Uniquely Creative Peonies and Proteas Birthday Card

 

Hi everyone,

Today I am sharing a Birthday Card that I made for my sister-in-law:

I used a Uniquely Creative Card Kit called Peonies and Proteas which was released March 2024 - but I always change up things a little.

The Designer Papers were distressed using my Uniquely Creative Edge Distressing Tool.  I glued on scraps of White Cardstock behind each paper so I could add a little bit of height to them.

I fussy-cut some elements from the Designer Papers using my Uniquely Creative Fussy Cutting Scissors - other elements are from the co-ordinating Creative Cuts.  What I like to do is layer my elements together then take a photo so I have a reference for when I am adhering them.  Some elements are popped up on mounts and others are just glued.  I glued just the bases of the leaves so I could bend them up for more dimension.

I used a different sentiment than what was suggested in the card kit and chose a sentiment from the Creative Cuts instead.  This was also popped up.

I added some Kaisercraft Soft Pink Rhinestones but added a dot of Art Glitter Glue underneath to keep them from shifting.

The original card kit had a ribbon on it but I couldn't figure out where to put it after I had already added the rhinestones, so left it off because in the end, I didn't think the card really needed it.

As a final touch, I added Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush to the flower centres and various other parts of the design - alas, not captured by the camera but looks so pretty in real life.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps and Ink:  None

Designer Paper:  Uniquely Creative Peonies and Proteas 6" x 6" Pad UCP2700 + matching Creative Cuts UCP2701 (released 2024)

Uniquely Creative Accessories:  Edge Distressing Tool UCE1986, White Card Base, Foam Mounts, Fussy Cutting Scissors, Clear Sparkle Brush

Other Accessories:  Kaisercraft Rhinestones Soft Pink SB701 (retired), Art Glitter Glue, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, 1mm Foam Mounts, Scraps of White Cardstock

Stampin' Up Gift Tags Teddy Bear Birthday Card

 

Hi blogging friends,

Today I am sharing a cute little Birthday Card that I made for a young lady who attends our monthly Stampin' Up Class:

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

• Critter Crazy Challenge - #112 - Anything Goes with a Featured Critter Real or Fantasy

• Crafty Catz Challenge - #717 - Anything Goes

• Splitcoaststampers - Free for All Friday F4A854 - Nursery Rhymes/Children's Song - I chose Teddy Bear's Birthday Party Song.  You can find it on You-Tube HERE.  It goes like this:

It's a special day, a time for cheer,

Teddy bear's birthday is finally here!

Friends are coming from far and near,

With laughter, love, and joy sincere.

Happy birthday, Teddy Bear!

Let's cut the cake, and share.

Balloons and presents fall all around,

Let's celebrate with joy and sound!

A chocolate cake with candles bright,

Teddy bear blows them out tonight.

Wishes are made, the party's begun,

Dancing and games for everyone!

Happy birthday, Teddy Bear!

I thought I would bring out one of my VERY old Stampin' Up Sets called Gift Tags.  Technically, the stamps are meant just for gift tags, but I love this sweet little teddy bear and I think it is perfect for a quick and easy card.  This set was released in the year 2000 and I managed to pick it up second-hand over 10 years ago.  It is such a sweet little set which has seen plenty of use over the years.  Stampin' Up currently have their Silly Old Bear Suite - but it is frustratingly not available in Australia.  I would LOVE to have another Teddy Bear Stamp Set like Button Bear. which was released in 1995.  The last teddy bear stamp that I remember Stampin' Up releasing was Baby Bear from 2016 so it has been far too long between bear releases!

I stamped the image (which already includes the sentiment) using Versafine Onyx Black Ink onto Ranger Watercolour Cardstock.  It was coloured using Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers and a Zig Blender Pen.

I pulled out some retired Stampin' Up Designer Series Papers called 'A Cherry on Top' which was first released in June 2015.  I paired them with two now-retired colours:  Watermelon Wonder and Bermuda Bay.  I wanted my card to look very bright and cheery.  I wish I had bought more of these Designer Series Papers and are now down to just a few sheets 😞

I diecut the main image panel using my Big Shot and Stampin' Up Stylish Shapes Circle Die, then layered that onto a Spellbinders Petite Nesting Scalloped Circle Die.  

I tied on some Caribbean Twine then added 3 x Uniquely Creative Enamel Dots from their Choose Your Own Adventure which was released May 2021.  I added a dot of Art Glitter Glue underneath the enamel dots so they were more secure.  I am posting this card so those dots ain't going anywhere!

I used my EK Success Arrows Border Punch to punch some tiny hearts from Watermelon Cardstock - they are the leftover punchies that look like tiny hearts to me - then glued one either side of the sentiment.  

I added some Glossy Accents to the bear's heart

Final touches were Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush to the hearts beside the sentiment, teddy's bow and the present.

Once I had finished my card front, I glued it to a White Card Base using Tombow Mono Multi Glue.  I added some scraps of white cardstock underneath so the panel had a little bit of height.  I find this easier (and cheaper) then using foam pads - plus the glue gives me a little bit of wriggle time so I can get the panel exactly where I want it.  I can never get things straight when I use foam pads!

Finished size is:  4-1/2" x 4-1/2" or 114mm x 114mm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jocelyn

Card Recipe:

Stamps:  Stampin' Up Gift Tags (released 2000 - retired)

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black

Designer Paper:  Stampin' Up A Cherry on Top (released 2015 - retired)

Accessories:  Big Shot, Uniquely Creative Clear Sparkle Brush, Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers, Zig Blender Pen, Caribbean Twine by The Twinery, Uniquely Creative Enamel Shapes - Dots - UCE1821, Glossy Accents, Tombow Mono Multi Glue, Art Glitter Glue, House of Paper - White Square Card Base, Cardstock - Stampin' Up Watermelon Wonder (retired) + Bermuda Bay (retired) + Scraps of White + Ranger Watercolor

Dies:  Stampin' Up Stylish Shapes #159183, Spellbinders Petite Nesting Scalloped Circles (retired)

Punches:   EK Success Arrows Border

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