[Uniko Studio] Challenge No. 14 -

We have a lovely challenge today on the Uniko Studio blog. Yep, still trying to get back into the swing of things and still being slow at making a card.

Photo Credit: Design Seed

And our theme this challenge is Clean and Simple. I completely bombed this challenge, but at least I sort of tried to follow the color palette.



I decided to whip out one of the newer Uniko Studio sets Big & Bold Wish. When the sentiments cover up the entire card, it become a nice focal point and I love that it will stand out so well. All we need is a die for that *hint hint Bev* to cut it out nicely.

To create a background I decided to stamp the candles in Versamark and clear embossed them. I then took some Inka Gold Turquoise metallic color, diluted it with water and decided to color the candles in. It behaves similar to water color when it is diluted, only that the color is metallic and shiny. After it tried, I also rubbed it down with some paper towel to polish to a shine. It's one of the special properties of this medium. See the shimmer?



I think one happy accident is that the clear embossed candles came out metallic and almost gold after applying the Inka Gold Turquoise. I also like how rocking the huge sentiment onto the ink pad and applying more on the top gives it a bit of an ombre effect. My purple happens to be a pigment ink.

One last "upcycled" item on this card is the tissue paper. It was lying around and came with a gift that I unwrapped, but thought I would use the gold stars in something sooner or later. So when I read the sentiment "Upon a Star" it gave me right shove to use it up. I accordion folded the tissue paper and the messily adhered it with some liquid glue.



I was thinking of running my sewing machine over the tissue paper portion, but turns out that my sewing machine is still packed away. So I better just let it be ;) Not as clean and simple as it could be, but still a fun card.

Please also check out the rest of the girl's cards and leave them a sweet comment or two. Remember you don't have to use all the colors - any or all as an inspiration.

Lastly, a few helpful things to remember:

• Challenge ends Oct 14th, 2014, 11:59p BST; Check back for the winners after
• Prize is £10 Gift Certificate to the random Winner & a Guest Design spot on our following challenge
• Three people will win a spotlight
• We would like you to use a Uniko Studio product; If you don't have any, check out the freebies here

I hope to see you play along, so that I can pop in on your lovely blogs! See you soon.

Supplies
Stamps: (Big & Bold Wish) Uniko Studio
Paper: (Fresh Linen, Plum Pudding) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Jenni Bowlin - No. 9 Spice Tin) Ranger; (Versamark) Tsukineko; (Eggplant) Mama Elephant
Embellishments: (Inka Gold - Turquoise) Viva Decor; (Creative Cuts - Femme Frames) Mama Elephant; (Stamp 'n Stuff Embossing Powder - Detailed Clear) Stampendous!; (Tissue Paper) recycle stash;

[Uniko Studio] August 2013 Release - Introducing Flower Power #3

Hello Uniko friends! It's August and we're on Day 3 of our sneaky peeks. Today we're introducing a Flower Power #3 set, which is a nice addition to the other sets: Flower Power Sets #1 and Flower Power #2.

Here is a little cute preview of what this set looks like.

Isn't that wee little heart cute? This jam-packed set contains six sentiments, two flowers (one an outline, one a solid), stems, and a few hearts. I can see falling in love with this one...


Stamps: (Flower Power #3) Uniko Studio
Paper: (Roundabout Card Kit: (Rock Candy) Bazzill, pattern paper) Studio Calico; (Amy Tangerine - Yes, Please) American Crafts
Ink: (Jenni Bowlin - No. 11 Chewing Gum) Ranger; (Memento - London Fog, Tuxedo Black, Brilliance - Galaxy Gold) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Winona Add-on Kit: (Candy Stripes Candy Shoppe) Queen & Co.) Studio Calico

I still have my current love for gold. And the ink with the hearts were just a match in heaven. The rest is inspired by a graphic-style design by stamping the blossoms onto pattern paper.



Hope you liked this preview. Tomorrow is our last sneak peek and then we're off to our release.

In the meantime, please check out the designer list and their creations.

Here the whole list for easy navigation ...

• Uniko Studio Blog (Bev)
• Aimes
• Amber
• Erika
• Gayatri
• Ren-Yi (you are here)
• Stacey
• Taheera
• GDT Ardyth

[Uniko Studio] April 2013 Release

Hello Uniko friends! We have finally arrived on full reveal & release day. Are you ready? If so, grab a cuppa because it's going to be a long post. Make it to the end to get a piece of fabby news.

If you came from Nicki's blog then you're ? You know the drill by now. If not, then start at Bev's blog to not make sure you don't miss out on all the inspiration.

Let's quickly review what is in our April release, which YOU could be so lucky to win in it's entirety. Ready?

One die set: Bright Butterflies Die - the premiere of the Uniko Studio Designer Dies. I hope there are more to come in future! It includes three butterflies - in different shapes and sizes.

Four clear stamp sets: All Occasion Sentiments #1, Power Flower #1, Background Builders: Round in Circles, and Pure Florals: Chrysanthemums

Three digital paper collections: On the Grid Digital, Round in Circles, Pure Florals: Chrysanthemums

All divine matching things! I have a final project for you today. It uses a combination of All Occasion Sentiments #1 and Background Builders: Round in Circles.


Stamps: (All Occasion Sentiments #1, Background Builders: Round in Circles) Uniko Studio
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - White) Papertrey Ink; (Emma's Shoppe Collection) Crate Paper
Ink: (Versamark) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Stamp 'n Stuff Embossing Powder - Opaque White) Stampendous!, (Crate Paper Collection - Layered Chipboard, Border Stickers) Crate Paper; (Gelly Roll - White) Sakura; (Liquid Applique) Marvy Uchida

So this card started with no real plan, except that I wanted to use the Background Builders. That set of stringy dots are quite intriguing and looking at it horizontally it reminds me of notes on music sheet. I know there are 6 lines on my card, but let's just give me the creative license card here... ;) 

I heat embossed them with white on some pattern paper. This is me trying to be more bold and add patterns onto pattern paper. I also wanted to include the gorgeous "Congratulations" sentiment onto my card. I tried first stamping it in Fresh Snow pigment ink, which did little. Then I tried to trace over it with my White Sakura gel pen, which left me less than impressed. It hardly stood out. In desperation I pulled out my white puffy paint, because I wanted a different texture from the white embossed circles. So, ladies & gents, there you have my wild child creation.



This just goes to show that sometimes things just don't go according to plans. Roll with the ... puffy paint? I haven't decided if I like this card or not. But in the meantime, you should hop over to Stacey's blog.

Don't forget to comment along the way, because Bev is drawing one lucky reader to win the entire release! And now to my big news, Bev is offering free world-wide shipping for orders over £50 (this roughly translates to USD 76, CAD 78, EUR 59).

And if you need the entire blog hop list, check below. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed the last few days of posts...

Here the whole list for easy navigation ...

• Uniko Studio Blog (Bev)
• Aimes
• Amber
• Erika
• Gayatri
  
• Nicki
• Ren-Yi (you are here)
• Stacey
• GDT Taheera

It's been great having Taheera onboard. I can't wait to see who our next GDT is. Have a fabulous week and have a fun shopping spree! Let me know what Uniko Stamps you get and don't forget to post your creations onto our Flickr Group. Toodles.

[Paperplay Challenge] Week No. 3 - Ribbon Every Which Way

Note: If you are looking for DYSU challenge - please keep scrolling :)

Hello again! Trying to squeak in my second post of the day. This time at PaperPlay Challenge we have a fun challenge: Ribbon Every Which Way.

When I saw this challenge I knew exactly what I wanted to create. I've been wanting to try Vera's Ribbon Fish (that she had made for one of the Gallery Idol entries in 2010).


Stamps: -
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Blueberry Sky) Papertrey Ink
Ink: -
Embellishments:  (Vintage Button - Pure Poppy; Classic Grosgrain Ribbon - Pure Poppy) Papertrey Ink; (Tiny Type) Cosmo Cricket; (A2 Cuttlebug Embossing Folder - D'Vine Swirls) Provocraft; (Artists' Color Acrylic Series 1 - Titanium White) Utrecht; (Wackelaugen - oval) Rico Design

I decided I wanted to make an ocean waves by embossing the swirls directly on my card. To give my card stock base more dimension, I added some white acrylic to simulate the waves crashing...



I found these lil googley eyes in Germany when I was browsing through a craft store. I finally found a reason to open the package. If I use these googley eyes one at a time to make a fish, I will be able to fill a five gallon aquarium from top to bottom just with fabric fish ;)



And since I can't resist a good punny sentiment and wanted to break in my new Tiny Type, I had to add a "best fishes" sentiment. Check out what the other PPC girls have prepared for this challenge and hope to see you link up your exciting project.

Our sponsors this week:

• The Ribbon Girl

Celebrating with a Windmill

This week at Mami Doodles we are creating cards with the theme Heavy Metal. If you are like me, then there is this slight panic that stirs up. I don't create many things with charms, metal frames or brass buttons. I have always wanted to, but never got around. So, what does a girl do when she doesn't have many metal things at hand? Pull out the aluminum foil out of the kitchen drawer...


Stamps: (Millie) Mami Doodles; (Vintage Banners) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Vintage Cream) Papertrey Ink; (School Spirit Collection) Crate Paper
Ink: (Memento - Tuxedo Black; Versamark) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (1/8" Circle Eyelets Multi Pack Primary Colors - Orange) Making Memories; (Glitter Essential - Fire Opal; Embossing Powder - Ebony) Martha Stewart; (Thread - Cream) Coats & Clark; (Aluminum Foil, Copier Paper)

I started by coloring Millie in a fun orange color. It was one of those cold rainy days and I was wishing for nice, scorching hot sun. So the warm colors really appealed to me :) While coloring, I was thinking of what to do for metal, and that's when I decided to pull out the foil.

The windmill is made with aluminum foil. My first attempt ended in epic fail. The foil is too thin, so it tears when trying to insert and get an eyelet to set. My second attempted I glued the aluminum foil to a piece of copier paper to give it more durability. The finish attempt is on the card. To give it more zing and orange flair, I dipped the edges into orange glitter - have to use the opportunity to get rid of some of my glitter stack!



Since I felt so adventurous, I decided to dust of Lilo and do a little bit stitching. A quick little sentiment later and voila!



So I hope you feel inspired to get some metal cards going. Check out the rest of the Mami Doodle DT work. Come play along for a chance to win a set of Mami Doodle digis. And if you use an image, you get an extra entry - did you know that?

Congrats

Another installment of the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge is finally up! After suffering of a week's withdrawal, I was ready to bring this one on. So what would you make with this?

This one was more manageable, not like the crazy previous one, but leave it to me to not stick to a sketch. I knew I wanted to work with kraft (yes - still on my kraft binge) and create a congrats card. Everything else kind of fell into place:


Stamps: Dot Flourishes (Inkadinkado)

Paper: Paper Basics Card Stock - Kraft (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Perfect Match Pigment Ink - Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink), Earth Elements - Creamy Caramel (Stamping Up!)

Embellishments: Glitter Stickers - Bronze (K&Company), Corner Punch (EK Success), Stickles - Diamons (Ranger), Rhinestones (Recollections)

The "congrats" sign was inked up along the edges for a little extra to stand out from the base card stock. At this point, the faux stitches that were planned for the label, didn't seem to fit the card's elegance. So then I decided to give the background swirl it's own bling, by sizzling up each Dot from the Dot Flourishes with some Stickles love. The three dots in the lower right are masked off the Dot Flourishes stamp (getting that extra mileage out of the stamps?!)  The lines were scored and then brushed over with a Q-tip dipped in ink. And the brown button that I pulled out with all good intentions, went back into its jar. Sorry, little button!

And that, ladies & gents, is how you deviate from a sketch. LOL.

Best Fishes

I was generously offered a Guest Design Team spot for the month of July with Scrap our Stash. The July challenge theme is Brads & Eyelets. Ever have too many of those lying around?

My first thought for the July challenge using eyelets and brads as center of flowers, adding a few in a row to add extra bling, adding them to ribbon. But none of those made me excited and I wanted to do something special for Scrap Our Stash. So here I was going "Think Think Think" like Pooh bear. So while crafting on a different project, which included cutting out a cloud, I had my a-ha moment. Clouds are like "thought bubbles," which require little bubbles, but little bubbles remind me of "air bubbles," which led to fishies swimming. Totally logical, right? ;) 


Stamps: Mega Mixed Messages (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Paper Basics Card Stock - Kraft (Papertrey Ink), Dotted Swiss (Bazzill Basics Paper), Basic Card Stock - Cream (Recollections)
Ink: Perfect Match Pigment Ink - Terracotta (Papertrey Ink), Brilliance - Pearlescent Sky Blue (Tsukineko), Brilliance - Pearlescent Ice Blue (Tsukineko)
Embellishments: Emboss A2 - D'Vine Swirls (Provo Craft), Black - Art No. 88/41 (Stabilo), Softcore Colored Pencils - PC924 Crimson Red, PC1002 Yellowed Orange (Prismacolor), Heidi Grace Ribbon (Fiskars), Eyelets - Royal Blue (Making Memories)

Here are a couple of fun, planned elements to the card:

• Embossed the kraft card stock and inked the raised parts with a stamp pad (a technique I spied off on the very talented blog of Claire from Waltzingmouse Stamps) to create water and waves
• Used wavy ribbon to represent water waves, which also breaks the area of embossed and non-embossed card stock up well.
• Used Swiss Dots Bazzill paper since "bubbles and dots" where kind of a theme.
• Use your existing sentiments to make a better & punnier one. If you recognized the font or sentiment, you are probably thinking Papertrey Ink's Mega Mixed Messages. But  if you don't recall a "Best Fishes" sentiments in the set, I say "Look otherwise!" *wink wink* "Father" and "Wishes" in "Best Wishes" are of the same font type and same font size. So yep, through masking and careful placement of the stamp, one can create a new sentiment. Tada! This does not always work, but always look for opportunities. Remember this card? I isolated the "N" from a sentiment that ends with an "N" (e.g. "Good Man" or "Have Fun") to write out "Well Done 'N Good Luck." Gotta get as much mileage out of your stamps, right?

And then there are the usual unplanned mistakes and how-to "recover" hacks:

• Used a Crop-A-Dile to punch out the holes and fasten the eyelets. Does anyone ever remember there is a guard? Duh. I had already glued down Mr. Fishy and the holes to punch out the air bubbles were absolutely no where near Mr. Fishy.  Oops. So i had to relocate Mr. Fishy a little more to the left. Good thing when I adhere I don't push and attach everything down, until everything is placed where I want it.
• Mr. Fishy was drawn as a sketch on the scrap piece in an inked pen (my pencil was hijacked!), only he was too large. Oops. No big deal, turn the card stock around and start again ;) My Recycling 101, #1 Rule: if there is an "Oops", use the other side ;)
• So, remember the Frugal Friday tip? My third "Oops" and "I should have practiced." Sometimes concepts are just better in theory and need to be tested out first. The "F" was placed significantly lower, and it was not recoverable. Which brings me to my My Recycling, Rule #2: Cover up. So, now you can guess why there is a sentiment matted onto Swiss Dotted Bazzill paper. Shhh - don't tell anyone, it'll be our secret, yes?
• After (to my absolute relief) of kinda nailing my punny sentiment, I realized it stamped the sentiment crooked but cut out the card stock straight. Duh. Sigh. Groan. I was planning on aligning the matted sentiment parallel to the edge of the card, but it was so obviously crooked. So, if you tilt the sentiment in the direction it was crookedly stamped (in my case, i stamped it slanting upward and I tilted the whole matted sentiment upward), it's less noticeable. So you'll keep that secret, too, right?

Hope some of these hacks were helpful. Do you have other creative brad and eyelet uses? If so, bring 'em on before July 31st.  A guest design spot is at stake, and let me tell you I had a ball with these ladies. Thanks, Srap Our Stash, for a chance to play with ya'll and be a July Guest Designer.