Uniko Release Day and Blog Hop

Hi and welcome to the big day, release day at Uniko, Yay.

Hope you have been inspired over the last few days by all the new stamps and stencils, I know I have.

As this is the release day, I thought I would include cards showcasing all the new stencils along with some of the new stamp sets too.

First off, Balloon Bash. This is such a simple stencil but so versatile, use just one balloon or all.

This card uses the round one of the three shapes included.

Similar to my sneak peek card here but larger, 5 x 7 and I added a strip of DP across the bottom. I found it in my stash and comes from a collection by NitWits. I added  a touch of green to the white stripe with a Copic and a ruler to match the balloons better. I decided against a purple one, it didn't look quite right. The die cut sentiment is popped up on fun foam. I can't remember the brand, I got it for Christmas a couple of years ago.

Next up is the fabulous Pure Florals -Chrysanthemum stencil.

This is the embossed version of the debossed one here. Instead of painting, I kept the stencil in place and inked through the openings with Picked Raspberry DI, keeping it darker towards the bottom and top of the bloom to give a bit of dimension to it. The sentiment strip embossed with white EP is from the Birthday Sentiments set, such a useful set of greetings.

Now it always pays to look at things in a new light so this card focuses on the Equalizer stencil but with a feminine twist!

I used the stencil to add embossing paste to both the DO inked and white panels, I love the way the paste takes up the colour of the panel where it is thinnest. I wanted it quite textured so didn't smooth away the paste as I did for the masculine card in the preview post here. The daffodil from Spring Botanicals- Daffodil was stamped and embossed with white EP before adding some colour with my Zig pens, then fussy cutting it out. The sentiment is from the same set.

This card uses the Seeing Stars stencil and a embossed resist technique with Brusho.

I inked through the stencil onto some watercolour paper then added white EP and heat set. When happy with the coverage, I sprinkled som Brusho crystals over the panel in Ultramarine and some purple I think, then spritzed it with a little water. Not too much to dilute the colour but enough to make the colour move. The central panel was cut down with a rectangular die and mounted on some fun foam. The sentiment from Reach for the Stars was stamped in black on a banner strip and in jewelled gold EP on the die cut star.

Finally it's the turn of the Fun Flowers stencil. You don't always have to use all of a stencil or a stencilled panel!

The light is shining off the Inka Gold paste so here is a close up from a different angle.

The daffodil is the same as the card above but I cut two and mounted the head over the top of the first for more dimension. The yellow panel is stamped with the head of the daff in Memento Daffodil! I made my own paste for this panel using some old grunge paste and a bit of Inca Gold Wax in purple. I added more over the top once it was dry and buffed it up. The original panel was a much larger trial piece, but waste not want not!

My sentiment from the same set was stamped in the bottom left corner with Memento Tuxedo Black then heat embossed with semi dull EP to give it a bit of definition. The dry daff was popped onto the sentiment panel and popped up on pads.

So that's about from me other than to send you off on a celebratory Design Team blog hop.

Information and full details can be found on the Uniko blog here, happy hopping and good luck.

Bev
Carol 

Deborah 
Izzy 

Jane 
Julie  -   That's me
Linda

Lindsey

Rahmat
Sarah G

Sarah P
Wiebke 

Here are the full view of all the stamp sets and stencils we've been showcasing this week.

         

Joining in over at:-

  

`Altenew Freebie

And finally, .......

Yep back again to share a card for this week's challenge over at ATSM. This week it is our challenge where -

ANYTHING GOES

I always find inspiration for this challenge difficult, what do I use as inspiration? Well in the end I made this.

I got a freebie in this month's Simply Cards and Papercraft mag from Altenew, it was a layering die set, just like their layered stamps. After playing around with some scraps on Friday I thought I would make a card. The latest challenge at AAA is Die Cuts only, so I went with a completely die cut card, right down to the sequins! Shades of pink for the rose bloom and a grey Happy Birthday die cut from X-Cut sit in a raised frame on White linen effect card stock, so a second entry at Altenew. The sequins were cut with a small Avery Elle circle die in hammered silver card and shaped with a ball tool.

Pop over to the ATSM blog and check out the rest of the DT have come up with for your inspiration.

LAMB UPDATE

The snow arrived this morning but not too much, the ewes and lambs got a sugar dusting!

The weather is staying frosty with more snow forecast later in the week.

I'm joining in over at:-

     

Create something for a loved one or simply use a Pink / Red colour scheme!

Introducing Uniko's Fun Flower Stencil

Morning.
Welcome to the final introducing post of this February release from Uniko.
We're focusing on the fabulous Fun Flower Stencil as well as the Kindness Blooms stamp set today.
Here's what I did with the Fun Flower stencil.

Using some glossy white Dream Weaver embossing paste, I carefully smoothed it over a panel of white card. Then, I added some holographic EP while the paste was still wet and put to one side to dry. That's a tip I got from Jennifer McGuire! To make the twinkly strip that matches the stencilled panel, I added Versamark to a strip of scrap card and using the same Holographic EP and heat set it. My sentiment panel was stamped with the CELEBRATE stamp from the Birthday Sentiments set, think I will use this as much as I do the matching Christmas one, in London Fog Memento and a couple of holographic square gems complete. 

Photographing twinkly EP is a nightmare so you will just have to trust me that the twinkle is much more defined in real life!

That's the last of the pre release introductions. Pop over to the Uniko blog to see what the rest of the fab DT have created. All the details about tomorrow's full release and blog hop are there too.

I'm linking up at:-

Heat Embossing, Holographic EP and Holographic gems

Another card for the stash

Morning all. 

It's going to be a busy day here on the blog, but first off we have a brand new challenge over at Cardz4Guyz.

It was my turn to choose the theme so I chose:-

A SKETCH

Here is my card, 

based on this sketch.

Silly me got my circle sizes in the wrong place but I hope you'll forgive that slip up!

My daughter asked me for a few more birthday cards for her stash as the last round of my grandson's party invites had depleted her stash! So I reached for a couple of my fave stamps from LOTV, Football Crazy and Football Trio.

After stamping the little footballer and one of the elements from the trio, I coloured them with Copics then fussy cut the footballer and used a die for the goalie save. 

On a panel of white card, I die cut the apertures and then doodled a border around each opening with a black fine liner. On a white base card I added a panel of corrugated green card that's been sat in my stash for years then added a couple of strips of punched grass across the bottom of the larger opening.

This panel was then added over the green panel and the little footballer and goalie circle added. A die cut 8 was placed into the remaining opening and a stamped banner added to complete.

For more sketch inspiration check out the rest of the team here, then why not join in.

Hope you are keeping safe and warm as we suffer the 'Beast from the East' as this cold spell is being called here in the UK. I feel sorry for our lambs which started their appearance rather earlier than anticipated last Wednesday. The smallest look so vulnerable but the mum's are doing their best to keep them safe!

These were the first 3 lambs, found snuggled under the hedge early morning. This triplet was a bit smaller than his siblings as well as being a bit reluctant to leave his warm spot.

Whilst OH was moving these 3 to the shed, he came across a couple of newly born twins and a very  protective ma.

The triplets were taken up to the main farm sheds but the twins are now back in the field with mum. Lambing continues apace so we will be receiving more as the lambing sheds fill up and more space is needed for the wee ones. Some are definitely more up to the outdoors than others.

Joining in over at:-

Introducing the Equaliser Stencil

Morning, hope you had a great weekend.

I'm back with another of the February release stencils from Uniko. This card uses the Equalizer Stencil, there is a Background Blocks stamp version out as well. To go with both these is the Life is a Song stamp set, which I used for the sentiment.

My son and hubby are techy geeks so I knew what an equalizer was before I saw the stencil! 

When I first started going out with my OH in the 70's they were all over the HiFi kit he used to ogle over in expensive retailers windows, not so much theses days, ogling at kit that is!

I started with a panel of black card then using some Dreamweaver glossy white stencil paste, I laid down my background. When dry I replaced the now clean stencil and inked the bars with DI, Blueprint Sketch, Salty Ocean, Mowed Lawn, Mustard Seed and Festive Berries, blending as I went. I chose deep colours as pale ones would have been lost on the white paste. 

To finish I added a sentiment embossed with white EP.

 Has that whetted your appetite some more? If so there's more to come from me and the rest of the team over the next couple of days.

The release schedule can be found over on the Uniko blog HERE as well as links and peeks at how my fellow teamies have worked their magic!
Thanks for stopping by, hope to see you back for more release inspiration real soon. Wrap up warm and take care out there.

Introducing Seeing Stars and Pure Floral Large Chrysanthemum

On day 2 of the release I have two stencil inspired cards to share.

This first one uses the brand new Pure Florals Large Chrysanthemum stencil.

This card was made by first dry embossing the huge bloom with the stencil. check your die cutting machine for the right sandwich, but you will need a tan embossing mat or equivalent. Once embossed you need to work on the side where the petals are debossed and the white lines raised. I used Zig pens to colour the sections but any form of pen would work. 

On a sunny yellow base card I stamped the sentiment from the Spring Botanicals Daffodil set and heat embossed it, added a strip of gold linen effect card and the trimmed down embossed panel to finish.

This fab Chrysanth reminds me of my late Dad who grew these huge blooms in regimented rows at the bottom of the garden, they certainly brought a bit of sunshine inside when cut.

The second card showcases the Seeing Stars Stencil.

The stencil co-ordinates perfectly with the already released Uniko sets, Reach for the Stars, Background Builders- Seeing Stars and Background Blocks- Stars.

I inked through the stencil in the right hand corner using Twisted Citron, Salty Ocean, Peacock Feathers and Mown Lawn. A few smaller stars were added by stamping the smallest of the solid stars from the Background Builders- Seeing Stars set in the same colours, before stamping the sentiment from the Reach for the Stars set and adding some dots of white Cosmic Shimmer glue.

Has that whetted your appetite, if so there's more to come from me and the rest of the team over the next few days.

The release schedule can be found over on the Uniko blog HERE as well as links and peeks at how my fellow DT members have worked their magic with these fab stencils!
Thanks for stopping by, hope to see you back for more release inspiration tomorrow.

Joining in over at:-

  

                                                Clean and Simple

One Layer Wonder

Uniko New Release day 1

Well after all those sneaky peeks are you ready for the Uniko February release full reveal?

My card focuses on the stencil, Balloon Bash and Birthday Sentiments.

       

To start, I took a panel of white card and inked the yellow balloon with Mustard Seed DI, masking out the rest of the stencil and card to avoid any ink in the wrong place! Repeating the process, I moved left using Carved Pumpkin and Candied Apple DI and right using Twisted Citron, Salty Ocean and Wilted Violet DI, changing the balloon shape as I went.

When dry, I added some strings with a black fineliner, there is a straight line stencil for those of you who are not so steady, then cut out the celebrate with a word die (make sure not to loose any tiny bits!). Under the celebrate aperture I stamped the 'YOUR BIRTHDAY' from the Birthday Sentiments set with Memento Tuxedo Black. To finish I cut another celebrate from fun foam removing all the little bits and carefully glued this to the back of the first. On the back of my inked panel. I added some double sided tape across the opening then replaced the celebrate and all the tiny coloured bits. The completed panel was mounted onto a plain white A6 base card.

 Has that whetted your appetite, if so there's more to come from me and the rest of the team over the next few days.

The release schedule can be found over on the Uniko blog HERE as well as links and peeks at how my fellow teamies have worked their magic!
Thanks for stopping by, hope to see you back for more release inspiration soon.

Joining in over at:-

   

                                                     CAS