Uniko 14th Birthday February 2026 Release - Introducing...Background Blocks Birthday Scramble

Hi there

It's the first day of the Uniko 14th Birthday Release introductions.

It's another mini release so the team are showcasing one new product each day this week.  And first up is another newcomer to join the Background Blocks...Background Blocks Birthday Scramble.

For this card I decided to do some paper piecing...

I stamped the whole image in black onto a die cut panel and then stamped parts of the image onto different patterned papers from the same paper pad.  I fussy cut these out and adhered them onto the letters and images on the main panel.  The panel was then adhered to the card base on fun foam.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Uniko - Background Blocks Birthday Scramble
• Ink: Versafine Clair - Nocturne
• Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye - Quite Contrary (free with publication many years ago)

For lots more inspiration from the rest of the team using this new stamp, please do visit the Uniko blog, here.  I'll be back tomorrow to introduce another of the new products.

All the new products will be available from Saturday 28 February 2026 at 9am GMT.

I hope you'll pop back over the next few days to check out the other new products.

Less is More Week #352

Good morning!

And this morning I'm introducing this week's new challenge over at Less is More which is a Recipe challenge.  This week we want to see...

Any stamp layering will do, you don't have to use stamps specifically designed to be layered.

I have two samples for you today, both using stamp sets designed to be stamped in layers to add dimension...

This was super easy.  The leaves and flowers were stamped onto a panel of white cardstock cut slightly smaller than the card base, and were then overstamped with the sentiment in black.  I popped the panel up on some fun foam and finished by adding some trios of Nuvo drops.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Wplus9 - Watercolored Anemones; Clearly Besotted - Brushed Greetings II
• Ink: Altenew - Lavender Fields, Midnight Violet, Deep Iris, Forest Glades, Evergreen; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Accents: Nuvo Crystal Drops - Silver Lining

Challenge entries:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

CAS on Friday - Challenge #119 - Flowers

ETA:
Thanks to my teamie, Nonni, I'm linking up to Time Out challenge where their theme is Sympathy.  Not sure how I missed that one!

Next...any excuse to make another Christmas card to fit the challenge as I'm still so far behind this year!

On a panel of white cardstock I stamped the layered tree, the first three layers in varying shades of green, then finishing with VersaMark and heat embossed in white to resemble snow.  This panel was then die cut with a stitched rectangle die and I then wrapped around a strip of vellum with the sentiment heat embossed in gold.  This was then popped up on foam over a card base covered with pattern paper.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Hero Arts - Color Layering Christmas Tree
• Ink: Altenew - Forest Glades, Moss, Evergreen; VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: Altenew - Pure White; Wow! - Metallic Gold Rich
• Die: MFT Die-namics - Wonky Stitched Rectangles
• Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye - Oh What Fun
• Vellum from stash

Challenge entry:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Monochrome

For more inspiration please do pop over to the challenge blog to view my teamies' projects this week, and click on their links where you could find even more makes this week.

Thanks so much for stopping by, I so appreciate your visits and comments.

Have a lovely weekend.

Less is More Week #343

Good morning

Another week of August has rushed by and this morning over at Less is More we're back with a new challenge, and this time it's Recipe week.  We have an interesting one for you this time, here are the details...

I was at work the other day and with this challenge in mind began looking for ideas around the office.  I saw staples, paper clips, elastic bands, then my colleague shouted 'tissue'.  I took this idea and knew exactly which stamp set to use to go with it...

This was pretty quick to make.  I started by stamping the tissue box on some white cardstock then die cut around it with a stitched oval die.  I then stamped it again on some patterned paper and paper pieced the image  I then took a craft knife and cut a slit along the top of the box and tucked a real tissue inside, using just a little adhesive to hold it in place.  I cut another piece of the patterned paper using another slightly larger stitched oval die and adhered this flat to the card base.  I then popped the image oval up on 3D foam before stamping the sentiment below.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Lawn Fawn - On the Mend
• Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black
• Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye - Quite Contrary (free with a publication a few years ago)
• Dies: Lil' Inkers - Stitched Ovals

Challenge entries:

Addicted to Stampers and More - Challenge #256 - Anything Goes

Stamping Sensations - August Challenge - Anything Goes

Now, for my second card I must give credit as this idea isn't mine.  There's a gift shop in the town where I work that also sells fabulous cards.  I got this idea from some card designs by Ruth Jackson who creates super simple designs and adds pencil shavings to parts of her images.  So I had a rummage through my stamps to find something that could work...

I started by stamping the stems and sentiment in black (I tried in green first but I wasn't happy with how it looked).  Once dry I ran the panel through my Big Shot in a wave effect embossing folder to add a little texture to the background.  I popped the panel onto the card base using fun foam and then to finish I adhered the pencil shavings in three colours as the flower buds, using Glossy Accents to ensure they stayed in place.  I think the effect would have been better had my coloured pencils been hexagonal but unfortunately, all of mine are round so gave a smooth edge to the shavings.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Pretty Petals
• Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black
• Embossing Folder: We R Memory Keepers - Next Level Wave
• Accents: Coloured pencil shavings

Challenge entries:

CASology - Challenge #263 - Bud

Addicted to CAS - Challenge #118 - Friends

STAMPlorations - Summer CAS Card Challenge

Please do pop over to the main LIM challenge blog to find more inspiration from my teamies.  I'm looking forward to the gallery this week, it's going to be interesting to see what objects you come up with.

Happy Saturday, everyone!

Less is More Week #312

Hi there

It's Saturday morning so I'm back to tell you about this week's new challenge at Less is More.  It's the turn of our Theme challenge and this week we would like to see...

New Beginnings

I've had a case of missing mojo this week but I did finally manage to make two cards to share with you.  For my first New Beginning theme I chose a wedding card...

This was a fairly easy make.  I started by die cutting the pierced square and stamped and heat embossed the sentiment in platinum powder.  The panel was then adhered to the base on 3D foam.  I then die cut the two laurel cuts from pearlescent cardstock and adhered these to the panel and added a couple of glitter enamel dots.

Materials used:

• Dies: MFT Die-namics - Pierced Square Stax; Poppy Stamps - Peppini Laurel
• Stamp: Clearly Besotted - Love Blossoms
• Ink: VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Platinum
• Accents: My Mind's Eye - Antique Enamel Dots

Challenge entries:

Time Out - Challenge #75 - CASE Ksenija
Uniko Challenge #39 - Anything Goes with Optional Twist of Love
Crafty Cardmakers - Challenge #180 - New Beginnings
CASology - Challenge #232 - Cut
Happy Little Stampers - January Anything Goes with Dies
STAMPlorations - January CAS Challenge - Option of Silver/Grey





For my second card I chose a new home card...

Another simple make, this time a one layer card.  The sentiment and the image were both stamped in black and I coloured the image with Derwent Coloursoft pencils.  A glossy heart embellishment was added as smoke coming from the chimney.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Altenew - Succulents (sentiment); Woodware - Home Sweet Home
• Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black
• Coloured with Derwent Coloursoft Pencils

Challenge entries:

Simply Create Too - Challenge #123 - New Beginnings
My Time to Craft - Challenge #337 - Something New

Thanks very much for popping by today and I hope you have the time this week to join us and take part in this challenge.

Spare Hugs!

Hi guys

This afternoon I found a lonely little 'hugs' die cut on my craft table which was leftover from when I made this card, the original die cut taken from the ombre panel, so I decided to use it up on a new card.

Here it is, with no stamping this time!

I dry embossed a white panel with a striped embossing folder and adhered this to the card base.  I then cut small panels from two patterned papers and used a corner punch to round the bottom corners and then adhered these together in line with the top of the card.  I then swirled around some white thread, laid this over the papers and used the die cut word to adhere the thread in place.  A little Doodlebug Sprinkle was added to finish.

Materials used:

• Embossing Folder: Darice - Stripe
• Patterned Papers: My Minds Eye - Quite Contrary Summer Papers; Avery Elle - The Brights Collection
• Die: Lawn Fawn - Scripty Hugs
• Inks: Distress Inks - Spun Sugar, Seedless Preserves
• Accents: Doodlebug Sprinkles - Cupcake; Thread from stash
• Tools: Tonic Corner Rounder Punch

Challenge entries:

Happy Little Stampers - May CAS Challenge - Die Cuts/Punches

613 Avenue Create - Challenge #122 - Anything Goes (Feminine)

CAS(E) this Sketch - Challenge #121

Time Out - Challenge #30 - Home Sweet Home - inspired by pink/teal/flowers/stripes

Card Concept - Challenge #34 - inspired by pink/aqua/flowers/stripes - I think my card would fall in the Clean and Layered category

Pixie's Snippets Playground - Week 175 and 176 - hugs die cut and patterned paper offcuts


I think that's it for today now, I need to tidy my craft table before I can even contemplate making anything else! haha

Hope to see you again soon :)

Just for You

Hi there

I've found a little time this afternoon to have a play and decided I felt like I needed more practice at colouring with my ProMarkers.  I still only have about a quarter of the colours so still struggle a bit with blending as I don't have many colours that work together.

I also had a play with an unused stamp.  This is an unmounted stamp by S.w.a.l.k. so I needed to get this mounted first before I could use it.  I got in a bit of a sticky mess with my EZ Mount but got there in the end!

I stamped the image and coloured it in with ProMarkers before cutting out with a rectangular die.  I then chose some patterned paper and die cut it with a flag die, ensuring that the diagonal stripes were running in the same direction as the raindrops on the image.  I finished with a simple sentiment.  This was originally the finished card but I then spotted the challenge sketch at Seize the Sketch and realised I could enter this card if I added something to the top right corner.  After a rummage in my stash I came up with a twist of ribbon, held together with a flower head brad, in colours to match the rest of the design.

Materials used:

• Stamps: S.w.a.l.k. - After The Rain; Clearly Besotted - A Little Sentimental
• Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black
• Coloured with ProMarkers
• Patterned Paper: My Minds Eye - Vanity Fair
• Dies: Spellbinders Nestabilities - Classic Rectangles Large; MFT Die-namics - Fishtail Flag Stax
• Grosgrain Ribbon: American Crafts
• Flower brad from stash

Challenge Entries:

CASology - Week 90 - 'Wet'

Charisma Cardz - Challenge #8 - April Showers

Seize the Sketch - Challenge #17

That's all for now.  Thanks for popping by and I hope to be back again soon to share more with you.  I hope you're having a lovely weekend.