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Friday Focus - Stencil Layering Modern Poinsettias

Happy FriYAY! 

I can't believe another weekend is upon us and this weekend I am headed to Leeds for the Uniko and Ruth Gets Crafty Criis-Mash! workshop. 

Today I thought share a card I have had in my head for a while using the Stencil Layering Modern Poinsettias and I finally got round to recording a new video on how I made it. You can watch it HERE over on the Uniko YouTube channel.

I'm aiming to share more Friday Focus videos, so be sure to be subscribed to the channel to see when I post them! 

In other news... 

From October 1st we will no longer be posting here on the Uniko Blogspot Blog. I'm not crying, you are! I am kind of sad about leaving this space as it's been here since day one. But it's a move I feel I need to make.

Don't worry though, you will be able to find all the usual inspiration HERE on the Uniko website blog from myself and the Uniko Brand Ambassadors. 

Thank you to all my loyal followers, I hope you will come over to the website blog and follow Uniko there too.

Crafty Hugs

 

Brand Ambassador Inspiration - Playing with Background Blocks

 Bonjour !

Izzy here with some inspiration cards. I've been playing with some background blocks products and autumn colours.

For my first card, I chose warm colours like orange, yellow, and very dark red to play with the Background Blocks Bauhaus stamp.

I started by stamping the background with no-line colouring ink and I coloured the pattern with colour pencils. 

On another white card stock, I stamped in black the leaves of the Natures Treasure II set and I die cut it with the matching die.

To finish my card, I adhered the die cut leaves with glue dots. I stamped the sentiment, from the Everyday Sentiments stamp set, and I foam mounted it on the card.

For my second card, I used the Background Blocks Grid stamp to make the background, and I matched it with the Flower Power #5 stamp set, as for the flowers, and the Flower Power #8 stamp set, as for the leaves.

I started by stamping the grid on a double white card with grey ink. Then, on a piece of white card stock, I stamped the flowers with the same grey ink. I coloured them with coloured pencils and I die cut them with the matching dies Flower Power #1 - #6 Collection.

I also stamped the sentiment on a strip of paper and the leaves in green that I further fussy cut.

To finish, I flat adhered the sentiment on the grid then I adhered the flowers and the leaves with glue dots.

Finally, to make my last card, I wanted a kind of gingham pattern, so I used two background blocks to make the pattern : the Background Blocks Solid Wonky Stripes stamp and the Background Blocks Pinstripes stamp.

On a double white card I stamped the wonky stripes with green ink and the pinstripes with a darker green ink so that the lines stand out better. 

On a piece of white card stock, I stamped in black the flower and some leaves of the Flower Power #10 set and I coloured everything with coloured pencils. Then I fussy cut everything.

For the sentiment, I first inked a strip of paper with the same green ink than the vertical lines. After drying it with the heat gun, I stamped and white heat embossed the sentiment from the Anniversaire Arts Décoratifs stamp set.

To finish, I adhered the flower and the leaves with glue dots and I foam mounted the sentiment.

Well, that's all from me today. Once again, this proves that all Uniko products are versatile and work beautifully together. Thanks for joining me and hopefully I’ve inspired you to play with your Uniko products.

Have a lovely week and thank you for stopping by.

Fabulous Friday Floral

 Happy FriYAY! 

I thought I would pop by tonight and share a stencilled Picked Posies panel I finished up today. I originally stencilled the panel last weekend in Farnborough, but never added a sentiment.

I used Sweet Pea and Berry Kiss for the flowers, Parsley and Evergreen for the leaves and Clementine for the flower centres and small flowers.

For my sentiment I wanted to keep it minimal and chose a simple panel and I decided upon this one from Flower Power #6 and heat embossed it with gold. 

That's all I have to share today. Hope to see some you on Sunday in Peterborough!

Crafty Hugs

Mid Week Mid Century Modern & News.

Hello & Happy Wednesday.

How is it that this time last week I had just about set everything up on the Dies to Die For stand down in Farnborough for The Creative Craft Show? I had a lovely time, met lots of lovely crafters, some I've known online for a long time and lots of new too. Plus I got to put names to faces to those coming to the Uniko & Dies to Die For Stamping Retreat in October. 

Anyway, while I was there I was in my creative element demoing various products and I had planned on sharing more her on the blog, but I've not quite got the hang of adding photos to posts via my phone. So apologies for not sharing more here.

One of the photos I shared on my Instagram stories was this...

I had this fun idea to pair the Waffle Flower Postage Die with Mid Century Modern Forals and make it super colourful too. I used the Postage Collage Blocks Stencil and some masking to ink blend each of the stamps. 

I then kept the stencil in place and stamped inside each with a variety of the stamps building flowers and patterns. 

Today I was deciding what to do with the panel, either to add it as one panel or divide the stamps up. I decided on the latter and this was the result.

I trimmed up the postage stamps and decided on a layout. I then thought there was a little too much white space, yes the clean and simple girl wanted a little more pattern! So I stamped the Background Blocks Mid Century Modern II, coloured with a Stampin' Blend and then adhered the postage stamps over the top. My sentiment choice is from Anniversaire Arts Decoratifs and embossed in white.

NEWS!!

What's coming this week and for the remainder of September 💖

First up a bunch of stencils arrived in the studio this week. These include, Christmas Pop, Ink & Flip Christmas Tree Pattern, Ink & Flip Delightful Diamonds, Ink & Flip Layering Flower , Layering Bauhaus Blocks, Layering Bauhaus Christmas Blocks, Layering Bauhaus Spring Blocks, Layering Modern Blooms, Layering Modern Poinsettias, Layering Spring Blossom, Mid Century Modern, Mid Century Modern Circle & Stars and Mid Century Modern Shapes. 

All these beauties in time for this weekend, as I will be in Peterborough for the Stamperama show 😀 I'd love to see you if you are coming, I will be on my own Uniko stand.

Tickets are available HERE in advance or on the door on the day. 

DON'T FORGET... Chris-Mash is coming! 

There is still time and space to book your place on this workshop, HERE. Me and Ruth (Ruth Gets Crafty) are super excited for this fun and creative day. 

Not to worry if you're not quite ready for Christmas crafting, there will be alternative options to the projects we have prepared. 

Clear Stamp Restocks.

I do have restocks coming! These are due in the studio the week beginning 28th September and include the Christmas *almost* in July release I know many of you have been waiting for. Apologies for the delay. 

That's all for today.

Crafty Hugs

 

Brand Ambassador Inspiration: Ink & Flip Chevron Duo

  Hello everyone!

Happy Saturday!

Vinita here today!

A mesmerising pattern of interlocked blue geometric shapes creates a vibrant optical illusion. The bold, clean lines and stark contrast conjure a dynamic mid-century modern aesthetic. It pulses with rhythmic energy, transforming a flat surface into a visually captivating, three-dimensional experience.

I used Uncharted Mariner and Mermaid Lagoon DI to create a chevron pattern using the Ink & Flip Chevron Duo stencil. I love the 3d dimensional look I achieved! I added a Happy Birthday sentiment, perfect for Masculine ones!

Happy weekend!

Happy crafting!

Mid Week Mid Century Modern

Hello from Walton-On-Thames! 

I’m all set for The Paper Craft & Stitching show in Farnborough with Dies to Die For, and after a long drive of thinking about all sorts of card ideas, I had to sit down and make this 

The Mid Century Modern Wreath Builder has been super popular this past week and it’s made me want to dust mine off again and give it some fresh inky love. 

I didn’t fancy Christmas today, so I paired it with some Mid Century Modern Birthday for the bold sentiment. 

I used a selection of Stampin’ Up! Blends to colour it, I just randomly picked a selection to bring with me. 

That’s all from me today. I best get an early night as it’s going to be a long day tomorrow and I’m super excited to be somewhere new. So I’ll be sure to share my day on Instagram and check in here tomorrow evening. 

Crafty Hugs

Tuesday Mashup & Tip!

Hello.

Today I met up with my lovely friend at Ruth Gets Crafty for a catch up and also finalise details for our upcoming Chris-Mash Workshop on the 26th September. There are still a few places left HERE and booking will close on Monday 21st September. Even though we have called it Chris_mash, not all the projects will be Christmas themed, we have more in store! 

Anyway, I also collected an order I placed and I couldn't wait to use it, so made a quick card.

You might know that I am partial to a snowflake and I'm falling in love with hot foiling again after Stampin' Up! released a new machine and dies. So the A Christmas Wish had to come live with me. 

Here I decided to pair it with the Large Background French Script. It's been ages since I used this background stamp and I thought it would be a wonderful backdrop to the snowflake and so stamped it in Pink Lemonade. 

So the hot foil set only comes with a die to cut the sentiment part out, which I thought was a little disappointing. However, I saw a little trick to lay the stamp, or die over the top and draw round with a pencil to get an outline to fussy cut. I have to say it worked well and I am pleased how the card turned out.

That's all I have to share today, now back to packing the card for my trip down to Farnborough. I will share what I make during my time there, but my photos might be a little rough round the edges! 

Hope to see some of you there.

Crafty Hugs

Autumn Vibes 🍂

Hello & Happy Monday

Today I squeezed in a little creative time in between show prep. I am travelling down to Farnborough on Wednesday for The Creative Craft Show. I've never done a 3 day show before, so this will be an experience! If your'e coming to the show, you can find me on the Dies to Die For stand G28. I will have Uniko's full inventory with me 😀

Today had a hint of autumn in the air, so I was inspired to dust off Natures Treasures II and make this quick and easy card. 

I didn't fancy using kraft card as my base, as I often do with autumn cards, but I wanted something a little softer/warmer than grey. So I reached for some Sahara Sand (now retired) I have in my card stock stash. 

Using one of the large leaves from the set and stamped it in black ink randomly. I then added a sentiment combination from Doodle Flowers, stamped on a piece of pink card I found in my bits box and adhered with foam tape. I finished with a trio of rhinestones to add a little sparkle.

Hope your week has stared well.

Crafty Hugs

Getting the most out of your stencils!

 

 I was really inspired by Louise for this card, I loved how her cards looked like little windmills blowing in the wind. My son had one when he was little and he absolutely loved it, so I just had to get creative. 

I started out by inking up some clouds for my background using distress inks and adding some splatters of colour using the red and orange from the windmill. This just adds a little pop of colour and ties in the windmill colours. 

Then to ink up my windmill using the new ink and flip Christmas star stencil. I masked off alternate sections with some washi tape so I could get a clean definition of the red and orange again using distress oxide inks. Starting off with the lighter colour and then moving the stencil around to add the darker red. This was then fussy cut out and added to my background. I did want to make it so you move the windmill but I didn’t have any split pins so I opted for an enamel dot for the centre. I drew up the stick and coloured that in with COPIC markers and added my sentiment using the Simply Said clear stamp block . 

I felt like it needed something extra though and these cute little bees from the Flower Power #9 stamp set just added the perfect finishing touch! 

I hope you’ve liked my card for today, I love it when you can think out the box and get more out of your products and the Uniko Facebook group is a great place to find inspiration when you need it! 

Happy crafting Natalie ❤️

Brand Ambassador Inspiration, Pure Florals Rose

 Hi, Julie here with a card I made quite awhile ago and realised I hadn't shared so I thought I would!

I was cleaning up the front end of my computer yesterday and came across this card I made a few months back but what with Christmas in July and the Christmas release it got forgotten about so here it is!

It's on the same lines as one I made using the Peony set here. The ladies at my Wednesday art group loved it and so I did a class to show them how to watercolour a stamped bloom but in the end I used the Lily set as it was simpler for them to paint. Perhaps now we have done a simple flower we may go back and try this bloom.

I used watercolours instead of inks to paint my rose which I stamped with a pale ink on mixed media paper so that the outline didn't show. The finished bloom was then fussy cut and attached to my die cut panel on which I'd stamped the greeting, a mix of Doodle Flowers and an older set, You Are, Yes You, with Memento London Fog.

The diecut panel was then added to a white top folding note card.

That's all from me for the mo but thanks for stopping by!

Be More Dolly 💖

Hello.

I'm back in the studio after a few days away in South Wales with my family. It's been 27 years since I last stepped onto Caswell Bay Beach and this time I got to share it with them and relive some treasured memories of my childhood summers.

Sunshine, sea, sand and family time was definitely what my soul needed and I feel like I have come back recharged and refreshed. 

The card I am sharing today isn't the one I had planned, but with the news of Dolly Parton's death yesterday made me sad, but also inspired to share my little tribute to honour such a wonderful person. 

I love this quote...

"You can't just sit around and think of all the things you want to do. You've got to think of what you want to do, and then you've got to get out and make that happen." 

Dolly Parton

This is for you, Dolly.

I admit that I wasn't the biggest fan of Dolly's I didn't listen to her music a huge amount or follow her full career. But growing up in the 80's and 90's you couldn't not know about Dolly. Maybe subconsciously Dolly's approach to life has rubbed off on me and inspired me more than I realise, who knows.

But her death has reminded me to continue being unapologetically me and why I started Uniko. To share my love of pattern, design and love of paper crafts. To be unique and not follow or keep up with what everyone else is doing. 

So I start down and made a card to honour her. I chose the Stencil - Ink & Flip Christmas Star, Star and inked it in Sweet Pea and Berry Kiss. I then went back and inked over the Sweet Pea sections with VersaFine and heat embossed with clear sparkle EP.

I then added a trio of the small English Country Garden Butterflies, which I fussy cut and coloured with pink markers. My sentiment is from Just Because. 

That's all I have to share today, but before I go I do have some Christmas in July and Christmas *almost* in July Release winners to announce.

8th July Rustic Wreath - Glennis F

15th July Stencil Ink & Flip Christmas Star and Christmas Star,  Star - Kath B

22nd July Background Blocks Christmas Scramble - Lynne

Christmas *almost* in July Release £20 eGift - Greta

Thank you to you all for the lovely comments, continued support and custom. I appreciate you all.

Crafty Hugs

Brand Ambassador Inspiration - Organic Blooms Bonjour

 Bonjour !

Izzy here. The following card was inspired by a dish that I saw during my holidays. 

The pattern immediately reminded me of the Layering Organic Blooms stencil and here is my card.

First, I inked the different layers of the stencil with Catherine Pooler's inks on a piece of white card stock.

Then on a double white card I stamped the sentiment with the letters of the Alphabet Outlined set.

To finish my card, I cut a part of the stencilled image and I flat adhered the two remaining parts so that we can read the sentiment.

That's all from me today. And you, where do you find your inspiration ? 

Have a lovely day and thank you for stopping by.

Brand Ambassador Inspiration - Christmas Star, Star stencil

 Good Morning everyone and happy Saturday.  

It's Denise here and I'm popping in to share a card I made with the recently released Ink & Flip: Christmas Star, Star stencil.  However this time I wanted to show you that this stencil is definitely not just for Christmas.  

I made a tri-fold card using a grey, black and white colour scheme and paired it with lots of Uniko sentiment stamps.  

I inked up the stencil using a light grey ink and dark grey ink on 3 white rectangles before die cutting them using an arch die.  I matted the arches onto slightly larger black mat layers and added them to my card base.  I stamped the sentiments using black ink and finished off with some silver stars and crystals to bling it up a little.  A fairly simple card but I think it really showcases how versatile this stencil is.  

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and enjoy some crafty time!

Love and hugs, 

Products used:

Ink & Flip: Christmas Star, Star stencil 

For the front panel I used - 'everyday sentiments', 'everyday family' and 'everyday love' clear stamps

For the middle panel I used - 'reach for the stars' clear stamp (retired)

For the third panel I used - 'wonderful day' clear stamp (retired)

Festive Floral Friday & NEWS

Happy FriYAY! 

I've finally found a few minutes to sit down and write a quick blog post and share a card I made during a YouTube video during release week HERE. I decided on a sentiment to finish off this fun design.

I saw this fun layout/technique on Pinterest, a card by Hannelie and I've used it a few times and thought it would look fun with this stencil and I do love how it turned out.

I can't believe how quickly the summer is passing by, less than two weeks and The Beans will be heading off to their first day at secondary school! 

We're making the most of these last few days and are heading off for a little family vacation. The website will remain open to place orders, but please be aware any orders placed will not be posted until Wednesday 26th August.

Thank you for your understanding and continued custom and support.

Crafty Hugs

Brand Ambassador Inspiration: Ink & Flip Triangulate Stencil Floral card!

  Hello to all!

Happy Tuesday!

Today, Vinita here! I am featuring florals with geometric-shape patterns!

The 70s were known for their adventurous use of color and innovative patterns. And bold geometric shapes to earthy tones. Are you drawn to the vibrant, eye-catching colours and patterns, or do you prefer the more subdued, nature -inspired themes?

On a white square panel, I placed my Ink & Flip Triangulate stencil and blended the Fossilized amber DI. I created a pattern using the Mid-Century Modern Florals stamp set in candied apple DI in between the triangular shapes. And for the leaves, I used bundled sage DI. I finished it off with the Best Wishes sentiment from the Organic Blooms stamp set! 

Happy crafting!

Merry Christmas!

Hi everyone it’s Natalie here I just had to make another card using the mid century modern wreath builder set. If you saw my post from last month you might remember I went for a hot pink modern take, where this time I wanted a more traditional feel. So a snowy wreath hanging on the door in traditional colours it was. 

I started out by cutting out my base for which I used red paper and drew out some rectangles that would be the panels in the door. I used a combination of red COPIC markers to colour in the panels just enough that it feels like a door. 

I then went in with some white splatters using acrylic paint to create my snowy effect and set it aside to dry, before adding a gold heat embossed Merry Christmas sentiment. 

For the wreath I just stamped it out on COPIC paper and coloured it in using a range of greens starting from the darkest on the inside and gradually getting lighter. I fussy cut it out and added it to the door using foam tape. Then coloured up my berries and now using copics again and using foam tape to stick them down. Then popped it onto my white card base using foam tape. I love how different this one turned out compared to my modern one. Which ones your favourite? 

Christmas *almost* in July 2026 Reveal, Release, Brand Ambassador Hop & Giveaway

Happy Weekend.

It's here, the Christmas *almost* in July 2026 Release is finally available HERE on the website. Be sure to run, don't walk! However, saying that, if you need a little more inspiration carry on reading and hop along with us.

First, a little formal introduction.

Rustic Snowflake £7.00

Copyright Uniko Ltd 2012 - To Date

www.uniko.co.uk

Ink & Flip Stencils are just special to me, I am proud of their uniqueness and I am delighted to finally bring the missing piece to the original Ink & Flip Christmas Star, with Ink & Flip Christmas Star, Star.

Stencil - Ink & Flip Christmas Star, Star £5

Copyright Uniko Ltd 2012 - To Date

www.uniko.co.uk

Next is a beautiful five layer stencil called Layering Modern Poinsettias which was inspired by the previously released Season Of Beauty clear stamp set.

Stencil - Layering Modern Poinsettias £14.50

Copyright Uniko Ltd 2012 - To Date

www.uniko.co.uk

And lastly, but by no means least a new background building stamp set called Background Builders Winter Garlands.

Background Builders Winter Garlands £12

Copyright Uniko Ltd 2012 - To Date

www.uniko.co.uk

And that wraps up this little Christmas *almost* in July 2026 Release. I hope you love the products as much as I do. But, as always the Brand Ambassadors are here to tempt and inspire you a little bit more.

Be sure to comment along the way for your chance to win a £20 eGift Certificate to spend in store. Winner will be announced Wednesday 26th August 2026.I will also announce the winners of the Christmas in July giveaways. Thank you for your patience.

Bev

Denise

Julie

Natalie

What a wonderful, inspiring collection of cards. I am truly inspired and I can't wait to share more using these new additions over the coming days and weeks.

Thank you for joining us, for your continued support and custom.

Crafty Hugs