Hello there friends! I'm late in sharing my Honey Bee Stamps project here this week (oops!). I've got a baby card using unexpected stamp sets for this theme. A friend of mine just had another little baby boy, so I needed a card to wish her and her family congratulations. I really would have never thought to use the Bear image from the Flakey Friends stamp set for a baby card, but I was really trying to be creative and think outside the box!

The card base is layered with patterned paper. The main panel is vellum and a layer of white card stock die-cut using a rectangular stitched edge die. I stamped the bear in Archival Black ink on vellum. I used distress markers to color on the back of the vellum and then lightly used a water brush to soften and blend the colors. The sentiment and a few of the stars are also stamped on the vellum (the solid star is from Brush Grunge Alpha). The remaining stars are stamped on the white card stock behind the vellum for a softer look. Finally, a small red heart was stamped near the bear’s paws to appear as though he’s holding it. It’s all mounted to the base using foam tape for dimension.
Thanks so much for stopping in today! Have a great rest of your week!

Nicki
my instagram

Hugs - Honey Bee Stamps

Happy Thursday crafty bees! I'm sharing a special card using Honey Bee Stamps that features silver heat embossing. I stamped and embossed the Lotus Blossom on three different card stock colors, and then fussy cut each. Using the Brush Grunge Alpha set, I created the “hugs” sentiment on the die cut tag and also used some silver cord.

The background was splattered with purple and black watercolor paint on watercolor paper. After it was dry, I cut a piece of vellum the same size and adhered it over the top to give it a softer look. A few silver sparkly enamel dots were added for that extra special touch!! It’s all mounted to a white card stock base.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look today! I hope I’ve brought some inspiration to your day!

Nicki

my instagram

Valentine's Day Treat Topper - Honey Bee Stamps

Happy almost Valentine’s Day! To celebrate one of my favorite holidays, I just had to create and share these treat toppers with you that I made using Honey Bee Stamps! I made a handful of these for my boys’ class Valentine’s Day party this week. Pretty simple to do!

I started by cutting the bases out of Soft Stone card stock, folded them in half, then ran it through my Big Shot with the stitched scalloped border die. I rounded the corners, and stamped the hat first. I created a mask of the hat so that I could stamp the penguin (More Flakey Friends) right on top to make it look as though he’s wearing it! Then I stamped all the hearts with red and black ink (some from Brush Grunge Alpha, and the others from Flakey Friends). I die cut the red hearts and banner, stamped the sentiment on the banner, and attached both to the base. That’s it! Very fun and cute. Oh, and the toppers are attached to the treat bags with some Scor-Tape.

Thanks so much for stopping in today. I hope I’ve inspired you with ideas for this holiday or any future holidays!

Nicki
my instagram

Uniko February Release, Blog Hop, and Giveaway!

Good morning!

It's that time again for another NEW RELEASE from UNIKO!! There are 4 BRAND NEW stamp sets being released today, and they are AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE on the Uniko website! YAY!

Today is a celebration at Uniko HQ! On this day 4 years ago, Uniko went live and was launched into the clear stamping & paper crafting world of business! It's definitely time to celebrate!

So today we bring you 4 new additions to the Uniko line up...

Beautiful Blooms III Acetate £9.00 DVD Case £9.95

Copyright Uniko Ltd 2016

www.uniko.co.uk

Beautiful Blooms III is a gorgeous new floral addition to the Beautiful Blooms series. The multi stamp bloom is inspired by a vintage teacup motif. This fun, modern graphic floral can be used to create stunning focal points or all over backgrounds for your creative projects. If you liked Beautiful Blooms I and II, then this set is sure to be a favorite too!

This is what it could look like if all elements are stamped. This is just an example, but as you have seen there are SO many other possibilities.

I LOVE Tea Acetate £4.00 DVD Case £4.95

Copyright Uniko Ltd 2016

www.uniko.co.uk

I LOVE Tea is a wonderful mini clear stamp set for tea lovers & friends of yours that love tea. The set features a modern teacup along with a floral motif and wonderful sentiments. Though the set is tea themed it could easily be customized for any hot beverage any time of the year. It also coordinates wonderfully with the previously released I LOVE Coffee clear stamp set.

Simply Said Acetate £4.00 DVD Case £4.95

Copyright Uniko Ltd 2016

www.uniko.co.uk

This sentiment set is a great addition and staple to any crafter/stampers arsenal. It features a total of 23 sentiments which are suitable for an array of occasions. They are the perfect size to coordinate with an abundance of previously released Uniko sentiments.

Some Bunny Acetate £4.00 DVD Case £4.95

Copyright Uniko Ltd 2016

www.uniko.co.uk

Some Bunny is a new cute addition to the Uniko clear stamp range. The set features a large bunny which is suitable for many occasions, from Valentine's to Easter to New Baby cards, projects and more. Along with the featured bunny comes bunny accessories! Use these to dress up bunny or use to stamp patterns or accentuate the mix and match sentiments also contained in the set.

So here is my creation! This gorgeous flower from BB III is so versatile! So many different color combinations you can use, use the flower by itself, use the flower and one leaf/vine, etc. I received a MISTI for Christmas and it was absolutely PERFECT to use for this stamp set. Soooo helpful to line up all the layers! The "Anniversary" sentiment was white heat embossed on a stitched die cut, then popped up with foam tape. The word "BLESSINGS" is from the Some Bunny stamp set. Some Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear Sequins added a perfect finishing touch!

As tradition holds, we have our release day blog hop, simply visit & comment along the hop by midnight Thursday 26th February, to be in the chance of winning the ENTIRE release! If you have already purchased any or all of the release, a refund will be given.

So, let's see what the rest of the AWESOME Design Team and Uniko DT Alumni have created...

Beverley (Uniko Studio)

Deborah

Jane 
Lindsey

Nicki  ----> THAT'S ME!

Sarah G

Sarah P
Amy Gray - Uniko DT Alumni
Taheerah Atchia - Uniko DT Alumni

Nicki
my instagram

Supplies:
Stamps: Uniko Studio - Beautiful Blooms III, Some Bunny, Pure Florals-Chrysanthemum (Anniversary sentiment)
Cardstock: PTI - Soft Stone, True Black; Neenah Solar White
Ink: Altenew - Frosty Pink, Coral Berry, Ruby Red, Frayed Leaf, Forest Glades, Evergreen; Ranger Archival Black
Other: Sweet Stamps - White Embossing Powder, MFT-Stitched Rectangle STAX; Mama Elephant - Creative Cuts border die; Pretty Pink Posh-Sparkling Clear Sequins

Uniko 4th Birthday Release Sneak Peek 2

Good morning!

Today we are continuing the countdown to Uniko's 4th Birthday, with a couple more sneak peeks of products that will be released on the 11th of February.

This mini set is jam-packed full of sentiments for all sorts of occasions. They also pair lovely with so many other Uniko sentiment and image sets for even more possibilities. It's certainly proving to be a 'go to' set for me!

Lastly but by no means least, Bev got her 'cute' on when designing for this next set...

This set has a mixture of interchangeable sentiments in two fun and trendy fonts along with the cute bunny ;) As you can see it would be perfect for Easter, but how about new baby, children's cards or even Valentine's???

Ok, that's all the sneak peeks for this release, I will be back again tomorrow with links to the Uniko DT and Uniko Alumni to introduce you to the first product!!

Below I have outlined the release schedule and as it is a celebration, it would be rude not to have prizes! 

Sneak Peeks - Today & Tomorrow (5th & 6th February) These little teasers give you hints at what is in store!

Introducing... 7th  - 10th February - Here you'll get to see the soon to be released products in action. The Uniko Design Team and a few Uniko DT Alumni will be joining in on the introductions and you won't want to miss a second!

Release Day! Thursday 11th February you will get to see all the products in their entirety and purchase them HERE on the website! As tradition holds, there will be a Uniko Design Team & Alumni Blog Hop with a chance for a lucky person to win the ENTIRE release & more!

Now, you won't want to miss out on any of the fun from the 5th - 10th February as Bev will be drawing totally random winners for mystery prizes. She's not giving any hints as to the prizes or their value, you'll just have to join in on the fun!

Places to join in on the fun & possibly win a prize are by commenting along the way on the Uniko Blogs, Design Team Blogs, Alumni Blogs, liking the Uniko Facebook Page, following on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Nicki
my instagram

Uniko 4th Birthday Release Sneak Peek 1

Hello crafty friends!

The countdown to Uniko's 4th Birthday has begun! I can't believe how long I've been on the DT for this company. It's been so fun being involved along the way, as Bev's stamp designs have evolved through the last few years. I feel honored to be a part of it all!!

Are you ready for some sneak peeks of what's in store for this release?! You may have seen a few around social media the past few days already, but here are the 'official' sneak peeks...

This is a peek of a multi step stamping floral set which is a follow on from a very popular series of 'bloom' stamps ;) It contains an array of building opportunities and will sure to be a go to floral set and will pair with SO many other Uniko products.

Next up is another set in the mini series of beverage themed sets...

 

This time around it is for all you tea lovers out there! The style is the same as the previously released I LOVE Coffee, for more mix and match possibilities. It even coordinates with the set above, as the bloom was too nice not to appear again ;)

 

That's all the sneak peeks for today, I will be back again tomorrow with a couple more. Please make sure to come back and check them out!!

Below I have outlined the release schedule and as it is a celebration, it would be rude not to have prizes! 

Sneak Peeks - Today & Tomorrow (5th & 6th February) These little teasers give you hints at what is in store!

Introducing... 7th  - 10th February - Here you'll get to see the soon to be released products in action. The Uniko Design Team and a few Uniko DT Alumni will be joining in on the introductions and you won't want to miss a second!

Release Day! Thursday 11th February you will get to see all the products in their entirety and purchase them HERE on the website! As tradition holds, there will be a Uniko Design Team & Alumni Blog Hop with a chance for a lucky person to win the ENTIRE release & more!

Now, you won't want to miss out on any of the fun from the 5th - 10th February as Bev will be drawing totally random winners for mystery prizes. She's not giving any hints as to the prizes or their value, you'll just have to join in on the fun!

Places to join in on the fun & possibly win a prize are by commenting along the way on the Uniko Blogs, Design Team Blogs, Alumni Blogs, liking the Uniko Facebook Page, following on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Nicki
my instagram

Flakey Snow Friends - Honey Bee Stamps

Hi everyone! I hope your Thursday is going great! I'm here today sharing a Honey Bee Stamps project.

Living in the midwest, we are accustomed to getting a lot of snow in the winter. But this year has been very mild and we've had very little snow. I'm wondering if we will get a ton in late February or March! The only reason I do want some this year is to build snowmen and take my kids sledding!!

Have you gotten your hands on the newest bundle of stamp sets?! The Flakey Friends Bundle is just way too cute to pass up! Since I haven't been able to build any snowmen yet, I decided to create a card using them! I started with a watercolor paper panel and used an edger die to get the stitched accent on the top and bottom. Then I used Tumbled Glass & Salty Ocean Distress Inks to watercolor the sky. Once it was dry, I flicked some white watercolor paint onto the background using water and a paintbrush.

The sentiment and hearts were stamped in black archival ink, and the hollow hearts were filled with some Stardust Stickles.

Each snowman was stamped onto watercolor paper, along with their corresponding accessories. Using more distress inks, I painted their noses, hat, scarf, and earmuffs. The hearts were stamped last. Then the snow buddies were all cut out using both a sharp pair of scissors and a penblade to get into those tricky spots!

I sure hope you've enjoyed this card! I had such fun creating it, and I'm sooooo happy with how it turned out!
Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit the Honey Bee Blog tomorrow to see Kim's adorable project!

Nicki
my instagram

Supplies:

Stamps: Honey Bee Stamps - Flakey Friends, Flakey Sentiments
Cardstock: Strathmore Watercolor Paper; PTI - Rustic White (card base)

Ink: TH Distress Ink - Broken China, Salty Ocean, Mermaid Lagoon, Squeezed Lemonade, Seedless Preserves, Ripe Persimmon, Cracked Pistachio; Ranger Archival Black; PTI - Hibiscus Burst
Dies: MFT - Die-namics Basic Stitch Lines

Other: Stickles - Stardust