Uniko Introducing... Stencils Flower Power #8, Rainbow & Clouds, Squared & Tropical Leaf I

Hi everyone,

Go grab yourself a cup of tea because we have a fabulous FOUR Uniko stencils being introduced today!

Firstly we have Flower Power #8 which matches the Uniko Flower Power #8 stamp set.  

I must have Christmas in my mind currently because when I saw this stencil I thought of a poinsettia. I wanted the flower to have some texture so I used white texture paste through the stencil and used the spatula to create 'veins' in the leaves. Once dry I was able to colour the paste with a mixture of inks and watercolour pens. The green watercolour pens have added sparkle which is so beautiful so I added some Wink of Stella to the red areas too. The paper I added the texture paste to also has a pearlescent touch so this is a very shimmery card! I fussy cut around the edge of the paste as I wanted to capture the shape of the flower. Finally I added the sentiment from the Uniko Stunning Snowflakes stamp set. 

Next we have the Rainbow & Clouds stencil. 

I like playing around with stencils and I seem to be less rigid in my crafting style when I use a stencil. This card is a good example of that and I have used lots of techniques here although the camera doesn't pick up in them all too well. My first job was to simply colour the rainbows through the stencil. I also used metallic white watercolour paint to colour the clouds. I knew I wanted to give the panel a blue watercolour wash so before I removed the stencil I inked it up with Versamark and used clear embossing powder to seal the rainbows and clouds. I gave the panel a light wash with watered down acrylic paint and was able to remove the paint from the embossed areas easily. Once it had dried, I placed the stencil back over the panel and ran it through the die cutting machine with an embossing mat which gave some subtle definition to the piece. Finally I added the sentiments, stamped in red, from the Uniko Simply Said Blocks stamp set.

Half way through now guys, how is that cup of tea?

The next stencil is called Squared. Now if you joined my for the sneak peeks on Monday you will see that I mentioned that some of the release might not have been my immediate 'go to' but I actually completely fell in love with the product once I got my hands on it. This is that item!

Initially I was having a panic about how to use this stencil but then I had a sudden blast from the past a realised that it was very like some wallpaper my brother had on his wall in the 80's! I can't remember the exact pattern but I remember the colours and the geometrics so I recreated it in this card.

And I love it!! It was so simple to create but the effect is amazing and it's perfect for those 'oh so difficult' masculine cards. I started off with a piece of grey card and drew inside each of the squares with a red gel pen. I then moved the stencil a little up and to the left and did exactly the same but with a black pen. I started off with my black gel pen but it decided to seize up on me within seconds so this is a simple black biro! I moved the stencil again, this time down and to the right, and used a white gel pen to draw the squares. I cut the panel to size and layered onto a red then black piece of card, each slightly larger than the last. I heat embossed the sentiment from the Uniko Anniversaire Arts Decoratifs stamp set and mixed 80's style with 20's elegance! Finally I added some Glossy Accents drops randomly to the panel. 

Now for the last stencil which is called Tropical Leaf I.

Just like the sentiment on my card, this stencil is lovely. I have used the inner part of the stencil only here but you do get the centre 'cut out' part too. Unusually for me this is a 5 x 7 card as I needed the bigger size to make the most of my tropical leaf border. I have inked the leaf up in pink and green before using Versamark and gold embossing powder for the solid gold leaves. For added interest I then used a Versamark pen to draw around the inside edge of the stencil and heat embossed this to give a 'skeleton' leaf effect. I added the gold glitter card frame with foam pads and inside this a panel using a sentiment from the Uniko Hello Lovely stamp set. 

So, how was that for lots of loveliness? And lucky you, because there's even more gorgeous inspiration over on the Uniko blog as the Brand Ambassadors have outdone themselves! Go check it out and come back tomorrow for the final Uniko Introduction before the big reveal, release day and blog hop GIVEAWAY on Sunday! 

Much love

Steph x