Uniko - Pure Florals Rose .....

....  Hello! I can't quite believe how quickly this week has gone by. Today is the last of the Uniko Introductions. We are showcasing Pure Florals Rose - a wonderful addition to the series. I've made a couple of cards for today, here's the first:

Stamps: Uniko - Pure Florals Rose, Simply Said, Fontiments
Inks: Gina K - Kraft, Black Onyx, Red Velvet, Jelly Bean Green; Versafine - Onyx Black
Dies: Die-namics - A2 Stitched Rectangles Set 2 #9
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Crumb Cake; Clear Embossing Powder; Zig Clean Colour Brushes; Nuvo Aqua Shimmer - Clear; Uniko Stencil - Lattice; Tim Holtz Watercolour Card

So glad my parcel arrived on Wednesday, I was able to use the Lattice stencil to make this lovely background. I taped the stencil to the white panel and lightly sponged on some kraft ink, keeping it darker in the corner and fading out towards the top of the card. I adhered the panel to a kraft card base. I stamped the small rose and leaves on watercolour card with Versafine ink and heat embossed with clear powder, this gives a line which makes it so easy to colour. I used my zig clean colour brushes to lay down some colour which I blended out with a clear glitter brush - sadly you can't see the sparkle in the picture above!! I stamped the little birthday sentiment on the white panel and then used dimensional pads to adhered the rose and leaves. On the inside, I cut a white panel on to which I stamped a simple sentiment and the outline images.

I used the colours from this week's challenge at Global Design Project - GDP#117.

My next card is relatively CAS - well I think it is!!

Stamps: Uniko - Pure Florals Rose, Pure Florals Lily
Inks: Gina K - Black Onyx; Stampin' Up! - Smoky Slate; Distress - Hickory Smoke; Delicata - Silvery Shimmer
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Smoky Slate; Uniko Stencil - Broken Lines

This is a one-layer card. I used my MISTI to stamp the outline rose towards the top centre of the card and masked the rose. I taped the stencil to the card and sponged on dark grey ink, then I shifted the card slightly to the left and sponged on light grey ink. I removed the mask and put the card back into the MISTI. Then I stamped the solid rose in silver ink. I finished the front with a sentiment. I picked sympathy because Kat said that the grey rose made a lovely sympathy card! I agree. On the inside, I cut a mat layer of pale grey card and added a sentiment and another rose to the white panel.

I'm submitting this to CASology - CAS#279 where they want to see GREY and this is much more CAS than the other one!

Don't forget to visit the Uniko blog to see more inspiration projects from the rest of the Design Team. And come back tomorrow - it's RELEASE DAY!!!

Yesterday was a snow day for Kat - she had a much-needed lie-in and spent the day working on a physics project. I was in my craft room making cards, but I did take the opportunity to get out my camera and take a photo of all the snow and the bright blue skies we had. I've hung large baubles from one of the trees in my front garden and it looks so pretty:

If you look closely at the ornament you can see my reflection!!!  That's all for now - see you soon.

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 - Pure Florals Lily ....

.... Morning! It's the last day of our Uniko Introductions today. This is going to be a very popular set - Bev has added another wonderful flower to the Pure Florals range - the Lily. I have to say right up front that the Stargazer lily is one of my all time favourite flowers - so much so, that I had them in my wedding bouquet. So I'm absolutely thrilled to have this set to play with. Here's the card I made:

Stamps: Uniko - Pure Florals Lily (Digi), All Occasion Sentiments #1, Simply Said II, Fontiments Birthday
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Stampin' Up! - Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Cherry Cobbler; Copic Markers; Spectrum Noir Sparkle - Clear

Once again, this is a digital image and I've approximated the size of the flower. I printed the large lily on white card, coloured it with Copic markers and then carefully cut it out. I based the colours on Stargazer lilies - the petals on these flowers range from almost totally white with just a hint of pink down the centre, through to totally pink petals with very dark centres of the petals. I cut a mat layer of dark red card on to which I layered a panel of white card. I stamped the large congrats across the centre and added the little words in matching ink. Before attaching the lily, I added some glitter to the flower and then used dimensional gel to adhere it. On the inside I cut a mat layer of dark red card and on the white panel I stamped a simple sentiment. I also printed a smaller lily which I coloured pale pink and attached that to the the white panel. I'm submitting this card to the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge where thye want a hint of pink. I'm also playing along with a challenge that's new to me - Creative with Stamps - CWS#14 where they want to see flowers.

There are some wonderful sentiments in this set, but I mixed the image with some older sentiments to make a wedding card. Do visit the Uniko blog to see more inspiration projects from the rest of the team.

Remember I said that I had this flower in my wedding bouquet - well, here's a picture of me taken just over 16 years ago! Where has all that time gone?

Me and my gorgeous bouquet in the back garden before our wedding.

Jonathan and me in the grounds of the hotel where we had our wedding. It was a wonderful day!

Now - just a quick reminder that tomorrow is RELEASE DAY!! You will be able to get all the new stamps sets from the Uniko store from 9.00am BST. And, as usual, there will be a DESIGN TEAM BLOG HOP AND GIVEAWAY. See you soon!