Technique Two For Tuesday - Background Blocks Christmas Scramble

Happy Tuesday.

I finally feel like I am settling into routine and found a little bit of creative mojo. Anyone else struggle when they've had a holiday? 

Anyway, let's have a look at what I created for today...

Since seeing the Brand Ambassadors use the paper piecing technique with this stamp, Background Blocks Christmas Scramble, I've been wanting to do it too! 

I decided to dive into my pattern paper bit box, something I rarely do and came across scraps of this Swiss dot paper from Papertrey Ink. I've had these scraps for years. 

As I was fussy cutting and adhering the letters, it got me to thinking how I could use the Background Block Swiss Dots, to create a similar look. 

So that's what I did for my second card.

For this I heat embossed the Swiss Dots background onto white card using VersaMark and Clear Gloss EP. I then inked over with Dragonfruit, Sweet Pea, Buttercup, Parsley, Oceanside & Midnight. Again fussy cutting and adhering using foam tape.

I could have achieved the same look by doing solid colours on more stamped and embossed Background Blocks Swiss Dots backgrounds, but I quite like this ink blended look. 

Although I love both, I can't decide which I prefer. Which do you prefer? 

Thanks for stopping by.

Crafty Hugs

Uniko Brand Ambassador Inspiration: Delicate butterflies in Swiss dots!

  Hello to all!

Happy Friday!

I wanted to create a card with a vintage, old-style look using a Swiss dots stamp.

To start the card, I stamped the tiny Swiss dots on a grey CS panel using chipped sapphire DI.  I layered my butterflies from the English Country Garden Butterflies die set and stamped them in Picked Raspberry Distress Oxide ink using the Swiss Dots stamp. The sentiment is from the same set.

I layered my panel on a pink panel, and before adhering it to my blue card base, I tied my panel with a pink ribbon. Then finished off the card with a few rhinestones.

I'm thrilled with the way it turned out!

I hope you enjoyed the card I shared with you today. I love what I do, working on designs, new ideas and much more!

Happy crafting!

Brand Ambassador Inspiration, Uniko's VIP FB Challenge Reminder

Good morning, Julie here with a little bit of BA inspiration and a reminder of Uniko's VIP FB challenge.

This month it's a colour themed one.

These colours suggest an autumnal theme perhaps, but I've gone down the Christmas route with this design using Season Of Beauty stamp set.

My starting point was a card made by a blogging friend from Color Hues, Bonnie. She used a background stamp and watercolouring with inks to make the base for a card for the latest challenge and it got me thinking I could do something similar using the Season of Beauty set. Here's my design.

I started by embossing the poinsettia and foliage with white EP on an A6 panel of Mixed Media paper. I smooshed some of Altenew's Desert Night ink onto a kraft mat then wet the whole panel with water and added the ink with a brush. The water makes the ink lighter than the original, literally diluting the colour. To achieve the patchy look, I removed some of the ink with a piece of kitchen roll before it dried. I haven't used Altenew's ink like this before and it is not as forgiving as Distress Inks, which I usually use but the colour was a better match to the swatch.

On some scrap white card, I stamped the poinsettia with Carved Pumpkin and Ripe Persimmon DI for the 2 top layers. I filled in some of the white around the sepals with more Carved Pumpkin. The foliage and green sepals I inked with Forest Moss and Peeled Paint DI, adding water to blend out the lines.

My yellow flowers we originally stamped with Wild Honey DI but they got a bit lost, so I added some dots of white gel pen over and a touch of a yellow Copic marker.

On a circle of white card, I used the Desert Night ink to stamp the sentiment and on a slightyly larger one, I added some of the same ink to create a matte. The elements were then fussy cut and added to my sentiment panel. Meanwhile, I added my inky background to a 5 x 7inch white base card and then placed the layered focal point on to that.

That's it from me for today but please consider jopining in over on Facebook for a chance to win an e-voucher worth £10 to spend in the Uniko store. You've got until October 10th to play.

Brand Ambassador Inspiration - Sympathy Cards

 Bonjour !

Izzy here with some sympathy cards.

Recently I've unfortunately had to send a sympathy card. This kind of card is may be for me the most difficult ones to make. Not just for the reason why you're doing it, but also how, within your design, to spread the message of support, courage, and hope for better days. That's why I think the simplest, the better.

Here is the card I send to my friend. I used the beautiful blooms of the Hello Lovely set that I stamped in black and fussy cut.

On a double white card, I blended some Distress oxide inks to make like a dawn sky. I stamped the sentiment and I foam mounted the florals.

I thought it would be useful to have some cards like this in stock. So I made another one using the Ink & Flip - Geometric Hexagon layering stencil together with the English Country Garden Butterflies set and die.

To make the background, I softly brushed Distress ink on one of the layers of the stencil and I did not flip it.  

On the same blue/grey card stock, I stamped the big butterfly of the set and I coloured it with coloured pencils. With the matching die, I cut it and I fixed it on the card with glue dots.

For the sentiment, I used one of the Flower Power #1 set.

For my last card, I die cut a circle that I coloured with brushed blue Distress Ink. Then I stamped in green the Just Because set. To make the background, I masked the flower and I stamped the Large Background French Scrip set. Once again, I used a sentiment from the Flower Power #1 set.

Well, that's all from me today. Thanks for joining me and hopefully I've given you some more inspiration with those "difficult" cards to make.

Have a lovely Week and thank you for stopping by.

Brand Ambassador Inspiration - Christmas Blossom

Good morning, 

Steph here today looking at how to use non Christmas stencils to create Christmas cards. 

As with our revisit of the 2025 Uniko release products earlier this month, I have focussed my Brand Ambassador inspiration on Christmas and a 2025 release product, namely Uniko Layering Spring Blossom stencil.

I have used one inking of the Spring Blossom stencil to create all three cards and added elements to the last card using Uniko Layering Bauhaus Christmas Blocks stencil. 

Once I had inked the panel in Christmas colours, I placed a stitched die so that half of it contained the florals and half did not. I then stamped the 'Peace, Love &' part of the sentiment onto the blank half. On another piece of card I stamped 'joy' from the Uniko Big & Bold Joy stamp set, fussy cut, adhered to vellum and fussy cut leaving a border. 

From the remaining inked panel I die cut a circle and mat it to a larger die cut circle of dark green card. I stamped the sentiment from the Uniko Simply Said Blocks Christmas stamp set and adhered this using foam pads.

This left me with just a small amount of the inked panel remaining so I die cut an oval and used the Uniko Mid Century Modern Baubles stamp set to add a bauble hanger. I inked up two circles using elements from the Uniko Bauhaus Christmas Blocks stencil and added bauble hangers. I threaded all three 'baubles' with twine and adhered to a rectangle of card which I then adhered to the card blank using foam pads. Finally I added a sentiment from the Uniko Simply Said Blocks Christmas stamp set.

Hopefully I've given you some inspiration today and shown you how you can create Christmas cards without necessarily using Christmas stencils or stamps. 

Much love

Steph x

Celebrate With Background Blocks Bauhaus

Hello & Happy Tuesday. 

Today I have a quick card using the Background Blocks Bauhaus stamp which was released back in August. 

This stamp, like all the Background Blocks, is great for quick cards and adding fun patterns. 

I stamped the block twice across the top of my white card panel (9.5 x 13cm) in VersaFine Clair Morning Mist ink. 

I then used a trio of Stampin' Up! Markers in Pretty Peacock, Not Quite Navy and Grapefruit Grove to colour some of the semi circles. 

I finished by adhering the panel to a Concord & 9th Sorbet card base and added a fussy cut celebrate from Mid Century Modern Everyday Sentiments. Plus a trio of Midnight enamel dots.

A restock of this stamp, all of the July, August and the popular Mid Century Modern collection is due in the studio week beginning 22rd August, so not long to wait now. 

Plus I will have sorted the new USA shipping following the tariffs by then too.

Crafty Hugs

Seasonal Stencil Sunday

 

Happy Sunday.

Today I have another Seasonal Stencil Sunday card and YouTube Video to share with you. In my last video using this stencil Layering Bauhaus Christmas Blocks, HERE, I talked about some other ideas and this was one of them.

This time I wanted to use some of the images on single inchies. I used a Stampin' Up! Stitched Shapes Die, the set comes with squares, circles and ovals I believe. And I have had them for years. 

The smallest square die is just the right size, though the border adds a little technical difficulties that slowed down the process a little during the video! 

It turned out pretty good in the end and I finished with a sentiment from Christmas Sentiments and a few enamel dots as well. 

I've another fun idea up my sleeve using this stencil and or the original Layering Bauhaus Blocks, but I'm saving to share that one when I am back from my vacation.

Just a little reminder...

Not long now till I am back! 

Crafty Hugs

September 2025 Non-Release Brand Ambassador Blog Hop & GIVEAWAY!

 Welcome to the September 2025 Non-Release Brand Ambassador Blog 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 set myself and the Brand Ambassadors a difficult challenge, to choose a favourite or favourites from one of the 2025 Releases! 

So far in 2025 we have had the following products released...

January 2025

Background Builders Flower Power

Flower Power #11 

Simply Said Blocks Occasions

Sparkle Sentiments

Stencil - Ink & Flip Layering Flower 

Stencil - Ink & Flip Geometric Gem

Stencil - Layering Picked Posies

Stencil - Mid Century Modern Circles & Stars

February 2025

Alphabet Solid

Background Blocks Waves

Bright Butterflies

Stencil - Layering Bright Butterflies

Stencil - Layering Organic Blooms

Organic Blooms

Spring Botanicals Primrose

Stencil - Geometric Happy Birthday

April 2025

Butterfly Serenade 

Originally Organic Flower Garden

Stencil - Layering Flower Fusion

Stencil - Layering Spring Blossom

Stencil - Ink & Flip Diamonds

July 2025

Background Blocks Merry Christmas Scramble

Background Blocks My Favourite Colour

Flower Power #12

Stencil - Layering Bauhaus Christmas Blocks

Stencil - Ink & Flip Christmas Tree Pattern

Stencil - Ink & Flip Snowflake Pattern

August 2025

Background Blocks Bauhaus

Background Blocks MOD Builder Circles

Background Blocks Swiss Dots

Background Builders Mid Century Modern

Stencil - Ink & Flip Mid Century Leaves

Stencil - Layering Retro Lines 

Wowsers, that's a lot of products to choose from! Even I found it a challenge to choose, but let's see what the Brand Ambassadors have chosen and created. Don't forget to comment along the hop for your chance to win a £25 eGift code to spend in store. 

Anita

Bev

Izzy

Julie

Steph

Vinita

It's lovely 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 are currently out of stock, I have a bunch of restocks coming when I return from my vacation mid September.

I hope you left some comment love along the way, I will randomly select a comment to win the £25 eGift code on Monday 29th September 2025. So be sure to comment before then.

Have you joined the Uniko VIP Facebook group? A new challenge starts today and by entering a card you have the chance to win £10 to spend in store! 

Also a little friendly reminder...

Crafty Hugs

Swiss Dots & Bright Spring Blossom Card & Video

 

Happy Monday. 

I thought I would start the week of with another fun Background Blocks Swiss Dots and stencil combination. 

Remember THESE cards I shared pairing the Background Blocks Swiss Dots and Layering Picked Posies. Well, I fancied trying something similar with different colours and a different stencil. 

I chose the Layering Spring Blossom stencil along with a current favourite colour combination of Wildberry, Plumberry and Rainforest. I also used VersaFine Clair Morning Mist to stamp the Swiss Dots. 

You can watch the video HERE where I embark on this creative adventure. 

And here is the end result...

A different result for sure and maybe a little too busy for my usual liking. But it was fun to create and experiment with different colours and combinations. 

That's all from me today, have a wonderful Monday.

Crafty Hugs

Happy Anniversary - Celebrating 12 Years 💞

Happy Saturday.

Today is our 12th wedding anniversary and I thought I would share the card I made for hubby before we left. Not sure how I was so organised before we left! 

This has a clue as to where we are celebrating today 😍

I used the Spellbinders Steamboat Willie Duo Etched Dies, I couldn't resist these when I saw them released as I simply LOVE everything Disney! 

I kept things quite simple and classic for my Mickey & Minnie this time. There are quite a few different poses and combinations. Of course I had to include a little Uniko in there too! I used the Everyday Love Sentiments for the sentiment and Big & Bold Love for the tiny hearts.

Wishing you a magical day! 

Crafty Hugs

Hello September

Happy September and welcome to a new month of inspiration at Uniko. 

I might be away on a family holiday, but I have planned and scheduled inspiration to share with you while I am. Plus the Uniko Brand Ambassadors will be sharing inspiration throughout the month too. 

As summer draws to a close here in the northern hemisphere we start to think all things cozy. So I thought I would bring those cozy vibes with a autumn inspired card. 

I know officially autumn doesn't start till the 22nd September, but there is already signs that it isn't far away. The nights are drawing in and there are cooler temps once it gets dark too. 

As you can see I decided to dust off Autumn Serenade and used the Spellbinders Essential Arches dies and stamped the serenade in Nutmeg and filled in gaps with the single leaves stamped in Spiced Cider, Artichoke and Evergreen. I then added the Hello Autumn sentiment onto a circle die cut with a fussy cut little leaf. 

I think I captured the autumn vibes and I think after my holiday I will be ready to welcome the coziness of autumn when it arrives.

Are you an autumn lover?

Crafty Hugs