Monday and I am Already so Tired!

Similar to the card in my last post, the ingredients are the same. Unity stamps, Elle's Studio "Note stamp" and kraft journaling card, my fave K and Co paper, "Cut and Paste" and some new thick cotton twine. Again, I colored with copic markers and I must admit I enjoy the coloring. I used to totally avoid stamps that needed coloring, but Copics make the process fun for me. Too bad they cost an arm AND a leg.

My 2 year old is enjoying rising at the crack of dawn these days and since I like to craft late at night, my eyes are burning! I may need to adjust my schedule. I loved the luncheon with Lisa See! She is a marvelous speaker and I highly recommend her. The event for AAUW was a huge success (my mother in law is a member and was #2 in putting this event together). The AAUW raises funds and gives scholarships to women and girls in the community. On Saturday they presented a scholarship to a teenage girl who won their essay contest. I wish you could have heard this high school senior read to the 300+ women in the ballroom, well, we were all moved to tears. May has been in the US for less than 2 years and has transferred from ESL classes to college prep classes and one AP class! She was living in a downtown shelter and taking the bus and trolley for 2 hours one way to get to her high school. She explained that she was living with a wonderful foster family now,but she did have parents back in China. I am not sure what her situation is, but I was moved and inspired and reminded once again what a blessed life that I live and to be humble and grateful for all that has been provided for me.

Another Use for Maya Mists

When I sat down to place this colored image on a card, I thought that the white background was a little bright for the papers that I picked out and I didn't want to go cruising through my scraps bag again so I needed to make this work. I didn't want to ink the edges or splatter it. And then I thought of my cream Maya Mist, kind of an odd color, but very light. I didn't want to spray it, but I thought, why not paint it on?

It glided over my image perfectly! No damage to the stamped ink or markers! I use Memento ink and Copic markers.

I love the light sheen this left on the paper and the colors that I colored stayed true.

I added in a perfect Elle's Studio tag that I cut in half and that pretty woodgrain paper is made by Amuse.

Have a wonderful weekend friends. Luckily we will be having more rain in Southern California, I just love it! Tomorrow I am joining my 2 sister in laws and mother in law at an author's luncheon, Lisa See! I loved her book Snowflower and the Secret Fan. Currently, I am reading her latest book, Shanghai Girls, and I like it even more. Hope to finish it tonight before the lunch. Have you read her books? Would love to hear from you if you have. I will need a new book, any recommendations out there? I adore historical fiction.

cheers, Samantha

More Friends with Flair and Unity

There is still a little time left for my giveaway, I will pick a winner on Sunday! You can read about it HERE.

I had a chance to play with my Unity stamps this week. I paired my stamps with Collage Press, Knave of Hearts. My goal was to use masculine papers and make them all girly. For the first card I used the September Unity stamp kit and the sparkles are mica flakes, fun! The second card was "experimental". Just messing around with some different elements, still trying to figure out if it works for me...

Maybe it needs some GLITTER?! I really don't subscribe to less is more, can you tell? I used my Unity "Frame It" alphas.

I love reading all the comments you leave, they always lift my spirits, thank you for taking the time! Don't forget to check back on Sunday to see who wins, maybe you?

Friends with Flair

Hello Unity friends, thanks for stopping by my blog today. I made a lay out using the July cloud stamps. Poor Emma, she drew all over the hall closet and daddy did not like that. Me? I actually thought it was cute and funny. Needless to say Daddy handled the situation and made her clean it up with him. It did not go over very well with her. Poor baby.

This lay out is based on a sketch of Becky Fleck's Page Maps.

Friends with Flair...Unity

Yikes , took some quickie photos this morning for the Unity Friends blog hop. Photos are a bit sad and I will redo later! {these are the new photos, better but still not the best...arghh!} Used Unity on a lay out this week. Years ago, way before we were parents, David attended a conference in New Orleans and I came along. Love New Orleans, my favorites were the homes in the Garden District and the old cemetery.

#3 for Cardvaarks

Here it is, card # 3 for the Caardvarks week long challenge!

Look at my big girl, makes me sad when I think about her growing up and I think about it entirely too much.

Love them.

Another Friday With Unity!

First I want to invite you to click HERE

I have exciting news and A GIVEAWAY that you do not want to miss!

Unity's Friends with Flair was so much fun last week, I didn't want to miss it this week.

My last little project. Have you heard about the Cards for Kate drive? Kate is a five year old that was recently diagnosed with brain cancer. You can read about it HERE. This is a set of notecards for her mother Holly.

Pebbles Inc. has a fun giveaway, they are giving away a huge set of "Chips" (cute chipboard)! Check it out right HERE!

Friends of Unity

Every Friday, Unity hosts a blog hop for their customers. In order to have my post ready for Friday morning, I took my photos tonight, which means not so great pictures. I may need to retake in the morning, these shots are really going to bother me! ETA: These are the new photos, I think they are a little bit better.

This bicycle card is my fave of the three, love the fun patterns from October Afternoon.

Used Maya Road white ink here on the kraft, that's a new one for me. Okay, anyone else ready for the fall tv season?

Hallmark Here

I am sooooooo stocked up on cards, now I really have no excuse for not sending cards to friends.

The pink ruffle around the cupcake is crepe.

The top two were made with the Unity Kit for August and the last card was made from Eco Chic. I was lucky to have won that set a few weeks ago, thank you Unity!!

All paper is by A Muse.

Just One

Just one little card for the Unity Hip Hop today. Not feeling so well. I made this card with the new August KOM and I dig the damask. The little ticket that I stamped on is a Sassafras sticker. So who is getting the new scrapbook stamps from Unity? They are so tempting...

Unity for All

A card for lovers and another for a homecoming or housewarming.

I used the arrows from the August Kit of the Month to make these little houses.

Don't forget to check out the Pebbles Inc. blog for some inspiration! You can also find instructions for the acrylic mini that I made over on the Purple Cows blog.

Unity Hip Hop Blog Hop

Each week Unity Stampers unite! They get together on Splitcoast Stampers and share creations and chat. There are always challenges and prizes to make it fun. Here's what I made with my new Unity stamps. The stamps from Unity have made me get back into stamping and I am loving it. I got rid of almost all my Close to My Heart stamps because I just wasn't using them anymore...now I am buying these! The spending never ever ends does it? Tomorrow the girls will be at grandma's and I will be scrapping all morning and afternoon with my bff. I hope she picks sushi for lunch, yum.

I am still scrapbooking...I made 4 mini albums in the last 8 or 9 days! One for Pebbles Inc., Freehand Scraps, Purple Cows and the fourth just for the love of minis!

This sweet paper is from BoBunny. Cute, huh?

Unity Blog Hip Hop

Used my Unity stamps again today to make these little cards. Can't wait til next Wednesday, my Unity July Kit will be here! There are a couple of cute clouds that I really want to play with.

Lucky me! This card won the "non-square" contest...I will be getting a cute little birdie set...thank you Unity!