Unity Hip Hop {Dec 30th}

Welcome to another Hip Hop! Can you believe the year is almost over and this is our final Hip Hop of 2010? This means that a brand new Kit of the Month is on the horizon and you are going to love it. LOVE. The January Kit will surpass all expectations and fulfill your wildest dreams... to the moon and back! For real.

As we say farewell to December and 2010, I thought it would be appropriate to make a card using two images from Just Be You. I stamped the gridded frame first, created a mask and stamped the background using Giving It All Meaning. I purposely put the 'enjoy' definition in clear view on the bottom left corner to lead it into the teacup which also says 'enjoy'. You can see that there are several tie-ins with the three colours I used. I love this card except I noticed too late that I forgot to cut out the handle for the teacup. Argh. Me. Forget to cut? :)

Select Unity sets are now 30-75% off and you get a free stamp for every $10 spent! Plus, the free shipping special is still on for all U.S. and Canadian residents. Visit the Unity Store for all the details. :)

Thank you for taking time out of your busy holiday schedule to visit!
Now it's time to Hip Hop on over to Julie's blog!

Sources: GinaK pure luxury Kraft & 120lb pure luxury White cardstock; Unity December 2010 Kit of the Month - Just Be You; Unity Giving It All Meaning; Memento Rich Cocoa ink; SU Cherry Cobbler & Tempting Turquoise inks; paper piercer; embroidery needle; The Twinery baker's twine in Caribbean; Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy (Birthday) + A Heartfelt Thank You

On Monday, my local craft store had a Boxing Day Sale and all the 2011 Hero Arts releases were 27% off! I couldn't help but buy a few including two bicycle sets and some large sentiments. I used the tiniest of the bicycles for this card and there are happy birthday sentiments inside. This card is for my friend Andy whose birthday is this weekend. It only took 15 minutes to whip up this card since I used Echo Park's A Walk in the Park sticker elements. This was the first time I used stickers on a card. It was fun and I can see how it might be addictive. ;)

I would like to thank everyone who left a comment or emailed me after my last Happenings of the Heart post. I was overwhelmed by the love and hugs you sent my way and they really did lift me up. I'm feeling much better these days and want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for caring so much!

Sources: SU Old Olive cardstock; Echo Park A Walk in the Park Collection; Hero Arts Joy Ride; Memento Rich Cocoa ink; SU Cherry Cobbler ink; The Twinery baker's twine in Cappuccino

My Top Ten Cards of 2010

Choosing my top ten cards was a lot harder than I imagined! I copied all my favourite cards into a folder and came up with an astounding 63. When I whittled my list down to 29, I couldn't eliminate anymore. What I did instead was put the ones that I absolutely love into a new folder. It was a lot easier that way and I was able to choose ten very quickly. I was sad to leave the other 19 behind though. Maybe next year's blog hop should be for a top 20 or 30. ;)

Here are my top ten favourite cards of 2010, from oldest to most recent (clicking on the photos will take you to the original posts):

There are so many different reasons why I chose these ones which range from true clean and simple to scrappy collage and embellished. If you've been a long-time follower, you'll probably recognize them all (or maybe not). If you're new to my blog, please browse around and let me know which ones are your favourites.

I hope you will add your name to the blog hop HERE and HERE. Don't forget that there are prizes to be won! I would love to see which ten of your cards are favourites for 2010!!

My Top 10 Cards of 2010 Blog Hop

Amber Ink alumna Suzi McKenzie came up with the brilliant and fun idea of posting your top ten cards of 2010. I've only narrowed mine down from 63 to 48! Hopefully I can finalize my top ten by tomorrow morning. LOL Anyone is welcome to join in on the fun HERE and HERE! Sign up is open 'til Wednesday (tomorrow) 7:00 AM GMT. Hopping has already begun and continues 'til December 31st. There are prizes to be won so be sure to leave comments along the way. Meet new bloggers, enjoy amazing creativity in retrospect and start the New Year celebrations!

Unity Guest Designer Monday {Dec 27th}

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Mine was less than stellar but let's not talk about that. I'm looking forward to a fresh New Year. Today's post is all about girlfriends. You know, the ones that stick by you through thick and thin, the ones that really understand you and say the right things when you need it the most.

For my first card, I created a background using the 'daisy for you' and 'love for us' stamps from the December Kit - Just Be You. The main sentiment 'hello girlfriend' is from the October Kit - Take Time To Laugh which was adhered to a floral embossed panel. I added a twine and button flower accent to finish.

My second card combines the same two sets used in the first card. It uses the cute retro telephone stamp from the December Kit - Just Be You popped on nesties and embellished with twine. The background is a cascade of two tiny images from the October Kit - Take Time To Laugh. I rounded opposite corners of the card to finish.

Either of these cards are sure to brighten any friend's day. Sometimes we all need that, right? :)

Sources for Hello Girlfriend: SU Naturals Ivory & Tempting Turquoise cardstock; Unity December 2010 Kit of the Month - Just Be You; Unity October 2010 Kit of the Month - Take Time To Laugh; SU Tempting Turquoise, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive & Pink Passion inks; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Papertrey Ink In Bloom impression plate; QuicKutz Epic Six; Glue Dots minis; Papertrey Ink Ripe Avocado button; The Twinery baker's twine in Mandarin

Sources for Hello Friend: SU Naturals Ivory & Old Olive cardstock; Unity December 2010 Kit of the Month - Just Be You; Unity October 2010 Kit of the Month - Take Time To Laugh; SU Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive & Pink Passion inks; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Spellbinders Standard Circles Large & Classic Scalloped Circles Large; QuicKutz Epic Six; Papertrey Ink Ripe Avocado button; The Twinery baker's twine in Pink Sorbet; Stampin' Dimensionals; SU 1-3/8" circle punch

Happenings of the Heart

Sometimes life deals a heavy hand and when it comes on Christmas Eve, it's especially bad. I write this with a very heavy heart and over the past two days, I've probably cried five or six hours total. Life is certainly not a bed of roses or fair and it's really hard sometimes. This is one of those times where I feel completely broken and so afraid that I might not recover.

To compound the personal problems, our computer was eaten alive by a virus on Christmas Eve and I permanently lost my favourites list which pretty much took a lifetime to build. We have an external backup drive but that wasn't on it. I couldn't help but shed some more tears over that. If you've ever sent me links to cool sites or tutorials, please feel free to send them again because I will probably never be able to find them otherwise.

I want to thank Lexy and Lindsey for the Christmas cards they sent! I also want to wish dear Smita a very happy birthday tomorrow!! I had sent her a huge package containing many things unavailable to her like acrylic blocks, clear stamp sets, kraft paper and felt die cuts only to have most of the contents stolen by her morally questionable mailman. The birthday card wasn't even spared if you can believe that.

Even though I was dealing with my own problems, I tried to make it a great Christmas for my son. He loved his toys and I have a lot of pictures of him smiling when he ripped open his gifts to see that Santa brought him everything he wanted. A few more gifts will arrive on New Year's Eve when the in-laws arrive for a short visit.

I will probably be blogging a little less in the New Year just to try and recover from all that's going on. I appreciate all of your friendships and look forward to sunny days ahead.

Unity FWF Blog Hop {Dec 24th} + The Twinery Dec Project #3

It's a Christmas Eve Friends With Flair! I certainly hope you are cuddled up somewhere warm as you hop along with us on this wonderful Friday before Christmas. Last month when I was at the local Farmer's Market buying our weekend supply of free-trade coffee beans, I asked the owner where he bought his bags and he was kind enough to sell me a bundle for 25 cents each. Two little stacks of chocolate bark fit in there perfectly!!

I decorated the bag with images from Countdown to Christmas, as well as the darling snowman from Just Be You. The trays holding each piece of bark were stamped with a frame I received when I signed up for the Kit Club. I'm sorry I don't know what set they came from but if you do, please let me know! (If you'd like to see how I've used these frames in the past, click here, here and here.) The delicious stacks are tied with beautiful baker's twine from none other than The Twinery!

Don't forget about the current sales going on at Unity! All 2008 Kits are being retired and you can purchase them in singles or bundles but you only have 'til Tuesday before they're gone forever. Free shipping to all U.S. and Canadian addresses means that you can buy one now and, if you change your mind, another one tomorrow. No worries! ;)

I wish you all a very merry and fabulous Christmas with your families!

{ Your next stop is Michelle! }

Sources: Farmer's Market coffee bag; GinaK 120lb pure luxury White cardstock; Unity+Jillibean Soup Countdown to Christmas; Unity December 2010 Kit of the Month - Just Be You; Unity frame; SU Cherry Cobbler & Garden Green inks; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Hero Arts Snow Chalk ink; The Twinery baker's twine in Maraschino & Peapod

Unity Hip Hop {Dec 23}

Only two days 'til Christmas! I'm having a relaxing week and I hope you are, too. I have two cards for today's Hip Hop and the first features three stamps from the December Kit of the Month - Just Be You. I recently received some very pretty paper from Bella BLVD and was inspired by the colours here so I used them for this card.

I used the "bloom and grow" scalloped frame to create a background and nestled the sentiment in the space between the blooms. I stamped the bee trail and antennae in black ink on the card base because I wanted them to stand out and tie in with the sentiment. Then I pieced together the bee using the same colours as the blooms and popped it on with dimensionals. I lightly coloured the bee with Copics to make it pop further.

My second card was super easy to do and you can do the same with just one piece of patterned paper, black ink and three stamps!

I used a piece of Bella BLVD paper to cover the front of my card, then cut out the ornate frame from With Love. I picked a sweet sentiment from Just Be You and added the bird in a forest from Believe in Fairytales to complete the picture. When life gets stressful, especially at work, I like to give my husband little reminders that "life is good" so this will be one of those cards I keep handy to cheer him up.

Did you know? All Unity Kits of the Month from 2008 are being retired. This is your last chance to get them HERE! Plus, the free shipping special is still on for all U.S. and Canadian residents. :)

Don't forget about the prizes for today's Hip Hop! Two winners will be chosen randomly (a) from one of the blogs on this hop and/or (b) from a comment on the Unity Forum Hip Hop Chat thread today. The winners will be announced on the Unity Blog's Friends With Flair post tomorrow.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy holiday schedule to visit!
Now it's time to Hip Hop on over to the amazing Julie Campbell!

Sources for Just Be You: GinaK 120lb pure luxury White cardstock; Unity December 2010 Kit of the Month - Just Be You; SU Rose Red, Old Olive & Tempting Turquoise inks; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Copics; Stampin' Dimensionals

Sources for Life is Good: GinaK 120lb pure luxury White cardstock; Bella BLVD Lovey Dovey - Love is in the Air; Unity+Echo Park With Love; Unity December 2010 Kit of the Month - Just Be You; Unity November 2009 Store Kit; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Stampin' Dimensionals

Unity Guest Designer Monday {Dec 20th}

Hello there! Are you reading this or are you completely shocked at the amount of patterned paper you see? LOL I hope you finished all your holiday preparations this past weekend so you can relax over the next few days! Today I'm showing you two completely different cards with the same colour theme.

My first card uses the December Store Kit - Sexy, Silly & Sassy paired with beautiful papers from Echo Park's Wintertime Collection. When I saw the journaling card, I knew I wanted to use it with this lingerie set! I stitched the striped paper on to the card base. Then I paper pieced the bra and boy briefs, my favourite kind of comfy yet cute underwear! ;Þ

My second card is clean and simple using colours drawn from the first card. I stamped the butterflies from Happy Everything in three different colours and cut out one of each butterfly. I picked a sentiment from the December Kit - Just Be You, lined everything up and stitched the butterflies in place. The stitching wasn't necessary but I love the effect it has on the card. I have quite a few friends I wasn't able to spend a lot of time with in 2010 and they'll be getting one of these in the New Year!

May you all have an absolutely wonderful week!

Sources for Baby, It's Cold Outside: SU Early Espresso & Old Olive cardstock; Echo Park Wintertime Collection - Stripes, Berries, Flurries & Journaling Cards; Unity Sexy, Silly & Sassy; Memento Rich Cocoa ink; Gutermann white thread; sewing machine; The Twinery baker's twine in Cappuccino; Basic Grey button; Stampin' Dimensionals

Sources for Get Together: GinaK 120lb pure luxury White cardstock; Unity Happy Everything; Unity December 2010 Kit of the Month - Just Be You; SU Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss & Brilliant Blue inks; Memento Rich Cocoa ink; Gutermann white thread; sewing machine

So Many Thanks {The Twinery Dec Project #2}

Thank you for loving my first December project for The Twinery! I wanted to create another one to show you how even a teeny amount of twine can make your cards stand out. This time I made a set of thank you cards because we'll all be needing those after Christmas!

Once again, my layout is very clean and simple. I stamped the jar with flowers from the Melody Ross set Domestic Bliss and paired it with a sentiment from Happy Everything. Then I added Black Diamond Stickles to random blossoms and let them all dry.

I took my paper piercer and put two holes at the tops of the jars and threaded a different colour of twine on to each card. I simply looped the twine (no knots) and added a small dab of crystal effects to hold them in place.

Easy peasy, yet dramatic! Wouldn't these make great last-minute gifts? :)

Sources: GinaK pure luxury Kraft cardstock; Unity+Melody Ross Domestic Bliss; Unity Happy Everything; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Ranger Stickles in Black Diamond; SU paper piercer; cross stitch needle; The Twinery baker's twine in Maraschino, Mandarin, Lemondrop, Peapod, Lilac, Cappuccino, Caribbean & Pink Sorbet; SU Crystal Effects

Unity FWF Blog Hop {Dec 17th}

Happy Friday! I'm delighted that you've stopped by for today's Friends With Flair Blog Hop. You'll want to start at the Unity Blog for a full list of talented participants and be sure to leave a comment on the blog with the FWF blinkie for a chance to win 25 random Unity stamps!

I happened upon this unusual colour combination quite by accident. I love that the Tea Time Toile background can look so different depending on the colour. The little boy up at the top looks like he's decorating and the ones at the bottom look like they're playing with their new toys on Christmas morning! The sentiment, polka dot frame and distressed poinsettias are all from Picture Perfect which is such a great Kit. I embellished this card with rhinestones and Lemondrop baker's twine.

Unity is having an incredible sale through Monday! Many of the past Kits of the Month are on sale for only $26. See all of them HERE! The four new Echo Park sets are also on sale for only $21.99. There is a free gift with every purchase and all purchases over $40 will receive three pieces of Echo Park Be Mine paper as well as the Be Mine Alpha Stickers! Don't forget about the free shipping special to U.S. and Canadian addresses!! These are fabulous deals that you don't want to miss.

Your next Friend With Flair is the fabulous Jimmi!

Sources: GinaK pure luxury Black cardstock; SU Whisper White cardstock; Unity Tea Time Toile; Unity November 2010 Kit of the Month - Picture Perfect; SU Tempting Turquoise ink; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Marvy-Uchida 1/8" long reach circle punch; The Twinery baker's twine in Lemondrop; SU Basic Rhinestones; Copics; Stampin' Dimensionals

Unity Hip Hop {Dec 16th}

Welcome to my stop on today's Hip Hop! I hope you started at the Unity Blog because you don't want to miss a thing! I am thrilled to show you Unity's gorgeous new Echo Park sets!! My card uses five images from With Love which is my favourite of the four new sets. I am going to love this rectangular frame as much as the oval frame from Happily Ever After and those of you who have been following my blog for some time know just how much I love that frame! Frame aside, I love any stamp set that has a bicycle in it. :)

To make this card, I started by stamping a rose garden on the card base using Love Never Fails and stamped the Eiffel Tower from When I Am With You on top of the roses. Then I started adding the layers, four total, by cutting out the frame, stamps and bicycle. For the sentiment, I swapped out the word 'two' and replaced it with the number '2' from the stamp.

Here are the four newly-released Echo Park co-branded sets. Clicking on any of images will take you straight to the Unity Store for purchase! Now through Monday, these sets are on sale for $21.99 and with every order there will be a free gift. Any orders over $40 will receive three pieces of Echo Park Be Mine patterned paper as well as the Be Mine Alpha Stickers. Plus, the free shipping special is still on for all U.S. and Canadian residents!

Don't forget about the prizes for today's Hip Hop! Two winners will be chosen randomly (a) from one of the blogs on this hop and/or (b) from a comment on the Unity Forum Hip Hop Chat thread today. The winners will be announced on the Unity Blog's Friends With Flair post tomorrow.

Now it's time to Hip Hop on over to the amazing Julie Campbell!

Sources: GinaK 120lb pure luxury White cardstock; SU Basic Grey cardstock; Unity+Echo Park With Love; Unity+Iron Orchid Designs Devotion Collection - Love Never Fails; Unity September 2010 Kit of the Month - When I Am With You; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; SU Pink Pirouette ink; Forever in Time gemstone stickers; SU Basic Rhinestones; Copics; Stampin' Dimensionals; X-acto knife