Uniko - Brand Ambassador Inspiration - Spring Botanicals Tulip

Hi guys

I'm over on the Uniko blog toay with my very first Brand Ambassador Inspiration post!

I'm sharing a trio of cards using the Spring Botanicals Tulip stamp set.  For full details on how I made these you can find the information over on that blog post, here.

For this first card the background was masked and the image coloured with ink blending...

Materials used:

• Stamps: Uniko - Spring Botanicals Tulip
• Ink: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Distress Ink: Mustard Seed, Candied Apple, Forest Moss, Rustic Wilderness; VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: Brutus Monroe - Alabaster
• Dies: MFT Die-namics - Pierced Square Stax
• Other: Inkadinkado - Stamping Mask Paper

For this next card I used very simple tone on tone colouring...

Materials used:

• Stamps - Uniko - Spring Botanicals Tulip
• Ink: Altenew - Wisteria; VersaMark
• Coloured with Copic markers
• Embossing Powder: Brutus Monroe - Alabaster
• Die: Create a Smile - Cool Cuts Double Stitched Rectangles

And for my third of this trio I left the image uncoloured and just added colour to the background...

Materials used:

• Stamps: Uniko - Spring Botanicals Tulip, Large Background French Script
• Stencil: Uniko - Stylised Floral
• Ink: Versafine Clair - Nocturne; Distress Ink - Victorian Velvet; Altenew - Industrial Diamond; VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: Brutus Monroe - Alabaster
• Die: MFT Die-namics - Wonky Stitched Rectangle Stax
• Other: Inkadinkado - Stamping Mask Paper

Challenge entries:

Card 1

Allsorts - Week 667 - Spring is in the Air

Stamping Sensations - March Challenge - Spring

We Love Stamping - March Challenge - Spring

Card 2

Sweet Stampin' - KISS! (keep it simple)

STAMPlorations - March CAS Challenge - Anything CAS Goes

Card 3

Addicted to Stamps and More - Challenge #425 - Die Cuts / Stencils

Happy Little Stampers - March Stencil Challenge - Anything Goes

NBUS - Challenge #36 - all new stamps and stencil

STAMPlorations - March Stencil Challenge - Anything Goes

Thanks so much for taking a look today, sending crafty hugs.

AD - some products kindly gifted for Design Team purposes.

Uniko February 2022 Release - Reveal, Release, Brand Ambassador Blog Hop and Giveaway!

Hi there

It's here!  It's the 10th Birthday February 2022 Release Day at Uniko.  All the new products in this release will be available to purchase from the Uniko shop, here, from 10am today, 27 February 2022.

I have a couple more makes to hopefully inspire you.

First up, a card using a combination of three of the new products...

On a die cut panel I inked lightly through the largest flower from the Flower Power #7 stencil.  I then used the smaller confetti stamp from the Framed Balloons set and stamped this multiple times through the stencil to fill the design.  I coloured the confetti with Copics and then stamped the sentiment from the Everyday Sentiments set.

Materials used:

• Stencil: Uniko - Flower Power #7
• Stamps: Uniko - Framed Balloons, Everyday Sentiments
• Ink: Distress Ink - Speckled Egg; Memento - Tuxedo Black
• Coloured with Copics
• Die: Create a Smile - Scalloped Rectangles

For my second card I combined two of the new products with the existing Passiflora stamp set and die bundle...

I used the new Background Blocks Splatters stamped twice onto white cardstock, inked up randomly with pink, blue and purple inks.  I then used the die from the Passiflora set to cut out sections of the stamped backgrounds.  I then stamped the flower centres using a stamp also from the Passiflora stamp set.  I stamped the sentiment from the new Framed Balloons set and coloured it with co-ordinating markers.  All layered up and adhered onto a black background and I added some silver glitter enamel dots to finish.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Uniko - Background Blocks Splatters, Framed Balloons, Passiflora
• Die: Uniko - Passiflora
• Ink: Altenew - Pinkalicious, Hydrangea, Turquoise; Versafine Clair - Nocturne
• Sentiment coloured with Copics
• Enamel dots from stash

And here is the new release in its entirety.

New stamps...

A re-introduced stamp set...

and the stencils...

Thanks so much for taking a look, I hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

(AD - some products kindly gifted for Design Team purposes)

Uniko February 2022 Release - Introducing...Framed Balloons

Good morning

It's Day 4 of the introductions for the Uniko 10th Birthday release and the set being showcased today is another addition to the Framed series...Framed Balloons.  

Please do take a look over at the Uniko blog to also see how my fellow Brand Ambassadors have used this new set, so much creativity!

This one has such a great party feel so I created a shaker card to add more bling...

I stamped the main image and fussy cut the centre to create an aperture for my shaker window.  I first chose the sprinkles I was going to use before I coloured the balloons so I could co-ordinate the colour palette.  I die cut the panel and then used some white cardstock with silver flecks as my shaker backing to trap the confetti inside.  After adhering the panel to my card base I stamped the sentiments from the same set and heat embossed them in white on black sentiment strips.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Uniko - Framed Balloons
• Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; VersaMark
• Coloured with Copics
• Embossing Powder: Brutus Monroe - Alabaster
• Dies: Create a Smile - Cool Cuts Double Stitched Rectangles; Altenew - Featured Sentiment Dies
• Accents: Little Things from Lucy's Cards - Sprinkles: Hollow Stars and Rainbow Hearts

I hope you've enjoyed these teaser projects.  The full release will be revealed tomorrow so I hope to see you then.

(AD - some products kindly gifted for Design Team purposes)

Uniko February 2022 Release - Introducing & Re-introducing...Fun Flowers Stencil & Mask, Fun Flowers Spray Mask and Fun Flowers Clear Stamps

Hi there

Welcome to Day 3 of introductions for the 10th Birthday February 2022 release at Uniko.

Today we're showcasing products from the Fun Flowers series, two new stencils/masks and the return of the Fun Flowers clear stamp set.  Some wonderful projects are being shared over on the Uniko blog, here, so please do take a look to see what the team have been creating.

For my first card I've used the Fun Flowers Spray Mask...

I adhered the mask on my card base using low tack adhesive and anchored it using stencil tape to mask off a border.  I then blended over the entire background using three shades of Distress Oxide ink.  The sentiment, heat embossed in white, is from the Everyday Sentiments set, also a new set within this release.

Materials used:

• Stencil: Uniko - Fun Flowers Spray Mask
• Stamp: Uniko - Everyday Sentiments
• Ink: Distress Oxide - Squeezed Lemonade, Spiced Marmalade, Abandoned Coral; VeraMark
• Embossing Powder: Brutus Monroe - Alabaster
• Die: Altenew - Featured Sentiments Dies

And for the next card, I used the new Fun Flowers Stencil and Mask, together with the Big & Bold You set, also available with this release...

On this panel I used the stencil and masks to create the two-tone flowers, stamped the sentiment in bold black, mounted on a coloured card base and added some smooth gems to the flower centres. 

Materials used:

• Stencil: Uniko - Fun Flowers Stencil & Mask
• Stamps: Uniko - Fun Flowers
• Ink: Distress Ink: Shaded Lilac, Kitsch Flamingo, Wilted Violet; Versafine Clair - Nocturne
• Die: Create a Smile - Cool Cuts Double Stitched Rectangles
• Gems from stash

The previously retired and re-introduced Fun Flowers set is used here...

A cute clustered, purely stamped, masked and some basic Copic colouring in sunny colours.  It needed a little extra so I added some minimal detailing with some score lines.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Uniko - Fun Flowers, Everyday Sentiments
• Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black
• Coloured with Copics

I'll be back with more tomorrow, ahead of the reveal and release.  The products from this release will be available to purchase from the Uniko shop on Sunday, 27 February 2022 at 10am GMT.

(AD - some products kindly gifted for Design Team purposes)

Uniko February 2022 Release - Introducing...Big & Bold You & Stencil Flower Power #7

Good morning

Are you ready for more Uniko goodness?  Today, for Day 2 of the February 2022 release, the team are introducing you to a new stamp set and stencil.  All the products in this release will be available to purchase from the Uniko shop on Sunday, 27 February 2022.

The stamp set is another in the Big & Bold series...Big & Bold You.

And the stencil is another in the super popular Flower Power series...Flower Power #7.  This stencil also includes the masks.

Here are my makes...

I wanted to have a play using the shifted stencil technique as it's been a while since I did it and I always think this works so well on a kraft background.  I began by stamping the sentiment so I could then add the flowers around it.  For this technique you need to ink blend your coloured flowers first, clean the stencil and then re-ink over the top, slightly shifting the stencil.  It creates these great drop shadows.  Your blending tool/brush is likely to contaminate your white ink pad by taking coloured ink back to it so I find it's best to squidge your white ink pad onto your work surface and take it from there.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Uniko - Big & Bold You
• Stencil: Uniko - Flower Power #7
• Ink: Distress Ink: Wilted Violet, Picked Raspberry, Blueprint Sketch; Hero Arts - Unicorn; Versafine Clair - Nocturne
• Die: Create a Smile - Cool Cuts Scalloped Rectangles

For the next card I tried some emboss resist combined with the stencil and masks...

I stamped the 'you' first and heat embossed in white.  I then stencilled the large flower in the lighter blue.  With the stencil still in place I anchored the smaller mask with some low tack adhesive and inked up the large flower again with the darker blue.  I then used the large flower mask and added the green ink around the edges.  I then wiped the embossed sentiment with a dry cloth to brighten the white back up.  The 'thank' is from the same set and was heat embossed in white on black.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Uniko - Big & Bold You
• Stencil: Uniko - Flower Power #7
• Ink: VersaMark; Distress Oxide - Salvaged Patina, Mermaid Lagoon, Cracked Pistachio
• Embossing Powder: Brutus Monroe - Alabaster
• Die: Create a Smile - Cool Cuts Scalloped Rectangles

For more inspiration please pop over to the Uniko blog where the Brand Ambassadors are sharing more makes.  

I hope you like what you've seen so far, please do stop by tomorrow for Day 3 of the introductions.

(AD - some products kindly gifted for Design Team purposes)

Uniko February 2022 Release - Introducing...Background Blocks Cogs, Background Blocks Splatters and Everyday Sentiments

Hi there

Welcome to the first of the introductions for Uniko's 10th Birthday Release. 

I'll get straight to it, I'm sure you'd rather see the products in action than have me waffling on!  And don't forget to pop on over to the Uniko blog where you will find more inspiration from the rest of the team too.

First up is the new Background Blocks Cogs stamp and I've used a sentiment from the new Everyday Sentiments set...

Masculine cards are the kind I find most difficult so I had to have a think and plan this one out.  I decided on layered emboss resist.  I've only used this technique a handful of times but the effects are great.  I masked off a central rectangle and then blended with a few earthy tones of Distress Ink.  After making sure the ink was completely dry and adding some anti-static powder, I stamped the cogs image with VersaMark ink,removed the masks and heat embossed in clear.  I replaced the masks and then blended over the entire background with a darker shade, which then reveals the previous ink colours trapped underneath the embossing.  The sentiment was stamped in a brown shade below.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Uniko - Background Blocks Cogs, Everyday Sentiments
• Ink: Distress Ink - Pumice Stone, Rusty Hinge, Brushed Corduroy, Frayed Burlap; VersaMark; Altenew - Moon Rock
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Clear Gloss
• Die: Create a Smile - Cool Cuts Double Stitched Rectangles

And for my second make I used the new Background Blocks Splatters stamp and another from Everyday Sentiments...

I began with a panel the same size as my card base and stamped the image twice, once with lilac fading into blue ink, and again with blue fading into green ink, to create a continuous flow of colour.  I then used a border die to cut a section away.  The two panels were then adhered to the card base and the sentiment stamped between, curved slightly to follow the shape of the die cuts.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Uniko - Background Blocks Splatters, Everyday Sentiments
• Ink: Altenew - Soft Lilac, Sea Glass, Mountain Mist; Versafine Clair - Nocturne
• Die: Avery Elle - Dotted Border Dies
• Accents: Little Things from Lucy's Cards - Jewels: Shimmering Pool Mix and Grape Mix

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I'll be back tomorrow morning to share more makes using more products from this new release.

(AD - some products kindly gifted for Design Team purposes)

Brand Ambassador for Uniko!

Hi there

I've been keeping a secret for a little while but I can finally let the cat out of the bag...I'm joining Uniko as a Brand Ambassador!

At the beginning of the year I explained how I'd made the decision to step down from all my challenge blog Design Team roles.  I wasn't planning on joining any teams again for a while but then Bev (the owner of Uniko) approached me asking if I'd like to join the Uniko family and I just had to say yes!  I've had lots of fantastic Uniko products in my stash for many years so it was a complete no-brainer...thanks so much, Bev, for inviting me to promote your fabulous company.

The 10 year celebrations have been taking place all this month over at the Uniko blog and they are finishing the Birthday Celebrations with a February 2022 release.

There are 5 new clear stamp sets and 3 new stencil/mask designs.  All the new products will be available to purchase from Uniko on Sunday 27 February 2022 at 10am GMT.  Here are some sneak peeks for you.

There are two new additions to the Background Blocks series...

An addition to the Big & Bold series...

A new sentiment set...

A new addition to the Framed series...

The retired Fun Flowers stamp set is making a comeback...

and three new Stencils/Masks...

Please do come back over the next few days when I'll be sharing some projects using these new designs, and don't forget to also visit the Uniko blog and follow the links to my fellow Brand Ambassadors where they will be sharing more of their projects.  I've seen some already, there's so much inspiration for you!

And talking of my fellow Uniko Brand Ambassadors...what a wonderful team to be part of.  I've had the pleasure of working alongside some of these ladies previously, and was lucky enough to meet a couple in the past too.  Thank you so much for the warm welcome, ladies.

(AD - some products kindly gifted for Design Team purposes)