Christmas Carol Lantern- Home Decor with the Flying Unicorns

Flying Unicorns Off the Page Home Decor for July with "A Christmas Carol"

The OTP (Off the Page )altered project for July was really cool - a bit unusual and fascinating.  I looked at it and it brought images of the "Christmas Carol" to my mind so I had my sweet little Julie Nutting dolls help me create my mini carolling scene.   

This piece is available in my ETSY shop while it lasts.  You can see it here.    I also have 30% off all items in my ETSY shop through Labor Day - Sept 4th.  Use code "KITTY30" at checkout.  

The metal lantern is from Darice and stands only  3.5 x 3.5 x 7.5 inches so I had to use the smaller children doll stamps by Julie Nutting.  I chose Toby and the little girl.  

  

I wanted the little girl to have a long Victorian styled dress so I made extra ruffles for her skirt and gave her a cape wrap instead of a shirt.  If you scroll down the page, I'll show you how to adapt your Nutting doll stamps to work well with an "off the page" project and yet be durable. 

Papers and flowers are from the Prima Victorian Christmas collection by Frank Garcia. 

How did I make the dolls? 

Julie Nutting's doll stamps are meant to be used in a variety of ways and not for just tags.  Sure tags are fun, but then so is any project you make with the little darlins.  

The real trick to using them on "Off the Page " projects is to make them as durable as possible so they do not bend.    This is how I accomplish that:

Step 1.  I stamp the doll shape twice and cut both out.  One shape will be for the front and the second for the back. This is the "Toby" doll stamp. 

 Step 2.  Go ahead and decorate the front of your doll as you desire.  Leave the second blank for now. 

 Step 3.  Once the front of the doll is done, ink all the edges of the second doll - both front and back.   This is in preparation for making a doll "sandwich".  When I glue the two dolls together, I do not see any white edges.  The project blends nicely. 

 Step 4.  After the edges of the second doll are inked, it's time to give the doll some "legs" to stand on.  

I love wood barbeque skewers.  They are inexpensive and I use them almost every time I craft.  Today they are going to become the "backbone" of my dolls.  haaaaaaa.  Little wood doll stamp humor.    Cut the skewers to fit head to toe and glue to the doll.  

Yes you do want to have the stamped side facing up.  This is the side you want to use when adding the wood skewers.  

 Step 5.   After the skewers are in place, you can go ahead and glue the sandwich together.  You may need to hold the edges together as they dry.  Once dry, you can continue to dress the back of the dolls. I just stamp the clothes and flip them around to use the backside if I do not want a lot of clothing detail.   

Here are the rest of the close ups of the finished lantern and "Christmas Carol " scene. 

Here are more close ups of the lantern and the whole piece. 

 I added Prima's snowflake paste to the lantern and embellishments after I was done to give that snowy winter feel.  It's also topped with a bunch of Prima products from the Victorian Christmas collection by Frank Garcia.  

Thanks for stopping by.  The Flying Unicorn kits move fast.  If you missed the kit already, you may want to think about the pre-order option avail starting the 20th of each month.  This provides you with a complete look at all the items and products contained in the kit.  You have 48 hours to purchase.  Now that's a great deal.  All the details can be found right here. 

Don't forget to visit my ETSY shop for 30% off everything

 (use code "KITTY30" at checkout).  

The lantern can be seen here and everything else is here. 

Products Used
Flying Unicorns July Kit - Your Passion Your Art
Darice Lantern
Prima Julie Nutting - Toby Stamp
Prima Julie Nutting - Little Girl -910600
Prima Frank Garcia Victorian Christmas - Flowers Midnight Kiss 583460
Prima Frank Garcia Victorian Christmas - Flower Rudolph's Nose 583477
Prima Frank Garcia Victorian Christmas - A4 paper pad
Prima Snowflake Paste

Going Off the Page - With Flying Unicorns Wooden Birdhouse and Frank Garcia

Going Off the Page with Flying Unicorns 

Hello  - I'm here to take you "Off the Page".  

The Flying Unicorns June "Your Passion Your Art" kit was chock full of wonderful delights this month (well always actually). This month, Alda added a cool wooden birdhouse to the kit as the monthly "Off the Page" surprise.  

The "Off the Page" projects or OTP's - are a fun way to stretch your paper crafting skills and challenge yourself to perhaps reach outside your comfort zone.  

This is a wooden birdhouse by Darice.  It's a cute size - 5"x4"x3".

I opted to work within the natural color of the wood and not paint it.  I choose the easy way and less messy way of not painting.  I looked in my stash of papers and decided that Prima's Tales of You & Me collection by Frank Garcia, would work with the natural color of the wood nicely.  

Here's How I Made the Roofing:

Step 1.  My layered roof was made by simple punching out rows and rows of paper using my favorite punch - the Martha Stewart Doily Lace Edge Punch.  I started the roof at the bottom and working my layers as I moved to the top of the birdhouse.  

Step 2.  Glue a very thin strip of foam or cardboard to one end of the shingles making sure the scalloped edge is not covered.  This gives each row of the roofing a little lift and dimension and yet still lets you keep building up the roof without too much bulk. 

Tip:  I also built both sides of the roof at the same time - so for example I glued the bottom rows of the house on both sides then progressed to the next row.  This is how I was able to make the roof look symmetrical. 

 This is a better photo of the symmetry of the roofing.  

After everything was in place, I gussied the roof with Platinum Stickles.   You can also see each row has a little dimension and "lift".

The hole in the front of the house has a cut out stamp from the Tales of You & Me collection, then accented with the same Platinum Stickles.  

All the flowers are from the Prima Tales of You & Me collection as well.  

This piece is available in my ETSY shop right here.  Grab it before if flies away.  

If you missed the June kit, then you may want to consider the pre-order option available on the 20th of every month - with no obligations to purchase other months.  The kit does sell out quickly each month.  All the details are right here.  

Supplies Used: 

Flying Unicorns June Kit - Your Passion Your Art

Darice Wooden Birdhouse 9184-74

Prima- Frank Garcia- Tales of You & Me clear stamp - 990930

Prima - Frank Garcia - Tales of You & Me flowers -Je t'aime 586256

Prima - Frank Garcia - Tales of You & Me flowers -586294

Prima - Frank Garcia - Tales of You & Me 6x6 paper pad 584399

Ranger Platinum Stickles

Martha Stewart Punch - Doily Lace Edge Punch

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Watering Can and Card Gift Set - Maja design

Maja Design May Mood Board.  

The May Mood Board at Maja Design is now posted on the blog.  You can find the details all right here.  The Mood Boards are meant to  inspire in a number of ways; from the color palette , from the images provided, and from the quote and words.  

You do not need to use them all in your creation.  You can create anything you choose.

Click here to play along.  Entries due May 26th and should be emailed  here moodboard@majadesign.nu

  I took my inspiration from the image of the watering can and used the watering can I had saved on a shelf in my basement.  Not terribly original, but still tons of fun to create.  

 You can find this Watering can set  here in my ETSY shop along with other items in my ETSY shop .

I created a matching card as well.  I thought it would make a great gift set.  

This is the watering can before and after I altered it.  

These are the papers I chose from the collection: 

Time for Reflection (B side)

Flourishing  (A side)

Tags &  Journaling Cards ( A and B side)

Here are a few more close ups of the projects: 

Thanks for stopping by. You can find this set and other items in the ETSY shop.   

Time for Reflection (B side)

Flourishing  (A side)

Tags &  Journaling Cards ( A and B side)

Prima Flowers - Royal Menagerie - Maude 583361

Prima Soprano flowers - Purple 561697

Petaloo - Burlap Blossoms Ivory   pl-1650-003

gold trim

Lace

hemp twine

Altered Seahorse with Flying Unicorn and Prima/Frank Garcia

MAY Your Passion Your Art - May Kit from the Flying Unicorns

It's finally here...the May kit from the Flying Unicorns.  

***********If you missed out on the kit ( it does sell out monthly and quite quickly too!) - then consider our  "never fail" option of pre-ordering on the 20th of every month.  ***************

The wonderful amazing jammed packed kit.  Filled with Prima products, Prima's French Riviera Collection by Frank Garcia, and a heaping big box of embellishments. I love when my favorite kit is filled with wonderful papers from Frank Garcia. 

This month featured the coolest Off the Page piece I've seen is a while.  It's a large  paper mache Seahorse from Bare Naked Crafts.  

Below is the transformation from unfinished to framed.  Once I was done with it, I decided it needed more of a showcase type base,  so I bought a frame and took the glass out.  

I took the glass out of the frame and instead lined the photo mat with Prima paper from the French Riviera collection by Frank Garcia.  The paper is from the kit as well.  

I used the leftover paper pieces from the sheet and cut tiny sections of paper to use in the spine of the seahorse.  I glued each piece down with Prima's soft matte gel medium.  This gel medium is perfect for the paper mache project.  

WARNING:  It's really important to read the instructions that come with this paper mache piece.  

The instructions say not to saturate with a lot of moisture....that means limited misting, water colors, paints and spritzing.  This particular style of paper mache will indeed warp and rip with a lot of moisture.  

I stuck with products with low moisture - Tim Holtz Distress Ink and Prima's Soft Matte Gel Medium.

My finishing touches on the piece were  Prima Memory Hardware Pearls by Frank Garcia as well as Prima's Glass Beads and MicroBeads.   The larger gold and burgundy pearl beads are the Memory Hardware pearls.  I love them.

I adhered them also by using "gobs" of Prima's Soft Matte Gel Medium as glue.
OK gonna get technical here for a moment..... Do this by globbing dabs of gel medium into the seahorse using my finger ( or a paint brush if you prefer) - then dropping the pearl , glass beads or microballs into place.    Let air dry.  Works like a champ BUT you need to "gob" the gel on.  No worries because it does dry clear.

This is what it looked like before being set onto the frame. 

Time is precious.  I value the time you spent here.  Thanks so much for stopping.  I value your feedback. 

If you missed out on the kit ( it does sell out monthly and quite quickly too!) - then consider our  "never fail" option of pre-ordering on the 20th of every month.  





Products Used:
Flying Unicorns May Kit for the Month - Your Passion Your Art
Bare Naked Crafts - Paper Mache Seahorse
990787 P rima12x12 French Riviera-Journees De Rives et Aventures 990787
990381 Prima Memory Hardware - Pearls 
961428 Prima Soft Matte Gel Medium
962579 Prima Micro Beads - Copper 
963934 Art Ingredients Glass Bead Set 963934
584269 Prima Confection Watercolor Pan - Tropicals
Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Vintage Photo

Prima's Memory Hardware by Frank Garcia - Pirate Chest - with Escape Kitty

Prima and Frank Garcia's - Memory Hardware Showcase ( with the help of Escape Kitty)

You can see the original post on Prima's blog here

I have a whole lot of scrumptious Memory Hardware going on. I love it .  I actually have a tutorial if you scroll down– showing exactly how I used the hardware.

The Memory Hardware collection is bursting with fun, unique and rich products.  What can be more rich than a pirates treasure chest filled with chains and trinkets.  I had a lot of fun with this piece utilizing so many wonderful items from the Memory Hardware line.  

I have a helper who also loves the treasure chest.  My little Escape Kitty makes a dashing pirate.  I cannot lie. She prefers a chest filled with cat toys and catnip booty.  

Because Escape Kitty cracks me up....here is a second photo.  

 The "Before" photos. 

This was a treasure chest left over from a Halloween clearance sale.  I love finding goodies on the "cheap".  I admit I can get carried away with storing cool things for future use and I was happy to tell my husband that I actually used something from "THAT SHELF".   "That Shelf" as he calls it -the junk shelf with all my clearance finds.  It's a marvelous shelf of happiness. 

Plus it was pre-painted.  BONUS!

This is obviously the "Before and After" photo.  Pretty dramatic. But honestly the project is only as good as the richness and quality of the products.  Which is why I adore Frank's Memory Hardware collection. 

How Did I Make This? 

Typically, projects look complex and difficult when first viewed.  When the steps are broken out, it suddenly becomes a little easier.  This is not a difficult project.  I'll show you:

Step 1.  Cut paper to fit the chest and accent with Artisan Powders. I used Prima and Frank Garcia's wonderful French Riviera collection.  My Artisan Powder is Umber. 

Step 2.  Once the papers are in place, I added Memory Hardware Antique Screws to each corner.  I am going to drape some Memory Hardware chains and I want them to be secure.  This is an easy and durable solution.  When making an "off the page" project or altering home decor, I try to think durability.  

The screws did twist into the wood without the aid of any tools but I had a paper piercing tool ready to punch a small hole just in case.  

Step 3.  Time to pull out the Prima Paper Clay and IOD Moulds.  

Step 4.  I let the moulds dry overnight then I started distressing them. I have a few different steps for distressing these.  

I used all three Memory Hardware Artisan Powders even though only two are shown (Clay Brown, Black and Umber. )   I sprinkled a little powder on my craft mat and added a bit of water.  Then I painted onto the moulds getting into all the crevasses.  

Step 5.  I topped the moulds with Prima Color Bloom in Antique Gold. 

Step 6.   Before I added the finished mould to my piece I wanted to distress the box.  I felt the black pre-painted chest was too stark and unexciting.  I created a wash by spraying Prima Color Bloom Antique Gold onto a paper towel and rubbing it all over the chest.  This actually helped blend the paper and wood perfectly to create a more uniform look. A nice finishing touch.  

Step 7.   First of all- look at the warm golden sheen on my project.  I love it.  The wash is perfect.  

I used a strong glue to secure the mould - Beacons 3In1,  It holds almost everything - and is way more dependable than hot glue.  Hot glue will degrade in a very short time.  Give this chest a year on a dresser and the mould may fall off if I had used hot glue.  
Step 8.   Next is to start adorning the piece with Memory Hardware chains.  This is where my Antique Screws come into play.  I simply string the chains through the screws.   EASY

A better close up of my process. 

Step 9.   Time to gussy up the chest by adding treasures and trinkets.  In this next step I combined two of my favorite Memory Hardware products to make a customized trinket. 

 I am using Beacons 3in1 glue  here as well because it's strong, durable and dries crystal clear.  I did be sure to dry this completely before continuing with the next steps.   

Step 10.   I did have to pull out my needle nose pliers for this step.  In order to secure the chain to the trinket, I  added Memory Hardware Rings to  each side.  I secured them tightly with the pliers.    I'll show you both the front and the back.  I used this trinket horizonally as I thought it was a better fit for my piece. 

  Here is the backside of the trinket

Step 11.   A " whoops " learning moment.  I added my trinket to the chain and continued to finish my project.   I realized the trinket was a little too droopy  and heavy looking without support. 

I added another screw to the front of the chest and attached it to the trinket.  I also needed my handy pliers for this as well. A little re-engineering backtrack and all was fixed.

Now I was ready to continue stringing  the chains.  

Step 12.   I secured the chain by using a Memory Hardware Ring and dangling the coin trinkets from La Rochelle Trinkets pack.  I honestly have no idea what a doubloon looks like so these are  now my pirate doubloons.  

Here is the finished Pirate Treasure Box:  

( my stars were the cool  Finnabair Mechanicals - Vintage Brads Stars)

Thanks a bunch for stopping!

and special thanks to Escape Kitty who does put up with a lot from me. 


Here are the wonderful products I used:

991197 Prima - Memory Hardware - Artisian Powder - Parthenay (Clay)

991203    Prima - Memory Hardware - Artisian Powder - La Chapeliere ( Umber)

991210     Prima - Memory Hardware - Artisian Powder - Vausseroux ( Black)

991142  Prima - Memory Hardware - Vintage Trinkets - Strasbourg

990725   Prima - Memory Hardware - La Rochelle Antique Trinkets

991050  Prima - Memory Hardware - Cours Mirabeau Floral Lace

990732  Prima - Memory Hardware - Genouille Antique Screws
990664  Prima - Memory Hardware - Montagnac Antique Cord Chain - Antique Brass
990763  Prima - Frank Garcia - paper 12x12 French Riviera-Respirer l'air de La Mer 

990626  Prima - Memory Hardware - Villeneuve Antique Rings

814991  Prima - Iron Orchid Desgins - Paper Clay
814809   Prima - Iron Orchid Desgins - Vintage Art Decor Mould - Baroque 4
814823   Prima - Iron Orchid Desgins - Vintage Art Decor Mould - Baroque 6
573843   Prima - Color Bloom - Spray Mist - Antique Gold
961169   Prima - Finnabair Mechanicals - Vintage Trinkets - Brads - Stars

Other Products:
Hemp Twine Cording
Vintage Brown colored ink
wooden pirates chest