Friday Focus - Balloon Stencil and a Reminder

Morning all, Julie here with reminder that you still have time to join in at Uniko's FB VIP Challenge where the theme is

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

What says happy birthday more than balloons, so when my daughter asked me to make a card for her dance teachers 50th this is what I came up with.

On a panel of white card I inked an array of balloons using Balloon Bash stencil and some rainbow colours of Distress Oxides. I chose, Squeezed Lemonade, Spiced Marmalade, Salty Ocean, Twisted Citron, Wilted Violet, and Picked Raspberry. I filled the 5 x 7" white panel with an array of different balloons, overlapping them to create a sense of depth. Once complete, I splattered some water over the top and lifted it off with a clean paper towel to create the effect of confetti. There is a stencil to create the balloon strings but I prefered to add them freehand with a black fineliner pen. 

On a scrap of black card I stamped the 50 Sensational Years with one of Bev's earliest releases, Classic Numbers in Versamark and embossed with white EP. It was then trimmed to create a banner and added to my now trimmed down panel. Happy birthday from the Doodle Flowers set was stamped above and the finished panel added to a 5 x 7" white card base.

Judging by the photos on FB, the old classmates had a fabulous time, as did the birthday girl!

So if you've made a birthday card using Uniko products, why not share it on the Uniko VIP FB page for a chance to win £15 to spend in store.

You've got until June 11th to join in!

Happy crafting

xx

 

Brand Ambassador Inspirations : Summer cards

  Hello everyone!

Happy Wednesday!

Fill up a drink and let toast to the Summertime!

Vinita here, Today's card inspirations are full of summer and sunshine! I made two cards showcasing Monstera Leaves in summery colors and sunny mood. I am showcasing super trendy technique of contemporary art - abstract collages!

First card

The soft pastel hues of the summer sun along with circle is the inspiration of this card. I love how this circle created a landing spot for smaller stamped leaves.

To create this look, I stamped the circle from the Background Builders: Round in circle stamp set using Memento rose bud ink and to achieve the soft color impact, I re-stamped the image using Frost white pigment ink on it. Then I stamped the Paradise leaves in black and soft lemon color. In between the top two leaves I created a summer sun in soft yellow using the little part of the circle image directly.

The sentiment is from the Sunshine & Rainbows stamp set. The completed panel attached to the light cream color panel using double tape.

For this CAS card, I created a simple stroked panel by dragging my Memento dye ink directly in smoky blue from the top to bottom directly 3- 4 times. I stamped the paradise and monstera leaves straight on the card using both outlined and solid images in sweet plum dye ink and Versafine Onyx black ink.

The sentiment is from the Originally Organic Flower Garden stamp set.

Have a sun-filled day!

Happy crafting!

Birthday Wishes

Happy Tuesday.

This week is my birthday week and I decided to bring all the birthday inspiration. Yesterday I shared this fun Balloon Bash card. You can watch the YouTube short of me making it HERE.

Today, I thought I would share one of the cards that we made during the Uniko and Stampin' Up! Mashup on Saturday.

On this card I paired the Stencil Layering Retro Rainbow with a butterfly from a Stampin' Up! set called Extraordinary Life. The sentiment is from Simply Said Blocks III.

For the three rainbow arches I used SU! Basic Grey. I started by inking light and increased the intensity for each arch. For the butterflies I used Calypso Coral, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo, Poppy Parade, Old Olive, Lost Lagoon and Night of Navy.

I love showing how Uniko products can be paired with other wonderful companies, and I think this turned out pretty well. 

I'll be back with more to share this week, and a special offer too, so stay tunned.

Crafty Hugs

Brand Ambassador Inspiration - Pretty Primroses

Good morning, 

Steph here today with my Brand Ambassador Inspiration and for this one I was inspired by one of my fellow Brand Ambassadors, Julie. I loved her use of the Uniko Spring Botanicals Primrose stamp on her March FB challenge card here so I reached for the stamp set and had a go at creating three very different cards.

For my first card I stamped, coloured and fussy cut the image four times. I wanted this card to look like a planted bed of Primroses.

I really love to see white on Kraft so I stamped and heat embossed the image onto Kraft card and coloured with watercolour pencils. The image hasn't picked up the colours that well as they are a bit stronger than this on the card itself with more gradient of colours. 

Finally I tried my hand at a pocket shaker. I stamped the primrose onto a piece of card before colouring with alcohol markers. I took a piece of acetate which was larger than the card and scored the edges to fold around the back of the card and create a pocket. I added some heart shaped sequins and glitter before fully sealing the acetate on the back of the panel. I adhered this to a blank card base. Using the primrose stamp in the same location I stamped it again onto another piece of card and used a craft knife to cut around the image before stamping the sentiment and adhering over the shaker panel. 

Three completely different styles using the same stamp to hopefully get the creative juices flowing! 

Much love

Steph x

Roses & Birthday Wishes

Hello & Happy Monday.

Today I thought I would share one of the cards that we made at yesterday's Uniko Stamping Retreat at a new venue in Hartlepool.

This card was a hit with the ladies and like me they love this supersize rose.

Along with having the pleasure of inking up this Stencil - Pure Florals Rose again, I dusted off this old 'ghosting' technique. It's such a fun one and give this lovely shadow look. 

I'll be sure to share a video soon of this fun technique, I have another stencil I'd like to try this technique on.

Crafty Hugs

BA Inspiration Pure Florals - Peony

 Good afternoon, Julie here with a little bit of floral watercolour inspiration. Over at Color Hues the colours for the latest challenge are Coral and Green, so I thought I would ink up my large Pure Florals Peony and do some watercolouring with inks. Here is the result.

I used Altenew's Limestone ink stamped onto Mixed Media paper, to create a no line look, then I smooshed some of their other inks onto an acrylic sheet to use for the technique. I used Coral Berry, Grapevine and Coral Bliss for the petals and Olive, Moss and Evergreen for the stem and leaves.

Each petal was painted separately, first with plain water then with the paler Coral Bliss and darker Coral Berry, allowing the water to blend the colours. It's best to paint sections that don't touch one another to reduce the risk of colour bleeding until each section has dried. Some of the lightest areas had virtually no colour and the off white paper showed through to suggest hilights. I repeated the technique for the leaves, using first Olive then Moss.

To create an even greater sense of depth, I went back into the bloom, first with a damp brush, I wet the areas that needed to be in shadow before going in with the Grapevine ink. For the green shading I used the Evergreen ink. Once dry, I fussy cut it out and concentrated on my background. 

I used a Mama Elephant die to cut Eyelet panel from white card, then removed the center with a rectangle die to create a frame. Using the magnets in my Misti, I held the frame and bloom down whilst I placed the greeting from Originally Organic. Once happy with the placement, I removed the frame and bloom and stamped it in Memento London Fog. The frame and bloom were then glued to my A6 white base card.

That's all from me for today, but why not take a moment to try the technique. You don't need watercolour paints, just some dye inks and a paintbrush! You can get really lost in the process, well I know I do!

Keep crafting! 

Technique Tuesday & a Winner!

Happy Tuesday. 

I've just about caught up after Crafterama Gateshead on Sunday and I found time to create a card inspired by my daily walk to the Post Office this week. 

I read or heard some where recently how getting outside can get the creative juices flowing, and that is certainly true this week. The blossom on the trees is in full bloom, beautiful pinks and white. And it got me to thinking how I could translate this onto a card. 

Of course I had to ink up the Stencil Layering Spring Blossom and I am currently obsessed with inking on kraft card stock. 

You can check out the process over on the Uniko YouTube channel HERE.

And now, how about the winner of the March Non Release Hop. I counted up all the comments left across all the Brand Ambassador blogs and social media. The winner was then randomly selected and I am delighted to say the winner is...

Jacqueline @a_word_foryou 

Congratulations! I have sent you a message.

Crafty Hugs

B A inspiration: My Favorite Color Is Rainbow!

  Hello everyone!

Happy Tuesday!

Vinita here today! 

A cute lil' spring pattern came to life using a mix and match of some stamps!

I am obsessed with small rainbow image from the My Favorite Color Is Rainbow Stamp set!

Bring cheer and vibrance to any card with this gorgeous rainbow background! If you are looking for a burst of positivity, colors and happiness, this rainbow-patterned background with blooms will give you just that!

On a textured white panel CS, I stamped the rainbow images in rows along with Florals using Mid Century Modern Florals stamp set,  Then I turned the rainbow image into tortoise, how fun. I used my ZIG clear brushes and stamped the sentiment. 

I hope you enjoyed the outcome!

Happy crafting!

Spring Window

Happy Wednesday. 

Hold onto your Easter bonnets, I'm sharing a card where I dusted off the colouring pencils! Yep, I told you to hold onto them. 

I've actually had this card idea in my head for a while and I just needed to step out of my comfort zone and dust off those pencils. 

I've been following Kit & Clowder for a while and I've been taking a few of their light source tips on board. So I used those to colour this Spring Botanicals Daffodil.

It's far from perfect, but I am pleased how it turned out. Most of all I actually had fun and found it relaxing colouring.

Happy April.

Crafty Hugs

Welcome to the March 2026 Non-Release Brand Ambassador Hop & GIVEAWAY!

Happy Tuesday.

Welcome to the March 2026 Non-Release Brand Ambassador Hop & GIVEAWAY! 

For those of you who are new around these parts I will explain what this post is all about...

Here at Uniko HQ it is just myself behind the screen, blogging, designing, packaging stamps & orders through the Uniko online shop, customer service and all the things in between. I *usually* release new product every other month or so, for a number of reasons, but mainly so I can keep up with everything!

On non - release months like this month I like to set myself and the Brand Ambassadors a challenge to look back at a previously released product and give it some more love. Plus, I think it's always nice to revisit older sets and provide more inspiration and not just from me.

This month I suggested choosing a favourite or favourites from either the January or February 2026 Releases. Let's have a look at what the team have chosen.

Anita

Bev

Izzy

Julie

Natalie

Steph

Vinita

I always love seeing all the different products the Brand Ambassadors have chosen to use, so many wonderful techniques too. 

I know that a lot of clear stamps and stencils are currently out of stock, I have a bunch of restocks coming in the next week - two weeks.

I hope you left some comment love along the way, I will randomly select a comment to win the £20 eGift certificate to spend in store. I will announce the winner on Monday 13th April 2026. 

Crafty Hugs

Friday Florals & A Spring Fling Flash SALE!

Hello! 

It’s Natalie here, today I have some Friday Florals to share with you. 

As you can see I am still loving the modern poinsettia from Season Of Beauty. 

This flower is so versatile and doesn’t it look gorgeous in this rainbow of colour framing this fun sentiment from Background Blocks My Favourite Colour is Rainbow. 

I also need to tell you about the Spring Fling Flash SALE…

From today until Sunday 23:59pm BST you can save 20% on all in stock clear stamp sets in the FLOWER Collection. 

Plus there are two stencil offers… 

£8 Stencils are 3 for £20 AND £5 Stencils are 3 for £12. Discount will show during checkout for qualifying orders. 

Happy shopping & thanks for stopping by! 

Two For Tuesday - Baby Cards

Happy Tuesday.

I'm over on the Uniko YouTube channel again today, this time with a full video HERE. 

I am creating two baby cards using the accent stamps in the Background Blocks My Favourite Colour is Rainbow. You know how I love to maximise those smaller stamps.

Here is a peek at the cards I have made today.

I hope you can join me 😃

Crafty Hugs

Smile, it's Monday!

Happy Monday.

I love a brand new week, and after last week I am ready for a fresh one! And what better way than to start with a Spring card. It was a gorgeous day on Saturday, the sunshine was out, it was warm and a delight to be in the garden, even if it was hard graft. Just one more fence hole to dig out with the jack-hammer! 

Anyway, the sunshine and lighter days inspired my card today... 

I'm quite proud of myself that I chose some colours I wouldn't normally reach for. I started with a Sunflower card base, then I selected Spiced Cider to stamp the diamond detail from Background Builders Delightful Diamonds, plus the tulip from Flower Power #11. 

Of course I used Parsley for the stem & leaves, but in hindsight I should have used Avocado to match the enamel dots. Lastly I used the Smile sentiment from Organic Blooms.

If you fancy watching the process, you can catch it HERE over on the Uniko YouTube channel. 

Before I go today, have you seen the various workshops, aka Uniko Stamping Retreats that are available to book? 

First up I have a new venue here in the North East, The Biz in Hartlepool. This is less than a 5 minute walk from the train station.

Booking is open HERE for Sunday 19th April 2026, 10am-4pm.

Next, I am absolutely delighted to be collaborating with Ruth @ruthgetscrafty for a Uniko and Stampin' Up! Mashup workshop. This fun workshop will combine Uniko and SU! products and you will create a variety of fun and creative projects. 

This workshop is based in Yeadon, Leeds, West Yorkshire.

Booking for this workshop is open HERE for Sunday 9th May 10am-3pm

Last up I have another fun collaboration workshop. This time with the lovely Tracy from Dies to Die For. With the success of last years workshop in Warrington, we have another on Sunday 31st May 2026 10am -3pm. 

Please note the new location of Antrobus, Northwich. Spaces are filling fast and there is less than a handful left! 

Booking is open HERE. 

That's all my new for today, have a wonderful Monday.

Crafty Hugs

Brand Ambassador Inspiration - Floral Friday

Good morning lovely peeps. 

Steph here today with a look at some florals in the stencil form. Using the recent Uniko Ink & Flip Layering Retro Flowers stencil I have created two cards; one using the florals as a background and one where I have fussy cut the florals and teamed them with a couple of other Uniko stencils.

Using both the layering stencils I inked up a full panel of the florals. To this I added a sentiment from the Uniko Organic Blooms stamp set and some cute bee and ladybird toppers.

With the remaining florals I fussy cut them and added them to stems stencilled using the Uniko Layering Flower Fusion stencil, and butterflies created with the Uniko Butterfly Pattern stencil. A little addition of some Nuvo Drops and a sentiment from the Uniko Organic Blooms stamp set to finish the card.

Much love

Steph x

Spring...

Isn't quite in the air today here in the North East of England. 

However, it's the theme of this months Uniko VIP Facebook Group challenge, so that's what I am sharing here too.

I still have lots of fussy cut flowers using the Ink & Flip Layering Retro Flowers Stencil and I am still having fun thinking of ways to use them.

Today I decided to pair them with the stem & leaves from Flower Power 1. And as it is Mother's Day here in the UK at the weekend, I decided to add this sentiment, which is a mix from Everyday Love Sentiments and Everyday Spring Sentiments.

As you can see I stamped the leaves in Parsley ink onto my card base and then adhered the flowers using foam tape. And of course a few enamel dots to the flower centres. 

That's all I have for today. 

Crafty Hugs

Two For Tuesday & WINNERS

Happy Tuesday.

Today is a good day, Spring is in the air, the sun is shining and I have a whole host of winners. But, before I get to the winners I have a couple of cards to share.

Last week I had a lot of fun inking up the newest Ink & Flip Stencil - Layering Retro Flowers in some fun retro inspired colours. I then fussy cut the flowers out and created these two cards.

I cam across THIS card I made many years ago when Birthday Wishes was released. I liked the sentiment framing idea so used that as my inspiration for this card. Some of the flowers are adhered onto my card base using double sided tape and some I have given a little dimension by using foam tape. 

The tiny trio of dots in the centre of the flowers is achieved using an accent stamp from Organic Blooms. This was such a quick card once I had a bunch of fussy cut flowers! 

For my second card today I went with another layout I have used before HERE. I often re-use card layouts as I think it's a good way to get creative if you don't know where to start or you're in a creative slump. 

I used another of the sentiments from Birthday Wishes and this time cascaded the flowers down the card. Again, some are adhered using double sided tape, and some using foam tape. 

I then remembered this little stamp from Balloon Bash that has a trio of tiny flowers. I stamped this along the cascade in Pimento ink and added a little black dot to the centre of each to tie in with the stencilled flowers. 

Such a fun stencil and so many different ways to use the flowers and pairings with previously released Uniko stamps too. Amazingly this stencil is still in-stock, along with all the release bar the Background Blocks Birthday Scramble. This should be back in the next week or so. 

NOW, onto the winners. 

Firstly I apologise for my lateness in announcing a few of these, I seem to have a bit of memory loss these days 🙈

All winners were randomly selected using a random number or name generator. 

💙 First up, I have the winner of the Stencil MCM Baubles giveaway.... Congratulations Vicki P

💙 Next I have the January 2026 Release Day winner.... Congratulations Meghan K

Now for the 14th Birthday Winners.

💙 Grand Prize Giveaway, Win Stamps For a Year.... Congratulations Helen W

💙 Grand Prize Giveaway, Win Stencils For a Year... Congratulations Helen C

💙 14th Birthday Linky Party... Congratulations The Crafty Den (Denise M)

💙 14th Birthday Release Day Hop... tinkerscraft (Sadia A)

Congratulations to the winners, thank you to all who took the time to hop, comment and take part in the celebrations. 

Thank you to the Uniko Brand Ambassadors for all their inspiration and for all the lovely customer orders too.

Crafty Hugs