Thursday, April 30, 2009

HIP HOP and my 100th post!!!!!!!!

Well ladies, it's HIP HOP again! I have my husband well trained. So I was sitting here and I go OMG! I forgot what day it is! He goes "Hip Hop Thursday?" LOL! Isn't he SO SmART!? I'm so in love with that guy:) He had his fitness today and scored a 100%, if you know anything about the PT Program, you know that's a huge accomplishment! I get like an 80% on mine, lol! That guy can run like the wind though.
Anyways, sorry to get off topic, but I was so proud of him that he knew it was Hip Hop Thursday! Know what else it is? Day 4 of the Unity Celebration! Unity is turning a year old and we've been partying like Unity Rockstars all week! It's not too late to join in the fun, check out Angela's Blog and the SCS Forums for the breakdown of events today! Lots of fun games and challenges so be sure to join in...
Today's sneak peek is of this ADORABLE journaling block!

They are SO MUCH FUN! It's one long stamp and it's PERFECT for scrapping, so it gave me an excuse to scrap this week! Here's the page I created using these journaling circles:
This is my friend Jenny, and these photos are from 2007 on her FIRST pregnancy. She's now about to pop baby #2 out, lol! She enlisted me to make a baby book so this is just a page that will go inside it:) I really need to get better and taking pics of my layouts because I don't think this picture does the page justice! I think it turned out so cute, lol! The dp is all DIGI paper by The Digi Chick, the paper pack is called Tangerine Twist! I have been loving buying papers and printing them out, so fast and easy! Do you see the sweet journaling blocks? I love them, so fun! And I also added the birdcages from Day One. I cut them out and popped them up for some fun:) The title (26 weeks) and the "M" in the middle are from an older kit that was broken up and sold seperately. If you want to know what they are, just contact me and I'll find out, I didn't have time to search through and pick them out tonite:)
I also created this following card for this weeks Sketch Challenge on My Unity Place! If you haven't joined yet, you really should, you're missing lots of fun and inspiration:) Check the sketch out HERE! And here is my card using the coneflowers from yesterday's peek! Oh and by the way, some of you laughed at my "Conehead" remarks yesterday but I totally thought that's what these were called, lol! MY BAD! They're Cone FLOWERS! OH! Heehee:)
I also used the sentiment from the February 2009 KOM. I colored the flowers in with Copics and then cut a couple out and popped them up for dimension. I love all the dimension this card has, it's huge IRL, I don't know how I'll ever get it in an envelope, lol! Oh well...
In honor of this being my 100th post *YEAH ME!* I am giving away a brand new JUST MY TYPE alphabet set! It's sitting here WAITING to be mailed out to you! Just leave a comment by midnight tonite and I'll post a winner on Friday!
So I hope you're having an awesome time on the blog hop so far today! You still have plenty more to look at so I'm going to quit yapping and send you over to

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Day 3 - Unity Celebration!

How are you enjoying the Unity Celebration Party so far this week? So many fun things going on, it's almost overwhelming! To make sure you don't miss anything, check in on Angela's Blog for the details of the day!
I'm peeking another fun stamp from the May KOM today! This stamp is a bunch of Conehead flowers, aren't they beautiful? They are tons of fun to color and I can see them in an array of DIFFERENT colors, most of which are not natural to that type of flower, lol! Oh well! I stuck to pretty natural colors, using my Copics!
I kept my card nice and simple so I could showcase those beautiful flowers! I had to have a couple layers though, you know me:)
Okay, gotta cut it short today, giving hubs a hair cut and then going to bed (my new swimming workout starts bright and early at 0530 tomorrow morning!), check out the girls' blogs for more coneheads!!!!!!!

Have a wonderful day friends!!!!!!!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Unity Celebration-Day 2!

We're at day two of this week long celebration of Unity's 1st birthday! There are so many fun things going on, you really don't want to miss any of it! Check out Angela's Blog and the Forums for details on what's going on today! I do know that Ms. Christi Snow is hostessing today's challenge in the forums and it's a FUN ONE! Go check it out!
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Along with today's challenges and fun games, you feel like seeing another peek at a new stamp in the May KOM? Well okay then! I have a card just for you!
Today we're peaking this ADORABLE House and a co-ordinating Home sentiment drawn by the talented Tanis! I love this sweet house! It was alot of fun to paper-piece and the sentiment is equally fun!
I created that fun button embellishment after I saw the ones Mish made, aren't they fun??? I love it! Perfect way to use up ribbon scraps:) On this card, stamps I used are House and Home sentiment from the May KOM, the bird from the June 2008 KOM "Bliss and a Birdie", and the Tea Time Pattern background.
**EDITED: That bird is from the June 2008, not June 2009 KOM, SORRY!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks Kyra for pointing that out;)**
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If you're hungry for more, dare to go see the other fabulous DT cards!
Laura

Have fun and enjoy this weeks' celebration!!!!!!! See you tomorrow with more sneaky peeks!

Monday, April 27, 2009

May the sneak peeks begin!

This week, several of the Unity DT gals are going to be giving you SNEAK PEEKS of the FABULOUS new MAY Kit of the Month. This kit is... okay, you know what? I say it every month but I'm going to say it again! This kit is amazing and one of my favorites EVAH and I DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS IT!:) The stamps are the perfect size, both for carding and scrapping! The individual stamp we're peeking for you today is this adorable line of bird cages and sentiment...
Isn't it *SO* cute? Aviary stamps are quite the trend these days, I hope it sticks around for awhile cause I am DIGGIN' IT! Here's my little card using this stamp:
In the kit, this is one solid stamp but I chose to cut mine apart because I'm goofy like that;) Also, I like to be able to place my sentiment where I want cause I'm a rebel like that! I stamped the line of bird cages a couple times and then clear embossed my Tea Time Toile background stamp over it. It's pretty IRL, too bad you can't see the detail of that clear embossing in the picture! If you want to see MORE samples using this stamp (and why wouldn't you???) head on over to these talented ladies' blogs and get your blurf (blog surf?!) on!
Make sure you keep your eyes on the SCS Unity Forums for tons of games, challenges, and prizes! Ya'll know how generous Angela is, you haven't seen ANYTHING YET! You DEFINATELY want to get in on the challenges, there is something HUGE in it (besides the satisfaction of stampin with some Unity!) for you if you do! Look HERE and HERE for all the goin's on!
Also, have you been to "My Unity Place" yet? If not, you should check it out! Such a fun place to hang out:) If you decide to join, add me as your friend, I NEED MORE FRIENDS, LOL! There will also be prizes for new members there! Well, I'm out for today but come back tomorrow for another sneaky peeky of the new KOM!!!

Saturday, April 25, 2009

I'm a hybrid chick!

I finally dove into the wonderful world of Hybrid! I've been reading so much about it and decided that it'd be silly NOT to try it! My favorite aspect is the unlimited DP! Oh my, you download a paper pack for 2.00 and can print it out as often as you'd like, awesome right? My buddy Julee is on the DT over at The Digi Chick so I checked the site out and downloaded lots of fun paper packs! I used a piece from Tangerine Twist for this card, featuring Unity's April KOM!
Printing out that paper was SO fun and EASY! Honestly, I am LOVING digi paper...Especially the papers in this paper pack. The fun, summery colors are so inspirational! And what better compliment to that paper than Unity's April KOM? The font of the sentiment is a favorite of mine! I hope to see many more in that same font, it's very vintage and chic. The butterfly and the VERY light bird image (stamped in versamark) are also from the KOM. The ribbon is Aqua Mist by PTI and still my all time favorite PTI color:)


In this photo, I tried to capture the sparkle I created when I spritzed some water that I added green Perfect Pearls to, it's really shimmery IRL but I'm afraid it didn't come through in the photo. BuMMEr! Isn't that button embelli fun? I finally learned how all the pro's do that, so I've been having fun with it too;) Don't blame me if you see much more of this treatment in the future!
Monday will be the beginning of a week long celebration of the Unity Anniversary! Unity will be a year old, awww! There will be TONS of games, prizes, and challenges so make sure you come back to find the details! We'll also begin showing PEEKS of the May KOM! Girls, it is SERIOUSLY my FAVORITE KIT EVAH!!!!!!! I honestly want to use it on EVERY. SINGLE. CARD. You'll ADORE IT! :)
Okay, I'll be back tomorrow with more stampy goodies, I'm feeling very inspired this weekend:) Have a great weekend!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Hip Hop keeps getting better!

Every week I look forward to Hip Hop and the excitement that Angela has hiding up her sleeves! Well this week she really knocked it out of the ball park with "My Unity Place"! Have you been there yet? You just HAVE to come join, we are planning some FUN things over there! Unity is not leaving Splitcoast, My Unity Place is just another fun hangout for all of us Unity Fans!
I have a few fun KOM projects to share with you today:) Guess what? I SCRAPPED! I KNOW! See, I am always so proud of myself when I do, I don't know why I don't scrap more often! I guess I'm lazy, it takes so much longer than a card, lol! Well, I sure plan on trying to scrap at least 3 layouts a month. We'll see how that goes!
Here's my layout:
That's a picture of my friend, her hubs, and their little guy Rojo when he was born a couple years ago. I'm making her an album, but this one is going to be framed:) The title was made with my Heidi Swapp Masks, those things are SO fun and some Ranger Paint Dabber paint in black! The dp is by K&Co. You can see some of my beloved April KOM stamps on here can't you? I used the frame, the scalloped sentiment, the floral block and some leaves stamped on the dp. I love this layout and can't wait to find a nice sophisticated black frame for it!
Next up is a card I made using this weeks sketch on SCS!
That little bird stamp is just so dang cute! The "Different Dreams" background stamp and the sentiment from the March KOM fit perfectly, wouldn't you say?;)
Last up is my card for the first My Unity Place sketch challenge! Come on over and see it HERE...
I used that floral butterfly block from the April KOM again. I made that dp using Alcohol Inks by Ranger! I have really been practicing lately, I'm loving all the fun distress techniques I've been reading about so I went and bought a bunch of Tim Holtz goodies from Eclectic Paperie (AMAZING customer service here folks, I cannot say enough about these sweet girls!) Expect to see more Distressing here at the ole' blog;)
Well, I'm going to send you on your way to finish up the Hop! Go see my fabulous friend....


Monday, April 20, 2009

Little critters...

That's what today's Monday Challenge is between us Monday Challenge Chicks! Woodland Creatures are everywhere these days (well, everywhere except here in Oki, I sure do miss squirrels and bunnies, and gophers, and deer, and...). It's a trend that's hard NOT to follow! They're so cute and cuddly:D I decided to use my little Gerda the Goat stamp by Whiff of Joy! I haven't used him much lately and I just think he's DARLING! I don't think he technically counts as a "woodland creature" so much as a farm animal, but dangit I'm a rebel and I'm using him anyways!
Isn't he SO sweet? I colored him with some Copics, and went with a pretty simple layout. I actually REALLY enjoyed making this card. I had NO plan when I started out, so I colored Gerda the Goat and then chose my color combo from there. The base is Kraft (by PTI) and the blue is Baja Breeze. Obviously, I also used Chocolate Chip:) The sentiment is by PTI from this years Anniversary stamp set "Everyday Blessings".
Go check out the rest of the Monday Chicks and see what lil creatures they have today!

I made this next card yesterday with a new release by Verve called Because of You. I made it for my Grandma, I'll send it to her on Mother's Day. I don't do vintage or chic very often, but I gotta tell you I love how this card turned out! I showed it off to Billy and he said "Wow, that's really nice! Will you make one for my mom?" AWW! Sweetest compliment:) Love that guy...
Here's the card--
The paper is by SU (I forgot which pack it's from?). I used Mojo Monday #82 for the layout:)
Well I'm off to relax and get ready for bed! Ya'll have a great Monday:)



Friday, April 17, 2009

Viva la Verve

Every friday is Viva la Verve in the Verve forums on SCS. We have so much fun with these sketches! So much fun that we even throw in some twists;) This weeks twist is to create your won background with stamps *and if you use Verve stamps, even better (but not required!)* Basically, you follow my sketch, using the twist, and upload all the sketches for that month by the deadline and if you do, you are entered into a grand prize! The grand prize is the next months FULL STAMP RELEASE! Humongo prize! If you want to play, go HERE for the deets:)
Here is the sketch--
Fun one! You can add your stamped background anywhere on this sketch, lots of possibilities:)
Here is my first sample, using stamps from the new *not yet* released set called Wishful Elegance:








You can see how easy it is to just pick different images from stamp sets and combine them to create really fun backgrounds! So many possibilities, especially with all the great release Verve has coming to you TONITE! Don't forget about the release party in the Verve Forums at 9 pm EST, April 17th:) Lots of fun, chatting, and maybe even prizes?;)
You can check out the thread HERE for information on challenges, if you get them done early, you can be in the running for some great stuff!
Viva la Verve, see you at the party!!!!!!!!!!!



Thursday, April 16, 2009

Hip Hop again!

Hey there! Have I been a horrible blogger or what? I can't believe it's been a week! My days at work this week have been NUTS! I seriously cannot believe how busy I am at work, it makes it hard to get creative in the evenings:( BUT at least Hip Hop can always pull me through;) We have some fun sets to play with today! I chose to use this months KOM (a staple on my desk right now!) and Gratitude=Joy.
The first card is my KOM card, love these kites-don't you?
I think they are some of my favorite images in this kit, but then again, I say that for all of them, lol! I did some more machine sewing because I am SO into that right now! Especially just on two sides, don't know why I like it, but I do:) I pulled out my Soft Sky cardstock and ribbon for this one. I wanted some soft colors mixed with those bright kites! I used the OCC sketch this week for my layout, a really fun one!
Okay, next card is a quickie I made using Gratitude=Joy (the floral print) and the sentiment is from the old Tiny Trinity. Sorry, that sentiment isn't in the new Tiny Trinity and I just noticed that.
I stamped the image in Rich Cocoa (Memento) and then masked it and stamped it two more times in Kiwi Kiss (SU!) and Melon Berry (PTI). I cut a strip of Melon Berry and stamped the Tea Time Pattern background in Melon Berry and then cut it with my Scalloped Edge punch by SU! Lastly I stamped the sentiment in Rich Cocoa on a piece of Linen Vellum from PTI and cut it out with my curly label punch (also SU!).

Today we're also celebrating our MOM's! I don't say mother, never have and never will! Mom, momma, but never mother. I know it's different for everyone:) My mom is seriously my best friend! She came to visit me last August while Billy was deployed. I loved every minute of her being here. Just me and mom! We had a blast, lots of shopping and chatting *and I even got her hooked on Dexter!* Here are pictures of mom and me last year at Okinawa World:

We did NOT plan on dressing the same, but somehow we did, funny huh?:)
Here's one more of mom and her grand-dogs:)
She's a good grandma, she gave them lots of lovins:)
I miss you and love you mom! I can't wait to see you again soon:)
Well chicks, it's time for you to Hip Hop on over to the lovely, the talented, the super awesome...


Thursday, April 9, 2009

Hip Hop ReWinD!!!!!!!!!!

Hey hip hoppers! It's a Hip Hop rewind! Today, we're focusing in on 3 VERY fun, unique kits in celebration of Earth Day which is coming up in a week or two! To get your creative juices going, Angela picked out three "earthy" kits to choose from:) I chose an old favorite, Eco Chic!
I stamped the flower three times and colored them in with Copics. I even added some Gold Ice Stickles to the flower centers! I know, are you shocked that I used stickles? Bwahaha! I surely hope not, or else you've never been to my blog before, lol!
That wonderful paper is by My Minds Eye from the Penny Lane collection! I got them from Eclectic Paperie and let me tell you how AWESOME they were to shop with! I had my box in 6 days! And I live in Japan! Holy batman, I am way impressed and will do tons more damage to that store, lol!
Well, I've had a rough day at work so I'm not really talkative today, lucky you, lol:)
Have a great morning/afternoon! Now hop on over to

Monday, April 6, 2009

Monday challenge!

I won't even tell you how much time I've wasted on You Tube tonite. It's ridiculous, really. But if you go and watch Flight of the Conchords (Specifically Business Time, O.M.G!) and What the Buck (He talks trash about AI, Dancing with the Stars, etc...), you'll laugh for hours too:)


Okay, quick post tonite because I'm tired and wanna go to bed!
Today, the chicks decided to ink up and play with our April KOM's by Unity! This is one fun kit, you gotta check it out:)
I'm personally lovin these little girls, aren't they adorable? And coupled with this sentiment from "Shine On!" , it's such a fun card to give to a girlfriend!

Check out the rest of the chicks:
AJ
Brookie
Buckie
Jeanne
Jimmi
Maren

Have a fantastic week friends!

Friday, April 3, 2009

**BLOG CANDY WINNER!**

Angela is letting the entire DT choose random winners from the Hip Hop comments to win an all new single that even the DT has never seen! How lucky are you?!

Here are your random numbers:81
Timestamp: 2009-04-03 11:19:11 UTC

**andrea said...
great cards!!!
April 3, 2009 10:41 AM**


CONGRATULATIONS ANDREA! You won! Email Eryn at eryn@unitystampco.com with your shipping address and she'll get that new single out to you!

Thanks everyone for the sweet comments, my complex is slowly melting away now that you all said it's a cute babe picture, lol!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Oh BABY!

It's all about babies today! *Mom, if you're reading this, someday!!!!!!!!!!!!* ;)
If you are just happening upon my blog and are wondering what all the hub-bub is about, start at Angela's blog and work your way through the DT blogs for your chance at some blog candy!
Unity has so many sweet baby sets to choose from but I stuck with an old favorite, Wild and Crazy Bunch! It's not a baby set really, but it's close enough:)
Here's my project...
The card base is Brocade Blue by SU! and the dp is by K&Co, called Itsy Bitsy! I have been enjoying sewing on my cards lately, especially that zigzag stitch! It's so fun:)
Of course you MUST have seen the April KOM by now, right? If not, click {HERE} for details on how you can be the proud owner of your very own KOM;) Well I was playing around with it again today and made this!
Isn't that dress form stamp great? And the sentiment, oh I think it'll show up on all my cards, lol! These stamps are perfect for shabby/vintage cards! The dp is by Close to My Heart and that big ole flower is by prima.
So in keeping with the baby theme, Angela asked us all to post a baby picture of ourselves. Well, prepare yourself for CUTENESS!
Oh yeah, that's me! I look like a boy, doncha think? LOL! I have a funny story about this picture. When I found it a few months ago, I showed my sweet honey my picture and said "look honey!" His exact words, "THAT'S THE UGLIEST BABY I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!!!" I say, "Ugh, Babe, that's me." He says, "Well, uh...ummm...well you know all babies are ugly the day they're born! It's not just you!" Yeah, smooth recovery bud.
Bwahahaha! I still make him feel bad about that every chance I get, lol!
So yeah, that's me, Amber Dawn, the day I was born, November 4th, 1980:) Don't worry mom, you got cute babies:)
Make sure to hang out with us in the Unity forums today! There are some fun games to be played, including match the DT to their baby pictures (and I have a different picture for the game, so you don't get to cheat;)!
You are seriously *SO* close to the end of the hop, can you smell the blog candy? Well, off you go to Jeanne's blog! I'm sure her projects will rock your socks!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Excitement brewing at Unity!

Well, the first of the month is always an exciting time in Unity because the new Kit of the Month is revealed! Well, Angela and the designers DID NOT DISAPPOINT with this kit! It's amazing and every single stamps is truly unique and amazing! This is a kit you **NEED** in your collection, I can see reaching for it often!
Seriously, how awsome is it? I think my favorites are the "Shine" sentiment, the bird on the branch, the kites, the dress form, the butterfly, oh...nevermind, they'er all my favorite, lol! Go {HERE} to find out how to get YOUR KOM!

Wanna here some more exciting news? Starting in MAY, Unity will be holding a contest EVERY MONTH for YOU! What is this contest you ask? Well, you'll need the Kit of the Month to play along! For the monthly challenges, you'll be making cards with the previous months KOM and uploading them with a special keyword. You can post as many cards as your little heart desires and the winner of the challenge will be the next months GUEST DESIGNER FOR UNITY!!!! Oh heck yeah! Don't that sound worth playing for? Keep your eye on {THIS} thread in the forums for more deets!

For April, the DT decided to show you some projects with the new KOM! Buckie challenged us to use the colors Pink, Blue, Green, and Yellow--We had to sew (faux or real) on our cards--and they had to be springy! Here's my card:
I love the sentiment font, isn't it so sweet? I'd like a computer font like that!
Okay, ready to see some more new KOM creations? Click on each of the following links for some serious eye candy!
AJ Otto
Christi Snow
Jeanne Streiff
Jimmi Mayo
Maren Benedict
Chelsea Cook
Patter Cross
Robyn Weatherspoon
Heather Brown
Brooke Lien
Jen Erickson
Jennifer Buck
Julie Campbell
Renee Morris-Dezember
Wendy Chang

Did you notice a new name in the line-up? Ms. Julie Campbell is Unity's April Guest DT Member! WELCOME JULIE! Can't wait to see what you'll create with some Unity!

Okay now, you go on and check out those DT cards and enjoy the rest of your day!