The Paper Freak

FWF: Brightening up a room

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Fri, 10 Jan 2014 23:55:00 +0000

Welcome to Unity's Friends with Flair! It's been far too long since I've gotten my fingers inky, but with so many irons in the fire right now it's hard sometimes to just sit and stamp!

This week I have something a little different for me. A friend asked me to take a couple of old frames from our church's parsonage and "do something nice with them". The other frame is still a work in progress, but I was able to finish this one last night when I couldn't sleep.

Stamps: Unity Blossom Stackers, Sweet & Sassy Love Scripture; Inks: Ranger Distress inks in Mowed Lawn & Black Soot, Memento Rhubarb Stalk; papers: DCWV Crafty Stack

I took some coordinating papers, stamped on them and put them in the frame - easy peasy! The sentiment isn't from Unity, but the rest of the stamping is. :) I also entered this in Unity's {be inspired} challenge even though my colors are a bit deeper than the inspiration photo.

Remember to visit and comment on all the blogs in this week's Friends with Flair for a chance to win a prize (start here to see all the participating blogs)! Thanks for visiting, and have a super weekend!

Friends with Flair: Cheerful Poppies

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Fri, 11 Oct 2013 05:39:00 +0000

Welcome to Friends with Flair! Remember to visit the Unity blog to see the full list of entries, comment on each one and be entered for a prize. In fact, make sure you comment on yesterdays Hip Hop blogs to win a prize, too - I won some great stamps and papers last week!

I think I have far too many flower stamps in my collection. Is there even such a thing as too many flowers? Nah! I've been longing after the Donna Poppies set for a looooong time and finally broke down when I saw them on sale. I have so many ideas of how to use them, but today I just wanted to get them inky on a quick card. These are so pretty and HUGE that it was simple to make a CAS card and let the flowers take center stage! This was the smaller silhouette stamp.

The next time I make a card like this, I think I'll just randomly stamp the poppies all over a large piece of cardstock, then cut it to the sizes I need to make multiples super fast!

Thank you for stopping buy today. Have a terrific weekend!

Friends with Flair - quick labels!

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Sat, 05 Oct 2013 00:07:00 +0000

Welcome back to another week of Friends with Flair! Make sure you visit the Unity blog to see all the customer projects this week - leave a comment on each one to enter for a prize!

This week I needed some labels for our church's ladies retreat. We are making our own bath salts, and I thought it would be nice to dress up the canister with a homemade label.

I love the Blossom Stackers set and coordinating Spellbinders die! It made it so easy to whip up these labels. Some of them are monochromatic, and some use complimentary colors. So easy!

Have a super weekend!

FWF: A new spin on an old favorite

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 08:30:00 +0000

I made a card about a year ago that I just love and has become a customer favorite in my Etsy shop. When Unity decided to run a week-long tag challenge on Facebook, I decided to take the card as inspiration and make it into a tag.

Unity stamps: A Moment in Time, My True Joy and SHE-art print texture; Ranger Distress inks: Forest Moss, Peeled Paint, Crushed Olive, Worn Lipstick; Sugar Creek Hollow Ribbon: Candy Apple

Make sure you visit all the Friends With Flair blogs, comment and be entered for a prize! Want another chance to win? Whip up something with your Unity stamps and link up your project before midnight!

Thanks for visiting!

FWF: Groovy Day

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 05:22:00 +0000

Hello! I'm glad you stopped by today. I haven't had much time lately for stamping, but I did manage today to crank out a card. I really need to do more birthday cards, so I pulled out my "Something Groovy" stamp and some hippie-ish Basic Grey paper. See?

Stamps: ippity by Unity Something Groovy; dsp: Basic Grey Lime Rickey

I used the sketch from Mojo Monday and used markers to color the VW and "GROOVY" for the CAS-ual Fridays challenge.

Have a GROOVY weekend!

Grateful: My First PTI

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 06:53:00 +0000

Hello! I had some time to get inky, so I made a CAS thank you card using my one and only PTI set. I have long admired PTI stamps, but I really can't afford them most of the time. I happened to get this set second-hand from someone who was reducing their stash. Lucky me!

I'm playing along with PTI's Make It Monday #99: Repeats and Rainbows.

Stamps: PTI Spots & Dots, Unity Simple Blessings; inks: Memento inks in Tuxedo Black, Summer Sky, Pear Tart and Lilac Posies, Distress Inks in Tumbled Glass and Spiced Marmalade

I don't have any PTI inks, so I used a mix of Memento and Distress Inks to get as close as I could to one of the color schemes we were asked to follow. I masked off a strip where I wanted the stamping, then used a Unity stamp for the sentiment and a few rhinestones to give it a bit more interest.

Thanks for stopping by today, and have a wonderful day!

Friends with Flair: Treats!

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 00:42:00 +0000

Hello, there! Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Did you comment on the other FWF posts? If not, you can get the full list at Unity's blog. Remember that Unity will be choosing a random commenter from one of the posts to win a prize! :D

With the holidays behind us, I've been turning my attention to the next couple of months - Valentine's, to be exact! I wanted to make up some treat bags that would be pretty simple and quick since they will likely last only long enough for someone to rip it open to get to the candy (at least, I probably would)!

Stamps: Unity kit Cuter Than Most

I dry embossed the lighter colored cardstock at the top of the treat bag, but it didn't show up very well. I think I may make more of these, but with a wider strip for the top of the bag. These little guys are just too cute!

Thanks for hopping along, and remember to comment on ALL the blogs for the best chance to win some Unity! Have a terrific weekend!

FWF and many thanks

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 05:47:00 +0000

Hello! This week's Friends With Flair card is a super simple one! I don't know about you, but I have quite a few thank you cards to put in the mail for gifts I received on Christmas, and a card like this is a perfect way to say thank you!

Stamps: ippity by Unity kits Devoted and Music of My Heart; patterned paper: Stampin' Up!

Any patterned paper and matching ink can be used for this card, so I plan to whip up a bunch more!

Remember to visit all the FWF blogs and leave comments for a chance to win a prize! Have a terrific weekend, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 00:15:00 +0000

Thank you to everyone who visited my blog during my week of Growing in Unity! You were all so kind with your words of encouragement, and I truly appreciate each of you! So who won the two itty bitty stamps, you ask? The winner is...

Debra said...

Another great way to use scraps! Awesome colors and embossing really sets it off!

November 29, 2012 1:56 PM

Debra, please email me (billandcheri.howard at gmail dot com) about your prize!

Have a wonderful and safe Sunday, everyone!

GIU Day 5: ad•ven•tur•ous

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 03:20:00 +0000

Looking for my Friends With Flair post? It's the next one down!

Welcome back to my week of Growing in Unity! Today is my very last day of GIU. :(

Did you leave a comment on all of my GIU posts for a chance to win 2 (yes, TWO) itty bitty stamps from Unity Stamp Co.? I'll announce the winner sometime Sunday afternoon! Did you miss any days? Just scroll down to the previous posts - I don't want you to miss a chance to win!

It's been a long time since I've participated in any challenges, so this time I decided to play along with Unity's KOM Sketch Challenge. I turned the sketch and took a liberty or two, but I think you can still see the inspiration. I really need to play more challenges!

Stamps: Unity KOM 12/09 (RETIRED) {delightful moments}; ink: Memento Rich Cocoa; prisma color pencils: Non-Photo Blue & Crimson Red

I love hot air balloons. I've only been in one my entire life, but it was sure memorable! But I can tell you that the exhilaration comes in part from the fact that I am terrified of heights. Sometimes I can manage it, like when I feel like I'm secure (ski lifts and hot air balloons are okay); other times I have a hard time forcing myself to go through with it (rappelling and climbing ladders over 4-5 feet off the ground). I am NOT a bungey jumper or parachuter - nope nope nope nope! I'm not THAT adventurous! :D

Thank you for coming by today! Remember to leave a comment on all 5 of my GIU posts for a chance to win 2 itty bittys! And as a special thank you, I'd like to offer a discount code for my Etsy shop. Just enter the code GIU30 for 30% off your entire order. I have lots of ippity kits stocked and ready to ship!

Visit my Facebook page!

GIU Day 4: Friends with Flair

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 07:16:00 +0000

Welcome back to my week of Growing in Unity and Friends with Flair! Come by each day through Saturday, and leave a comment on my GIU post for a chance to win 2 (yes, TWO) itty bitty stamps from Unity Stamp Co.! I'll announce the winner sometime on Sunday afternoon! Did you miss any days? Just scroll down to the previous posts - I don't want you to miss a chance to win!

And if that wasn't enough, today is Friends With Flair on the Unity blog - leave comments on all the blogs to get ANOTHER chance to win some Unity rubber! Don't you just love double dips? :)

Today's card is a super-simple holiday card, and showcases how beautifully Unity stamps from different sets can work together. I think I'm going to try this again in red, too!

Stamps: Unity KOM (RETIRED) 09/10 {when i am with you...}, ippity by Unity kit Season of Joy; ink: Memento Danube Blue

The focal image is from the 09/10 KOM, but the stamping behind it is from an ippity set, Season of Joy (one of my favorites, btw). I suspect the same artist drew both images! I was originally going to just pop up the focal image, but wanted just a bit more to "dress it up" a little and give it a bit of asymmetry. Isn't it cool how such a simple addition does so much for the card?

Thank you for coming by today! Remember to leave a comment for a chance to win 2 itty bittys! And as a special thank you, I'd like to offer a discount code for my Etsy shop. Just enter the code GIU30 for 30% off your entire order. I have lots of ippity kits stocked and ready to ship!

Visit my Facebook page!

GIU Day 3: Ready to Pay the Price

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Welcome back to my week of Growing in Unity! Come by each day through Saturday, and leave a comment on my GIU post for a chance to win 2 (yes, TWO) itty bitty stamps from Unity Stamp Co.! I'll announce the winner sometime on Sunday afternoon! Did you miss my first day? Just scroll down to the previous posts - I don't want you to miss a chance to win!

And did you know that today is Hip Hop on the Unity blog? Comment on the DT blogs for a chance to win more Unity yumminess!

Today's card made me feel good to make, mostly because I have a zillion scraps I really need to use up (know the feeling?). And it combines some of my favorite colors, too. :)

Stamp: ippity by Unity Happy Are Those; patterned paper: DCWV; ink: Memento Rich Cocoa

Thank you for coming by today! Remember to leave a comment for a chance to win 2 itty bittys! And as a special thank you, I'd like to offer a discount code for my Etsy shop. Just enter the code GIU30 for 30% off your entire order. I have lots of ippity kits stocked and ready to ship!

Visit my Facebook page!

GIU Day 2: Give Thanks

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 08:55:00 +0000

Welcome back to my week of Growing in Unity! Come by each day through Saturday, and leave a comment on my GIU post for a chance to win 2 (yes, TWO) itty bitty stamps from Unity Stamp Co.! I'll announce the winner sometime on Sunday afternoon! Did you miss my first day? Just scroll down to the previous post - I don't want you to miss a chance to win!

Seeing a pattern yet? I won't do thank you cards every day, but I have to admit that I make a lot of them since they are the ones I typically use the most. :) I actually made a bunch of these a couple of months ago for the Ladies Event at my church. Postcards seem to become more and more rare, but they are so quick and easy to send!

Stamps: Unity KOM (RETIRED) 09/10 {when i am with you...}, Vintage Postcard

I stamped the sentiment first, then the leaves around the outside. Simple as can be!

Thank you for visiting today! Make sure you come back tomorrow for my next project and another chance to enter for two itty bitty stamps!

Visit my Facebook page!

GIU Day 1: Thankful

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Hello! This week, I'm sharing my love of Unity Stamps by hosting Growing in Unity. What's that you ask? If you've never heard of Growing in Unity, it's an awesome chance for you to get some eye candy, then be entered for a chance to win some Unity of your own! Come by each day through Saturday, and leave a comment on my GIU post for a chance to win 2 (yes, TWO) itty bitty stamps from Unity Stamp Co.! I'll announce the winner sometime on Sunday afternoon!

Today, I made a CAS card that literally took just 10-15 minutes to make. For some reason, the sentiment is not showing up as white, but it is.

Stamps: ippity by Unity kits A Moment in Time & thankful for you; ink: Memento Tangelo, Lilac Posies, Rhubarb Stalk, Rich Cocoa, and Bamboo Leaves; white embossing powder

I love quick cards like this - especially with Christmas coming, and I will NEED some thank you cards!

Before I go, how would you like to know which itty bitty is my favorite? It's hard for me to pick just one, but this little darling tugs at my heart every time:

Love Runs Deep itty bitty from Unity Stamp Co.

This is just one of HUNDREDS to choose from! So remember to leave a comment on this and every GIU post this week through Saturday for a chance to win two of your very own! Thanks for coming - have a marvelous day!

Visit my Facebook page!

Friends With Flair: Getting into the spirit

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 21:53:00 +0000

Hello again! This week I'm jumping the gun a little with holiday cards. I don't typically like to celebrate Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but since I am trying to build up my inventory on Etsy, I figured it's time I started. I'll feel better about it on Friday, November 23, though! :)

A simple card, but I love how clean and crisp it came out!

stamp: {ippity} by Unity Season of Joy; cardstock: HP; ribbon: Joann's; ep: ZING! from American Crafts

For you, my friends, I have a discount code good on anything in my Etsy shop! Use code FRIEND10 to get 10% off your entire order. I have lots of {ippity} stamps in stock and ready to ship as well as a few cards. Thanks for stopping by today!

FWF - Hello, My Friend!

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 00:50:00 +0000

Hello! It has been a looooooong time since I posted here! I'll tell you why below, but here's the card I made this week. The layout was inspired by this one at Damask Love. I thought it was just so pretty and simple!

Stamp: Unity itty bitty Hello My Friend, cardstock, burlap, Bazzill paper flowers, pearls

What, do you ask, has been keeping my away? I finished my last year of teaching, which entailed a lot of cleaning out my accumulation of 17 years of teaching materials. And then we went out of state to visit family. Then summer came with lots of berry picking, preserving, gardening and all sorts of outdoor pursuits. Since snow came, I've been working on getting the nursery ready for when the baby comes home (if you want to read our adoption story, you can find out all the details so far here). I'm still not done with that, but I'm at a good place for now. And then there's my craft room. I will eventually post before/after photos, but it has become a disaster zone the last couple of years. Now that I'm home full time, I plan to get it in shape once and for all. :D

Okay, I think that's it for now. Have a wonderful weekend, and remember to comment on all the blogs in Unity's FWF blog hop to be entered for a prize from Unity!

FWF goes a little Asian

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Welcome back for another week of Friends With Flair! Did you see the new {ippity} releases last night? They are awesome!

(If you're looking for the Raining Happy blog hop post, it's the next one down!)

Here's another card I made using the Angie Girl: Follow Your Heart set:

The flowers have sort of an Asian flair, don't you think? I created my own background, then made little inchie emboss resist squares with the same flowers. The sentiment is from an older {ippity} kit, Now and Always.

Make sure you check out this weekend's sales - the bundle pack is a GREAT deal! Click my photo below to go straight to the shop, or click my photo on Unity's website to add {ippity} to your order!

Thanks for stopping by to look!

Click here to shop at Unity!

Raining Happy with {ippity}

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Yay! It's the second Thursday so that means it's {ippity} release day! And to celebrate, we're having a fun blog hop!

You should have arrived from the {ippity} blog. If you did not, then remember to start there by clicking the image above. Make sure you read all the way to the end for a fun announcement!

Below is the list if you get lost along the way.

{ippity} blog
angie - {stampsings of the shug}
jennifer - mitten's papercrafting
barbara - {ippity} do da
rona - a little inspiration from rona
anita - anita be stampin
mary - mary's creative journey
susan - paper and joy
jen - jens cup of creations
noelle -noelle scraps alot
heather f. - i heart {ippity}
jenmarie - taylor-made by jenmarie
cheri - the paper freak **you are here!**
lisa - schnauz scraps
andrea - ippity stamps 4 you
maria - ria creations
rebecca - blooming pink
althea - aj's designs
crystal - crystal's craft corner
joan - tails in the stamp room
christine - christine's creative therapy
{ippity} blog

For those of you who like to do mixed media, scrapbooking or larger-sized projects, you will L.O.V.E. this release! I have to say that using these sets has stretched me a bit since mixed media is NOT my typical project choice. But these stamps work equally well on cards - woot!

It had been a while since I used my Twinkling H2Os, so it was fun painting this card. See how huge this stamp is (the card is 4.25" x 5.5")? I used all three images in this set.

And here are the other sets releasing today!

Make sure you come back tomorrow for Friends With Flair where I'll show you a card I made with the Angie Girl set!

If you need the new (or not new!) {ippity} releases remember you can now order them straight from the Unity site - just click my photo below to go shopping now, or click my photo on Unity's site to add {ippity} to your order! There's a fabulous sale going on, including a bundle pack on the new {ippity} stamps! With those savings, you can order the itty bitty, too!

(limit 1 per person)

Now, don't stop with the blog hop - there's a release party going on over at Unity's forum on Splitcoaststampers with PRIZES!! Make sure you head over after the hop for chatting, fun and a chance at FREE stamps from the new releases! (hint: if you missed the party, make sure you check the Unity and {ippity} blogs to see how you can still win something)!

Thanks for hopping with us!

Click here to shop at Unity!

Just a few more hours until the newest {ippity} release!

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:26:00 +0000

Are you excited? I hope so, because we have lots of fun planned! A hop, a release party and PRIZES! It all starts at 7pm CDT!

Click here to shop at Unity!

How about another sneaky peek of Thursday's {ippity} release?

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 06:01:00 +0000

This set has so much potential!

Remember to join us on Thursday for a blog hop and release party!

Click here to shop at Unity!

FWF: Hello There!

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 07:18:00 +0000

Welcome to another week of Friends With Flair! Remember to leave comments all along the hop to enter for a prize from Unity!

Today I have a simple, colorful hello card using the {ippity} set Sweet Thoughts of Spring.

I used the border stamp in rainbow colors to make the background, die cut a window and stamped the sentiment on the base layer. It was a pretty quick card once I picked my colors and the Spellbinders die I wanted to use. But isn't that how it usually goes? ;)

By the way, did you know that you can follow me on Pinterest and Facebook? There's a lot of inspiration over there!

Have a great time hopping, and remember to click my picture to add {ippity} to your order - my photo below will take you straight to Unity's shop!

Have a great weekend!

Click here to shop at Unity!

Just 7 days left until a new {ippity} release!

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 05:07:00 +0000

Will you join us for a blog hop next Thursday? How about a peek at the new release?

I can't show the whole project until the big day, now can I? ;D

See you at the hop!

Click here to shop at Unity!

CAS-ual Friday 46: Inspired by Song

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 23:49:00 +0000

Hello! Today I'm sharing my CAS-ual Friday Challenge card. The theme this week is to be inspired by a song. The song I chose was "Shine" by Newsboys, and here's the card:

I used the {ippity} kit {...shine, shine, shine.} for the light bulbs and sentiment. I really had to search my stash to find a background that suited the rest of the card, but I finally found what I wanted in my Unity KOM from June 2010 - now THAT's a blast from the past!

I stamped the light bulb three times at different lengths and paper pieced one of them after sponging on some white ink to create a "glow" from the bulb. To give the sentiment and focal image a bit more depth, I inked the edges before attaching to the card.

Remember that you still have time to get in on the FABULOUS 40% off sale at Unity's website. The sale does include {ippity}, so be sure to click my photo to go straight to the shop and add them to your cart!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy weekend!

Click here to shop at Unity!

FWF: Multi-layer stamping

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Have you seen the phenomenal layers of stamping Tim Holtz usually does (something like this)? I saw a card by Heather Telford that uses the same technique, but hers was a bit more my style...I really wanted to try it!

I didn't have any of the same stamps, of course, so I dug through my collection to see if I could find something similar. Here's the final result:

All the stamps are {ippity} except for the the text, which is Christy Tomlinson's "SHE-art print texture". The {ippity} stamps I used were A Moment in Time and My True Joy. I really like how it came out - I think I may have to try this again!

Make sure you shop Unity's sale this weekend - 40% off all stamps, including {ippity}! Make sure you click my picture to add {ippity} to your order (my pic below will take you straight to the Unity shop)!

Click here to shop at Unity!

More {ippity} suckers

noreply@blogger.com (Cheri) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 04:53:00 +0000

Hello! I have to say I think spring is finally springing here in Alaska - we are finally getting temps in the 40s & 50s during the day, but the REAL meltage will start once we stay above freezing around the clock - bring it on!

On Sunday I posted a card here that uses the {ippity} itty bitty "sucks getting old", but I only used half of the suckers I had in my stash. I used the other ones on today's card. Same layout, same rainbow color scheme, but with different colors.

Make sure you come visit for Friends with Flair (Thursday PM or Friday AM)...I tried a new technique that I think I really like!

Check out this weekend's sale! Click my photo below to add {ippity} and shop your heart out!

See you soon!

Click here to shop at Unity!