fall and winter...

Hello my wonderful friends!

It's time for another Unity hop!

(and sale!)

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!)

I love fall… the crisp air, the cooler days, the colorful leaves…and sweaters. I love sweaters!
One thing I'm not so fond of, is the critters that have decided that the huge forest behind the house isn't big enough for them, and they move in. I've had bugs. My parents have had this…

Yes, that would be baby mice. Super cute…just not in the kitchen drawer! We'll call it motivation to deep clean the kitchen…and the living room…and the bedrooms… and…

While my parents are having 'fun' cleaning, I've been getting messy!

If you haven't noticed by now, a NEW challenge is up at the Unity blog, and we'd love to see what YOU do with it!

Here's my take on the colors…I promise there are browns and greens in there, but I ran out of sunlight to take the picture! I used a stencil and modeling paste to get the patchy brickwork, then covered it in Distress Inks. I used Archival ink to stamp the sentiment and flowers from the kit "Create Today" (one of my favorites!

Along with the challenge, I decided I needed to get started on Christmas cards… I have SO MANY to make!  The sentiment comes from an older kit "25 Days of Christmas", while the background snowflake comes from this month's KOM "Happy, Thankful & Blessed" (totally LOVE this kit!).

Have you started Christmas yet? Either way, I'll tell you a little secret.. more winter & Christmas stamps are coming, and they are FAB! *shhhhhhhhh!* 

And for a little inspiration for you… allow me to walk you through the different techniques I used on the snow card… use any or all and have fun making your own backgrounds!

Step1: "Ink" up stamp with a light acrylic paint. I'm using a metallic silver. Very subtle, but gorgeous! (white works as a great, bolder resist!) This snowflake is from the "Happy, Thankful & Blessed" kit.

Step 2: Stamp onto paper. I'm using a mixed media paper because I like how the inks blend on it in the next steps.

(Repeat steps 1-2 until satisfied.)

Step 3: Apply various colors of Distress ink using a blending tool or sponge. I used Broken China, Faded Jeans, and Chipped Sapphire.

Step 4: Spritz/splatter some water onto the inked background. Allow the water to sit for a few seconds, then dab with a paper towel or cloth. this will lift the ink leaving snowy watermarks.

Step 5: Spritz a stamp with water. (I'm using the same snowflake, but you could change it up… there's another great snowflake in the same kit!)

Step 6: Stamp your watered image onto the background, then, just like with the water drops, dab it with a paper towel. This leaves an awesome ghost image! (this is a great stand-alone technique!)

Step 7: For a vintage-y feel, add a little brown Distress ink to the edges.. I used Gathered Twigs.

Step 8: For a little texture and wintery glitz, spread a very thin amount of Faber Castell's Glass Bead  Glitter gel along the edges.  

Check it out! You can't see the awesome texture the glass beads give it, but you can see that sparkle.. also, notice that since we went around the edges with Distress ink, and Distress ink activates with moisture, the gel picks up the color and blends it into gorgeousness! (It's really a ton better in person!)

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 Rachel!

Enjoy!