Leap of Faith

A leap of faith! Today, Leap Day, is the perfect time to announce that I am honored to be an unruly columnist for this great new blogozine created by Sharon Briss. The name of my column is Musings of a 2amscrapper.

My reference to the leap of faith, is my venture into the world of writing.  I wanted to major in journalism. My high school guidance counselor suggested that rather than major in writing, I major in something to write about. So I majored in sociology, got a teaching certificate, and ended up spending most of my career coordinating social service programs tied to education. At this point in my life, I'm so excited finally to be writing and--to be writing about my new found passion, the paper arts. 

Having served on the design team at Gingersnap Creations since October 2010, I know Shar always produces a quality product. I'm so happy to be continuing with her as she launches her new site on April 1.  I have faith that this project will be a huge success. And I appreciate her faith in me to provide what she is seeking for her blogozine.  

In the meantime, there are a lot of calls out for contributors. I hope you'll click on the badge and see what Unruly PaperArts is all about.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Thanks to each and every one of you--all 52 -- who left a comment here during the Flying Unicorn Make It Work! blog hop this past weekend.   I appreciate all the new followers too!  You all have great style:

 (This is a little creation I made a while back. Details on this blog post.  But the little black dress never goes out of style.)

Without further ado, here is the winner of my blog hop candy provided by the Flying Unicorn:

1CardCreatorFeb 26, 2012 09:42 AM

Love your Hepburn piece it's so chic! What a great blog hop and with a fabulous prize too! Off to see the rest of that sneak peak!

Congrats Diane!   Please email Alda at cs@flyingunicornllc.com with your complete snail mail address. Please do this within the next 7 days!


The entire list of winners---including the grand prize winner-- is posted in the Flying Unicorn forum's Blog Hop Winners Circle

Make It Work! Blog Hop

Welcome to the Flying Unicorn Make it Work! Blog Hop. We’re so happy that you’ve joined us!  

 

The Hop officially starts at 9am eastern standard time at the Flying Unicorn blog, so if you didn’t start there, be sure to go there so that you don’t miss anything! Click on this link to get started. I’ll see you back here in a bit!  If you came to my blog from Frank’s blog, then you are on the right track. The hop ends at 6pm est on Sunday, Feb 26.

 

First I want to share with you this project that I did just for this blog hop. 

I elected to attend a private college (which for many years had been a women's college) during the late sixties, a period of time in which fashion once again was going through transition.  I started the school year by bringing a little black dress (required to be worn--along with gloves--to the college president's student reception) and ended the year in bell bottom jeans and sandals! 

We could say Coco Chanel introduced the little black dress in 1926.  Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent reinvented the dress in the 1950's.  And I was heavily influenced by Givenchy's version in the 1960's as worn by Audrey Hepburn.  Here is Ms. Hepburn in a classic pose, one of the images on the Hurray for Hollywood ephemera set from Gecko Galz.

Products used in my layout from the Flying Unicorn Store: Kaisercraft Chapter One paper collection and Authentique Diction. The jewel on the bow is a vintage earring from my collection.

 

I can’t wait for the March kit reveal. You are going to love it because it is the best ever!! Just to whet your appetite, here are a few sneaks from the Kit of the Month creative team member Frank Garcia.
Why am I showing you Frank's sneaks, especially since you just came from his blog? Because he's on the Kit of the Month Creative Team while I'm on the Product Creative Team.  And we can never get enough of Frank's great art!  

Can you hardly wait to see the entire kit? Wait until you see the Off The Page project--it's fabulous!
The March kit will reveal at midnight on March 3rd in the Flying Unicorn on-line store.

There is going to be so much fun in March during Haute Couture at the Unicorn Ritz!! Be sure to join us in the forums for some high fashion, Unicorn style all during the month of March! 

Back to the blog hop.........
   

Thanks for visiting me! Be sure to leave a comment (just one per person please) here on this post and become a follower (or let me know you are one already) so I can enter you in my random drawing for my RAK provided by the Flying Unicorn store. This is the fabulous Kissing Booth product line from Basic Grey.  You've seen it in my recent work.  

Check back here on Monday to see if you've won my prize!

Be sure to make it through the entire hop, following the instructions, because if you do, you just might win this fantastic grand prize from the Flying Unicorn:

Can you believe all of the yummy scrappy goodness in this grand prize?   Check back in the Forum on Monday to see who is the lucky winner of this grand prize.

Time to get hopping!  The next stop is Laura's blog.

In case you run across a glitch in cyberspace, here's the entire list. 

Make It Work! Flying Unicorn Blog Hop

• Flying Unicorn blog-Alda (she has a special surprise on her blog)
• Denise
• Frank
• Helene  (you are here)
• Laura
• Maggi
• Shona
• Tammy
• Tracey
• The Flying Unicorn Forum

High Tea

This is my latest layout using a beautiful Gecko Galz image (printed out 5"x7") from the Teatime2 ephemera set.  

Technique: misting paper using a doily as a stencil, then removing it; misting fabric flowers, cotton crochet trim, and chipboard alphas.

I'm entering this in these two challenges:

The Shabby Tea Room Challenge Week #102 High Tea

using this inspiration photo

(my turquoise is more on the blue than the green side)

:

So Artful Challenge #2:  kraft, red white and pink
using this inspiration photo:

Supplies:
Martha Stewart Gothic Arch punch
Starform Gold Outline Stickers
Maya Road flower
Recollections brad
Kaisercraft wood birdcage

from the Flying Unicorn on-line store:
Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in the fabby color Red Nosed Reindeer
Pink Paislee (Mist)-a-bles-- chipboard alphas that have built in distress.
Basic Grey Kissing Booth,  Fancy Pants Designs Oct 31,  and Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage Classic patterned papers;
Petaloo, Flora Doodles, ZVA Creative, and Flying Unicorn flowers; ZVA Creative pearl flourish
Note: this layout was the Today post at the Flying Unicorn forum on February 23.

Color Challenge

GC140: Two Colors Only is the Color Challenge today at Gingersnap Creations.  

Restraint is the name of the game today! We want you to only use two colors in your art for this challenge! They can be any two colors you want but  ONLY TWO COLORS !

Our sponsor this month is Rogue Redhead Designs LLC.  I used the RRD005 Beach Babes plate to create this card.

The minute I heard our design team challenge was the use of two colors only, I immediately knew I wanted to use this sailboat and sentiment on a brown kraft card.

Simple and Restained.  However, I really liked the way this turned out.  I made a few of these and gave them to my dh to use when he needed to write a note.  

Please visit the Gingersnap Creations blog for inspiration from more of the totally tonal Gingers and for all the challenge details. Link up your challenge entry by March 25.

Supplies:
RRD005 Beach Babes rubber stamp plate
Stampin' Up Water Color Pencils:  white and blue
Stampin' Up water blender pen
Archival Ink - Coffee
kraft note cards and envelopes

Flying Unicorn Working the Fashion Runway in a Blog Hop Feb 25-26

Join us for a very special "Make it Work" blog hop February 25th and 26th! The blog hop starts at the Flying Unicorn blog and ends in the Flying Unicorn forums. Each of our designers will be revealing a very fashionable project on their blog that they’ve designed just for the blog hop. You know how we like to give away fun “stuff”, so of course, there will be RAKs awarded randomly to one lucky visitor of each blog. 

If you visit each CT member’s blog, leave a comment, and become a follower, you will be entered in the grand prize drawing for a fabulous prize package assembled by Alda Stevens herself!

Our favorite part of the blog hop is that we’re going to preview the March kit with some sneak peeks on our creative teams’ blogs instead of in the forum. We’re also going to tell you something about the wonderful projects we have planned for March. Trust me; you are not going to want to miss this. We are all over the moon excited about our March plans that we’ve been working on for a couple months now. Don’t miss this blog hop because we’re going to be "working it!"

Five Cent Kisses

I drew double duty for the Today posts this week at the Flying Unicorn so I decided to make this Diagonal Double Pocket Card with two tags using our featured product this week, Basic Grey's Kissing Booth paper collection. 

Supplies used:

Flying Unicorn on-line store:

Basic Grey Kissing Booth collection:
Double Sided patterned papers:  Pucker Up, Sweet Nothings, Better Half, Heart Breaker
Element Stickers
Die Cut Shapes

Petaloo Flora Doodles Red/Lt.Pink Fabric Flower Layers
Petaloo Tiffany's Treasures Flower Charms Diamond White

Ranger Distress Ink
Tea Dye, Antique Linen, Walnut Stain, Fired Brick, Tattered Rose


My stash:
Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage Altered Fairies, trims, pearls

Diagonal Double Pocket card

I hope your have time to scrap a lot today!

What's Happening Today at the Flying Unicorn

 It's my turn for the Today post at the Flying Unicorn forums.  I created a journal type entry layout, to mimic the journaling that is all the rage right now.

The Basic Grey Kissing Boothcollection has the perfect element stickers as well as cardstock diecuts and transparencies to create this type of journal look.  All of these Basic Grey items are from the Flying Unicorn store.

I wanted to show something other than a Valentine theme for the Kissing Booth papers.  This layout describes finding our first home where we've lived for the past 29 years.  The theme "be mine" is how I really felt while waiting for the paperwork to finalize the sale.

I started with the ledger paper, punching down the side to create a page from a realtor's notebook.   I placed the paper slightly angled and off center onto the patterned paper.  All of the papers are distressed with Ranger Distress Inks, using Old Paper, Shabby Shutters, Mustard Seed, and Tattered Rose. Ranger Distress Inks also are available in the Flying Unicorn Store.

I used baker's twine to create a banner with the pennants and to anchor the birds.  I used pop dots  and curled the pennants with my finger nail for a 3-D effect.

I used two of the transparencies, lining both of them with the green paper.  On one I journaled about buying our first home.   Here is the other transparency (for sale sign) along with some other embellishments, including the Tim Holtz Ideaology key. This photo shows the fold of the paper where I tucked in the photo of our home as well as what I used to create the journal effect.

I added a lot of the bird and heart stickers to symbolize how much we love our home and how it is our little nest.

TONIGHT IS OUR CHAT NIGHT in the Chat Room of the Forum with the CT gals and Frank.  8:30 pm est. 

Welcome Back Mandy!!! 

Arms are wide open, as we greet Mandy back to the creative  team  of Flying Unicorn. 

Our magazine Enchanting Creations  has  been  growing with each issue and  to assist  us we are pleased  to announce Tracey as our Creative Artist !

So stop by the forums and Congratulate both of these amazing Artists in welcoming them to the UNI team.

Valentine's Day

 

Do you remember picking petals off a flower saying, He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not as each petal was picked and dropped to the ground?  Of course, the object was to have the words He Loves Me land on the last petal.  

I made this tag using digital prints from Gecko Galz.  The background paper for the tag is Storytime which a printed out at 4x5"and then distressed with a razor blade.  I typed the word strips on the Kensington paper.  Both papers are from the Neverland paper collection.  The image of the woman touching the petals is from the Spring Maidens 1 ephemera set.  All the papers are distressed with Ranger Distress Ink in Tea Dye.

All of the flowers are from the Flying Unicorn.  I detached some of the rose petals to have them "falling" to go with the saying.  The white crocheted heart behind the image is distressed with several colors of Ranger Distress Ink including Tea Dye, Antique Linen, Tattered Rose, and Dusty Concord.  The finishing touches were a gold Starform corner sticker and a big bow.

I'm entering this tag in the following:

Gecko Galz Yahoo Papercrafting Group:  Very Valentine contest (badge link in my sidebar)

Tag Tuesday: Valentine's Day

Cindy's Woman Thing Link Party 2  

Try It On Tuesday: Tag Week:  It's all about Hearts and Flowers

Yippee!  A Happy Valentine's Day indeed!  These "love" entries got me the honor of being in the Top 3:

for this Valentine Tag

and the Top 3 at

with this for the Express Yourself 2012 Challenge:

Stampin' Up Cards

I joined a local group of Stampin' Up enthusiasts.  We get together once a month on a Sunday afternoon and make 3 or 4 cards using Stampin' Up products.  I do a lot of crafting through the internet so it's a nice change of pace to interact with people around a table instead of through a computer.  I belong to another stamping group that meets once a month, but it's location is an hour away so I don't make it many months because of the weather.  This Stampin' Up group really appealed to me because they meet just a few blocks from my home and it's a great bunch of cardmakers to be around.  Here's what we made yesterday:

Working with Vintaj

Yesterday I drove to Daisy Lane Scrapbooking in Mattoon IL to meet my artsy friend Susan K and take a Vintaj workshop.


The Vintaj rep told us about the Vintaj metal and how Sissex has partnered to create special embossing folders for metal.  We were given several metal pieces--copper, brass, and one silver coated in black--as well as the special Vintaj buffing tool.  


Then we got to play, choosing embossing folders and selecting bits of pattern on them to emboss our metal pieces.  I stuck with a nature theme of birds, leaves and flowers.  


Back at our seats, we experimented with alcohol inks and buffing to create the look we wanted.  We ran out of time to assemble our necklace or bracelet.  Here is a photo of what I brought home to finish.

A Woman Thing....

Cindy Adkins is having a Woman Thing link party.  I always enjoy visiting Cindy's blog, so I'm linking this up:

This is s little shrine shape I made using Fab Scraps paper and flowers from the Flying Unicorn Store along with an image from Magic Moonlight and a sentiment from Moonlight Journey.

Kiss Me

the Flying Unicorn Forum:
Idol competition: title or lyrics from #1 hit song of my birthday month (April) last year-2011: Katy Perry's E.T.  I went with the lyrics: Kiss Me
January challenge:  Kissyface sponsored by Creative Teammate Laura

I'm entering this in:
Vicki's Cheerful Stamp Pad Challenge #35: Romance Is In the Air 


Can't beat this image from the Gecko Galz Kiss Me ephemera sheet which I cut to fit on top of this Gecko Galz Divine Deco Digi which I enlarged to card size.
QuicKutz lips and Christmas Red Stickles


A different style for me -- I love the bold black and white graphic.  This is one of my all time favorite images..

What?

My whimsical side showed up for my Gingersnap Creations design team work for this week's Spicy Supply Challenge #138 - Masking Tape.  Is this couple gossiping or are they hard of hearing?  You decide.

This month's Gingersnap Creations theme is Tell It Like It Is and is sponsored by Rogue Redhead Designs LLC.  I used two of their stamp plates on my tag.  

The background uses the almanac stamp from the Relish Reading plate.  I used the technique of placing the masking tape directly onto the inked stamp, then lifting off the tape (the stamped image is on the sticky side of the tape) and then placing the tape on a tag in a random pattern (the stamped image magically shows through the tape).  I used various Ranger distress inks on the tag. 


The image of the couple and the two sentiments are from RRD's latest stamp plate release, Just Sayin'.  I simply stamped the sayings onto masking tape.


You have until March 11th to link up your masking tape creation.  For challenge and prize details, as well as inspiration from the other Gingers, please check out the Gingersnap Creations blog.

Valentine Card

For this 5x7 red card stock card, I used two stamps from Red Lead Paperworks--the background story stamp and then a larger image of the two girls looking at the Valentines they received from the postal box.

To dress up the background stamped paper, I wet distressed the edges and touched them up with some Ranger Tattered Rose distress ink.  Needing a bit more, I created faux stitching by using my metal template to punch holes and then connected the holes with a real red Stampin' Up pen.  I colored the girls with my Copics.  The background papers are old and I can't seem to locate the brand in my stash.

My second entry for the All You Need is Love challenge at Art With No Boundaries.

Week #99 Love is In the Air challenge at the Shabby Tea Room with the color palette red/white/touch of black

Valentine Challenge to make a card or gift at the Craft Room

The inspiration for the color palette is from the Shabby Tea Room Challenge.  The inspiration for the design is Frank's February Challenge at the Flying Unicorn Forum to use a minimum of 3 hearts each of 3 different sizes.in 3 different materials. I have paper, felt, and cotton tatting.  Please note the beautiful rose from the Flying Unicorn store has heart shaped petals. I can't enter the challenge as I'm on the Creative Team.

THe Flying Unicorn February Kit of the Month

Its here ... February Kit of the Month

Always with Love

Oh can you tell this is an extra special Kit of the Month Release! Not only is the Main Kit full of incredible papers, From Kaiser Sweet Nothing Collection, 7 Gypsies Venice and Fabscraps Timeless Collection and embellishments galore from Kaiser, Flying Unicorn, Pebbles and ZVA to our OTP mini album DREAM by Kaiser for $31.99 we now have add ons , so that you make so many more projects!

Our add on paper collection for $5.00 consists of : CI – Music Sheet, Fabscraps Timeless Flower and Travel Reed. Along with Coredinations: Valentine, Oxford, Burnt Sugar, Rose Embroidery and Persimmon.

Our Embellishment add on for $14.99 consists of : Frames scrap metal Fabscraps Bird on vine, Pink Paislee mistable ribbon, Sweet Nothing Rub Ons, Prima Swirl Blue, Sweet Nothing Sticker Sheet, CI Narratives

Of course we have a flower add on for 23.99 consisting of: Prima: Sprites 172 and Sprites 417, Prima Alabaster, Kaiser: Paper Bloom Pink and Sea Breeze, Flying Unicorn Victorian Garden Flowers
 

Without further adieu here are some fabulous creations from the Creative Team and Gerry, our Guest Creative Designer :

See all the details and order your kit here: the Flying Unicorn Store

Lace and Love Valentine Tag

This is my Today post at the Flying Unicorn forum site.  I'm on the Creative Team and this week we're featuring the product Fab Scraps.  I'm using the Fab Scraps High Tea paper collection. The rose, paper and pearls all are from the Flying Unicorn on-line store.


This beautiful image and word label are purchased from Moonlight Journey.


I didn't get to play along with Tag Tuesday when the theme was vintage last week.  This time around the theme is lace.  So I've combined the two in this tag. 


I'm also submitting this to Art With No Boundaries for the All You Need Is Love challenge. I'm thrilled to report that my Express Yourself entry was chosen as one of the Top Three. 


I'm entering this Valentine in the Craft Room's Valentine challenge,

February at the Flying Unicorn

Our Guest  Creative Designer,  for February 2012, all the way from Netherlands, ...  yes you  guessed  it .. the one and  only .... Gerry van Gent !!  

 

She currently designs for Webster`s Pages, The Scrap Cake, The Color Room, Imaginarium Designs, Once Upon A Sketch, Manor House Creations, Scrapdelight and is a teacher at Miss Art`s Papercrafting school.  Here is a link to her personal blog: Gerry's Scrappy Life

 

Gerry also is our Artist of the Week which is a scraplifting challenge in the Flying Unicorn Forums.  Please join us in welcoming Gerry.  

 

Speaking of challenges, the challenge I'm hosting this month in the Flying Unicorn Forum is called "Embrace Your Crafting Style."  You can make any type of art that exemplifies your style and post it along with a short description of your style.  

 

Here is the tag I posted as an example of my vintage style:

 

 And here's what I wrote about my style:

Although I try all types of art and my craft is continually evolving, I am most comfortable creating smaller pieces such as tags and cards in a vintage style. I seem to enjoy fussy cutting such as cutting out this photo of myself which is my cyberspace bonnet photo. I like trims better than flowers, and I collect ephemera at flea markets and auctions to add into my art. My first design team gig was stamping cards. I own a lot of stamps, rubber and acrylic, but I don't use them often enough. I belong to a stamp club that likes to get grungy in the style of Tim Holtz and Wendy Vecchi. Nevertheless, I'm leaning towards a cleaner vintage style such as the all white tags we recently made. Because I'm a paperholic and love working with paper as well as collage images, my goal this year is to get comfortable with paint and incorporate it into my vintage style.

I hope you'll join at the Flying Unicorn for this challenge.  Here is the amazing prize from the Flying Unicorn to the lucky winner by random draw at the end of the month: