Brand Ambassador Inspiration - Technique Tuesday

Good morning, 

Steph here today. I recently saw a great technique on @ardythpr1 Instagram page and decided to recreate it using Uniko products. 

First I selected three background or larger stamps and smaller stamp sets with matching details to the larger sets. I then inked three separate panels by directly rubbing the ink from Distress Oxide pads onto white card. The idea is to then ink the background (or larger) stamp onto the card with a muted ink, followed by white heat embossing the stamp from the smaller matching set over the top. Finishing off with a white die cut shape and a white and black die cut sentiment. 

Here I have used Uniko Large Background Tropical Paradise stamp for the background, inked up with Memento Espresso Truffle. The smaller stamp which has been white heat embossed is the Uniko Paradise Leaves stamp set. For the inked panel I have used Pine Needles and Peeled Paint Distress Oxide inks.

Thinking I needed a lighter background panel, I used Shabby Shutters and Speckled Egg Distress Oxide inks for this panel. I then used the Craftstash exclusive Uniko Picked Posies Fresh Cut Foliage stamp for the background, again using Memento Espresso Truffle ink. The white heat embossed stamp is from the Uniko Season of Beauty stamp set.

My final card is slightly different mainly because I had a 'moment' when inking up the larger Uniko Hello Lovely stamp set and inked it with embossing ink in error. Once I realised my error I decided to go with it and heat emboss in copper. I continued to heat emboss in white using the Uniko Pure Florals: Peony stamp set. The background for this inked panel uses three distress oxides which are Antique Linen, Spun Sugar and Victorian Velvet.

I've not had much time in the craft room lately and I'm finding a little frazzled for craft inspiration at present so seeing this video of Ardyth's was a great way to kick start me back into crafting. I hope you like my creations and also encourage you to head over to Ardyth's Instagram page to see the original inspiration.

Much love

Steph x

Brand Ambassador Inspiration - Flowers and Confetti

Good morning!

Anita here with some BA inspiration for you.  As you will be aware, if you've seen Bev's most recent posts, Uniko is celebrating it's 12th Birthday this month!  So it will be birthday inspiration aplenty this month.  Please do check back over the posts of the last few days to find out all about the Uniko Giveaways, and there's much more to come this month too.

On to my card, and I've mixed a few different products to create this one.

On a panel of white cardstock, slightly smaller than my card base, I began by masking off a "swoosh" and lightly ink blending using Distress Inks in Squeezed Lemonade and Dried Marigold.  I then laid the Party Confetti Stencil over the top and ink blended using Dried Marigold (over the Squeezed Lemonade) and Abandoned Coral (over the Dried Marigold).  I then removed the masks and stamped the large peonies image from the Hello Lovely Clear Stamp Set.  I stamped the Happy Birthday sentiment from the Flower Power #2 Clear Stamp set and heat embossed in white onto a strip of coral cardstock.  The panel was then adhered on 3D foam.

I think the floral image, along with the swoosh of colour and confetti stencilling is a great mix for a feminine birthday card.  And I think you can tell from these sunny colours that I can't wait for Spring to arrive!

There will be lots more inspiration in the coming days and throughout the rest of February so I encourage you to check in and see lots more from the team.

Thanks for taking a look and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

 

Floral Friday - Hello Lovely

Happy FriYAY! 

With an extra Bank Holiday due to Queen Elizabeth II funeral on Monday, this week seems to have gone by in a flash. 

Today I have another card I made last week using Hello Lovely. 

As you know I am often inpatient when it comes to colouring, so I often overlook stamps (even ones I have designed) that require patience to colour! Mainly because I forget about all the fun and quick ways to add colour. 

I think todays card really shows how colour can be applied in a fairly quick way to add impact to a detailed floral image.

I masked off my white base card around the edges and used my 3 favourite colours, Oceanside, Honeysuckle & Buttercup to ink blend my background. I removed the mask and then used a stamping platform to stamp the Hello Lovely floral in black ink. 

The sentiment is from Simply Said Blocks III and I added some clear gloss Nuvo Drops to add some subtle accents.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Crafty Hugs

Brand ambassador inspiration : Hello Lovely : Three ways

 Hi there!

Hannelie here with inspiration on how to use a large floral stamp in three different ways... all with alternative ways to add color !

First card :

Second card:

Third card:

I used Hello lovely clear stamp set on all three cards, stamped with my Misti and Versafine Black Ink.

Inks used : Distress ink : Picked Raspberry - Spiced Marmalade - Mustard Seed

For the the first card, I used a piece of torn paper/card stock to mask the area where I wanted to add color. I then started the ink blending and stamped the image over the blended ink area. I finished off the card with a birthday sentiment from Simply Said Blocks.

For the second card I used octagon dies. I used the smaller die to cut a mask for ink blending. I removed the mask and stamped the image. After stamping I used the larger die to cut it out, leaving an uncolored , but stamped frame. I layered it over glittered paper, also cut with the larger die, but rotated to only show a glimpse of glitter. The sentiment is from the same floral set.

For the third card, I used the Bright Butterflies stencil to add color, and stamped just a part of the large floral image on the bottom part of the panel. The birthday sentiment is from the Floral vines clear stamp set

Thank you so much for looking! I hope you leave with a lot of inspiration to get more out of those large floral stamps... without 'real' coloring!

Enjoy the weekend ♥

Hannelie

12 Days of Christmas Giveaways - Day 5

 

 

Happy Friday!

Welcome to day 5 of the 12 Days of Christmas, Giveaways. 

If you missed day 1 and you're wondering what this is all about, be sure to check out all the details HERE and you're welcome to catch up and comment on the previous days. You can find links in the right hand sidebar.

I'm so glad it is Friday and as I am typing this school is out and the holidays have begun! I was hoping to be a little more organised and have ticked a few more things off my ever growing list, but Hey Ho! I'm sure all will come together. 

I thought it would be nice to make today a Floral Friday and I have this card to share with you....

It's been a while since I have inked up Hello Lovely and this peony cluster makes a wonderful statement whether it is coloured or just stamped. I've had this vellum white heat embossed idea in my head for a while now, so it felt good to finally get it onto a card! 

I think the hardest part was choosing a sentiment to use! I finally decided on a simple 'thank you' from Simply Said.

So today's giveaway* is...

Hello Lovely

Simply Said

To be in the chance of winning simply leave a comment on this post and or any of the social media platforms I will be sharing the giveaway!

Crafty Hugs 

* As it is a giveaway the prize is open to participants worldwide. The item will be marked as a gift from me personally to avoid customs charges. An alternative prize will be offered if the winner already owns any of the prize offered on the day they win. You have until midnight Thursday 30th December 2021 to comment. Winners will be announced on the blog on Friday 31st December 2021.

Two For Tuesday - Hello Lovely

 Happy Tuesday!

It's been a little while since I did a Two For Tuesday and as the weather at the weekend was absolutely dismal I spent some much needed creative time in the studio to cheer myself up! 

I was inspired to dust off Hello Lovely and a few of my Distress Oxide inks as it has been a while since I have used both! 

With Hello Lovely being such a large detailed stamp with a bold statement it can be used in so many ways. You know I am not an expert when it comes to colouring AND these days its a tie between not having enough patience OR being needed for something! So opting for a quick colour solution is always welcomed - haha! 

I didn't time myself making these cards, but at a guess I'd say they took me 15 mins each, so half an hour max. I think the longest part was the masking. 

On this first card I masked a rectangle in the centre of my card base. There are lots of masking type stencils out there, but I don't have a rectangle and I have a roll of Post-it tape that works wonderfully. It can sometimes be a little over sticky and take off card with it (see the bottom right corner of this card) when removed, but only if I forget to go slow.

I used Distress Oxides in Worn Lipstick, Festive Berries, Picked Raspberry and Abandoned Coral from top to bottom to create this beautiful background. I then simply stamped the Hello Lovely peony cluster in black ink over the top. I added a sentiment also from the set and my current favourite accent stamp, the trio of circles from Floral Vines.

This lead me onto my second card today...

I wanted to keep my colours and layout the same, so for this card I created ink blended stripes and I absolutely love how it turned out. Again I used Post-it masking tape and it worked really well. I took it slow to peel off this time ;)

I'm loving this colour combo of pinks and reds too, I think this card shows each of the colours off better and it's more striking. 

What do you think? Are you a fan of red and pink together?

That's all from me today, its a busy week in The Studio this week with some restocks coming - yay! Plus it's my birthday on Friday AND I get my first Covid vaccine on Saturday so I am trying to get ahead a little. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Crafty Hugs

 

January 2021 Non-Release Brand Ambassador Blog Hop & GIVEAWAY!

 Hey & Happy Weekend!

Welcome to the January 2021 Non-Release Brand Ambassador Blog Hop & GIVEAWAY! With a New Year in full swing I thought it would be a good time to bring back some of the fun and inspiration that has slipped away in recent months.

So I am pleased to bring back the Non- Release month blog hops. 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 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. 

With Valentine's Day not too far away, I thought I would choose something 'lovely' to challenge the team! So I have picked one of my FAVES, Hello Lovely. 

Hello Lovely

As usual we have our GIVEAWAY, so be sure to comment along the hop for your chance to win the Hello Lovely Clear Stamp Set. An alternative prize to the same value will be offered if you already own the set.  You have until midnight GMT Saturday 23rd January 2021 to comment along the hop.

Bev

Carol 

Hannelie

Izzy 

Jane 

Julie

Rahmat

 

 Sarah P

 

Wiebke

 

 

What an inspirational hop, so many new ideas, I hope you all enjoyed it too :)

Thanks for joining in on the fun.

Crafty Hugs Bev x

Brand Ambassador Inspiration Post : Hello Lovely Clear Stamp Set

Hi there!

Hannelie here sharing detail about a card I made with one my favorite stamp sets... the Hello Lovely Clear stamp set.


So happy that UNIKO is open for business again!

So many possibilities with one large floral stamp.

To see more cards I made with this amazing flower stamp set click here & here . It also looks amazing uncolored (black & white)  or in any color of the rainbow!



For today's card I water colored it with my Zig markers :

I used :

• Hello-lovely-clear-stamp-set
• Mid-century-modern-squares stencil
• Simply-said-blocks - sentiment
• Zig and Koi markers
• Peeled paint distress ink for the BG
• Versafine black ink
• Rhinestones
• Pinpoint rectangle die from Memory box
• Craft foam for dimension

To create the BG, I applied distress ink directly to the stencil, laid the stencil on watercolor paper and spritzed it with water. The first try gave a really bold result... too bold to use with an already bold focal point. I repeated the process two more times before I was satisfied with the subtle pattern.

Thanks for visiting ! I hope you leave inspired!

Hannelie

Website Open For Orders - Uniko Style!

Hello.

Happy July & HAPPY re-opening for orders day! 

I've been waiting for this day for months and finally, it is here and I am a bag of nerves waiting to see if the orders will roll in. It certainly has been and still is strange times, but it feels good to be getting back to some kind of normality. 

The website is open to accepting orders and I have decided to start with a twice week Post Office run to post your lovely orders. The days for posting orders will be Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.

All orders will continue to be sent via First Class Mail in the UK and standard Airmail for Europe & International orders. Orders are not sent with tracking unless they are of £50 value or more. Please allow extra time for your order to reach you and you will receive an order complete email once your order has left the studio.

Please be assured that I am and have been taking the Covid 19 pandemic seriously here at Uniko HQ which is also our home. My work area is kept clean and regularly wiped down and I have been undertaking regular hand washing. We have adhered to all the lockdown regulations and have remained symptom free and have had no contact with anyone who has had symptoms of the virus.

To celebrate the reopening I made a card to share with you and it seemed apt to use my much loved Uniko Style clear stamp set. 

Along with finding inspiration and joining back in on the fun this week at one of my go to challenges, CAS(E) this Sketch! seen HERE and below, I also sought inspiration from the Uniko branding colours for my card.

I started by using the Uniko Stencil Scattered Polka Dots and lightly applied Altenew Aqualicious ink through a small section to the left. 

I've then stamped and fussy cut the Uniko Style layered blooms using the Altenew Sweet Dreams and Cherry Blossom ink collections. The sentiment is a current favourite from Hello Lovely and I finished the card off with some Nuvo Stone Drops in Lady Liberty. 

It's lovely to be back in business and I am looking forward to sharing more creativity with you soon! Be sure to hop on over to the WEBSITE and check out the SALE page for awesome all the awesome bargains I had on prior to lockdown!

Crafty Hugs

Hello, Hey, Hi!

Hello!

Oh my, what a strange couple of months it has been! I am so out of the loop with everything as we start to come out of lockdown or hibernation here in the UK. 

The majority of my time these past 2 1/2 months has been spent doing home learning with The Beans, doing the tasks the school set out and then speech practice. Then it has been keeping the home life ticking over, washing, cooking and cleaning. With everyone home 24/7 it has felt like an endless task. Then as bedtime for The Beans rolls around I collapse in a tired heap and no mojo to create :(

BUT.... finally I got the spark back to be creative when my husband finally uttered the words... 'you can open up for orders again on 1st July'. This is what I had been waiting for and it has injected a bit of life back into me! 

Life is still crazy, I am still doing home learning with The Beans as we decided not to send them back to school in this time of uncertainty. BUT I am being a bit better at giving myself some time during the day to do something for myself. 

Like today, I finished the card I started making yesterday....

I thought some cheery flowers would be best to kick start my creativity and I decided to ink up the peony cluster from Hello Lovely. 

I kept things simple and used some Stampin' Up! markers to colour the blooms and leaves. I used just one colour for each of the flowers, but went over areas with the same colour to achieve a darker shade. I did however use two greens for the leaves.

I trimmed through the image and fussy cut around the edge so it would be a border along the edge of my card and I popped it up with foam adhesive for some dimension. The sentiment is one of the mix and match options from the set.

I will be back again in the next few days with more to share, but for now I will just recap...

The website will open for orders Wednesday 1st July 2020. Orders will be posted out once or twice a week. I will confirm what days I will be posting orders once I have done a little research into the less busy times at my local branch. More details coming soon :)

Thank you to my awesome Brand Ambassadors for keeping the inspiration flowing during this time AND thank YOU for hanging in there with Uniko during these uncertain times. Your emails and messages have been much appreciated.

Crafty Hugs 

Bev 

Uniko Brand Ambassador Inspiration post : Lovely hummingbird

Hi there!

Hannelie here with my monthly inspiration post !

On today's card I'm combining one of the newer floral stamps (which I LOVE) with the Paradise hummingbird  stamp set from an earlier release.

Hummingbirds are amazing little creatures ... I can watch them for hours :)

After cutting out the Paradise Hummingbird (with my Silhouette cameo) I used my blending brush to add the colors as shown above.

I then stamped the bird with the help of my Misti stamping tool using Versafine black ink.

On the card base, I stamped the large clustered flower called Hello lovely in black and used foam dots to pop the hummingbird up.

Lastly I stamped the sentiment from Simply said blocks , cut it out and also popped it up with foam dots for dimension.

I used flat back pearls as embellishments and added one as an eye for the bird.

I hope you still find comfort in crafting during this difficult Covid 19 time. Card making is the one thing that didn't change for me, where everything else out there is crazy. It keeps my thoughts at bay and now more than ever I am thankful for a hobby!

I hope you leave here inspired !

Thanks for visiting Uniko today 😊

Hannelie