berry variegated...

Hello my wonderful friends!

It's time for another Unity hop!
(and sale!)

Yeah… and those new Phillis Harris stamps? *SQUEEL!* I keep seeing her post her work on FB, and I secretly think… "I sure HOPE that one becomes a stamp too!" LOL!

If you are arriving here from Kary's blog you are right on track... if not, go ahead and start at the beginning by clicking HERE.. You don't want to miss any of the fabulous inspiration (or chances to win!)

One of my favorite things to do during the summer is pick berries. They grow like weeds around here… ok, so the wild berries ARE weeds around here!  But the funny thing about weeds, is they are only really weeds if you don't want them. I happen to LOVE the wild blackberries!  I pick them by the bucketful and take them to my mom's house where they are turned into jams, syrups, and leathers. YUM!

The berries on this card are from Botanical Bliss, and the sentiment is from Single Flower Miracle. I stamped the strawberries in Antique Linen Distress ink, then used Distress Markers and a water pen to color it. The light Linen Distress ink blends in and almost disappears when water and other colors are added.. this gives the impression that I am a TON more artistic than I really am… HA!  To help ad some definition back in, I used the fine tip of the Distress Markers to trace back in some detail after it had dried. 

This week I had to get a baby card done for my step-cousin (who is due ANY DAY!).  I decided to use the brand new CHALLENGE as a jumping off point. One thing I love about the Unity challenges, is that besides using Unity stamps, there really isn't much restriction to worry about… So I modified the card sketch to fit what I wanted. And it works.  

I used Hello Little One for the sentiment, and this month's KOM Summer Collapsed into Fall for the butterfly. The strips of paper are gelli prints. (I'm kinda, really loving my new 5x7 gelli plate!)

Please join us with our challenge! It's tons of fun, with a GREAT prize, and, we LOVE seeing the work you share with us! Get all the details HERE.

And, of course, I have a little tutorial for you… just cuz you are AWESOME!

Like I said, I LOVE my gelli plate, so I thought I would share a fun way to use it with your stamps...

(If you don't know what a gelli plate is, check it out HERE.)

I like to call this  Variegated Stamping because you get random splotches of different colors, and no two impressions are the same. Super fun and random.

Step 1: Dot on a couple (or so) coordinating colors of acrylic paint onto your gelli plate. Keep in mind that the colors WILL mix… some colors mix beautifully, some make a muddy mess. 

Step 2: Brayer the paint around to cover the plate… don't try to over mix the colors. Let them make their own patterns instead of one smooth color.

Step 3: Press a stamp onto the gelli plate. No need to tap it multiple times like you do an ink pad, just press it onto the  paint, and lift.

Step 4: Stamp onto your paper. You will see the variegated colors randomly across your image.

Step 4 modified: For my project, I wanted a little something special for the butterfly… so I stamped it onto acetate.  Acrylic paint works great on acetate!

Make sure to wash your stamp of well before the paint dries for happy stamps!


Don't forget---
 Leave a comment on EACH blog in the hop (including the Unity blog) for your chance to win.  The winners will be announced Saturday night on the Unity blog.

Your next stop is Lisa!

Enjoy!