Uniko's January Release in Review Blog Hop .......

Good morning ......... Happy Thursday

Can you believe we're almost at the end of January already ...... that went fast!!
It has been a busy month though, what with birthday celebrations and Blog Hops, Blog challenges and new releases, and a few evenings out here and there ..... Burns Night was fun last weekend.
Oh! and we've booked another holiday, more about that some other time ..... I'm so excited!!

Fancy some Blog Hop fun?
Bev and the Uniko Brand Ambassadors are having a Release in Review Blog Hop.  
We're taking another look at the gorgeous new stamps released earlier this month .....

Did you have a favourite?   I think mine was Hello Lovely ..... that beautiful peony spray. 

Here I've used it with Kraft card to create a pretty card and matching gift tag.

I heat embossed the image in white, slightly off the edges of my piece of card (I do love white on Kraft)

I then used Copic markers to add colour to the image, taking care not to get too much ink onto the white embossing.  I did find that if I did, a quick wipe over with a piece of paper towel and a bit of hand sanitiser removed it.

I added a little bit of shading around the edges with Distress Oxide ink, and a few splatters of white paint onto the background to add a bit more interest.

The sentiment is from the new You Are ..... Outlined Sentiments set, finished off with a tiny heart from BIG & BOLD Love

If you're sending a gift with your card it's nice to add matching tag, I think it makes it makes it a little bit more special don't you.

And it's a great way of using up all those leftover pieces of card!

My second card was so quick and easy to do.  As February is almost here, with Valentines Day just around the corner, the re-release of the Always & Forever set is perfect.

I don't seem to do Valentine cards these days but, I couldn't resist using this set ........

As I said, quick and easy but, it says it all!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.

As this is a Blog Hop there's a fabulous prize up for grabs.  One lucky hopper will receive the stamp sets Hello Lovely and You Are Outlined Sentiments.  All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is complete the Blog Hop, and comment along the way. 
You have until midnight on 6th February so there's no rush, and the Winner will be announced on 7th Feb.
Happy hopping!

Bev

Carol 

Hannelie

Izzy 

Jane 

Julie

Linda (that's me)

Rahmat

Sarah

Wiebke

Cheerio until next time .....

Products used:
Card 1
Stamps: Hello Lovely, You Are Outlined Sentiments, BIG & BOLD Love (Uniko)
Inks: Versamark ink; Distress Oxide Ink - Aged Mahogany; 
Other: Kraft card; White Fine Detail Embossing Powder (WOW!); Copic Markers; White Acrylic paint, 

Card 2
Stamps: Always & Forever (Uniko)
Inks: Distress Oxide ink - Candid Apple; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

Happy 30th Birthday Chris ........ (now that makes me feel old!)

Happy Friday folks ........

It's the end of the week ...... finally,  and the start of a busy weekend.

First off, it's Christopher's birthday today ...... Happy 30th!!!!

Not quite sure where those years have gone .... I don't feel old enough to have a 30 year old son!!!  Well, maybe some days I do

We're off out this evening to celebrate .... although he doesn't know anything about it ..... it's a surprise (fingers crossed he hasn't decided to start reading my blog!!!)

Before all that though, I'm over on the Uniko Blog today, with my monthly Brand Ambassador Inspiration post.

I've been using the Uniko BIG & BOLD Happy stamp set, and the matching dies, to create a couple of colourful, fun birthday designs.  If you have the time, pop by and take a look.
How about this one for today's birthday boy .....

Not sure if he's happy at being 30 or not ...... that's why I've camoflagued the numbers.  Hope he likes his card!!

Thanks for popping by .... enjoy the rest of your day and have a lovely weekend.

As I've said we're out tonight ...... food and a few drinks.  It won't be a late one for me though, I'm off up north tomorrow for a crafty day with the girls.  It's our first get together of 2020 so we've a lot to catch up on.
Then tomorrow evening hubby and I are off out again ...... it's Burn's Night at our favourite eatery!  We'll be piping in the haggis (well, Roy the chef will), and downing the odd dram or two no doubt.

Cheerio until next time ......

Products used:

Stamps: BIG & BOLD Happy stamp set (Uniko); Big Birthday Greetings (Simon Says Stamp)

Inks: Distress Oxide Inks - Blueprint Sketch, Mustard Seed; Versfine Clair - Nocturne

Other: Large number dies (Stampin Up!)

Uniko new release .......

Good morning .......

Well, the weekend is finally here, and I've got a great way to get your Saturday started ...... how about treating yourself to something new for your craft stash.

It's Release Day today, for the first of this year's new stamp releases from Uniko. 
There's FOUR brand new, gorgeous designs .......

AND ....... a re-release of an old favourite

As always Bev and the Uniko Brand Ambassadors are having a Blog Hop and Giveway to celebrate.
Join in the fun and you could win the ENTIRE new release.

I've been playing with just one of the new stamp sets  ...... Hello Lovely.  A pretty peony bouquet that comes with lots of words, so you can create sentiments too.
The possibilites for this set are endless, and if you love floral designs, or your passion is colouring then this is perfect for you.
I've got a few samples here to hopefully give you some ideas .......

I've stamped the peonies off the edge of my card, top and bottom, framing the centre and my sentiment

I coloured the flowers using ZIG Markers and a waterbrush ..... nothing fancy just a wash of colour

If you don't like colouring not to worry, use the stamp to create a beautiful all over design on coloured card stock

Heat embossed in gold gives it a pretty, vintage feminine look I think.

It also looks great simply stamped in black ..... there's so mush detail.

I added the colour using a simple circle mask and Distress Oxide Inks ......

If you like to fussy cut your designs then this works well for that too ......

I used coloured pencils this time  ........

And fussy cut the bottom edge before attaching it onto a black cardblank

So, there's just a few ideas for you using the new Hello Lovely.

Follow the Blog Hop and you'll find more fabulous inspiration using the rest of the new release. Your next stop will be Rahmat
If you leave comments along the way, you could be the winner of the ENTIRE new release!!
You have until midnight on the 25th January to leave your comments and the winner will be announced on the Uniko Blog on the 26th ...... Happy Hopping!

Full details of the Blog Hop, and the prize, can be found on the Uniko Blog

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day and have a lovely weekend.

Cheerio until next time .....

Products used:
Stamps: Hello Lovely,  Simply Said Blocks (Uniko)
Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Versamark ink; Distress Oxide inks - Tattered Rose, Abandoned Coral, Seedless Preserves
Others: ZIG Clean Color Brush Markers; Fine Detail Gold Embossing 
Powder (WOW!); Crystal gems; Stickles Glitter Glue; Colouring pencils

Craft Stamper Challenge ..... did someone mention cake?

Hello again ......

Busy day today ....... and it's only 9am!!

It's time to remind you about this month's Craft Stamper Blog Challenge  have you entered yet?

The theme is Anything Goes so it really can be anything you like ...... a card, a journal page, an ATC maybe.  Just remember you MUST include some actual rubber stamping on your project.

The challenge has already been running for a week, but there's still plenty of time left to play along and be in with a chance of winning one of the fab prizes up for grabs ...... more about that later.

Just in case you need a little bit of inspiration, here's a fun idea for a birthday card ...... I need so many in January!

Cupcakes are always welcome ...... especially chocolate ones!

I stamp the cupcake image onto a piece of white cardstock, heat embossed with a clear powder, and then fussy cut it.

I used ZIG markers to colour in the actual cupcake and the strawberry on the top, and the cream on the cake I painted with a white pearlescent paint and just a touch of pink marker blended in.
A few dots of glitter glue here and there add a touch of sparkle.

I stamped the sentiment on a scrap of card and used a die to cut it out and then attached it to the back of my cupcake

I cut a piece of black cardstock to fit the front of a 7x5 inch card blank, and splattered it using gold and silver inks

To add a bit more fun to the card I used a Wobbler to attach the cupcake so that it moves .......

Check out more inspiration and ideas from the rest of the Design Team on the Craft Stamper Blog today and then join in the fun.  You could win one of the fabulous prizes on offer. 

We have TWO winners each month ...... a Design Winner chosen by the DT, from all of the eligible challenge entries.  The prize for that is a double page spread in Craft Stamper magazine featuring the winning project, a Winner's Profile post on the CS Blog and, the chance to be a Guest Designer on a future challenge ..... not bad eh!

Winner number two is randomly chosen, again from all the eligible entries and they receive the Blog Challenge prize.  Look at what's up for grabs for the January challenge ........ I wouldn't mind winning that little bundle! 

So ..... get stamping!!

Thanks for popping by ..... have a great day, and a fabulous weekend.

Cheerio until next time ......

Products used:
Stamps: Sweet Friend Cupcake (BIG & BOLD collection Colorado Craft Company); Cupcakes (Hero Arts) - for the sentiment
Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Delicata Golden Glitz & Silvery Shimmer inks for the splatters
Others: Fine Detail Clear Embossing Powder (WOW!); ZIG Clean Color Brush Markers; White Pearlescent paint; Stitched Oval Nesting Dies (Stampin Up!)

Uniko Challenge #57 .......

Good morning!

Happy Friday folks.  The weekend is almost here .... yeah!!
Happy Birthday to Lauren too ..... my little girl is 28 today! Where does the time go!?

I've got another blog challenge for you this morning. 
It's time to launch Challenge #57 from Uniko .......

 
The theme is Anything Goes, and there's an optional twist to use Cool Winter Colours

I've gone with the twist, and used Distress Oxide inks to colour the background.

I started out by stamping the beautiful peony onto a piece of white cardstock, and heat embossed the images in white.

If you look closely you'll see I didn't use an anti-static bag on the card before stamping, so there's a little bit of white embossing where there shouldn't be ........ do as I say and not as I do.  I should take my own advice occasionally!!!  
Anyway ..... starting at the bottom, I blended various colours of DOX inks over the card, covering  over the embossing.

This technique never gets old ..... the heat embossing acts as a resist to the ink so, once you've finished blending the colours you just give the embossed images a gentle wipe over with a paper towel to remove any excess ink, and the white just pops through the colour ..... easy!

A simple stamped sentiment, and a few tiny gemstones add the finishing touches

You have until midnight (GMT) on Friday 21st February to play along with the challenge so there's plenty of time.
Check out more inspiration from the rest of the Design Team over on the Uniko Blog.  You'll also find all the challenge details on there too.

Have fun!

Thanks for popping by .... enjoy the rest of your day.
If you love your Uniko stamps then watch out this weekend .... there's a brand new release on the way.  Bev has already been sharing sneaky peeks on FB and introducing some of the new designs on the Uniko Blog so you may already have a shopping list.

The new release will be available on the Uniko website at 9am (GMT) tomorrow morning (Saturday) and if you like your floral stamps then there's a beauty in the new collection ......... just saying!

Cheerio until next time .........

Products used:
Stamps: Pure Florals - Peony; Simply Said Blocks (Uniko)
Inks: Distress Oxide Inks - Faded Jeans, Stormy Sky, Bundled Sage, Antique Linen, Weathered Wood; Versamark ink; Versafine Clair - Nocturne
Others: Fine Detail White Embossing Powder (WOW!); Small Clear Gemstones

A CAS reminder ........

Happy Wednesday .......

If you're a fan of the CAS Blog Challenges ....... that's Mix Up, Watercolour, Christmas or CAS Stencil, then you've probably noticed that we're doing things a little differently for the mid challenge reminder posts.
Starting this month,  ALL of the inspiration posts for the four CAS challenges, will all be going live on the same day ....  which is today!
For me that means that I have two posts in one.

First up ........ the CAS Mix Up Challenge where the theme this month is

Partial Die Cutting

This really was simple to do and I think you could do this with virtually any of your metal dies.

I cut a piece of white card to fit the front of my cardblank then simply stamped the flowers in the centre..... ish.

I then placed the matching die over the top, securing it with low tack tape.
Because I only want to die cut part of the image, I made sure that the bit I didn't want to cut was over the edge of my cutting plates, this mean't there would be no pressure on this part when it actually went through the machine, therefore the die wouldn't cut around that part of the image.
I simply took a craft knife and a ruler to cut away the rest of the bottom section.

I attached a piece of black cardstock to the bottom of my card, to make the die cut edge stand out more, and then attached the die cut piece over the top using foam pads

I'm using up leftovers again ..... something I'm trying to do more of this year.  You can't see my desk at the moment for stuff left over from one thing or another.  When I get a spare minute I'm going to have a really good clean up!!!

I finished off my card with a simple sentiment a few sparkly gemstones

Onto the CAS Stencil Challenge now, where the theme is

Use a New Stencil

This could be a brand new stencil that you've just bought, one that's only just been released or, maybe a stencil that you've had for a while and it's never been used ..... I'm sure we all have lots of those!

Not sure when I bought my stencil, I found it in my box of NBUS (Never Before Used Stuff!) ..... isn't it pretty!

I applied various colours of  Distress Oxides through the design

Added a few ink splatters onto the background ......

And stamped a sentiment over the top ...... stencils make one layer cards so simple to do.

I added a touch of fine crystal glitter to the flowers, just to give things a bit of sparkle

There's still time if you fancy playing along with any, or all, of the CAS challenges.  I look forward to seeing you in the gallery.

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.
These arrived this morning ........ haven't told Alex yet but Lauren's been round to check them over!
19 weeks on Friday ....... not that I'm counting!

Cheerio until next time .......

Products used:
CAS Mix Up card
Stamps: Just for You (Clearly Besotted) with Matching Die
Inks: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Delicata - Golden Glitz & Silvery Shimmer for the splatters ont he black card
Others: Just For You Die (Clearly Besotted); Gold gemstones

CAS Stencil card
Stencils: Stencil #73  Bouquet (ALL & Create)
Stamps: Sentiment is from Beautiful Heart (Penny Black 'T' for Transparent)
Inks: Distress Oxide Ink - various colours; Delicata Gold & Silver inks for the splatters; Versafine Clair - Nocturne
Others: Quickie Glue pen; Fine crystal glitter