Uniquely Creative Echoes of the Outback Birthday Card

 

Hi blogging friends,

Today I am sharing a Birthday Card that I made for my daughter's birthday:

I wanted to make a card with a Cockatoo on it because we have Cockatoos that visit our garden all the time.  We have a very friendly one that our daughter has called Kevin and he is very well-behaved and extremely gentle.  Kevin will hop on our daughter's arm and lets her pat him.  We have all done selfies with him and he doesn't mind a bit!

I am also popping my card into the Splitcoaststampers June Fan Club Challenge CT0626 of 'A Perfect Union' because Australian Flora and Fauna are perfect together:  you couldn't have one without the other.  Our resident Cockatoos nest in the hollows of gum trees and eat the gum blossoms.  I am also playing along with the WORDPLAY Challenge WORD0626 of FUSE.  I chose F for Flowers, U for Uniquely Creative, S for Sentiment and E for Embellishments (the rhinestones).

If you are a paid Fan Club Member of Splitcoaststampers, you can play along with their monthly challenges and get loads of inspiration + free tutorials - and the DT are very supportive and encouraging.  Even though my 6 month tenure finished in May, I intend to continue playing along each month because it really helps my creativity - plus having a paid membership keeps the website going.  It costs very little and I want to not lose this amazing resource.

In April 2025, Uniquely Creative released Echoes of the Outback and the Card Kit has lots of native birds and animals so I decided to use one of the sample cards from the Card Kit.  The main things that I changed were the sentiment plus I added an extra flower and leaves - and I added the little green tree frog on the far RHS above the sentiment because my daughter really likes frogs and I thought the frog looked really cute hiding under the leaves.

When I glued the leaves down, I only added glue to half of each leaf so that I could bend up the leaf tips for added dimension.

I used Uniquely Creative Foam Squares under all the layers - some are doubled up for extra height.

All the designer papers have been distressed using my Uniquely Creative Edge Distressing Tool.  I love this tool for distressing my projects.

Final touches were adding three Uniquely Creative Champagne Rhinestones.

This was such a fun card to make and I really enjoyed making a card that celebrates Australian Flora and Fauna.

Finished size is 4-1/8" x 5-3/4" or 105mm x 146mm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps and Ink:  None

Designer Paper:  Uniquely Creative Echoes of the Outback 6" x 6" pad + Creative Cuts

Uniquely Creative Accessories:  Foam Mounts, Edge Distressing Tool UCE1986, Champagne Rhinestones, White Card Base

Other Accessories:  Tombow Mono Multi Glue

Uniquely Creative Indigo Bloom Wedding Card

 

Hi everyone,

Today I am sharing a Wedding Card that I made for my daughter's friends.  I don't have alot of things in my stash for wedding cards and really didn't want to go for a white card as I didn't think it suited this couple.  The lady is so bright and bubbly and full of joy - she just glows - so I wanted to make something more colourful but was a little stumped.  Whilst looking through my stash, I realised that my Uniquely Creative Retailer Exclusive Kit would be perfect as the kit has two different cards and here is what I made:

I am popping this card into the Splitcoaststampers June Central Theme CT0626 Fan Club Challenge of 'A More Perfect Union'.  You have to be a member to play along in these challenges - but I highly recommend joining as you get loads of inspiration each month, suggested tutorials to spark your creativity, lots of support and encouragement and it's so nice to be a part of a fun group.  The central theme is open to your own interpretation so you can use it as a tool to jump-start your card.  I chose a Wedding Card as my interpretation but you could choose two colours that you love to create with or paper quilting - let your head go!

I based my layout on the suggested design from the Uniquely Creative Sheet but added quite a few touches of my own or altered some elements just to put my own spin on it.

The scalloped pink square on the card base was diecut using my Big Shot and Lifestyle Nesting Scalloped Squares Dies as I didn't have the Uniquely Creative Die listed in the instructions.  I also changed some of the flowers and added the Small Pink Paper Roses from my stash - plus more of the Uniquely Creative Delicate Lace Flowers.

I used my Uniquely Creative Fussy Cutting Scissors to fussy-cut some of the elements.  I LOVE these scissors because they are gentle on my arthritic hands.

I used a different sentiment from the kit because the one in the kit had the sentiment:  "lost in time" and used a Best Wishes Sentiment from a Uniquely Creative Cut-a-part Mini Sheet I found in my stash.

I used my Impression Obsession - Heart of Hearts Die to diecut some small hearts from Glitter Cardstock to dot around the card and thought that the blue and pink hearts next to the sentiment suited a Wedding Card.  I used Stampin' Up Dazzling Diamonds Glitter Cardstock and coloured it with Picked Raspberry Distress Ink to match the rest of the card.  The blue heart is from a scrap of Dark Blue Glitter Cardstock.

I had lots of fun layering all the elements together and learning along the way as this isn't a style of card I am used to making but gosh, I really enjoyed it.  I have been making myself get out of my comfort-zone whilst I have been on the Splitcoaststampers Dirty Dozen Design Team and it has really helped me be more brave and more creative.

I added some Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush to many areas of the card so it looks lovely and sparkly in real life - alas, not captured by the camera.

As a final touch, I glued on 3 x Clear Domed Gems around the card using Art Glitter Glue.  These were purchased from EBay Australia a few years ago.

Finished size is 135mm x 135mm or 5-5/16" x 5-5/16".

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  None

Ink:  Ranger Distress Ink - Picked Raspberry

Designer Paper:  Uniquely Creative Indigo Bloom 12" x 12" + Cut-a-Part Sheet UCCS192

Accessories:  Big Shot, Stampin' Up Dazzling Diamonds Glitter Cardstock, Dark Blue Glitter Cardstock, UC Delicate Lace Flowers UCE1849, UC Delicate Layering Flowers UCE2112, UC Blue and Blush Flowers UCE2113, UC Pearl Posy Stickers - Pink UCE1968, UC Fussy Cutting Scissors, UC Foam Mounts, UC Clear Sparkle Brush, Sentiment - UC Cut-a-Part Sheet, Small Pink Paper Roses (stash), Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Helmar's 450 Quick Dry Adhesive, Domed Clear Gems (EBay)

Dies:  Uniquely Creative Stitched Nesting Hexagons UCD2199, Lifestyle Nesting Squares and Nesting Scalloped Squares (both retired), Impression Obsession Heart of Hearts DIE052-I (retired)

Docrafts Papermania - Lucy Cromwell Home Toppers Thank You Card

 

Hi everyone,

Today I am sharing a Thank You Card that I made for my grown-up daughter to say thank you for all the baking that she has been doing for me.  About 6 months ago, I had to make some dietary changes due to some newly discovered food intolerances.  I am feeling so much better - but it has been a steep learning curve and quite frustrating (at times) to learn how to modify recipes to accommodate those intolerances.  My daughter has always done alot of baking (which I instilled into her from a very young age because I have always baked just like my late Mother) and was up for the challenge - and she has been amazing at always making sure I have something yummy to eat.  So, I wanted to acknowledge my appreciation with a card:

Sorry the photo is a little dull.  It is Winter here and foggy so it is hard to take a decent photo when it is like that.  When I tried to brighten my card in my photo editing program, it made it look even more washed out.  Oh well!

Challenges

I am entering my card in the following Challenges - click on the underlined link to take you to each Challenge:

• Splitcoaststampers - Free for All F4A820 - Food/Recipes/Cooking

• A Perfect Time to Craft - June - Open Challenge and Anything Goes

• Neglected Stuff Challenge - June - Using OLD supplies that you forgot about.  Mine is the Card Topper which is more than 10 years old which I definitely forgot about it.  I found it when I was looking for something else which was serendipitous because I had it in the back of my mind to make a thank you card for my daughter for all her baking.

The main image is a topper by Docrafts - Papermania - Lucy Cromwell called 'Home'.  I bought this sheet of toppers years ago from a Craft Show so you probably can't get it anymore and I couldn't find this particular sheet in my online search.  All the toppers have some glittery elements on them and are just so pretty.  The image was just so perfect for what I needed.

I used to love going to Craft Shows and picking up the latest Docrafts range.  They had such amazing collections and my all-time favourite was the Wellington Bear range because it was fantastic for masculine cards.  I still use this collection because I stocked up and I am so glad that I did.  I am not sure what happened to Docrafts and haven't seen anything by them for a REALLY long time.  I think the whole cardmaking industry seems to be shrinking with many companies no longer around like My Favorite Things, Avery Elle and Impression Obsession to name a few: it's so sad 😞 Anyway, I am digressing.......back to my card........

All the designer papers are by Mintay - Elodie which were first released in February 2023.  I love how well they matched the topper.

The bottom panel Pink Cardstock was punched using a Martha Stewart Doily Lace Edge Punch.  I still adore this punch as much as the day I bought it.  It is so pretty and feminine.

The Silver-edged Pink Ribbon is from my stash.  I attached it in two separate elements and glued the bow on using Helmar's Fabric Glue.  I find it easier to do my ribbons that way because it isn't as fiddly and it looks alot neater.

The sentiment is by Crafter's Companion - Popcorn the Bear - Someone Special Stamp Set.  This is another old set released in the early 2010s and was bare rubber.  This is one of my favourites that I have used alot over the years.  I stamped the sentiment using Stampin' Up Gray Granite Ink as I didn't want to use black ink because it was too stark - and the Gray Granite Ink matched the rest of the card much better.

I used my EK Success Arrows Border Punch to punch some tiny hearts from Blue and Pink Cardstock - they are the leftover punches that look like tiny hearts to me - then added some Uniquely Creative Clear Glitter Brush to them for some sparkle.

The sentiment was diecut from White Cardstock using my Big Shot and a Cuttlebug Tiny Tag Die but trimmed it down.  These dies were first released in 2007 so very old now but one of my most-used dies.  You can still pick them up second-hand in my searches online - mostly on EBay.

When I had finished my card front, I glued it to a Kaisercraft White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Finished size is:  152 x 107mm or 6-1/8 x 4-1/4".

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Crafter's Companion Popcorn the Bear - Someone Special PST-SPC

Ink:  Stampin' Up Gray Granite

Designer Paper:  Mintay Elodie 6" x 6" Pad

Accessories:  Big Shot, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Helmar's Fabric Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush, Silver Edged Pink Ribbon 1/8"-3.5mm wide (stash), Docrafts Papermania Lucy Cromwell A4 Diecut Glitter Toppers - Home PMA157128, Kaisercraft White Card Base, Cardstock - Powder Blue, Pale Pink + White

Dies:  Cuttlebug Tiny Tags 37-1222 (retired)

Punches:  Martha Stewart Doily Lace Edge, EK Success Arrows Border

Simon Says Stamp Wildflowers Sunrise Card

 

Hi everyone,

I have been very busy in my craft room making some ink blended backgrounds which is one of my favourite things to create.  I thought I would create a Sunrise Card to fit the theme of the Splitcoaststampers Free for All Friday F4A844 Challenge of Yellow and Black.  You can use other colours but yellow and black should be your main two colours.  There are no time limits to play Splitcoaststampers Challenges - so play along anytime you wish.

When I was planning my card, I was thinking about that very first warm Summer's Day of the season and how you can just tell at sunrise, that it is going to be beautiful and warm:  you anticipate the joy that it give you to feel the heat of the sun's rays on your body after the cold - it just makes you happy and puts you in a good mood 😄 

So here is what I made:  

I used Bristol Smooth White Cardstock for my ink-blending which is my favourite cardstock to use because it blends so beautifully due to its smooth surface.  I masked the sun using a Lavinia Circle Mask and used repositionable tape underneath to hold it in place.  I ink blended Ranger Distress Inks in the colours:  Squeezed Lemonade, Scattered Straw, Dried Marigold, Wild Honey, Mustard Seed, Fossilized Amber and Carved Pumpkin.  I splattered the panel with clean water to some texture which is a little hard to see in the photo.

I removed the circle mask then went over the sun with Squeezed Lemonade and Scattered Straw to take away the whiteness - then used Mont Marte Pastel Pencils in two yellow shades to add some more colour.  It still looks quite white in the photo but it is more of pale yellow in real life.

The silhouette stamp I have had since 2020 but is still available on the Simon Says Stamp website.  It comes in a set of 2 and is really HUGE!  I stamped it using Altenew Obsidian Black Ink with my Stamping Platform so I could re-stamp it several times to get good coverage - then went over a few small bits that didn't quite stamp properly using an Anko .05 Black Pigment Pen.  

The sentiment is by Unity Stamps and dates back to 2009, and was stamped using Versafine Onyx Black Ink.  I added a Kaisercraft Black Pearl to the RHS of the sentiment using Art Glitter Glue for good adhesion.

Final touches were adding Stampin' Up - Tiny Bee Trinkets - which were glued on using Art Glitter Glue.  These tiny bees were a very recent purchase and were on the Last Chance List but are no longer showing on their website so must have sold out.  Now I wish I had bought a second container......sigh.......

The main image panel was layered onto Stampin Up Daffodil Delight Cardstock then Black Cardstock - then finally an American Crafts White Card Base.  Finished size is:  6-3/8 x 4-11/16 inches or 162 x 119mm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Simon Says Stamps Wildflowers SSS201998, Unity Stamps Feel the Joy IB-254 by Lindsey Spencer

Ink:  Altenew Obsidian Black Pigment, Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Distress - Squeezed Lemonade, Scattered Straw, Dried Marigold, Wild Honey, Mustard Seed, Fossilized Amber + Carved Pumpkin

Accessories:  Ink Blending Tools, Stamping Platform, Anko .05 Black Pigment Pen, Kaisercraft Black Pearl BR211, Stampin Up Tiny Bee Trinkets #164714 (retired), Mont Marte Yellow Pastel Pencils, Art Glitter Glue, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Repositionable Tape, Bristol Smooth White Cardstock, Stampin Up Daffodil Delight Cardstock + Black Cardstock, American Crafts White Card Base

Stencils:  Lavinia Acetate Circle Masks LAM001    

Penny Black Frolic Card - A Guest Designer Post for Critter Crazy

 

Hi everyone,

Over at the Critter Crazy Challenge Blog, I was offered a Guest Designer Role for the month of MAY after being Becca's (Owner) Eagle Eyes Pick w/Guest DT invite from the March Challenge - so I was very honoured to be asked.  The theme is always 'Anything Goes with a featured Critter - real or fantasy', so why not play along yourself and have some fun. 

The Challenges always start on the 1st of each month and HERE is a link to May's Challenge #110.

And this is what I made:

As you probably already know, I LOVE featuring critters on my card - they just make me happy - so I pulled out one of my most-favourite Penny Black Cat Stamps called Frolic which dates back to 2009.  You just can't help but smile at that happy cat, can you?!!    

I stamped the image onto Ranger Watercolour Cardstock using Versafine Onyx Black Ink and coloured it using Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers and a Zig Blender Pen.  I went over some of the black lines using an Anko 0.05 Black Pigment Pen for any that needed darkening up after my colouring.

Here is a close-up:

The sentiment is by Mama Elephant - Mini Messages - which was first released in 2015 but is still available.  This is a fabulous set with a variety of small sentiments and a few small images for lots of different occasions including Christmas so definitely worth picking up.  I don't always want to add a separate sentiment panel to my main image and I thought the sentiment I chose meant I could use the card for a variety of occasions.  I used my Stamp Positioning Tool for perfect placement.

I diecut the main panel using my Big Shot and Lifestyle Nesting Rounded Squares Dies.

The designer papers are by Cocoa Vanilla - Happy Day - which were released in 2023.  I love the bright cheery colours in this paper.  The cardstock is by Kaisercraft - Wildberry and Blueberry.

I added a matching American Crafts 9.5mm or 3/8" inch wide Organza Ribbon.

I punched some tiny hearts from Wildberry Cardstock using my EK Success Arrows Border Punch - they are the leftover punchies that look like tiny hearts.  I glued them on using Art Glitter Glue.

Finishing touches were Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush to all the hearts and flowers so it looks very sparkly in real life

Once I had completed my card front, I glued it to a White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.  Finished size is 140mm x 140mm or 5-1/2" x 5-1/2".

Thanks Becca for asking me to be a Guest Designer - I really appreciate it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Penny Black Frolic 3972K Wood Mount, Mama Elephant Mini Messsages

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black

Designer Paper:  Cocoa Vanilla Happy Days A5 Stack - Item # CV-HD011

Accessories:  Big Shot, American Crafts Organza Ribbon 9.5mm-3/8" wide, Anko Black .05 Pigment Pen, Stamp Positioning Tool, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, Fabric Glue, Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush, Cardstock - Ranger Watercolour + Kaisercraft Wildberry and Blueberry, White Card Base 140mm x 140mm

Dies:  Lifestyle Nesting Rounded Squares L-CC-002 (retired)

Punches:  EK Success Arrows Border

Wellington Bear Wedding Anniversary Card

 

Hi blogging friends,

My husband and I celebrated our 37th Wedding Anniversary in April and this is the card that I made for him:

I can hardly believe it is 37 years!  I am so lucky to be married to my one true love.  He is the nicest and kindest person I know.

The main image and sentiment are by Docrafts from their Wellington Bear Collection which was released around 2013.  I love this collection and have made many cards from it over the years.  On the card inside, I wrote:  "So glad that I am on this ride with you" to tie in with the car theme.

The plaid background designer paper is by Mintay - Garage - and the woodgrain designer paper is by Studio Light - Denim Saturdays.  The light blue designer paper is from the same Wellington Bear Collection.

The side panel Navy Blue Cardstock was punched using a Fiskars Threading Water Punch.  

The ribbon was attached in two separate elements.  I added Fray Stop to the cut ends to stop them from fraying.  I popped this panel up on scraps of white cardstock.

I also popped the sentiment up on 1mm dimensionals.  I punched some tiny hearts from reddy-orange designer paper from the Wellington Bear Collection using my EK Success Arrows Border Punch - they are the leftover punchies that look like tiny hearts.  I glued them on using Art Glitter Glue.

Once I had finished my card front, I glued it to a White Paper Rose Slimline Australian Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

Finished size is 3-7/8" x 8-3/16" or 98mm x 208mm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps and Ink:  None

Designer Paper:  Mintay Garage 12" x 12", Studio Light Denim Saturdays PPDEN103 6" x 6", Docrafts Wellington Bear - Light Blue + Reddy-Orange Paper

Accessories:  Multicraft Ribbon SR108J 10mm-3/8" wide, Fabric Glue, Fray Stop, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, 1mm Dimensionals, Docrafts Wellington Bear Card Topper and Sentiment, Cardstock - Kaisercraft Navy Blue + White, Paper Rose Slimline Australian White Card Base

Punches:  Fiskars Threading Water Border, EK Success Arrows Border

Stampin' Up Leaf Collection Hello Card

 

Hi everyone,

Today I am sharing a card that I made for one of the lovely ladies in our Stampin' Up Class that we attend once a month:

 

I wanted to brighten my friend's day with a card plus a surprise gift that I am including.  I do love to send "happy mail" when someone least expects it.  Sure, it's lovely to get a birthday card (not that I get very many nowadays) - but it's so nice to receive a handmade card in the mail when you aren't expecting it.  I think it's sad that people just send a message on Facebook when it's your birthday.  It's like it's a cookie cutter social media task.  And to me, it feels so impersonal, robotic and obligatory rather than heartfelt.  I have been making a point in the last year to send out Thank You Cards and people really appreciate them.

This is also my card for the following Challenges - click on the underlined link to take you to each challenge:

• Splitcoaststampers - Free for All Friday F4A838 - 3 of a Kind - mine is the 3 ink colours as well as the 3 different sized clear gems

• Splitcoaststampers - Technique Lover's TLC1004 - Joseph's Coat

• Crafty Catz - #709 - Anything Goes

• Cardz for Galz - #271 - Embossing Heat or Dry 

• Just us Girls - Word Week #814 - Emboss

I used the Joseph's Coat Technique which I only learned how to do last year - but it has been around for quite a long time.  First, I took a sheet of White Cardstock and randomly coloured splotches of ink all over it using my Ink Blending Tools fitted with a Domed Pad.  I used all Stampin' Up Inks in the colours Watermelon Wonder + Delightful Dijon (both retired) and Garden Green (still current).  I was really going for an Autumn feel because it is Autumn here where I live in Australia and the leaves are just starting to turn.  You don't have to be neat nor blend colours.  This is what the panel looked like after adding the inks - and doesn't it look like a hot mess?!!

I then heat-set the panel to make sure it was completely dry before moving onto the next step. 

I used a Powder Tool all over the panel then stamped my leaves using Versamark Watermark Ink.  The image is called Stampin' Up - Leaf Collection and is one solid stamp.  This a retired stamp, but one I absolutely LOVE.  I poured on Ranger Clear Detail Embossing Powder and heat-set it.  I went over all the panel with Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink and the embossed image resists the black ink.  I would definitely recommend disposable gloves for that part unless you like having black ink all over your hands!  

You then wipe over the panel using a piece of paper towel to remove the excess black ink off the embossed image.  And then the colourful image seems to magically appear which is why it is called Joseph's Coat.   It really amazes me how the ink colours change quite a bit.  You would not believe that it was Garden Green Ink as it looks more teal.  

I layered the panel onto Stampin' Up Crushed Curry Cardstock with a 1/16" border, then onto Black Cardstock with a 1/8" border which were done using my We R Memory Keepers Perfect Layer Guides.

The sentiment is also by Stampin' Up - Fabulous Sayings - which you could get for $9 in January once your order was over a certain amount - but it is actually still available when I checked tonight even though it is March.  I guess it will be available until sold out.  This is a really, really great set and definitely worth getting:

I stamped the sentiment using Versafine Onyx Black Ink onto Stampin' Up Very Vanilla Cardstock, then diecut it using my Big Shot and a Spellbinders Oval Nestabilities Die.  I layered this onto Crushed Curry Cardstock that was diecut using a Spellbinders Scalloped Oval Nestabilities Die.  I popped the panel up on scraps of cardstock.  

I added 5 x Clear Gems in 3 different sizes around the sentiment - 3 on the top RHS and 2 on the bottom LHS.  I used Art Glitter Glue to attach them because this glue dries completely clear.  I love how the clear gems look like drops of rain.

Lastly, I attached my card front to a Kaisercraft White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.

I think you could use this card for lots of different occasions.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Stampin' Up Leaf Collection #163610 (retired) + Fabulous Sayings #167972

Ink:  Stampin' Up Watermelon Wonder + Delightful Dijon (both retired) + Garden Green, Versafine Clair Nocturne, Versafine Onyx Black

Designer Paper:  None

Accessories:  Big Shot, Ink Blending Tool with Domed Pads, Heat-Gun, Powder Tool, Ranger Clear Detail Embossing Powder, WRMK Perfect Layers Guides,  Disposable Gloves, Paperartz Clear Gems, Art Glitter Glue, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Cardstock - Stampin' Up Crushed Curry + Very Vanilla + White + Black, Kaisercraft White Card Base

Dies:  Spellbinders Oval Nestabilities + Scalloped Oval Nestabilities