Day 5 Growing in Unity ~ Time's Up!

Good Morning All!!  Welcome to my fifth & final post of this Growing in Unity Week!  Thanks for dropping by to see what's on my craft table for today! Remember to leave a comment on each of the 5 GIU posts this week to be eligible to win $25 in random stamps from UNITY STAMP CO!!  Feel free to cut and paste the address link & share with all your crafty friends!

 ~ I will share names and links of the products used at the end of this blog ~



 REMEMBER:  CLICK ON PHOTOS FOR A CLOSER LOOK!



Since time is flying this week ;) I thought clocks would be a great subject.  I keep my eyes open for clocks at yard sales and discount stores for interesting frames.  The clock works can always be replaced if they don't work or simply left out if you love the look of round frames like I do. 

Carefully pry or unscrew the parts keeping the face of the clock protected & remove them.  I often use the original clock face in my project either by using it as the background or photo copying the numbers etc on it.  It is also the perfect guide to sizing the new clock face.

I like big images to put inside.  Today I chose Gypsy Warrior by Susi Blu https://www.unitystampco.com/shop/gypsy-warrior-exclusive-stamp-by-suzi-blu/

Oh my!  I love this versatile stamp!  I tried her several ways and decided on a brightly colored fussy cut version.  I have also in the past, layered in 3D fussy cut images. My advise is to always make sure that the raised images do not interfere with the movement of the clock's hands ~ if you're going to use them.

My first step is to photo copy the clock face onto inexpensive copier paper to experiment. Now I can stamp and manipulate without fear !!

I also use the MISTI so that I can preview what the stamp placement looks like before I stamp. 

Another reason I copy several clock faces is so that I can cut out the circle containing the second hand marks only and another with the #s too in case I want to copy them onto my actual card stock.

The water colored image is a great
example of photo copying the second
hand marks onto the water color paper.


 

You can tell that I like to do a lot of experimenting!! The size of the clock was too wide for my BIG SHOT machine (a great argument to get the super size one!!).  To use the embossing folder with the script to emboss the background I put my silicone embossing cushion over the folder and gently wacked it with a hammer.  The results were not consistent, but I liked the effect.  Another way I decided to add script to the background was to repeat stamping Unity's "You Are More Beautiful". I did this over the top of cardstock that I purchased already embossed, and it still worked beautifully!!  I Love the sentiment "Start Something New" from Unity also but I decided it was too big for the look I wanted.

experimenting with pearls
vs. numbers

Here are some more photos tracking my thought process just for fun and maybe some inspiration.  Once I get started it is hard to stop.  I now feel the need to run out and find some more clocks to revamp!!

Love this Gypsy stamp so much! Almost
went with her like this. So Zen I think!!

I finally decided to use this face with
beige pearls for numbers & seconds.
(I need to purchase more pearls!)

I heat embossed the images with brown

and then rubbed in pastel Gelato with

my finger tip on the flowers

LIST OF LINKS TO STAMPED IMAGES:

Gypsy Warrior https://www.unitystampco.com/shop/gypsy-warrior-exclusive-stamp-by-suzi-blu/

Start Something New  https://www.unitystampco.com/shop/start-something-new/

Flower Cluster  https://www.unitystampco.com/shop/midnight-kisses-kom-1116/

Beauty Sentiment & Butterflies  https://www.unitystampco.com/shop/best-year-yet-kom-1115/

Faceless Beauty  https://www.unitystampco.com/shop/faceless-beauty/

Miracle Sentiment  https://www.unitystampco.com/shop/perfect-in-every-way-kom-609/

Numbers  https://www.unitystampco.com/shop/bright-merry-moments-smak-1112/

Thank you for joining me all week! 

Don't forget to leave a comment on each day for your chance to win.  TWO WINNERS will be chosen and posted HERE and the FB Growing in Unity & Unity Show & Tell pages.  Sign up for e-mails to hear from this blog a couple of times each month ;)  Have a Great weekend

Thankful . . . . .

I LOVE Autumn!  The air is cooling down at night and the daytimes are so bright & sunny.  Even the way the sun slants through everything feels so good!!  I had a flurry of water coloring stamped images this weekend in honor of World Card Making Day ~ searched out every gratitude and nature stamp I could find in my stash! 


I'm glad that Thanksgiving is in the late Autumn.  These cool, beautiful days are my restful time of year & I have a chance to reflect over all we've accomplished during the long hot Summer!  Harvest is in, cattle are sold, our garden is complete except for a couple of rows of pumpkins that I'm trying to let ripen for as long as possible!  Autumn just makes me so full of gratitude.  I thank God for blessing us with such a life full of love and natures bounty. 


Psalm 65:5-13 By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas. By your strength you established the mountains; you are girded with might. You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples. Those who live at earth's farthest bounds are awed by your signs; you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy. You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy


Psalm 104 is full of the Splendor of God & His creation too.  I hope you find time to read it, it is so beautiful.  Here are verses &  from it:



14 He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate—bringing forth food from the earth:

15 wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts

By the way, Happy October!! I hope you all have a blessed day

HAPPY NATIONAL CARD MAKING DAY!!!

Happy National card making day!!  I hope you find time to express your creativity through card making today.  What a beautiful and special way to keep in touch.  God Bless You & Keep You <3

I thought I would share some images, if you have any questions please post and I'll answer as soon as I can :)

Thanks for stopping by

My favorite Blog is probably Word Art Wednesday!  Every week they have new and inspirational AND FREE Scripture/Word Art! 


Oh, it is always just so lovely!  There is also a wonderful article to go with the selected scripture. EVERY WEEK they have a new card making challenge and I recommend you check it out ;)


Here is my card for this weeks challenge!  I love Proverbs 31. One of my girl friends read it from a bible translation that differs from my NAS and it was even more like poetry !  In any case, I hope this card inspires you to check out the scripture.


Supplies & insights:


Rubber Stamps https://www.unitystampco.com/shop/butterfly-garden-sw-kit/


Large round image cut out with circle die. Stamped in Stampin' Up Crumb Cake & accented with Baked Brown Sugar.  Colors Dry Brushed on small areas and gold "pearls" applied to center of large flowers.  To make sure the under stamping of the butterfly border was in the right place I used Stampin' Up!'s stamp positioner & embossed the pink portion with a border embossing folder Bit of Paisley from Cuttlebug https://shop.cricut.com/en_us/catalog/product/view/sku/2001294

Spring Blossoms

 

What a beautiful Spring we're having here in the Pacific North West!  Everything here is now in Full Bloom and the air smells like perfume.  It's the time of year I most like having the windows open.  In comes the cool breeze, the fresh sunshine, and best of all the wonderful smells of fresh cut grass & lilacs! 

This year my little crab apple tree has really outdone its self!  The hot pink clusters of those blooms!!  One of my favorite stamp sets immediately came to mind, "Beauty Around You" designed by Phyllis Harris and carried by Unity Stamp Co.  & you can no doubt see why! 

I wanted to make some of the Blooms float across the card, so I kept the negative of the frame I put the image to use as a window.  I cut a piece of clear plastic packaging to give it strength and the look of glass and a place to put accents.

I love the idea of a surprise inside so I created a label to hide one of the children while the card is closed.  The sentiment comes From another Unity Stamp Co Phyllis Harris Design "Best Day Includes You".  I divided the sentiment so the card goes from celebrating the best of Spring ~ to the joyful abandon of sharing it with someone you Love!

Thank you for taking a look at my FIRST EVER BLOG POST!!!  Feel free to comment and come back again; I'll be sharing more of our county life and lots and lots more rubber stamping & paper crafting.  Feel free to use this link to find the rubber stamps I used in this project https://www.unitystampco.com/?s=phyllis&post_type=product