Uniko Christmas in July

 Hi, I'm up on the Uniko blog with a quick reminder that there is still time to enter our FB VIP Challenge on the theme of Christmas!

I was thinking what I could use for my inspiration when I can across some Gelli plate prints I made some time ago and it got me to thinking, what could I do with them? I had also recently seen a video on You Tube by Ardyth making a swing card, so I thought I would have a play. Here is my end result.

Not your usual Christmas colourway, something a little different!

The Gelli print was made using the Let it Snow stencil and Distressed Oxides in Picked Raspberry and Seedless Preserve which I pimped up with an extra layer in White Gold watercolour paint.

I made a 41/4" square base card from white card and then trimmed my Gelli panel to 33/4", glueing it around the edges only, the reason will become clear next! I die cut a circular aperture using a circle die from The Greetery and removed the two layers. As I hadn't glued the center down, I could use the center of the panel for the middle of my card! To make it stand out against the other panel, I added more Seedless Preserve DOx and then die cut a slightly smaller circle from it, this was then glued to my white circle.

To create the center of the card, I cut a panel of white card 4"x 8" and then scored it at 21/2", 41/2" and 61/2". The rest of my Gelli panel was cut into 2 strips 33/4" x 13/4" and glued them to the two middle panels.

The largest panel was glued to the right of the center fold of the card and the smallest to the left of the front panel. If you follow the link Ardyth explains it so much better!

I cut a Snowflake using the Sparkling Snowflake die but it was too large to fit through the opening, so I trimmed it down and added it to my pink circle. The sentiment from Pattern Building Christmas Tree stamp set was stamped in Picked Raspberry DOx and added before I glued the the die cut onto the inner panel. Again Ardyth explains it wonderfully!

Ardyth says that she is obcessed with this design and I must admit I am a little bit too!!

So if you haven't joined in over at FB why not have a play and join us there?!

I'm joining in over :-

Anyone For Cricket?

 Morning all. It's time for a new card challenge over at Cardz4Guyz where this month we would like to see your MASCULINE cards on the theme of:-

SUMMER

I don't know about anyone else but this summer has been a scorcher so far, even before it was officially summer! Anyway as the mum to a cricket mad boy, summer means cricket, so here is a cricket themed card.

When my youngest was in his teens, I drove him all over the local area to play and practice cricket, when I wasn't playing tennis that is! I can still remember taking a car load of pubescent teens to and from matches, a heady mix of testosterone and sweat!! Not sure why they wanted to come with me, perhaps it was the music I played.

Anyway this is a simple CAS creation using an old LOTV image I found stamped but not coloured in my stash. Coloured with Copic markers, I fussy cut it out and added it to an A6 white note card, I sketched in some of the grass outlines I lost by cutting him out colouring the crease with more Copic marker to ground him.

What does summer evoke in your mind? The rest of the team have come up with some fab ideas here on the theme should you need them.

So looking forward to seeing your makes in the gallery.

Joining in over at:-

Summertime

Color Hues #137

Afternoon all.

We're already over halfway through July so it's time for a new colour duo from Color Hues. Here's my card using the new pairing.

 

I'm still working on my Christmas stash, so when I saw the colours Jules had chosen, I had images of Santa all in red with his black boots running through my head but in the end just went with his hat!

A few years ago I made this card using the full Sizzix Santa, after seeing a card made with just Santa's hat and lots of sparkle. So today I've gone with just the hat and some gold paint splatter.

After partially cutting the top of the die in white, I cut away the hat and cut another in red, piecing that over the white base. On a panel of black card, I splattered some yellow and white gold paint through a mask of scrap paper. Whilst it was still wet, I added some jewel gold EP and set with a heat gun.

My sentiment was free with a magazine far too many years ago to remember, which I stamped and embossed with white EP. The splatter resulted in the vague shape of a head, so this informed the placement of Santa's hat.

That's about it really, quite a simple card in the end.

Now it's over to you, how will you use this new pairing? If you need more inspiration why not check out the rest of the girls over on the Color Hues blog.

Looking forward to seeing your makes in the gallery!

Uniko Christmas in July

Morning all.

I'm on the Uniko blog with an idea for a Christmas card for Uniko's Christmas in July.

Here's my design which is another for my Christmas card stash.

I'd seen a card on Pinterest where the front of the card was covered with die cut Christmas baubles and thought I could use the stamp and or stencil to get a similar effect.

On an A6 white card panel, I created rows of interlocking baubles using one of the baubles from the MCM stencil using a mix of Distress Inks, before adding the centers with one of the detail stamps from the matching stamp set. I thought I could add more dimension by adding a darker area over the white embossed detail. To achieve this, I stamped the shape from the stamp set onto some scrap paper, then traced over it onto a piece of acetate from some packaging and cutting away the center to create a stencil. 

Hangers were added with sparkly platinum WOW EP and some really old holographic gems added to each center. As the background was so detailed I kept the sentiment simple, Season's Greetings from Christmas Sentiments, stamped with black on white and mounted on black.

That's all from for today but please check out some of the other BAs and Bev for more Christmas inspiration throughout July ideas on the Uniko blog!

Joining in over at:-

Stencils

Uniko June release in July!

Evening, just popping by with the last of my use it up cards from the Uniko June release.

I had a few bits leftover from last week's release and was determined to use every last bit!

Here's the final make incorporating Waffle Flower's postage die cut frame.

 

I used the leftovers from my Chevron Duo stencil panels to fill in the gaps on the panel, adding a Big n Bold Happy sentiment and a few silver die cut dots.

A very simple design that was basically made from leftovers! It's also a reminder that there is just over a week for your entries into the Uniko FB VIP Challenge where the theme is stencils!

Color Hues #136

Afternoon all.

It's 1st July which means were heading into the second half of the year, can you believe it?

Well over at Color Hues it's time for a new colour combo and it was my turn to choose. My mind went to Christmas in July with my choice of colours but you don't need to follow that route. As you will see from the other members of the team there is a huge diversity of takes on the new colours. Here's my take.

I really needed to start on my Christmas stash, so here I've use Hero Arts Winter Trees stamp and a die cut deer from iO.

I simply stamped the tree image onto a panel of cream card with Versamark and heat embossed with gold EP. I trimmed it down and added the gold embossed sentiment, Uniko, before adding the die cut stag. I cut two, one from black and one from kraft as I wasn't sure which would look best but eventually use both, the black one slightly off set behind the kraft one to create a shadow. My panel was mounted on some really old black and gold DP I found whilst looking for the cream card and again onto my cream base card.

Where will this new colour duo take you? As always the team and I are looking forward to seeing your makes in the Color Hues gallery. Should you need more inspiration why not check out the rest of the team here.

See you in the gallery!

Joining in over at:-

L is for Let it Snow!

Release Day @ Uniko

Morning all, it's release day at Uniko!!

Here are just a few more ideas using the new June release.

Have you ever thought about the off cuts that are leftover when you trim a stencilled panel down to the size you want for a project? Well I thought exactly that when I had lots of little strips left over from this month's projects. This first card uses the BB Scramble ThankYou and some inky strips from The Chevron Duo stencil.

Background Blocks Thank You Scramble £7.00

Copyright Uniko Ltd 2012 - To Date

www.uniko.co.uk

Stencil - Ink & Flip Chevron Duo £5

Copyright Uniko Ltd 2012 - To Date

www.uniko.co.uk

In my earlier post I used DI in Salty Ocean and Peacock Feathers to create some stencilled panels but I needed some contrast for some of the letters so on some plain scrap card, I used some Picked Raspberry DI to create a mini panel which I over stamped the Thank You image. For the turquoisey stencilling, I used a different method and cut up the thin strips and stamped them by inking the stamp and pressing the card over the letter I wanted. All the letters were then fussy cut. On another scrap of white, I stamped the Scramble Thank You in black, coloured the flower with Copics and placed the fussy cut letters on top. Still not quite happy, I added Peacock Feathers to a couple of the blue letters and more Picked Raspberry to the two pink letters before glueing them down.

My panel was trimmed and added to a leftover piece of the holographic card from earlier and mounted the whole lot onto an A6 white note card.

This second card uses the scraps from Ink n Flip Triangulate woven to give an abstract pattern.

Stencil - Ink & Flip Triangulate £5

Copyright Uniko Ltd 2012 - To Date

www.uniko.co.uk

I did cut some of the leftovers into smaller strips to ensure I had enough to fill the apperture, finally weaving them together to get this effect. The woven panel was laid over the opening and glued into place before flipping it over and adding the Bauhaus Blocks sentiment and a few die cut black dots. The finished panel was then added to the base card on foam pads.

Finally I have this card which uses the left over panel from the Modern Floral layered stencil.

Stencil - Layering Modern Blooms £13.75

Copyright Uniko Ltd 2012 - To Date

www.uniko.co.uk

I followed an old Jennifer McGuire tutorial over on You Tube for the layout.

Sentiment is from Pure Florals Peony, embossed and fussy cut and the text strip is Everyday Sentiments stamped in Picked Raspberry.

So what do you think of the release. I'm sure you will love the versatility, really important when our purses are stretched and purchases are considered!

For more inspiration why not check out the rest of the BAs below leaving some love as you go for a chance to win a £20 eGift Certificate to spend in store. Bev will draw a lucky winner from all comments left on BA blogs and/or socials and announce the winner on July 6th.

Bev

Denise

Izzy

Julie -that's me

Natalie

Vinita

Thanks for visiting!

Joining in over at:-

 

 

Introducing Ink n Flip Chevron Duo Stencil

It's the final day of the intros for Uniko's June release. Today we showcase a stencil duo that I've found to be so versatile in creating backgrounds. Here is one idea I came up with.

One of the stencils gives you the solid element of the chevron and the second the pattern. This panel was made using a combination of the two and some DI in Salty Ocean and Peacock Feathers. 

I started with the solid stencil, inking first with Peacock Feathers before flipping and repeating with Salty Ocean. Next I replaced the stencil with the patterned one and used Peacock Feathers then flipping and using Salty Ocean, to create this overall pattern.

I'd seen a card a few years ago that influenced this card I think but as per usual I can't find it, it must have stuck in my mind though! I cut the inked panel with an MFT rectangle die and added the sentiment panel, a mix of Happy from MCM Christmas and half of the Happy Birthday from  Anniversaire Arts Décoratifs. 

This second card uses the same stencil but inked in a slightly different way. 

Mounted down the middle of an A6 white note card, the strip was edged with a slither of holographic card along each edge, saves on card, and the sentiment panel added on foam pads. I've used Sentiments Outlined embossed in white on some matching blue card, filling in the open area of wonderful with an embossing pen before heat embossing again. The panel was mounted onto a scalloped die cut rectangle and a few punched stars complete.

I wonder what the rest of the team have come up with? Why not check out their ideas below.

Bev

Denise

Izzy

Julie -that's me

Natalie

Vinita

I'll be back same time tomorrow with the full reveal, see you then!

 

Introducing Modern Blooms Layering Stencil

Morning all, it's day 3 of our introductions of Uniko's June release. Today we have a fab layering stencil for all you MCM followers, Modern Blooms.

Love the styalised blooms on this design of Bev's which I've teamed with a simple bold sentiment, Christmas and Birthday Sentiments.

Each layer allows you to add detail in a different colour, I've used a mix of DIs in Seedless Preserve, Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed and Twisted Citron for the main elements. Whilst the stencil was in place I added some darker shades to the flowers and leaves. The Blue dots were Salty Ocean and the flower hilights Vintage Photo.

To make the panel have a softer feel, I added a soft inking of a matching colour over the flowers and leaves. The happy birthday was stamped in black and outlined freehand with a white gel pen for some added dimension and the completed panel added to my white A6 base card on foam pads.

What do you think? Bev and the rest of the girls have come up with some fab ideas, why not check them out.

Bev

Denise

Izzy

Julie -that's me

Natalie

Vinita

I'll be back tomorrow with another introduction, see you then.

 

Introducing Ink n Flip Stencil Triangulate

Good morning. As promised I'm back with day two of intros for Uniko's June release. Today we are focusing on another Ink n Flip stencil called Triangulate. As you can see from this example it's all about triangles!

I enjoyed playing with this stencil to see what I could create and the card is a result of rotating the stencil instead of flipping it! Four rotations and four colours, I don't know what made me choose these, I must have needed cheering up!

The inked panel was trimmed down to create square then a simple Doodle Flower sentiment added to a Greetery white die cut circle and layered onto a black and the white stacking circles. A perfect simple card for a bloke I think.

With the other half of my panel I made this simple card using one of my leftover die cut panels and a simple die cut sentiment.

That's just a couple of ideas but I'm sure the rest of the team have some brilliant ideas to inspire you, why not check them out?

Bev

Denise

Izzy

Julie -that's me

Natalie

Vinita

See you back here tomorrow for another intro!

Introducing Background Blocks Scramble

It's the first day of tntroductions for Uniko's June release. Today it's the turn of a Background Blocks stamp in the Scramble Series, Thank You. Here's one I idea I came up with.

On a panel of mixed media paper, I stamped and heat embossed the image with white EP. Then I added some Brusho crystals, Leaf Green, and spritzed with water to make the majic happen. I love how the colour just bursts when the water hits it. Using a dry brush, I removed the excess ink from inside each letter, then mopped again with a paper towel. When the panel was completely dry, I coloured each element with a watercolour marker brush pen, again in shades of yellow and green. My finished panel was then trimmed and added to a panel of coordinating green card before adding to an A6 note card.

That's just one idea but I'm sure the rest of the team have some brilliant ideas to inspire you, why not check them out?

Bev

Denise

Izzy

Julie -that's me

Natalie

Vinita

See you back same time tomorrow for another introduction.

Uniko June Release Sneak Peeks

Morning all, hope you had a good weekend.

This week Bev is introducing a new stamp and a trio of fabuluos and versatile stencils, here's a little bit of a sneak peek for you.

First up is this addition to the Background Block stable.

Regulars will perhaps recognise this style of stamp from a couple of other releases. The others have proved popular as they create a quick and simple cards.

The next is another of Bev's inventive Ink n Flip stencils that has been in use at a couple of the recent Uniko retreats.

Next up is a layering, floral stencil.

And finally another stencil duo that can be used individually or together to create fabulous all over backgrounds.

That's all for the peeks but I'll be back with Bev and the other BAs tomorrow with the first of our introductions.

All these items will be available from 9am BST Saturday 27th June, see you tomorrow!

Color Hues #135

Hi, were over halfway through June and so it's time for a brand new colour challenge from Color Hues. This time we've gone for a bold colour pairing, here's my take.

I've had this Sizzix die set in my stash for a couple of years without ever using it, so I thought it was time to open it and give it some love. There are quite a few different elements in the set to create a scene but they were a little too large for my A6 format, so I stuck with the picture frame, sofa and rug to make a congratulations on your new home card.

The yellow DPs are ancient, Papermania from my very earliest card making days that have been languishing in my yellow paper drawer, this was the perfect opportunity to use them! First I die cut the sofa from kraft and black, then the cushion from yellow DP. These were then layered up, having first removed the black legs to reveal the kraft ones. The New Home pic was made by stamping a Pink and Main sentiment and adding some foliage freehand with my Zig markers, with some gold card for the frame. I almost forgot the rules and went with green but stopped in time and used a neutral khaki colour! 

The scene was added to a die cut white panel with a pencil line drawn across to mark the join between floor and wall. The sofa was added over the rug on pads and the framed sentiment added flat. A Sugar Pea sentiment in matching Memento London Fog completes.

So where will the colours take you, the team and GDs have come up with some great ideas here.

Looking forward to seeing your makes in the gallery!

Veg Patch

Morning all, an other month has flown by, so it's time for a brand new challenge over at Cardz4Guyz.

This time we would like to see your MASCULINE cards designed on the theme of:-

GARDENS and GARDENING

When I saw the theme, I knew straightaway which stamp I would be using, Lili of the Valley's Veg Plot! Here's my design.

After stamping and colouring with Copic markers, I fussy cut the image and then went looking for a layout. In the end I used one of my old cards and a leftover panel from cutting out a postage stamp style panel, waste not want not! My DP in the background is NitWits, my leftover scrap was just a tad too small so I ended up printing off another 8"x 8" panel to use here.

The DP was glued flat to an A6 note card and the frame and image added with foam pads. A scrap of twine and a LOTV tag sentiment complete the card. 

So what will you come up with, we're all waiting to see what you post to the C4G gallery. If you want more inspiration, there's lots more on the theme over on the C4G blog page here.

Joining in over at:-

 

Color Hues #134

Is it June already? Mind you the last week has dragged somewhat, we're not used to such high temps limiting what you can do. At times like this I can hear my Mum say that she was wasting time when it was so hot, I can see her point of view now!

Anyway, I've been playing in the craftroomj and not feeling guilty about it. Here's a card I made for the brand new challenge over at Color Hues.

I found this cute digi from LOTV in my printed off but not coloured box and thought it would fit the new challenge colours, together with a couple of neutrals, grey for the elephant and pale brown for the cushion he sits on. The DP is really ancient and has been sitting in my stash for 20 years plus I think! There's still over half a sheet left, so I must remember to use it! 

After colouring the image with Copics, I fussy cut the image and set it aside. I had a vague idea for a layout and found a die cut panel in my stash which I embossed with an equally ancient Cuttlebug folder. The gingham DP was added to a white note card and then the image was added to the embossed panel before being added to the card base on foam pads. I did think about using a ribbon across the bottom half of the panel but it obscured the text, so I left it off, along with a stamped sentiment which did the same!

So that's it really, but the rest of the team our GD Kim Miller have come up with some fab inspiration, check it out here.

The challenge will be open until June 14th @ 9am EST!

Have fun!

Joining in over at:-

Use stencil and/or EF

I chose EF