Off the Page with Flying Unicorn

This month's Off the Page Item included in the Flying Unicorn Kit was a little lighthouse.  It was super cute as it was, but I wanted to put it into this tray that I had picked up.   So, I cut it in half.  The tray had such a neat bottom and wood for the sides, so I thought it made a great beachy background.

I prepared the lighthouse by adding Prima Color Bloom Mist and inks.  I wanted to keep it weathered looking and this worked perfectly with the wood.

Before I added the lighthouse, I did some background work using stencils and paint.  I also used some of my favorite Prima Color Bloom mists.

To begin building the scene, I tore up some cardboard to give the look of stones and shore.  I used some Golden Course Pumice Stone Gel to add the look of sand here and there.    After it was dry, I started adding embellishments, including chipboard fencing and some metal pieces.

For the look of water, I used seam tape that was misted with more Prima Color Bloom, Glistening Waves.  Of course, I had to have a message in a bottle, so that was glued in place.  I finished the scene by adding some cattails and lots of beads to match the 'water' and 'land'.

Now, I had the bottom ready, but the top needed some deatils, too! I sponged on lots of Gel Medium to start with some subtle clouds.  When it was dry, I added some touches of Gesso to make them a bit more visible, but still keep them light and airy.  I tucked a bit of ribbon in the upper corner of the 'sky'.  The finishing touch was using some lightweight chipboard to make the birds.

 

To add a bit of detail to the top, I added some more ribbon, some cattails and a few Prima Seashore Flowers.  

There are so many beautiful takes on the Off the Page this month, as always!  Be sure to drop by Flying Unicorn to take a peek!

Class with Flying Unicorn Off the Page

Hey everyone!  I'm sharing this burlap canvas that I created with the Flying Unicorn Off the Page item.  This little metal bicycle is so cute and fun and I wanted to make something to showcase it!

I know that I've shared this before, but I decided to share it again so I can also share the class that I did showing exactly how I created it.  Hopefully, you'll watch and maybe even pick up a few tips or ideas!

You can see it directly below the first photo!  Easy right?

 

Here are a couple of close-ups for the details. 

And here is a close-up of that adorable bicycle!

Don't forget that, in addition to the kits, there is a complete store at Flying Unicorn!  So many beautiful things to play with are there!

Dress Form Canvas

Hi everyone! Today,  I wanted to share this little dress form canvas that I made.  I've admitted in past posts that I love dress forms and could make them every day!  Of course, I can't because I would run out of places to put them and friends who wanted them, but...  I can't resist making them occasionally!

I noticed the Prima Product Picks for March and they seemed perfect for my project idea.  So, with those colors, sparkle and texture in mind I got busy creating!

This project started out with an 8x10 canvas that I chose to use the back side of.  I wanted something that would hold the little 3 dimensional dress form that I made.   Turning your canvas over makes for a fun change-up and adds extra texture by having the wood show.

From this angle, you can see the dimension that using the back side allows.  I white washed the wood and added modeling paste using a the Prima Floral Petites stencil, doilies, Color Bloom Sprays and Chalk Inks to get the background ready to add my dress form..

I couldn't resist the little quote.  I think it's perfect for this type of project! 

I used Prima's Alphabet stickers with ink and mist added for the word style.  The smaller wording was made by printing it on transparency and cutting it out.

The skirt and bodice were made with paper that I pleated and layered to give this project more dimension.   I used Prima Color Bloom Sprays and Chalk Inks to give it a bit of shine and color.  

The body of the dress form was colored by adding tissue paper, some gesso and finally covering the entire thing with clear micro beads.  I added a bit of ink to it for a bit of contrasting color.

Instead of leaving the edge of the bodice where it meets the dress plain, I chose to use a wide strip of glue and add tiny sequins.  I love the sparkle that these tiny sequins give. 

Of course, I added lots of flowers to enhance the over all design. I used a combination of Bloom Collection Flowers and Fleurs De Prima to make my flower clusters.  There are bits and pieces of ribbons tucked in and I added a Prima Flutter Vine with it's beautiful flowers and a butterfly, too!

The last touch was adding a few more splatters of Color Bloom Mists and using soft gel to add lots of scattered tiny sequins.

Aren't these colors beautiful?  Be sure to check out the March Prima Product Picks and play along!  

Paper Straw Easter Bucket with Video Tutorial

Easter is right around the corner!  It has snuck up on me this year, but I couldn't let it slip by without doing a little Easter Project.  Just for fun, I also decided to do a little video of how to make this! If you frequent my blog and galleries, you might remember that I made a bright version of this a while back.  I had some questions about how I did it so the video will walk you through each step.

It's easy!

You might recognize that this is made with paper straws.  They are all the rage and I can't seem to pass up all the pretty colors that I see in the stores.  I hope that I'm not the only one with a whole drawer full of these!  :)

 

I started with a little bucket that I picked up for $1 at Target.  I used straws and flowers that matched to decorate it.  I love roses and these were awesome since they were already so perfectly coordinated.

Another thing that I seem to buy a LOT of is doilies!  I just love them!  They are such a sweet touch to so many projects and here I used them to give the look of ruffles.

This project was so fun, fast and easy!  I hope you enjoy the video and give it a try yourself!

Burlap Canvas

Each month, I can't wait to open the Flying Unicorn kits to see what is included.  Especially fun is seeing what the Off the Page item is every month.  They are never the same and they are always interesting.  I thought the bicycle this month was so pretty and fun!  Now, I do have to admit that I was a bit concerned about coming up with an idea to use it, though.  Because of the dimension, I wasn't sure how it would lay on a canvas, so I decided to use the back of the canvas instead.  Instant shadow box!

I started out by white washing the wooden frame a bit, adding cream colored acrylic paint, modeling paste and ink to 'rough' my burlap canvas up a bit.

Then, I added the bicycle.  I used some cream colored acrylic paint to make the bicycle fit with the more monochromatic look that I was going for.

Next up, start embellishing!

 I used canvas flowers and burlap leaves that I inked to make them go with the overall look of the canvas background.  The chipboard was washed with a thin coat of cream colored acrylic paint and then inked. 

The seam tape was sprayed with water, a dipped in a bit of paint and glued under the flowers and inside of the frame. 

Although it took me a bit to come up with my idea, this ended up being one of my favorite Off the Page projects ever!

Be sure to stop by Flying Unicorn to check out what the rest of the team did with this piece.  It's amazing how many different ideas that we all came up with!

Flying Unicorn University Birdhouse

Hi y'all!  Hope you got a chance to tune in to my Ustream Class for Flying Unicorn!  If you didn't, I hope you will go check it out soon!  

This is the Birdhouse that we made tonight.  If you were at the show, you know that instead of yellow we made a pink one.  All the same techniques but just a bit of a different look.

Here is a link to Flying Unicorn's Ustream or you can watch the video below!

And a HUGE thank you to all of you who watched! 

Because we were moving pretty fast on the show tonight, I wanted to be sure to post some views of all the different views.  In this one, you can see the right hand side. 

The back and left side... I have to tell you, that I LOVE that Prima stencil!!  And... the flowers and ribbon... It's awesome the products that you can get from Flying Unicorn, not only in the kits, but in the store, too!

Finally, here is the top.

 

If you missed it, be sure to check it out!

Here is the supply list:

(I've provided links to the things you can find in the store.)

Bird House

YasutomoPearlescent Watercolor set   

My FavoriteThings Metal Dies  

PetalooDarjeeling Flowers  

Prima ColorBloom Spray Sunshine  

Prima ColorBloom Spray Sorbet   

Prima Stencil - March Kit

Prima Calypso Tin Yellow - March Kit

Prima Resist Chalk Edger Old Road

Prima Vintage Trinkets (bird)

Hug Snug Seam Binding (ribbon)

Doilies

Flat BackPearls

Pearl Picks

Green Cardstock

Gesso

MoldingPaste

Fabri-tac

Changes for the live class:

Prima Color Bloom Mist Peony  

Prima ColorBloom Mist Cotton Candy  

PetalooDarjeeling Flowers  Teastained Pink 

PrimaRodanthe Flowers Eplanade   

Flying Unicorn December Kit- Off the Page

Well, you know that Alda always adds a fun Off the Page item to her Flying Unicorn kits.  For December, she added an adorable little wooden sleigh!  So cute and just perfect to tuck in around your home in December.

I had a lot of fun decorating this one.  Before I started the painting and misting, I took some plain old Elmer's Glue and added some swirls and lines to give it some texture.

Next, I painted the whole thing with gesso.  I sprayed it with some silver mist and let it puddle and dry as it would.  That's it!  So simple!

Of course, it's my project, so I had to add some ribbon and flowers.  The flower is a terrific vellum flower from Prima.  I added some glitter snowflakes and glitter leave that I picked up at Michaels.  I love this time of year!  There are so many beautiful, inexpensive things in all the craft stores!

Since it is a sleigh, and it is Christmas time, I had to fill it with some tiny gifts!  A few little candies and small wrapped gifts would make this a fun little giftie item, too!

Be sure to check out the Flying Unicorn Store to see all the kits and don't forget that Flying Unicorn has a very fun forum where you can learn and get to know the team, too!

Picture Frame for 3 Birds Studio

Hi everyone!  Today, I'm sharing a little frame  that I made using the Holiday Edition Quilled Card Kit from 3 Birds Studio.  I picked this 4x6 frame at Dollar Tree.  It was really pretty as it was but I wanted to jazz it up a bit more.  The frame comes solid white, so the first step was rubbing some silver on it to make it fit my idea a bit better.  Also, for Christmas, I'm all about the sparkle and shine!

This little frame is proof that the card kit can be used for so much more than just cards.  Most of the embellishing pieces are from the card kit.  I used the Midday Medley green paper and the Midday Medley Silver Glitter paper for the base of my design.

Using lots of foam pieces helped me to layer my design for interest and to make it sit well in the frame.  I even layered the chipboard letters using some foam.

In addition to the green holly leaves from the card kit, I punched a few extras from the silver glitter paper to add in.  I also repeated the silver glitter look by adding loose glitter to the reindeer that were in the card kit.

All in all, this is a really quick project that would also lend itself to a card but will make a cute little extra to set out during the holidays.

Be sure to check out the 3 Birds Blog to see what the Design Team is up to!   There are always lots of projects to inspire you!

Flying Unicorn October Off the Page

It's no big secret that I love altering, so when I saw this in my October Flying Unicorn Kit, I couldn't wait to play with it!  I immediately knew that I wanted to glam it up! 

I started by adding some sequin trim to the outside edges of the mask and I was on my way!

The tulle came next.  Lots of bows and different lengths were simply glued on.  I topped that with some ribbons, flowers and bling, then tucked in some feathers and I was all ready for the finishing touches.

I know that there are a lot of people who don't like glitter, but I LOVE it!  I used the Prima Glass Glitter to add lots of sparkle and shine to the tulle, flowers and feathers!

Now, I just need a party to wear it!

Be sure to check out the Flying Unicorn Store so you never have to miss a kit!  Also, there are also so many other items in the store you can buy!