Uniko - February Release, DT Blog Hop and Giveaway ....

... Morning! Today's the day! It's Release Day for Uniko's new stamps and stencils. This is going to be a long post, so I suggest you grab a coffee (or tea) and take a seat. We have six stamp sets and five stencils being released. I'm going to start with a very clean, simple card:

Stamps: Uniko - Balloon Bash, Birthday Sentiments
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Distress - Candied Apple, Mustard Seed, Salty Ocean
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Daffodil Delight; Uniko Stencil - Balloon Bash

I decided to focus on the lovely Balloon Bash Stencil as I didn't get to make a card on introduction day. This is a simple one-layer card - it's the third version. Ask me how I know, well you have to be very careful when you have inky fingers!! I inked up the yellow balloon first - being careful to cover up open areas on the stencil and to mask the card base too, then I moved on to the blue and red balloons. I decided to try the bleach out method using water. As you can see from the blotches it wasn't entirely successful, but I like the pattern so I kept the card! I stamped the greeting and then added some strings from the balloons to the word 'party'. Ont he inside, I cut a mat layer of bright yellow card and stamped a greeting and another balloon on the white panel. I'm submitting this card to CAS on Friday - CASOF#127 where they want one-layer cards.

Next is a card for Mother's Day:

Stamps: Uniko - Spring Botanicals Daffodil, Pure Florals Rose
Inks: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Gina K - Dusty Rose; Versafine - Onyx Black
Dies: Spellbinders - Marvellous Squares (S4-383) #6
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Design Paper - Let's Fly Away; SU Card - Blushing Bride; Nuvo - Aqua Shimmer Brush; Copics

One of my favourite sights in spring is to see daffodils gently swaying in a breeze against a lovely sky of fluffy clouds and sunshine. Yes, I realise that more often or not it's rain, but I can dream 😊 I decided to make the dream on a Mother's Day card. I stamped several daffodils and stems on white card and used my Scan'N'Cut to cut them out. I used Copics to colour them all and yes, you can get pink daffodils. I cut some design paper for the 'sky' and then adhered the daffodils to the card. I used dimensional pads for the yellow daffodil. I added sparkle to the flowers. I finished the front with a simple greeting. On the inside, I cut a mat layer of pink card and on the white panel, I stamped a message and another daffodil. I'm submitting this one to Love to Craft Challenge Blog - LTCCB#19, where Anything Goes.

Next is a very clean, simple and bold card:

Stamps: Uniko - Background Blocks Party Confetti, Big & Bold Hugs, Background Builders Seeing Stars
Inks: Distress Oxide - Peacock Feathers; Gina K - Ocean Mist; Versafine - Onyx Black
Dies: Winnie & Walter Cutaways - Hugs
Accessories: SU Card - Basic Black; White Lustre Card; Uniko Stencil - Seeing Stars

I created the pale aqua drop shadow by stamping first in aqua and then moving the card very slightly and stamped again in black. Then I used a die to cut out the word from the stamped card along with three plain white words and layered them together to make a more dimensional word. I made the card base from black card to allow the word to pop! I added some stencilled stars in the background. I used the distress oxide for this - so nice to have this soft shade showing on black card! On the inside, I simply cut a white panel and added a greeting and some more stars. I'm submitting this to AAA Cards - AAA#109 where they want Die Cuts only (maybe I shouldn't have added the stars!!).

Moving on to the pretty scribble flowers in Kindness Blooms:

Stamps: Uniko - Kindness Blooms, So Much
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Distress - Twisted Citron, Lucky Clover; Gina K - Wild Lilac, Lovely Lavender, Wild Dandelion, Sweet Mango
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Copics; Clear Embossing Powder; Nuvo - Aqua Shimmer Brush

I really do like these flowers - so pretty and such fun to colour, leave plain, fill with glitter - the choice is yours! I used my Copics to colour the flowers, cut them out with the Scan'N'Cut and then added lots of sparkle with a clear shimmer brush. I embossed some leaves on the card base and lightly sponged over with two shades of green ink to define the leaves. I adhered the lilac and upper yellow flowers flat to the card and used dimensional pads to attach the lower yellow flower. On the inside, I cut a mat layer of lilac card and added a simple greeting on the white panel. I'm submitting this card to Just Us Girls - JUGS#429, where I took the colours from their inspiration photo, and also to Less is More - LIM#365 - where they want to see Dry Embossing (hope this is enough).

And last, but by no means least, I have a very bright, bold, one-layer card to show off the Background Blocks Equaliser stamp:

Stamps: Uniko - Background Blocks Equaliser, Life is a Song, Birthday Sentiments
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Distress - Candied Apple, Mustard Seed, Wilted Violet, Salty Ocean, Lucky Clover, Spiced Marmalade
Accessories: Tim Holtz Water Colour Card; Clear Embossing Powder; Zig Clean Colour Brushes

I made the card from watercolour card. I used my MISTI to stamp the image and words, I had to restamp several times as I stamped on the rough side of the card. I used clear powder to emboss all the images and then I had fun using my Zig brushes to colour the image. I kept it very simple and very bold. On the inside, I added a sentiment and surrounded it with lots of brightly coloured musical notes. This one is for our daughter Kat - she loves to make music!! I'm submitting this card to, some new to me, challenges. I'm playing along with 613 Avenue Create - 613AC#206 where Anything Goes, and also to heARTful Stamping Challenge - HSD#02 where it's Anything Goes & a stamp.

Wow! I do hope you enjoyed all my cards. Today we have our traditional Design Team Blog Hop and Giveaway! I've put the links below - do drop by and leave some love - we all like comments!

Bev
Carol 

Deborah 
Izzy 

Jane 
Julie
Linda

Lindsey

Rahmat
Sarah G

Sarah P
Wiebke 

Before I go, I'd like to give you one final look at all the stamp sets and stencils that are available for purchase today. I've had such fun making cards with them all. Enjoy!!

Background Blocks Equaliser

Background Blocks Party Confetti

Birthday Sentiments

Kindness Blooms

Spring Botanicals Daffodil

Life is a Song

Balloon Bash Stencil

Equaliser Stencil

Fun Flowers Stencil

Chrysanthemum Stencil

Seeing Stars Stencil

Thanks for visiting - see you again soon.

Uniko - Life Is A Song, Background Blocks Equaliser, and Equaliser Stencil ...

... Hi! We're on day four of our Uniko Introductions. Today we have two more stamps sets and a stencil; they have a distinctly musical theme! I've made two cards; here's the first:

Stamps: Uniko - Background Blocks Equaliser, Reach for the Stars, Life is a Song
Inks: Gina K - Charcoal Brown, Wild Wisteria, Lovely Lavender, Kraft; Distress Oxide - Antique Linen
Dies: Die-namics - Double Stitched Circle Stax #4
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Stampin' Up! Card - Early Espresso; Clear Embossing Powder

I've used the sketch from MFT Wednesday Sketch Club - MFTWSC#373 for the layout of my card, and the colours are from Colour Throwdown - CTD#481. I started by stamping the equaliser image on white card and heat embossing with clear powder. I added colour to the image using a water brush and squishing the ink on an acrylic block. Once finished I used a stitched edge die to cut out the circle. I cut a panel of brown card and attached it to the front of the card. I stamped some of the musical notation stamps on a strip of brown card and adhered that over the top of the circle. I finished the front by stamping a greeting. On the inside, I cut a mat layer of brown card and created a fun greeting in the middle of the white panel.

Next, is a one layer card - it is very quick and easy to make:

This was such fun to make! I taped the stencil to a square card, making sure to mask any areas that I didn't want inking. Then I spritzed on some of my new Dylusions Shimmer sprays - you can't see the shimmer in the photo above, but I've taken a detail shot which shows it nicely! I've based the colours on this week's CAS Colours & Sketches challenge - CASC&S#260, although I think it might not be CAS enough!! Once the inks dried, I stamped the greeting in bold black. On the inside, I cut a mat layer of deep pink card and on the white panel added a greeting and musical notation. I'm submitting this to Simon Says Wednesday challenge - SSWC#2102, where they want us to make our own background.

Stamps: Uniko -All Occasion Sentiments #1, Life Is A Song
Inks: Gina K - Peach Bellini, Blue Raspberry; Versafine - Onyx Black; Stampin' Up! - Raspberry Ripple
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Stampin' Up! Card - Raspberry Ripple; Dylusions Shimmer Sprays - London Blue, Tangerine Dream, Bubblegum Pink

Thanks so much for stopping by to see my cards. Don't forget to visit the Uniko blog to see much more from the rest of the Design Team. The release schedule is:

Introductions: 23rd - 27th February

RELEASE DAY: Wednesday 28th February, 9.00am GMT. Join us for our traditional Design Team Blog Hop and Giveaway!

See you again tomorrow!