Amazing Embellishments for Fabulous Birthday Cards

 I like keeping my supply of birthday cards well stocked because I enjoy giving the cards but I'm not so good about keeping an organized list of upcoming family birthdays.  That means I have to scramble to make a card.  Well, that's just not practical.  I'd prefer to be at least prepared with the cards. 

Creative Embellishments has the perfect chipboard pieces for birthdays and any other occasion you can imagine.  

My first card has a bit of a vintage vibe.  The chipboard pieces used on this card are shown below. 

Creative Embellishments -Grapevine Heart Wreath ( scroll down to see my sizing note )

Creative Embellishments - Poinsettia Set (I used the twigs/greens on my card)

I am in nutty love with the Grapevine Heart Wreath.  While I just love heart shapes in general, this NEW design is gorgeous and delicate and large enough for a frame on a layout.  I lightly inked this heart using Distress ink in Vintage Photo.  

I used the twigs/greens from the Poinsettia Set as filler in my floral cluster.  They have also been inked with Vintage Photo Distress ink. 

Sizing Note for the Grapevine Heart Wreath

This heart comes in an original size of 6.5"w x 6"h.  

Card makers may need to order a custom size to be cut.  That's super easy!  As you are paying for your order, just add a note into the comments section of the order and Nicolle will be happy to accommodate.  

Don't let the size discourage you from ordering this totally divine piece. 

The stamped background and Birthday sentiment tag was created using the Spellbinders Oh Happy Day -Elegant 3D Vignettes Collection by Becca Feeken  and a variety of Distress Inks stamped onto watercolor paper misted lightly with water.  

Below is an image of the background before adding embellishments.  

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxides - Worn Lipstick

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxides - Vintage Photo

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Barn Door

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress  - Picked Raspberry 

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxides - Vintage Photo

I have a super quick (1 minute) video showing how I created the watercolor stamped background using Spellbinders Oh Happy Day stamp/die set.

Here is the link for the card featured in the video.  

Moving on to my second birthday card - the cupcake card.  

Featuring the most adorable chipboard cupcakes you will ever see!

I used the following chipboard pieces on this card and painted them with acrylic paints.  

Creative Embellishments - Cupcakes 2

Creative Embellishments - Small Sentiment Words

See what I mean about the darling cupcake chippies?  So many possibilities and you get 6 cupcakes in a set.  How adorable would these look on the front of a child's birthday invitation?  

 Thanks for sharing a piece of your day with me. 

Where to shop? 

You can shop for Creative Embellishments chipboards, stencils and products here. 

Creative Embellishments - Cupcakes 2
Creative Embellishments -Grapevine Heart Wreath
Creative Embellishments - Poinsettia Set
Creative Embellishments - Small Sentiment Words

BoBunny -Only You 6x6 paper collection
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxides - Worn Lipstick
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxides - Vintage Photo
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Barn Door
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress  - Picked Raspberry 
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxides - Vintage Photo
Watercolor Paper
Spellbinders Oh Happy Day -Elegant 3D Vignettes Collection by Becca Feeken -SDS-116

Flying Unicorn - Small Art Big Passion Wreath Card

Small Art Big Passion...from the Flying Unicorn

This is a cool little mini-kit packed with all the fixin's that you would need for a full month of card making, tag making and all the other small projects that may tickle your fancy.  It's got the most current products that you still demand but just small sized papers. 

This just happens to be my favorite kit each month because I like making cards. 

You can find the kit selections right here starting the last day of every month.  They do sell out super fast because we are the Premier kit  to have. 

BUT the best way to make sure you can grab the kit monthly is the pre-sale option that starts the 20th of every month.   Alda, Queen of the Unicorns (owner of the store), offers the kits at pre-sale starting the 20th and running for 48 hours only. You have the luxury of seeing the kit elements and deciding if it is a good fit for you.  

So let me talk a bit about this particular card.  The die is from Darice and I thought it would be great form a festive Christmas card. The die was included in the Small Art Big Passion kit.   Great cool bonus.    

The papers this month are from BoBunny Juliet collection.    I accented them with some seam binding and floral berries.  

Thanks for stopping by and check out the pre-sale.  You won't be sorry!!

Products:
Flying Unicorn Small Art Big Passion
BoBunny Juliet collection 6x6
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Vintage Photo
Cardstock
Seam Binding ribbon
Floral Berries
Darice Die

Flying Unicorns Small Art Big passion Canvas

Welcome to the Small Art Big Passion 

I'm here today to show off the Small Art Big Passion mini-kit.  It's my favorite kit bundle each month.  It's all about the love of making cards, tags atc's and anything in between. From Stamps, flowers, paper, embellishments and pretty things in between! These yummy goodies will enhance any of the kits or stand alone . There are so many options for this mini kit, so I created a small 6x6 canvas.  

This month's paper collection included in the Small Art Big Passion is the BoBunny Juliet collection. 

This collection has rich warm tones, perfect for the season. 

I'm going to walk you through my steps for this project.  Lots of time, projects look far more complex than they really are , so breaking the projects into steps is very helpful. 

Here are some close ups of the canvas before I dive into my step-by-step.  

So let's see how I made this

As I said earlier, I am creating a 6x6 canvas board.  

I grabbed the Prima 6x6 stencil - Doily 1 from the Unicorn store and slathered on the heavy gesso.  I prefer to use heavy gesso for stenciling over molding paste for the simple reason that the heavy gesso tends to stay white.  I have found that molding paste can pick up/absorb the colors from the paper or canvas.  When I want white, I Like my mediums to stay white. 

Note: if you want to use molding paste for stenciling and would like the medium to stay white, just add some white acrylic paint or regular white gesso and mix it into the molding paste. You can add other colored acrylics to the gesso as well for other projects. 

After the heavy gesso has completely dried, I cut the stenciled design out - sort of like a wreath.   It's so pretty, isn't it? 

I am a big fan of inked edges, and this project is not going to escape without some edge inking.  I also ran my ink pad lightly over the top of the dry stenciled design to give the top of the stencil some light definition. 

At this point, I glued the doily onto some cardboard and cut it out as well.  I want some dimension to the canvas. 

Set the doily aside  -time to start the canvas background.  I glued a piece of the BoBunny Juliet paper to the canvas using Soft Matte Gel.  I applied a layer of soft matte gel to the canvas using a sponge brush - made sure it was bubble and ripple free, then added a layer of soft matte gel over the top.  

Ahhhhhh so why did I use Soft Matte Gel medium instead of glue?  Great question.  I prefer using the matte gel medium to adhere my paper to canvas because I feel it provides a smoother surface - less bubbling , less ripples, less curling of the edges on the paper. The project ends up looking polished and professional and nicely finished.

Glue does work great - don't get me wrong, but we all have preferences. 

Once nicely dried, I inked the edges and some random accent spots.  

Next I need to work on the Julie Nutting wood doll shape. They are very sweet shapes and have beautiful natural wood finishes so you don't really even need to paint or color the dolls.  I gave mine a blush of color with Prima watercolor pencils and chalk edgers. 

First, let's talk about the the watercolor pencils. Watercolor pencils are very pigmented so a little goes a long way, meaning color a bit and and then blend with the water brush.  You can always add more color is you want, to enhance.   The waterbrush does all the work in activating the pigment from the pencil. 

Next I colored the doll's hair and shoes by dipping the tip of the waterbrush into the Prima Chalk Edgers by Ingvild Bolme.   It's a great way to add some color and to control the amount of color you add. 

Time to decorate and finish up the canvas.

I decorated with flowers, and Flying Unicorn metal adornments and the wood embellishments that came with the wood doll. These are goodies that came in the  Small Art Big Passion

After the canvas has been decorated as desired, I added a finishing touch - using thin gold braiding ( from my stash) around the inside of the doily.  

Here is the finished canvas.  

Kits and Add On Kits are limited

so do not delay in getting yours!

Visit our NEW Store!

Plan a day trip! Crops -Classes-Fun

926 North Monroe St   

Tallahassee, Florida

Tel: 850.270.6366 Toll Free 800.231.7119

Supplies:

Flying Unicorn - Small Art Big Passion  December
 Prima 6x6 stencil - Doily 1
Ranger Tim Holtz - Vintage Photo  and Walnut Stain
Petaloo Burlap Flowers - Natural 120800
Petaloo Suga Reg Mini Royal Blues 1131122
Prima Julie Nutting Doll - Wood Doll 910662
Prima Soft Matte Gel
Foam Brush
6x6 Canvas Board
Flying Unicorn Metal Adornments
Floral Berries
Gold Braiding
BoBunny Juliet collection 6x6
Prima Water Brush
Prima Watercolor Pencils
Prima Chalk Edger

Lovely in Pink - Girl Layout

Lovely In Pink  Layout

I created this pink layout for my two lovely nieces.  The BoBunny Juliet collection from the Sept. Flying Unicorns kit, Your Passion Your Art, has a wonderful elegance to it - so I kept this layout basic and simple.  A little stenciling, beads and heavy gesso, and  some chipboard pieces from 2Crafty, and my little lovelies.  

The beads were adhered using soft gel medium from Prima.  The stenciling was done with heavy gesso and the "weaving" stencil by Finnabair.  I prefer heavy gesso because it is super thick and tends to stay white and does not take on a yellow cast or transparent look when it dries.

The 2Crafty chipboard pieces used were:"checkerboard clumps", "Freda's Butterflies", " mini word set 2".  I painted them with white acrylic and dabbed them with glitter.  I wanted to try and match the look of the photo to the chipboard.  

The little gals are my nieces. I took this photo a few years ago.

Did you miss the Flying Unicorns Sept kit?  No worries.  Yes, they do sell out super fast but you can avoid all the frustration by using the pre-sale option.  This option is available the 20th of every month for 48 hours ONLY.  Flying Unicorns provides a preview of the upcoming kit.  With this preview, you can decide if the tone and color of the kit are something you'd like to use. 

Pre-sale can be found right here. 

Supplies:

Flying Unicorns Sept Kit

2Crafty Chipboard "checkerboard clumps", "Freda's Butterflies", " mini word set 2"

BoBunny Juliet Collection

Prima Stencil

Prima Finnabair Art Ingredients- glass beads -Rum

Prima Super Heavy Gesso - white

Prima FlowersPrima Flowers 566838

Bo Bunny Noteworthy Diecuts - Juliet collection

Prima Stencil by Finnabair Weaving 962333

Raffia

Tags, Cards, and Small Projects

Flying Unicorns....Small Art Big Passion?  Absolutely

I'm here today to show off my favorite kit each month.  It's the Small Art Big Passion kit - a smaller version of the main kit.   Each month, the Flying Unicorns gives you something that no other kit club provides. 

 Alternatives.  

Let's be frank.  There are months when you know you wont be able to scrap or play with your pretty flowers and papers.  There are months when the colors of the kit are not speaking to your heart.  There are months when the household budget is extra tight ( if not always).  There are months when you know you won't have any time to enjoy.

BUT you still WANT new products.   

Ok - that's where the Small Art Big Passion kit it always perfect.  It's a tiny affordable version of a kit, but scaled down in price. Comes with papers and perfectly coordinated embellishments for smaller projects, cards, tags, and such like that.  

This is a quick project I made.  The mini tags are a little example of what I made using the Small Art Big Passion kit for September. These are sweet tags for gifts.  The base of the tag is the darling Bo Bunny Chipboard that comes in the September Small Art Big Passion kit combined with some beautiful Petalooo flowers ( also in the kit).    There is not much to these tags and yet they are so delicate and elegant.

What was included in Sept Small Art Big Passion kit?

This kit adds extra dimension to all the other kits and is perfect for the card makers, tag makers and so much more. This month our kit includes : Nature's Garden by Papermania for Docraft —16 sheets, 2 sheets of decoupage cut outs, Nature’s Garden Label Stickers, Petaloo Mixed Blossoms Peach1836-051, Nature’s Garden Fabric Covered Buttons, Bo Bunny Laser cut tags, 2 yards of string twine , flying unicorn adornments.

Scroll down and have a peek at each of my tags.  

  I added a small piece of cardstock to the back of my tags to turn them into gift cards.  Tie them to a gift bag, present or bottle of your favorite beverage.  You can add your personal sentiment to the tag.  Perfect and super quick.  

There is really not a lot to each of the tags and yet they each are lovely.  

Easy enough, right?  Grab your Small Art Big Passion kit here. 

Never Miss a Kit Again!

Of course there are never any subscriptions and obligations at Flying Unicorns.  Sadly, this does mean they sell out fast.  Who wants to be strapped with monthly kit obligations only to find the kit doesn't suit them on a particular month?  Flying Unicorns will never do that to you.  

If you are not fortunate enough to have grabbed the kit. then consider pre-ordering.  Pre-orders are available starting the 20th of each month.  Flying Unicorns provides a sneak peek at the upcoming offerings and you decide what you want.  They even get shipped right out to you.  

Find all the details here. 

Flying Unicorns and 2Crafty team Up

Flying Unicorn and 2Crafty

I recently received my box of 2Crafty new releases and I always smile.  Opening the box and seeing the designs in person is an incredible moment.  So I sat down and got to working - pairing the chipboard with the Flying Unicorn kit. 

As crafters, I am betting we all look for versatility when we buy products. The little 2Crafty  "Mini Hexagon Clumps".  They are great fillers in clusters, perfect for adding texture to a page, and double as both feminine and masculine.  What could be more versatile?  

So on to my first piece. This is a layout I made featuring my mom.  I took this photo in June of her on a family vacation to the ocean in New Hampshire.  It captures her fun happy spirit.  My mom is absolutely the kindest person I know so I wanted to surround her in bold beauty. 

The chippies I used are"Life Documented" and "Mini Hexagon Clumps" -merely painted bold dark black. 

2Crafty  "Mini Hexagon Clumps"

Here are some more close ups.  The papers used are BoBUnny and are from the September Flying Unicorn kit.  

You can see the chipboard title,"Life Documented" bold and beautifully displayed.  

The "min hexagon clumps" work nicely as cluster fillers here and add pops of texture. 

Layout Two

The second piece is a special page made once again from the Flying Unicorn Sept Kit, but the subject matter takes a bit of a turn as a tribute piece.  This is a page made for a friend.  She sent me the photo of the darling boys, both very special and near to her heart.

In this piece, I used 2Crafty "Frame - Viney Circles", which resembles leaves in a wreath.  I also used the "Lattice Hearts"  and separated them , though using them together is spectacular.  Finally the "Mini Word Set 2" added the perfect sentiment to this page.  

"Frame - Viney Circles"

"Lattice Hearts"

"Mini Word Set 2"

Here are more close ups.  The chipboard was painted gold and a little  gold and pink embossing powder added to them.

 Here is a shot to show the beautiful golden glimmer of the lattice heart.

You can find an assortment of 2Crafty at Flying Unicorn - right here.   You can also find the Flying Unicorn kit here. 

Products: 
Flying Unicorn Sept Your Passion Your Art Kit
Bo Bunny Juliet Collection
Petaloo Burlap Blossoms Black 
Prima Flowers Aire Collection 549558
Kaisercraft Stamps -Clear Stamp CS752
Donna Salazar Stamp - Chicken Wire
Black Archival Ink
Prima Art Extravaganza Texture Paste - Gold Crackle
Prima Color Bloom Mists - Boysenberry
India Ink - Black