Flying Unicorn challenges!

Did you know that we have at least 10 challenges going on at the Flying Unicorn every month, and often more than that?  And did you know that all of our challenges have a randomly chosen winner to receive a great RAK from the Flying Unicorn store?

If you know me very well, you know that I love to write and I can go on and on and on maybe even you wish I would shut up, LOL!!  And you know I love to design a good challenge, one that pulls you out of your comfort zone, that's why we call them challenges, right?

My challenge, I've been waiting forever...

I am in the mood to read your stories this month so I want you to do a little journaling!  I know, most people don't like to journal but really you need to get those stories down on paper because one day you aren't going to remember them!!

The challenge is to do a layout, easy right?  Ah ha, you must also include some journaling and you must use the words "I've been waiting forever" somewhere in your journaling.  You can hide your journal or put it on the page, either is ok. Mine is hidden in a pocket on the left side, as you can see it is a long story.

Here's my inspiration for you.

The journal:

I’ve been waiting forever to see this plant bloom!

Right after we moved to Alaska, one of the gals that Dick worked with gave us some house plant cuttings.  One of the things she gave us was a member of the cactus family, a night bloom cereus.  We’ve always called it the ugly plant though because, well, it’s kinda ugly!  Of course in Alaska it didn’t get a lot of sun since our house was on 2 wooded acres and then there’s that whole winter dark thing going on in Fairbanks! 

However, it managed to live through the five years we spent in Fairbanks and when it came time to move we discovered that although it was an ugly plant, we had become rather attached to it so we wanted to take it with us.  But as moving goes, there was no room for it so we decided we would put in Dick’s Model T which was going inside a dark trailer that we were towing to our new home in Denver. We figured it might live and it was worth a try as there was no where else to put it.  I was elate when, three weeks later, I unloaded it from the “T” to find it very much alive.  Not only is that plant ugly, it’s very hardy!

After that long dark trip, I thought what the plant needed now was a sun bath so I left it outside in the hot Denver sun.  Hmmmm, that was not a good idea, it promptly got sunburned!  Oh but that plant is hardy, it survived that too.  Well now, for the next 8 years the ugly plant lived on in a dark corner in our Denver home.  It didn’t look all that great, but it was hanging in there.

Now in NC we have a lovely windowed corner and I thought the ugly plant would be very happy there and so it was!  For the first time in its life it was thriving, loving the daily dose of sunshine. Finally in 2011 in blessed us with two blooms.  I was so excited but unfortunately, the blooms open only once and only at night.  Well, do you think we got to see those two blooms open???  Noooo, of course not, we go to bed with the chickens so of course we are not awake in the dead of the night when the blooms open.

In 2012 we had four blooms on the plant.  Well I contained my excitement knowing that I would most likely sleep right through the blossoms opening.  But then the magic happened, a good friend from Florida had just arrived at our house and we were chatting in the living room when all of a sudden I interrupted everyone exclaiming, look, look, the blossoms are open!  The blossoms were a lovely creamy white and at least 6” across.  It was a long wait, 17 years to be exact, but well worth it, I’ve never seen anything lovelier!

 

I used the December kit to do this LO, I loved the embossed papers in the kit-this is the one with the birdcages on it.  I lightly sanded it to bring out the embossed images.

 

Supplies:

Patterned paper:  Ruby Rock-it Mother Nature collection:  Frame Royale, Birdcage embossed-Mother Nature embossed, Diamond print-flutterby, nusic pp-harmony, dotted-pensive

Letters:  Thickers foam Subway  (from a previous kit)

Diecuts and punches: Spellbinders Bella Rose die and stamps for Heartfelt Creations

Flowers:    Manor House blue, DA celestial white

Ink:  Distress pumice stone, weathered wood

Mist:  Lindy’s Ponderosa Pines Olive, Glimmer Mist Snowy Pine

Other:  Pink Paislee Artisan Elements (circles)

 

And here is the RAK you could win, all you have to do is play in the challenge for a chance to win!