Reclaiming My Inner Stamper! - Unity {be inspired} Challenge

Yes...I did it...I took my poor, neglected stamps out of their boxes and used them...thanks to Unity's new challenge!  Now, don't get me wrong...I do LOVE my Unity stamps but with 3 kiddos and little time to craft I think I have felt that it just takes too much time to get out the stamps/ink and clean it all up afterward.  However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my layout actually came together faster than when I just use my papers/embellishments.  I think my stamps and the great sketch provided by Joslyn Nielson allowed me to think a little more clean and simple.  

I love how the red and turquoise pop off the white cardstock.  And I felt I didn't really need a title since I already have one in the picture.  :)

All of the stamps I used are from Unity (although I'm not sure which sets a few came from or if they are even still available...like the Did You Know and the journal line stamps).  But the worn grid is definitely a timeless classic and the little heart is actually from the Eco Chic set.

Here is the sketch from Joslyn and the color inspiration too.  You can use both or one for your project.

  

I was so inspired, I decided to make a card too!  I'm not sure if you can enter more than one project in the challenge but if so, here it is...

 

 I really liked that heart picture in the color inspiration so I decided to play around with negative space and a newsprint feel (like the fab stamped love paper in the MME Love Me collection). First I cut out a heart shape from a piece of paper...no die cut...just drew a heart and cut it out. (Since you are stamping it, it doesn't have to be perfect so no worries if you don't have a die cutting machine!) Then I taped the paper with the open heart over my card base and started stamping the word love (from Mix of Cuteness set) across it in rows.  After I finished and lifted up the paper, I had this nice heart shape filled with love!  :)  Then I glammed it up with some AC turquoise glitter paper and some red rhinestones.

Thanks again to Unity and Joslyn for this awesome challenge that got my stamping mojo working again!  You still have plenty of time to play along...go HERE for the details and to see all the other great entries.

Maybe I need to reconsider how I store my stamps...maybe they should be in easily accessible, open containers on my desk so I can play with them more. What do you think?