Let's HOP! :) Unity GIU Hop

Hello Frog Faithfuls!

Welcome to the GIU Blog Hop!  If you are new to "Blog Hopping", here's the deal. We have a list of blogs for you to visit and if you stick around to comment on each one (just for today), you may just win a Unity PRIZE! 

Spring can't decide whether or not to come for real in NY, but who's waiting anymore?? I'm all in for some signs of Spring to liven my steps! My first project today uses the Unity Angie Girl, Tulia! I fell in love with this image when it was released because I love to color tulips and they are one of my favorite signs of spring. I made an insert for my phone case! 

I used Gina K's amalgam ink for the image, and colored her with Copic markers. I'm no expert in  Copic shading but I think she turned out okay! And she's so springy!

My second project used another favorite Angie Girl image, Daisy Girl! I love the sweetness of this image and also think she's so easy to make pretty! Being a redhead, I grew up with less than a passing appreciation for pink....it's my least favorite color....but it looks adorable with green and I love green! She's just the thing to brighten a snowy spring day, don't you think??

Now that you've checked in here, leave a comment and then HOP on over to the next blog on the list below my name.  Your name will be entered for a prize! If I'm not your first stop, I suggest starting at the top of the list to be sure to visit everyone participating!

Thanks for stopping in! Join with me in keeping the faith that the Spring will spring soon all over the place!

Our blog hop participants:

                           Kim Marie (You are HERE!)

Rachel

Heidi

Shelly

Sue

Pam

Cara

Ashley

Blessings!

Kim Marie

Winners and watercolors :)

Hello Frog Faithfuls!

Well, my week as a GROWING IN UNITY Gal is over and I have two winners of the Unity Prize Pack of 25 stamps! Thank you ALL for your super encouraging comments! They blessed me!! Congrats to these two lucky ladies!

                          Donna Rakestraw

Joan Nadeau

Message me on FB with your snail mail addresses and I will forward them to Unity so you can stalk your mailman!

I had so many ideas on what to post last week, but they didn't all make the cut. Here are some watercolored Unity images I did a while back.

We've had more snow on this President's Day, surprise, surprise, but I hope these images warm your heart as much as they do mine!

Have a blessed week! Thanks again for visiting my blog! I hope you'll keep checking in now and again!

Kim Marie

GROWING IN UINTY DAY 5: You warm my heart

What?! My GIU week is over already?! :) Time flew this week! Thanks for hanging in there and for all your lovely comments thus far!  So encouraging! :)

I LOVED all the Wood slice Christmas ornaments made during the holiday season, but after I put those stamps away in January, I STILL itched to make gifts using the wood slices I had left over!! So here are a few of them!

With all this talk of my SON and his fiance, you may wonder if he's my only kid! He isn't! I have an amazing and beautiful daughter who lives in Texas! This day's project starts with something for her! We've had an old fashioned Western NY winter here...BRRR! The weather in  parts of Texas hasn't been all that warm this last month though...40 degrees on some days! Cold for Texas! So I decided I'd use my daughter's favorite animal to make and send her a cheerful gift. This is one of my FAVORITE Unity sets Scarf in Winter....so fun and so adorable! I love the sentiment, too, as my daughter and I both wear scarves a lot and she warms my heart! I added a lot of bright colors so the gift didn't get mistaken for a Christmas ornament. (Yes, at times I procrastinate in sending holiday gifts, LOL!)  I wanted her to think of SPRING (I have faith it will come!)

I used Gina K's Amalgam ink for stamping and I colored the images with colored pencils...no particular brand as I use many: Koorinor, Crayola, RoseArt, Prismacolors, etc. It's so easy that anyone can do it!

This next wood project is for a friend of mine who had a heck of a 2018....and 2019 isn’t starting so great for her either! I thought of her right away when I saw this sentiment while I was creating. Although I don't smoke or like the habit, I thought she could use a laugh! I used the set Your Fairy Godmother! For those of you new to Unity, they have a line of girl/guy images called Angie Girl/Guy stamps for which there are no faces. I personally LOVE this line, but some people prefer faces. That's cool! Unity has a bunch of gorgeous girl and guy stamps with faces, as well as a few faces you can purchase separately, so be sure to check them out!

These won't be my last two wood slice gifts by far...I have a dozen or so slices left, LOL! And Unity stamps are the perfect complement for them! Their deep etched rubber stamps stamp perfectly on the first try 99.999% of the time!  There's no room for error on wood...especially when you want to use both sides! And the images...SWOON!

So that's a wrap! REMEMBER! Make a comment on all of my GIU posts this week for a chance to win some UNITY RUBBAH! May Spring come early to your neck of the woods! We here in NY are waiting ever soooooo impatiently in our parkas, sweaters, high boots, mittens and scarves!!

 Wishing you warm blessings and sunny weather where ever you are!

Kim Marie

GROWING IN UNITY DAY 4: HAPPY HEART DAY!

I was so thrilled to have my GIU week during Valentine's Day! The first project that came to my creative mind was a set of tiny love notes that my son's fiance could give to my son on any old occasion! They are such lovebirds and UNITY has soooo many fun and adorable love note images in their Itty Bitty line!! (See bottom of the post for names of the itty bitty stamp sets I used).  I chose a few sets from my top 10 favorites and BOOM....adorableness x a million! Here's a picture of the set, as well as a tote I made to put them in! I hand made the envelopes to fit, as the cards ended up different sizes, but they all nestled well in the little tote! I used an acrylic card box made for 3x3's (which I love to make!), cut the top flaps off and lined it with designer paper, adding a "handle" and another UNITY image to finish it off. I can't wait to give it to her! To see the little details, be sure to zoom into the pictures!

My next project was also a gift for the engaged couple! I used the bride and groom and the sentiment from the set Cherished Moments. I stamped the images on vellum, embossed it in white, added it to a tall vase, put in a fake candle and BOOM. Pretty! Can you tell "wedding" is on my mind, like only....a BILLION times a day?! :)

I trust you are being blessed by someone you love today, whether it be a sweetheart, a child, a sibling, a family member, a friend or the Lord Himself!

Don't forget to comment on this post as well as my earlier posts from the entire week! Your name will be entered into the mix and may be one of two chosen to win 25 Random Unity stamps! You are LOVED!

Kim Marie
Unity Itty Bitty sets used: Hotter than Sriracha, Great PEAR, Pitcher Us Together, Rain or Shine, We Go Together

GROWING IN UINITY DAY 3: Challenged and Blessed!

I love a creative challenge! A friend at church asked if I could possibly make a recipe card to give as a gift for her sister, using a recipe that she loved. Of course, I said YES! I also remembered that I had a UNITY stamp measuring cup that would work PERFECTLY for it (that's how I find their images to be....the littlest touch to make a project SHINE)! It was from a Unity Stampin' Store Kit that I got many years ago called 100% Happy...my first big Unity set. There's nothing like a differently sized canvas to get the creative juices flowing! Not saying it was too much work, but it took me a while to make it all fit the way I envisioned it.  She was happy with it though....hope you like it too! ;)

A second project for today was a card for a friend whom I have known for over 30 years! We lived in the same dorm in college and although we live 5 hours apart, we have stayed in touch for all these years! We went to a show recently to see and meet a movie star whose movies we had obsessed over in college (can you say Lloyd Dobler??). This snapshot of us was taken at the event! We had such a great time and I wanted her to remember it, so I made this shaker card! She told me it now sits on her desk at work! Mission accomplished!

The background stamp is in the set Faith Sees Beauty (8/18 KOTM) and the sentiment is from Blessed Fall (9/18 KOTM). The photo frame is from another Unity set, Inta-Live, Love, Dream and I used Unity's Aurora sequins for the shaker...they are sooooo  beautiful!

Be blessed and willing to challenge yourself today! Try a new papercraft technique or yummy recipe! You are AMAZING!

Don't forget to make a comment on my posts all week to win some UNITY booty! See you tomorrow!!

Kim Marie

GROWING IN UNITY DAY 2: Celebrate in Living Color

Hello again and welcome to GIU Day 2!

2019 is going to be an amazing year for us! My son became engaged to a WONDERFUL and AMAZING girl and they are getting married this summer! What's funny about this couple is that they have the same birthday!! I made this card for my future Daughter in Law's 33rd birthday! I LOVE LOVE LOVE color changing cards...and Unity's fairy Godmother stamp set is PERFECT for this technique! It's a favorite! Also, I'm partial to turquoise and silver, and I think it fits the stamp well! I use Copic markers for much of my coloring as it helps with shadowing and blending.  Enjoy!

I cannot wait to celebrate at their wedding! Joy is sure to permeate the place! I pray God's peace and joy to you, as you go through these long winter months! May splashes of color surprise you and bring you moments of JOY!

Oh! I want to show off the new personalized stamp my son gave me this Christmas! Made by Magnuson Custom Stamps of Unity especially for me! I love it!

And hey! Don't forget to leave a comment on my posts ALL WEEK to be included in the chance to win a Unity Grab bag! I'll draw two names next weekend!
Blessings!

Kim Marie

GROWING IN UNITY DAY 1: Influences

Hello there and welcome to my Day One of my week for Growing in Unity! I'm excited that you are here! My project for my first post is a set I made for my Aunt's birthday! She is a very special woman in my life....she helped raise my brother and sisters and me with my grandmother early on in my life! I honor her for sacrificing so much for us at only 19 years of age, working and supporting all of us! She will forever be one of my favorite people...and I wanted her to know it! The honey was locally grown and included in this sweet set is a spoon I bought from a girl raising $$ for a mission trip to Haiti! 

As you can see, I used several Unity stamps from the April 2018 Kit of the Month, Eyes of the Beholder. I don't like bees in real life, but for some reason, I ADORE them in stamped images. And I love honey! It reminds me of the scripture in Proverbs 16:24: 

Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

The encouraging words my Aunt and Grandmother spoke over us as children were sweet and healing as well! I pray that you all have influencers in your lives that make a difference!

Ready to win some UNITY Stamps? GREAT!  Be sure to comment on each post this week and I will choose TWO of you to win a Unity Grab bag! I'd love some encouragement! For great inspiration, also check out the Unity blog, FB pages and Growing in Unity page! Blessings!

Kim Marie

So sweet a sister!

I received a card from my sister Kelly today! It was so sweet I wanted to share it! I invited her to a Stamp camp that I helped organize several years ago and got her hooked on card making! She continues to develop her stash for paper crafting with my help, haha!  She also dabbles in cupcake and cookie decor, which she does as part of a business, so I make out every time! :) We're such crafty kids! :)
Here's the card!

Thanks, Kelly! I LOVE it! 

See you all soon!

Kim Marie

IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK!!

Hello to any Frog Faithful still hanging out in blogger land! My blog has been quietly patiently waiting for my return and HERE I AM!

Where have I been and what has life sent my way these years? I've been LIVING and JOYFULLY so! As I'm guessing you have! :)  My family is doing well, my husband retires in June and WE HAVE A WEDDING coming up! God has been continuously faithful and we continue to fall on his amazing grace!

So why am I back now? Weeellllll.....good question! Let me explain! Since my last post, of course, I have continued stamping and card making and all that goes with it. My favorite stamp companies remain my favorites, including Stampin Up, Gina K Designs and Unity stamps (and a new favorite, Kindred Stamps!). My frog faithfuls know how I have always loved techniques and tools and that tradition continues as well with some cool new inks from Versamark, Tim Holtz and Gina K.  Although I haven't been blogging like I used to, I do spend time on some crafting FB pages, including one for Unity Stamps. One of their pages features the crafters themselves, for a week, including their creations! I am blessed to say, I am going to be one of those crafters!

GROWING IN UNITY & A CHANCE TO WIN!!

The Unity Stamp Company calls this feature GROWING IN UNITY for which they have a blog. If you follow the week-long posts, and comment on them, you will be entered to win a grab bag of 25 Unity stamps! My week will start February 11th and although the posts will be featured on their pages and blog, I wanted to 'resurrect' my posts here as well! Win-Win! :) So if you've been here all along waiting for me, HERE I AM! Can't wait to see how God uses me and this blog, even as we share in our favorite hobby! Bless you all!

Kim Marie