TMR - Theme - Recycle ...

... Hello again! It's a busy today!! Not only have I got my Uniko release post here, but today is the start of our new challenge at The Male Room - TMR#80. We want you to RECYCLE on your masculine projects. I think there are many ways to interpret this theme. You can recycle any leftover stash from previous projects, you can use old labels, junk envelopes, the choice is yours. I've recycled a chocolate wrapper. I wasn't sure what to make for this challenge, but after eating my Lindt Easter Bunny (so tasty) I thought I'd do an Easter card, but with a twist:

Stamps: Rick St Dennis Digi - Evil Flesh Eating Eggs; Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz - Crazy Talk; Uniko - Birthday Sentiments
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Gina K - Jelly Bean Green
Dies: Die-namics - Wonky Stitched Rectangles Stax #4, Rectangles Stax Set 1 #8
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Lemon Lime Twist; Lindt Gold Bunny Wrapper; Ranger Alcohol Inks - Limeade, Ginger, Citrus; Copics; Nuvo - Aqua Shimmer Brush

I have a great fondness for these evil little eggs and I've used the image a few times to make an Easter card for my son. I printed the image on to white card and cut it out with a die. I coloured the image with Copic markers. I printed off another digital image the same size, cut out the individual eggs to use as a pattern on the Lindt bunny wrapper. I drew around each egg and inside the cut out eyes and mouths, and then very carefully cut the wrapper and adhered the wrapper to each of the little eggs. I used alcohol ink to colour the gold wrappers. Once dry, I adhered each of the eggs to the image, layered it onto some bright lime card and attached it to the card. I finished the front with a simple greeting. On the inside, I cut a mat layer of lime card and on the white panel added a bold greeting along with some more of the little eggs - this time without their gold overcoats! I did add some shimmer to these eggs. I'm submitting this card to Sunday Stamps Challenge - SSC#173 where they have a colour theme.

I took a close-up photo of the eggs so that you can see the print from the Lindt wrapper - I like the added texture it gives:

Don't forget to visit The Male Room blog to see more inspiration projects from the rest of the Design Team, and also from our Guest Designer, Keti from Keti's Projects.  I'm looking forward to seeing what you create with this challenge - you've got until midnight (GMT) on Tuesday 13th March - that's 8.00pm EDT (our clocks go forward a week before they do in the UK). Have fun!!

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 - Kindness Blooms and Fun Flowers Stencil ...

.... Good morning! It's the last day of Uniko Introductions, we have one more stamp set and another stencil - I really think you're going to like them both. I'm going to start with the stamp set:

Stamps: Uniko - Kindness Blooms, All Occasion Sentiments # 3 and #6
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Stampin' Up! - Marina Mist, Sweet Sugarplum, Peekaboo Peach
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Peekaboo Peach; Vellum; Clear Embossing Powder; Copics; Nuvo - Aqua Shimmer Brush; Studio Katia - Silver Foil Crystals

I've made a really clean, simple card to showcase the large scribble flower in this stamp set. I used my MISTI to position and stamp the greeting. I stamped the flower on vellum, heat embossed with clear powder, coloured the reverse of the image with Copic markers, and added lots of shimmer to the front of the flower, then I fussy cut it out. I added some shimmer to the open letter of the word 'thanks' and finished the front by adding some silver foil crystals. On the inside, I cut a mat layer of peach card and on the white panel added a message and more flowers. I used the sketch from this week's CAS(E) this Sketch! - CTS#260 for the layout and the colours are from last week's CAS Colours & Sketches - CASC&S#260. I've also taken a close-up photo of the flower to show all the lovely shimmer - I find it best to make the image darker than normal so that you can really see the shimmer!

There are a lot more flowers on this next card where I use the Fun Flowers stencil, and matching stamps too:

Stamps: Uniko - Fun Flowers, Simply Said Blocks, Birthday Sentiments
Inks: Versafine - Onyx Black; Distress - Worn Lipstick, Picked Raspberry, Blueprint Sketch; Gina K - Jelly Bean Green
Accessories: White Lustre Card; SU Card - Melon Mambo; Clear Embossing Powder; Nuvo - Aqua Shimmer Brush; Studio Katia - Silver Foil Crystals

The layout of this card is based on the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches - FMS#325, although it's going live too late to join in!! I taped the stencil to white card and used pink and blue inks. I tried to keep the blue to the scallop edges of the flowers. I cut the panel to size, edged it with a black marker and adhered it to the card. I stamped some leaves in green and the matching flowers from the Fun Flowers set, and added colour to two of the images with the stencil - I went for more depth of colour on these colours. Once finished, I cut them out using my Scan'N'Cut. I attached the plain flower flat to the card and used dimensional pads to attach the coloured flowers. I finished the front with a simple, bold sentiment. On the inside, I cut a mat layer of bright pink card. I used the stencil and inked a pale pink background all over the white card and added a greeting.

Well, that's it! We've finished all the introductions and I hope you have enjoyed seeing all the wonderful projects from the Design Team. Tomorrow is RELEASE DAY at 9.00am GMT (that's 4.00am EDT) and all the products will be available for purchase from the Uniko shop.

Do pop back again tomorrow and join us for our traditional Design Team Blog Hop and Giveaway! See you then!