Uniko Studio - Beautiful Blooms II ...

...  Hi - are you getting excited yet?  On to the third new mini-set from Uniko Studio - Beautiful Blooms II.  Some pretty flowers for you to play with.  These are just gorgeous.  Here's my card:

Stamps: Uniko Studio - Beautiful Blooms II, Simply Said Birthday, Background Builders Round in Circles
Inks: Stampin' Up! - Cherry Cobbler, Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Lost Lagoon
Dies: Waltzingmouse - Stitched Tag, Folding Tag
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Lost Lagoon; Cuttlebug EF - D'Vine Swirls; Ribbons

The inspiration for this card comes Kylie's card at Time Out Challenges - TOC#24.  The challenge is to CASE Kylie's card, putting our own twist on the design.  I've almost exactly to the layout of Kylie's card, but changed up the embossed pattern, added a stamped border, changed the shape of the tag and used the wonderful flowers from Beautiful Blooms II on the tag.

The little roses were created in three stages - first I stamped the outline in a dark pink, then the solid fill in pale pink and finally the shadow detail in very dark pink.  The stamps are really easy to line up.  Once stamped I cut them out.  The leaves were also stamped on scrap card and cut out.  I die cut the tag, added the cute little star at the hole and then adhered the roses and leaves.  I used dimensional gel for the bottom rose and leaves.  I finished the tag with some ribbon from my stash and adhered the complete tag with dimensional tape.  On the inside I stamped a couple more roses, masked them off and added some leaves.  I finished with a simple greeting.

I think these stamps are just lovely.  While I've used them here as a three step rose, the outline could be stamped and coloured with Copics, pencils or paint, the solid image could be embossed and the little shadow stamp makes a super flower on its own!  Oh yes, the leaves could make a pretty daisy type flower too!

Click on the links below for more inspiration with our new mini-set - Beautiful Blooms II:

Bev - Uniko Studio
Amber
Deborah (that's me)
Erika
Gillian
N@ Ali
Nicki
Sandie
Sarah

Here's the release schedule:

Saturday to Tuesday - we're introducing each set day by day.  All the DT will have examples of how to use the stamps - lots of inspiration guaranteed.

Wednesday 11th February - you will get to see all the products and be able to purchase them HERE on the website.  As tradition holds, there will be a Design Team Blog Hop with a chance for a lucky person to win the ENTIRE release!!!

Now, you won't want to miss out on any of the fun on our intro days as we will be drawing totally random winners for mystery prizes.  We are not giving any hints as to the prizes or their value, you'll just have to join in on the fun!

Places to join in on the fun and possibly win a prize are by commenting along the way on the Uniko Studio Blog, DT, liking the Uniko Studio Facebook page, following on Twitter and Pinterest!

Don't forget to come back tomorrow when I'll be introducing the last of our new mini-sets - such a useful set too!  And you've already had a peek or two!  See you soon.

ASM & TMR - Blue Hearts ....

....  Good evening everyone.  I'm here with my card for this week's Addicted to Stamps and More! challenge.  It's Team A with you this week and the theme of our challenge is HOLIDAY.  You can pick any National holiday or even just a holiday - I've gone for Valentine's Day.  This card is also my DT card for our new challenge at The Male Room where we have a colour challenge to use SHADES OF BLUE.

Stamps: Deedee's Digis - Stitched with Love; Uniko Studio - Round in Circles
Inks: Kaleidacolour - Blue Breeze
Dies: Cheery Lynn - Hearts 'n' Gears; PTI - Wet Paint Cuts I and II
Accessories: White Lustre Card; Stampin' Up Card - Night of Navy; Copic Markers

ASM is being sponsored this week by Deedee's Digis and I've used one of her designs for my card.  The winner of this week's challenge will get a $15 coupon for use at her online store.  I printed these stitched hearts on white card and coloured them with Copic markers and fussy cut them out.  I made the card from navy card stock and cut a layer of white card lightly smaller than the base.  I die cut the gear heart and sentiment and adhered the white panel directly to the card base.  I coloured the white die cut gear heart with Copic markers to match the pair of stitched hearts.  I than adhered it back into place, along with the white bit for the words.  I then adhered the two stitched hearts over the top.  The card is actually quite flat, making it easy to post.  On the inside I cut another layer of white card and added a decorative border, but left a large space for me to write a message.  This one is for my stash of cards that I send to Ben.

For more inspirational using ASM's Holiday theme click this link and for TMR Shades of Blue theme click this link, my team mates have made some wonderful projects.  Do drop by and leave a comment.  Have fun!

SNG - Birthday Glamour ....

.... Hello.  I'd like to share an elegant birthday card with you today.  The layout is quite clean and simple, but it's not CAS as the background is a piece of gorgeous design paper:

Stamps: Rick St Dennis Digi - Deborah Hat Lady; Stampin' Up! - Perfectly Penned; Uniko Studio - Round in Circles
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black
Dies: Spellbinders - Petit Ovals Sm (S4-140) #6, Scalloped Petit Ovals Sm (S4-141) #6
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Real Red; Kaisercraft DP - Kaleidoscope; Copic Markers; Wink of Stella - Clear

Rick has drawn a whole series of wonderfully elegant Hat Ladies, they can be found on his Zibbet shop, and I have several in my collection.  I had to play with this one - she's got my name (and I know she was drawn for one of Rick's friends, but it had to be).  I printed the image onto white card and coloured her with Copic markers using my favourite colour, green, for her hat and then I had to do the gems red - they are, after all, rubies!!!  I coloured the fur to suggest a silver fox (not real) collar.  I added some shimmer to the gems in her hat, the necklace and collar.  I cut the image out with a die and layered her onto some red card.  I finished the front with this fabulous paper and stamped a simple, elegant birthday greeting.  On the inside I cut a mat layer of red card, added a strip of the green design paper and finished with white card on top.  I simply added some decoration, there's lots of space for my message.

I had such fun colouring this image and I'll be making more elegant Hat Lady cards in the future. 

I'm busy enjoying spending time with my son, Ben, and his girlfriend, Sophie.  It's so nice having them to stay with us for a while, such a shame it's so cold!  But that's Michigan!  That's all for now.  See you soon.

Happy Birthday Ben .....

....  Good morning, and a quick warning that this is a photo heavy post!  Today our son, Ben, is 18 years old!  He is, according to the law in the UK, an adult, but he'll always be my little boy - well strictly big boy!!!  Here's the card I made for Ben, and that he has hopefully received today:

Stamps: Uniko Studio - Round in Circles; Stampin' Up! - Delightful Dozen; My Favourite Things - Document It Hello My Name Is, Textile Rectangles
Inks: SU - Baked Brown Sugar, Baja Breeze, Coastal Cabana, Midnight Muse
Dies: Die-namics - High Rise Numbers
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Baked Brown Sugar; Kanban DP - Industriana; WMS - Twine; SU Marker - Baja Breeze

I used a couple of challenges to make this card.  The colours are from Colour Q - cQc#221 the last challenge they did in 2013 and which I couldn't play along with, but I think they are just perfect for a guy card.  The layout is from the new FUSION challenge - FUSION#1.

I was going to make a Steampunk, layered card, but ended up with this rather clean and graphic card instead!  I do still have an element of Steampunk in the backing paper from Kanban - the colour is a dark Baja Breeze.  To make the centre panel, I stamped the sentiment at the bottom and then decided where to put the number which die cut and then layered in the brown numbers.  I stamped some distressed circles above and the dotty circle below.  I completed the panel with some twine and then adhere the panel with dimensional tape.  For the inside I made a mat layer of the rivet backing paper and stamped more circles randomly around the edge of the white card.  I finished with a fun birthday greeting.

It was really lovely to see Ben when we were back in the UK at Christmas.  I'm convinced he's taller, but he says not.  He has, however, grown his hair and dyed it black.  A few photos of the changing looks of Ben:

Christmas 2013 - Ben,  almost 18 years old!

1996 - 2 months

 Christmas 1996 - 11½ months old - one of my favourite photos of Ben

 May 2000 - 4½ years old

 September 2007 - 11½ years old

November 2012 - 16¾ years old

If you've made it this far - well done!  I think it's probably only me who is interested in how Ben has changed, but I thought I'd share anyway!!  That's all for now.  See you soon.