Brand Ambassador Inspiration - Love Cards

Bonjour ! 

Izzy here today. January is almost finished and Valentine's Day is not far so I've created three Love Cards using, among others, the Big & Bold Love stamp set.

For my first card, I decided to pair it with the Beautiful Blooms I stamp set, recently revisited by all the Brand Ambassadors (see HERE), and with the Always and Forever stamp since one of the hearts in this set has the same bloom on.

I die cut a stitched rectangle in a white card stock and I stamped the blooms in soft pink and the leaves in soft green. I flat adhered this panel on a double white card. I stamped the heart with brighter pink ink on an heavier white card stock and I fussy cut it. Then I stamped the word LOVE and I also fussy cut it. To finish I foam mounted both the word and the heart.

For my next card, I paired the Big & Bold Love set together with the Large Background Scattered Polka Heart Stamp. By the way, if you are interested, this background stamp is on sale (-50%). It's time to treat yourself before it is retired from the website.

Here I simply stamped this background in red hues on a stitched white rectangle card stock and I flat adhered this panel on a double white card.

To finish I stamped and I black heat embossed the word Love, I fussy cut it and I foam mounted it on the card. 

Finally I made a shaker card. This time the Big & Bold Love stamp set is combined with the Background Blocks Scattered Hearts set.

I stamped the background in soft grey on a square of white card stock and I opened a heart window with a die. On the back I adhered a piece of clear acetate. 

I stamped and I black heat embossed the word love and I fussy cut it.

To finish, I put some red sequins on a double white card, I foam mounted the panel and the word Love on top.

Et voilà ! Thanks for joining me today and hopefully I've given you some inspiration for your Valentine's cards.

Have a lovely week-end and thank you so much for stopping by.

 

 

Brand Ambassador Inspiration - Masculine Birthday Cards

Good morning everyone, 

Steph here and this month I'm using Uniko Big & Bold - Happy stamp and co-ordinating die set to make masculine birthday cards.

My first card teams the Uniko Big & Bold - Happy bundle with Uniko Bee Happy stamp set. I stamped the gorgeous little bees, the honeycomb hearts and the ‘bee day’ sentiment using the Bee Happy stamp set and fussy cut each one before adhering to the base panel which I had die cut using a generic honeycomb die. I then used blue ink to stamp the ‘happy’ sentiment and die cut using the coordinating die. 

My next card uses the ‘happy’ die cut as an aperture with coloured strips of card adhered behind. This is a great way to use up card scraps. The stamped elements are all from the Big & Bold - Happy stamp set. 

Taking inspiration from my previous card, I created a striped background and added a die cut ‘happy’ using both the inner more detailed die and the outer edging die. Again the sentiments are from Uniko Big & Bold - Happy stamp set and I finished the card with a die cut frame. 

Hopefully I’ve given you some new inspiration and you are digging out the Big & Bold - Happy stamp and / or die set for a play soon. 

Much love

Steph x

Hugs

Hello & Happy Thursday,

Although this week has gone quicker than the last two, January already feels like a year! I don't know about you, but personally I have sought out hugs this week for warmth (it's cold with minus temps) and for comfort, for those January blues.

This in turn has inspired my card...

Sunshine & Rainbows has been on my list for a while as a stamp set to give some fresh inky love to, so that's what I reached for first. I went for some non traditional rainbow colours, Peacock, Stardust and grapefruit and a non white card base, Dove. 

Back to some fussy cutting again, but the rainbow arches aren't as difficult as they look. I did some tone on tone stamping for the clouds before adhering the rainbow.

The BIG & BOLD Hugs is stamped and embossed in white before I fussy cut the word out. I adhered using foam tape and then finished with the Sending sentiment stamped in a slightly darker grey, VersaFine Clair Morning Mist.  

So if you are in need of a hug, this ones for you.

Crafty Hugs

BA Inspiration, a couple of ideas for those tricky to make cards

 Hi, Julie here with a couple of cards for those tricky to make occasions.

Sadly last week I received news that one of my neighbours from our old street had tragically passed away far too soon, after a long battle with cancer. It's never a good time and often your mojo goes out of the window so I like to have a few cards in the stash for such occasions. Well, despite my best efforts the card I had in mind was damaged so I decided to make another in short shrift! So using the original as a template, I came up with this based on a card I'd seen by the fab Therese Calvird.

Using Pure Florals-Lily, I stamped the large bloom in grey ink and then coloured using Copic markers. To make the focal point of this A5 card, I die cut the bloom from the panel twice using a couple of circle dies to create the border.  The central panel was then glued onto my card. The raised section was made using the same dies and some white fun foam which I stuck behind the coloured border which I added, matching the pattern. A simple white embossed sentiment on black completes.

Over at Color Hues there is a colour challenge to use copper and green, looking at the sympathy card, I think I could have used that but I decided to make this card, showing that Christmas stamps are not just for Christmas!

I know many of you struggle with masculine cards. So one of my tips is to go CAS and foliage is a great way to get a masculine feel too. Here I've used Season of Beauty and Winter Botanicals Sweet Broom to create the focal point. The solid stamping was done in shades of green from Altenew's  Tropical Forest set and the outline from Winter Botanicals- Sweet Broom, was stamped with Versamark and embossed with Copper EP. The sentiment was stamped in the darkest shade of green to compliment the arrangement.

So that's all from me for the moment but I hope I've given you a couple of ideas for those often difficult to make cards.

Happy crafting

January 2024 Non-Release Brand Ambassador Blog Hop & GIVEAWAY!

Hello & Happy Thursday.

Welcome to the January 2024 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 over time.

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. Plus, I think it's always nice to revisit older sets and provide more inspiration and not just from me.

So without further ado, lets see the products I decided upon for January...

Beautiful Blooms I and Designer Dies Beautiful Blooms I 

Beautiful Blooms I first debuted in June 2013 and the coordinating Designer Dies came a bit later, but the date escapes me.

Anyway, let's get to the inspiration...

Anita

Bev

Izzy

Julie

Steph

Vinita

Wow, what a beautiful array of inspiration, with each of the Brand Ambassadors using different layouts and techniques. I am certainly inspired.

As usual I am offering a prize to one lucky comment left along the hop. Simply leave some comment love before Midnight GMT Thursday 25th January 2024 and I will select a lucky winner to receive a £15 eGift Code to spend in the store!

Happy Hoppin'!

Crafty Hugs

Uniko Sponsors - Passion For Markers

Hello & Happy FriYAY! 

First Friday of the month and the last few days of the school holidays for The Beans. Hence why I have been a little quiet here on the blog. I have been working around them! But it's been mainly admin and packing lovely orders, thank you 😊

So, I am a little late with sharing this, but Uniko is the proud sponsor of Passion For Markers challenge, seen HERE. 

The theme is New Beginnings and I decided to make a New Year card, simply because it is a New Year and here's what I created...

As you can see it isn't your 'usual' New Year card. So why did I choose the butterfly from English Country Garden? 

Butterflies are a powerful symbolism of growth and new beginnings and to me I wanted a simple but powerful and positive start to this new year. Plus I knew it would look pretty in these shades of peach and hint of aqua! Totally inspired by Pantone Color of The Year - Peach Fuzz.

I used Stampin' Up Blends in Calypso Coral and Bermuda Bay (Light) for simple colouring to my die cut butterfly. I adhered using foam tape and added a few Oceanside enamel dots around the sentiment from Christmas Sentiments. 

There is still time to join in the challenge for your chance to win a Uniko prize. Check out and enter HERE.

Crafty Hugs

Happy New Year!

Happy Monday & Hello 2024.

Today I want to wish you ALL a very happy, healthy and creative New Year. I hope you all enjoyed the festive period and you are looking forward to what 2024 will bring. I'd say we had a quiet festive period & New Years Eve, but can you really with two 9 year olds 🥴😂

I'm learning to sneak away for a little quiet time and making a quick card like this one today...

I've reached for my 'go to' clear stamp sets for New Years cards, Big & Bold Happy and Organic Wishes, which is perfect for fireworks.

I stamped & heat embossed the Organic bursts with sparkly Stardust embossing powder before adding a little colour of Light Calypso Coral and Bermuda Bay. 

I finished off with the Big & Bold Happy die cut in Grapefruit & White card adhered using foam adhesive, along with the New year stamped & embossed in sparkly Stardust to match the fireworks.

Have a lovely day & I hope you find time to create today.

Crafty Hugs