A strip of pink glitter paper was placed at the bottom of my background as shown. I also used a scrap piece of the sane glitter paper and my tab punch to create a fun tab.

The sentiment was stamped and glued to a strip of patterned paper. The tab and banner were added as accent pieces and then the image was adhered to the base with foam tape.

Here’s a closer view:

Well friends, that’s all I have for today! I hope that you found something to INKspire you to try this month’s sketch! Thank you SO very much for stopping by and supporting our little hop!

Before you go, I would love to know what your favorite card was this month! And please be sure to check out what all of our FOU friends have waiting to share with you as well!

If you’re ready to move along, our talented friend Dawn has some great ideas in store for you!

If you want to start from the beginning, you’ll be excited to check out Crystals page!

Hope you have an INKredible day!

Laughter, Giggles and Smiles

Published on January 6, 2024January 6, 2024 by SS21 Comments

Hellllooo my crafty friends! I sure hope everyone had a wonderful winter holiday season and is excited for the New Year to begin! I know I am INKredibly excited for this year’s line up as a Friends of Unity Team Member! We have SO many fun themes scheduled for this upcoming year for you!

We are starting off the year with “ Laughter, Giggles and Smiles”. What a perfect theme to begin with, don’t you agree? Before I share my projects with you I’d like to personally thank Crystal Minkler for her dedication and hard work in keeping the FOU Hop running so smoothly but also for keeping all of our Team organized! It’s no easy task and her hard work is so greatly appreciated! Thank you Crystal for spearheading another amazing year of creativity for us all!

I also want to thank the beautiful creatives who are part of this amazing team that inspire me to continue to create and who are genuinely supportive humans. I’m so honored to be amongst them each month as we share our love of papercrafting. Please be sure to show each one of my team members lots of love as you hop a long with us ! We so greatly appreciate your support and kind comments.

And lastly, but certainly not least, a huge thank you to Unity Stamp Co who supports our love of their company by allowing us to showcase their amazing products each month. I appreciate not just the company and products but the tight-knit community they have built which has brought so many new friends into my life. Thank You!

Thank YOU for visiting my blog today! Without YOU , I personally would be uninspired to create or share my projects. YOU are the most appreciated of them all! Thank YOU for your unwavering support and encouragement as we create another INKredible year together!

If you’ve gotten this far you’re about ready for some INKspiration now! So, with the Laughter. Giggles, and Smiles Theme in mind, lets begin!

I struggled a bit at first coming up with some ideas for this month’s theme-but then I had an Aha! moment! What brings more giggles, laughter and smiles than the thought of welcoming a new baby! So I started my first card using the kit “New to the Crew”. The onsie in this kit is absolutely a must have and oh so cute!

I wanted my card to be neutral in palette colors so I chose this beautiful double sided patterned paper and a yellow cardbase to achieve the look. I have also been obsessed with texture lately so I roughed up the cardbase and paper edges a bit. I used a rectangle stitched die to cut out a matte for the focal point and glued the piece to my card base (after adhering the paper of course)

The onesie was stamped onto white cardstock and cut out with my scan & cut machine. I used a very light gray alcohol marker to give it a bit of shading. Using a scrap piece of coordinating pattern paper I stamped the heart and glued it to my onesie. The onesie was attached to the card with foam tape for dimension.

I stamped the sentiment onto yellow cardstock and used a stitched circle die to cut it out. This also was attached to the card with foam tape.

I used a few Nuvo drops to add a bit of accent pieces to the card. Here’s a closer look:

And even closer:

This card , and new to the crew family addition, is sure to bring some smiles, giggles and laughter !

Next up, is a card I created that would certainly bring me a smile to receive- one for retirement! I have quite a few more years to go before these words will bring smiles, giggles and laughter in my life but we can certainly appreciate sending this card to someone who has earned it! And this lil old lady has the perfect mindset, doesn’t she? She comes from the kit called “Retired” and also has a companion in the kit with her which makes it perfect to use for anyone ready to say adios to the rat race of the working world!

For this card I used a kraft colored cardstock base and pretty “beachy” pattern paper! This year I plan on using SO much of my pattern paper rather than hoarding it. I have plenty enough to last me until I am ready to retire that’s for sure!

I cut a strip of coordinating cardstock and sand themed pattern paper to adhere to the base (as shown) to break up the pattern just a bit. This paper pattern is gorgeous isn’t it?

I stamped our new retiree onto cardstock and cut out the image with a stitched oval die – one of my most underused dies in my collection. I do need to incorporate ovals a bit more into my projects. I brought her soul back to life from the job that sucked it out of her for decades using alcohol markers, brushed the edges with ink from Gina K and attached her to the card using foam tape.

The sentiment was also stamped onto white cardstock, brushed with ink from Gina G and cut out using coordinating square dies. This, too, was attached using foam tape for dimension.

To tie it all together (see what I did there? A lil punny humor) I wrapped some twine around for additional accent.

Here’s a closer look:

And a wee bit closer:

I surely can’t wait for the day I can do what I want, when I want! Our retirement destination is also to the beach but in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. In the meantime, our new retiree can smile, giggle and laugh at me as I remain chained to my desk, marking off my calendar for the next 10yrs. Lucky gal she is!

For my final project I used two kits that coordinate perfectly! I used “Crappy Day” and “Just Stinkin’ Cute”. I thought this would be perfect to give to someone who is having “one of THOSE days” and I’m sure we can all relate! (Except for our newly retired gal. She’s living the dream now)

This card was so simple to put together! I started off with a chocolate brown cardstock base (fitting, eh?) and cut out a white base using a scalloped rectangle die. I inkblended the edges of the white base using Gina K ink and glued this to my brown base. I stamped the sentiment in the lower corner and only colored in the background of the hearts.

After stamping my toilet paper and poo, I colored them with alcohol markers and attached them using foam tape for some added dimension. I told my son to give this to his manager at work as I’m sure it will bring a smile and laughter to her day (or early retirement for him if she doesn’t have a sense of humor) But, hey!…it’s worth a shot at cheering up someone who’s having a crappy day! That’s my thought anyway.

Here’s a closer look:

And a little closer- don’t worry, there’s no stink here!

Ha! I love it! I may make a few and keep them on hand at work myself! If you can’t laugh at crappy days, what can you do?

This concludes my share of smiles, laughter and giggles today! I hope you found a bit of INKspiration here. I’d love to know your favorite!

Before you go, if you aren’t already, be sure to follow me on Facebook at My INKredible Life and/or on Instagram ! Tag me with #stampinsarandrea if you were inspired to create a card using any of my ideas! I’d love to see!

Also, if inclined, I recently started a new Facebook page called Twigzandberries which focuses on my passion of holistic health, mindfulness and personal development. I’d love to inspire you some more there as well!

To start at the beginning of our hop, please head on over here to Crystal’s page :

To see what our next talented team member has in store for you, continue along here to see what Jane has to share!

Thank you for stopping by today! Have an INKredible month full of smiles, laughter and giggles!

June 2023 FOU Blog Hop

Published on June 3, 2023May 30, 2023 by SS23 Comments

Hello Crafty Friends!

I’m so excited to be back this month for another Friends Of Unity Blog Hop!

This month we have a wonderful hop featuring a theme many of us struggle with-masculine cards! I hope that you find a ton of Inkspiration this month to help spark your creativity when creating cards for those special men in your life!

Be sure to hop along and comment on each of our amazing FOU Friend’s blogs as it’s what keeps us inspired to create and share with you all! And although Unity Stamp Co does not directly sponsor our hops, we appreciate the Team over at Unity for approving and supporting us as we showcase our creative projects each month using our favorite stamps and supplies from this amazing little company!

Let’s get right to it shall we?

For the first card I’m sharing with you today I used the stamp kit called You Did Good! It’s an absolute MUST HAVE in your stamp collection and it’s perfect for this time of the year! Here’s an up close look at the kit and the stamps that are included:

This is a very simple set that can be used year after year for many graduations to come!

Here is the card I created:

I started off with a black cardstock background and a gray may. I ripped a piece of a page from an old book and inked the edges with dark gray ink from Gina K’s ink pad collection then glued this to my mat.

The image was stamped in waterproof ink onto vanilla cardstock and then watercolored with my watercolor pans. I stamped some grungy words in the background (non Unity) and matted the dried image onto black cardstock. It’s adhered to the panel with foam adhesive.

The sentiment was stamped onto a scrap piece of cream cardstock, matted onto black cardstock and also adhered with foam adhesive. In hindsight I see now that the sentiment is stamped kinda wonky. Perhaps I need to go back to “stamping school” and re-graduate with Stamping Basics 101? Yikes! To be fair, I haven’t crafted in awhile so we’ll blame it on being a little “rusty”

Moving right along, the next kit I pulled out from my stash is: Brian Guy!

We all know and love Angie Blom for her amazing collection of Angies Girls but did you know she also has an awesome collection of guys too? Brian Guy is just one of many!

Here is the card I created using this handsome fella! :

For this card I started with a black cardstock base and a kraft cardstock mat. I cut a piece of striped pattern paper to pull out the stripes in Brian’s shirt.

I stamped the image onto vanilla cardstock using Gina K’s amalgam ink and then colored with alcohol markers. I used a blender brush and a Gina K jnk pad to add some color to the edges. Once the image was colored and the edges were blended, I cut the cardstock as shown and matted the image onto black cardstock.

The sentiment was stamped onto a scrap piece of kraft cardstock and matted with a scrap piece of black cardstock as well. Both the sentiment and image were adhered onto the panel and a few flat back gems and a small binder clip were added as accents.

For my final card I pulled out a kit I’ve never used called Bonus Dad. This is a fantastic kit to have on hand for all those Bonus Dads in our lives!

Aren’t the sentiment’s just perfect? For my last project I went a little grungier than normal but I love how it turned out.

Here’s the card I made using the Bonus Dad kit:

I started off with a chocolate brown cardstock base. On Vanilla cardstock I stamped a typed word background using Gina K’s ink. The typed background is not Unity’s stamp and I thought, when I had this card idea in mind, that I had one from Unity. SO, needless to say, guess what’s currently in my cart? Yep.

Anywho ..unfortunately the grungy background stamps are non Unity as well. This style of card making is relatively new to me so I’m planning to add more Unity stamps to use with my mixed media projects to my personal collection …but in the meantime I had to improvise. I didn’t realize how many beautiful “grungy” stamps Unity has to offer until I checked out their most recent sale. Well, there’s next time, right?

I used Gina K ink to blend the edges of the background stamped piece and randomly ripped the edges. I then glued this to my panel.

I stamped both the sentiment and deer image onto vanilla cardstock and did the same- blending the edges and randomly stamping some grungy designs. The tag and heart were both cut out using Unity Dies.

So that the stamped images didn’t camouflage into the background I broke it all up a bit using a small piece of woodgrain pattern paper. It gave just enough color so that you can see the elements of the design I thought.

Here’s a closer look;

Well friends, I appreciate you stopping by today and I hope you found something that inspired you to pull out your crafty supplies and create something for someone special!

Please be sure to leave a comment before you go! I’d love to know you were here!

Next up on our hop is our talented friend: Rachel I am always in awe of her gorgeous projects and I know this month will be no different!

And if you’re like me and get a little lost, you can go back to the beginning with Crystal’s blog and you’ll be able to find your way forward!

Have an INKredible day!

FOU February Blog Hop

Published on February 4, 2023February 4, 2023 by SS45 Comments

Hello Crafty Friends!

I’m SO happy to be back again this month to share some INKspiration with you all , along with my very talented friends, for February’s Friends of Unity Blog hop. This month it’s all about the sentiments! I could have created cards for DAYS showcasing cards with this theme. Unity Stamp Co has SO MANY amazing kits with TONS of gorgeous sentiments. There’s something for every occasion! To really show how you can use Unity’s sentiments to make very pretty cards, all the projects I’m sharing on this hop are centered solely around the sentiment itself. This is a great way to also build up your stash of all occasion cards very quickly and beautifully.

Before we start just a few reminders :

Our FOU hop, although lovingly approved by Unity Stamp Co, is not, however, sponsored by the company. Any prizes that are gifted each month by our talented friends come directly from their personal stash! We appreciate the team at Unity supporting us as we showcase their amazing products each month and we truly are grateful for each of you that visits and leaves us lots of love!
Speaking of comments, I do hope you will visit each blog participating in our hop and show your support by commenting! I especially enjoy reading what you found inspiring! I do keep my comment moderation “on” so please know that you will see your comment once I approve them (sometimes it takes me a day or two1 ) I am SO encouraged by your thoughts regarding what I share with you!

So, let’s begin shall we?

The first card I am sharing today is using a beautiful encouraging sentiment from the kit “Love You Dearly“

I started off with a standard white cardstock base and chose this pretty lily pad patterned paper. This year, I am using ALL of my patterned paper instead of hoarding it so you will notice that all of my projects today utilized paper that’s been in my stash FOREVER! I love the watercolor look of this paper and felt it promotes a nice calming essence so I chose to use this for an encouragement card. I glued the paper onto a coordinating colored piece of cardstock. The actual flower is from a different company but I thought with just the sentiment the card was pretty plain therefore I did stamp out the flower and coordinating die to add.

The sentiment from the kit was stamped on white cardstock and then cut out using a circle die. I lightly brushed on some color around the edge and popped it onto the card using foam tape. I used a pattern shaped die cut and coordinating cardstock to cut out a strip to place under the sentiment to give it a bit more dimension so the design wasn’t so “flat”. I tied some pink embroidery floss around the top for accent. A few Nuvo dots were added as well.

Here’s a closer look:

I think this makes a really pretty card for someone who needs a bit of encouragement or comfort.

For my next card I used the sentiment from the “Everything Stronger” sentiment kit. There are three beautiful sentiments in this kit and a coordinating flower stamp. It’s a really great versatile kit to have in your stash.

For this card I started with a standard white cardstock base and then cut down the patterned paper 1/4 inch smaller and glued this to the base. I then cut two strips of pretty floral cardstock 1 1/4 inch wide to break up design a bit and then glued them as shown in the picture.

The sentiment was heat embossed with white detailed embossing powder onto the colored cardstock and cut out using a label shaped die. This was then glued onto a piece of vellum that was also cut out using a label shaped die and then attached to the card using foam tape. Some twine was tied across the top as an accent.

Here’s a closer look:

This is a very simple design to put together and is a great way to use up some of your patterned paper strips. If you have double sided paper packs, it takes the guesswork out of coordinating the papers for you!

The next card I’m sharing showcases the beautiful sentiment stamp called “Sun, Moon, Stars” This is a stamp all it’s own and it’s one of my favorites!

I started off with a standard card base using gray cardstock and cut my patterned paper 1/4 inch smaller and glued this to my base. This paper actually came out of a Halloween pack of paper I didn’t realize I had. I think it worked perfectly with this sentiment!

I used a circle punch and punched out a circle from marigold cardstock and used a moon stencil to add the craters. I went around the edges with black soot distress oxide. I stamped the greeting also onto gray cardstock and cut it out using a label shaped die. I added just a few accents to the image with gold/silver gel pen and some rhinestone and them popped it onto the card using foam adhesive. I also cut out a few stars using a die, sponged the edges and glued them as shown.

Here’s a closer look:

The most time consuming part of making this card was the inkblending of the stencil which took all but a minute. What a great “non-traditional” Valentine’s Day card this would make! I’m a star/sun/moon gal so this would be perfect for me!

The next card I made used the kit “Have a little faith” This is an absolutely gorgeous kit with a beautiful floral image included. But the sentiment can be a stand alone all by itself as well!

For this card I started with a standard white cardstock base and cut out some pretty floral-ish patterned paper using a rectangle scalloped die. The paper has a very loose watercolor feel to it. It’s really pretty! Once glued to my base I cut out a white rectangle piece of cardstock using a stitched die and inksmooshed some coordinating watercolor onto it as shown. Once it was dry, I stamped this gorgeous sentiment onto the base of the inksmooshed cardstock and layered it over top of a coordinating strip of patterned paper. Some twine was tied around the top to accent.

Here’s a closer look:

I am really loving the ability to use up my patterned paper and being able to create so many quick but gorgeous cards by simply using sentiments from various kits. It just shows that you don’t need a lot of supplies nor need to spend hours of your time to create a card for someone. This is a great technique to “whip up” a last minute card or to build up your stash ahead of time.

The last card I’m sharing is my favorite out of all that I made for the hop. I used this beautiful sentiment from the kit ” Love is a magical thing”

I started off with a standard size card base using a chocolate brown cardstock and then cut a metallic gold piece of cardstock 1/4 inch smaller as a mat. This stunning patterned paper was cut 1/4 inch smaller than my mat and glued together as shown. This paper came from a Fairytale paper pack and was just perfect for this sentiment. The flecks of gold are so pretty in the paper so naturally I had to add some additional sparkle to the card.

The sentiment was stamped onto white cardstock and then cut out using a square scalloped die. I took some Versamark ink and inked around the edges and then heat embossed this super sparkly gold embossing powder onto it. I then cut out a gold mat and chocolate brown mat and glued them together. To add dimension I adhered the sentiment using foam tape.

Some gold/white twine was added as accent and them I punched out a sweet puffy heart from the metallic paper and glued this to my sentiment as shown.

I’m a sparkle gal so this definitely catches my eye. Here’s a closer look :

So there you have it friends! These are just a few examples to hopefully inkspire you to pull out the sentiments from your kits and showcase them on the front of your cards not just inside! I hope I also inspired you to pull out your stash of patterned paper and pair them together!

Before you go, I would love to know which card is your favorite!

If you’re ready to move on, I know you are going to love what our talented friend Rachel has to share with you!

To start at the beginning you’ll want to start at our friend Crystals blog

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you have an INKredible day!

Just Be You

Published on March 23, 2021March 14, 2021 by SSLeave a comment

Hi Friends!

Just Be You. What could be better advice right?

I created this card using the “Girl Truly” sentiment kit from Unity Stamp Co. I was able to practice a bit more with the Karin markers and I’m really loving them!

For this card I started off with a black cardstock base and then cut the rose colored paper down 1/8 of an inch for my mat

Paper is KEY for these markers. For this project I used Canson XL Watercolor paper and spritzed the water onto the card with a mister as I was working. I found this worked best for me.

I stamped the image in watercolor ink and then spritzed my project. I played around with techniques. Sometimes I would scribble on glass, sometimes I would gently touch the marker to the paper, sometimes I would touch the paint brush to the marker…. and this was the result!

I spritzed as I went along and once it was dry I glued the water colored image onto my base and added a few rhinestones to accent

And there you have it!

Have an inkredible day!