In case you missed my last post, I wasn't able to have cards ready for the big Uniko Studio Countdown to Christmas blog hop last week since my stamps arrived late. Good news....the stamps are in my possession and have been inked up!! ;)  So now I have some cards to share. All the stamps used here are now available to purchase on the Uniko Studio website. I've included links to the sets at the bottom of the post in the supply list.

My first card uses non-traditional Christmas colors, but I'm really happy with how it turned out! I based the colors off of the current Cure for the Monday Blues Challenge #36. I even scored a few horizontal lines at the top of the card to mimic the lines in the wooden xmas tree (it's really hard to see though!).

My next card uses a new sentiment that I really love. It's stamped on vellum and adhered to the card base, which I created using this technique by Jennifer McGuire. I LOVE this technique! Creates such a beautiful background (the picture does NOT do it justice!) so I didn't want to put much over it! A couple strips of gold foil paper gives it a very special finishing touch.

Here's a closeup where you can see the sparkles on the bkgd, and the shimmer of the gold foil.

The last card is super CAS and I'm loving it ;) Building that wreath was so fun. I love watching it transform from a plain white card to a delicate, beautiful wreath! The sentiment is stamped separately and popped up with foam tape.

I hope I've inspired you to finish up those Christmas cards if you haven't already!! Be sure to hop on over to Amber's & Nath's blogs to see their creations with the new sets! Make sure to leave comments for a chance to win the entire December release! Check out Bev's blog post for more details, and to find the links for the other designers' blogs too!

Amber

Nath

Supplies:
Tree card:
Stamps: Uniko - Rustic Christmas
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! - Close to Cocoa; PTI - Rustic White
Other: Tim Holtz Distress Marker (Vintage Photo), Sweet Stamps White Embossing Powder, AC Cork Star, Martha Stewart Scoring Board, Foam Tape

Joy card:
Stamps: Uniko - Simply Said Christmas
Cardstock: Strathmore Watercolor paper; PTI - Rustic White
Ink: Staz-On - Black; TH Distress - Fired Brick, Victorian Velvet, Pumice Stone
Other: Pearl Ex, Water, Mini Mister, Paintbrush, Vellum, The Paper Studio Gold Foil patterned paper

Happy Christmas card:
Stamps: Uniko - Background Builders: Vines Winter Additions, Simply Said Christmas
Cardstock: PTI - White
Ink: Stampin' Up - Real Red, Mellow Moss, Cherry Cobbler; Tsukineko VersaMagic - Green, Brown
Other: Foam Tape

Uniko Studio Countdown to Christmas Blog Hop

For those of you that love Christmas cards and blog hops, today's post is just for you!! ;)

Bev and some of the DT over at Uniko Studio, have created some FABULOUS cards to share with all of blogland. Unfortunately, my stamps arrived very late so I wasn't able to get cards done in time for the hop today. BUT, in just a few days, I will have some awesome stuff to share with you after I get crafty!

So, please enjoy hopping over to the Uniko blog and these ladies blogs below for some wonderful inspiration:

Bev - Uniko Studio

Erika

Gillian

Taheerah

Sandie

Be sure to comment along the hop for your chance to win the ENTIRE 2015 Christmas Release, or if you already own them, a Gift Certificate for the same value! You have until Thursday, Dec 18th to comment!

I also want to leave a quick note regarding two DT members. Ren-Yi & Taheerah have decided to step down from the team. They were great teammates and I enjoyed seeing their beautiful work with Uniko stamps! I will miss them as part of the team, but know that I (and YOU) can visit their blogs any time we want! See you around, ladies! ;)

Don't forget there is still time to enter this months Anything Goes Challenge HERE for yet another chance to win!

Thanks for stopping by and PLEASE make sure to come back soon to see my Christmas cards using the new Uniko goodies!

Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking Magazine Special Thanks! Blog Hop

*if you're hopping along in order, then you should have arrived here from Spectrum Noir*

Welcome to a VERY, VERY special blog hop honoring the wonderful magazine, Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking. You may or may not have heard that the February 2015 issue will be the very last one :(  I, including hundreds, even thousands, of others were very shocked and saddened by this devastating news.

The amazing community that has been created because of this publication has made such an impact on my crafting life. Even though I've never even met in person any of you associated with the magazine, or any other crafters in this community that share my passion (ok ok, obsession!) for cardmaking/stamping/etc, I've learned soooo much from YOU! Because of you, I want to be better at what I do!

With that said, I want to first thank everyone at PC&S for all your hardwork, inspiration, and encouraging words along the way. As one door closes, may bigger and better doors open for each and every one of you!! I look forward to following your journeys through the new doors. And always remember.....You will be Forever Fabulous! ;)

The next stop is Asty Purbasari! If you want to start at the beginning, head over to Jennifer McGuire's blog. Enjoy the rest of the hop! 

Supplies: 
Stamps: PTI - Fancy That; Altenew - Sohcahtoa (sentiment)
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! - Basic Black; Strathmore Watercolor paper
Ink: Staz-On - Black
Other: Tim Holtz Distress Markers, PTI Rainstones & Twine, Foam Tape

Masculine Birthday

Hello! Poppin' in real quick to share a masculine birthday card I made for my BIL. I'm really diggin' this!! I rarely use a black card base, but LOVE the contrast of the white and yellow with it! The yellow chevron is washi tape, BTW!

Supplies: 
Stamps: PTI - Watercolor Wonder, Giga Guide Lines (sentiment)
Cardstock: PTI - White; Stampin' Up! - Basic Black
Ink: Staz-On - Black; Sweet Stamps - White Dye Ink
Die: PTI - One Liners: Happy
Other: Washi Tape

Uniko Studio Christmas Release Pre-Order & Reveal!

Hello! Today Beverley over at Uniko Studio is unveiling the Christmas Release of clear stamps which will *officially* be for sale on the Uniko website on November 25th at 9am GMT.

To make pre-ordering a little sweeter, Bev is offering a fabulous 10% off discount of your order/pre-order! Simply apply the code CHRISTMASspecial to the coupon box during checkout and your discount will be applied.  

*Please note that other in-stock items ordered with pre-ordered items will be shipped with your pre-ordered items*

Now, lets get to the reveal!

The title of this first mini set being released says it all. Simply Said Christmas features 7 Christmas / Holiday sentiments perfect for all your creations and projects this festive season.

Simply Said Christmas £4.95

Copyright Uniko Studio 2014

www.unikostudio.co.uk

This next mini set is contemporary yet traditional and features a large focal point Christmas Tree and mini decorations along with a trio of sentiments perfect for all your Christmas Holiday projects. 

Rustic Christmas £4.95

Copyright Uniko Studio 2014

www.unikostudio.co.uk

This is the next in the BIG & BOLD series...

BIG & BOLD - Snow £4.95

Copyright Uniko Studio 2014

www.unikostudio.co.uk

AND lastly but no means least a Winter additions set to the popular Background Builders: Vines set, which I am sure doesn't need any further introductions!! 

Background Builders: Vines Winter Additions £4.95

Copyright Uniko Studio 2014

www.unikostudio.co.uk

Ok, so there you have it, the 2014 Uniko Studio Christmas release! What do you think?

To see all the sets in their full glory we will be having a Design Team Blog Hop on December 11th and there will be a linky for you all to link up your Christmas creations and be in the chance of winning a prize!

Uniko Studio Challenge #16

Before I introduce you to the new Uniko Studio challenge and the last for 2014, I'd like to share some great news! Please welcome the newest Uniko Studio Design Team Member.....Sandie from London Days. Feel free to check out her blog here and welcome her to the team!

Sandie has willingly taken on the task of organizing the Uniko Studio Challenges for 2015, which will be all revised and all the more FUN!

To help get your mojo flowing, Bev has changed the rules slightly.

Basically you can use ANY PRODUCT you have in your stash that fits the theme and you DON'T have to use at least one Uniko Product on your project entry. However, those who do use a Uniko product on their project entry will qualify for a randomly selected winner prize. This gives those who don't own any Uniko products the chance to win some and join the Uniko Studio community!

The Prizes:

As voted by the Uniko Studio Design Team:

• A £20 Gift Certificate to the Winner and Guest Design Team spot on the blog for the next challenge
• Top Three Spotlight and £5 Gift Certificate 

Randomly selected winner:

• A £10 Gift Certificate to the Winner and Guest Design Team spot on the blog for the next challenge

For the Challenge this month we have a few options:

 

Anything Goes

or

Anything Goes & the Sketch:

Check out my card below. It's a super easy one, nice and quick for your holiday cards!

The background paper is a tan color with a gold foil leaf pattern. Sooooo gorgeous IRL! I stamped the striped banner and fussy cut it, and popped up with dimensionals. A long strip of black grosgrain ribbon is attached to the patterned paper. The sentiment is in red ink...a perfect holiday touch ;)

You have until December 14th 09:00 UK time, to link your card up on the Uniko Blog. 

The Challenge Rules:

• Winners will be announced by December 17th
• Please add the Uniko Studio Challenge badge & link back to the challenge 
• If you don't have a blog to link back to the challenge, don't worry. Just use "USC"+ as your tag. For example, for the second challenge "USC2" and upload it to a gallery. Or send Beverley an email (beverley@unikostudio.com) and she will add your entry for you.
• Use any product to create your card which fits the challenge theme & be in the chance of winning a £20 Gift Certificate or placed in the Top 3 and winning a £5 Gift Certificate.
• Showcase any Uniko Studio product: clear stamps, dies, digital pattern paper, digital cut files, or digital stamps. If you haven't purchased any Uniko Studio products, fear not. Plenty of freebies here, AND be in the chance of being a randomly selected winner of a £10 Gift Certificate.
• You can enter more than once as long as it is a new project each time!

Uniko Studio Challenge #15

Welcome to the next challenge over at Uniko Studio! We are back to a color palette and CAS theme this month. You are free to use any of your Uniko Studio clear stamp sets or dies, or some of the FREE printables found on the Uniko website.

This is a cool, rustic color palette and inspiration photo, right? Hopefully there is something here that will get your creative mojo going. Feel free to use any or all of the colors.

It took me awhile to come up with a design for this. I tend to use brighter colors, but I also thought this is a great masculine color palette! With several birthdays coming up next month for some guys in my life, it was perfect to start on their cards ;)

I am actually really happy with the overall design! This is what I love about challenges. They make me think outside the box because I know I would have never created this on my own, especially this color scheme. I'm loving the added texture at the bottom of the card. All stamps used are from the Strike a Pose stamp set.

So glad you stopped by and I hope I've inspired you to create a CAS card for the current challenge!!

You've got plenty of time to enter your project. November 14th, 09:00 UK time is the deadline. The winner will be announced by November 17th on the Uniko Studio blog.

The Prizes:

• A £20 Gift Certificate to the Winner & Guest Design Team spot on the blog for the next challenge
• Top Three Spotlight & £5 Gift Certificate

Supplies: 
Stamps: Uniko Studio - Strike a Pose
Cardstock: PTI - Soft Stone; SU - Kraft
Ink: PTI - Smokey Shadow, Classic Kraft, Soft Stone; Stampin' Up! - Taken with Teal
Other: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder - Tiny Mosaic; Washi Tape - Hobby Lobby; SU - Corner Rounder; Foam Tape

World Card Making Day!

Hey there! Happy World Card Making Day! I hope you were able to squeeze some time in to create for this very fun day ;) I think this is the first time in a few years I was free to craft on WCMD!!

I have a card to share with you, but I must tell you that I didn't actually make it today. Is that wrong?! I worked on creating cards for the WCMD contest being held by Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking Magazine. Therefore, I cannot share those cards with you here on the blog. Instead, I'm FINALLY posting another card that I made for the Stamping Royalty 2014 contest earlier in the year (I was a winner in the Thank You category!). It's not my winning card, but one of seven entries I sent in. I really love this one! It's very different from my usual CAS style. Hope you enjoy!

If you're curious and want to see another card I submitted to the Stamping Royalty contest, check out this post ;)

Supplies: 
Stamps: PTI - Doodlie Do, Background Basics: Super Stripes; Uniko Studio - All Occasion Sentiments #1
Cardstock: PTI - White; DCWV - Gold glitter cardstock
Ink: PTI - True Black
Other: Prisma Color pencils