Geo Diamonds

Hello!

I have a new stencil to share with you today which I really love :)  The geo diamonds can be used as a background in so many ways and here I have made both a bold, masculine card and a more feminine one:

I simply inked up the stencil in Tattered Rose Distress Oxide and combined it with a diamond die cut (I think it is from MFT) and a sentiment from WPlus9.  I shall link up at Simon's Wednesday Challenge where Anything Goes.

For my second card I inked up with some Blueprint Sketch and a touch of Black Soot and added a stacked up die cut sentiment from Stamplorations which I had glazed with ultra thick embossing powder.  I adhered it over a square of vellum to soften the pattern behind it.

I hope you like this stencil - you can buy it from my Folksy store!

Thanks for stopping by :)

Sarah x

New Uniko Release - DT Blog Hop

Hello!

Uniko's latest stamp and stencil release goes live today :)  I have to say that these designs have kick started my christmas card making (although not all of them are christmas specific).  I have a selection of cards that I have made over the weekend.  I struggled to stop to be honest.....

First up is a card that I have made using the stunning Christmas Folk Snowflake stencil.  I white heat embossed it on to red and on to kraft card.  I then cut out the middle diamond from the kraft and popped that up in the centre of the red panel and added the fabulous bold Merry sentiment.

I then decided to make a slightly more CAS design using the stencil and used white texture paste through it on dark grey card which I think complements the scandi look.  I stamped and masked the stripey border from the new Background Builders set in a square as a frame for the central panel and then popped it up on foam tape.  A new block sentiment completes the design.

I will link this card up at Less is More where we are making CAS cards with texture.

And here is another card made using the Folk Snowflake on dark blue.  I die cut a square aperture from the centre of the panel and popped the blue panel up on foam tape.  I added a die cut from Craft Stash in the centre of the aperture.  I think the blue and white looks nice and crisp.

Finally, I have used the lovely Scandinavian Christmas stencil with one of my Christmas Tree stencils.  I simply embossed the stencil in aqua and then inked the tree shape.  I have combined this with festive Uniko stamps from previous releases to complete the design.

I hope this selection of cards inspires you to get your hands on some of the fab stamps and stencils that Uniko are releasing.  The rest of the talented DT have designs to share with this new release and if you hop along with us there is a chance to win the entire release :)

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x

Uniko Introducing....Big and Bold Merry and Background Builders Christmas 18

Hello!

Welcome to the last day of introducing posts before the new Uniko release goes live tomorrow morning.   The two stamp sets that we are sharing today are gorgeous....I can't stop using them!

Firstly I repeat stamped the cool Ho Ho Ho border repeatedly across the front of an A6 card blank before stamping and cutting out the Merry in black and popping it over the top on foam pads.  I think this makes a cool Christmas card!

I have gone for more traditional green and gold on this card and stamped a selection of the borders with a gap in the centre for the sentiment.  The nordic border caught some of the gold embossing powder and I really liked the variegated look it created.

I have more ideas to share with these stamp sets tomorrow when we have our traditional release day DT blog hop.  I hope you will hop along with us :)

Thanks for stopping by, 

Sarah x

Uniko Introducing....Sweet Broom and Quilted Stencil

Hello,

We are back with more fabulous designs from the new Uniko Release which will be available to buy from Tuesday.  Today it is the turn of the Quilted Stencil and Sweet Broom stamp set.

The quilted stencil is a delicate and versatile design:

I went over the stencil with red sparkle paste on kraft card.  I added one of my mdf christmas trees that has been painted with acrylics and one of the new Uniko block sentiments.

On this card I white embossed the stencil on to dark red card and added a die cut wreath from Tonic Studio along with a Uniko block sentiment.  There is nothing festive about the stencil so it can be used all year round.

I haven't had as much time to craft this week as I would like but couldn't resist inking up the beautiful Sweet Broom stamp set.  It is a layering stamp set.  I have no idea what Broom looks like but this set will add great foliage for lots of designs.    I stamped the Broom in two shades of green and added the Scattered Hexagon stencil in Mustard Seed Distress Oxide.

We have another fab day of inspiration for you tomorrow with more products from the release so I hope you stop by again.  However, the rest of the DT have more great designs to share over on the Uniko blog today too :)

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Sarah x

Uniko Introducing.....

Hello!

I am so excited to be introducing two new stencils and a stamp set from Uniko which will be part of the release that goes live on Tuesday, 30 October :)

Both stencils have a lovely nordic/folk feel to them.  I have made a card with Scandinavian Christmas to share with you today:

I white heat embossed the stencil on to kraft card and added this beautiful sentiment (another part of the release) in gold on vellum.  It was a very quick card to make but looks very pretty!

I also absolutely love the Christmas folk snowflake design - it is really cool and has a geometric style which makes it very versatile:

And the stamp set is a further addition to the ever popular block sentiments series.  They are always great for finishing off a card design:

The rest of the talented DT have lots more inspiration showcasing these products over on the Uniko blog and I will have more cards to share with you tomorrow :)

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x

Stars at Night

Hello,

This week's challenge at Simon's Monday Challenge is Starry Night which seemed like the perfect opportunity to use my Shooting Stars stencil:

I made a galaxy background by using brightly coloured colour bursts on watercolour card and colouring over them with Blueprint Sketch Distress Oxide and Black Soot Distress Ink.  I splattered with water and with white paint.  Once dry I then pounced through my shooting star stencil with flitterglu and used silver gilding flakes.  Finally, I used ultra thick embossing powder on some of my mdf stars in silver and purple.  The sentiment is by Uniko and is white embossed.

I really liked this effect - it was a lot of fun to make :)

You can find the stencil in my Folksy store:

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x

Taking Flight

Hello,

I had a piece of brightly coloured card on my desk from playing with colour bursts and decided to use it to play along with the current challenge at Time Out which is Colourful.

I used my birds in flight stencil with some black gloss texture paste and a fab sentiment from Stamplorations which is a wonderfully grungy look to it!  It was very simple to do but nice to see a piece of random card made in to a card using colours that I would not usually put together!

The bird stencil is, of course, available in my Folksy store.....

Thanks for stopping by!

Sarah x

Sticker Kitten Love

Hello!

I have recently joined the DT at Sticker Kitten :) I absolutely love their products and the way that they release coordinated sets of stamps, papers and embellishments.  They are quirky, cute and fun!  

A great case in point is their Alpaca Wishes christmas release.  We all love an alpaca and this range is gorgeous.  I love the colour combo on the patterned paper too which is a soft and pretty alternative to traditional christmas colours.

For my first project I decided to use the release to make hanging christmas ornaments:

I simply painted some mdf hearts and baubles with white gesso and trimmed the paper from the Alpaca Wishes pad to size.  I stuck them down with mat medium and sanded around the edges.  I then added embellishments from the die cut pack and some sequins.  The mdf alpacas are so lovely - I whitewashed this one with diluted acrylic paint and added some clear shimmer over the top.  The little christmas tree is from my range of mdf but fits perfectly.

I hope you like my hanging hearts and head over to Sticker Kitten to check out their fab products!

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x

Ombre Stag

Hello,

I wanted to share a simple card that I have made with my stag stencil.  I have inked through it with distress oxide inks:

It was simply paired with a sentiment from Papertrey Ink and a snowflake stencil.  Ombre washi tape from Hobbycraft completes the card.

I shall link up at Simon's Wednesday Challenge where the theme is Animal Antics.

You can find the stencil in my Folksy store.

Thank you for stopping by,

Sarah

Christmas Card and Gift Combo

Hello,

I have been making Christmas cards which feature a detachable Christmas ornament that the recipient can keep.  The ornament is laser cut from mdf:

I have used the ornament with a lovely wreath stamp from Papertrey Ink.  It is painted red and glazed with ultra thick embossing powder.

I shall enter the Christmas challenge at Happy Little Stampers for a second time.  Hopefully the twine will be classed as ribbon for the purpose of the optional twist!

On this card I have painted the ornament with gold starlight paint and combined it with patterned paper and a pine branch stamp from Altenew.

I hope you like these simple designs!

Let me know if you would like any mdf ornament designs to decorate - I shall be adding them to my Folksy store soon :)

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x

Moonlit Bats

Hello!

I hope you have had a good weekend :)  I have had a lovely day with Bev and the Uniko team at Stamp Magic in Doncaster.  I wanted to share a card that I have made with my Bats in Flight stencil:

I masked a moon on the card panel and created an inky sunset with distress oxides.  The branches are from Penny Black and then I used black glossy texture paste from Sweet Poppy Stencils through my stencil.  

I will link up at The Library Challenge where our book is Dracula and at the new challenge at AAA Cards where the theme is Moonlight.  

I hope you like it!  The stencil is available in my Folksy store.

Sarah x

Mixing it up with Uniko

Hello,

I wanted to share a mdf stand that I have decorated with Uniko stamps, stencils, acrylic paints and inks for more of a mixed media effect:

I painted the mdf with Dylusions paints and then lifted some of the colour through Uniko's lattice stencil with a wet wipe.  I then created a shadow effect by going back over the lattice with blue paint.  The stamps are from the Happy Succulents set, Bee Happy and Spring Botanicals Daffodil.  I added highlights with a white paint marker and touches of yellow paint on the bees.  

I shall link up at Simon's Wednesday Challenge where we are creating anything but a card.

I sell these mdf stands in my Folksy shop - they are a great way of creating small, freestanding artworks for around your house or as gifts without the extra effort of framing them.  You can move them where you want whenever you want :)

I hope you like the different look that I have created with Uniko's products :)

Thanks for stopping by, Sarah x

Layered Christmas Tree

Hello!

I have been making a christmas card using my new layered christmas tree stencil this afternoon and would love to know what you think.....

I inked the solid tree aperture with Peeled Paint Distress Oxide and then added the striped layer with red glitter paste from Imagination Crafts.  I painted one of my mdf stars with red starlight paint and then stamped a sentiment from Concord and 9ths Joyful Noel set.  The central panel is popped up on foam tape and I used green glitter tape on each side of the card.  It is a CAS design but has plenty of sparkle!

I shall link up at Simon's Wednesday Challenge where the theme is christmas and at Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge (without the optional twist of using ribbon).

You can find this stencil in my Folksy shop.

Thanks for stopping by,

Sarah x

National Coffee Day Blog Hop Winner!

Hello!

I hope you are enjoying your weekend :)

Thank you so much for all of your lovely comments on the cards that I shared as part of the National Coffee Day Blog Hop organised by Coffee Loving Cardmakers last weekend.  It was great to get so much positive feedback on my coffee bean stencil.  The winner chosen at random from the comments on my blog is.....

Karen Letchworth

Congrats, Karen!  If you can send me an email at sarah@graymail01.com, I can arrange your prize which is a selection of 3 stencils from my Folksy store.  Have a look around and let me know which designs you would like to pick :)

Thank you so much to Amy for organising all of this and for giving me the chance to be a sponsor.  It was lots of fun!

I shall leave you today with another coffee themed card using my coffee bean stencil which I ran through the minc machine to give a foiled effect:

I have also used my arrow head stencil on the card base and a fab sentiment die from Stamplorations :).

I hope you will stop by again soon,

Sarah x

Craft Stamper Take It Make It Challenge

Hello,

Can you believe it is time for the October challenge over at the Craft Stamper blog?!  Here is the card that I have made using a stamp from Penny Black and sentiment from WPlus9:

I inked up the background using my Simply Stripes stencil and Mustard Seed Distress Oxide.

It is a really simple challenge to enter - anything goes as long as your project includes stamping.  There is an amazing prize this month too!  One lucky winner will receive  a Sizzix Scoreboard XL die Wrapped Journal by Eileen Hull.  Its time to get stamping!

Thank you for stopping by,

Sarah x

Uniko Challenge

Hello,

Today we are sharing more inspiration to encourage you to take part in the current challenge over at Uniko where the there is a beautiful photo inspiration and optional twist of Thanks:

I was particularly inspired by the vibrant autumn colours and decided to use the gorgeous Stylised Floral stencil with distress oxides:

I simply used my circle aperture stencil over the top of the floral stencil to create a frame.  I used Wild Honey, Aged Mahogany, Fired Brick and Peeled Paint distress oxides and pulled the excess ink on the circle stencil in to give the circle some definition around the edge.  The sentiment is from Uniko's All Occasion Sentiments #6 set.  It is one of my fave Uniko stamps :)

I shall also link this card up at CASology where our theme this week is Gratitude.

I hope you like my autumnal card!  Check out more challenge inspiration from the DT over at the Uniko blog.  The challenge is open until Friday, 26 Oct so you still have loads of time to play along.

See you again soon,

Sarah x