SDS Mashup No. 4 – Unimaid? Mericorn? Either Way, it’s “One of a Kind!”

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Hi everyone! The Silhouette Design Store Mashup series is back! Last week, I was busy stuffing my face with tacos at my mama friend’s baby sprinkle and making fiesta maracas. So! With a full belly, I came up with another fun mash-up featuring a super-mystical creature! Part unicorn, part mermaid…is it a unimaid or mericorn? It’s a “one of a kind” uber-mystical creature that is the focal point of this mashup card featuring three Silhouette Design Store designs:

Rainbow and Pot of Gold (Design ID#56332) by Amy Robison
Sea Unicorn (Design ID#206429) by Planeta Silhouette
Mermaid Scales Paper (Design ID#186571) by Sandi Idleman

Luckily, getting in touch with a couple of the Silhouette artists was not as elusive as the sea unicorn! My talented friends Amy (of Amy Robison) and Ana (of Planeta Silhouette) answered some fun Q&A questions so that we can get a little peek into their lives and creative minds!

I love how both responded with the same answer for Question 4…Amazon does have everything, doesn’t it?! I have to admit, having the Prime Membership has spoiled us. It was so convenient to have when we had teeny weeny babies and making a Target run was just not possible. We are actually wondering if we could do without the membership next year…crazy idea?! Thoughts?

Anyways, back to the Mashup! Let me share the unique card features and/or card-making techniques on this colorful and whimsical card!

Make use of paper scraps – Oh my gosh, I have so so so many paper scraps in mini, small, and medium ziploc bags and also larger pieces stored in plastic clear cases! I struggle with making use of my scraps so I was so glad to make the rainbow and colored parts of the sea unicorn on this card because it helped me finally use my scraps. Did you know you can place more than one paper on your cutting mat? This timesaving trick is a game changer! For example, for the sea unicorn cut file, I separated each colored piece and placed them in its own space in Silhouette Studio software. See pic below.Then, I matched the colored scraps on the physical cutting mat and sent to Silhouette to cut! NOTE: When you use smaller scrap pieces of paper, especially on used (read: not as sticky) cutting mats, be sure the scraps adhere well to the cutting mat otherwise there’s a chance your scrap paper will lift from the cutting mat.
Work your die cutting machine – There are tons of intricate designs on the Silhouette Design Store, such as the mermaid scales file used on this card. I am no way interested in cutting that complex design by hand so I leave it to my Silhouette to make the precise cuts that are done in mere minutes! In my opinion, these types of cut files can really elevate your creations!
Pizzazz – Even though the mermaid scale “lattice” was cut from shimmer paper, in certain lights it can look one dimensional so I thought I would add a little more visual interest and dimension by adding tiny rhinestones in clear and blue hues. The easiest and cleanest way to add tiny embellishments like rhinestones is to use glue with a pointed tip such as Tombow’s Multi Liquid Glue (one of my favorite crafting tools) and to pick up the rhinestones with tweezers.
Unexpected layering – Card-making does not have to stick with just paper as its only medium. I’ve been noticing other materials used like tulle, sewing thread, felt, etc. Using other materials is unexpected and therefore, it’s eye-catching! For this card, I felt the “You’re One of a Kind” sentiment needed something behind it. I tried a variety of things but nothing felt right until I played around with the lacy ribbon. Ironically, it was also a scrap piece of ribbon! The card needed another dimensional piece so I weaved the ribbon behind the sentiment and secured it to the card with hot glue. I love how the bounciness and waviness of the ribbon created movement in the card. I can’t wait to try to play around with other materials! It’s definitely something newer to me but trying new things is how you keep getting better, right?