Hunky Dory - Card stock and Toppers Review

Hello! I'm back again today with more from Hunky Dory. This time I chose a block of card stock - Ink Me! 6" x 6" Essential Card Block - and a packet of toppers - Watercolour Wings Topper Deck. Toppers are not something I would naturally choose, as I am more of a stamp and colour girl, but I like to try new things and thought it would be good to have something different to review.

I tried several things with the Ink Me! card block. I really like the size as I can cut it down to size for a standard US A2 or UK C5 card blank without too much wastage. It is also a nice thickness and very smooth, so I tried both ink blending and some Copic colouring:

1. Ink Blending with Distress Inks and Distress Oxides with Stencils

I had a play around with various distress inks and oxides and a couple of stencils. They were really easy to use with both a blending tool and my ink duster. I used some stencils from my stash from Funky Fossil Designs and Clearly Besotted Stamps and they worked really well. The ink went on nicely, didn't smear and I blended two colours together easily. I used Spun Sugar on one and managed to build up layers easily to get a darker colour. 

I now have several of these pretty butterfly bride to make up into cards - perfect for birthdays, weddings, engagements. I do love a good stencil session!

2. Toppers and a card

  Part of the reason I got the topper pack was because I loved the designs. I am a huge fan of owls and when I saw the watercolour designs, I thought they could be used for lots of different projects - and even be cut out - I do love a bit of fussy cutting.

On this card, I took a card blank from my stash (a C5) and cut the stencilled background I'd made from the previous stencil session (birch tree background) down to size to fit. I adhered it with some double sided tape. As I already had my distress inks out, I decided to do something I rarely ever do, distress ink the edges. I thought this went so well, I inked up the edges of my card blank as well. I then attached the topper onto the background with some foam pads. Easy as pie and I really like the outcome.

The toppers are also a really nice quality card, the designs very pleasing on the eye - watercolouring being quite the thing at the moment - and they can be easily made up into cards.

I used my own card blanks, but Hunky Dory also have a range you can use to make your final cards with:

https://www.hunkydorycrafts.co.uk/papercraft/card-making-supplies/card-blanks.html 

3. Copic Colouring

  I do a lot of Copic colouring and use speciality cardstock for it, but I always like to try any new card, especially if it's nice and smooth, which the Ink Me! is. I wouldn't recommend it solely for Copic Colouring, but I managed a decent blend on this Stamping Bella image without much bleeding, which I find can get with Neenah, the alternative I sometimes use. I definitely wouldn't dismiss it for the Copics, for quick colouring, if you have it to hand.

A thank you to Hunky Dory Crafts for having me and for giving me the products to review. None of my links are affiliates and my views on the products are entirely my own. I hope you've found this useful, and if you have any questions, please leave me a comment or drop me an email.

Uniko Stencil Sunday

I'm back with another GD post for Uniko's Stencil Sunday spot and this time I've decided to get at least one card ready for Christmas. I always always struggle with Christmas cards. I need so many, so when I saw the Let It Snow stencil in the gift pack Bev sent me, I knew it would give me a quick, easy and effective way to get at least one under my belt!

I took a card blank and masked off the edges. I then took the two shades of blue Distress Oxides that I have in my stash (I feel I need more of these!) and started blending the darker (Blueprint Sketch) on the top of the card, before adding Mermaid Lagoon to the bottom. I blended until I got a smooth blend where they met, sort of half way and sort of at an angle.

I then placed the stencil on top and with a lightly damp cloth, I dabbed it through to remove some of the colour. It spreads a bit under the stencil, but I never mind this as I think it gives the impression of melting - at least with this stencil.

I kept the stencil on and with some white pigment ink dabbed it through as well on top, to give the snowflakes a bit more definition.

A few sequins and a very simple sentiment popped up on foam tape and that is my first Christmas card done. Definitely one to try again - maybe in different colours? 

Thank you so much to Bev for having me all through this month and thank you for joining me! Happy Crafting Everyone!

Stencil Sunday - Uniko Guest Design

I am absolutely delighted to be guest designing for Uniko who have a new feature called Stencil Sunday. I love Uniko and I especially love their stencils - great price, great quality.

Bev very kindly sent me a few stencils to add to my collection and I'm using the Natures Treasures II set with these beautiful leaves. You also get the negative and the positive which means even more options, but here I'm just using the negative.

All I did was take a blank white card base, and very carefully holding my stencil in place, blended some distress ink through the stencil. It's easier if you use a sweeping motion almost as if it's a blending brush. I didn't even tape it down with masking tape as no matter what I do, I end up tearing the card. I did one in each corner of one colour, and the other in the other corner in another - Mowed Lawn and Evergreen Bough.

Then all I did after that was stamp the sentiment in Versafine Onyx Black and Distress Oxide Lucky Clover.  Done!

With not getting much time for card making in between running a business, stencils can make beautiful and simple cards so easily. Indeed a friend recently said to me how much she loves my latest cards because they are so simple!

Thank you for having me Bev and thank you all for reading. I will be back this month with more Uniko goodies - release week is coming up and I shall be joining in. So excited to share! It's really got my mojo going again. Happy Crafting Everyone!