Summer Inspiration with Guest Designer Joanna Laverty

Hello, Happy Monday & Happy July! 

Here at Uniko we are not only kicking the month off with a new release landing in store this past weekend, (if you've not seen all the fun & newness check HERE and HERE). We are also starting it with an amazing Guest Brand Ambassador, please let me introduce and hand you over to Joanna Laverty.

My name is Jo, but also known as Have Faith In Cards, and I have been crafting for over 10 years now. What started out as a way to avoid buying a generic Birthday Card, has turned into such a beautiful journey of improving my creativity and trying out new styles and techniques. The crafty community is a beautiful community to be part of, and I have been inspired by so many crafters, and I hope that I have been able to inspire back.

For this first card, I used the Ink and Flip Geometric Butterfly stencil and the help of the Sarah Renae Clark Colour Cube to create this Butterfly filled design. The color scheme is not something I would have ever thought of to pull together but it works so well, especially with the flip design element of the stencil! 

I used a variety of Distress Oxide Inks to stencil in the butterflies over a square piece of white cardstock, and once complete, adhered the cardstock to a larger dark blue/grey square cardstock using foam tape. Next I took some burnt orange cardstock and using the 'Everyday Sentiments' stamp set, embossed 'Thinking of You' onto the card using a white embossing powder. I die cut the sentiment and placed it onto the centre of the design with some foam tape.

To finish off the design, I adhered some enamel dots to the front centre of each butterfly, choosing dots which matched the colour palette chosen for this design.

Taking the Ink and Flip Geometric Butterfly stencil, I first used the background stencil to start my design. Taking a white cardstock and side one of the background builder, I used Distress Oxides in Squeezed Lemonade and Ripe Persimmon, working yellow from the centre into the light orange red. Once complete,I cleaned side one of the stencil, flipped it over, and started to complete my background using side two. For side two I used the Distress Oxides in Festive Berries and Wild Honey, working the golden yellow from the centre into the gorgeous red.

Next I took the butterfly stencil and embossed two different powders for each side. For side one I utilised yellow and orange powder, and for side two I used a sparkly golden powder. Once complete, I die cut the layer using a stitched rectangle die cut and adhered the layer onto a card base.

Next I took some burnt orange cardstock and using the 'Everyday Sentiments' stamp set, embossed  'Congratulations' and 'Celebrate' onto the card using a purple/red embossing powder. I die cut the sentiments separately and adhered on the base layer using foam tape. To finish off the design, I applied some embellishments to the card in matching colours. 

For my last card I took some watercolour cardstock and some pink shimmer powder, I lightly covered the card with the powder and sprayed water over it to create this gorgeous background. Once dry, I took a rectangle die cut to create the base.

Next, using some paste and the MOD background builder stencil, I started to build on top of the base layer. Taking shimmer powders in blue, green and gold, I mixed some powder separately into some opaque white paste to create  3 unique colours, then with a small spatula, applied the paste over the stencil.

I don't use paste often, but when I do, I am always reminded of how much I enjoy the results. One the paste layer was dry, I took the  'Everyday Sentiments' stamp set, and stamped 'With Sympathy' to the top left using Pink ink. To finish off the design I adhered some rainbow bubbles randomly to the design. 

WOW! I think you will all agree with me how stunningly beautiful and eye catching these cards are by Jo, using these popular Uniko Stencils and clear stamp sentiments. The colours are simply wonderful and I am inspired to check out the colour cube! 

Thank you so much Jo for agreeing to Guest Design and give such wonderful creative treatment to these Uniko products. 

What a wonderful way to start of a new month, I am inspired to get creating.

Crafty Hugs

Uniko Super Sunday Guest Brand Ambassador - Anita from Neet & Crafty

Happy Sunday & Happy Last Day of January! 

I don't know about you, but January has been the longest year ever! So I am super pleased to welcome a new month tomorrow AND Uniko's Birthday month. 

But before we get to that I have a super duper, inspirational Guest Brand Ambassador joining us on the blog today. Please give a warm Uniko welcome to Anita from Neet & Crafty...

Hi There, 

I’m Anita (Neet or Neets), and for those that don’t know me, I live in Torquay in South Devon.  I have always been creative, enjoying art and cross stitch from a young age, and then in 2005 I purchased my first cardmaking kit and that was it, I was hooked!  I began just making cards for friends and family and, as my hobby evolved, I then discovered the fabulous online crafting community.  I wanted to become part of it so in 2013 I created my blog, Neet & Crafty, and that’s when I discovered so many wonderful craft and stamp companies, Uniko being one of them.  I’ve loved watching Bev’s business grow (as well as my Uniko collection!) and have so much admiration for what she has achieved, while also bringing up her lovely twins.

Thanks so much, Bev, for inviting me to be featured in your Super Sunday Guest Designer Spot…what an honour!

I’ve made a little selection of feel good cards that hopefully inspire, these including the themes of love and friendship.  I hope you like them.

For this first sweet card I combined stamps from Background Builders Classics and Simply Said.  I die cut a heart window first in my upper panel and then marked the area on the card base that would show through the aperture, masked it off then stamped the various border designs in varying shades of pink.  The sentiment was heat embossed in white to show through the raised panel.

For these two love themed cards I used the Large Scattered Polka Hearts background stamp and sentiments from the You Are…Sentiments Outlined set.

For the first I heat embossed the background hearts in white and used emboss resist to blend over the top with Distress Oxides in a diagonal gradient.  I then used a vellum wrap with the sentiment heat embossed in white.

The next is a similar design but in reverse.  I used my MISTI to stamp the polka hearts multiple times, creating a gradient of pale to deep pink.  Here I heat embossed the sentiment on a die cut heart from black cardstock and popped it up on 3D foam.

My next make used the gorgeous Bee Happy stamp set.  I adhered some honeycomb/hexagon patterned paper to the lower half of my card base and then die cut an angled stitched edge from my upper panel.  This was then stamped in black, grey and honey shades using various stamps all from the same set, with a little Copic colouring on the bee.

This selection of Uniko creations wouldn’t be complete without using one of the Flower Power sets, and here I’ve combined blooms from Flower Power #2 with leaves from Natures Treasures II and the sentiment from Hello Lovely.  I used really bright summer colours here, started with the leaves and then stamped and die cut the flowers, using their co-ordinating dies, before adhering them in a cluster on glue dots.  The stamped sentiment and some vertical score lines finished off this one layer card.

I chose stamps from Just Because, Beautiful and Hello Lovely for this friend card.  On a pale green panel I stamped the same image in different orientations both in green and also heat embossed in white.  The sentiment was heat embossed on a green strip and a further smaller strip adhered on 3D foam.

It wasn’t until I was making these that I realised how much the flower stem from the You Are, Yes You set resembled the flower in my blog logo!  I combined it here with the Background Builders Pinstripe II stamp and the sentiment from Originally Organic Additions.  I stamped the flower in a pale ink before colouring and then masking it to stamp the pinstripes.  With the stem stamp still in my MISTI, I then restamped it over the original image before heat embossing in white. 

WOW! 

Well, I don't know about you, but I was blown away by Anita's creativity. Isn't this just a stunning line up of Uniko goodness?  

Thank you SO much Anita for being our Super Sunday Guest Brand Ambassador.

Happy Graffiti Explosion - Uniko Guest Ambassador Tara Cardwell

Happy Weekend! 

I’m thrilled to be guesting for Uniko today and couldn’t wait to get one of my favourite of their stamps all inky – the Background Blocks Graffiti Texture is such a great way to add maximum impact for minimum effort!

For my first card I started with a white base card and stamped the graffiti background twice underneath each other with the card in portrait orientation in Speckled Egg Distress Oxide ink rotating the stamp for the second imprint so the swirls form an S shape in the middle.

Next, I turned the stamp and inked it up again this time in Peacock Feathers Oxide and over stamped the speckled egg in the top right corner.  This fills 75% of the card but to cover it completely I masked off the edges and stamped the image another 3 times until the whole area was complete.   Lovely textured background complete.

For the focal image I used the Explosion! and Explosions Additions sets stamping onto teal card and embossing with copper powder (hero arts) before fussy cutting the explosion.   Fun and funky way to tell a guy he’s awesome!

For the second card I wanted to take the background one step further and to make it more masculine by going for a camo feel.  I did this by starting with a sand base card and stamped in Versafine Clair Shady Lane and Verdant greens following the same pattern as the blue version.   

Once that was full dry (I cheated it with a heat gun)  I masked off the edges and then stamped across the two corners with the same stamp in versamark  and added gold embossing powder.  To get a rough feel I rubbed off the straight edges in the middle of the card so the embossing looked more rustic before heating it.   

The focal point this time came from the Big and Bold Happy stamp and die bundle with the die cut happy and a stamped and embossed birthday sentiment.   I do find it awkward to find non-twee images for boy cards and these graphic styles from Uniko really hit the mark!

Thanks for reading – happy crafting

Tara

Stencil Sunday... Guest Designer Ruth Andrews

Welcome to another Stencil Sunday!

This month I have a wonderful Guest Designer joining Uniko for our 7th Birthday & February Release celebrations AND also for this months Stencil Sunday feature.

Please give a warm welcome to Ruth from Crafting While The Baby Naps...

I first met Ruth at Stamp Magic in Doncaster when I had my Uniko stand and we got to chatting like I do with every one I can at the shows!! 

Along with following Ruth on Social Media I was lucky enough to meet up again last May the night before Happy Stampers as she was staying over to help Dies to Die For on their stand. It was lovely to get to know her over a couple glasses of Prosecco and she is a real hoot and genuinely lovely person as well as being an awesome card maker & talented seamstress. 

Ruth has her own little business too called Bagagaddon and you can check out her Etsy shop HERE. 

Now I have introduced you to Ruth her is a look at the project she is sharing over on her blog HERE for Stencil Sunday. 

Be sure to head on over & leave Ruth some love. Ruth has used Uniko's Natures Treasures II Stencil and a sentiment from So Much clear stamp set (links below).

Thanks for stopping by today & joining in on all the fun this month.

Hugs

Uniko Guest Designer - Faye Wynn-Jones

Hey & Happy Hump Day!

This month I've had the honour of Faye Wynn-Jones from Stamping Fluffnstuff, as our Guest Designer :) 

I first met Faye at Happy Stampers Festivals and along with being a lovely person she is a Copic Marker whizz! 

Faye shared a couple of cards using Pure Florals: Peony HERE earlier in the month and is back today on the website blog HERE, sharing another duo of cards. Be sure to head on over for some Copic Floral inspiration.

Hugs 

Guest Designer Inspiration with Anna Uhras

Hi Dear Uniko Friends! 

Anna here again today bringing you my last (but not least) page made for my GDT spot here at Uniko. I've had a blast playing with all the gorgeous stamps, stencils and dies Bev sent to me to create with.

Thank you so much sweet Bev <3

For this layout I've made my own background papers using the Paradise Leaves Clear Stamps.  The word "kindness" you can find in the Simply Said II Clear Stamp set. The papers in my layers under my photo are by Heidi Swapp Pineapple Crush collection and my title is also by Heidi Swapp  but from my hoarded stash :)

I fussy cut some of the leafs and mounted them with 3d tape to get some dimension. Lastly, I finished my page off with some stitches my by sewing machine and some dots of Nuvo Jewel Drops. I do really love these leafs, they are absolutely gorgeous.

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I hope that you have got some new ideas and some inspiration from my creations.

Thanks so much for stopping by here today! See you out in the scrappy world​ <3

Take care! Hugs Anna xo

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Uniko Guest Designer for May 2018!

Hey & Happy Monday!

Today I am super excited to be introducing Uniko's Guest Designer for the month of May. I am also really happy to be opening the Uniko Guest Designer door again, and I am hoping it to be a regular occurrence, especially during release months!

I am truly honoured to have Anna Uhras from URAscrap. I am sure many of you are familiar with Anna's work, she is a Design Team Member for CASology, a card challenge blog Uniko frequently sponsors, Design in Papers and Citrus Twist. 

Over to Anna now to introduce herself...

Hi!

I am Anna Uhras ,43 years old, from Sweden. My profession is Hairdresser and I am happily married to my husband Henrik, who is a farmer soon to be for 24 years. We live at our farm and together we have five lovely kids aged 22, 20,18, 6 and 4. I work part-time and then I am a stay at home mom. My family is my heart and joy!

Scrapbooking is my "Me time" and I have to admit that it is also sort of an addiction if you ask my family, LOL! I love all those pretty papers and embellishments and I love to be creative with them. Actually ! can't live without scrapping!

My first contact with scrappy things was in 2007 by making cards. But it wasn't until 2012 I discovered layouts and then I never looked back. I think my scrappy style has evolved a lot since I first started. I love to try new things and techniques all the time.

Right now I love to use stencils and mist's for my layout backgrounds. Colours make my heart sing so I use a lot of colours on my projects. However I feel I have a pretty clean style. My favourite crafting supplies are patterned papers, colour mist's, stamps cotton thread and my sewing machine, in fact it's hard to find any of my projects without any stitches. Also I love to use digital cut files with my Silhouette Cameo.

My creations are mostly layouts (both 12x12 and 8.5x11), cards and TN-spreads as well.


I'm so excited, happy and very proud to be your guest here at Uniko Studio, thank you so much Bev!

Take care! Anna xo

Welcome Anna! It was lovely to find out more about you, your family and what you LOVE most about paper crafting. 

Anna will be joining us throughout May here on the blog as our Guest Designer AND joining in on some of the May 2018 Release :) Until you get to see Anna's projects in full, here are a few peeks at what Anna has created to share...

Stunning peeks, don't you think? I sure am excited to see the full projects and read about how they were created. 

Until then, thank you for stopping by today. I hope you will pop back tomorrow, as countdown to the Uniko May 2018 Release starts! 

Hugs