[Uniko Studio] Wow

It's miserably cold out today. I'm ready for this weather to go. We also signed up with our local CSA (Community Shared Agriculture) and I want the ground to thaw so that they can start planting delicious fruits and vegetables. One of my crafty friends was instagramming a palette of strawberries (yes, Laurie, I mean you!) and I was just a tinge jealous. 

So instead I had to busy myself at my desk and make something bright and cheery. 

I'm putting the new Uniko Studio set "Explosion!" to good use. Don't you love how the title of this stamp set as an exclamation mark on it? I love it.

Well here is the CAS version of happy bright colors...


Stamps: (Explosion!) Uniko Studio
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Aqua Mist, White) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Creative Color Pigment Ink - Lollipop) Mama Elephant; (Memento - Tuxedo Black) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Mister Huey Neon Mini Mists - My Little Pony; Mister Huey Color Mists - Calico White) Studio Calico

I wanted to show the explosion off as the center of the card. So I used Versamark to stamp off the Explosion silhouette on the Aqua card stock again and tried to cut out the best I could with the Xacto. It's not as clean as I would like it, but you know what that means. I will be bugging Bev to make a die for this and she won't hear the end of it. 

Explosions! makes me think of Batman from the 1960s and how the screen would flash up with "POW" and "BAM." And somehow I wanted it to be whimsical and loud, so I decided to have some neon shades (I swore I would never buy neon inks and refuse to get on that bandwagon, but the one time I could use them... Darn!) So Mister Huey Neon mists and the most pigmented pink ink had to suffice - there you have it.



Anyways, there is plenty of time to enter our Uniko Studio challenge. Maybe this fun card will get you going?

[Uniko Studio] Happy Birthday Gift Card Holder

Hi everyone. How is everyone making out with the snow? Talking to all my friends, it seems it's warm everywhere, except the US. And it's suppose to snow this coming Monday. Thankfully we have work from home options. At least I don't have to drive on slippery roads, looking paranoidly into my rear view and side mirrors for that crazy car. With our two recent car wrecks (with no injuries, Thank God!), I declare myself done. When you're on first name basis with the body shop dude and know his phone number by memory, it's time to find something different to use up my "free time" ;)... oh like crafting, which is why we are here.

Uniko Studio is having a challenge. Make sure to check it out. In case you need some idea inspirations, I have something for you. 

Today I'm showing you an out of the box way to use "A Gift For You." 

Like the set says, it's all about gifting, just in time for that birthday thing we are invited to today. We wanted to gift our good friend a date to Longwood Gardens with his wife. Longwood Gardens happens to be one of our favorite places, since this is where I took Florian on his birthday after we started dating.

Since we don't know when our friends will go, we will gift it to them in the form of a gift card.


Stamps: (A Gift For You) Uniko Studio
Paper: (Pb&J Collection) Basic Grey
Ink: (Creative Color Pigment Ink - Ocean) Mama Elephant; (Memento - Tuxedo Black) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (PB&J - Designer Chipboard) Basic Grey; (Arrow Paperclips - White) Freckled Fawn

I tried to make this gift card botanical for the Longwood Gardens theme, but not too girly. Picking colors like aqua, blue, green and gray color schemes seems safe enough. I had a gift card holder from AMC that I repurposed by lining the gift card holder with some Basic Grey paper. A bit of scoring at the right places and some stamping makes up the base of the gift card.

If you look carefully, I took the solid bow portion of the stamp set and decided I could convert them into flowers. Isn't it fun to see how to stretch the stamps into something more? Here is a closer look at the stamping. The "flowers" are fun and whimsy - adds to the fun graphical look.



The paper clip is from Freckled Fawn and a neat way to hold the entire thing together, while keeping in line with the graphic look. I had toyed with the idea of using washi tape, but there was not a good place to put it.

We added our birthday wishes on the inside cover. I hope he will like his gift. That's all I have for you and make sure to check out the Uniko Studio challenge.

[Uniko Studio] Challenge No. 7 - Vintage or Distressed

Hi everyone - my poor, poor neglected blog. I haven't been creating behind your backs; I just have a ridiculous work schedule right now and focusing on my weight loss. On a happy note I have lost about 23 lbs now and keeping it off. And since I am prioritizing this "move more" thing, sometimes it's really tough to get behind my crafty desk. Le sigh. Being a responsible adult takes too many hours in the day - wouldn't it be more fun to just create and craft all day?

So at Uniko we're trying something a little different. An inspiration picture for a color combo and a theme. This time we're kicking off with some bold colors. I'm so sick of the winter and shoveling of snow. I want to see popping colors!

Photo Credit: Design Seed

And our theme this week is Distress / Vintage. Whenever I see distressed, I get a little anxious. But then I remember that running the edge of my scissors along card stock, or inking up edges with some ink does the trick. Shhh - don't tell people my shortcut ;)


Stamps: (Background Builders - Squared, Beautiful Blooms I) Uniko Studio
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Pure Poppy, Aqua Mist, Rustic Cream) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Creative Color Pigment Ink - Hazel, Bubblegum) Mama Elephant; (Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Vintage Photo) Ranger
Embellishments: (Inka Gold - Turquoise) Viva Decor; (Artists' Acrylic Basic Color Set - Titanium White) Utrecht; (Soup Labels - Card Sentiments) Jillibean Soup

I decided to pull out Beautiful Blooms to play, and use the Background Builders to build ... wait for it ... some textures background ;) Then layered some textures with some acrylic white paint and some shiny Viva Decor Inka Gold Turquoise. Playing around with some of this mixed media is my slowly but surely way of getting my fingers messy. Except in this case it was more like one right, index finger ;) Baby steps, ladies, baby steps...

The big bloom is from the Beautiful Blooms I set, which I cut out, added some white acrylic paint and Vintage Photo Distress Ink.



The last pictures is an unclose look on the textured background. Some uneven inking, or stamping off the image can create some imperfect impressions. Add some acrylic paints, distressing the edge - easy enough. And when scrounging my embellishment box (and wow-ing to myself to use my stash) I pulled out this perfect sentiment. 



Hm... in hindsight, I should have distressed the sentiment a little with some Antique Linen. But it will just have to do since I won't have a chance to take another picture ;)

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 Mar 14th, 2013, 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! Also let us know what you think of this new format of a challenge. See you soon!

[Uniko Studio] Challenge No. 6 - Sketch

Hi everyone - did you miss us? We enjoyed our much needed break, but it's a new year. We're back to the swing of things and are starting things off with a easy peasy challenge: a sketch.

None other than our talented Gayatri has put this together. So make sure to go leave her some love!

Mine is super quick. I was looking for a graphic look. I also loved the paper that I found floating on my desk. Isn't it great when we find a starting point?


Stamps: (Background Builders - Round in Circles; All Occasion Sentiments #3) Uniko Studio
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - White) Papertrey Ink; (Corey Add-on Kit - pattern paper) Studio Calico
Ink: (Creative Color Pigment Ink - Winter, Ocean) Mama Elephant; (Memento - Tuxedo Black) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Wood Veneer - Sundrifter) Studio Calico

I wanted to add layer on the pattern paper by stamping a bunch of circles from the Background Builder set. I love how Winter matches the paper so well and adds a subtle piece of interest. To match the sketch a bit, I picked another design from that same set and stamped it a more bolder Ocean color.



Finally I just added a sentiment and decided to "scatter" a few wood veneer pieces that also had triangles & circles to match the stamping and the paper. It felt quite good to go about the card without much plans and just "throw" stuff onto the card front. 



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 Feb 14th, 2013, 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!

[Uniko Studio] January Revisited Blog Hop - Accent Essentials: Arrows

Hello there - my first post of the year. So many things have been happening, all not very happy ones, but on the upside, it just means 2014 is only going to get better.

I'm here to show you a great fun older set: Accent Essentials: Arrows.

It's just a quick graphic card, where I used the arrows


Stamps: (Accent Essentials: Arrows) Uniko Studio
Paper: (Perfect Match Card Stock - White, Raspberry Fizz) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Creative Color - Blush) Mama Elephant
Embellishments: (Hey Script Die) Memory Box; (Sprinkles - Lily White Assortment) Doodlebug Designs Inc; (Marker - Light Purple) Neopiko

I used the arrows to create a background and I'm loving how this pigment ink stamps! Nice coverage. I also have been dying to try this Hey script die cut. I decided I like the little cut outs and colored them up and inlayed them back into the sentiment.



A few enamel dots to finish off the card. Easy, peasey CAS...

That's all I have for you. Make sure to go visit the other girls' creations. They are sure to inspire you. A few more details, leave a comment by January 15, and Bev will draw a winner to win this set and £5 gift certificate. So make sure to comment on everyone's blog :)

Here is a list for easy navigation:

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

[Little Tangles] Challenge #27 - Sequins, Sequins, and More Sequins

Hi there! The weather has been progressively getting colder here. We had snow a couple of times pour down in New Jersey. It looks great and I love it (from afar or from the safety of my house), but it becomes a road hazard when people underestimate their driving skills out there. Please slow down! As drivers we often forget that we're wielding easily a ton of metal on a skating rink. 

We happened to be in a car wreck two Sundays ago. Thankfully no one got hurt on both sides. And so far everything has been chugging along well with the insurances and so forth. We lucked out, and if things keep going well, I will get my car back this coming weekned.

Anyways, please be safe!

On another note, this will by me last Little Tangles post. A new Design Team is starting in January and I had a really grand time working with these fabulous girls. So we're going out with a bang with a challenge Sequins, Sequins and More Sequins. Isn't it a great way to pay homage to Neat & Tangled?


Stamps: (You + Me) Neat & Tangled
Paper: (Perfect Match Card Stock - Kraft, Royal Velvet) Papetrey Ink
Ink: (Perfect Match Pigment Ink - Vintage Cream) Papertrey Ink
Embellishments: (Sequins - Magenta Metallic) Neat & Tangled

I got my new stamps in the mail and I really wanted to play with the You+Me set. And I love how the overlapping Venn Diagram portion makes such a great flower petal. I also love how the colors can build ontop of each other. Works well with Pigment Inks.



I popped a few fun sequins on the flower and added a small sentiment along the card. That's all to it.

Since this is my last Little Tangles contribution, I just wanted to thank Danielle for bringing me onto her Little Tangles team a little more than a year ago. I really love creating with your beautiful products. Thank you for taking a chance on me!

And I had so much fun getting to know the girls on the Design Team! Thank you Amy, Barb, Charlene and June for being such great girls. I think these will be special friends that I will keep in touch for a long while. I have a goal to meet all of them in real life. Some of them I already had an opportunity to hang out with, but in the meantime, it will be great to see them online!

When the new girls start with Little Tangles, make sure to welcome them. They are fire-cracker talented team!

That's all I have for you. Make sure to go visit the other girls' creations. They have a few parting words too...

Here is the reader's digest version.

• Challenge ends Dec 29, 2013, 11:59p EST; Check back 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!

Can't wait to see your creations! :)

[Little Tangles] Challenge #26 - Color Challenge: White & Gold

Hi everyone! I can't believe it is already December. I have nothing checked off my to-do list for the holidays. How are you faring?

While I go run around like a mad woman, we have a color challenge for you this week Gold & White? Isn't it one of the loveliest color combinations for the holidays? Gold is so very in right now...


Stamps: (Merry & Bright, Santa's Tag) Neat & Tangled
Paper: (Perfect Match Card Stock - White) Papetrey Ink
Ink: (Brilliance - Galaxy Gold) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Candi - Gold Wedding) Craftworkcards; (Ribbon Scrap) Michael's; (Sequins - Snow White) Neat & Tangled

This is just a super quick tag. With this time of year, I have to make super quick things. So This is my version of a white & gold tag, grabbing whatever was laying around on my desk. I think this tag is so stunning because of the ribbon scrap I used. It was a piece of leftover after we made out advents wreath this weekend, and I couldn't bear seeing any part of this ribbon trashed.



Since these sequins were laying around, I thought I'd pop a few white ones on along with those Candis. This took less than ten minutes! Whoop.

That's all I have for you. Go see the other girls' creations. They will surely have many inspirations for you...

Here is the reader's digest version.

• Challenge ends Dec 15, 2013, 11:59p EST; Check back 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!

Can't wait to see your creations! :)