Uniko Challenge #51 - Reminder

Hi there, 
Have you joined in with the first challenge of 2019 over at Uniko? It's not too late if you haven't as I'm here with the reminder team today to jog your memory!
The theme is very simple and here's the Cue Card: Anything Goes with a Love Option


I've used the recently released Pure Florals: Peony which was part of our pre-Christmas release. The image and sentiment are heat embossed using a silver embossing powder from Stampendous and it's set against a Distress Oxide inked background with a subtle over stencilling using the Natures Treasures stencil to create a tone on tone look.

As always there's plenty of fantastic creations by my fellow teamies, so why not head over to the Uniko blog HERE to check out the links and pay them a visit! I'm sure they'd appreciate it!

Our Guest Designer for this challenge is the super-talented Trina of  Phamtastic Design who is one of our previous Uniko Challenge winners. Do pop along and visit her blog and leave a friendly word and some love.

You have until Friday, 22nd February at midnight (GMT) to link up to the challenge and all the details you need about prizes and how to play can be found over at Uniko HERE

As always thanks for calling by my blog today and I hope you feel inspired and will play along with us!

Uniko Challenge #45 - Reminder

Hi there, I'm back with a little reminder about our current challenge over at Uniko and here's the Cue card to show you what we're looking for
If you saw my initial post announcing the challenge you'll know I was drawn to both the rose and the heart in the image above although I skipped the heart in the first card.
This time I've teamed the Pure Florals Rose with the older 'Always and Forever' set which I've used as a delicate background to the rose cluster.

The rose/leaves are watercoloured using Distress Inks before popping up on 3d foam. The sentiments

are from the Flower Power range and Simply Said, using inks by Altenew.

Here's a couple of challenges I'd like to link up to:

Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes

Happy Little Stampers - Watercolour: Anything Goes (optional twist Heart)

Addicted to Stamps & More - Make Your Mark

As always there's plenty of fantastic creations by my fellow teamies, so why not head over to the Uniko blog HERE to check out the links and pay them a visit! I'm sure they'd appreciate it!

Our Guest Designer for this challenge is my fellow craft buddie and teamie at Less is More! Big shout out please for Anita of Neet and Crafty, winner of our last Uniko Challenge. I'm delighted to see that she won our challenge with the Christmas card she sent me! So honoured Neets. Do pop along and visit her blog and leave a friendly word and some love, you won't be disappointed - I'm always envious of her stash and how she utilises it. 

You have until 23rd February to link up to the challenge and all the details you need about prizes and how to play can be found over at Uniko HERE

As always thanks for calling by my blog today and I hope you feel inspired and will play along with us!

Uniko Revisit - January 2018

Hi there friends, here's my first Uniko post of 2018 and it's one of Bev's 'REVISIT' months where she asks us to 'dig out', dust down and bring a previously released set back into the spotlight! 
There's a bit of a twist for this month, however, as Bev asked the DT to pick their own favourite set, released during 2017. Now that's a BIG ask and quite unfair due to the sheer number of beauties Uniko has released. In fact it took me a while to decide which to go for. In the end I chose the Organics range of stamps ... not realising that the first one was released in 2016! Ooops!
I'm still going to feature that card anyway as I've a little trio going on! My Mum asked me to make a bunch of Anniversary cards and she prefers the square design, which I find quite tricky to make. Have you noticed most stamps and dies are geared towards rectangles? Before Christmas I discovered some cheap, large stitched square dies from The Works, which made the design a breeze! (Thanks to Di, friend of JulesB - who found these initially and shared them at the HLS craft retreat in November)

Onto my cards

using: Originally Organics Additions, sentiments from Simply Said and Happy Succulents

(images coloured using Promarkers plus Altenew Inks)

Having used a sentiment from the Happy Succulents set on the previous card I realised the images combine quite well with the organics range so here's my take with this one

using: Happy Succulents image and sentiments from Simply Said and Festive Sentiments

(images coloured with Promarkers plus Altenew Inks)

... and here's the DUD! The Originally Organics set was released in October 2016 but I've still used the Happy Succulent 'Happy' sentiment and the 'Anniversary' from Simply Said with the same Promarker colours.

 

As is the tradition there's a blog hop giveaway; the prize will be a £15 eGift Certificate to spend in store and you will have till midnight 21st Jan 2018 to comment along the hop

You'll find all the details including the links to to my teamies blogs and a sneaky peek at what they've created with their favourite set(s) over at Uniko HERE

Thanks for visiting my blog today and I wish you lots of luck on the hop!

Less is More #348

Hello there friends, time for my regular Saturday morning post to announce our latest challenge over at Less is More and it's a 5-week month, which means it's a lucky dip one. We've also got Jane of Purplejetlovescrafts joining us as our Guest Designer for this one so I hope you'll head on over to her blog too and leave some lovely feedback for her.
Here's the cue card and I can't wait to see how you play this week 

I've 2 cards for you today and first up a watercoloured hummingbird from the Uniko set: Paradise Hummingbird. The image was stamped and heat embossed then coloured using my Zig Clear Brush pens with water. The background is a dis-continued Background Builders set from Uniko called Lattice and the sentiment is from Clearly Besotted.

It's an Anything Goes week over at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge and Addicted to Stamps and More so I'd like to drop this card in at both of those challenges.

Next up I've blended Distress inks over some watercolour cardstock before spritzing with water and perfect pearls to add some interest to the panel. Using a faceted heart die from Neat and Tangled I die-cut the panel and mounted it on 3d foam. I've also used a multi-faceted embossing folder to add some detail behind the top of the heart. The sentiments are from Clearly Besotted: Happy Anniversary set. 

As always there's loads of fabulous designs from my fellow teamies over on the main blog HERE and our sponsor for this month is Happy Little Stampers so do play along, it's the last week, for a chance of a prize, which we'll announce at the start of next month.

Hope you'll play along and have some fun and thanks for calling by 

Less is More #329

Morning friends, are you ready for this week's challenge at Less is More, I hope you've not put all those shape style stamps away as there's another chance to play with them this week!

Here's my cards and due to lack of time this week it was only going to be the ONE for today but I had a little mojo spurt last night and made a 2-fer using a wonderful geometric set from our sponsor, Uniko. This one's called Background Builders squares. It's teamed with a 'Happy Birthday' sentiment from Simply Said Birthday and the second one uses die-cut letters by MFT Die-Namics with the 'birthday' sentiment from the newly released 'Happy Succulents' set by Uniko.



Next up I've used one of my favourite heart dies here from Neat & Tangled and it's so versatile as you can use both the negative and positive sections of the die-cut to create striking images. It's the negative bits and pieces here which take quite a while to re-stick back in place but I think it's worth the effort! The shapes are coloured using Promarkers and it's mounted on a scalloped rectangle from Mama Elephant with a sentiment and banner by WPlus9.

Don't forget to check out the fabulous designs from my fellow teamies over on the main blog HERE 
Hope you'll play along and have some fun and thanks for calling by and I'll be back soon!
Wish me luck this weekend as I'm hosting a New York themed party for my brother and his fiance on Sunday as they are jetting off to get married there later this month and it's our family send off / stag and hen combined party! I must be mad but I've been making all manner of bunting and decorations for my house - instead of crafting!

Less is More #324

Morning friends, are you ready for this week's challenge at Less is More

You can really let you imagination run away with you here. 
I've gone with a traditional Spring like image using a digi-stamp from our sponsor LOTV. Having said that I'm not sure I've ever seen a rabbit on a swing out in the countryside but there's a first time for everything!

The image is coloured with Promarkers then adhered to a die-cut panel by MFT Blueprints 15 with a 'Hoppy Easter' sentiment from Uniko.

The theme over at Inkspirational this week is 'Spring' so I'm heading overthere with this card too as well as the Make Your Mark challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More

It was going to be just the one from me for this week and then I discovered a little stash of arty sketchbooks also by LOTV and these are pre-coloured so a really quick and easy card. Cropped the image, matted onto a deep purple then onto the card base. A quick Anniversary sentiment by Avery Elle and done!

There's plenty more ideas over on the main blog HERE as my fellow teamies have been working their magic again this week and we are joined by our Week 3 Birthday Winner; Wendy of Pink & Dotty. I do hope you'll pop along and visit her too this week.

Hope you'll play along and have some fun. Thanks for calling by and I'll be back soon!

Uniko Challenge #39 - reminder

Hello there friends, it's time for a little nudge and reminder about our first challenge of 2017 over at  Uniko
The theme for this one is Anything Goes with the optional twist of 'LOVE'
Here's my card using lots of mini images from the Background Builders: Vines collection  which are stamped around a die-cut heart by WPlus9 which is foam mounted onto  the pink cardstock; die-cut from another WPlus9 set - Sunshine Layers dies.  The sentiment is taken from the Pure Florals: Chrysanthemum set by Uniko

As always there's plenty of fantastic creations by my fellow teamies, 

so why not head over to the Uniko blog HERE to check out the links

and pay them a visit! I'm sure they'd appreciate it!

Once again we are joined by Izzy of Izzy Scrap, one of our previous 

challenge winners who is Guest Designing for this one. 

Do pop along and visit her blog and leave a friendly word and some love.

This week's challenge over at Simon Says Stamp - Wednesday challenge

is 'The Colour of Love' so I think this one deserves a little trip over there too!

You have until Friday, 24th February to link up to the Uniko challenge 

and all the details you need about prizes can be found over at Uniko.

As always thanks for calling by my blog today and I hope 

you feel inspired and will play along with us!

Muse Challenge #198

Hello friends, I've been nursing a flu/cold this week and feeling a bit sorry for myself! 
First day back at work on Monday and I managed until lunchtime! BUT The best medicine EVER and to add a little cheer is a mooch around blogland! 
My fellow teamie and bestie at Less is More (Anita) is this week's MUSE and I love the blend of colours she'd used with added texture to the circle on her card then WOAH! that sentiment strip pops one heck of a punch so I had to have a little play. It was a really quick card to make and I feel much better today! Thanks Neets!
Here's my card with Anita's inspirations below

I started out with a handful of Distress Inks and blended them over a piece of card stock -

 I think this part has Blueprint Sketch, Spun Sugar, Peacock Feathers and Seedless 

Preserves on it. I couldn't resist the little flick and spritz of water and perfect pearls.

Using a heart stax from WPlus9 to die-cut my shape I then ran it back through the 

big-shot using one of the WeR Memory Keepers Next Level embossing folders 

(from Santa!) To finish a bold sentiment from Lil'Inkers and a few sequins.

I hope you like how I've interpreted Anita's card and thanks so  much for calling by my blog today. 

Couple of Kylie Challenges

Hi Friends I've a card to share today which is the  'other half' / 'negative space' / 'alternate view' of a card I created for the Muse Card Challenge HERE when I was kindly invited to be their Guest Designer for the week.
I was actually torn with which card to post as I love this one too so decided I'd post this today and enter into a few challenges at the same time!

This uses Brushos to create the original panel (spritzed with water) from which I've 

die-cut the heart of gold by Neat & Tangled! I think this is currently my

absolute FAV die! Can't stop reaching for it. It's quite intricate and not

one of those little inner bits are the same size so it's a real puzzle to piece it back together

 - especially when you put masking paper on the back instead of stick-it!!! 

The sentiment is by Avery Elle and to pull the colours together I've used some coordinating 

gems and Doodlebug enamel dots. The front panel is die-cut using an MFT stitched

rectangle die which I've 'stretched' in die-cut machine to fit a standard UK A6 card!

This front panel is also mounted on 3d foam for added interest so the heart is set back

although it's not that obvious in the photo sadly! Always the case eh!

This card just so happens it fit's into lots of Kylie's challenges (hence the title of my post)

so here goes:

First up:

HLS - CAS challenge: Watercolour Spritz

HLS - Anything Goes with Dies

Addicted to Stamps & More - Anything Goes

I'd also like to stick my neck on the line and try my chances

at joining the HLS - CAS design team call

Thanks as always for calling by my blog and I'll be back tomorrow

with the latest challenge details for Uniko - hope to see you then!

Less is More #275

Morning Limettes and another week has zipped by and I'm here  with details of our latest challenge over at Less is More! ... BUT before I outline the challenge there's a birthday announcement to make!!! Our adorable, fun and talented teamie  Anita is celebrating her birthday today  so in true birthday style I hope you'll all raise a glass and pop along  to her blog with some mahoosive best wishes! Ok ... it's colour week and we'd like to see Pastel colours - to be honest  this one freaked me out as I'm so used to going to vibrant and bold colours so  I've had to rein myself in this week ... what do you think? So first up being a birthday week here's one for Anita .... It's a bit of a 2-for the price of 1 card as I created a panel of stamped  images before slicing it in two! This and the one below used: Stamps: WPlus9 Doodled Blooms & Uniko: A Gift For You  Dies: MFT Die-Namics Stitched Basic Borders & Simon Says Stamp 'sending' Altenew inks, bakers twine, hemp twine & sequins from my stash There's a new challenge over at Happy Little Stampers - CAS Challenge this month and it's 'Inlaid Dies' so guess where I'm zipping off to with this one! What's more Kylie of Happy Little Stampers is our sponsor for this  month so be sure to visit her shop HERE just in case you are our May Winner!

It's actually my 22nd Wedding Anniversary today too but this card

is rather pretty and feminine for hubby! But my little sis and B-I-L will be 

celebrating their 6th Wedding Anniversary next Saturday so I'm organised!

Recipe:

Stamps & Dies: WPlus9 Free-hand Florals & Heart Stax

Sentiments: Uniko: Fontiments & Avery Elle: Sentimental

MFT Die-Namics Inside-Out diagonal stitched rectangle

I'd like to link this card up at Timeout Challenges where it's a CASE

card this time and who better or more talented to CASE than Kay Miller

of My Joyful Moments. Here's her card and I was inspired by the stunning die-cut 

florals in pretty shades although I've used a heart die-cut rather than the frame.

I've also scattered a few more sequins rather than messing up my design with

splatters that often go way off what I intended!

Before you head off to craft please hop over to the Less is More blog to

see how my fellow teamies have inspired you with their pastel beauties.

I'm heading off to Port Sunlight today to help out on Bev's (Uniko)

stand so if anyone is heading that way today for the Happy Stampers

Festival please stop by and say hello! I'd love to meet you.

Just an Ink and a Muse Combo!

Hello friends I've a quick post today to share my card that I'd like to link up at Inkspirational; where it's pink and grey. Plus my buddy, Anita is the Muse this week and I simply couldn't resist 'casing / musing' her card!

I've gone with a subtle silvery/grey ink for my sentiment and blooms

rather than black as Anita did and I've flicked Hickory Smoke Distress Ink

and Picked Raspberry to my panel after a bit of inky blending with 

Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick and Picked Raspberry. The blooms are the new 

WPlus9 Ranuculus set and the sentiment is Clearly Besotted. To finish I 

just can't help myself with those pearls and gems!

Here's Anita's Muse card

Thanks for stopping by today and hope you feel inspired to play along at these challenges. I'm off to see what you have been creating this week and catch up on some comments! Looking forward to the final episode of  Happy Valley later although I may have to watch it from behind a pillow!!!