From the Flying Unicorn - their stunning May kits

Flying Unicorn is happy to bring you not only the gorgeousness of May flowers but a month of sweet pastel colors of spring and the glorious papers from 13@rts in this months Your Passion Your Art. Without further adieu we offer you our May - Your Passion. Your Art kit of the Month

Summer is on the horizon, and a perfect treasure book is what we offer as the off the page this month to store those seashells, ticket stubs from an outside concert, amusement park or those written poems while watching the sunrise/sunset. Create your best seller book box of memories!

From the beginner to the avid mixed media artist our Mixed Art add on kit will surely please you. Our Mixed Art kit will always come with a canvas and mixed media art supplies to advance your skills as an artist. 

Flowers, vines,and embellishments oh my! Our Mixed Passion is a collection of everything pretty to add to the Main kit or the add on kits. The colors and embellishments will enhance your Kit of the Month creations or it can stand alone and you can create something magical on its own! So turn up the music, make some tea and lock your self away while you create some art!

Our Small Art Big Passion is 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 .

We are thrilled to present great free tutorials, techniques, videos and Build a Page using our Kit of the Month to help you grow in the passion of your art. So stay tuned there is so much more to come in the next week!

Kits and Add On Kits are limited

so do not delay in getting yours!

To die cut or not die cut ...

I belong to a few FB groups for crafting purposes - it's amazing to see so many talented paper crafters around the world.

You come across so many different ideas - ways of using products, colour schemes, innovative ideas, inspirational crafters.  The list goes on.

Recently somewhere I read about using die cuts, well actually, people not using die cuts.

Some people love using them for ease of sending cards and creativity around the world - a little easier on their pockets for postage type thing.  Works for me too.  I think that I should have shares in our postal system as I send stuff everywhere - and I would love the dividend that those shares could pay too - just quietly.  I contribute enough to it - just saying.

I then got to thinking, I love using die cuts.

I whipped up a tag this morning so that I could show how by using die cuts and a little packaging [yep, the good old corrugated card from packaging - namely my box of goodies from the Flying Unicorn store] to help with layering and to add height and dimension.

They aren't the best of photos - it's a miserable day in my part of the world - you have been warned.

Here's a close up and you can see a whole lot of layering going on.

Now I scrolled back a wee way on previous blog posts - I knew there were cards that I had made quite some time ago [read here 2012] using more than a few die cuts.

So here you go.

That's it from me - sharing a few projects just showing you that by using die cuts in your creativity - you can definitely add a little dimension.

Happy creating everyone.

Keep warm,

CYA

M

Cardabilities sketch #121

You take one sketch.

You grab some paper, perhaps a die or two, a little gesso, some mist, some modeling paste, a stencil, some rub ons, a punch.

You throw them all together and then you play.

You come up with this.

Yes, this is my take on Cardabilities sketch #121.

A couple of close ups - because I can.

and the last one ...

and again, in its entirety

Happy creating everyone.

CYA

I feel like chicken tonight ...

I mentioned on my Facebook page a couple of days ago about a new recipe that I tried.

It came from the Cuisine magazine.



So here you go.




Thai-spiced chicken and pumpkin

Serves 4-6

8 chicken thigh fillets [I used boneless chicken thighs]
600g pumpkin, peeled and deseeded - I cut mine into chunky pieces and have to be honest and say that I didn't weigh it first
3 kaffir lime leaves, torn
4cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons Thai curry paste [red]
1 tablespoon fish sauce
400ml coconut milk
handful coriander leaves
small handful Thai basil [optional] - I didn't use this

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Arrange the chicken, pumpkin and kaffir lime leaves in a roasting dish.
Put the ginger, curry paste, fish sauce and coconut milk in a jug.
Mix well to combine then pour over the chicken mixture.
Bake for 50 - 55 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the pumpkin is tender.
Scatter with coriander and Thai basil [optional].

Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

I also served with sliced green beans.


Seriously, I loved this and will definitely make it again.

Note : from reading comments on my Facebook page I have done as was suggested and put the remaining kaffir lime leaves in a snaplock bag and popped them in the freezer.


Bon appetite!

Orange anyone ...

I played.

For no other reason than just cos.

Doesn't happen very often these days, but it does happen!

And I picked the colour orange.  Not purple, but orange.

Let me share.

I started with a blank canvas board and covered it in gesso and then dried the canvas.

I sprayed with three different Lindy's Stamp Gang sprays - A Bit o'Bubbly, Orange Creamsicle and Californian Poppy Gold.  And, I sprayed more than once - numerous times in fact.

Love my heat gun when it comes to drying the sprays.

Next I have randomly applied modeling paste using a stencil.

Once the modeling paste was dry, I have used staz on ink and a Kaisercraft stamp and applied ink around the edges of my canvas.

I grabbed some old Kaisercraft alpha rub ons and randomly applied them.

and then, well then I grabbed a selection of Kaisercraft collectables.

These collectables are from the Art of Life collection.

I've used a little muslin [cheesecloth] here and there, 

a few stamens and a couple of gorgeous Petaloo Botanica blooms.

Then I have randomly applied gesso.

You can also see in the photo above I've used a little black meshing.

Not much left over now from a RAK from the lovely Sara.

A few close ups now, cos they were always going to happen.

a little layering - well a whole lot of layering actually ...

and now again, in its entirety ...

That's it - my play with a little 'orange'.

Happy creating everyone.
CYA
Michelle