June 2021 Stencil Release Sneak Peeks

 Hello & Happy Wednesday! 

Today is a fun and exciting day at Uniko as I get to show you some sneak peeks at some NEW Uniko Stencils that will be joining the growing collection. There are no clear stamps being released this month, BUT you won't have long to wait as there is another release coming in July! 

Anyway, lets get to these sneak peeks...

First up we have the next addition to the Pure Florals Stencils. A few people guessed right with the flower when I shared a peek a while back on my Instagram stories! I'm excited to be building this series in stencil format as I feel it breathes fresh inky life to the stamp sets.

Next up I couldn't resist a new geometric design...

You know how I love a good geometric for masculine cards! Plus they always pair nicely with florals too. So many fun options with this new stencil.

Lastly for this mini stencil release I have bundled these last two peeks together, as that is how they will be sold as a bundle purchase...

You might recognise this too from a popular clear stamp set. I really don't know why it has taken me so long to bring this combination to the stencil range! I have had SO much fun playing with this combination and pairing the with the stamps ;)

Be sure to pop by tomorrow as myself and my awesome Brand Ambassadors start the introductions. Oh, the prettiness and inspiration over the next few days is amazing! 

All will be available for purchase HERE on the website Sunday 20th June at 9am BST. 

Crafty Hugs

 

Brand Ambassador Inspiration - Background Builders: Seeing Stars

 Hi everyone,

Steph here with another Uniko Brand Ambassador Inspiration post and today I am using the Background Builders: Seeing Stars stamp set.

It’s been a while since I inked this lovely set up and today I’ve made three completely different cards to show just how versatile these Background Builders sets are.

My first card is one for the children and a pocket shaker card. I’ve used a combination of large and small stars to create a background which I have given a watercolour wash and coloured with alcohol markers. I secured the acetate on three sides at the back of the stamped panel before adding the sequins and beads. I then closed off the fourth side and attached to the card blank using foam tape. All sentiments used on these cards are from the Uniko Anniversaire Arts Decoratifs stamp set.

With my next card I have tried to create the look of a parcel by using the long star stamps in a crisscross and adding the large stamped stars to mimic a bow or topper. Finally I have added a tag with the sentiment.

For my last card I kept the design simple but added Wow! Fab Foil for a touch of luxury. I think the teal looks great against the dark grey card. 

Hopefully I’ve given you some ideas to go off and ink up a Background Builders stamp of your own. There are a number of shapes available now the range so the possibilities are endless.

Much love

Steph x

Mixed Media Monday - Guest Brand Ambassador Trish Latimer

 Happy Monday & Shiny New Week! 

Today I am bring a new feature to the blog and a theme that from an Instagram poll not long ago revealed that many of you would like to see more of, Mixed Media. As you know I lean towards clean & simple, but it is a style I dabble in now and then. More so when I was lucky enough to have a feature in Craft Stamper magazine. This of which leads me nicely to introducing our Guest Brand Ambassador to kick off this feature. Please give a warm Uniko welcome to Trish Latimer.

I'm Trish Latimer, full time mixed media artist. Former editor of Craft Stamper, current addict of all things painty! You can usually find me in my studio covered in paint, glue and very occasionally glitter too......

www.instagram.com/trishlatimerart

For this art panel, I scraped some texture paste through the Wonky Stripes Stencil and let it dry. Creating the rainbow is great fun, although a little messy! I used acrylic inks, but paint will work too. Simply add a small dot of colour, then spray with water. The colour will move around, giving a washed out look. The important thing to remember is to make sure each colour is dry before adding the next, otherwise you'll end up with a muddy mess. 

Once the rainbow was done, I added splats of white paint and the stamped words. This panel was glued to a wooden box frame, but of course this effect can be done as a flatter project, in an art journal or as a greetings card front.

Another art panel, but a totally different look! This one is a much more pastel affair. I painted pieces of card in my chosen colour scheme (of course you can use ready coloured card!) and then white embossed lots of designs all over them. I drew a scallop shaped template, and used this to cut down my card. Each identical scallop nesting underneath the next. 

I used the diamond shaped stamps from Background Builders Delightful Diamonds as the flower 'petals', white embossing those, cutting them put and then gluing them together. The flower stem was created by wrapping white cord around a bamboo skewer, then trimming to size. 

Again, I put this panel onto a wooden box frame for display, but the idea is another than can be easily transferred to cards!

WOW! Are you picking your jaw up off the floor like I am right now? 

Trish had no idea what products I was sending and has created two fabulous mixed media projects with completely different feels and I am inspired by them both. I am loving the rainbow colours and dimension of the first card and texture paste is something I always neglect to use but the results like Trish has achieved is amazing. Then we have the soft pastel shades with beautiful white embossing and creative flower making on the second. 

I hope you have enjoyed todays feature and a big THANK YOU to Trish for inspiring us all. 

Crafty Hugs

 

Stencil Sunday - Mini Uniko Logo Three Ways

 Hello & Happy Sunday.

I hope you are all well and that you are enjoying a relaxing, sunny Sunday. I have been so grateful for this warm and sunny weather this week, it has lifted my mood no end and has made half term more fun and bearable - haha! 

The weather has also inspired me to create and with The Beans going to the grandparents one afternoon I was able to squeeze in some card making in-between admin. I was drawn to giving the Mini Uniko Logo stencil some love as I have been getting SUPER organised for upcoming events and celebrations.

Anyway, more of that another time, lets see what I got up to...

For this first card I stencilled the Uniko flower in pink and fussy cut it out. It's been sat on my desk for ages and simply needed a layout to sit on. Having seen Jane's inspiration post HERE scheduled and seeing the Background Block Pinstripe used, I was inspired to use it too. 

I love these Background Blocks as they are so useful in creating a backdrop of interest really quickly! I popped the flower onto the card with foam adhesive and as I need some thank you cards I selected the thank you sentiment from Simply Said Blocks II. 

As you can see I was inspired by the Uniko brand colours and this lead nicely onto my second card today. Which combines the stencil with Flower Power #3 clear stamp set.

Here I used Altenew ink, Volcano Lake to stencil the background of pretty Uniko flowers. Honestly this background makes me so happy. I then stamped the outline flower and stem from Flower Power #3 , fussy cut and adhered to my small 10.5 cm square stencilled card. 

Again I used the same thank you sentiment from Simply Said Blocks II and added a few rhinestone gems to accent the design. It's been a while since I used rhinestones and I've missed them, haha! 

For my last card today I wanted to try out a layering idea I had in my head. I think it came out pretty close to what I had imagined.

This time I used Distress Oxide Inks in Salvaged Patina for the lower Uniko flower and then Peacock Feathers for the uppermost flower. Again the same sentiment stamped in Picked Raspberry and this time I used a coloured base card.

I hope you have enjoyed todays little feature, its was certainly nice to get inky and breathe new creative life into the Flower Power #3 set that has been neglected. Be sure to pop in on the blog tomorrow for the first in a new regular feature and so much fun coming up this month too! 

That's all from me, until next time. 

Crafty Hugs

 

BA Inspiration - One, Two Or Three Florals?

 Hi!

It's Jane here today with a question for you. Take a look at my trio of mini slimline cards and let me know your answer - one, two or three florals, which do you prefer?

As a CAS crafter I created my first card using the gorgeous Beautiful Blooms I  and combined it with the Background Blocks Pinstripe stamp. I stamped the pinstripes down the centre of a mini slimline size card and then die cut the floral stamped in blue - shocking not purple!

Then I decided to try it with two of the florals. And yes this time I did give in and used both purple and pink! So same card design using the same sentiment from Floral Vines cut into a banner.

And look what happened next! I went completely overboard and added a third floral into the mix. Still pretty much the same card design, but I had to move up the sentiment and there wasn't room to have it on a banner.

So there you go! Have you got an answer? I look forward to finding out.

Apart from anything else I hope my cards show you what an amazing investment Uniko stamps are as they can be used over and over to create many different cards.

Thanks so much for looking today.

Stay safe and keep crafting!

Jane x

Uniko Challenge Reminder #65 - Anything Goes + optional twist Use Die Cuts

Hey!

The Uniko Brand Ambassadors are here today to remind you about the May/June 2021 Uniko challenge.

Challenge Guidelines:

* You can use any products/stamps to enter the challenge, but we do LOVE to see you use your Uniko products. Plus, there is an extra chance to win a prize if you do ;)

* Email entries welcome, just email a photo of your card to bev@uniko.co.uk and I will add it to the Uniko Flickr gallery and link up!

* Share the challenge graphic in your post and link back to the challenge if possible ;)

We're delighted to welcome back Elaine as our Guest Designer for this reminder post.

A gorgeous card design showcasing the You Are, Yes You stamp set. Isn't that just a fabulous card design? 

Now for a look at how the Uniko Brand Ambassadors have been inspired by this challenge.

Bev

(Coming Soon!)

Hannelie

Izzy 

Jane 

Julie

Rahmat

Steph

Wiebke

Now, if you need more incentive to play along with the challenge here are the details of the prizes.  

THE PRIZES

• Main Winner Chosen By The Brand Ambassadors - £15 eGift Certificate
• Random Twist Winner - £5 eGift Certificate
• Random Uniko Stamps Winner - £5 eGift Certificate
• Top 3 Chosen By The Brand Ambassadors - 150 Loyalty Reward Points

There is plenty of time to join and play along with this challenge. 

The deadline for submission is midnight (GMT) on Friday 25th June 2021.

Hugs,

ElaineElaine

Brand Ambassador Inspiration - Bonne Fête Maman

 Bonjour !

Izzy here. I know that for most of you, Mother's Day has already passed. But here, in France, it is today!

So I had the chance to see on blogland beautiful cards for this occasion and Yana Smakula's ones particularly caught my attention.

So I decided to CASed her card with the Uniko's products.

 

I stamped, several times, the different layers (except the outlines) of the flower from the Beautiful Blooms III stamp set on white card stock and in two shades : yellow and pink. I fussy cut them and kept them aside. I did the same thing with the foliage.

On a soft pink card stock, I stamped the letters from the Alphabet Outlined set with a pink ink then I lightly brushed the bottom of the letters with the same ink. Then I fussy cut them.

I cut a panel of wood pattern white card stock and I flat adhered it on a double grey slimline card. 

To finish, I put everything together. Once I found the ideal placement of the different elements, I foam mounted them on the card, starting by the "maman" letters.

So this is the card that my mother received yesterday for Mother's Day and she loved it. I hope you will love it too.

That's all for me today. Thanks so much for stopping by. Take care and give your Uniko's products some love !