Growing In Unity :: Day 5 - Thanks Card

<<<Looking for my Lupus Awareness Month giveaway?>>>

<<<You can find it here.>>>

Welcome to the final day of my week as the Growing In Unity gal!

It's been a wonderful week and I am so thankful for each of you that have stopped by to check out and comment on each of my projects using Unity Stamp Company stamps. If you haven't already, be sure to go back and comment on all five of my Growing In Unity posts this week if you want a chance to win some free stamps!

If you are new here or aren't already a follower: I'd love to have you follow my blog!
If you are one of my regular readers: Thanks for coming back! I love having you!
If you are on Facebook, please "like" Ink Blots by TRD.


For my final project, I wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU for visiting me each day this week.
What better way to say thank you, than with a card?

Thanks for stopping by today (and every day this week!) - and don't forget to leave a comment so you can be entered to win!

And, of course, I'd love it if you sign up to be a follower!

From the comments that are left on each of my posts this week I will be randomly choosing someone to win any two Itty Bittys (winner's choice!) from Unity Stamp Company - to be sent to a domestic address only, please.

{I will be announcing the winner of this giveaway on Friday, June 6th.

Be Sure to check back!}

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (Rustic White);
Other Paper: Papertrey Ink (Vellum);
Stencil: Heidi Swapp (HS01148);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Sentiments O’Simple - sentiment, Wood Grain Script);
Ink: Ranger (Archival - Jet Black); Tsukineko (VersaMagic Chalk - Sahara Sand, Jumbo Java, Aloe Vera, Tea Leaves, Persimmon, Pink Grapefruit, Perfect Plumeria);
Tools: Fiskars (Scissors, Paper Trimmer); ScorPal (Scoring Board);

Growing In Unity :: Day 4 - Shoulder Stamped Shirt

<<<Looking for my Lupus Awareness Month giveaway?>>>

<<<You can find it here.>>>

Welcome to the 4th day of my week as the Growing In Unity gal!

I am so thankful for each of you that have stopped by so far to check out and comment on each of my projects using Unity Stamp Company stamps. Be sure to comment on all five of my Growing In Unity posts this week if you want a chance to win some free stamps!

If you are new here or aren't already a follower: I'd love to have you follow my blog!
If you are one of my regular readers: Thanks for coming back! I love having you!
If you are on Facebook, please "like" Ink Blots by TRD.


One of my new favorite ways to use stamps is stamping on shirts. I love the new BIG heart from the DIY L.O.V.E. stamps - it is the perfect size!

I recently created a stamped shirt for my daughter using the same stamp set, but wanted to do something a little different for myself. (And, let's be honest...I don't need any detail on my shirt that will be drawing someone's eye to my gut area...haha.)
For my shirt, I stamped the heart on the shoulder area of the shirt. I love how it turned out!

Thanks for stopping by today - and don't forget to leave a comment so you can enter to win!

From the comments that are left on each of my posts this week I will be randomly choosing someone to win any two Itty Bittys (winner's choice!) from Unity Stamp Company - to be sent to a domestic address only, please.

Supplies:
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (L.O.V.E.);
Ink: Ranger (Archival - Jet Black);

Growing In Unity :: Day 3 - Have A Lovely Day

<<<Looking for my Lupus Awareness Month giveaway?>>>

<<<You can find it here.>>>

Welcome to the 3rd day of my week as the Growing In Unity gal!

I am so thankful for each of you that have stopped by so far to check out and comment on each of my projects using Unity Stamp Company stamps. Be sure to comment on all five of my Growing In Unity posts this week if you want a chance to win some free stamps!

If you are new here or aren't already a follower: I'd love to have you follow my blog!
If you are one of my regular readers: Thanks for coming back! I love having you!
If you are on Facebook, please "like" Ink Blots by TRD.


Today's card is a simple one to create, really. I think it looks more involved than it really is.

First, I placed some strips of washi tape on my card base. Then, I die cut a piece of cardstock (the same size as the front of the card) and saved both the positive and negative cuts. I adhered the negative die cut to the card front and then added the positive cuts as embellishments. It's all topped off with a bit of twine and one of my favorite new sentiments from Unity - this one is from the A Lovely Butterfly Day Itty Bitty.

(If you are interested in seeing a couple more cards created with the same basic supplies - see my post here.)

Thanks for stopping by today - and don't forget to leave a comment so you can enter to win!

From the comments that are left on each of my posts this week I will be randomly choosing someone to win any two Itty Bittys (winner's choice!) from Unity Stamp Company - to be sent to a domestic address only, please.

Supplies:
Washi Tape: My Mind's Eye;
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (A Lovely Butterfly Day);
Ink: Memento (London Fog);
Twine: The Twinery (Gold Shimmer); 
Dies: Top Dog Dies (Pretty Petals Dies Set);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Growing In Unity :: Day 2 - Stamped Bags

<<<Looking for my Lupus Awareness Month giveaway?>>>

<<<You can find it here.>>>

Welcome to the 2nd day of my week as the Growing In Unity gal!

I am so thankful for each of you that have stopped by so far to check out and comment on my first project using Unity Stamp Company stamps. Be sure to comment on all five of my Growing In Unity posts this week if you want a chance to win some free stamps!

If you are new here or aren't already a follower: I'd love to have you follow my blog!
If you are one of my regular readers: Thanks for coming back! I love having you!
If you are on Facebook, please "like" Ink Blots by TRD.

For today's project, I used the new DIY L.O.V.E. stamp set (love it!) and the Deco Hound background stamp.

I love having these quick (and cute) stamped bags on hand. They are great for a handmade touch when you want to give someone a gift card, or great for wrapping small gifts. I even use them to help organize the smaller items in my purse. And they are also perfect for making lavender sachets or dryer bags.

Thanks for stopping by today - and don't forget to leave a comment so you can enter to win!

From the comments that are left on each of my posts this week I will be randomly choosing someone to win any two Itty Bittys (winner's choice!) from Unity Stamp Company - to be sent to a domestic address only, please.

Supplies:
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Deco Hound, L.O.V.E.);
Ink: Ranger (Archival - Jet Black); Memento (Lilac Posies);

Growing In Unity :: Day 1 - Party Monster

<<<Looking for my Lupus Awareness Month giveaway?>>>

<<<You can find it here.>>>

Welcome to the 1st day of my week as the Growing In Unity gal!

Stay tuned each day this week as I show you something I've created using stamps from Unity Stamp Company...and be sure to comment on each of my Growing In Unity posts this week because Unity Stamp Company is allowing me to give away some free stamps!

If you are new here or aren't already a follower: I'd love to have you follow my blog!
If you are one of my regular readers: Thanks for coming back! I love having you!
If you are on Facebook, please "like" Ink Blots by TRD.

Let's get this party started, shall we?

And of course...if you're having a party...there are probably gifts near by:

This gift (yep, I wrapped it myself) is decorated with a tag using the new Party Monster Itty Bitty. (I happen to love this one since I created it. I love being a Unity Artista!) I did some paper piecing on the monster and then added a bit of twine and a cute clothespin to finish it off.

Thanks for stopping by today - and don't forget to leave a comment so you can enter to win!

From the comments that are left on each of my posts this week I will be randomly choosing someone to win any two Itty Bittys (winner's choice!) from Unity Stamp Company - to be sent to a domestic address only, please.

Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Heidi Swapp (Serendipity - 6x6);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Party Monster);
Ink: Ranger (Archival - Jet Black);
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Strawberry); 
Other: Recollections (Clothespin);
Tools: Fiskars (Scissors); 

Lupus Awareness Month :: The Impact of Lupus in America

The following infographic only lists the impact of lupus in America, but it at least gives an idea of the scale of this disease:

{PS - Don't forget to get in on my Lupus Awareness Month giveaway. You can find it here.}

XOXO Layout

<<<Looking for my Lupus Awareness Month giveaway?>>>

<<<You can find it here.>>>

I love these pictures that my favorite photographer took of my kids a couple years ago at a fun Valentine's Day photo shoot.
(Yes...I said a couple years ago. I am not generally a scrapbooker, so even that is ahead of the game for me.)

When I came across this patterned paper from Crate Paper's Love Notes collection, I thought it would be perfect to pair with these love-themed photos. I added overlays (again from the Love Notes collection) on top of each picture on the page. The printing on the overlays helped the bright photos blend better with the aged look of the paper.

I finished off the page with a few transparencies and chipboard pieces from the same collection and then added in some simple pearls. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Crate Paper (Love Notes - 12x12);
Chipboard: Crate Paper (Love Notes);
Transparencies: Crate Paper (Love Notes - Valentines);
Pearls: Melissa Frances (Pearls - GN297);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer); Tim Holtz (Tiny Attacher);

Stamped T-Shirt :: Unity Thursday {Blog Hop}

<<<Looking for my Lupus Awareness Month giveaway?>>>

<<<You can find it here.>>>

I am thrilled to be able to sneak into this week's Unity blog hop!
Although I am not technically a part of the Unity Design Team, I am one of Unity's Artistas...so I was able to squeeze my way in. :o)

I am so excited to share my project with you today. To create it, I used the new DIY L.O.V.E. stamps.
These stamps are huge!
(Like 4" huge!)

While of course these stamps are awesome for so many home decor projects, I wanted to do a little different version of DIY and jazz up a plain t-shirt.

After I stamped the letters and heart onto the shirt, I used my iron to heat set them. (This step is important when stamping on fabric.)

(Tip: If you are wondering if you own an ink that will work well on fabric, check out this post on Craft Test Dummies.)

My daughter loves her stamped t-shirt! She has already asked me if we can make more. And I can't wait to try making one (or more) for myself, too.


Don't forget: for today's blog hop, Unity is giving away two great prize packages! Be sure to leave a comment on each blog in the hop (including the Unity blog) to be entered to win. The winners will be announced Saturday night on the Unity blog.


And don't forget to check out the great sale this week! It all starts at noon (Central).

There are new stamps this week, too! I love how Unity gets involved in raising awareness and giving back in various ways. There is a great new release this week for #bringbackourgirls :

And I am excited that this new stamp I designed is available now (and on sale!):

Continue hopping on through to the Unity blog, and then go shopping!

Supplies: 
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (L.O.V.E.); 
Ink: Memento (Bahama Blue, Lilac Posies); 
T-shirt: Hanes (White Undershirt);

Lupus Awareness Month :: POP (Put On Purple)

Do you know what you are wearing tomorrow?

I do!

No, I don't generally plan my outfits a day in advance. (In fact, what I wear on a daily basis probably doesn't even qualify for such a lofty term as "outfit".)

But tomorrow is special:

Put on purple tomorrow for lupus awareness. {And don't forget to tell people why you are wearing purple.}

Have a great day!

{PS - Don't forget to get in on my Lupus Awareness Month giveaway. You can find it here.}

The Twinery/Top Dog Dies {Blog Hop}

<<<Looking for my Lupus Awareness Month giveaway?>>>

<<<You can find it here.>>>

The Introduction:
If you are hopping along with us today: You should have come here from Anita Mulcahey's blog. If you did, you are in the right place! Welcome!
If you aren't already a follower, I'd love to have you follow my blog!
If you are on Facebook, please "like" Ink Blots by TRD.

If you are one of my regular readers: Thanks for coming back! I love having you! Please join along in the hop - you can start at The Twinery's blog.

The Hop Order:

Top Dog Dies
The Twinery
Anita Mulcahey
Tifany DeGough <-- You are here
Christine Meyer
Jaclyn Miller
DoBea Alberts
Tobi Crawford

The Prizes:
The Twinery is giving away a Sampler Pack of Twines (retail value $25).

And Top Dog Dies is giving away $50 worth of exclusive wafer thin dies! 

The Details:

Leave a comment on each blog along the hop. {Please include your e-mail address.}

Blog comments close on Friday, May 16th at 11:59pm (EST). The winner will be announced on The Twinery's blog on Monday, May 19th.
Details for how to win the dies can be found on the Top Dog Dies blog. 

The Projects:
Each of my cards that I am sharing today use the same basic supplies (dies, twine, cardstock, stamps, and ink), but by using the supplies in different ways I was able to create two different looks. 

For my first card, I wanted to showcase the beautiful flowers from the Top Dog Dies Pretty Petals Die Set. I used the dies both as a method of debossing, and also the regular die cuts. I like the dimension this technique gives to the card. I stamped a sentiment and then added a big pop of color with The Twinery's Solid Midnight Blue twine.

Since I wanted the twine to really stand out, I used two strands of twine to tie a double bow.

For my next card, I added in a bit of washi tape to highlight the die technique I was using.

For this one, I used the negative cut from the Top Dog Dies Pretty Petals Die Set then added The Twinery's Solid Midnight Blue twine and the stamped sentiment to finish off the card.

I love how both cards turned out and think that dies and twine have proven to be a great match!

Thanks for stopping by today!

The Next Stop:
Christine Meyer

Supplies: 
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Midnight Blue);
Dies: Top Dog Dies (Pretty Petals Die Set);
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#);
Washi Tape: My Mind's Eye (aqua houndstooth, Cut & Paste: Presh - green diagonal stripe, Cut & Paste: Adorbs - navy arrows, aqua hexagon); Sandy Lion (coral polka dots); 
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (A Lovely Butterfly Day);
Ink: Memento (Paris Dusk); 
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);