AC - You Look Delicious ....

.... Good morning!  I will be driving to Wales as this post goes live.  We flew back to the UK on Saturday, for a couple of weeks' holiday.  And today we'll be going home!  It'll be fab to see our house as well as our friends.

It's my turn to host a post at Airless Chambers - the home of Rick St Dennis's more alternative, slightly darker images.  I think today's card is definitely in the darker vien - but still relatively clean and simple:

Stamps: Rick St Dennis Digi - Strega2; Stampers Anonymous - The Art of Brett Weldele Zombie Casanova
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Rose Red; Versafine - Onyx Black
Dies: Lil Inkers - Stitched Rectangles #5
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Bermuda Bay; Copic Markers; Wink of Stella - Clear

I love this image!  I think she's absolutely fabulous, in a terrifying kind of way!!  I printed her on white card, coloured her with Copic markers and cut her out with a rectangular die.  Love that faux stitched edge.  I layered the finished image on some card that co-ordinates with her hair.  The image is called Strega2 and she's available at Rick's Zibbet shop.  In fact with this image you get two versions of her - I've printed the one with slightly less scary eyes!  Once finished I adde sparkle all over her - she's a sparkly zombie!  I stamped some crazy pink hearts on the background card.  And to finish the front I added a suitable sentiment!  On the inside I cut another mat in green card and on the white panel added more hearts and a loving message - although, it might be taken more as a threat!!!

Did anyone watch the TV series, I-Zombie on CW?  We love it - although the zombies there don't look quite as scary as this one!



Really looking forward to the new series.  That's all for now!

US - Farewell & Thank You Sandie ....

....  Hello again!  If you want to see my 52CCT post click here.

Today we are saying a sad farewell to Sandie, who is stepping down from the Uniko Design Team.  Sandie is known to many of us in blogland and she will be much missed on this team.  Sandie has helped Bev with a lot of the background admin, so we hope that this will come as a big surprise.   Here's my card:

Stamps: Uniko - Beautiful Blooms II, All Occasion Sentiments #3
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Stampin' Up! - Wisteria Wonder
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Elegant Eggplant; SU DP - Elegant Eggplant; Cosmic Shimmer Sprays - Candy Pink, Silver, Purple Violet; Vellum; Clear Embossing Powder

I've picked the colours on my card to reflect the colours on Sandie's blog - London Days, love those shades of purple!!  I'm entering this card into Happy Little Stampers CAS challenge - HLSCASJun where we have to use sprays or mists.

I stamped the Beautiful Blooms outline image in Versafine and heat embossed them with clear powder.  I water coloured the flowers with purple Cosmic shimmer - they really do shimmer in real-life!  Then I cut them all out.  I cut a panel of white card and used several Cosmic shimmer sprays - although I didn't actually spray them, I spattered the colours on the card.  I cut a strip of vellum and stamped the greeting in Versafine, heat embossed with clear powder and then wrapped it round the white panel and adhered the lot to some purple card.  I finished the front by adhered three flowers using dimensional gel.  On the inside I cut a mat layer of purple design paper and added a sentiment and flower on the white panel.

Do visit the rest of the team on our Farewell and Thank You Sandie Blog Hop, here are the links:

Bev/Uniko

Deborah - That's me!

Jane

Gillian

Nicki

Sarah G

Sarah P

Sandie, I hope you've received your card - thanks again. Wishing you all the best and I do hope we get to see you play along with our Uniko Challenge soon.  Hugs

52CCT - Technique ....

....  Good morning!  It's the last Saturday of the month and that means it's time for our technique challenge here at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown.  This week our technique challenge is Mixed Media.  If you're not sure what Mixed Media is, this might help:

"A mixed media card uses a variety of effects and techniques. You could use embossing paste and powders, stencilling, stitching, die-cuts, embellishments, gesso, fabric, glitter, found objects, chipboard, watercolour, chalks, acrylic paints, inks, crayons, printing...The list is endless! This could be the perfect opportunity to try a new technique or use that interesting product that has been sitting around in your craft stash."

Basically - go wild on your Christmas or winter themed card.  Here's the card I made:

Stamps: Dylusions - Christmas Backgrounds, Christmas Words, Various (from craft class)
Inks: Archival - Leaft Green, Sepia; Versafine - Onyx Black; Dylusions Inks - Fresh Lime, Vibrant Turquoise, Calypso Teal; Distress Stains - various (craft class); Distress - Black Soot
Dies: Waltzingmouse - Stitched Tag; PTI - Wet Paint Holiday
Accessories: White Lustre Card;  Washi Tape; Wink of Stella - Green, Pink; Thread; Stencil Creative Expressions - Snowflakes; Stampin' Up! Card - Bermuda Bay

I started by laying on a snowflake stencil and spraying on three Dylusions inks, quickly blotting off the excess to leave the white pattern.  I created my own stencil using three festive words and sponging through with black ink.  Next I used a couple of Christmas background stamps and randomly stamped some holly and trees on to the background.  I added colour with green and pink Wink of Stella brushes.  Previously I've made a number of tags at craft class, but they were all too big for the card, so I picked one to coordinate and die cut a smaller tag from it.  I sponged the edges of the tag with black ink.  I printed a fun sentiment (which I wish were true) on some coloured card, cut it out and added it to the tag.  I finished the tag with some lime green thread and adhered it to the card with dimensional tape.  On the inside I cut a mat layer of card and added some more holly to the white panel.

I did have fun making this card and got quite inky!!!  Don't forget to visit our blog to check out the inspiration projects from the rest of the team.  The main thing is to have fun - you've got until Friday 3rd July midnight BST (that's 7.00pm EDT) to submit your cards. Have a fun weekend!

SNG - Sending Big Hugs .....

.... Good morning all!  I'm rather late with this post today.  We had a fabulous holiday in Arizona and Nevada last week, but since coming home both Jonathan and I have come down with the cold that Kathryn had.  We've both been feeling really awful, and I can only say that Kathryn was a real trooper last week, as I don't think I'd have managed to cope.  And that's part of the reason this card is late.  Feeling rough and constant coughing has led to lack of mojo!

However, this morning, I think I'm feeling better - at least the mojo is back and I finished my card - it's quite quick, clean and simple:

Stamps: Rick St Dennis Digi - Daffo Dill Fairy; CAS-ual Friday Stamps - Calm & Loving
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Daffodil Delight, Baked Brown Sugar; Archival - Leaf Green; Distress - Mustard Seed
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Kaisercraft DP - Secret Admirer; Copic Markers; Wink of Stella - Clear; SU Marker - Basic Black

I've had this cute little flower fairy printed for some time, but hadn't got around to colouring her in.  I'm flying back to the UK tomorrow and will be in Wales on Tuesday - the national flower of Wales is the Daffodil, so I decided to make a card featuring Daffo Dill!  You can find her on Rick's Zibbet shop.   I printed her on white card, coloured her with Copic markers, cut her out with a scalpel, ran a black marker round the edge and then added lots of sparkle to her wings with a clear Wink of Stella pen.  I've based the layout on this week's Freshly Made Sketches - FMS#192.  I cut a piece of damask design paper and rubbed on some yellow ink at the edges and wiped off the excess, love the subtle hint of yellow.  I adhered it flat to the card.  I did turn the sketch upside down to work better with my image.  On the inside I cut another sheet of design paper, and on the white panel added a sentiment.  On the little image you can see the sparkle of her wings.

It's not been an easy week for us not only have we had awful colds, but the weather here has been ugh.  Heavy thunderstorms earlier this week and a night spent in the basement.  And today, my last full day in the States for two weeks, I tried to open the garage door to take Kathryn to a friend's house and to go shopping, and the door WON'T OPEN!!!!  I'm so frustrated - I've so much to do, but can't get out of the house!!  Hopefully, it'll be fixed in the next hour and I'll be able to get on. Sorry about the rant!!

But there was some good news this morning - the US Supreme Court have ruled that same-sex marriage is legal in ALL 50 states - and about time too!  So pleased for everyone - and in particular several of my friends.

That's all for now.

USC - Anything Goes ....

....  Hello!  I'm here to remind you that there's still plenty of time to join in with our Uniko Challenge where the theme is Anything Goes, but with the optional twist of going masculine.  I think you all know that I enjoy making masculine themed cards, so here's my reminder card:

Stamps: Uniko - Nautical Treasures, A Gift For You
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Stampin' Up! - Bravo Burgundy
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Teresa Collins DP - Far & Away

This card came together really quickly.  I found this fabulous paper in my stash and covered the card.  I stamped the boat on white card and, using my scalpel, carefully cut out the white card between the sail lines.  I stamped the sails onto some papers from the same set, cut them out and adhered them to the boat.  I finished the front with a simple birthday greeting.  On the inside I cut a mat layer of the burgundy DP and stamped a few images on the white panel.

I really like the boat in Nautical Treasures - it is so easy to paper piece - each time giving a totally different look.  Do visit the blog to see more inspiration cards from our Guest Designers Melissa and Anita, as well as from the rest of the team.

Don't forget that we have prizes too!  Our DT will choose a winner who will get a £10 gift voucher. Our DT will choose a top 3 who will get 50 Loyalty Reward Points added to their customer account.  And we will do a random draw for those who used a Uniko stamp and this winner will get 150 Loyalty Reward Points added to their customer account.  If you've gone with the optional twist of a masculine card, then we will do a random draw and they will receive 100 Loyalty Reward Points added to their customer account. You've got until Friday 3rd July, 8.00am BST (3.00am EDT) to submit your entry.  Have fun!

TMR - Theme ....

.... Good morning!  It's time for our new challenge at The Male Room.  For the next couple of weeks our theme is UP IN THE AIR, but NO BIRDS.  Remember, you can make any masculine themed project - ATC, card, scrapbook layout, 3D project.  I've gone with a simple card:

Stamps: Lawn Fawn - Sunny Skies, Blue Skies
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black
Dies: Lawn Fawn - Sunny Skies
Accessories: White Lustre Card; DP - Let's Fly Away (free with Quick Cards Made Easy); Copic Markers

This is such a quick and simple card to make.  I used some fabulous design paper for the background - love the fluffy clouds!  I stamped the kite and tail on white card, cut them out with the co-ordinating dies and coloured them with Copic markers.  I decided to make the kite really bold with primary colours.  I stamped the inspirational sentiment directly on the card.  On the inside I cut a mat layer of the same design paper and stamped another kite on the white panel.  I left a large blank space for my message.

Greta of GG Creations has joined us again this month as our Guest Designer - she has made a fabulous vintage style card for this challenge.  Do visit our blog to check out her card and those from the rest of the team.  Really looking forward to seeing what you make with this challenge - have fun!  See you soon.

ASM - Photo Inspiration ....

....  Good evening everyone!  It's time for our new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More!  This week we have our Photo inspiration challenge - you may take anything from the photo as your inspiration, but you must tell us what you've used.  I've taken the colours as my inspiration, here's my card:

Stamps: Sweet Pea Stamps Digi - Linda Bigg's Dark Shores; Winnie & Walter - The Big, The Bold & Friends, In Bloom Lola's Bouquet
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Stampin' Up! - Glorious Green, Gable Green
Dies: Spellbinders - Wonky Rectangles (S4-306) #6
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Kaisercraft DP - Fiesta!; Copic Markers; Wink of Stella - Clear, Green; Glossy Accents

Our sponsor this week is Sweet Pea Stamps and I used a super digital image by Linda Biggs - love this beautiful mermaid.  I printed the image on white card, cut it out with a die and then coloured her with Copic markers and Wink of Stella. I covered her tail and hair with sparkle and added Glossy Accents to the bubbles.  I adhered the image to the card and finished the front with a bold sentiment in black.  On the inside I cut a mat layer of green design paper and added some green roses to the white panel.  The other photo shows the sparkle on her tail!

Don't forget to visit our blog to see more inspiration cards from the rest of the team - as always the cards are just fabulous.

The winner of this week's challenge will get 4 digital images from Sweet Pea Stamps - they have a wonderful selection.  Have fun with the challenge.  See you soon.

52CCT - Theme ....

......  Morning!  It's time for our new challenge at 52{Christmas} Card Throwdown.  This week is our theme challenge and Danielle picked it before she stepped down from the team.  I really love the the theme, so I'm hosting today - what's the theme?  We want your Christmas or winter cards to feature Christmas Elves, and I guess that includes the Chief Elf too!!  Here's my card:

Stamps: Waltzingmouse - Cabin Plaid Background, Elf Made, Candy Jar Christmas Fillers
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Pear Pizzazz, Real Red; Versafine - Onyx Black
Dies: Spellbinders - Wonky Rectangles (S4-306) #5 and #6
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU DP - Real Red; Copic Markers;  Wink of Stella - Clear and Gold; SU Marker - Basic Black

I decided to feature one of Santa's little helpers on my card and I have the perfect set of stamps too.  I stamped the background with a lovely plaid pattern.  I stamped the elf on white card, coloured him with Copic markers and then cut him out.  I ran a black marker around the edge to cover any white card.  I die cut a red panel and white panel for the centre of the card.  I stamped an elf made certificate on the white panel using a number of inks and then adhered it to the card.  I stamped the extra candy canes on white card, coloured them to match the one the elf is holding and then covered them clear Wink of Stella.  I stamped a Christmas greeting using my MISTI (love that machine) and then adhered the elf and candy canes. On the inside I cut a mat layer of red design paper and on the white panel I stamped another elf and a Christmas greeting.

Do visit the blog to check out what the rest of the team have made.  I'm really looking forward to seeing what you make featuring Christmas Elves!!

By the time this post goes live, we will be on our way to Las Vagas airport to catch our flight home.  The week has gone really fast.  That's all for now, see you soon.

USC - Anything Goes with Masculine Option ....

....  Hello and good morning!  It's time for our new challenge at Uniko.  This month our theme is:

ANYTHING GOES

WITH AN OPTION OF MAKING IT MASCULINE

I think you all know that I love making masculine cards and Bev has lots of stamps that are perfect for masculine style cards.  Here's my card:

Stamps: Uniko - Background Builders: Chevrons, Explosion
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Cucumber Crush, Mint Macaron, Garden Green, Mossy Meadow, Old Olive, Wild Wasabi; Versafine - Onyx Black
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU DP - Old Olive; Wink of Stella - Green

Green is probably my favourite colour and I have lots and lots of green inks!  I decided to base my card on shades of green and the chevron stamps are just perfect.  I used my MISTI to stamp the chevron - so easy and no card wasted!!! I stamped the chevrons on a scrap of card and originally had 7 colours!  However, it was a bit too wide, so I cut off a couple of rows and adhered the remaining rows to the cardbase.  I finished the front with the big explosion image and a simple, fun sentiment _ OMG!  I coloured the outline letters with green Wink of Stella - so there's some shimmer too.  On the inside I used a mat of design paper and simply added another chevron line!  I'm really pleased how this card turned out.

The team have got some fabulous cards for you today and this month we are joined by a couple of wonderful Guest Designers - I'm sure you'll have seen their work.  I'd like to welcome Anita of My Papercraft World and Melissa of Honeybeelane.  Do drop by to visit their blogs and leave some love!

There are prizes too!. Our DT will choose a winner who will get a £10 gift voucher. Our DT will choose a top 3 who will get 50 Loyalty Reward Points added to their customer account.  And we will do a random draw for those who used a Uniko stamp and this winner will get 150 Loyalty Reward Points added to their customer account.  If you've gone with the optional twist of a masculine card, then we will do a random draw and they will receive 100 Loyalty Reward Points added to their customer account. So go on - have fun!!  See you soon.

ASM - CAS and 3rd Birthday .....

.... Good Evening everyone!  It's time for our new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More!  More importantly, it's also ASM's 3rd Birthday and we're celebrating in style.  Congratulations to Kylie - this is a wonderful challenge and I'm very proud to be part of such a fantastically talented and friendly team.

This week's it's our ever popular CAS challenge -  clean and crisp, with minimal embellishment, lots of white space (or coloured space).  We also have some fantastic sponsors this week - all offering prizes - see below.  I'm going to start with a birthday card - seems appropriate:

Stamps: Bugaboo Digi - JJ Tequila and Shoes; Winnie & Walter - The Party
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Daffodil Delight, Green Galore, Primrose Petals, Brocade Blue
Dies: Spellbinders - Superellipse (S5-188) #1
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU DP - Rose Red; Copic Markers; Wink of Stella - Clear; Glossy Accents

I love the JJ digis and there are loads on the Bugaboo site - do check them out.  I printed her on white card, coloured with Copic markers, carefully drew a line around the image and cut it out with a scalpel.  I added some Wink of Stella to her dress, earrings, hat and cake frosting.  I also added some glossy accents to her specs.  As she's at a party, I decorated the front of the card with party confetti - still keeping it reasonably clean and simple.  I finished the front with a simple birthday greeting.  On the inside I cut a mat layer of design paper and added a sentiment and more confetti on the white panel.

Next I have a Christmas card to share - it's a bit different:

Stamps: Sami Stamps Digi - Christmas Lights Mermaid
Dies: Spellbinders - Mega Rectangles Lg (S4-142) #4, Mega Rectangles Scalloped LG (S4-143) #4
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Kaisercraft DP - North Pole; Copic Markers; Wink of Stella - Clear; Glossy Accents

I love the whimsical digital images at Sami Stamps and just love this festive mermaid.  I coloured her with Copic markers and cut out the finished image with a die, layering it on some red design paper.  I added Wink of Stella to her tail, bra, eye lids and hairband.  I put glossy accents on the Christmas lights.  I finished the front with a ready-made sentiment from the design paper pad.  On the inside I cut a mat layer of the red paper and added another sentiment in the middle.

My last card is bright and summery and features a cute little snail!

Stamps: A Day for Daisies Digi - On Top of the World; PTI - Doodlie-Do
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black
Dies: Spellbinders - Mega Rectangles Lg (S4-142) #3, Mega Rectangles Scalloped LG (S4-143) #3
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Kaisercraft DP - Fiesta!; Copic Markers; Wink of Stella - Clear;

Such a fun and quirky digital image - I adore that cute little snail and he really sparkles in the sun - he's covered with Wink of Stella!  I coloured with Copics, cut out with a die, layered on to a mat and adhered in the centre of the card.  On the inside I cut a mat layer of the same design paper and added some flowers to the white panel.

Do visit our blog to see what the rest of the team have made to celebrate our 3rd Birthday and to inspire you.

As I mentioned above we have some fantastic sponsors this week and they are offering prizes too - see below for details.

Prize $12 gift certificate

Prize $12 gift certificate

Prize is 7 digis

prize is 3 digi stamps

Do play along and have fun - really looking forward to seeing your creations.  That's all for now!