Growing in Unity Winners

 

Hello, Friends!

 

First, I apologize for just posting the Growing in Unity winners.  I got sick with a stomach flu on Friday and am still fighting it.  Being the kind daughter I am, I have shared it with everyone in the house.  Even Frank is acting like he doesn't feel good and is just laying around!  Poor weenie dog!

 

Now to what you really want to know!

My Growing in Unity Winners are

 

Sweet April

Rebecca Yahrling

 

Please email me at kebord2@gmail.com with your name and address where you would like your stamps sent.  I will forward them to Unity and they will send you your goodies!   I still don't feel well, so if you could put Unity Winner in all capital letters in the subject so I'm sure I don't miss it since I'm not reading all my emails right now, I would appreciate it.  I don't want to make you wait any longer than I already have.  Congratulations, from Frank and I!

 

Thank you to everyone who left me such sweet comments!

 

If you don't have the flu, Happy Stamping!



Growing In Unity Day 5- Reach for the Stars

 



Hello, Friends!

 



Welcome to the fifth and final day on Life with a Wiener Dog where I am the Growing in Unity Gal.  Thank you to Unity for allowing me to have this opportunity.  It's been a lot of fun!  Thank you to all of you who have visited my blog.  Don't forget, if you leave a comment on every day, two random people will win a grab bag of 25 free stamps from Unity.  Frankfurter and I will announce the winners on Saturday.  Be sure to come back and see one more Unity card and if you are one of the lucky two winners!

 

Today's card features the stamp set, "Reach for the Stars" which was created by Phyllis Harris.  All Phyllis Harris stamp kits are on sale for $10 this weekend at Unity.  There are several other stamps on sale at www.unitystampco.com, too, so be sure to check them out.

 

I saved this card for last because the Phyllis Harris stamp kits are probably my very favorite stamps at Unity.  I have a bunch of their whimsical, pun stamps.  They have tons of beautiful stamps.  Their kits of the month are awesome.  They have itty bitty stamps that can be purchased on sale for less than $5.00 usually that have a single stamp or a stamp with a sentiment that are great.  Phyllis Harris designs my favorite stamps, though.  Usually, because the ones I buy have a dog in them or are religious.  That's not a big surprise, is it?

 

This is a great stamp, though, so I wanted to add it to my collection.  I used blue painters tape and taped a piece of watercolor paper to a heat resistant wooden cutting board.  Then, I stamped this image on the watercolor paper in VersaMark ink and then embossed it in black embossing powder.  I lightly wet the part of the image I was working on with a small spray bottle.  To watercolor it, I used dye ink pads.  I pressed an ink pad onto an acrylic block and using an aqua brush to pick up the color.  Then I used my aqua brush to fill in the embossed areas.  When the entire picture was dry, I masked, or covered, part of the picture so I could add the stars.  Using a stencil, I used a silver glitter paste to put stars in the sky.  When the glitter paste was dry, I gently removed the painters tape which had held the picture still and helped keep it from warping from the water.  There was some warping but not nearly as much as if I hadn't taped it down.  I trimmed the edge so only the watercolor picture showed, mounted the watercolor paper on beige paper and then a card base that was navy blue. 

 

 

Inside, I added another piece of beige paper and stamped "Reach for the STARS!" which was included in the stamp kit.  I punched two stars so the navy blue cardstock could show through and my card was complete.  I can use this card for someone graduating high school or college, someone starting a new job, or any other new beginning in life. 

 

I love the stars and the texture that the glitter paste adds to the front of this card.  I also love the white cat because we had a white cat named Tinkerbell when I was growing up.

 

Thank you, again, for allowing me to be your Growing in Unity Gal this week.  I hope you have enjoyed the variety of cards I have made.  On the left side of my blog, you will find a list of cards on my blog by the company that created the stamps I used for them.  If you are interested in seeing more of my cards featuring Unity stamps, you can find a list of them there.  If you enjoyed my cards, I'd love to have you subscribe to my blog.  Those links are also on the left.

 

Don't forget to leave a comment on my Growing in Unity Blog posts and come back tomorrow to see if you are one of the two people chosen for a free gift bag of 25 stamps from Unity Stamp Company! 

 

Happy Stamping!

 

 

   I used the following products to make this card:

 

Reach for the Stars by Unity Stamp Company

VersaMark Ink Pad by Tsukineko

Classic Ink Pads by Stampin' Up

Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Cardstock by Ranger

Very Vanilla and Night of Navy Card Stock by Stampin' Up

Aqua Brush

Mini Mister by Ranger

Acrylic Block (any will work)

Scotch Safe Release Painter's Masking Tape by 3M

Stars Pattern Stencil by Hero Arts

Black Opaque Zing Embossing Powder by American Crafts

Silver Ferro Metal Effect Texture Paste by Viva Décor

Star Punch by EK Success

Embossing Heat Tool by Stampabilities

 

 



Growing In Unity Day 4- Lizzie Girl Showered with Love

 



Hello, Friends!

 

This week is flying by and it's already my fourth day as the Growing In Unity Gal!  Please don't forget to leave a comment at the end of my blog because two random people are going to win grab bags from Unity with 25 stamps in them for FREE!  Let's face it- there aren't many thing better than free stamps!

 

Today's card features the Unity Stamp Company stamp "Lizzie Girl Showered with Love."  I admit that I made this card quite a while ago and it was for me as much as it will be for the person who receives it.  Over two and a half years ago, I was getting ready to move from Arizona to Illinois and hurt my back.  I thought I had just pulled muscles, but it just got worse and worse.  I went to a chiropractor, to my family doctor and to a pain clinic.  They did different procedures thinking each one would solve the problem, but none of them did.  Finally, a test that was painful like you would not believe, showed that there was no disk between my bottom two vertebrae and there was just a small amount between the next two up.  The fact that there was bone rubbing on bone explained why I was in so much pain.  I needed back surgery but it took five months to get it done because I had to change surgeons.  It took 25 months from when I hurt my back until I had surgery.  Although everything is healing correctly which is wonderful, it will take months for me to recover from the surgery.  During all of this time Frank and I have lived with my parents because I wasn't able to do anything for myself.  What I did find while I was in pain and waiting for some cure, was that with my parents help of bringing things to the table for me, I could still stamp.  That was about all I could do because I was in too much pain to leave the house.  Stamping kept me sane. During the time I sat up and made a card, I could think about something else besides the pain I was in, that I didn't have a job, that I wasn't supporting myself-my parents were, that my parents should be vacationing in Florida during their retirement, not taking care of me.  Stamping was something I could still do and it was fun. 

 

So, I made this girl in the rain, because we all face rain in our lives at one time or another.  It could be a back injury.  It could be a broken heart.  It could be a lot of different things.  However, the rain doesn't have to be gray and dark and depressing all the time.  For my back, I tried to keep my spirits up.  Some days,  I did much better than others.  But on the day I made this card, I had to face the rain, but I was going to face it in a bright yellow raincoat with a spiffy umbrella and cute colorful matching boots!

 

On the inside, I used another Unity Stamp Set and put this message.

 

 

It may have taken a long time, and I may still have a long recovery ahead, but there are blue skies and sunny days in my future.  Whatever rain clouds may come your way, there are blue skies and sunny days coming for you, too, which is why I created this card.

 

I stamped my image on the front in black and colored it with Copic markers.  I added lace, patterned paper and a thin bright layer of card stock over the base.  Inside I stamped my sentiment and cut it out with a circle die.  I gave it a matching yellow scalloped background and this card was complete.

 

Don't forget to leave me a message so your day might get sunnier with 25 free stamps!

 

Happy Stamping!

 

 

I used the following products to make this card:

 

Lizzie Girl Showered with Love and Feel Better Soon (the April 2014 Sentiment kit) stamp sets by Unity Stamp Company

Tuxedo Black Ink by Memento

Copic Markers

Pure Luxury White Card Stock by Gina K

Daffodil Delight and Baja Breeze Card Stock by Stampin' Up

Garden Party Patterned Paper by Pebbles

Shades of Teal Fancy Trims by Petaloo

Circle Framelit Dies by Sizzix

Scallop Die, but I cannot find who made it.  Sorry!

    

Growing In Unity Day 3- Call Me with Old Phone Dial

 

 

Hello, Friends!

 

Welcome to my third day as a Growing in Unity Gal on my blog, Life with a Wiener Dog!  Please remember to leave a comment at the end of my blog because two random people who leave comments will win a grab bag of 25 free stamps from Unity!  For today's card, I created a completely different style from my first two cards.  The first card was bright and whimsical featuring a hot dog.  The second was soft and simple featuring a flower.  I wanted today's card to have a vintage feel to it with lots of layers and a couple of current touches. 

 

I created this card because I loved how the "Call Me" stamp and "Old Phone Dial" looked together.  Using a telephone to actually talk on is getting to be vintage these days but I really wanted my telephone to look vintage!  So, when I stamped the black phone from the single "Call Me" stamp, I purposefully made sure it didn't ink all the way on the bottom of the phone to give the stamped picture an older, worn look.  My phone dial, from the single stamp, "Old Phone Dial" was actually stamped on the same color of paper that the black telephone was stamped on.  I colored it with a variety of beige and brown Copic markers to give the phone dial an antique look.  I added Glossy Accents on each of the numbers and in the center of the telephone dial for an added texture.  To add more texture, I used a vintage looking floral embossing folder to emboss a piece of card stock and then rubbed a Rich Cocoa brown ink pad over it lightly to help the design of the folder show up without overtaking the rest of the card.

 

Up to this point, the card had the worn, vintage feel that matched the stamps and other accents I had used.  However, I didn't want it to only have a vintage feel.  To bring in a few current elements, I added a cardstock rosette under the most important message of the card, the stamped "Call Me" circle.  This added yet another texture as well as height to this part of the card.  The two glitter hearts also draw your eyes to the message, "Call Me." 

 

I am fortunate that I have friends all over the country that I could send this card to because I would love to hear their voices.  Social media and texting are great, but just not the same as a good old-fashioned telephone call!

 

Don't forget to leave me a comment so you are entered into the random drawing for 25 stamps from Unity!  Then, pretend you just received this card and pick up the phone and call someone special that you haven't spoken to recently! 

 

I'll see you tomorrow with another card featuring the great Unity Stamp Company Stamps!

 

Happy Stamping!

 

 

I used the following products to make this card:

 

Call Me and Old Phone Dial stamps by Unity Stamp Company

Tuxedo Black and Rich Cocoa Ink by Memento

Copic Markers

Pure Luxury Ivory Card Stock by Gina K

Crumb Cake and Chocolate Chip Card Stock by Stampin' Up

Champagne Glimmer Paper by Stampin' Up

Anna Griffin Cuttlebug Rosa 5"x7" Embossing Folder by Cricut

Circle Framelit Dies by Sizzix

Tim Holtz Alterations Mini Paper Rosettes Sizzlits Die by Sizzix

Heart Punch by EK Success

 Glossy Accents by Ranger



Growing in Unity Day 2- Wildflowers and Wings



 

Hello, Friends!

 

Welcome to the second day on my blog where I am the Growing in Unity Gal.  This is exciting for you and me because by leaving a comment on these Growing in Unity posts each day this week, I get to randomly choose two people to win a grab bag of 25 Unity stamps!  Let's face it- the only thing better than stamps are FREE stamps!

I enjoy creating a variety of cards.  I used to always use several layers on each card.  This year I challenged myself to start creating Clean and Simple cards with less layers.  This card wouldn't qualify as clean and simple because it has lots of color and large images, but it does just have the layer of paper where I created the background and stamped the flower as well as a card stock background for stability. 

This is the Mother's Day card I made for my Mom for Sunday.  It features two Unity Stamp Company stamps from the beautiful "Wildflowers and Wings" SMAK kit.  Unity offers four different kits that you can subscribe to each month.  SMAK stands for Scrapbooking, Mixed-Media, Altered Art Kit which is what these stamps are primarily created to be used for, although I used them on my card.  This kit is from April 2014 and is just as fabulous now as it was when it was created a year ago.  Even though it was originally only available to SMAK subscribers, it can now be purchased by anyone.  It has several large flowers, leaves, a butterfly, a border and words in it.

 Besides the stamps, I used Tim Holtz Distress Inks to create the entire scene.  Now, I have a confession to make.  This is only the second time I've ever used Distress Inks.  I am definitely behind the times on the Distress products!  It is incredible to see all of the different things that can be done with them.  I started making my card by creating my background and blending the three purple colors together, Milled Lavender, Shaded Lilac and Seedless Preserves in order from lightest to darkest with a mini round ink blending tool.  I left the paper alone overnight and by morning they looked like they had blended much better.  The colors looked softer and smoother.  Then I stamped one of the large flowers from the "Wildflowers and Wings" kit in the lightest purple color, Milled Lavender.  Using my Aqua Brush, I used the lighter color as my guide and painted over it and filled in the flower with the medium and darker colors.  I added a stem and leaf with Forest Moss and Bundled Sage.  Since it was for Mother's Day, after the flower was completely dry, I stamped the word family from the same stamp set in the medium color, Shaded Lilac.  I added sequins in three matching colors and my card was complete. 

Now, be sure to go leave a comment on my blog so you are eligible to win the grab bag of 25 stamps from Unity!  Then, if you haven't been to their website, go check it out at www.unitystampco.com.  They have amazing stamps in a variety of styles!
See you tomorrow with another totally different card!

Happy Stamping!



I used the following products to make this card:

 

Wildflowers and Wings April 2014 SMAK Kit by Unity Stamp Company

Milled Lavender, Shaded Lilac, Seedless Preserves and Forest Moss Tim Holtz Distress Inks by Ranger

Bundled Sage and Forest Moss Tim Holtz Distress Markers by Ranger

Pure Luxury White Card Stock by Gina K

Rich Razzleberry Card Stock by Stampin' Up

Mini Round Ink Blending Tool by Ranger

Aqua Brush

Sequins by Doodlebug Design Inc.

Multi Medium Matte Glue by Ranger

Growing In Unity Day 1- Frank the Fun Dog

 



 

Hello, Friends!

 

To those of you that are visiting my blog for the first time, welcome!  My name is Angela Walters and I am thrilled to have you here.  This week, I am the Growing In Unity Gal.  I will be posting a card on my blog each day this week featuring stamps from the Unity Stamp Company.  I have good news for you about this, as well.  Leave a comment on my GIU posts each day and at the end of the week, I will randomly choose 2 people to win a grab bag of 25 Unity Stamps!   

 

Thirteen and a half years ago, I brought home someone who became a very special man in my life, my wiener dog, Frankfurter.  I began scrapbooking about the same time.  In fact, one of my first scrapbooks was of Frankfurter the puppy.  A couple of years later I began stamping.  When I decided to start a blog, it only made sense to have Frank included because that little puppy became such a huge love in my life.  Never married, it's been Frank and I facing the world together.  Frankfurter is smart, cute, funny, tough, and quite perky for a 13 year old little old man dog, as I call him sometimes.  "Life with a Wiener Dog" began to share the cards I was creating, primarily Stampin' Up at that time.  Now, you will see cards with stamps and products from all different companies featured on my blog along with a Frankfurter story or a personal update (I just had major back surgery I'm still recovering from 2 months ago.  I posted a health update on my back before this post so if you follow my blog, be sure to see it, as well, underneath this post if you receive it by email or on my blog directly.)   

 

When Unity created the "Frank the Fun Dog" stamp set, of course I had to have it.  I'd like to think that my Frankfurter inspired it because it was revealed a few months after I won the Friends of Unity prize.  In my mind, the Unity people came to my blog to see that Christmas card I had made, saw Frank, thought his name was great and this actual hot dog stamp set was born.  Of course this is all just in my mind, but wouldn't it be awesome if it were true?  While it probably isn't, the stamp set was still perfect for Frank and I and so I chose it to be the first stamp set I featured from Unity.  The hot dog comes with several sentiments, but for obvious reasons, "Franks a lot" is my favorite!   

 

A lot of my cards feature bright, happy colors like this one.  I colored the hot dog with Copic markers and added Glossy Accents to the mustard.  In person, it looks as though the mustard is wet, but unfortunately it isn't obvious in the picture.  I thought paper that looked like a picnic tablecloth would go along with the hot dog theme and used other matching patterned papers to complete my card.  The yellow and white twine bow adds a little texture and a fun element to the card.  I hope you like it and it brightens your day!

 

Don't forget to leave a comment so you can be entered to win those awesome free stamps from Unity!

I'll see you tomorrow with another Unity card that is completely different than this one. 

 

Happy Stamping!

 

 

These are the products I used to make this card:

 

Frank the Fun Dog Stamp Set by Unity Stamp Company

Tuxedo Black Ink by Memento

Copic Markers

Pure Luxury White Card Stock by Gina K

Daffodil Delight Card Stock by Stampin' Up

Summer Bliss by Lori Whitlock 6x6 Paper Pad by Echo Park

Summer Lovin' by Samantha Walker 6x6 Paper Pad by Carta Bella

Stitched Circle Die-namics by My Favorite Things

Oval and Scalloped Oval Punches by Stampin' Up

Doodle Twine Bright Assortment by Doodlebug Design Inc.

Glossy Accents by Ranger

Scotch Double Sided Foam Tape by 3M

 

 

 



Happy Mother's Day and Health Update!

Hello, Friends!

 

Happy Mother's Day to those of you Moms of people kids and animal kids!

 

You haven't heard from me since surgery and you're going to hear from me a lot this week, so I thought I'd send this message first!

 

Surgery went well.  I had it on Wednesday afternoon and went home Saturday night.  The doctor and nurses were happy with how well surgery had gone and how my recovery was coming so I got to come home one day earlier than was possible.  We had some "speed bumps" as the surgeon called them, but overall things went very well.  One speed bump was when a nurse, going too fast, bumped my IV and knocked it out.  It had taken two people three tries to get it in.  It took three people six tries to get it back in after she knocked it out.  I even tried going without it, but without it, I couldn't get one of the pain medicines I needed and finally had them start trying to get it in again.  Thankfully on the 6th try, an anesthesiologist nurse got it in on her first try.  I still love that woman and always will!

 

Another speed bump was that my incision became infected.  This infection really wore me out.  Thankfully, we were able to get it cleared up with antibiotics and the infection didn't cause a huge problem like it could have.

 

So how am I doing now?  I'm definitely on the road to recovery, I'm just in the slow lane to recovery and I'd like to be in the fast lane! LOL!  I am still on pain medicine and muscle relaxers because this was such a major surgery and my back was so bad by the time I had it.  I still have muscle pain on the left side from the surgery and a different "speed bump" that happened.  The biggest surprise I have had is how weak all of my muscles are- arms, legs, etc. and how long it is taking me to get that strength back.  I am very weak and get tired easily.  However, that is slowly getting better, too.  Soon I will be able to start physical therapy and that will help build my strength back.  While those things are still negatives, I walked farther than I had been able to walk last week in months and months.  Before surgery, I couldn't stand to ride in the car at all because the bumps in the street caused so much pain in my back.  The bumps still bother me, so I don't go very far, but it's not nearly as bad as it was and is getting better each time.  With time, my back and strength should continue to get better and better.  I can tell things are improving just not quite as fast as I'd like.  I'm ready to be well 100% and back to a normal life.  However, I'm a lot closer than I was before surgery so I have a lot to be thankful for!

 

You're going to see a lot of posts from me this week.  Thankfully, I had made most of my cards before surgery because I haven't had the energy to make them recently!  I hope to feel strong enough to keep my blog going after this week.  I miss stamping and have spent hours during recovery looking at cards on Pinterest and other people's blogs. 

 

Thank you for your support and prayers during this difficult time before and after surgery.  At least now I am on the "recovering" side of things with my back and I pray things just keep improving! 

 

Happy Stamping!