Uniko Studio Brand Ambassador Inspiration~Inspired by Bev...You're My Super Hero

Hello,

Carol here, warmly welcoming you to my Uniko Brand Ambassador post.  I'll be frank: my creativity is running on empty, even though I'm still making cards. Essentially, I'm defaulting to what I do in missing-mojo situations: drawing inspiration from other designers.  Today, my muse is none other than our sweet Bev!

Currently, the crafting universe is virtually *exploding* with gratitude/thank you cards dedicated to all those who are risking their well-being to keep our world functioning through the pandemic. Be they front line medical personnel, grocery store/warehouse staff, truck drivers...we are surrounded by 'heroes' we want to acknowledge. To that end, I brought out one of my all-time favourite Uniko sets -  Explosion Additions - and pretty much 'cased' Bev's card here, re-visioning it for the current situation...

I followed Bev's recipe for the most part with slight (very very slight *grin*) changes to the original: sentiments stamped on the small Explosion dies and partial stamping, with a small solid explosion image, on The Stamp Market letters. 

I'm happy with my copy-cat version of Bev's card, especially since it really is easy to recreate; something I'll definitely be doing!

Below are a few of my previous 'non-copied' cards made with the Explosions line. I love it!

Hope my card - or should I say, Bev's card - offered you some inspiration of ways to use Explosions to recognize the heroes where you live.

Please: stay safe and keep creating...doing so is good for the soul!

BA Inspiration, two cards from one Brusho panel

Hi and welcome, Julie here with a couple of cards using a bleaching technique with Brusho and the Spring Botanicals -Tulip stamp set from the last Uniko release.

I started with a panel of white card and using the top half of the Tulip stamp, I stamped, heat embossed with white EP and masked as I moved across the bottom of the card panel. I should have taken a photo as I went along but I got swept up in the creating, sorry!

Once I was happy with the amount of stamping and embossing,  I sprinkled Prussian Blue Brusho across the middle of it then Leaf Green across the bottom third. I didn't worry about any overlap, just wanted 2/3 of my panel covered.

I then spritzed it with water and put to one side to dry.

Now to the magic bit. Once dry, I took a small amount of concentrated beach in a dish and added some water to dilute. You really don't need a lot for it to work. Using a cheap synthetic brush, bleach rots good ones, I painted over the tulip blooms and then left it to dry. If the colour is still too dark just go back and take another pass!

Again I forgot to take a pic of the finished bleached out blooms but after I added some colour to the blooms with pink Zig watercolor brush pens, this is the result. I chose pink so that it wouldn't matter if the pale blue left from bleaching showed through. I added some shading to the stems and leaves too with a couple of the green pens.

I loved the finished panel but decided to make it go further by cutting it in two and trimming each panel down to size.

The first card just uses the left hand strip glued flat on an A6 white card after adding a sentiment from the Simply Said set on a strip of card. A couple of thin silver mirror card strips down each side of the panel complete.

The second uses the cut down right hand panel, close cropped and given a die cut frame.
The same sentiment was stamped on the frame and the whole panel was popped up on some funky pink foam to match the flower heads.

This technique was inspired by the challenge over at CAS Mix Up, I'd never tried it before but I love the effect it gives. Why don't you have a go, challenge yourself to learn a new technique whilst we are in lockdown!

Keep safe and hopefully sane out there!

Brand Ambassador Inspiration - Daffodil experiments

Hello!

Wiebke here to show you some versatile spring flower cards!

Although Easter time passed by, there is still time for spring botanicals, right?
In my garden they just started to bloom...


Sometimes I love creating cards without a sentiment!
So I can use them for many different occasions: (easter), birthday, get well or just for you....
I only have to grab a sentiment I like to finish the card just in the moment when I need it!

You have the choice to put a small sentiment on the front on a little banner or in a block-optic or also a bigger sentiment on the inside of the card.
That's so much more flexible and you always have cards for many different occasions in "your stash".

Can you imagine how I created these beautiful Daffodil-impressions? 

Cause: Uniko has stamps,stencils and dies... but no embossing-folders in their product list yet... 

I created my own Embossing-panel with a stamp and 10 layers of Embossing Powder!

Jennifer McGuire showed this technique in the newest Online Card Class "Spring Card Camp".

I'm not sure who developed this technique - she herself or someone else and when it was used first time (new or old technique?)

But I think, everybody has tried to score a stamped image by tracing stamped lines with an embossing ball-stick before... that's almost the same technique, but to create thick layered images and emboss with them and a cutting machine is a much more elegant and also more accurate way to get almost the same result!

And you can repeat the embossing process again and again...

That's woth the work you have to invest with layering 10 times embossing ink and powder and heat it up every time. I recommend a stamping tool for this process - it's so much easier to get a good layering with one of them!


The first card I made with an impressed embossed flower.
I coloured the impressed lines of the flower with Zig Real brushes and added some water for a good colour gradient to the areas beside.

A still missing (small) sentiment will be placed right between the green ribbons on the right side of the flower or (when I'll use a bigger one) on the inside of the card.
I hope I can use it as a birthday card and don't need many get well cards soon. (Nobody should be in the situation to need one during the next weeks! So please stay save!)

Look how detailed the embossing is!

The second card is made with an invers impression of the embossing panel.

I softly added some Distress Oxide inks (mowed lawn and  fossilized amber) with a blending tool. The colours outside of the expressed lines make such a soft colour effect!

This card is very simple and a bit plain right now. When I know who will get it, I think I will add a banner or rectangle piece of paper with the sentiment in the left bottom third of the flower layer.

Probably with the Simply Said Blocks in one of the two Oxide Ink colours I used for the flower.

  

 

Look how detailed the embossing is - also as expression!

Hope these cards inspire you to try this technique too!

When you use an embossing powder that doesn't "want" to layer thick enough - don't give up! Use this first try, colour it as usual and make a card out of it.

And then make a second try of the layering with another embossing powder (and maybe another brand of paper).

My first one was clear powder from Ranger - and it stayed flat. Why? I still don't know!

The second try was with a white powder from efco (one of my oldest powders in the box) on a different paper. And this turned out great!

I will use it some more times to get impressions and then I will use it as "normal" embossed image on a card - so nothing is wasted! :-)

Have a good time, stay at home and healthy and be creative!

Hugs from Wiebke

Brand Ambassador Inspiration : Wild card(s)

Hi there!

Hannelie here today playing three wild cards!

I hope it will inspire you to make those more graphic masculine cards. They all follow the same recipe more or less :)

First card :

For this card I used the  Giraffe print stencil . I masked an area off with a rectangle die cut and applied a light layer of Antique Linen distress ink. I then placed the stencil over the masked area and applied the second layer of color - Vintage Photo distress ink.
After removing the mask and stencil, I stamped the sentiment, which was build up with three different stamp sets : Wild clear stamp set , Festive sentiments outlined clear stamp set and Simply said blocks.


Second card :

For this card I masked an area with a torn piece of scrap paper, and stamped the Large background tropical paradise stamp with Versafine black ink. After that I stamped the sentiment ''wild' and 'thing' from the Wild clear stamp set, colored the outline part with my moss green Promarker, and finally added the 'hello' from Simply said blocks, by popping it up with small foam dots.


Third card :

For the last card I used the Giraffe print stencil again, but in rainbow colors of distress ink. Before I started blending the ink through the stencil, I masked an area with a piece of torn scrap paper.
The 'you' were stamped with the Alphabet outlined stamp set and Versafine black ink, and completed the card with another word of the Simply said blocks, popped up with craft foam dots. I used a Rectangle pinpoint die from Memory Box to cut the panel a bit smaller before adhering it to the card base on a piece of craft foam for dimension.Three black rhinestones to complete the card.

Thanks for popping in today to take a look at the cards I made !

Wishing you a fabulously creative day.

Remember to stay 🏡 and stay safe !

Hannelie

Brand Ambassador Inspiration - Inspired by challenges

Bonjour !

Izzy here. Today I'm going to show you how I've been inspired by several challenges to use my Uniko's products.

For my first card I've been inspired by the current CAS Colours & Sketches challenge with the following sketch and colours.

To make my card I chose the Passiflora stamp set and its matching dies

 

Here is my card

I simply stamped the leaves with a green Altenew ink directly on the card base. Then on white card stock I stamped the different elements of the flowers with two Distress orange shades. Then I cut each element with the matching die and I foam mounted them on the card base. To finish I stamped the sentiment which come from the Birthday Wishes set.

For my second card, I've been inspired by the sketch of the Freshly Made Sketch challenge and the Inkspirational challenge photo.

 

The wall paper on the Inkspirational photo immediately made me think of the Background Blocks Mid Century Modern as well as the Mid Century Modern Florals that I combined together to make my card.

  

On a grey strip I stamped the Background Blocks Mid Century Modern with an grey ink and I added a black stripe with a stamp from the Background Builders Classics then I glued it on the card base. On a white card stock I stamped the modern flowers and I fussy cut them to adhered them on the card base. The sentiment comes from the Hello Lovely set.

For my last card I've been inspired by the colours of the current CAS on Friday challenge where they invite us to make a card with black, white and one colour of our choice. I chose to use red and to use the Pure Florals : Rose set together with the Nature Treasures set.

  

On a Bristol paper I stamped the roses and I watercoloured them with a red Zig clean color brush. I stamped the leaves in black and I fussy cut each element before adhering everything on the black card base with Glue Dots and foam tape. I die cut a Simon Says Stamp sentiment and I glued it. 

So that's it from me for today. I hope I've encouraged you to have a look on the current challenges and to use your Uniko's products. As we have to stay at home, it's the ideal moment to dive into your Uniko stash and give it some love ! And thanks for visiting Uniko today !

Brand Ambassador Inspiration - Flower Power Ideas

Hi! 

It's Jane here with some ideas about using some of the Uniko Flower Power stamp sets. 

If ever there was a time to dig deep into the stash that you already have it has to be now and I'm guessing that lots of you have at least some of the signature Uniko Flower Power stamps. So here's some simple ideas to make use of them. You can easily switch up the stamps to any that you have.

All four cards were started in the same way. I applied two colours of distress ink to a small acrylic block, spritzed it with water and stamped it to create a background block. Card 1, above, uses a sentiment from Pure Florals Peony as it really resonates with me at the moment.

I then chose different stamps and greetings for each card. The one above I accidentally had a little of the leaves showing which looked odd, so I added a thin strip of washi to cover them.

I added a trio of sequins to echo the trio of stamped circles and hearts in the card above and some enamel dots to the middle of the flowers in the card below.

My last card is for all those wonderful people out there keeping us going and allowing us to social distance ourselves as much as possible. Where would we be without them?

Supplies:

Card 1: 

Stamps:Flower Power # 3 & #7, sentiment from Pure Florals Peony

Inks: Ranger distress, picked raspberry, mustard seed; Versafine Clair, nocturne

Card 2:

Stamps: Flower Power #3

Inks: Ranger distress, mermaid lagoon, cracked pistachio; Versafine Clair, nocturne

Card 3:

Stamps:Flower Power #5 & #7

Inks: Ranger distress, wilted violet, blueprint sketch; Versafine Claie, nocturne

Card 4: 

Stamps:Flower Power #8

Inks: Ranger distress, peacock feathers, lucky clover; Versafine Clair, nocturne

Huge thanks for your time today, I really appreciate you spending some time with me here at Uniko.

Keep safe, stay indoors and craft instead!

Jane

xx

Winner of the March 2020 Non Release Brand Ambassador Blog Hop & Giveaway AND MORE!

Happy Weekend!

How is everyone? I hope you are all well & staying home safe. All is good here, plenty of things keeping me busy! 

Hence my delay in popping by to announce the Winner of the March 2020 Non Release Brand Ambassador Blog Hop & Giveaway we had HERE.

The random lucky comment was left by Hilary....

HilaryJane14 March 2020 at 19:03

Great card, I love how you have used the stamp to create the background too xx

Congratulations Hilary, please send an email to bev@uniko.co.uk along with your postal address to claim your prize.

MORE Winners....

I have also re-drawn winners for two of the Uniko 8th Birthday celebrations, because they haven't ben claimed.

First, the winner of the HUGE Prize Package Giveaway I held HERE.

The lucky randomly selected entry is...

45.

Denise Morgans

Congratulations Denise. please send an email to bev@uniko.co.uk along with your postal address to claim your prize.


Second, the winner of the February 2020 Release Blog Hop HERE. The lucky randomly selected comment was left by Sarn.

SARN  Reply

Fab trio of cards Bev. They showcase the new designs perfectly. LOVE the silhouette leaves.
Happy 8th birthday!
Hugs, Sarn xxx

Congratulations Sarn. please send an email to bev@uniko.co.uk along with your postal address to claim your prize.


Okay, that's all from me today. I am going to have a little creative time in the studio today & hopefully share what I make with you over the next few days.

Thanks for stopping by.
Crafty Hugs

Uniko Challenge Reminder #58 - Spots & Stripes + optional twist Use A Stencil

Hey!

The Uniko Brand Ambassadors and our Guest Designer are here today to remind you about the March/April 2020 Uniko challenge.

We have a super easy theme of Spots & Stripes with the optional twist of Use a Stencil

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 super delighted to welcome back Mac Mable as our Guest Designer and she has created another incredibly beautiful card to inspire you to play along.

Mac Mable

The Uniko Brand Ambassadors have also been super busy creating cards to give you ideas and spark your creativity. 

Hannelie

Jane

Linda

Sarah

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

You've got plenty of time to play along with this month's challenge. The deadline for submission is midnight (GMT) on Friday 24th April 2020 (7.00pm EDT).

Hugs,