Cork - It's Not Just for Wine Anymore! *** Flying Unicorn KOM ***

In addition to the Off-The-Page project that comes included in every kit, Flying Unicorn is known for adding in other great elements to get scrapbookers to think outside the box.  This month the main kit includes a 12X12 piece of cork and a sheet of transparencies to take your creativity in new directions.
I'm hosting the Kit of the Month Challenge this month, and I want to see what you can do with cork. 

To get your creative juices flowing, I've prepared a couple of projects for you using cork in different ways.

The first thing that occurred to me when I saw the piece of cork was wondering if I could use my Big Shot to make stamps with it using my favourite dies.

I started by trimming a piece of cork to my desired size, 3" X3".  The cork cuts really easily using a cutting mat, craft knife and metal edged ruler (I used the Tim Holtz ruler).



I placed the piece of cork on my Tim Holtz Alterations Gadget Gears die and rolled it through the machine (it takes a little bit of muscle to get it rolling).





Depending on the die, you may be able to roll the cork through between two cutting pads, but for some dies I had to use one cutting pad and two shims made of chipboard.  In this case the die only cuts the cork partway, however it is easy to follow the lines and cut the rest of the way through with a craft knife. 



(NOTE: for my first try, pictured, I didn't cut through the cork but trimmed it away - I DO NOT recommend this as I cut myself pretty badly with my craft knife twice in the process.  Cutting straight through the cork as in subsequent pictures is a much better way to do things.) 

In my first layout, I used my cork stamp with brown chalk ink to stamp the gears under my layers.



I also used some cork as accents beneath my Autumn Leaves Scrap Metal stars.  The cork adds a nice rustic feel while also adding dimension.

 

The Maya Road chipboard letters from the kit are heat embossed with Stampendous Aged Embossing Enamel in Aqua to coordinate with the rest of the layout.

I don't own a Christmas tree die or stamp (the horror!) and wondered if I could make myself a cork stamp using a cookie cutter.  I applied black ink to the blunted edge of the cookie cutter and used it to make an impression on the cork, then fussy cut it out with my craft knife.





I then painted it liberally with molding paste and stamped it on a tag I'd misted with Dylusions sprays.  An unforseen bonus was that it left behind these amazing textured ripples.



I painted on some green Lindy's mist, added some texture and the "Merry Ho Ho" with a Dylusions mask and a star and garland with some Platinum Stickles.



And the finished tag:



For my third project, I used my Big Shot and Tim Holtz Alterations Reindeer Flight die to cut a reindeer into the cork, then finished the cut with my craft knife. Because the legs are so delicate I also die cut the deer in cardstock and mounted it behind the cork to give it structure. 

For the background on this tag I used Distress Stains in Broken China, Bundled Sage and Brushed Pewter.  I had sprayed through my Crafter's Workshop Mini Flurries mask for another tag, and placed it sprayed side down on this tag to make a negative impression.  I used my Dylusions mask for the border and "Believe" and embellished with a punched snowflake and some Diamond Stickles.



And as an added bonus, you can save your off-cut pieces to use to add dimension to your project in lieu of foam tape. Simply apply adhesive to each side, slip it between your layers and presto, you've got lift!



Join us for the Kit of the Month Challenge in the Flying Unicorn Forums, running from December 10th until January 9th, and show us what you can do with cork!

If you haven't had a chance to pick one up yet, I believe there are still a limited number of December kits available for purchase in the Flying Unicorn Store.  Be sure to pick yours up while you can!