Hip Hop Thursday!

Hi Everyone! Welcome to another round of Hip Hop Thursday with Unity Stamp Company. Be sure to start your blog hop over at the Unity blog with Angela and then just follow along from there.

This week we have a fun school theme going on. For my project I decided to create a cute little ABC mini book. I saw an idea similar to this in an old Stampin' Up! catalog a few years ago and I remember how much I loved it. I thought well why can't I do something like that with all of my Unity stamps? So here it is!


The cover of the mini book uses the fun ABC line art from the School Rock Star kit (UK-344A) as well as the alphabet image from the Confession: i {luv} unity kit (UK-409A).


I used images from lots of different sets for the inside pages. These include:

• Giggle Grove (UK-334A) for the bird
  
• Mix Up of Cuteness (UK-310A) for the apple and cupcake
• November Kit of the Month (KOM-11) for the deer
  
• Wild & Crazy Bunch (UK-197A) for the elephant and giraffe

I ran out of time and was only able to complete up through the letter G but I already have lots of other images picked out for many of the remaining letters. I may have to be crafty with a few of the harder letters but with the amount of images Unity has I'm sure I'll be able to get all the way from A to Z. I figure this'll be a great way for my newly turned 3 year old to learn those ABC's. :)

Next up on your Hip Hop is the lovely *** Jen ***

A favorite Etsy find ...

Recently I stumbled upon these ADORABLE scrabble tile pendants from Home Studio. They are just so sweet!

(photo borrowed from Home Studio)

This yellow aviary one is my fav I think but there are honestly so many to choose from. I ordered 8 of them with the silver chains for gifts for Darian's teachers and bus drivers and I am planning on ordering 4 more for some other gifts. They are so reasonably priced and so well made and I am just so excited to give them out. :)

Woo Hoo!

I am so excited to share that I have been asked to join the very first design team for an amazing Canadian-based company Black River Designs. I immediately fell in love with this company when I saw their amazing array of patterned papers. Such fresh colors and fun patterns - totally my cup of tea! I am joined by a stellar group of ladies - you can check out the "official" announcement here!

Hip Hop Thursday!

Happy Hip Hop everyone! Today we are celebrating the heroes in our lives and well it kinda goes without saying that my hero is my sweet hubby Salar. Not only is he an amazing father to our two boys but he is the most wonderful husband a gal could ask for. We've been together since we were 16 years old and he never ceases to amaze me. His heart is as big as his smile - he is so caring and sensitive and puts everyone before himself. I love you sweetie ... always and forever!

And here's a pic of my man just because ... he's pretty gosh darn handsome if I so say so myself! LOL


Okay now I am totally switching gears with my layout today. LOL I had wanted to do this layout ever since I saw this particular image in the Confessions kit (UK-409A). Not sure why but it immediately made me think of this particular picture and then a certain saying and, well, it all kinda fell into place from there. Hee hee!


You can click on the picture to see a larger image and read the journaling but basically if any of you had babies like mine who spit up CONSTANTLY you will know exactly what I mean when I say spit happens! It was my least favorite part of babyhood as both my boys were major spitter uppers (is that a word?!?). I swear we would go through 5-6 changes of clothes a day just because they would be soaked with spit up. And that was WITH a bib on! But hey that's life right? Spit happens! ;)


The fun part of this layout (aside from the picture of my son spitting up in action LOL) is that all of the patterned papers I used on this layout were from my scrap stash. I had been cleaning it out and then went to create this layout and I just started pulling pieces that I thought would work. I challenge you to try the same with your next layout or card. Just grab that stash of scraps you have and start putting pieces together - I bet you'll be amazed what you can come up with!


Next up on your Hip Hop journey is the wonderful *** AJ ***

Got Sketch 84

Just wanted to share this layout I did as a contributor for the new sketch up at the Got Sketch? blog this week. It was a super fun sketch to work with!

 
Believe it or not these photos were taken just a few weeks ago when we were having some crazy hot weather here in New Jersey in the beginning of May. Of course for the last few days we've barely reached 50 degrees and it seems nearly impossible that we were splashing in the water and wearing swimsuits just days earlier.

 
Can I just tell you how absolutely IN LOVE I am with these fabric thickers from American Crafts? Okay I will. I LOVE them! LOL They are the perfect size and I just love that they are tall and thin for those longer titles. I'm already running out of letters in both the aqua and red (never did manage to get the black ones) so I'm thinking I may need to reorder and stock up. I can see me using these babies forevah!

That's all I've got for today! Stop by tomorrow when I have a new layout up for Unity's Hip Hop Thursday! :)

GCD Studios has a giveaway ...

Head on over to the GCD Studios blog to participate in a fun sketch challenge for a great giveaway!

Wanna know the prize? How 'bout one of every COLOR of GCD Studios fun glitter letter stickers. That's 14 packs of stickers!

If you're an alpha addict like me that is music to your ears. So head on over to the blog to check out the sketch. You have until 10am PST tomorrow to participate so hurry!

Hip Hop Thursday!

It's Hip Hop time again and this week it's all about the Kit of the Month. I think the KOM was probably the first thing (of many hee hee!) that really got me hooked on Unity. I mean who wouldn't love to get some happy mail each month filled with adorable Unity stamps?!? And I admit I do stalk my mail carrier when I know my kit is due to arrive. I *know* I'm not the only one out there that does this, right?


This week I used an image from the May Kit of the Month. I LOVE this kit! LOVE it! I say it every month but I think this kit might just be my favorite so far. Although I do love them all.


Yep! That's me and my hubby literally minutes after my first son Darian was born (hence my bloated face LOL). I just returned to scrapbooking last year after a long break while my boys were babies so I am doing a bit of "catch up" with some of our photos. Going back and pulling out photos like this one give me such joy and I absolutely love being able to "relive" the memory while I put a layout together.

In addition to the May Kit of the Month I also used this sweet heart image from the new release Confessions: i {luv} unity (UK-409A) and yes I really do!


Next up head on over to see *** AJ ***

Just because ...

I have decided that I really want to try my hand at cardmaking. Creating layouts comes pretty natural (well not always but easier at least LOL) but making cards is hard for me. I don't know why ... not sure if it's the size ... or that I want to do too much ... and not too little ... but I just get stumped! And it's frustrating! So as they say practice makes perfect so I am just gonna keep trying my hand at these little suckers and, well, the ones that I don't find absolutely atrocious will make their way here to my blog ... maybe. ;)

So this card I think is pretty cute. I LOVE the colors of the Margarita line by GCD Studios and this paper with all the glitter and the orange, green, and purple just spoke to me so I gave it a whirl. Whaddya think? Be kind please! :)

Hip Hop Thursday!

Happy Hip Hop everyone! Be sure to start your hop over at the Unity blog with Angela and then just follow along from there.

Today's Hip Hop focus is on scrapbooking just about my favorite thing on the planet! Hee hee! Scrapbooking + Unity = heaven. Enough said! LOL I created a really fun layout today that uses NO PHOTOS! Yep, that's right! I have NO PHOTOS on my layout. What on earth is she thinking you ask? Well scrapbooking for me is not just about putting photos on pages and using pretty products. It's about recording memories, things that I want to say and remember later on. They can be serious or, like the layout I created, fun and lighthearted. So I challenge YOU to create a layout with a message and leave the photos out of it! :)


For this layout I used the absolutely adorable stamp Love is Everything (US-568A) as well as the numbers from Amazing Me! (UK-154A) to help document my love for reality tv. I paper pieced the stamped tv image using some really fun and bright papers from GCD Studios. Cute eh?


Now head on over to your next stop and visit ***Jeanne***

Got Sketch 82

Hey all! Today I've got a fun layout that I created for the Got Sketch? blog. I told Val this has to be one of my favorite sketches that she's done. This layout came together so quickly and I was so excited to be able to play with more GCD Studios goodies as well. The papers here are all from their Spring All Over collection and I just LOVE the colors and patterns in this line.


Be sure to stop by the Got Sketch? blog and see what the other contributors did with this sketch! :)

Anyone hungry for some Jillibean Soup?

I was so thrilled when I was asked to be a Guest Designer for Jillibean Soup. They have some of the best products around - so fun and fresh (kinda like a good bowl of soup! LOL). I love the colors, patterns, and of course all the kraft! I got to play with their Minestrone collection. I love bold colors and patterns and Minestrone has that and a whole lot more. YUM!


Jillibean Soup supplies used:
JBW 1032 Cannellini Beans/Minestrone Collection
JBW 1033 Thin Zucchini/Minestrone Collection
JBW 1034 Olive Oil/Minestrone Collection
JBW 1036 Elbow Macaroni/Minestrone Collection
JBA 2103 Bean Brown/Alphabeans on White
JBS 3209 Red Circles/Journaling Sprouts on Kraft
JBS 3210 Brown Circles/Journaling Sprouts on Kraft
JBR 4401 5 Color Polka Ribbon

Other supplies used:
Cardstock: Bazzill Basics; Stampin' Up!
Staples: Office Supply
Floss: DMC
Thread: Coats & Clark
Chipboard: Basic Grey; Making Memories
Buttons: Craft Supply
Stamps: Making Memories
Ink: Tsukineko
Paint: Ranger Industries
Pens: Zig Writer
Punches: EK Sucess; Stampin' Up!
Font: Rough Typewriter
Other: Pop Dots by All Night Media





Jillibean Soup supplies used:
JBW 1031 Chopped Tomatoes/Minestrone Collection
JBS 1033 Thin Zucchini/Minestrone Collection
JBK 1006 Half & Half/Cream of Mushroom on Kraft Collection (reverse side)
JBS 3209 Red Circles/Journaling Sprouts on Kraft
JBF 5502 Medium "Harvest" Seeds
JBR 4401 5 Color Polka Ribbon
JBR 4402 Brown/Natural Ribbon

Other supplies used:
Cardstock: Bazzill Basics; Stampin' Up!
Stick Pin: Fancy Pants
Chipboard: American Crafts
Buttons: Basic Grey
Stickers: Adornit by Carolee
Floss: Bazzill Basics
Thread: Coats & Clark
Die Cut Machine: Sizzix
Dies: Stampin' Up!
Font: Rough Typewriter

Another layout to share ...

Just wanted to share another layout I created for Unity Stamp Company for National Scrapbooking Day this past weekend.

This layout uses more images from Unity's new May Kit of the Month and papers from GCD Studios new Canta Collection as well - LOVE the fun color scheme of this collection!


And here's a detail photo:

Happy National Scrapbooking Day!

Hey everyone! Happy National Scrapbooking Day! If you haven't already checked out the Unity blog today definitely be sure to head on over there. Angela has lots more eye candy to look at as well all sorts of scrappy goodies to give away. There are a ton of AMAZING prizes that you definitely will not want to miss out on!

I created this layout of my sweet hubby using my favorite image from the May Kit of the Month. I always think the KOM cannot get any better but every month Angela and her talented team of designers continue to amaze me. I absolutely LOVED this month's kit!

My hubby is my best friend. We've been together since we were 16 years old and he is the best man I know hands down. HE is my home sweet home and this layout signifies how I feel when I am with him.


There are just so many things you can do with this fun little house stamp. I stamped mine on kraft cardstock and then cut it out. I then paper pieced the house body with some patterend paper and the heart with some red cardstock. I used the smaller heart as a guide for my hand stitching.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to do something scrappy today! :)

Have you seen this yet?

It's the May issue of Scrapbook Trends and that just happens to be one of my layouts on the cover! Eeek! Yeah you can say I'm just a teeny tiny bit EXCITED! LOL


I actually created this layout during a girls' night of scrapbooking with my two gal pals Corey and Kristen. It was so much fun to just hang out together and scrap while enjoying some food and wine with good friends.

Oh and just one more tiny note (because it's kinda driving me a bit bonkers) - see that orange clip hanging out at the top of my layout. Ummm ... it wasn't supposed to be there. It actually was supposed to be clipped to the side of my photo by the other embellishments. Not quite sure how it walked and attached itself up there but ... ah well!