Flying Unicorn

Your Passion. Your Art. April 2014 Kit of the Month

 

We are thrilled to reveal our April 2014 Your Passion Your Art kit of the month! This kit is filled to the brim with the long awaited 7 Dots Collection Cold Country ! A vintage, artistic feel with lots of one of kind goodies and mixed media enhancements to allow you to create with passion your works of art! 

 

Our kit is never complete without our off the page project  and this  month we provide an unfinished wood 3 drawer chest that stands eight inches tall ! 

We are so excited to share some sneak peeks and okay one amazing layout by our Guest Designer and Co-Owner of 7 Dots Studio - Tusia  .... Check back tomorrow  for a full reveal  of her amazing  creations !! 

 

 

 

Our Small Art Big Passion add on kit is perfect for card, tag and atc makers! This add on kit  is a wonderful enhancement to the main kit and  all other add on kits ..

Mixed Art  add on kit is for beginners and enthusiasts  who  love  mixed media and  creating journal pages, layouts, with lots of textures and details! Our  Mixed Art  kit always come with a canvas to allow your to create works of art that can be displayed in your home. gifted or to practice your techniques. Its about finding the passion in you and creating!  The colors of the Mixed Art compliment the main kit and other add ons allowing you additional items and mediums to play with. 

 

Mixed Passion, the prettiness of it all.  This add on kit is filled with additional flowers, trims and embellishments that  enhance the  main  kit and all other add on kits.  It can  stand alone and be used with your stash - the  possibilities are endless! 

 

 

Our Educators this  month our Creative Team Members  Lynne and Tammy. Join Lynne this month on our You Tube Channel on April 6th 2014, as she  creates an incredible layout with lots of techniques to assist your growth as an artist. Tammy has created an outstanding  layout  and  takes us step by step  On April 8th 2014, to create the same with amazing techniques.

 

 

 

Flying Unicorn  believes that art should be a passion and  not an obligation - we  have no kit  sign ups - they are sold on a first come first serve basis - once they are  gone they are  gone -  so   CLICK  on over to the  store  and  get your Kit and all the  addons  now !

Happy Creating ! 

Mojo Monday a little early

 

Since the  kit is  being  released  tonight at  12:01 am  we  needed to  give you all a  little extra  time  to get your  mojo going  and   share this  weeks  Mojo Monday on Sunday!  We have an amazing sketch  by Tammy with a  gorgeous  inspirational layout by Michelle! 

 

 

Using the gorgeous colourings from Flying Unicorn's fabulous March kit of the month, Michelle has been a little creative with modeling paste, gesso, mesh, mists, mists and more mists.

 

Michelle's border stitching, using one of the awesome fake stitching stamps from last month's kit of the month.

 

Have to say that it is great to see paper crafter's using product on an ongoing basis from previous kits.  Looks like these stamps are the 'go to' stamps at the moment.

 

And the subject matter of Michelle's layout ... that first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower from her trip to Paris last year.  That first glimpse is obviously a special memory.

 

Happy creating.

 

Product list from the Flying Unicorn store :

 

March kit of the month

Maya Road clocks

Stampendous shabby embossing enamel

Black mesh ribbon

White mesh - sticky tape

Manorhouse Creations title - dream

Prima stitching stamps

Guest Designer April 2014

Everyone is over the moon that we have Tusia, Co-Owner of 7 dots Studio as our April Guest  Designer !! You will have to wait a  few days  to see the  amazing creations that she  has created using our  April Kit ... which is  shhhh .. still a surprise  .... but  while  we wait here is a little about  Tusia in her own words...

I love all kinds of media – if I would have to define my style, I would say that media are

 the only constant thing. My favourite colours are fresh, bold greens, blues and pinks, 

but at the same time I just love delicate, pale hues of beige, rose and white. However 

here is something in my projects, what can be found always – a positive, feminine style. 

Scrapbooking fills my whole life – it is all around me – in my private life and in my job 

career. I love the process of creation – I have created things since early childhood – all 

kinds of handmade things always attracted me. I cannot imagine my life without making 

some art. Even if I leave for a weekend, I always take my small “art-bag”, filled with art-

journal supplies. I am lucky enough to be a designer in a few very creative places. I love 

drinking coffee, reading books, walking through the forest, watching flowers on the 

meadow, basking in the autumn sun and being deep in my inner world. I can say that I 

am happy person and wouldn't change a single thing in my life.

 

 

 

CLICK HERE  to head on over to Tusia's blog for more eye candy creations and  is  you are not  a follower than  become one to not miss out on her amazing creations !! 

New Goodies in the store :)

 

Hi everyone…Shona here today with a layout that is quite different for me. I have used the NEW Prima Stationers Desk from the Flying Unicorn store and thought to myself…this looks perfect for the March Prima BAP sketch..so I gave it a whirl. Here is my layout and the sketch I used.

 

 
 

 

 

I used many many layers of papers from the collection to achieve the sketch look. I also used some Prima Finnabair metals here and there on my layout.

 

This collection comes with some super fun tags and chipboard pieces that I have used in my layers. You can see some masking in the background with Shimmerz Texturez and I added a few splashes of some Shimmerz Hot Fudge Vibez.

 

The flowers are all from Prima and to finish it all off I have dabbed some gesso on everything. Have a great weekend everyone!

Our Family has Grown Again!

Can you  believe the  exciting news we  have - our  family has  grown and  we are  so honored and thrilled to announce the TWO  newest members to the Flying  Unicorn Creative Team - Delaina Burns and Lainie Michel!

 

Without further adieu I present our newest  Creative Team Family  Members ! 

 

 

Hey Yáll, I am Delaina Burns. I am

excited to be joining this immensely talented group here at Flying Unicorn!

 I live in a small town in Alabama with my hubby of 29 years. I have 2 wonderful grown children and a beautiful granddaughter. I have been a scrapper since 2006 but a crafter as long as I can remember.  I have been blessed with many  design opportunities, including my present DT position with Prima Marketing. I hope to inspire all of you here and look forward to being inspire by all of you as well!

 

 

 

Oh  there is so  much more creative  goodness - CLICK Here  to head on over to Delaina's blog  to leave  some  congratulations  love and to become a  follower ! 

 

 

I grew up in Illinois, spent 18 years in Southern California and have now been re-planted in Iowa. I have the wonderful blessing of being a SAHM with my young son. I also have 3 wonderful grown daughters. My husband is pretty much everything I hope my own daughters will find in a man - he is so amazing and supportive. So a little about my background - I love everything pretty - I always have! My first job was working in a jewelry store - just because I loved stuff that sparkled. I have tried a little of this and that, like working at jobs that interested me and owning my own business, until I decided I wanted another child. Additionally, I have spent many years in performing arts, as a great love of mine is acting. I pretty much adore the whole continuum of the arts from music, writing, painting, dancing, and acting - anything creative. Now I am enjoying the journey of this amazing medium of scrapbooking and mixed media. I have been scrapping since December of 2012, so I am still relatively new to this world, but boy do I love the community! I think we are a group of the kindest, most supportive people on earth. Hopefully, I can grow with this group and we can learn and discover something spectacular along the way!

 

 

 

CLICK  here to see  more inspiring artistic creations by Lainie and to welcome her to the team and do not forget to become a follower of her  blog 

 

Delaina and  Lainie have  been   working on  some  awesome  projects that we  will be  showcasing in the next few weeks so stay tuned for some eye  candy awesomeness!!

I Can't Draw!!

That's right, I really can't draw! Well, yes I can, but it's painful. Painful, as in it'll take me forever to draw a simple shape. Painful as in, I'll get sick of what I'm trying to draw, before I can actually get very far. Painful as in, well you get it. But, I love art journal pages, and especially love to see drawings included on them. So what's a girl to do?!

Templates!!! Yes templates, or stencils, or coloring books, or patterned papers with basic shapes, or whatever you can find that has a line drawing or shape, of what you want to draw. There are tons of FREE templates on the internet, that you can download, and print out, for your personal use. And that's exactly what I did for my page......

The bunny....oh I love that bunny!!! Yep, got him off of Martha Stewart's blog. Her site has a huge section devoted to 'creating', and that's where I found the bunny. But there's plenty more sites for free templates. All you have to do is Google "Your Specific Free Templates", and you'll get tons of hits.

All I did was to print him out on paper, and then trace him onto Prima Cartographer paper. Then I glued him down to my prepped background, and then painted over him. I could have printed him on the Prima paper, but I was afraid that the ink from my printer would run, once I applied wet media to him. I used Neocolor IIs in brown tones, to wash over him. Then I used a Faber-Castell Big Brush Pen in black to outline him, I also added highlights with a White Sharpie. 

For the background flowers, I used stamps from Dylusions and Unity, with Inks from Memento (Bamboo Green) and Ranger (Hydrangea). The main flowers......so easy! I had some scraps of patterned papers, that had, well flowers on them. So I fussy cut around them, and glued them down to my page. Then I went over top with the Neocolor IIs and Gelatos. Again, I outlined with the Faber-Castell Big Brush Pen, and highlighted with the Sharpie.

You would never know, that those bright and bold flowers, started life in muted tones of pink and orange! I added more stamping with Prima and my fave Kaisercraft Script stamp, onto my background. This time I used my Stazon Ink in Timber Brown. A few more flowers, random dots around the stamped flowers in more Faber-Castell colors, added a bit of life to the background.

Finally, it was time to add my journaling....another Dylusions stamp. Highlighted with the white Sharpie, and a brown Sharpie.....cause I can' draw straight lines, and went over on to the stamped image!!! LOL And then I added a bit of stenciling with Prima's Lace Doily, and some Golden Molding Paste.

For those of you, who, like me, can't draw, I hope that I've given you hope for your art journal pages. Even if you can't 'draw' you can sure color an image!!!!

Thanks for looking!

Lynne

WCYDW - Using Your Ink Stained Paper towels as Texture on Projects

 

Jennifer Snyder here with a super quick video on how to use up those ink and mist saturated paper towels on your projects.  Paper towels are my best friend when it comes to dabbing mist from a page, or cleaning excess mist from my craft mat.  I've gotta be honest - sometimes my paper towels are prettier than my project or misting experiment. 

 

But I also feel that I waste a lot of mist during the creative process or when I am trying something different -testing out  a "look". So waste no more!  Incorporate those mist soaked paper towels into your project for some incredible and rich texture. Never toss a towel out again.  Just add it to your ever growing "stash" for use at a later date. 

 

 

This is what I created with my paper towels.   I used them for texture.  I adhered them to the page using Gel Medium, then added seed beads and let dry.  Super easy!

 

This tutorial builds upon the tutorial created by Jackie Clark, on March 5th called "Worry Free Misting".  It was a wonderful tutorial with a sensational  video ( a 'MUST SEE" if you are timid about mists).  Fabulous,  you can now mist and spritz with confidence. And then what?  You have paper towels soaked in Glitz, and Glam, Spritz, Shimmerz, Lindy's, 13Arts Mists, Prima Color Sprays...you name it - it's probably on your paper towel. 

 Well waste no more!

 

Here is a quick - (4 min) video showing how I used my paper towels.  In today's ecomony, you need to be crafty and economical. 

 

  

 

   Here you can see that I have added seed beads to my paper towels layers.  I can do this when the gel medium is wet and then they stick nicely as the gel dries.

 

I have highlighted my paper towel layers and my page with Splash of Color Silk Glazes.  These are wonderful transparent glazes and not paints.  They are not over bearing and do not completely cover the images under them.  They provide color, accent and pizzazz, just in a soft handed way.   Totally perfect for folks like me who are not comfortable with paints and bold color for frea of ruining the project or not being satisfied with the results.    I can honestly say I have never felt that I have added too much Silk on any project or that it is too heavy.  You can find an amazing selection of the most beautiful colors available here. 

I used Carmen - a deep rich red to bring out the reds in my heart image.    Then I applied a little Ginger Peach, which has a warm orange touch.  Last, I used Solar Gold. This leaves a golden sheen on the page - transparent and definitely not overpowering, just enough for a gilded highlight.

 For comparison's sake - I usually love to use Rub'N Buff when trying to achieve a gilded look, but that tends to be heavy and give a more antique look.  Solar Gold Silk is a great intermediate step.

 

 

 

 

Here are a few other projects I created using the paper towels created using the March Mixed Art! add on kit 

 

 

 

 

And yet another example.  The flower centers are simply paper towels bunched up and glued on.  

 

 

 

 

 The center of the flowers was simply baled up paper towels.  No technique - nothing fancy - just rolled, balled and glued.  

 

Now you can enjoy your sprays and mists even more!

Supplies:

Gel Medium

13 Arts Ayeeda Yellow Amber Mist

Shimmerz  Spritz Tuscan Sun

Lindy's Flat Fabio Mango Mania

Lindy's Bougainvillea Fuchsia

Prima Color Bloom Mists - Tangerine

Splash of  Color - Silks in Solar Gold, Carmen, Ginger Peach

Seed Beads

Prima Mask 960348

Flying Unicorn Metal Adornments

Trim

Floral berries

More Inkido "Beautiful Memories" with Nadia

Hello everyone. This is Nadia!

 

I am sharing with you today 2 more layouts I created with the gorgeous Beautiful Memories collection from Inkido. 

This is what the gorgeous Beautiful Memories collection looks like and it is available in full at The Flying Unicorn HERE

 

 

 

 

Today I am sharing my second layout I created :)) 

 

"You And Me"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Materials List

Paper: Beautiful Memories - Inkido

Texture: Viva Decor 3D Stamp Paint - White

Mist: Colorbox Spritzers - Moody Blue , Shimmerz Coloringz - Mama Sings The Blues

Ink: 13arts Black Ink

Flowers: Prima Marketing- Parola

Chipboard: Wycinanka

Metal Embellishments :  The Flying Unicorn Metal Adornments,  

 

 

 

"Good Times"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Materials List

Paper: Beautiful Memories - Inkido

Texture: Viva Decor 3D Stamp Paint - White

Metal Embellishments :  The Flying Unicorn Metal Adornments

Flowers: Prima Marketing "Bellas", Prima Marketing "Lady Godivas Orange Ice"

Stencil: Prima 6x6 stencil

Resist Canvas: Prima Marketing 3pc Elementals 

Peals Drops: Shimmerz Dimensionz Streets Of Gold

Paint: Shimmerz Candelight

Mist: Heidi Swapp - Coral, Lindy's Stamp Gang- Cotton Candy pink, Dylusions - Squeezed Orange

Ink: Liquitex Ink - Quinacridone Magenta, 

Mojo Monday

Hi! Welcome to another MOJO Monday! Today we have a beautiful sketch by Alda and a lovely layout by Erica using the NEW Botanical Tea collection by Graphic 45! 

 

 

 

Here are a few close-ups:

 

 

 

Paper

Graphic 45, Botanical Tea

 

Embellishments

Graphic 45, Botanical Tea – chipboard tags 1 & 2

Manor House, Michaels, Petaloo & Prima – flowers

Darice – bella corda

Kaisercraft – pearl flourish

Wilton – doilies

 

Products

Tim Holtz – distress ink

  

 

Colour me purple ...

Yep, it's my turn to share a little creativity today.

But I have to say, that I was only half-pie organised last night and realised that I hadn't whipped up another project ... good intentions and all that.

So last night, it was panic mode.

Today though, it's all about ... colour me purple.

I love the colour purple, I truly do.  There are those that 'hate' the colour, so hopefully my projects will inspire those that dislike the colour a wee tad to perhaps be a little creative.

So here we go.

 

 

and a little close up ...

 

 

This tag was made using one of the Kaisercraft collections ... and I have to say that I really did drool somewhat when I heard that this colour combination was being released.

* * * * *

 

 

In the forum at the moment Alda has a monthly challenge this month all about playing with matchboxes and I hope that you find time to join us.

 

Using a few of the 6x6 papers from 7 Dots - Cold Country paper pack and yep, I picked up on the purple tones in the papers ...

 

 

 

 

on my topper, a selection of Manorhouse Creations flowers ...

 

 

 

 

another closer look ...

 

 

 

 

I've used Kaisercraft pearl brads as my drawer knobs.

 

 

 

 

The green leaves came from one of the Flying Unicorn monthly kits last year ...

 

 

 

 

And there you have it ... colour me purple ... it's a gorgeous colour ...

Happy creating everyone.

Michelle [aka Mrs Frizz]

 

From the Flying Unicorn store :

Petaloo berries - currently out of stock
7 Dots - Cold Country 6x6 paper pack
Manorhouse Creations flowers
Lace mesh
Manorhouse Creations vines - currently out of stock

Cards and New Collections ~ Tammy

Hey all! Hope your Saturday is Beautiful and sunny! I have a couple of cards I would like to share with you today. Using the new Prima "Stationer's Desk" and Fabscraps "Retro Twist" Collection.

First up and really this is what started it all. LOL I got a little package O'Love from my friend Shona. In this package was the cutest die cut with a butterfly in the center. It had a front and back circle shape like a card. I got to thinking hummm.. I have some clear cards in that very shape. I dug through my scrappy stash and pulled them out. What do ya know perfect fit! It was like it was meant to be! LOL So I whipped up a clear card. Here are my results..

A few Prima flowers. Some Flying Unicorn Venise lace.. Throw in a dash of Shimmerz and Aladine izink. A pinch of gesso. Can't forget the little alpha from Authentique. Bam! A cool and funky card for a friend! Oh I can't forget the cute little butterfly stamp from the "Stationer's Desk" Collection from Prima! Here is a close up..

Now speaking of Prima "Stationer's Desk" Collection.. I happen to have a square clear card too! Soooo I played with it too! :) Here is the results of that adventure!

So much fun putting this one together too! Love the Prima Doily stamp! Perfect fit!! Weeeee and I had one tiny Creative Embellishments feather left over when I was playing with masks, that I covered with Stampendous Embossing enamel in Aged gold. So put that on there as well!  A few flowers from my stash. Oh and love the tags from the "Stationer's Desk" too! I had a piece of twill with the quote "Just a note" and some gesso.. Bam! Another fun card for a friend to say Thank you! Here is a close up of this one..

Lots of fun! Cool to go shopping in your stash to find perfect fits for projects! Thank you for joining me today!!

Hi Everyone!

Melinda here with you today to share with you a layout I created recently for a challenge blog where I was Guest Designer...well they called it Designer Hot Spot..lol! Anyway its for a relatively new challenge blog called Off The Rails Scrapbooking.  This months challenge was to "Bling it Up".  

  "Happy Memory" 

 

 

Gold is fast become a trend on the scrapbooking world at the moment...so I decided to head down that path for this challenge. I have used gold thread, sequins, tape, glitter and Sliks Acrylic Glaze in Solar Gold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful blooms from Manor House Creations. You can find a wide variety of them in the store.  I have also used some Shimmerz and Luminarte Twinkling H20's in the background. You can find a variety of these products in the store as well.

 

Do you follow trends?  Do you love the gold trend...would love to know :)

Hope this has inspired you to get all sparkly with your next project.

Thanks for visiting

Melinda

Vintage Chic with Distress Stains

Hi everyone!

For today's post, I have a little vintage chic tray that I've made using Distress Stains from Tim Holtz. This is nothing new, but oh so fun! And easy too!!

Here's my tray.....

This is my prototype, which has less aging, and is smaller than the piece that I'm using for this tutorial. I've decorated this one, with a handmade flower, and Tim's Ideaology feet. I'll be using it, to hold face care products, and it will sit on the counter in my bathroom. Since my bathroom has a beachy 'feel' to it, I added the shell center. Here's another view.....

I'm calling it vintage chic, because it's, ehr, aged. LOL

Products you need:

My tray, was a 3 piece pack of wood trays, from Michaels, and for this tutorial, I'm using the largest one. Use whatever color of distress stain you want, here I used Walnut Stain. It doesn't matter what type of paint you use, but white seems to give the best look. Don't forget your old candle!!! And sandpaper works better than a sanding block!!

Step 1

Stain your piece with the distress stain. I found it easier to pop off the little dabber top, and use a brush, because you'll want to get into every nook and cranny. You won't use much stain....I used about half a bottle, and my piece is approximately 13" L by 6.5" W by 4" H, and I covered all sides, including the bottom. Make sure that your piece is dry before moving on to the next step.

Ugh Oh.....

You might want to wear gloves!!!!

Thought that I would show you a second color option. This little box (Michaels) has a magnetic top lid. This one is stained with Barn Door Distress Stain. Yep, glow in the dark red!! Yikes!

Apparently, I didn't learn the first time around!

Step 2

See the white bits, and shiny spots? That's where the candle comes in. I just took my old candle and rubbed it all around the edges, and in spots here and there along the sides. Pay particular attention to the spots that would normally be worn, especially around the edges and the handles. You can also do this on the inside, but I didn't bother. The wax, resists the paint, and that's what causes the aged look. You'll see.

Step 3

Once you are done with the candle, take a soft cloth and brush away the excess candle wax. You can see here, that I didn't get all of it off of the bottom, so more brushing off was needed.

Step 4

Pour out some paint, you'll need quite a bit for this size piece, and start brushing it on. You can tell that I wasn't too particular about this step...it adds more of the vintage look. But do try to brush with the grain, it'll be easier. You'll also notice, that the white paint starts to change color almost immediately. On this piece, it has a greyish/green hue to it. Of course, the hue will be different, depending on the stain color you choose. Make sure you let this dry completely, before moving on to the next step. You can speed up the process, with a heat gun, but beware of paint bubbles! If that's the look you want....go for it!

You guessed it, I still haven't learned!!!

Step 5

Once your piece is completely dry, take out your sandpaper or sanding block, and start sanding away, where you've added the candle wax. Make sure you hit all of the edges, and for the sides, you're basically playing the guessing game. Just sand away! You can take off as much or as little as you want. Here's another look.....

I sanded quite a bit on this piece! But then, I also added more wax!

Oh, and the glow in the dark red box.................

It's now glow in the dark red and pink! This might do for Valentine's Day, but not for my bathroom!!! So make sure you choose your Distress Stain color wisely!!!

Have fun, with this technique!! 

Lynne

WCYDW- Doily flower~ Tammy

 

 

 

Doily Flower Tute

 

 Hey all! Welcome to another WCYDW!! I thought I would revisit a flower tute that I had done a while ago. It was in a challenge and not all by itself, so I thought it would be good to give a spotlight all its own! So lets get started shall we?! 

 

 

 

NOTE: Doilies must be dry before you start this next part! They are to fragile wet. 

 

 

 

Have a great day!!

Time to Steampunk!!

Hello Everyone,

Bex here today to share you with 3 different steampunk style projects. Now we all know I love myself some grungy steampunk, I just love it, I find it fascinating and beautiful. I am a huge fan of using metal in my projects and with steampunk I don't think there is such a thing as overdoing your metal embellishments. 

Look at this AMAZING chipboard dress form from Creative Embellishments, how cool is it? I took the dress form and backed it with Prima canvas and then embellished with various metal pieces including WONDERFUL adornments from Flying Unicorn. 

Products Used

Flying Unicorn Adornments

Creative Embellishments Chipboard Dress Form

Prima Resist Canvas

Prima Mechanicals

Did anyone see the fabulous tutorial last month from Finnabair on YouTube? I so loved watching the tutorial and promptly decided  I HAD to make the project myself too. Here is my take Finnabair's horse tutorial. I used a combination of both Silks and Lumiere paints. My metal embellishments are a combination of Flying Unicorn Adornments and old watch parts from my stash.

Products Used

Flying Unicorn Adornments

Splash of Color Silks Paints

Lumiere Paints

Antique Gold Rub'n Buff

Last but certainly not least here is another tag, this like the one above has been created using a steampunk chipboard piece from Creative Embellishments.

Products Used

Creative Embellishments Steampunk Heart

Flying Unicorn Adornments

Prima Mechanicals

Splash of Color Silks Paints

Lumiere Paints

Antique Gold Rub'n Buff

Thanks for joining me on this little steampunk journey.

Have a beautiful and creative day!!

~ Bex ~

Mojo Monday

Happy Mojo Monday! We begin this week full of creative inspiration for you! Our Mojo Monday sketch was  designed by me, Alda and we have  an  amazing come to life inspirational layout by Lynne using Prima's  Stationer's Desk Collection. 

 

We invite you to play along this week and create a layout, a card, a tag using the sketch as your inspiration.  Our forums and challenges are for everyone! You did not need to purchase a  kit  or buy from the store to play.  The  forums and challenges are to inspire your  creativity and yes challenge it  as well.

 

So do not hesitate in joining us this week ! 

 

 

Lynne  used  the papers from Prima's  new  collection Stationer's Desk. Misting and splattering done with Lindy's FF in Queen of Hearts Red and SS in Golden Lump o'Coal. Stamping was done with Kaisercrafts' Script and Journal stamps, in StazOn Dove Gray and Stone Gray. Lynne distressed the edges with Ingvild's Distressing tool, and then added Black Soot around the edges of the papers.She also added a bit of Nutmeg Silk around some of the photo mats and  made my own envelope....without one of those boards....and that was challenging! The Creative Embellishment chippy (FL 10), was covered in Silk in Olive Vine, Pretty Peridot and a bit of Guatemalan Green and Nutmeg. I added the Prima flags (past kit), to the top left corner and misted them with LSG South Shore Sand. The flowers are all Petaloo, except the small beige ones, which are from Recollections. The metal and wood embellies are from Prima.

The Rules :

 

01. You have one week to create your project using the sketch as inspiration ( it does not have to be a layout it can be a card, a tag etc )

02. You must post your creation in this thread in order to be eligible for the 10.00 GC

03. You may use your project for any other monthly forum challenges except for the Anything goes challenge

04. Your project must be posted no later than 8:00pm on 03.23.2014

05. All other standard rules apply .

Play along with us this week for your chance to win!

 

 

 

Know Your Paints - March Mixed Media

 

Welcome to a new Mixed Media challenge!

For this month's tutorial, I want to talk a bit about paint. I don't know about you, but I have an obsession with paint. As soon as I discover a new one, I have to try it out, and promptly order it in several colors. If you have more self-control than I do (and good for you!), the array of paints out there might leave you scratching your head about where to spend your hard-earned scrappy budget. So today I have a little paint primer for you (pun intended), featuring many of the paints available in the Flying Unicorn Store.

 

The first thing about paint, is whether it is water-based or acrylic (a plastic that is water soluble when wet and waterproof when dry). Acrylics can give you more control, whereas watercolors give a more organic feel to your project. Watercolors are easier to blend, but acrylics are colourfast when dry. You can write or doodle on top of watercolors when they are dry, whereas you will need special writing tools to write on acrylics. Unless you strongly prefer one style over another, chances are both watercolors and acrylics deserve a space in your scrappy stash.

To illustrate the differences and similarities of these paints, I added some strips of book paper and metal tape to my journal pages so that you can see the differences in opacity and which paints work on metal.

 

Splash of Color - Silks and Twinkling H2Os

Silks and Twinkling H2Os (or "Twinks") come in the same gorgeous array of colors, so you might be at a loss when deciding which one to buy.

Silks - Silks are an acrylic glaze. They are semi-transparent, shiny and dry water proof.

Twinkling H2Os - Twinks are a dry puck watercolor paint. You can paint with them by applying water to a brush and rubbing it over the puck, but the best effect comes from spritzing them with water, letting them sit until they reach a honey consistency, and then painting them on. Because they are water-soluble, you can further dilute them with water to lighten the colour.

Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze and Glimmer Glam

Glimmer Glaze - Glimmer Glaze is a water-soluble paint with a sheen to it.

Glimmer Glam - Glimmer Glam is water-soluble paint packed with chunky glitter.

 

Rub N Buff

 

Rub N Buff - Rub N Buff is a water-based antiquing paint - it can be rubbed on directly from the tube, and burnished once dried.

 

Viva Decor Inka Gold

 

Inka Gold - Inka Gold comes in a puck of thick, waxy paint. It can be applied directly with your finger, or you can mix some with water for thinner coverage. When dried, you can burnish it for a great shine. Great for covering metal.

 

 

Shimmerz

 

Shimmerz - Shimmerz are water-based and packed with chunky glitter for a lot of shine. You can add extra water to dilute the colour.

 

Texturez - Texturez are thick and full of grit. They are perfect for stencilling, or for painting on with your finger or a palette knife.

 

Dazzlerz - Dazzlerz are thick, creamy, and packed with shine. They are perfect for stencilling, and can also be watered down to increase their transparency.

 

Dimensionz - Dimensionz have the same gorgeous shimmer as Dazzlerz, in a bottle with a nozzle, so that you can apply them as pearls or paint them on.

 

 

Viva Decor - Pearl Pens - gorgeous colors, and perfect little pearls!

 

Ranger - Liquid Pearls - the original for gorgeous, pearlescent pearls.

 

 

Clearsnap - Smooch - Smooch comes with its own paintbrush right in the bottle. Check out Denise's WCYDW for some great tips on using your Smooch paints.

I hope you'll play along with us this month! We'd love to see your art journal pages and mixed media projects here (sorry, no layouts - there are plenty of other great layout challenges elsewhere on the forum). The challenge will close at 5pm EST on April 14th, and the winner (selected by random.org) will have 7 days to claim their prize. All other Standard Rules apply.

Here is the fantastic RAK up for grabs:

 

 

Entries:

 

 

 

Scrap Around the World-Denise

Hey everyone!!!

This month Flying Unicorn is a sponsor at Scrap Around the World!!!!

 

The mood board this month is to die for!!! I love this board. When I look at it I think princess, shabby chic girls room, and of course PINK!!! I really got inspired to make a shabby chic lo!

 

Here is my layout. Now at SATW you don't have to use the colors of the board, you just have to choose something about the board that inspired you, but I did choose to stick with the pink. I chose to use Heartfelt Creations paper for it. Since the board reminded me of a shabby chic girlie room I tried to focus on that style.

Call me strange, but the cupcake reminded me of my Shimmerz Dazzlerz and I used it with one of my Prima stencils on the background. The butterflies reminded me of the fabric of the dress too.

 

Be sure to stop by the Scrap Around the World blog and check out the inspiration!!

Can't wait to see what you create!!!

Happy Scrappin!

Scrap Around the World and the Flying Unicorn!

 

Hi everyone! This month the Flying Unicorn is the main sponsor at Scrap Around the World Challenge site and we got to play along with the March challenge! There are so many inspiration pieces and lots of yummy prizes to win…so come play with us! Here is this months challenge and my interpretation of it!

 

 

 

 

I have used some 7 Dots Messy Head Collection, Prima stamps and both Prima and Petaloo flowers. I have taken the soft pink colors and those pretty blooms from the challenge to work with.

 

I finished it off with some Flying Unicorn trims and metal adornments and some Shimmerz.

Head on over to the Scrap Around the World Blog and play along for your chance to win!

Inkido "Beautiful Memories" with Nadia

 Hi people!!! It's Nadia here with you today! Hoping you are doing great.   

 SO I was sent an awesome DT pack from The Flying Unicorn to work with for March. I must say I am really just spoilt by the owner Alda. Really! She looks after her DT so much and I am glad she twisted my arm to join them a few months ago.. LOL!! 

 Well anyway, in this month's kit I received the VERY beautiful "Beautiful Memories" collection from Inkido, together with heaps of Prima flowers , a mixture of embellishments, mists, modelling pastes and ...yeah... spoilt !!LOL

 This is what the gorgeous Beautiful Memories collection looks like and it is available in full at The Flying Unicorn HERE

 

 

 

 Here are 2 projects I created with this collection,.,.

"Family"

 

This is my beautiful little family :) In January we did a road trip to Queensland. We left nice and early on a Sunday morning, and drove AAAALLLL day to Coffs Harbour, which is the halfway point between NSW and QLD. It was a breeze.. the baby was perfect and the kids were LOVING the whole thing. This picture was taken the next morning . The Big Banana is a tourist attraction in Coffs Harbour. We were there 5 years ago and took a photo in the very same spot but of course.. minus Sofia . This is a special photo for me.. one that I printed out right away when we returned and it is on my fridge in front of the previous one. 

 

 

 To create the background, I started by applying CLEAR Gesso to the whole page. This is so that it becomes a non porous surface which means it will hold all the mediums better. 

 

I then applied all my inks, mists etc (see materials list) and played around with them and some water. 

 

 

 

I was sent a container of Viva Decor 3D Stamping Paint by the Flying Unicorn. I love this stuff! It is simply what the name of it suggests.. you stamp with it and it creates a 3D effect. In this layout I used it where I would normally use Gesso or Modeling Paste in the background to provide texture. I love it because it also dries VERY quickly!!

 

 

 

 I have had this Heidi Swapp banner since November of last year when I took her class. I could never find a way to use it because I ..well.. I didnt know how to. I have decided this year that I am going to challenge myself to use more of what I have in my stash in creative ways rather than just go and buy new stuff. This is probably because I spent I little (and by little I mean A LOT) of money on supplies last year. Don't ask.. 

 

Anyway in this instance I simply coloured the banner with Ranger Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink (in grey colour. I cant remember the actual colour). SO let's just say I now want more of those banners LOL I loved the look!

 

 

I finished everything off with some more cut outs from the paper, some chipboard and some more embellishments. 

 

 

Materials List

Paper: Beautiful Memories - Inkido

Chipboard Heart: Heidi Swapp

Banner: Heidi Swapp

Chipboard circle: Wycinanka

Resist Canvas strip: Prima Marketing

Flowers: Prima Marketing Layla, Prima Marketing Gillian Cinder , 

Button: Prima Marketing

Texture: Viva Decor 3D Stamp Paint - White

Colour: Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Squeezed Lemonade

Tim Holtz Distress Paint - Mustard Seed

Tattered Angels Chalkboard Mist - Banana Pudding

Luminarte - Lucky Apple

Tattered Angels Chalkboard Mist- Inchworm 

 

 

Now here is a canvas I created with this collection and more gorgeous goodies from The Flying Unicorn store. 

 

 This is a 5x7 canvas which you can find at the store HERE. I started by adhering the paper strips on the base of the canvas, before stamping once again with Viva Decor 3D Stamp Paint in White and a stamp.

 

 

I then adhered some My Minds Eye trim, some Prima Makreting Flowers , Wycinanka chipboard, and more embellies.  

 

I applied some Heidi Swapp Mist in Rose, and Shimmerz Dimensionz and added a Flying Unicorn Metal Adornment heart

 

 

Materials List

Canvas: 5"x 7" Winsor and Newton  

Trim: My Minds Eye

paper: Inkido - Beautiful Memories

Texture: Viva Decor 3D Stamp Paint - White

Mist: Heidi Swapp Color Shine - Rosa

Flowers: Prima Marketing, Bo Bunny 

Metal Heart: The Flying Unicorn Adornments

Resin Bird: prima Marketing - Fly Away 

Chipboard circle: Wycinanka

Pearl Drops: Shimmerz Dimensionz - Streets Of Gold

WCYDW - The Rose

 

A rose is the visible result of an infinitude of complicated goings on in the bosom of the earth and in the air above, and similarly a work of art is the product of strange activities in the human mind.Clive Bell

 

 

It has been awhile since we have brought you a flower tutorial - so I thought I would share with you all one of my favorite flowers to make and the best part they take less than  5 minutes to make! You  need nothing special for this tutorial - but the creative possibilities of embellishing and altering these flowers are endless and would love to see how you improve and expand on these! 

 

The finished product ! 

Hope  you enjoyed and they really are  1-2-3 easy but ohhh soo pretty ! 

Mojo Monday

It's another Mojo Monday! This week Tammy has prepared a fantastic sketch for us, and Jax has translated the gorgeous layered background into a fun mixed media layout full of mists, gesso, stamping and paint using the March Kit of The Month.

 

Jax sprayed each of the colours of Lindy's Stamp Gang mist onto a plastic baggie to apply to the background for a random, speckled effect. To prevent the mists bleeding together and muddying, she heat set each layer before adding the next.

 

 

Layers of washi tape and stamping with a Prima stitch stamp provide the "bones" for this layout. 

 

 

To coordinate the flowers and paper layers, Jax added touches of 13 Arts paints in Matte Turquoise and Matte Coral, along with some gesso. Ingvild Bolme Mini Junkyard Findings and a Flying Unicorn Metal Adornment provide some manly accents for the page.

 

 

Play along with us this week for your chance to win!

 

 

 The Rules :

 

01. You have one week to create your project using the sketch as inspiration ( it does not have to be a layout it can be a card, a tag etc )

02. You must post your creation in this thread in order to be eligible for the 10.00 GC

03. You may use your project for any other monthly forum challenges except for the Anything goes challenge

04. Your project must be posted no later than 8:00pm on 03.09.2014

05. All other standard rules apply .

 

A Printers Tray with Bex

Hello Everyone!!! Bex here with you today to share a little project which was super exciting to put together. I have been wanting to create a printers tray project for YEARS, however I had always felt a little intimidated. I mean, what do you put in all those little boxes? did I have enough stuff? where do the ideas come from? what do I do with it when it is finished?

I started off by lining my printers tray with a selection of different Prima papers. Tim Holtz Tissue Tape was used to edge every single compartment of this tray. Thanks to the girls on the Flying Unicorn Creative team for the hot tip on using Mod Podge to keep the tissue tape secure (I was getting a little frustrated).  The most fun part for me was filling all the little compartments, surprisingly I found this rather easy, I just kept picking up and placing and it all just seemed to work (hurrah!!! *self high five*). When it was complete I strung a wire along the back in order to hang the tray on the wall for display.

Products Used

Tim Holtz Configuration Printers Tray

Twiddleybitz Rusting Powder

Flying Unicorn Adornments

Decorative Glass Bottles

Prima Resist Canvas

Prima Mechanicals Centers

Prima Mechanicals - Love Travel Laugh

Prima Mechanicals - Bottle Caps

Tim Holtz Journaling Tickets 

Tim Holtz Tissue Tape

Ok yes it is a little hard to take it all in isn't it? Let's take a closer look.......

Who is now inspired to create a printers tray? C'mon you can do it too!!

Wishing you all a brilliant and creative day.

~ Bex ~

"Friday The 13th- Ladies Night" layout by Nadia

Hey everyone! It's Nadia here with you today. I hope you are all well :) 

 Here is a layout I created with papers from the Polish Manufacturer Friday The 13th and their collection Ladies Night. You will find the links below..

 

 "Star"

  

 

 

  

 

Materials List

Paper: Friday The 13th - Ladies Night

Viva Decor Modeling Cream 

Ink Spray: Dylusions Bubblegum Pink

Ink: Adaline Pigment Ink - Anemone

White Mesh Tape and Lace Trim from The Flying Unicorn

Flowers: Prima Marketing Lil Missy 

Embellishments: Prima Marketing Fairy Belle Vintage Trinkets 

Chipboard: Flourish Frame Set (DA1035)

Paint: Dusty In Colour Navajo White(DA0903)  , Dusty In Colour Sugar Plum(DA0908) and Dusty In Colour Lavender Blush(DA0911)

Flowers: Dusty In Bloom Bridal Veil (DA0805), and Dusty In Bloom Evening Blush (DA0808)

Die Cuts : Heidi Swapp

 

 

 

Its a Sale!

March KOM - YouTube Tutorial

Hi! Today I’m sharing another layout I created using the Flying Unicorn March Kit of the Month – Your Passion Your Art! And guess what? I have a video tutorial that will walk you through my creative process from start to finish.

 

 

There are two tips in my video that I’d like to mention: (1) you’ll see I punched two borders and then used two rectangles, instead of one rectangle. I did not have a full 12” sheet of paper so by using two pieces of paper (cut the same size) I was able to make a 12” rectangle. I’ll cover the seam later, so no one will ever be able to tell I used two rectangles instead of one. The reason I’m pointing this out is because it’s a great way to use those smaller pieces of paper to layer – you don’t always have to have a 12” piece of paper – just use what you have!

 

And (2) at minute 4:26 you may think the video skipped…it didn’t…I just didn’t want to bore you with 30 minutes of arranging embellishments. You’ll see my embellishments are not adhered – I like to arrange, rearrange, move, add, remove, etc. – nothing is adhered until I like where it is on my layout. I’m mentioning this because some adhere right away, don’t like the look after everything is down, and then attempt to rearrange things, causing their layout to tear or ultimately having to throw it away because it cannot be fixed. By not adhering your embellishments down right away you can continue arranging until you achieve the look you desire – creating a layout you love the first time around – with no rip downs or projects thrown away!

 

My video tutorial is only 7 minutes long, so grab a cup of coffee or tea, relax and enjoy!

 

 

 Here are a few close-ups:

 

 

 

 

Paper

Authentique, Classique: Elegant

 

Embellishments

Authentique, Classique: Elegant – components stickers

Maya Road – time flies clocks

Prima – resins

  Kaisercraft, Petaloo & Prima – flowers

Celebrate It – ribbon

ZVA Creative – crystals

 

Products

Martha Stewart – daisy edge punch

Tim Holtz – distress ink

 

Thanks for joining me today!

 

Erica

WCYDW - Worry Free Misting

 

Hi Unis! It's Jax here with another instalment of What Can You Do Wednesday. Today I'm going to share a simple technique that changed my mixed media experience from one fraught with anxiety (am I going to spoil this layout I've spent hours working on when I mist or paint on it?) to one that is virtually worry free. I am going to teach you how to make your misting mishaps erasable. I am also going to introduce you to a fabulous new media in the Flying Unicorn Store: Clear Gesso.

 

 

Here is a layout I made using the gesso background technique. I started with one of the subtly textured white Authentique papers from the March kit and coated it in clear gesso, then misted through the stencil from the kit using 13 Arts Sky Blue Pearl Mist. When this was nearly dry I smudged over it, leaving the circles clearly visible but creating a lighter blue wash across the rest of the paper.

 

 

I accented some of the circles with watercolor pencils, which I blended with water. 

 

 

The chipboard is coloured with the watercolor paints from the kit and accented with Shimmerz Dimensionz and Viva Pearl Pens.

 

The fussy cut flowers from the Authentique papers were also coloured with the watercolor pencils.

 

I hope you enjoyed the video and learned a little something and I can't wait to see what you create using this technique!

Build a Journal Page with the March Kit of the Month

 

Hi everyone!!!!!!! Shona here with my March Kit BAP….and I have decided to do 2 journal pages…still on my quest to do at least 2 pages a month hehe! Ok lets get started!

 

 

First off…..I used some Golden Gesso and covered the two pages.

 

Next I torn strips of papers from the kit and glued them on each page. As you can see I am going to get messy and like to put a piece of paper towel under my pages so they do not ruin the pages underneath.

 

 

I now use an old credit card or piece of cardboard to apply some gesso on top of the strips. Heat set this.

 

 

The kit comes with paints and Martha Stuart crackle so lets practice on a journal page with that. Apply a base coat of paint, this will be the color of the cracks showing through when done. I heat set mine.

 

Now apply a generous layer of the crackle medium. I use a sponge so that I do not stroke the gel too much. Let dry…or in my case I heat set as I am too stubborn to wait LOL!

 

 

Its time to add the white paint on top. Again I have used my sponge to spread this and did a generous layer of white paint. The cracks start to show immediately and the longer you wait the more appear….sooo cool! Let dry completely ( I heat set again hehe)

 

Next I used a sponge and some Golden Molding paste around the edges to blend in the crackle and add more texture.

 

 

Spray a bit of mist and quickly use a wet wipe to dab the color around. You can dry and also use a wet wipe to dab around some gesso to blend this in too.

 

I have used a Shimmerz mist here with a paint brush. Paint around the edges and add some drips. Heat set.

 

I have become addicted to stamping lately and everything I make I use them. I have  used a combination of last months Prima stitching stamps and the gorgeous stamps in this months kit. I know I am going to use them over and over again!

 

Grab some flowers and trims and embellishments from the kit and put it all together!

 

 

Here are the two pages and some close ups.

 

 

 

 

 

You can see the crackle blue peeking through here and there. Seriously journal pages are such a fabulous way to test and try out a new product or technique! This crackle is my fav of al time!

Mojo Monday

Happy Mojo Monday! 

Welcome to another wonderful creative  week and this  week's sketch  was designed by me - Alda and a beautiful  inspirational layout created by Denise! 

This LO was made using items from the new March Main Kit and Mixed Passion Add on. As well as some other items from the Flying Unicorn store. 

The masking was done with a generic stencil from Wal Mart and she used Shimmerz Dazzlerz in Spun Sugar in place of Gesso/molding paste.

The die cut frames are Manor House Creations.  The chipboard vine is from a new company Flying Unicorn is carrying "Creative Embellishments" .  She covered the chipboard with Glimmer Glaze in Sea Kelp and lightly dabbed on some Ingvild Bolme White Chalk . just to lighten the green a tad. Prima Junkyard Findings were also used as a final embellishment. 

'

Enjoy Your  week and  do not  forget to  share your  creativeness with us ! 

Your Passion. Your Art.

Adding a little Mixed Media to your layouts ... 

 

 

 

The add on kit - Mixed Art is a great  addition to the  main kit  since the colors of mists and mediums compliment the kit giving you  additional creativity in putting a layout together. 

Take a look at the wonderful creations from the Creative Team where they intermingled the two to create some amazing eye candy ! 

 

There are still some Main Kits and  Mixed Art kits available - so get yours while you can ! 

Your Passion. Your Art.

 

A Kit of the Month is a wonderful way to get an array of goodies and to inspire your creativity. A kit is a supply  where items from different manufacturers have been put together to help you create. There is no right or wrong in using a kit -  it is  simply an extension  of your scrap goodies. You can mix and match your own stash with your newly purchased kit - This makes it truly your own. Creating should be a passion and not an obligation and that is why at Flying Unicorn we have never had sign ups for our  kits and they have been sold on a first come - first serve basis. The colors, the embellishments, the Creative Team projects are there to inspire  you and yes sometimes challenge you to leave your comfort zone and try something new. 

 

 Here are some creations from the creative team where they have used the kit as 80% of their base - but have used their stash too ..