CASC&S - Lush Succulents ....

.... Morning! We've finally got some sunshine in Northville, now all we need is a little more warmth!! Anyway, enough of that. I'm Guest Designer at CAS Colours & Sketches - CASC&S#222 this month, and this week we have a really fun sketch for your cards. Here's my take:

Stamps: Uniko - Happy Succulents, Originally Organic Additions, Background Blocks Horizontal Stripe
Inks: Versamark; Versafine - Onyx Black; Stampin' Up! - Perfect Plum; Distress Oxide - Cracked Pistachio; Distress - Pine Needles
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Perfect Plum; Transparent Embossing Powder Kaleidoscope; Copic Markers; Spectrum Noir Sparkle - Clear

I saw the new challenge at Cupcake Inspirations - CIC#406 with the lovely image of cupcakes topped with icing succulents, so I knew what I was doing for my card. I got out the new Happy Succulents set from Uniko and started playing. I created the background panel by cutting a strip of white card to size, masking off a section and then stamped the horizontal stripes in Versamark and heat embossed them with sparkling embossing powder. Next I sponged on some Distress Oxide to the side and added a few water droplets to add texture. I adhered the panel flat to the card. I used the large succulent bouquet and stamped it in plum and dark green, and then carefully cut out sections. I added a touch of colour and sparkle to the green leaves with a clear Spectrum Noir Brush. I adhered the leaves to the card and then added the plum coloured succulents on top. I coloured the last succulent with Copic markers, cut it out and adhered it with dimensional gel. Before attaching all the succulents, I stamped the sentiment in black. On the inside I cut a mat layer of plum card and on the white panel stamped another succulent and a greeting.

Don't forget to visit CAS Colours & Sketches - to see more inspiration projects using this sketch. That's all from me for today. Have a great day!

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

.... Good morning! Today's the day! It's Release Day for the new Uniko sets. I finally got my actual stamps Thursday afternoon, so I spent yesterday making cards - lots and lots of cards!! It was so nice to be able to try out different techniques. I also used it as an opportunity to play with my new Distress Oxides inks - they're fab!

I'm going to start off with some sympathy cards made with Pure Florals Lily - I actually made two cards:

Stamps: Uniko - Pure Florals Lily
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Distress Oxide - Fossilized Amber, Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade, Worn Lipstick; Memento - Gray Flannel
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Stampin' Up! Card - Basic Grey; Tim Holtz Water Colour Card; Clear Embossing Powder; Copics

I cut a panel of water colour card to size and added colour with Distress Oxide inks. I added some ink to my craft mat, spritzed with water and dipped the card in. I dried the ink between layers and built up this lovely warm background of colour. I stamped the large lily with Versafine black ink and heat embossed it with clear powder. I added a touch of colour to the lily with Copic markers. I added a sentiment from the set and layered the finished panel on to dark grey card and attached it to the card. On the inside I cut a mat layer of dark grey card and on the white panel added another sentiment and a partial flower. I'm submitting this card to TIME OUT Challenges - TOC#82 where they want to see flowers.

Next is an even bigger sympathy card, 5" x 7":

Stamps: Uniko - Pure Florals Lily
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Distress Oxide - Spiced Marmalade, Worn Lipstick, Faded Jeans, Iced Spruce; Memento - Gray Flannel
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Stampin' Up! Card - Basic Black; Tim Holtz Water Colour Card; Clear Embossing Powder; Copics

I added ink to the water colour card with a sponge applicator and then spritzed the panel with water. I allowed the inks to blend a little and then dried them, spritzing from time to time to create a water droplet pattern. I stamped the lily and heat embossed with clear powder and finished the panel with a sentiment. I layered the panel on black card and attached the whole to the card base. On the inside I cut a mat layer of black card. On the white panel I stamped the lily in grey (second generation image) and added a sentiment on top.

Next is a set of four cards created using the Happy Succulents set:

Stamps: Uniko - Happy Succulents, All Occasion Sentiments #1
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Distress Oxide - Peeled Paint, Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade, Wilted Violet
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Crumb Cake, Bermuda Bay, Basic Grey; SU DP - Cajun Craze; Clear Embossing Powder

I used the sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch - CTS#220 for all the cards. For all the cards I stamped the succulent arrangement first in Distress Oxide, which I spritzed with water to allow the dye portion to wick out and then dried. Once completely dry I restamped the image in black. I stamped two of the cards with congratulations in black and heat embossed with clear powder. The other two cards have the greeting Just a Note which I stamped in Distress Oxide and embossed with clear powder. On the coloured cards I simply added a panel of white card on the inside with a simple greeting stamped to match the colour of distress on the front. For the white card I added a mat layer of design paper as well.

Next I have a couple of cards to showcase Background Blocks Horizontal Stripe:

Stamps: Uniko - Background Block Horizontal Stripe, Paradise
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Kaleidacolor - Desert Heat
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Pumpkin Pie

This is a nice clean and simple card. I used my MISTI to stamp the stripes. I inked it up with an ombre ink pad going from orange to red - hot, bold and bright. I decided to add the lovely hibiscus flower as a simple outline in black to complement the hot colours. On the inside I cut a mat layer of orange card and on the white panel added a simple greeting. I'm submitting this card to AAA Cards - AAA#89 where they want to see a CAS card that's bright and beautiful.

The next card is also quite CAS, but this time in cool colours:

Stamps: Uniko - Background Block Horizontal Stripe, Explosion!, Explosion Additions! Simply Said
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Kaleidacolor - Blue Breeze; Versamark
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Tempting Turquoise; Clear and White Embossing Powder; Vellum

Once again I used an ombre pad - this time going top to bottom. I stamped the words and starburst in Versamark and heat embossed with white powder. I stamped the large WOW on vellum and heat embossed with clear powder and adhered it flat to the card. On the inside I cut mat layer of turquoise card and added a simple greeting along with some smaller starbursts to the white panel.

And last, but not least, I've a couple of cards to showcase Background Blocks Doodle Flower:

Stamps: Uniko - Background Block Doodle Flower, Simply Said
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Black Marker; Martha Stewart Glitter - Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise, Purple Sapphire; Clear Embossing Powder

This is a really clean and simple card, but with lots of glitz and glamour. I stamped the flower panel in black and heat embossed it with clear powder. I used a quickie glue pen to fill in selected areas of the larger flowers and then added glitter. The card really shimmers and sparkles in the light. I added a hand drawn border around the panel and finished with a very simple birthday greeting. I'm submitting this card to CAS on Sunday - CASOS#107 where they want us to use glitter or sequins, and also to MUSE - MUSE#214 where I've picked the colours as my inspiration. I've made this for one of Kat's friends who's having a party today! Kat didn't want anything on the inside - just lots of space for her message.

For my last card, I had another play with Distress oxide inks - I think they are just wonderful!

Stamps: Uniko - Background Blocks Doodle Flower, Happy Succulents
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Distress Oxide - Worn Lipstick, Spiced Marmalade, Cracked Pistachio, Broken China
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Basic Black; Clear Embossing Powder

One of the things that is really special about Distress Oxide inks is the way you can layer colours, instead of getting mud!! I love the way you can see the pink on the blue and the blue on the orange! It has a lovely soft look too. Once the panel was completely dry I stamped the flower image and heat embossed it with clear powder. I cut the panel to size and layered it on black card. I attached it to the card off to the side and added a simple sentiment below the panel. The inside has not been completed as yet - I ran out of time!!! I'm submitting this card to Seize the Birthday where they want Anything Goes.

Now, as is tradition with Uniko Releases, there's a Design Team Blog Hop and a Giveaway. For your chance to win the ENTIRE release simply hop along the links below and leave a comment. A winner will be chosen at random from all those leaving comments by midnight (BST) Saturday 14th May.

Bev

Deborah

Jane

Lindsey

Rahmat

Sarah G

Sarah P

Finally, before I go - here's a complete look at each set available today:

Background Blocks Doodle Flower

Background Blocks Horizontal Stripe

Happy Succulents

Pure Florals Lily

It's been a long post - thank you for sticking with me to the end. Not only is today the release of all these lovely sets, but Bev, and some of the Design Team, will be at Port Sunlight for the Happy Stampers Festival. I hope that they all have a fantastic day. Bye for now.

Uniko - Doodle Flower and Horizontal Stripe ...

.... Hello! So pleased that you stopped by. We have seen sneak peeks of the four new stamps sets from Uniko and today I'm here to do an introduction to the two new additions to the Background Blocks series - Doodle Flower and Horizontal Stripe. There really are endless possibilities with these sets. I do have to state that sadly I haven't received the actual stamps from the UK, so Bev very kindly let me have the digital images. Having the digi images is great but it does mean that there are some techniques I can't do - but I can still be quite creative!!

I'll start off with a simple and pretty birthday card to introduce Background Block Doodle Flowers:

Stamps: Uniko - Background Blocks Doodle Flowers (Digi), Fontiments Birthday, All Occasion Sentiments #3, Uniko Style
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Stampin' Up! - Pear Pizzazz, Regal Rose, Wisteria Wonder
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Pear Pizzazz; Copic Markers; Spectrum Noir Sparkle - Clear

I set the image size to 7 x 9.5 cm (the same as Background Blocks Halftone) and made it dark pink. I printed it on white card and then added more colour using Copic markers and a clear sparkle brush. I layered the finished image on to a mat of green card. I attached it off to the side and added a simple birthday greeting at the foot of the card. On the inside I cut another mat of green card and on the white panel added a message and simple flower. I used the colours from this week's Cupcake Inspirations Challenge - CIC#405 as they're so pretty!

Next up is an ultra simple sympathy card to introduce Background Blocks Horizontal Stripe:

Stamps: Uniko - Background Blocks Horizontal Stripe (Digi), Natures Treasures II, Simply Said
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Versamark
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Basic Black; White Embossing Powder; Spectrum Noir Sparkle - Clear

Once again I sized the image to about 7 x 9.5 cm and printed at the best setting on to white card. Using my MISTI I positioned the sentiment and stamped it in Versamark and heat embossed with white powder - I was very careful to make sure that I removed any random specks of powder before heating. I attached the panel flat to the card. I stamped the leaves in Versamark on black card, heat embossed with clear powder and carefully cut out the leaves with a scalpel. I added a touch of sparkle to the centre of the leaves and then adhered them to the panel. On the inside I cut a mat layer of black card and on the white panel added a message and some tiny leaves. I'm submitting this card to Love to Craft Challenge Blog - LTCCB#10 where the theme is Anything Goes.

So you've seen the sneak peeks, and my introduction to these sets. Do visit Uniko to check out more introductions from the rest of the team. Do leave comments as you visit - there's always the chance of a random prize!! Before I go, here's a quick reminder of the release schedule:

Introductions: 3rd - 5th May - the team have some wonderful inspirations projects to share with you.

RELEASE DAY! - Saturday 6th May, 9.00am BST - more inspiration projects from the Design Team, your chance to purchase the stamps from the Uniko Store and, as usual, a Design Team Blog Hop and Giveaway!