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Saturday, January 2, 2021

Friends of Unity January Hop

 Hello everyone. It's time for the Friends of Unity January Blog Hop. I knew I would like this month's theme but I am so in love the the simple elegance this combo has. 


This month we are doing Black & White themes and I couldn't stop making cards.



My first card uses the Buffalo Plaid background stamp that was die cut with a stitched die and mounted on a black card base. I stamped the image from Funny Farm on white card stock cut with a smaller stitched die and matted that in black card stock. The sentiment is from the same kit. I wrapped May Art black string around the image panel and then popped it up with foam tape. The sentiment also was popped up with foam tape, make sure to put a double layer on the end that hangs off the image panel.  

My biggest tip for these cards is to use a high quality, juicy black stamp pad. I stamped everything with my Versafine Clair Nocturne ink because it always comes out crisp and black. 


This card was inspired by some leftovers I had laying around on my desk. The flower and sentiment were rejected from another project and I was so happy to finally use them. The flower is from Magnolia Flowers, a really beautiful kit. This image was embossed with black embossing powder. The sentiment is from You Matter and was embossed with white embossing powder on the black card stock. I grabbed my new, absolute favorite background stamp, Polka Dance background. I cheated on the black & white theme a little and stamped this with Versafine Clair Midnight ink which is a dark gray. I grabbed a doily I had laying around and used that to anchor the flower and sentiment strip. The whole thing was matted with black card stock.

My next card used a technique I learned from another very talented Unie gal, Melinda aka itsacardknocklife on Instagram. I encourage you to go follow her if you haven't yet. She calls it a tattoo style and she is definitely better at it than I am.

I stamped the compass from the November 2019 kit of the Month, Wonder. Then I used 2 sizes of oval dies for my "templates" and traced them with Staedtler Pigment liner pens. I have a set of 6 different tip sizes and use used various sizes for the lines and extra dots. I added the lines coming off the ovals and lots of dots in random places. This panel was matted with black card stock also. I had wrote the Hello because I wanted a simple block style and couldn't find a stamp in my stash. The dies are new from Waffle Flower house and I can't rave enough about the sizes in the 2 sets of nesting ovals. I have wanted nested dies that make smaller borders on the layers forever. I plan on buying the circles also.

Be sure to hop along and comment on all the blogs this month.

Alaine-you are here











34 comments:

  1. Yes! Great cards and I love the design on the final card! I am going to be trying that, for certain! Happy New Year!

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  2. I love your cards. The little farm animals has always been one of my favorite stamps! You have done a great job on all of them!

    Linda Abel

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  3. I always love your cards! Perfect as always!

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  4. Fabulous cards, Alaine! I had the Funny Farm stamps on my desk to play with but didn't get around to it... I adore your card! I also had the Polka Dance bg on my desk... lol... love love love the card you created with it!! Amazing! I'm CASing it for sure!! Fantastic inspiration!!

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  5. Wow! These are all amazing, and your artwork on the third one is just perfect!

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  6. Beautiful cards in the black and white theme, I adore the sketchy polka dot background on the second card.

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  7. Gorgeous array of cards, Alaine. Love the buffalo plaid with the cute farm animals. The doily is so perfect behind the magnolia. And the last card is my favorite. To me, it's a grunge style, and I just love it.

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  8. Awesome black and white cards! Not sure why we don't make more of them! Thanks for inspiring us!!
    Vannessa Osbourn

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  9. Such pretty cards
    and they look great
    in the black.
    Carla from Utah

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  10. Great images for your b&w cards! Love the Polka Dance background for your pretty floral card!

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  11. Beautiful cards! Really loving the floral with polka dots background!

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  12. Wonderful cards!! My favorite is the first one!!! Thank you for sharing!!

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  13. Such a great theme this month! I love your "tattoo" card - I really enjoy making this style as well. I am totally with you on Waffleflower nesting dies - I've almost completed my basic shaped sets!

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  14. Your cards are all amazing but that plaid one with the farm animals made me smile. It's crazy how different stamps look when they're just done in black and white.

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  15. Great cards! The Funny Farm one is my favorite.

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  16. That Funny Farm card is my favorite! It's a great guy card and I really struggle with those. And the last one... I received that compass in a grab bag recently and wasn't sure how I would use it but you have inspired me!

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  17. I love all of your cards! I love polka dot dance in dark gray! I can't wait to use this background stamp! You have inspired me to try it in gray.

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  18. I love the black and white theme and how elegant all of the cards look in this theme. But even though it's elegant, the one with the animals still makes me smile - adorable!

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  19. Beautiful cards! Love the Buffalo Plaid and Funny Farm!

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  20. WOW!! You shine this month!!! Amazing cards!
    The last technique card is my favorite! I really want to CASE it!!!

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  21. My favorite card of all these great ones is the farm animals. It takes me back to my country town east of the mountains. There is something so pure and special about the country. The plaid background complements the images beautifully.

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  22. Absolutely beautiful cards! I would have to say that my favorite one is the one with the farm animals!

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  23. Wonderful cards. Love the stamps and designs. Thanks for the inspiration and masculine card ideas! Happy New Year, sweet friend!

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  24. Again Wow! The creativity is just amazing!! I love your designs but my favorites are the second and third cards. Thank you also for explaining your process in creating each card!

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  25. Beautiful cards Alaine! Love the last technique you used!

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  26. I love these Alaine! I love how you created the image using the oval dies! So CREATIVE! All amazing!

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  27. Beautiful cards with a great freestyle feeling, and must have been such fun!.. from rejection to GORGEOUS, and a freehand freeforall that is very cool!

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  28. Fun and pretty cards. Love the first one.

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  29. You shared several great ideas on using black and white. All of your cards are so very well done! Beautiful!

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  30. Beautiful elegant designs! I LOVE black and white!

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  31. Your cards are all fabulous! Black and grey are my favorite colors so I really need to give this look a try!

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  32. These are all beautiful but the barnyard one is especially appealing. I need to go look at my stamps again and see them in a new way.

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