Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge #468

Welcome! 

For today’s Color My Heart Color Dare challenge #468 we have an interesting inspiration photo:

The style represented by the photo is quite a distance away from my own crafting style and although this is a colour challenge, I usually like to use the photo as my design inspiration. With that in mind I used the patchwork effect of the apron and tried to match my papers to the patterns and colours too. I went with brown, blue, orange, yellow and white.

The design is not my own, I was inspired by this card on Pinterest. 

I used various papers from my stash and a sentiment from Clearly Besotted. 

The rest of the Design Team are over on the Color My Heart Color Dare blog with their fabulous creations so please do check them out. We would love you to join in with the challenge and see what spin on the inspiration photo you can bring!

Much love

Steph x

Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge #466

Hey all, 

Welcome to this week’s Color My Heart Color Dare challenge #466. The colour palette for this week is divine and I had a hard time deciding what combination to go for!

As always, we reference Close To My Heart colours but you can use any brand as long as it’s a very close match. 

In the end, my card dictated the colours as I was making it. I had intended to use more of the colours above but it just didn't need it so I stuck to Rosemary, Ballerina and Sangria.

I also made two cards because I had so many of the die cut pieces left! 

As you can see, I'm short of Thankyou cards in my stash!! 

For the first card I have adhered the mosaic panels over the card base but for my second card I have die cut the inner die only from the white card panel and have inlaid the coloured pieces. 

Head over the the Color My Heart Color Dare blog and check out the wonderful creations by the rest of the Design Team (there are some beauties!). Hopefully you will be inspired to join in. I can't wait to see how all the other possible colour combinations turn out. 

Much love

Steph x

Christmas Craft Creations October Challenge

Morning all

Here we have a great, but I thought quite difficult, challenge over at Christmas Craft Creations. We are looking for black and white plus only one other colour. 

It took me a while to think about what colour to add to my card, but in the end I had to go with traditional red! 

I made a tag in the style of Santa's coat! I used the Clearly Besotted Tag Along die to cut a tag from red card which I then embossed in a folder I received with a UK magazine. I also embossed the white strip with the same folder and cut a black strip for the belt. I added a white 'buckle' using a small postage stamp edged die. The ribbon on the tag is recycled from a Lindt bunny!! I felt like the background needed something so I embossed the snow fall and added a white heat embossed sentiment to finish.

I can't wait to see what you choose as your colour and what you create with it. For more inspiration do head over to the blog and see what the Design Team made, check back mid month for even more delights from the Reminder Team. 

Much love

Steph x

Uniko Brand Ambassador Inspiration - Flower Power #1 Stencil

Morning all, 

Thanks for joining me today for my Uniko Brand Ambassador post where I am showcasing the recently released Uniko Flower Power #1 stencil. 

For all three of my cards I have used a blue and pink palette but in different ways. I have also made use of the recently released Uniko Christmas Sentiments stamp set, which I love!

This card focuses on the blue hues and I thought the stencil could represent snowflakes. 

With my second card I added in more pink and highlighted this with some pink sequins. 

Finally I moved the stencil to each corner of my card stock and ink blended a soft mix of blue and pink. This left a nice gap in the centre for lots of lovely sentiments.

I hope these give you some inspiration on how to create a few quick Christmas cards using the stencil and sentiments. They would work well in a number of different colour combinations too. 

Happy crafting!

Steph x

The Male Room Challenge #155

Morning all

Welcome back for another challenge from The Male Room, #155. The theme for this month is Black and White...tough but fun! 

I used the fantastically fun Vintage Gentleman die set from First Edition Craft. I die cut the two different styles of moustache several times from white card and two of each from black card. Following some very lightly pencilled grid lines I glued the white moustaches to a white piece of card to create a faux embossed background. I adhered the four black moustaches over fours of the white ones and then I white heat embossed the cheeky sentiment from Hampton Art LOL Officially Old stamp set onto black card. I then adhered the panel to the card blank using foam tape.

I hope you are inspired to join in but if not, head over to the blog for more fantastic ideas from the Design Team. 

Much love

Steph x

Uniko September/October 2021 Reveal, Release & Brand Ambassador Blog Hop & GIVEAWAY!

Hello!! 

Lovely to have you all here for the Uniko September/ October 2021 reveal, release and Brand Ambassador blog hop and GIVEAWAY! 

I like reveal and release day because we get to show you the stamp sets and stencils in their entirety and having to make a second card for one or each product really gets the imagination going. (And at this point I’m just going to add that you really do need ALL of this release!! I can’t stop playing with them!!).

First we have Uniko Background Builders: Winter Wonderland:

Isn't it divine?! For my second inspiration card I wanted to use the 'North Pole' stamp that I did not use in my first card (here) and I teamed it with the compass stamp from the Uniko Nautical Treasures stamp set.

Here I simply stamped the compass and north pole stamps directly onto the card blank, filling in the gaps with the snowflakes from the BB: Winter Wonderland set. I stamped the north pole stamp onto black card (in chalk ink) and laid this on top using foam tape.

The next stamp set introduced this week is the Uniko Christmas Sentiments set.

Here I have teamed it with the Uniko Flower Power #1 stencil, also from this release.

I used the stencil to draw through on the back of some white, red and green glitter card. I cut out the petal shapes and adhered them on top of each other as shown. I fussy cut around the edge, added a gold glitter brad to the centre and adhered to a black card blank. Finally I stamped the sentiment in chalk ink onto a thin black strip and adhered this over the top using foam pads.

And the final stamp set to reveal is the wonderful Uniko Pattern Building Christmas Tree.

You get a good few stamps in this set and you don't have to stick to a traditional Christmas tree as shown by some of the Brand Ambassadors on the Uniko blog yesterday. I really love the light string so I used that for my card today.

I stamped the light string a couple of times across the card before colouring in. I did the same with the other stamps to create a top and bottom border. The sentiment is from the Uniko Christmas Sentiments stamp set, also on this release. I told you this set would get a lot of use!! 

So all that remains is for me to say make sure you head over to the Uniko Blog to start the Brand Ambassador blog hop. Leave a lovely comment along the way and you could be in with the chance of winning the ENTIRE release! Just in case you get lost along the way, here's a list of the blogs to visit:

Bev

Hannelie

Izzy

Jane

Julie

Rahmat

Steph - that's me!

Wiebke

Much love

Steph x

Uniko Introducing... Pattern Building Christmas Tree

Morning All, 

Here we have the final introduction in the Uniko September (oh ok, and a little bit of October!) 2021 mini release. This stamp set is called Pattern Building Christmas Tree and as the name suggests, you build your own pattern! So you can imagine that the possibilities are endless. 

My card here today shows the stamps used in a traditional format, as a tree, but maybe not traditional Christmas colours! I have used chalk inks and stamped onto smooth white card before die cutting and adhering to the card blank with foam tape.

Head over to the Uniko blog to see the different interpretations of this set by the Brand Ambassadors and be sure to head back here tomorrow for the Uniko blog hop and release GIVEAWAY!

Much love

Steph x

Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge #464

Hi everyone, 

Welcome back for another Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge #464 and today we have a very interesting colour inspiration for you! 

We reference Close To My Heart colours but you are free to use any colour as long as it is a very close match. 

So what do these colours inspire you to make? 

I decided it was time to make something other than a card so I opted for a pillow gift box instead. I have some very strong black card so I made the box from this using Sizzix dies and then decorated with flowers, tags and leaves in the three colours from the challenge. 

I really enjoy making gift boxes so when I get a bit of a crafting lull, or lose my mojo, I make a gift box and it gets me back on the creative track! 

Don't forget to hop over to the Color My Heart Color Dare challenge blog and check out the fantastic makes by the rest of the Design Team and join in the fun!

Much love

Steph x

Uniko Introducing... Stencil - Flower Power #1

Morning All, 

Today it's time to introduce the one stencil on this Uniko Mini Release and it is called Flower Power #1. 

I have used the stencil to firstly ink in green and then I have added the red ink over the top, after adjusting the position of the stencil. This is my modern version of a poinsettia! Initially I heat embossed the edges of the red petals with gold powder but it seemed to need something more...so out came the stickles and the shimmer is fantastic! I used one of the sentiments from the Uniko Christmas Sentiments set (introduced yesterday) and heat embossed in gold. 

There's some fantastic inspiration from the Brand Ambassadors over on the Uniko blog to day so be sure to go check it out and come back tomorrow for the final product introduction. 

Much love

Steph x

Uniko Challenge #67 Reminder

Hey everyone,

I’m just back with a quick reminder of the current Uniko challenge #67. The theme is ‘Anything Goes’ with an optional twist of ‘Autumn Colours’. 

Again I have chosen to go with Autumn colours (or at least what I think are Autumn colours!) but I have used them to make a Christmas card in non traditional colours.

I used the Uniko Sparkling Snowflake die and cut it from the mustard and dark red card. I inlaid the red snowflake into the mustard cut out and added back the negative die cuts. I cut the mustard panel with a stitched border square die and adhered the panel to a dark blue card blank. Finally I stamped the sentiment from the Uniko Simply Said Blocks Christmas stamp set in dark blue ink onto mustard card, fussy cut and adhered with foam pads.

Of course I was then left with a dark red aperture panel and a mustard snowflake so I put these to use making a second card!

I hope you have managed to join in with the challenge already but if not, or if you want to enter again, please head over to the Uniko blog and link up your card. Be sure to check out the fantastic creations from the Brand Ambassadors too. And if you are feeling extra generous, hop over to their blogs and leave a lovely comment. ☺️

Much love

Steph x