[Uniko Studio] February 2013 Release

Good morning, everyone! I'm finally home. Thanks for Snowstorm Nemo I got grounded in Austin for an extra night. But we were booked on a 625a flight out of Austin and thankfully everything went according to plan in Houston. I even saw 16 other United crew members on our fight being flown into Newark to help with the backlog. Looking at all the news blurps, it looks pretty crazy in the northern states. 

But I'm happy to be able to get this post up and going, in time to join my other teamies on the Uniko Studio release. Let's get started, shall we? 

Uniko Studio is releasing 2 wonderful clear stamp sets: Labels Love: Birthday and Bright Butterflies.

 

And we are releasing four digital papers this month: Bright Butterflies Additions collection, Big Birthday Wishes, Classics Spring, and Eclectic Mix Spring.

Since I'm a little short on time and my printer wasn't cooperating, I didn't have a chance to make anything with the digital products, but I hope to get something with these lovely papers out soon.

Today we're hopping through the design team. I hope you are arriving from dear Nicki's blog . If not, feel free to start at the beginning to see all the inspiration here.

My first card uses Bright Butterflies. It's a cracking set with gorgeous butterflies. I was inspired by the thought of spring.


Stamps: (Bright Butterflies) Uniko Studio
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Rustic Vintage Cream) Papertrey Ink; (Dear Lizzy: 5th & Frolic) American Craft; (Crica 1934) Cosmo Cricket
Ink: (Jenni Bowlin - No. 11 Brown Sugar; Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Antique Linen, Vintage Photo) Ranger
Embellishments: N/A

I found this gorgeous pink paper in my stash that exemplified Spring to me. So I decided to stamp off a few butterflies in some light distress inks to give it a little more interest and depth. The butterfly is stamped off in brown and fussy cut around it. This was actually quite easy - even with the lovely embellished edges on the butterfly wings it was not a problem. A quick bit of assembling and lastly I distressed the pink paper with some Vintage Photo. Easy peasy, if you ask me.

My next card is a fun little happy birthday one. Good thing this set is being released, because I should be mass-producing a few to send off to friends.


Stamps: (Label Love: Birthday) Uniko Studio
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Aqua Mist, Smokey Shadow) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Perfect Match Pigment Ink - Vintage Cream) Papertrey Ink; (Memento - London Fog) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Stamp 'n Stuff Embossing Powder - Clear Detail) Stampendous!; (D-Clip: Birds) Midori; (Decorative Tape - All Is Bright) My Mind's Eye; (Sketch Gray Polkadots) Freckled Fawn; (Pretty Pearls - Pink) Amuse

I started out wanting to clear emboss some vintage cream over a smokey gray card stock. I love the combination, and then I kinda got stuck. After looking at my color choices, I decided aqua was a safe way to go, so out came the washis, the card stock, and so on. I also had these great clips in all types of shapes lying on my desk - so for good measure I popped a little bird one on there for birthday. Last I added a string of pearls to help with the different lines on the card. A little different from my usual style, but I kinda like it.



Hope you feel inspired. Also just a quick reminder that Bev is going to draw a winner to win the entire February release - it's a huge win isn't it? In the meantime, I'm sending you off to our last stop - talented Stacey.

Here the whole list for easy navigation ...

• Uniko Studio Blog (Bev)
• Aimes
• Amber
• Erika
• Gayatri
• Kerry
• Nicki
• Ren-Yi (you are here)
• Stacey
• Guest Designer Deborah Frings

I hope you like what you're seeing. I certainly can't get enough of those butterflies...

[Little Tangles] Challenge #6: Valentine's & Love Challeng

Hi everyone - just sneaking in a little post while I'm on a business trip. I'm kicking it around in Austin, TX, this week, and I'm hoping I get to fly back on Friday. There is suppose to be a snow storm coming through the northeast and I hope we'll be able to get in.

Today at Little Tangles we are celebrating the month of: Valentines & Love.

So I hope you'll be able to make something inspiring that is heart-themed, heart-felt, or heart-warming. Like how I snuck those words in there? ;)

I made a window card and backed the inside with a washi & glitter tape heart. And I was enamoured by the aqua, red & black color combo. 


Stamps: (Kindness Matters) Neat & Tangled
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - White) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Memento - Tuxedo Black) Tsukineko; (Jenni Bowlin - No. 3 Chili Powder) Ranger; (Perfec Match Pigment Ink - Hawaiian Shore) Papertrey Ink
Embellishments: (Impression Plate - Woodgrain; Baker's Twine - Red) Papertrey Ink; (Stickers - Black) Basic Grey; (Glitter Tape) American Crafts; (Washi Heart Cloud) Freckled Fawn; (Nestabilities - Classic Hearts) Spellbinders

I felt inspired by a bunch of garlands that I have been seeing in my embellishment stash. So I decided to create my own. I love the little circles from "Kindness Matters," which I stamped off, glued to some Baker's Twine and embellished my card with.

To give the card base a little more texture I ran a woodgrain impression plate through my Big Shot. I know the picture doesn't really show it well, but if you squint hard, you can see the lines (at least that's what I tell myself).

Lastly the sentiment is just a dive into my alpha stash. These are some Basic Grey micro letters. Perfect size for this card.



I hope you'll stop by the other girl's creations. And in case you need more incentive to bust our your creative supplies...A free stamp set is at stake...

One lucky challenge winner is going to get two sets of goodies. So jealous...
A few helpful things to remember:

• Challenge ends Feb 17, 2013, 11:59p EST; Check back on Feb 19 for the winners
• Prize is ONE Neat & Tangled Stamp set of your choice to a random player
• Neat & Tangled stamps are not required on your entry, but we would love to see you use them. If you would like to use some Neat & Tangled products but haven't had a chance to buy any, we have a couple of freebies on the Little Tangles site. Enjoy!

For the Bride & Groom - a Chalkboard Wedding Gift

Hello there. We had a crazy past couple of weeks, which explains the "silence" on the blog. We have been rotating from the Princeton Animal Vet to the Northstar Vet Hospital with Jojo. She has been going through a spell where she doesn't eat, drink and has gotten so dehydrated and so weak she couldn't even walk or roll over from her back. It's breaking our hearts that we don't know what's ailing her and we hope that this time around they can come up with a diagnosis. She is currently still in the ICU and any prayers that you can send our ways would be greatly appreciated. 

But I am here to share with you a little chalk-board inspiration that I worked on. It was a present for my girlfriend's wedding. We are gifting them a 1-hr photo shoot and I wanted to create a hand-made little gift certificate. Here is what the chalkboard-part looks like.


Stamps: (Big Day - Additions, Ovals - Classic Frames, Cameo To Go) Neat & Tangled
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - True Black) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Memento - Tuxedo Black, London Fog) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (Gelly Roll - White) Sakura; (Border Punch - Postage Stamps) Fiskars

I created a portrat with his and hers. In hindsight I could have used the Cameo Creations, but this hopefully brings the point across that it's a portrait session for the bride & groom.



This part we then added into a wedding frame and wrapped into a gift. (I haven't figured out how to take a picture of glossy things from straight ahead without getting myself into the picture).



Here is a picture of the frame from an angle - a little cleaner and nicer.



I hope to get my December Daily sometime done and get underway with my Project Life 2013 album. Anyone else not done with those? Ahh - I'm always catching up it seems!

[Little Tangles] Challenge #5 - All About Buttons

Hello there. This will be a quick and dirty post from my side. If you have been following my twitter thread, you might have heard that Jojo was in the ICU. I'm happy to report that she is home with us now, with special orders by the doctors to keep her under close observations. For those of you who have been thinking, praying and crossing your fingers - thank you for your support! Jojo is lucky to have many so many pet-loving friends.

Today at Little Tangles we have a special surprise for you. We are teaming up with Mossy Made. The brain child behind Mossy Made is none other than the talented Chari Moss. My first time running into her blog was through Lawn Fawn, but I'm happy to say she's part of the Neat & Tangled Design Team. If you have been to Chari's Etsy shop, you know she makes some wonderful buttons. So, appropriately, our theme is All About Buttons.

Forgive this little card - I made this in a hurry. If I didn't keep dropping my needle and having problems threading the silver thread, I bet I could have entered this into the 10min Craft Dash.


Stamps: (Kindness Matters) Neat & Tangled
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Aqua) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Memento - Tuxedo Black, London Fog) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (Point 88) Stabilo, (Buttons) Mossy Made

I kinda just grabbed my button, blindly a card stock, and the leftover tulle I wrapped a wedding gift with. It kind of went like a mystery box challenge (on those kitchen shows). Here an up close picture of the buttons, since those are pretty much the highlight of the card ;)



So I hope you have hopped over to the other girl's creations. And in case you need more incentive to bust our your creative supplies...A free stamp set is at stake...

AND a set of beautiful buttons

One lucky challenge winner is going to get two sets of goodies. So jealous...
A few helpful things to remember:

• Challenge ends Jan 27, 2013, 11:59p EST; Check back on Jan 29 for the winners
• Prize is ONE Neat & Tangled Stamp set of your choice AND ONE set of Mossy Made buttons to a random player
• Neat & Tangled stamps are not required on your entry, but we would love to see you use them. If you would like to use some Neat & Tangled products but haven't had a chance to buy any, we have a couple of freebies on the Little Tangles site. Enjoy!

[Uniko Studio] Design Team Blog Hop - Extra Time Revisited

Good morning, everyone! I can't believe we're already on Day 11 of the new year. Since arriving home I had all these to-do's and I have been meaning to stop by this blog space to wish everyone a happy new year. Instead I am still trying to figure out New Year cards with Florian and they still haven't been shipped off to the print shop. Go figure... It's only Month One and I already feel behind...anyone else out there?

But I'm here to start today's post with some brilliant news. Yours truly have been inducted into the ::drum roll:: ...Uniko Studio Design Team. Yep - a full teamie that will be showcasing you everything from clear stamps down to the digi sets. So this is going to be an exciting year for me as well as for Uniko Studio. I think I'm still pinching myself over Bev's decision (which she had told me over Christmas break) since I will be designing along side a bunch of talented girls, some of which are Moxie Fabbers, Paper Idol Finalist...as you see I feel quite overwhelmed by this privilege.

Today we're here on a blog hop to revisit an oldie but goodie stamp set called "Extra Time" - ahh the irony that I feel like I'm already behind, and Bev chose this stamp set! You'll be nearing the end of the line of eye candy and should be hopping over from Nicki. If not, feel free to start at the beginning. 

My ode to time look like this: sticking with basic neutral colors, this card could be for any recipient - boy, girl, older or younger.


Stamps: (Extra Time) Uniko Studio
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Vintage Cream, Kraft) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Memento - Tuxedo Black) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Decorative Paper Tape - Numbers) Cavallini & Co; (Tim Holtz Idea-ology Decorative Tissue Tape - Sketchbook) Ranger; (Nestabilities - Standard Circles Small) Spellbinders; (1 1/2" Circle Punch) Marvy Uchida; (Metals - Circle Sticker) Mark Richards; (Acetate)

I added a bit of washi down as a layer to anchor my many clocks as a starting point. Then I stamped out the different face styles and then cut out the clocks with my nestabilities. The larger clocks fit perfectly into one of the metal frames. The smaller clocks are actually identical sizes to the larger ones, but I wanted to have varying circles in diameter. It breaks up the monotony. This is where my 1 1/2" circle punch came in super handy to make a smaller clock face.



In case you're wondering if the center clock looks a little shiny...I added a layer of clear acetate to make it a little extra special. I also popped a metal circle sticked onto the center and cut out some hands to finish it off. So this center face (which I popped onto some foam adhesives) has a few layers for some interest.



Hope you feel inspired to get your crafting up and going again. And if I remember correctly, Bev is going to draw a winner to win this stamp set from among the blog hop, so remember to comment along the way. In the meantime, I'm sending you off to our last stop Stacey.

Here the whole list for easy navigation ...

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

I hope you like what you're seeing. Until next time...(see what I did there? har dee har har ... )

[Little Tangles] Challenge #4 - Clean & Simple

Hi there! A happy new year to all of you wonderful people. Did you have a good holiday? Did you ring in the new year safe & sound with many resolutions? 

Well, I'll slowly get back into the swing of things on the blog here, so watch out for a few more posts here. But for now, I'm kicking off the year with a Little Tangles challenge: Clean & Simple. Perfect for the start of the year, right? Nothing too complicated ;)

This week I'm using Little Bear for a simple card. A lot of my friends have been moving. This got me thinking that if I ever moved, I'd want to announce it to my friends...I thought this card would be a cute way to do so.


Stamps: (Little Bear) Neat & Tangled
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - White) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Memento - Tuxedo Black) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (Tiny Twinkles - Multicolor) Taylored Expressions

I stamped off the the mushrooms in a row, and then stacked them a bit in the row below. Then colored them in with some cool colors - all except for one. Then a quick banner and a few tiny gems...tada. I also added a "..." behind the "a little note" so that it would segway into the inside that reads "... to tell you we have moved."



Easy, peasy CAS card ... :) Hope this gets your creative juices flowing. Come join our challenge and help us spread the word!

And in case you need more incentive to bust our your creative supplies...A free stamp set is at stake...

In the meantime, go hop on over to my other teammates creation. It will get anyone's mojo flowing for the Christmas holidays... ;)

A few helpful things to remember:

• Challenge ends Jan 13, 2013, 11:59p EST; Check back on Jan 15 for the winners
• Prize is ONE Neat & Tangled Stamp set of your choice to a random player
• Neat & Tangled stamps are not required on your entry, but we would love to see you use them. If you would like to use some Neat & Tangled products but haven't had a chance to buy any, we have a couple of freebies on the Little Tangles site. Enjoy!

[DYSU] Challenge #104 - Final Challenge: Turquoise

Hello DYSUers. I'm writing my greeting with a heavy heart, because this is the last time I get to make that little shout out. If you have been following us, you know this is our last challenge. I have had an amazing time here on the DYSU team and I have a few things I wanted to say "thank you" on this little blog-o:

• To my team mates (current & past members) - you have been super wonderful in every way: the inspirations that you deliver, the camaraderie, the new friendships, and the wonderful support from this group is one of a kind. I really will be staying in touch!
• To the many supporters & fans: you have made this challenge fun, kept returning every week for more, and given it your creative all. Thank you to you guys for also making this an place full of inspiration & beautiful creations
• To the amazing sponsors: without your generosity, we would not have been able to make all these great projects and been able to reward our fantastic players. I also had a chance to work with many of you, who have been absolutely fabulous.
• Last to Alison: the brave, creative woman who started this all and given me a chance of a lifetime when she picked me to be on the team. I wish you much luck, success and happiness with your stamp company TAWS and TAWS Challenge.

Before I start tearing up, I better get to my card for this last challenge. We like to go out on a bang, so I decided to make a card that celebrates the DYSU journey. This particular digi is actually from the talented Elizabeta Kushner. If she sounds familiar, it's because she makes her own Craotian Stamps, designs for The Craft Meow, and runs an Etsy store for non-profit. If you are interested in reading more about Elizabeta's non-profit initiate, please read here. I really learned a lot about Elizabeta's initiative and am really inspired by her.


Stamps: (Doodled Leaves) Elizabeta Kushner; (Say It Loud) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Kraft, White; Stamper's Select Vellum) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Versamark) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (Gelly Roll - White) Sakura; (Stamp 'n Stuff Embossing Powder - White) Stampendous!

First I printed off the design on kraft card stock and colored in all the leaves in an array of greens, blues, aquas and turquoise. Then ran a white gel pen over each contour. The whole coloring session was quite therapeutic, since I got to listen to Christmas music in the background (Pandora set to "Transiberian Orchestra" station).

The kraft panel is mounted on a bit of white card stock, and the vellum strip is heat embossed with a bold sentiment. I think the vellum gives it a nice way to re-introduce the white in levels of intensity (e.g. vellum for transparent white, followed by a heat embossed strong white). I like this look, since the details of the leaves (and the sweat & effort in the detailing) are not hidden behind a strip of solid card stock. But that's just my two cents ;)



Remember that is our last challenge, so link up and help us go out on a bang. Let's make this a celebration and come leave a sweet comment to our two special Guest Designers: Please welcome Jessi Fogan and Deborah Frings - two of our most faithful players since I have joined the team. Last, I'd like to invite you to hop on over to see the amazing creations by the rest of the DYSU team. It's your last time to leave the Design Team some love :)

This week's sponsor:

Rhoda Design Studio

* $15 gift certificate to spend on Cutting Files or Digis

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

* $10 Gift Certificate

The Stamping Boutique

* Winner's Choice of 3 Digis

Elizabeta Kushner 

* Winner's Choice of 3 Digis