Uniko June 2024 Release - Introducing...Ink & Flip Layering Geometric Hexagon

Good morning!

Welcome to Day 1 of the introductions for the upcoming June release at Uniko.

I think you'll agree that Bev has been so clever with the Ink & Flip stencil sets she has designed so far and you've guess it, we have another for you...the Ink & Flip Layering Geometric Hexagon Stencil.  It' another set of two.

Here's my first card, using both of the stencils together...

First I inked up the outer background, first ink blending in  pale green and then, after flipping, in a cloudy blue.  Next I used the second stencil to create the inner hexagon, ink blending with two shades of yellow to create some dimension.  The bees are from the Bee Happy stamp set as well as a new set we will be sharing tomorrow, and the sentiment is from an existing stamp set called Zesty.  I finished by adding some shimmer to the bees' wings.

Materials used:

• Stencil: Uniko - Ink & Flip Layering Geometric Hexagon
• Stamps: Uniko - Bee Happy, Flower Power #9, Zesty
• Ink: Altenew - Minty Mint, Cloudy Sky, Warm Sunshine, Honey Drizzle; Versafine Clair - Nocturne, Misty Morning; Memento - Tuxedo Black
• Accents: Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen - Crystal Clear

And for my second card I used just the central hexagon, along with stamps from the Bee Happy set and the new set being introduced tomorrow...

This one layer card was so quick and easy to create.  I inked up the hexagon in two shades of ink, flipping halfway through to create the full design.  Then stamped the sentiment from the Bee Happy set and the bee and flight trail which is from a new set, also in this release.

Materials used:

• Stencil: Uniko - Ink & Flip Layering Geometric Hexagon Stencil
• Stamps: Uniko - Bee Happy, Flower Power #9
• Ink: Altenew - Warm Sunshine, Honey Drizzle; Versafine Clair - Nocturne, Misty Morning

And finally, I decided to use the stencils to create some gems...

I used two co-ordinating shades of each colour to create these gemstones, masking off the previous one as I went.  Then it was just a case of stamping the bold sentiment, which is from the Birthday Sentiments stamp set.  Another one layer card.

Materials:

• Stencils: Uniko - Ink & Flip Layering Geometric Hexagon
• Stamp: Uniko - Birthday Sentiments
• Ink: Altenew - Pinkalicious, Rubellite, Hydrangea, Ultraviolet, Aqualicious, Teal Cave; Versafine Clair - Nocturne

To see more projects and this stencil set in action my fellow Brand Ambassadors are sharing more makes over at the main Uniko blog, here.

This stencil, along with all the products being introduced this week will be available from 9am BST on Saturday 29 June 2024. 

I'll be back tomorrow with another introduction so please do pop back to take a look.

Pigs in Blankets

Hi there

Back with my final little batch of Christmas cards I made this year. 

I followed the same design as the Flamingo cards in my last post, but this time used another of my new favourite Clearly Besotted stamp sets, Pigs in Blankets.

Again, I made six of these in total, using all the images stamped twice...

All the pigs were stamped in black and coloured with Copics before fussy cutting them out.  I then prepped all my card bases.  I began with a strip of masking tape just below the centre and then blended the background with blue ink.  With the masking tape still in place I inked through a snow stencil with white pigment ink.

I used my MISTI to then position and stamp all the sentiments one after the other.  I sorted the pig images and worked out where I wanted them all then added some shading with a grey marker before adhering them in place with some glue dots.  Just a slim amount of dimension so they were still flat enough to mail.

On these cards I added some shimmer amongst the snowflakes and also in the shaded areas with a sparkle pen.

Here are all six finished cards...

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Pigs in Blankets
• Stencil: Clearly Besotted - Snow Day
• Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Distress Oxide - Salty Ocean; Hero Arts - Unicorn; Versafine Clair - Nocturne
• Coloured with Copics
• Accents: Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen - Clear

So there you have it, I've now shared all my 2022 makes.  Although I've been a lot quieter than usual this year, since stepping down from the challenge Design Teams, I hope I've managed to inspire you with some of my projects.

I'll be back next week with some new Brand Ambassador Inspiration from Uniko.

So, all that's left to say is, I wish you a

and all the best for a happy, healthy, safe and crafty 2023!

Crafty hugs,

Fa La La Mingo!

Hi there

More of my Christmas makes and I wanted to use one of my newest stamp sets, Fa La La Mingo by Clearly Besotted.

I made six of these in total, using all the images stamped twice.  These were fairly time consuming as I had to colour all the images and fussy cut them all out.

All the flamingos were stamped in black and coloured with Copics before fussy cutting them out.  I still need more practice with Copic colouring but as I was colouring feathers I think these look pretty good!  I then prepped all my card bases.  I began with a strip of masking tape just below the centre and then blended the background with blue ink.  With the masking tape still in place I inked through a snow stencil with white pigment ink.

I used my MISTI to then position and stamp all the sentiments one after the other.  I sorted the flamingos and worked out where I wanted them all then added some shading with a grey marker before adhering them in place with some glue dots.  Just a slim amount of dimension so they were still flat enough to mail.

As you've got to have sparkle at Christmas, I added some shimmer to the flamingos' hats with a sparkle pen.  Don't look too closely at the fussy cutting, not my best work when crafting to a deadline! :D 

Here are all six finished cards...

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Fa La La Mingo
• Stencil: Clearly Besotted - Snow Day
• Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Distress Oxide - Salty Ocean; Hero Arts - Unicorn; Versafine Clair - Nocturne
• Coloured with Copics
• Accents: Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen - Clear

Just one more bundle of makes to share, not too dissimilar to these.  I'll be back very soon.

Kitty Love

Hi guys

Apologies for being so quiet on here lately.  I've had a bit of a crafty dry spell lately so, hopefully, I'll get back to creating a lot more very soon.

Just stopping by today to share a card I made a while ago.  I've just found the photo and realised I forgot all about sharing it.  And as it's just a love themed card, it could be sent at any time, not specifically for Valentine's Day.

Here it is...

On a die cut panel I stamped the kitten first, before masking and them stamping the "love" for him to lie upon.  These were then simply coloured with Copics before adhering the panel flat to the card base.  I die cut the "you" and the hearts from red cardstock, adhered to the panel and then added some sparkle to the hearts using a shimmer pen.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted - Pawfect Plushies, On the Shelf
• Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black
• Dies: MFT Die-namics - Twice the Thanks (you); Lawn Fawn - Hearts; Create a Smile - Double Stitched Rectangles
• Coloured with Copics
• Accents: Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen - Clear

Challenge entries

Addicted to CAS - Challenge #217 - Animals

STAMPlorations - April CAS Challenge - Anything CAS Goes

Moving Along with the Times - Challenge #141 - Baby Animals

Thanks for taking a look.  Wishing you a lovely weekend.

Bears and Balloons

Hi there

Today I'm sharing a card I was commissioned to make for a friend for her daughter's wedding.  The special day was yesterday so I'm safe to share it online now!

The request was for it to be A5 (UK sizing) as it was a special card so this is twice the size of the normal A6 size I usually make.  As a CAS cardmaker I do struggle to fill an A5 space but I think I made it work here.

She asked for something cute and with balloons and the wedding colours were subtle pink and purple so this is what I came up with...

I've had this cute stamp in my stash for about ten years!  I've only used it once before but it's perfect for a cute wedding card.  I stamped the bears first, coloured them with Copics then masked them off before stencilling the layered balloons behind using Distress Inks.  Once dry I then stamped the heart clusters and heat embossed in silver.  I printed the sentiment onto white paper (my printer struggles to take cardstock), so to solve this I then adhered it to some white cardstock before die cutting with a curvy rectangle die.  A wrapped some lilac ribbon across the panel, securing on the reverse before topping with the sentiment die cut.  The whole panel was then adhered to the card base on fun foam and to finish I added some shimmer to the champagne glasses using a sparkle pen, you can just about see it in the photo below.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Stampavie - Bubbly Bears; Uniko - Balloon Bash
• Stencil: MFT - Big Balloons
• Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Distress Ink - Kitsch Flamingo, Spun Sugar, Dusty Concord, Shaded Lilac; VersaMark
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Metallic Silver
• Die: Spellbinders - Reverse Wonky Rectangles
• Coloured with Copics
• Accents: Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen - Clear

Challenge entries:

STAMPlorations - June Stencil Challenge - Anything Goes

Happy Little Stampers - June Stencil Challenge - Anything Goes

Thanks for looking, enjoy the rest of your weekend whatever you're up to.

Less is More Challenge #445

Hi guys

I'm back after taking a break from the last challenge at Less is More.  I've not had a break since challenge #416 so felt like I needed a little time out!

But I'm back to it today with the new challenge which this time is a Colour challenge...

Now that the weather has finally turned around in the UK after May being an absolute washout, I decided to duplicate the lovely blue sky and sunshine onto my card for this one...

This was was pretty easy to put together.  On some white cardstock I stencilled the clouds using Distress Oxide ink and then used a circle die to cut out a section of my background.  I die cut the sun from some yellow cardstock and then used some hammered white cardstock for the cloud die cuts, to give them a fluffy appearance.  You can just about make out the hammered detail in the photo below.  I then arranged and adhered all the die cuts onto my card base, some popped up on 3D foam.  To finish I stamped the sentiment in black ink and added some shimmer to the sun.

Materials used:

• Stencil: MFT - Mini Cloud Edges
• Stamp: Clearly Besotted - Shine Bright
• Ink: Distress Oxide - Tumbled Glass; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Dies: MFT Die-namics - Double Stitched Circle Stax; Xcut - Dinky Dies: Sun; Clearly Besotted - Cloudy Day Dies
• Accents: Spectrum Noir - Shimmer Pen: Clear

Challenge entries:

My Time to Craft - Challenge #459 - Things in the Sky

Happy Little Stampers - June Anything Goes with Dies Challenge

STAMPlorations - June Theme & Photo Prompt Challenge - Stamps and 2 Colours

STAMPlorations - June CAS Challenge - Anything CAS goes

Uniko - Challenge #65 - Anything Goes (optional twist: use die cuts)

As usual, the challenge link will remain open for two weeks.  And if you need some inspiration please do pop over to the main challenge post to check out the great projects the Design Team are sharing using these colours.

I've been a bit quiet on here lately but have been making a few cards for orders so I'll be sharing those in the comings days.  Thanks so much for popping by, I really appreciate you taking the time to take a look.

Happy Little Stampers June 2021 CAS Challenge

Hi there

The CAS Challenge for June is now live over at Happy Little Stampers and we have a fun theme for you this time...

For my Design Team card I chose a stamp I've had in my stash for a long time.  I've only used it once before, many years ago, so it was about time I inked it up again...

Pretty simple execution for this one.  The upper panel was die cut with a scalloped rectangle.  I then stamped the main image and coloured it with Copics.  I found a co-ordinating sentiment stamp from another set and stamped this in black, adhered the panel to the card base and then there was just one thing left to do....add sparkle to the shoes of course!

Materials used:

• Stamps: Stamping Bella - Uptown Girl Reilly Loves to Relax; Reverse Confetti - Clink
• Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Die: Create a Smile - Cool Cuts Scalloped Rectangles
• Coloured with Copics
• Accents: Spectrum Noir Shimmer Pen - Clear 

Thanks so much for taking a look.  The challenge link will remain open until the end of the month so there's plenty of time to join in.

Perfectly CAS April 2021 Challenge

Hi there

The April challenge at Perfectly CAS is now up and running and here's this month's cue card...

After making this card I've realised I'm just a touch over the 1/3 rule.  If I'd brought my masking tape in a few millimetres it would have complied!  So please follow the challenge guidelines, and don't do as I've done! lol

These dragonflies are so cute though...

I first masked off a vertical section of the card base and ink blended the background with a cloud stencil and added a little green ink at the base.  Next I stamped and coloured all the images with Copics before die cutting with their co-ordinating dies.  The grass and bulrush images were adhered flat at the base and the dragonflies were popped up on 3D foam.  The simple sentiment, from a different set, was then stamped in black and I added some sparkle to their wings using a shimmer pen.

Materials used:

• Stencil: My Favourite Things - Mini Cloud Edges
• Ink: Distress Oxide - Tumbled Glass, Cracked Pistachio; Memento - Tuxedo Black; Versafine - Onyx Black
• Stamps: Pretty Pink Posh - Darling Dragonflies (and co-ordinating dies); Simon Says Stamp - Baby (hello sentiment)
• Coloured with Copic markers: E15, BV02, BV04, YG09, YG17, BG000, BG13, BG15 
• Accents: Spectrum Noir Shimmer Pen - Clear

Challenge entries

CASology - Week 388 - Hello

Happy Little Stampers - April Stencil Challenge - Anything Goes

NBUS - Challenge #25 - first use of the dragonfly stamps and dies sets

As always with Perfectly CAS, the challenge will close a couple of days before the next one goes live so you have almost a month to play along.  I hope you can join in.

Honey Doo Crafts - May 2020 Release - Bride & Groom

Good evening, folks

Tonight I'm sharing more sample cards using the new stamps from Honey Doo Crafts.

And just as a reminder, Amanda will be launching the new products on Create & Craft TV this Friday, 22 May 2020, the shows being at 11.15am and 3.45pm.


The new stamp set in focus here is called Bride & Groom.

This sample card is very simple but I love these neutral/vintage tones...

I began with a die cut panel and stamped both the image and sentiment, which is included in the stamp set, in a neutral shade of pigment ink then heat embossed it all in a pearl shade.  I added a minimal amount of colour to the happy couple, again in neutral shades, popped the panel up with dimensional foam and called this card done.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Honey Doo Crafts - Bride and Groom
• Die: Create a Smile - Cool Cuts Double Stitched Rectangles
• Ink: Versa Color - Vanilla
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - White Pearl
• Coloured with ProMarkers

For my second sample I paired the stamp set with an existing stencil from the Honey Doo product range...

I started by stamping the bride and groom image on a die cut panel of white cardstock and then stamped it again on a couple of post-it notes to make a mask.  I used a heart die from my stash to create an aperture in a scrap piece of cardstock and blended through with a pale shade of Distress Ink.  I then laid the Honey Doo Floral Display stencil over the heart aperture and blended through with a different shade of Distress Ink.  I stamped the sentiment from the same set with a co-ordinating shade of pigment ink and heat embossed in clear.  The panel was adhered to the card base using fun foam for dimension and I finished by adding some shimmer to the bride's dress using a glitter pen.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Honey Doo Crafts - Bride and Groom
• Stencil: Honey Doo Crafts - Floral Display
• Dies: Create a Smile - Cool Cuts Double Stitched Rectangles; MFT Die-namics - Stitched Heart Stax
• Ink: Versafine - Onyx Black; Distress Ink - Tattered Rose, Victorian Velvet; Versa Color - Ash Rose
• Embossing Powder: Wow! - Clear Gloss
• Accents: Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen - Clear

Thanks for visiting, I'll be back again tomorrow with more samples ahead of the shows on Friday.

(AD - some products kindly gifted for design team purposes)