Clean & Simple Floral Celebration

Happy Wednesday.

Another week is zooming by, but I was determined to squeeze in a little creative time and give some inky love to the Stencil - Ink & Flip Layering Flower. 

It's been ages since I joined in on a card making challenge and today as my creative mojo had taken a wander a couple of challenges came to my rescue! 

Firstly I used CAS Colours & Sketches current sketch for the layout of my card. You can see the sketch HERE and below.

I then decided to use a challenge for my colour choice today and so I went to AAA Colourful for inspiration. Seen HERE and below.

I used Concord & 9th Sweet Pea and Dragonfruit for the stencilling and I added some Cranberry Enamel Dots to add a third colour. My sentiment choice is from Simply Said Blocks. 

Short(ish) and sweet from me today, thanks for stopping by.

Crafty Hugs

Stencil Sunday - Layering Bauhaus Blocks

Happy Sunday.

A late post from me today, but I squeezed in a little crafty time this afternoon and couldn't wait to share what I made. It's been ages since I took inspiration from a card challenge, but when I saw the current CAS Colours & Sketches Layout HERE and seen below I was inspired to ink up the Stencil - Layering Bauhaus Blocks, which is due back in the studio tomorrow.

Here's what I came up with...

I started by die cutting 3 small squares,  they are roughly 3cm square. I then masked off each of the Bauhaus blocks on the stencil I wanted to use and went through each layer using Altenew inks Mangrove Root, Sea Forest and Marshland from the Natures Wonders collection.

I used the line stamp from Background Builders Classics and stamped it in the lightest shade, Misty Moor from the same ink collection. The sentiment is from Bauhaus Blocks and I used foam adhesive to secure the squares in place and also adhere the panel to my base card. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Crafty Hugs

Throwback Thursday and Last Chance!

 Hello & Happy Thursday! 

Today I am doing a little reminiscing with a throwback Thursday. 

Unfortunately, the time has come to say farewell to a couple of clear stamp sets. I never find this easy and it really does take me a while to let them go. BUT, as much as I do love these sets, trends change, just like the seasons AND there is always so much newness around the corner.

So what are we saying farewell to? 

Decorative Doilies - The Hands Of Time

Firstly it is with a heavy heart we are saying farewell to Decorative Doilies - The Hands Of Time. This stamp set holds a special place in my heart. I originally designed elements of this set at college while studying for my degree in Textiles and Surface Design. 

This set is closely connected to the two clear stamps I launched Uniko with back in February 2012, Today, Tomorrow and Always Time and Today, Tomorrow and Always Extra Time. These sets were designed for my final major project and I poured hours of research, drawing and designing into them as I learned Adobe Illustrator. 

Here are a couple of my favourite cards made using this set. You can see more on Pinterest HERE.

And for old times sake, I have a fresh card to share with you using this set...

Yep, I am still on that slimline card band wagon! However, I was inspired by the new sketch over at CAS Colours & Sketches seen HERE and below for the layout of my card. They have also requested it to be slimline.

The sketch was perfect for using lots of the doilies from the set. The hardest part was selecting which largest doily to showcase as the main feature. 

I knew I wanted this card to be super colourful, so I opted for this one as I love colouring it in rainbow! I love how it turned out. I used a selection of Stampin' Up! markers to colour the doily and then I used some of the coordinating inks to stamp the backdrop of doilies. I used all but two doilies for this card. 

The sentiment is from Simply Said Blocks III and I added some enamel gems to add the final touches. I know this won't be the last time I ink up these stamps. They will forever remain a firm favourite. Especially when it comes to quick sparkling Christmas cards. However, it will probably be the last card I make and share here on the blog using it.

The next stamp set we are bidding farewell to is...

Background Builders - Vines 

This is another stamp set from the early years of Uniko, April 2014 to be exact! Here are a few of my favourites using this set. And you can see more HERE on Pinterest.

And a close up of a different card 

And again, for old times sake, a new one...

It's funny how you don't use a stamp set or product for a long time, but when you finally ink it up and start creating a whole host of ideas come to mind! 

For this card I selected one of the long leafy stamps to create this garland across my card. I then stamped a variety of the tiny flowers in a selection of inks. I tried to choose colours with an autumn feel, but it came out pretty summery.

You might recognise some of the flower designs from the Flower Power series. Don't worry those aren't retiring just yet, they'll be about for a while longer. The sentiment I have used is from Floral Vines.

So that's it, my Throwback Thursday and a farewell to these two stamp sets. It's been lovely looking back and I know for sure these early stamp sets will always have a special place in my heart and crafting stash. 

There are still some available on the website HERE at bargain prices, waiting for a loving inky home.  Once they are gone the product will be removed from the website 😢 

That's all from me today.

Crafty Hugs

 

Marvellous Mehndi Monday!

 Hello & Happy Monday!

I hope your week has started off marvellous. Today I was inspired to create a card using Marvellous Mehndi clear stamp set. I shared this graphic seen below which I created a while back using an image from a card I had made using the stamp set combined with the coordinating Stencil - Mehndi Mandala. It's been so long since I used this stamp set, that it sparked some creative mojo.

I'm getting better at stepping outside of my regular 10.5 x 14 cm size cards and opting for slimline. I think this large mandala in the set lends itself well to these larger card canvases. 

For my colour choice I was inspired by the colours over at CAS Colours & Sketches seen HERE and below. I've had these Stampin' Up! In Colours on my desk for ages, they were just waiting for the right project!

My sentiment is a mix from Doodle Flowers and Simply Said Blocks III. I think these combine really well and who doesn't want to receive a card saying this?

I'm a busy bee in the studio this week, so much fun in the pipeline and I can't wait to share it with you!. But for now you will just have to trust me on that  - haha! Okay, I best get on an get these Beans to bed, so I can have a bit of chill time too 😉 

Thanks for stopping by today. 

Crafty Hugs

 

No Tricks, Just Treats - Happy Halloween!

 Happy Weekend 

&

 Happy Halloween!

I know not everyone celebrates the occasion, but with the way 2020 has panned out so far, I think we all deserve some treats ;) So in celebration I have a couple of offers on the Uniko website...

FREE Worldwide Shipping is usually only on orders of £50 or more, so I've reduced the minimum spend by half. Also, if you spend over £30 you can choose an in stock Uniko Stencil for FREE! 

What's not to love about these treats?! 

Be quick as they end tomorrow Sunday 1st November 2020 at Midday GMT.

I managed to squeeze in a little creative time too and made this Autumnal card using Natures Treasures II and my all time favourite Happy Birthday from Simply Said Blocks.

I'm still crushing on these Concord & 9th inks and used a couple more colours I'd not tried yet. The layout of my card is also inspired by the current CAS Colours & Sketches challenge seen HERE and below.

I did mark out the centre of my card & a line at the top to leave a border and then just stamped the leaves in various Autumnal colours. I decided to add a few berries in Cranberry ink using the trio of berries from Rustic Wreath.

A quick & simple card, that I am rather pleased with. Plus, it was nice to get inky and creative too ;) I hope you all have a lovely fun, chocolate, sweet filled day! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Crafty Hugs Bev x

CAS Colours & Sketches #302 - Seasonal Sketch

Hey!

Oh my! I am running terribly behind this week on all areas of life :( I'm finally here with my final DT card for CAS Colours & Sketches. It's been a blast being on the DT and I will miss being part of a wonderful team. However, my life is so busy at the moment, something had to give.

Anyway, the countdown to Christmas has begun and over at CAS Colours & Sketches the Design Team are getting into the festive spirit too. This week the challenge HERE is to choose a sketch from 2018 and make it seasonal.

I chose to use the colours from challenge #295 seen HERE and below...

And here is how it festive...

I LOVE snowflakes! With all the talk of the possibility of snow this weekend and having recently purchased The Stamp Market Snowflake Die, I had to put it to use! 

I die cut the snowflake from some left over sparkly card (Stampin' Up! I think) and paired it with some heat embossed snowflakes from Background Builders: Christmas and the 'Let it Snow' sentiment from Simply Said Blocks Christmas. For good measure and simply because I love the stuff, I added some Simply White Gloss Nuvo Drops!

There is still time to join in on this last CC&S challenge for 2018 and there is more inspiration from the CC&S Design Team over HERE. Be sure to check out which colour combo they've all chosen to make seasonal :) I look forward to seeing you in the gallery and happy festive CAS card making! 

Hugs

CAS Colours & Sketches #301 - Seasonal Colours

Hello December!

The countdown to Christmas has begun and over at CAS Colours & Sketches the Design Team are getting into the festive spirit too. This week the challenge HERE is to choose a colour combo from 2018 and make it seasonal.

I chose to use the colours from challenge #264 seen HERE and below...

And here is how I made them festive...

I recently purchased the Tree Shaker die from Pretty Pink Posh and I couldn't wait to get using it! I decided to make a non shaker card and combine it with Background Builders Christmas 2018. I am just loving the Christmas fairy light trend and can't stop using this stamp either ;)

I stamped it on a white mat layer in VersaFine Onyx Black ink, used my Stampin' Up! markers in the colours I chose to colour the bulbs and then added some White Blizzard Glitter Nuvo Drops, another favourite! 

The tree is adhered to the card using foam adhesive and then the panel adhered to the card using foam adhesive too. 

This is my second to last Design Team post for CAS Colours & Sketches, as I took the decision to step down once we had finished the challenges for 2018 :( I am sad to be leaving, as it has been fun. But my time is needed in other areas of Uniko ;)

Anyway, there is more inspiration from the CC&S Design Team over HERE. Be sure to check out which colour combo they've all chosen to make seasonal :) I look forward to seeing you in the gallery and happy festive CAS card making! 

Hugs

CAS Colours & Sketches #300 - Sketch & Happy Birthday CC&S!

Hey!

Happy 6th Birthday CAS Colours & Sketches!

This month at CAS Colours & Sketches our hostess is Patricia, the challenge owner.  This week Patricia has created a sketch for the Birthday week seen HERE and below...

And here is how I used the sketch...

I thought most people would go with the obvious of balloons for a birthday card, so I thought I'd be a little different and opted for celebratory stars. I used Background Builders: Seeing Stars clear stamp set paired with a *new* sentiment from one of the upcoming December Release clear stamp sets! 

The solid stars on my white layer are stamped in Altenew inks, Coral Berry, Warm Sunshine & Aqualicious. I then stamped the star with the linear detail in VersaFine Onyx Black ink and coloured some of the sections using Stampin' Up! Stampin' Blends and added glitter to the non coloured section. These are then fussy cut and adhered to the card using 1mm thick foam adhesive.

It wouldn't be a birthday celebration without a gift! 

Uniko is super proud to be the sponsor of this CAS Colours & Sketches Birthday Sketch Challenge!

As long as you meet the requirements of the challenge (see the challenge rules HERE). One lucky winner will receive an in stock stamp set (any value) of their choosing from the Uniko website HERE.

That's all from me today, I hope that I have inspired you to join in on the challenge?! If you need a little more inspiration, pop on over HERE to see what the CC&S Design Team have created.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs

CAS Colours & Sketches #299 - Colours

Hey!

This month at CAS Colours & Sketches our hostess is Patricia, the challenge owner.  This week is colour week HERE and seen below...

And here is how I decided to use them...

I'm still 'trying' to build up my stash of Christmas cards! I know I need to be sending them out soon, especially to those across the pond and beyond! 

The layout of my card uses the current sketch over at CAS(E) this Sketch! seen HERE and below and I love how my card turned out ;)

I used my current go to favourites of Winter Foliage and Simply Said Blocks Christmas. The sentiment is adhered using foam adhesive and I added some white dot detail using Nuvo Drops to the berries.

That's all from me today, I hope thatI have inspired you to join in on the challenge?! If you need a little more inspiration, pop on over HERE to see what the CC&S Design Team have created.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs