Anything Goes at Frilly and Funkie

Happy New Year to everyone.  The new two-week challenge starts today at Frilly and Funkie.  Nicole is the hostess and decided we should go with ANYTHING GOES to kick off the year - as long as it is vintage or shabby chic.

I decided to try my hand at an altered bottle.  Here is what this bottle held before I transformed it into something to hold bath beads or Epsom salts (because I think it looks so girly it should be in a bathroom).

This is Canadian made antipasto in a jar that I love - mostly because it is low cal :).  The good thing about the jar is that unlike normal quart sealers, this glass is smooth, which makes it a great surface for adding things to.

Here are some other views of the jar:

I started by painting the whole jar and the lid with chalk paint from Americana Decor.  Even though I was planning to cover the jar I thought the paint might give a better surface for my glue to adhere to - I was right for a change.  Next I covered the jar with strips of torn pages from an old book and Tim Holtz Melange Tissue Wrap.  I coated the front and back of each piece.

I printed my focal images for the front (from Collages Vintage) and back (from The Graphics Fairy).  When I started to glue them down I realized that everything underneath was really bumpy and the images did not look good so I took a craft knife and cut away the papers underneath to provide a smooth surface.  Once everything was dry, I went over the whole jar with some watered down Gesso and immediately wiped it off the two images.  Then I added a coat of half strength Mod Podge to seal everything.

Next I used a pearl strand from my sewing stash to outline both images. I glued some cheesecloth on each side and then cut some venise lace and added pieces beside each image.  The next step was to add some small crystal seed beads - they have a silver lining so some shimmer more than others depending on how they landed in the glue.

I made a rosette by gathering some ruffled lace and added a couple of lace medallions on top with a gumdrop gem for the centre.  I wrapped some white fiber around the top of the jar and then added a loopy seam binding bow with another gumdrop gem for a centre and a couple of bead charms.  The bead charms have silver charms on the bottom that were painted with Gesso,  You can't see in the photo but one is a bird and the other is a rose.  The beads are from my stash and are a combination of pearls and iridescent clear beads (which explains the blue and pink you see in the photo).

To finish the top, I added a row of narrow venise lace around the edge and then made a topper from a wooden wheel and a wooden ball that I glued together, covered with texture paste and sprinkled with some crystal glitter.

I am going to enter this project in the following challenges:

My All Craft Challenge - Anything Goes (No Cards)
Open Minded Crafting Fun - All White
Dragonfly Dreams Challenge  - Vintage, Yes Please

The following items used in the creation of this project came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Celebrate

My daughter will be celebrating her 37th birthday on January 15th so I decided to make a funky mixed media card to go along with the gift I bought for her.

I started with some Bazzill for the card blank.  Next I cut a square from an old box and peeled off a portion of the printed layer.  I covered the remainder of the layer with a couple coats of Liquitex Gesso so the printing would not show through.

The next step was to use some Golden Molding Paste through a Wendy Vecchi flourish stencil and to add some bits of cheesecloth.  Once everything was dry I used a natural sea sponge to add Fresco Finish paints - Haystack, Pumpkin Soup, Green Olives, Blood Orange and Smoked Paprika.  I used a piece from the Wendy Vecchi Large Collage background stamp and some Coffee Archival Ink from Ranger to add a bit more interest to this layer.

Next I made a frame from chipboard and coated it with Golden Crackle Paste.  Once dry I covered it with Rusty Hinge, Crushed Olive and Wild Honey Distress Ink from Ranger.

The next step was to make the metal flowers from some foil tape used for wrapping heating pipes.  The layers were hand cut and then textured with some tools in my Walnut Hollow metal working set.  To colour them, I used some Americana acrylic paint called Russet and some Cranberry, Sunset Orange and Terra Cotta Alcohol Ink from Ranger.  For the large flower I used the paint first and for the small flower I reversed the process.  The large flower has a gem sticker from Recollections for a centre and the smaller flower has a pearl sticker from Dollarama for a centre.

I took a metal leaf from The Funkie Junkie Boutique and coated it with a blend of Lettuce Alcohol Ink and Snow Cap Mixative.  I thought it was too much of a colour contrast so I added some Sunset Orange Alcohol Ink blended with Copper Mixative to the high spots.  When I added the flowers and leaf to the frame, I tucked a couple of feathers underneath.

Next I took a wooden letter from Dollarama and coated it with Wendy Vecchi Orange Blossom Embossing Powder and then added text with the Coffee Archival Ink and a Recollections stamp.

The butterfly is a wood piece from Dollarama that I painted with Honest Copper Patio Paint from Deco Art and added some of the pearl stickers for the body.  I also used a bit of the copper paint on parts of the exposed cardboard.

Finally I used Coffee Archival Ink and a stamp from Tim Holtz Simple Sayings set to stamp the word Celebrate on a scrap of card stock and then inked the edges with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Artist Trading Post Exchange  - Let's Celebrate
Top Tip Tuesday - Make Your Own ( metal flowers)
Little Claire's Designs  - A Special Card

Friday Focus at Frilly and Funkie

I am doing the Friday Focus at Frilly and Funkie today.  Here is a sneak peek at what I created so pop on over to check out all the details.

Not A Card

The new challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow starts today and this time it is titled NOT A CARD.  We want you to make gifts, home decor, altered items, etc. and while they do not have to be Christmas themed you might want to take advantage of the fact that it is that time of year.  Your project must be shabby chic or vintage.

Before I tell you how I made this ornament, I have to let you all know that this is going to be the last challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow.  With the exception of some much appreciated help from a couple of former DT members, I have been running it by myself for 3 years and after careful consideration I realized that it was time for a break.  During this time I have also been looking after my Mother-in-Law who lives 2000 miles away and just recently had to go and move her from one care facility to another one because her dementia has increased and she had started to wander.  While I am pretty good at multi-tasking, I have hit the wall.  I have certainly enjoyed all the wonderful DT members and the participants in our challenges over the time that I was running SCH and then took over ownership of it so I will miss them.

Now on to my ornament.  No matter how hard I tried I could not get a photograph that represents the true colour so it seems to have a slight orange tinge to it that isn't there.  It is really red, white and gold.  This is another "It looks better in real life" moments so I am starting to nag my husband again for a good photo setup.

I tried something different and love, love, love the result.  I started with a big square of white cotton duck fabric recycled from an old pillow protector .  Next I painted it with Folk Art Barnyard Red, Deco Champagne Gold and Folk Art White acrylic craft paint that I mixed 1:1 with Americana Fabric Medium.  The fabric medium allows the paint to dry while still keeping the fabric soft and pliable.

Next I randomly stamped some script with a Recollections stamp using Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink.  Then I stamped some small snowflakes from the Artistic Outpost Sleigh Ride set and a few large snowflakes from a Class Act wood mounted stamp using Brilliance Moonlight White pigment ink.

The next step was to cover the stamped fabric with crumpled tissue paper by adhering it with Mod Podge.  I hand cut two large hearts with my pinking shears and I also cut three smaller hearts from fleece, which were sandwiched between the fabric hearts.  I used strong glue to put the hearts together but would sew them in the future - I just didn't feel like hauling out my sewing machine.

I found some red seam binding in my sewing stash and used that to make the hanger and bow.  To embellish the heart, I painted a little heart charm from my stash and a filigree medallion from Bead Landing with the Champagne Gold paint.  Then I added some Recollections pearl flourishes, some red gems and gold pearl stickers from Recollections and flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts.  Finally I made a bead charm to dangle from the bottom.

I am going to enter this in the following challenges:

A Crafty Mess - Anything Goes/Traditional Christmas Colors
Artist Trading Post Exchange - Recycle for Christmas (white cotton duck fabric)
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - Christmas
Crafting by Designs - Anything Goes for Christmas
Fresh Brewed Designs - Christmas  Anything Goes
Bearly Mine - Christmas Decoration (Not A Card)

Vintage Card

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and this time Nancy is our hostess and she wants us to make VINTAGE HOLIDAY CARDS.

I created this vintage card for Christmas using three different papers from a Maja Designs paper pack called It's Christmas Time.  A little strip of Venise Lace was inked with some Antique Linen and Pumice Stone Distress Ink and added down the side of the striped paper.  The image is from an Artistic Outpost stamp set called Sleigh Ride and I stamped it with Jet Black Archival Ink.

The poinsettia is made from more Maja Design paper using a die from Marianne Creatables and I added some copper seed beads for the centre (leftover from the days when I was making headpieces for my daughter's synchronized swimming).  The sentiment is from Create with TLC.  Everything has been inked with either Aged Mahogany or Forest Moss Distress Ink.

The bow (yes it is really a bow) is made from copper metallic mesh ribbon by May Arts.  The filigree corner has been re-coloured with some Harvest Copper craft paint from Deco.  The numbers have been cut from Grunge Paper using my Cameo and then painted with the copper craft paint.

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Addicted to Stamps - Lots of Layers
Sentimental Sundays - Lots of Layers (must include a sentiment)
Paper Creators Crafts - All About Christmas
Fussy and Fancy - Happy Holidays
DL. Art - Any Winter Holiday
Country View Challenges - Nostalgic Christmas

The following products used to create this card are available at The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Non-Traditional Christmas Colours - Vintage Style

It is time for the new challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow and this time we are calling it VINTAGE CHRISTMAS CARDS with a twist - NON-TRADITIONAL COLOURS.

This card was super simple to make and I think it is flat enough that it won't require extra postage.  I started my card with some kraft card stock from Recollections and then added some patterned paper from Farm House Paper Company.  I distressed the background (and everything else) with my scissors and inked the edges with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink from Ranger. 

I added a panel of white corrugated cardboard from The Funkie Junkie Boutique and another panel made from Tim Holtz Color Core card stock that I embossed with an embossing folder called Budding Vine from Craft Concepts.

Next came some crochet lace from my sewing stash, a vintage image that was a freebie from Linda, The Funkie Junkie and a ticket from The Beary Scrap.  I made a loopy bow from twine and topped it with another loopy bow made from seam binding dyed with Forest Moss Distress Ink.  Finally I added some buttons from my stash.

A Gift From The Heart

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and I am the hostess this time so I decided it was time to make some Christmas gifts.  The challenge is called A GIFT FROM THE HEART and we want to see vintage or shabby chic projects that can be given as a gift.

I decided to make a very shabby fabric journal for a friend.  Here is a photo of the back:

And here is the inside:

This is a new sew journal and I made it by first cutting two layers of a heavy white damask fabric from my sewing stash (leftovers from making Christmas stockings a few years ago) and sandwiched a layer of felt batting in between using paper backed iron-on fusible webbing on each side with one side slightly larger than the felt so that the fabric stuck together around the felt.  This is important since the layers are not sewn together and the edges of the fabric can fray.  As you can see I did not cover the edges of the fabric inside and if they do fray a bit, it will just add to the shabby feel. 

The next step was to make the pages from white 24 lb. bond paper.  Each page was scored on the left side and holes were punched.  The pages were then sewn into the journal with embroidery floss going through the back, the pages and the front from the top to the bottom and back up again.  The embroidery floss was then tied off on the outside but since the whole journal was going to be covered, this does not show and to ensure that I put a piece of lace down the spine.

Next I created the heart, which is just some scrap paper from a Maja Designs pack called Coffee in the Arbor that I scrunched up and steamed over and over to make it soft and pliable.  I did not want to wet it because it could shred.  Once it was soft enough I hand cut a heart, inked it with some Milled Lavender Distress Ink and backed it with a felt heart cut slightly smaller.  I cut a motif from some Venise lace and added it to the heart along with a flat backed pearl.

The next step was to add a strip of seam binding across the middle of the back which extended beyond the edge to become part of the tying mechanism and then cover the journal with lengths of lace, crochet ribbon and appliques - some came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique and some from my sewing stash.  The idea was to add different types, sizes and patterns  Then I added some flowers and buttons along with a couple loops of pearl strand.  The  rolled flower was made from a torn strip of fabric, one of the flowers was made from crinoline and cut using the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die.  The rest of the flowers were from my stash but I used a Copic marker to add some colour to the ones that didn't have any.  The "flower" on the top right of the front is actually a piece cut from some lace.  The heart on the back is a Venise Lace applique from The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

Next I made a crinkly, loopy bow with long tails from seam binding and attached it to the front to match up with the piece on the back so the journal can be tied shut.  Finally I stamped text on a piece of twill tape and added it to the front and then I added some fun things to hang down the spine - some of the pearl strand, a piece of lace, a length of chunky wool and some fiber I found in my stash (I don't know what it is called but it is quite cool with spiky strands hanging from it).

I am going to enter this project in the following challenges:

All Crafts Challenge - Anything Goes But No Cards
Craft-Dee Bowz - Anything Goes with a Handmade Bow
Corrosive Challenges - Girly
Tando Creative Challenges - Make Something With A Use
Allsorts Challenge - Anything But A Card

The following items used in the creation of this journal came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Making Rust

Recently I went looking through my stash of completed cards to see if I had an appropriate one to send to my brother for his birthday and I found one - I mean only one in a box of maybe 100 cards.  I decided then and there I better make a few more cards for men so I wasn't scrambling at the last minute when the need for one arose.

The timing was rather perfect because then I could play in the current challenge at The Artist Trading Post Exchange challenge blog where they want mixed media projects based on a photo that looks like rusted metal.  The challenge is called Any Old Iron and I think my card fits the bill.

I decided to try my hand at turning white card stock into something that looked rusty and after searching on the internet for techniques I settled on one from Gingersnap Creations but gave it a few of my own twists.

As I said I started with a large sheet of white card stock.  Then I covered it with Mod Podge, making sure it was quite thick.  Next I randomly sprinkled sand on it, which I snagged from some my husband had in the garage for use on the driveway when it gets really icy.  I originally put a thin coat of Mod Podge on with a credit card but the sand didn't stick so if you try this, make sure to glop it on and then the sand will settle into the glue.  I then set it aside to dry overnight.

Once it was fully dry, I took a stenciling brush and randomly smooshed on four colours of Folk Art craft paint - Pure Black, Coffee Bean, Charcoal Grey and Terra Cotta.  I dipped my brush in combinations of the first three colours for the most part and only added the Terra Cotta for small sections.

Once the paint was dry I mixed Meadow, Aqua and Copper Mixative Adirondack Alcohol Inks and dabbed that on in random spots.  Then I rubbed here and there with some Oxynite Treasure Gold.  Finally I added a slightly thinned out coat of Mod Podge to make sure the sand stayed put.  The end result was a fairly stiff but still a bit flexible rusty looking sheet.

Next I made a metal foil panel.  Again I started with a piece of white card stock and added some bits of drywall tape, some ric rac and a few washers.  Then I cut small pieces of foil tape used in the heating and air conditioning industry and added them in both directions to cover the card stock and the bits and pieces.  I used an embossing tool to go around everything and then some Walnut Hollow metal working tools to create texture and pattern.

The next step was to give the whole thing a coat of the Coffee Bean paint and wipe away some of it, leaving some paint in the recesses of the piece.  Next I added a blended combination of Rust, Ginger and Caramel Adirondack Alcohol Ink to the whole piece and then followed that up with the Meadow, Aqua and Copper Mixative combination in a few spots.

An image from the Tim Holtz Time Traveler stamp set and a sentiment from the Tim Holtz Simple Sayings stamp set were stamped onto some scrap card stock with Ranger's Jet Black Archival ink.  The sentiment was cut apart and then I sponged the edges of all the stamped pieces with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink from Ranger.

All that was left was to glue everything down on a card blank made from some Bazzill card stock.  Finally I added some rusty pieces of hardware - two screw heads and another thing that I have no idea what it is but it looked cool when I dug it out of the jar.

I have started making my Christmas list for Santa and putting copies everywhere.  Besides lots of crafting supplies, I want a good photo setup - the weather has been up and down here and so has the quality of my photos.  I sure hope Santa realizes that I have been a really good girl this past year :)

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Artist Trading Post Exchange - Any Old Iron
The Paper Girls - Mixed Media
Cupcake Inspirations - Photo/Color Inspiration
Suzy Bee's Challenge - Anything Goes with a twist to make it male
Stamplorations - Stamps and Layers
Mixed Media Monthly Challenge  - Stamps

Christmas Recycling

It is time for a new challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow and we are calling it Recycling or Re-purposing.  We want to see vintage or shabby chic projects where you have used a recycled item or you have used an item meant for a different purpose (re-purposing).



I have created another ornament for my Christmas tree from a used CD.  My husband brought a pile home from his work a couple years ago and asked if I could do anything with them - well yes.   I got my husband to drill two holes opposite each other and then started gluing strips of music paper on one side.  After they were dry, I punched the holes again.  Then I glued the music paper to the other side and re-punched the holes.  If you glue the paper to both sides before punching the holes, you won't know where to find them - something I learned the hard way with the first CD ornament I made.

After the glue was dry I inked it lightly with Vintage Photo Distress Ink from Ranger and then dabbed on some Wendy Vecchi Gold Embossing Paste.

I printed the vintage Santa from Magpie on the House and fussy cut it before I glued it to the ornament.  Next I raided my Christmas creating stash for some Christmas greenery that I frosted with a bit of snow (a.k.a. styrofoam shavings), a little pine cone and some red and white berries.

The poinsettia was made using a Marianne Creatables die from paper that I dabbed with craft paint and a natural sea sponge before I cut the pieces.  After the pieces were cut, I inked them all with Fired Brick and Aged Mahogany Distress Ink and then added Forest Moss Distress Ink to one.  I used a Copic marker to define the veins.  Then I added some beads from my stash for the centre.

The hanger is some red seam binding from my sewing closet with a button from a warehouse in Fancy Gap, Virginia added to cover the top hole. I made some bead charms for the bottom and hung them from some gold chain.

Saturday Step X Step

It is my turn to present the Saturday Step X Step at Frilly and Funkie and here is a sneak peek at what I created.  Pop over there to find out what it is and how I did it.

Mixed Media Christmas Ornament

The new monthly challenge begins today at The Mirror Crack'd.  This is a mixed media challenge blog and this time we want to see a Christmas Decoration.  Remember, no cards are allowed.

I made this ornament for my own tree, which is decorated in primarily red and gold with a few white elements.

This ornament started as a styrofoam ball - novel idea, right?  I kicked it up a notch by gluing small pieces cut from a paper napkin.  The napkin was a two-ply one so I really had to lay the glue on thick.  I found Mod Podge worked best.  If I had separated the plys and just used the patterned one, it would have shredded so it was best to use it as is.  One tip is to set it in the top of a wide mouthed drinking glass while you work because if you handle it too much, the napkin wants to come off on your hand.  Also make sure you move it around as it dries (I used my heat gun to speed up the process) or it will stick to the edge of the glass.  I had a couple tiny spots that I had to adjust at the end but it was easy.

Once it was all dry, I added some vertical strips of lace, metallic mesh ribbon and soutache braid, all of which came from my sewing room.  Then I created some some oval and circular panels from foil tape that is used in the heating and air conditioning industry.  The pieces were cut using a couple of Spellbinders dies, embossed with an embossing folder from Craft Concepts called Budding Vine, then painted with a mixture of two red craft paints and highlighted with Classic Gold Treasure Gold wax paste. The oval pieces were added around the top and the circular one was added to the bottom.

I also re-coloured two filigree pieces with Cranberry Adirondack alcohol ink blended with Gold Mixative and added those to the two strips with lace.  Large pearl stickers from Recollections were added to the oval embossed pieces and to the two filigree pieces.

Finally I made a loopy bow for the top from ribbon I picked up at Michaels  with a pearl stick pin that I picked up at Excelsior Wholesale on a visit to England and then added some beads from Arton Bead Supply to another stick pin for the bottom.

I hope you will join us and show us your mixed media Christmas Decoration.

Bloom

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and this time we want to see vintage or shabby chic projects in the style of Wendy Vecchi so we are calling it It's All About Wendy. You can check out her wonderful art at her blog - just click here.

I created a card with lots of stenciling and stamping but added a couple frilly touches since I am on the frilly side of the team. 

I used some Recollections card stock for my blank and then I created the background by using a brayer to layer on some of Wendy's Dandelion and Cornflower Blue Archival Ink.  I masked off a section on the bottom and stenciled the top using her Polka Dotty stencil with Orange Blossom Archival Ink and the Dots and Stripes Border Stencil with some Cornflower Blue Archival Ink.  Next I reversed the mask and stamped the bottom with the Vintage Wallpaper background stamp and some Red Geranium Archival Ink.

I glued some old book pages to card stock and stamped a flower from the Daisy Art stamp set.  Then I cut the flower head and the leaves out.  The flower head was inked with Red Geranium Archival Ink and the leaves were inked with Olive Archival Ink.  I gave them a coat of slightly watered down Mod Podge to give them a little sheen and then added some gold seed beads to the centre of the flower head.  I stamped the flower again on the background and added the flower head and leaves with some adhesive foam to pop them up.

Next I painted a metal butterfly with some copper paint and highlighted the body with some Aquamarine Texture Gold wax paste.  I swiped a strip of seam binding with some Orange Blossom Archival Ink and layered it on top of a strip of red burlap ruffling it along a strip of double sided tape.  The little flowers were cut from a scrap of venise lace and dyed with Orange Blossom Archival Ink.  I added some gems from the dollar store and a computer generated sentiment to finish off my Wendy style card.

The following items used to create this card came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

I Can See Clearly

It is time for another new challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow and this time it is called I CAN SEE CLEARLY.  We want you to put a clear element on your vintage or shabby chic card or other crafty project.  By clear we mean items made from acetate or clear packaging such as the window for a shaker, a clear butterfly or even stamping on a clear panel.  Now we understand that photographing clear is difficult so you must describe your clear element in your blog post.

I have made a shaker card so my clear element is acetate to create the window and then I have used some clear sequins along with some pale turquoise bugle beads inside the shaker.

I started with some white card stock from Recollections for my 6" square card.  I added some digital background paper from Summertime Designs but it was too bright so I lightly dry washed it with some Liquitex Gesso before I distressed it with my scissors and glued it down.  I added a strip of lace from my stash.

To make the shaker, I started with an image from Homestead Vintage and then I cut two frames from white card stock.  The smaller one was inked with some Evergreen Bough Distress Ink from Ranger.  Once the shaker was in place using lots of strips of double sided adhesive foam I randomly inked some scrap card stock with more of the DI and then used a couple of Martha Stewart punches to make the snowflakes.  Pearl stickers from Recollections were added to the centre of each.

The sentiment was created on the computer, cut into a banner shape, the edges inked with the DI and a couple of pearls added to finish it off.

Finally I used a Marianne Creatables die to make the poinsettia from a scrap of green card stock, a scrap of yellow and some leftover shimmery white card stock (too bad the camera doesn't pick up the shimmer.  The green layer was inked with some of the DI.

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Polkadoodles  - Christmas Fun
Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - Snowflakes
Crafting by Designs - Get Ready for Christmas
Divas by Design  - Festive Florals/Christmas Flowers
Crafty Little Fairies - Only One DP
Inky Chicks - Christmas
Crafty Bloggers Network - Christmas

Thanksgiving Wall Hanging

The new challenge at Frilly and Funkie starts today and Rebecca is our hostess and she is calling it A Grateful Welcome! Whether you celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving or your gratitude for the family, friends and sustenance in your life, create an invitation, table decor, decoration for a door or home decor item with gratitude or Thanksgiving theme in mind!

Thanksgiving is a celebration that really only takes place in Canada and the US.  Here in Canada we celebrate the second Monday in October so it was over when I created this piece but I will pack it away to hang up next year.

My inspiration was the vintage turkey that I found online.  I started with a 6" x 8" piece of mat board and after my husband drilled the holes for me, I gave it a coat of Gesso.  Next I used some texture paste through the Wendy Vecchi Checkmate Stencil on opposite corners.  The next step was to sponge on some Wild Honey Distress Ink and then a bit of Dandelion Archival Ink.

Next I used my Cuttlebug to cut the large leaves using the Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves die and some scraps of Pion paper from the Grandma's Schoolbook pack as well as scraps of Color Core card stock and set them aside.  I used one of the oak leaves as a mask and inked over it in random spots with some Orange Blossom Archival Ink.  The last step for the background was to use Coffee Archival Ink through a TCW Chicken Wire stencil.

The tattered leaves got some inking on the edge with Rusty Hinge and Forest Moss Distress Ink and then I used some Coffee Archival Ink and Wendy's Vintage Wallpaper stamp to give them more interest.  I ran the red leaves through the Tim Holtz Bubbles Texture Fade and then inked the edges with some Aged Magohany DI.  Before I added the leaves to the background I cut some gold mesh ribbon in half and added a couple of sections.  Next came the turkey that I also fussy cut.

The butterflies were stamped from a Stampabilities set I picked up on clearance and then I inked them with some Orange Blossom and Red Geranium Archival ink and fussy cut them.  I added some wire for the antenna and some pearls from the dollar store for bodies.

The corn stalks are made from rafia that I found during my craft room re-organization a couple weeks ago.  I glued a couple layers together, tied it in the middle with another piece of rafia and then fringed the top and added some Antique Linen and Walnut Stain DI.

The pumpkin was hand cut and then parts were cut again and the edges were inked with some Walnut Stain DI before they were added to give the pumpkin a bit of dimension.  I made the apple basket from some scraps of kraft card stock and inked all the slats with Walnut Stain DI.  The apples are card candy and I indented one edge, added a teeny stem and then inked the apples with Aged Mahogany DI and the stems with Forest Moss DI.

The text was cut on my Cameo from Grunge Paper and inked with Forest Moss DI.  Finally I made the hanger by stringing some beads on head pins and eye pins and added them to some chain with jump rings.

I am going to enter this in the following challenges:

Cards and More - Leaves
Cuttlebug Mania - Use Leaves
Love to Create - Anything Goes/Fall Colors
Stamp and Create - Fall/Autumn
Crazy Challenge - Autumn Gatherings

The following products used in the creation of this wall hanging came from the most wonderful online store, The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Colouring Outside The Lines

A dear friend of mine, Sue Carrington, is involved in a wonderful new challenge blog called Artist Trading Post Exchange.  This is a mixed media challenge and it launched at the beginning of October so I thought I would play in their first challenge - Anything Goes.

I decided to make another page for my art journal and focus on the warm changing colours surrounding me.  I also decided to give it a pile of texture and that was fun.

I started by gluing two blank pages together to give it more strength but it still buckled a bit with all the texture which started with gluing some drywall tape, crumpled tissue paper, netting and gauze in random spots along with a strip of lace.  The next step was to add Golden Light Molding Paste in random spots through a Heidi Swap stencil and through the netting.

After the paste was dry I start wiping Smoked Paprika, Blood Orange, Pumpkin Soup and Hey Pesto Fresco Finish paints on touching up some of the missed spots with a paintbrush.

Next I pulled out some Prima and Recollections flowers, changed the colour of a few with paint and gave them a light spray with Tattered Angels Pearl Glimmer Mist before I added buttons for centres.  Some of the leaves were stamped with Coffee Archival Ink from Ranger using the Shabby Chic Autumn Leaves set from Just Right and then inked with Scattered Straw, Old Paper, Crushed Olive, Aged Mahogany, Spiced Marmalade and Ripe Persimmon Distress Ink from Ranger before they were fussy cut.

The rest of the leaves were cut from scrap card stock and embossed with a lace embossing folder and then inked with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  The butterfly is a wood piece that I picked up at the dollar store and it was already coloured so I just inked the edges with some Vintage Photo DI.

The letters for the word "fall" are chipboard and I painted them with some Haystack Fresco Finish paint and then stamped some script with Coffee Archival Ink using a stamp from Recollections.  I gave them a coat of Mod Podge to seal everything.

Finally I made the rest of the text on the computer, inked the edges with Vintage Photo DI and then added them along with a few beads for some bling.

I am going to enter this project in the following challenges:

Artist Trading Post Exchange - Anything Goes (mixed media)
All Crafts Challenge - Anything but a Card
Artistic Inspirations  - Anything Goes/Make Your Own Background
Cheerful Stamp Pad - Fall Leaves
Timbro Scrap Mania Stamping Challenge - Fall is in the Air
Stamping Sensations  - Autumn
So Artful Challenges - Leaves
Crafty Catz  - Autumn

One, Two, Three - Go

The new challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow starts today and the theme is called ONE, TWO, THREE.  We want you to make cards with one focal image, two patterned papers and three types of embellishments (e.g. a strip of lace, a few pearls and some ribbon).  You can add multiples of any of the three types you choose but we don't want you to add a 4th type of embellishment.

Provided we have at least nine entries in the challenge we will choose one random winner who will receive a little piece of word art along with a winner's badge to display. The Design Team will choose their Top Pick and that creator will receive a winner's badge and also be in the running for a monthly Guest Designer spot.

I made this card while I was in Virginia visiting with my friend Patti and decided it would be great for my husband's birthday.

I started with some Recollections green card stock for my blank and added two papers from First Edition.  Next I stamped the vintage truck from Stampin Up with Jet Black Archival Ink from Ranger and coloured it with Spectrum Noirs.  The leaves were cut from scraps of card stock on Patti's Cameo and I then I stamped them with a Gina K. script stamp.  Everything was inked with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink from Ranger.  Finally I added a button and some hemp from Patti's stash.

While I designed this card and put it together, Patti supplied everything that went into it so you might say that she made it too :)  So there you go, one truck image, two papers and three types of embellishments - leaves, button and hemp.

I am going to enter this into the following challenges:

Add A Little Dazzle - Fall is Here or Anything Goes
Ruby's Rainbow - Autumn Leaves
Crafting Musketeers - Autumn Colours
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - Anything Goes with Patterned Paper
Craft-room Challenge - Seasonal Colours (Fall)
Docerela Creations  - Fall Colours

Autumn Colours

The new challenge at Frilly and Funkie starts today and Sue is our hostess and wants us to make shabby chic or vintage projects that showcase Autumn Colours - your project does not have to be about Autumn, it just needs to be in the colours associated with Autumn.

Where I live the trees are all turning and now that it has cooled off (long pants weather) you can bet those vibrant colours won't last too long.

I started my card with some Recollections kraft card stock for the base, added a layer of olive green card stock that I found in my scraps and topped that with a layer of Tim Holtz Color Core card stock.

Next I took a scrap of white card stock and inked it up with Ripe Persimmon, Rusty Hinge, Wild Honey and Crushed Olive Distress Ink.  I did a little water flicking before I added some dots with Wendy Vecchi Dandelion Archival Ink and her Polka Dotty stencil.  Then I proceeded to pretty well cover it all up - WUWT!  Oh, and all the layers were distressed with my scissors and then had the edges inked with Vintage Photo DI.

I recently had the joy of spending a day with Pamellia Johnson and learning how she creates her fantastic shabby projects.  She taught me a cool crackle paint technique so I made the heart using her technique.  It started with a scrap of cream card stock, followed by a layer of cheap white glue from the dollar store and then while it was still wet, a layer of Barnyard Red acrylic paint from Plaid.  The heart was then hand cut once everything was dry.  I need to keep practicing because I was really aiming for more cracks horizontally and I seem to be very good at getting vertical cracks.

Next I dyed a piece of Venise Lace and some lacy netting with some Wild Honey DI.  I also cut two butterflies from vellum using a Martha Stewart punch and inked them from the back with some of the Ripe Persimmon DI.  Once I put them together I added some dollar store pearls for the body.

Using the Wendy Vecchi Daisy Art set and Coffee Archival Ink by Ranger, I stamped the flowers and leaves four times, once on Tim Holtz Kraft Glassine and three times on a linen card stock that I discovered leftover from my daughter's wedding 13 years ago (I guess I should have done a craft room reorganization long ago - lol).  I coloured the glassine leaves using Crushed Olive DI and cut them away from the flower.  Then I fussy cut the other three flowers  One was coloured with Wendy Vecchi Orange Blossom Archival Ink and one with her Dandelion Archival Ink.  Both were sprayed with Perfect Pearl spray and then microbeads from Recollections were added for centres.  The third flower was coloured with Wendy's Red Geranium Archival Ink, stamped with a Recollections script stamp and then coated with Tim Holtz Clear Rock Candy Crackle Paint.  It didn't crack as I hoped but I like the shine.  I re-coloured a wooden button with a Copic marker, used some burlap string to fill the holes and added it to the centre of the red flower.

The sentiment was stamped from the Wendy Vecchi The Beauty of Art set using Coffee Archival Ink on some of the linen card stock and inked with some Wild Honey and Rusty Hinge DI.  The bow is seam binding dyed with Wild Honey, Crushed Olive and Aged Mahogany DI.  Finally I added a sun charm from Arton Bead Supply that I re-coloured with some Ginger and Caramel Adirondack Alcohol Ink.

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Craft-Room Challenge - Seasonal Colours
Shopping Our Stash - It's The Most Colorful Time Of The Year
Robyn's Fetish - Autumn Colors
Paper Creators Crafts - Use A Charm
Aloha Friday Challenges - Fall Colors

The following items used in the creation of this card can be found at The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Body Beautiful ??

It is time for the next monthly challenge at The Mirror Crack'd and this time the theme is called The Body Beautiful so we want to see your mixed media project featuring the human form. A hand, an eye or a mannequin to represent a body are just some suggestions you could use, but we would love to see how your imagination works and what you can create. Just remember - no cards.

I decided to make doorknob hangers for Halloween for my Grandchildren (a girl aged 8 and a boy aged 5 1/2) so my body references are not beautiful unless you are a Pathologist or an Undertaker but the skulls suit the theme I chose.

Each hanger started as a double layer of thin chipboard that I cut with my Cameo and glued together.  Next I painted the backs with black acrylic craft paint and the front with Gesso.  Then I crumpled up some tissue paper and glued it to the front of each hanger.  Next I spritzed each one with some purple and green spray inks and hit them with some canned air while they were wet.  Once everything dried I covered them with Black Soot Distress Ink.  They seemed a bit dark so I took a baby wipe and removed some of the Black Soot.  You will notice that my Grandson's hanger is more green and that is because it is his favourite colour.

Besides the vintage skull images each hanger needed some fun embellishments so I got to work.

For the one on the left I made a computer generated date and then I printed some vintage poison labels, coloured them with Spiced Marmalade  DI and then joined them together with a brad from Making Memories.

The mummy head is a glass block covered with strips of gauze bandage that I dyed with some Antique Linen Distress Ink.  His little eyes were created from some acrylic packaging that I coloured with Alcohol Ink, punched with a small circle punch and then added a black pearl sticker for eyeballs.  The 3D pumpkin is made from punched circles that were embossed with a Tim Holtz Texture Fade and then the highlights were inked with some Black Soot DI.  The stem and leaves were hand cut and inked with Forest Moss DI and the tendril is a piece of wire.

Finally the word BOO is made from some wooden letters that I painted with acrylic craft paint and then highlighted with some Rose Quartz Treasure Gold wax paste.  A little hand cut bat tops off the letters.

For the hanger on the right I used larger wooden letters to make the word BOO, painted it the same way as the other but before I added the wax paste, I stamped each letter with a script stamp.  Then I added a couple of brads and another little bat.

I made a little book of spells from some card stock that I embossed with the Texture Fade from Tim Holtz, highlighted with some Black Soot DI and then coated with a layer of Mod Podge.  The book pages are taken from an old book and the book is tied together with some burlap string.

A girl has to have flowers so I added two with buttons from my stash for centres and another with a little rose that I coloured with a Promarker.  Finally I made some bead charms and hung them from chain.

If you are wondering why the little bats don't have eyes - it is because they are "blind as a bat" - lol (cheesy, I know).

Here are the supplies I used to create this project:

Papers: Chipboard (Silhouette), Tissue Paper (Dollarama), Card Stock (Recollections)
Images: Skulls (The Graphics Fairy, The Cottage Market), Poison Labels (Palace Puppy), Bat (Plumrose Lane)
Inks & Paints: Black Soot, Antique Linen, Forest Moss, Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink (Ranger), Crushed Grape, Dirty Martini Dylusions Spray Ink (Ranger), Caramel, Ginger Adirondack Alcohol Ink (Ranger), Rose Quartz Wax Paste (Treasure Gold), Avocado, Black Acrylic Paint (Americana)
Embellishments: Wooden Letters (Dollarama), Flowers (Prima and Wild Orchid Crafts),  Beads and Beading Supplies (Arton Bead Supply, Michaels, Dollarama, Wal Mart), Patchwork Texture Fade (Tim Holtz), Buttons (My Stash), Pearl Stickers (Recollections), Burlap String (The Funkie Junkie Boutique), Brads (Making Memories), Wire (Artistic Wire), Glass Block (Michaels)
Miscellaneous: Gesso (Liquitex), Matte Medium (Ranger), Mod Podge 

I am going to enter this project in the following challenges:

Fab 'n Funky - Halloween
Corrosive Challenges - Halloween Colors
Creative Corner - Anything But A Card
Pattie's Creations - Embossing (must use an image - skulls)
Simply Create Too - It's A Special Occasion

Hide and Go Seek

It is time for a new challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow and this one is called Hide and Go Seek.  We want you to make a vintage or shabby chic project with a hidden element.  Make sure you mention what your hidden element is in your post.

Here is my hidden element:

My husband and I recently went on a two-week road trip to the US and in addition to some sightseeing we visited with some of my crafty friends along the way.  We spent a week in Virginia with the lovely Patti Painter and her husband and while there Patti and I managed to get a couple of crafting sessions in.  I had taken some of the elements for this card with me but also used some of Patti's supplies, such as her die set, Spectrum Noirs (a.k.a. her magic markers according to her husband - lol) and rubber stamps.  We also had dinner and spent a fun evening in Richmond, Virginia with Cheryl Grant of Sassy Cheryl's Stamps and spent a fabulous weekend in Maryland with Ann English and her husband.  Patti and Ann have been on design teams with me and I must say - my crafting friends are the best.

I started with some Recollections card stock for the blank.  Then I added some Pink Paislee papers from the Queen Bee collection for the background, distressed them with my scissors and sponged them with some Black Soot Distress Ink from Ranger.  I cut the large horizontal die cut from more of the Pink Paislee paper using Spellbinders Labels 18 die.

The image die is cut from white card stock using the same die set.  Next I stamped the Lemon Stamp from Stampin Up using Jet Black Archival Ink from Ranger and coloured it with Patti's Spectrum Noirs (my first effort but I think it is fine considering I am a Prismacolor gal). 

I made a loopy bow from black satin ribbon that I picked up at Fabricland and added a Recollections polka dot button to it.  The large die has some Recollections pearl stickers added and is popped up with foam dots.  The hidden sentiment is from Stampin Up and has been stamped with Jet Black Archival Ink on a hand cut tag and then sponged with some Black Soot DI.  The narrow yellow ribbon came from my stash.

Finally I added some black lace that came from an outlet store in Fancy Gap, VA and a computer generated sentiment that I hand cut.

I am going to enter this card in the following challenges:

Simply Create Too - Special Occasion
The Sisterhood of Crafters - Lots of Layers
Cuttlebug Mania - Anything Die Cut
Bunny Zoe's Crafts - Lace
Crafty Cardmakers - Ribbons/Lace and Pearls
Timbro Scrapmania - Lace and Pearls

Boo

The new challenge at Frilly and Funkie starts today and Nancy is our hostess and is calling the challenge A Haunting Halloween, which is so timely since Halloween is just around the corner - at least that what the merchandise in the stores tell us and the calendar.

I have made a card for one of my little Grandchildren so it is an eclectic mix of vintage and shabby with some child-friendly elements.

I started with some Tim Holtz Color Core card stock for the blank.  Then I created a background with some coated card stock that I covered with Scattered Straw DI and then sponged on some Wendy Vecchi Orange Blosson Archival Ink using a sea sponge.  A little Black Soot and Bundled Sage DI was sponged on the background and then I used Jet Black Archival Ink to stamp some splatters from the Tim Holtz Ultimate Grunge stamp set.

I cut a triangle of the Color Core card stock, embossed it with the Tim Holtz Patchwork embossing folder and inked it with some Black Soot DI.  The rosette was also made from the same card stock and then I added a burlap string bow and a computer generated sentiment.  The rosette is mounted on some cheesecloth that was dyed with some Black Soot DI.  The Halloween ticket is from a Tim Holtz stamp called Odds and Ends and was stamped with Jet Black Archival Ink on grey card stock and then fussy cut while the skulls were cut with my Cameo.

The vintage image is from vintagehalloween.com and the mummy head was made by crisscrossing strips of paper inked with a Recollections script stamp across a punched circle.  I added some googly eyes and some hand cut teeth.  Finally I added some spiders that were stamped, fussy cut and then covered with a black metallic Sakura gel pen.

The following products used in the creation of this card came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Friday Focus at Frilly and Funkie

I am presenting the Friday Focus today at Frilly and Funkie and it is all about Venise Laces so here is a sneak peek at what I made.  Pop over to Frilly and Funkie where I will give you all the details.

Floral Chic

Two weeks have gone by quickly and now it is time for another new challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow.  This time it is called Word Play and we want to see vintage or shabby chic projects that include a word or words, which could be a sentiment but does not have to be.

I think this card is more chic than shabby but I love how it turned out.

I started with some Recollections card stock for my blank and then created the background from a piece of scrap white card stock.  I sponged Squeezed Lemonade, Scattered Straw and Dried Marigold Distress Ink from Ranger over the piece and then did some stenciling in Wild Honey DI with the Wendy Vecchi checkers stencil.

I cut some leaves from Tim Holtz color core card stock using my Cameo and then inked them with some Forest Moss DI from Ranger.

I added a strip of black ribbon from Fabricland to a strip of patterned paper from My Mind's Eye and fastened that on the right side.  I stamped the sentiment from The Daisy Art set from Wendy Vecchi.

I also stamped the flower from the same stamp set twice and fussy cut it.  Each flower was coloured with Prismacolor pencil crayons and blended with Gotrick odourless mineral spirits.  I popped the top flower up with some foam dots and added some black seed beads from Michaels for the centre.

Finally I made a big bow from some gradient organza ribbon that I picked up in Fancy Gap, Virginia.

From the Heart

The new challenge at Frilly and Funkie is called From the Heart and Trace, our hostess this time wants us to make vintage or shabby chic projects with hearts as the focal image.

For my shabby card, I started with some pink card stock as my blank and then added some paper from the Maja Designs pack called Coffee in the Arbor for my background and for the gathered pieces.

Next I added a little piece of venise lace with hearts and a piece of seam binding across the bottom.  I added a bronze toned cabochon topped with a little rose from Wild Orchid Crafts.

Then I used another piece of the Maja Designs paper to make one heart and then some more of the pink card stock for the second big heart.  I ran that heart through the Tim Holtz texture fade called Bubble.  Both hearts were distressed with my scissors and the edges were inked with Milled Lavender Distress Ink.  I topped the big pink heart with a loopy bow made from burlap string and added a metal heart that I picked up in England a couple of years ago.

I found the Life metal tag in my stash and covered it with Gesso and when it was dry I scuffed it up with some sand paper.  Finally I added a few more flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and Excelsior Wholesale, some pearl stickers from Recollections and a couple of swirls made with wire from Artistic Wire.

I used the following products from The Funkie Junkie Boutique in the creation of this card:

Metal Mania

Today is an exciting day because it is the launch of a new challenge blog called The Mirror Crack'd. This blog will have monthly challenges devoted to mixed media/altered art projects - but no cards.  I am honoured to have been asked to be on this new team and to invite you to join us for the first challenge, which is Anything Goes.

For my first project, I made a small canvas.  I started with a 7" square of framer's mat board and gave it a coat of Gesso (Liquitex).  Next I added some drywall tape and Light Molding Paste (Golden) through a Mini Hexagons stencil (TCW).

The next step was to add some paint and this time I used Pumpkin Soup, Mocha Mousse and Cinnamon (all Fresco Finish).  I used a baby wipe to wipe it back in some areas.  Then I did some stenciling with Black Soot Distress Ink (Ranger) and three stencils; Dots and Stripes Border (Wendy Vecchi), Letter Jumble (Dylusions) and Dotted Flowers (Dylusions).  Once it was dry I rubbed the raised embossing with some Classic and Rose Quartz wax paste (Treasure Gold) and the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink (Ranger).

Next I started on the embellishments.  I cut a couple pieces of cardboard from an old box and removed the top layer to reveal the corrugated layer.  I wanted to paint it with a dark brown paint but since I didn't have any, I mixed together some acrylic paint called Coffee Bean and Black (Folk Art) and painted the valley portions of the corrugated cardboard.  I also rubbed the peaks with the same wax pastes.

I created the text on the computer and inked the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink (Ranger).  Next I used Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger) and stamped some script (Recollections) onto some Hopsack Tape (Fancy Gap Outlet).  Then I inked the edges with Walnut Stain and added a couple of brads (Making Memories).  Tip:  I always remove the legs from the brads and use pop dots to adhere them so everything lies flat.

The next step was to create the wings for the clock.  I used paper-backed foil tape used in the heating and air-conditioning industry and hand cut three layers for each wing.  Then I took an embossing stylus and other metal working tools (Walnut Hollow) and gave them lots of texture.  They were painted with Coffee Bean acrylic paint (Folk Art) and then that was wiped off.  Next I blended some Adirondack Caramel, Rust, Ginger and Gold Mixative Alcohol Ink (Ranger) and coated each layer before I adhered them together.

The rest of the embellishments were not altered - Key (Kay & Co.), Clock, Trinket Pin and Lock (Tim Holtz), Gears (Bead Landing) and Button (my sewing basket).

I hope you will join us at The Mirror Crack'd for our first challenge and show us your mixed media/altered art project - but remember, no cards.

Tag - Tim Style

The new challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow this time is called Tag, You're It and we want you to make vintage or shabby chic stand alone tags or put them on your cards or other projects.

I have never participated in one of the Tim Holtz tag challenges but thought I would give it a go this month (12 Tags of 2014 August).  I checked out his tutorial and then started digging through my craft room to see what I had on hand to accomplish a tag that sort of resembled his masterpiece.

Since I followed the tutorial pretty closely, I won't repeat the steps here but will just give a list of supplies this time:

Stamps:
Gentlemen (Tim Holtz Curious Possibility)
Vintage Ads (Recollections Vintage Ads)

Tissue Wrap:
Tim Holtz Melange

Stencils:
Letter Jumble (Dylusions)
Moroccan (Heidi Swap)

Distress Stains:
Wild Honey (Ranger)
Faded Jeans (Ranger)
Barn Door (Ranger)
Peeled Paint (Ranger)

Metals:
Button and Trinket Pin (Tim Holtz)
Gears and Ruler (Bead Landing)
Word Bar ( Kay & Company)

Alcohol Ink:
Meadow (Ranger)
Sailboat Blue (Ranger)

Other:
Light Molding Pate (Golden)
Glue and Seal ( Inkssentials)
Seam Binding (Hug Snug)
Walnut Stain Distress Ink (Ranger)
Burlap String

This was a ton of fun to create and I might have to tackle another one soon.

Besides Tim's challenge, I am going to enter this tag in the following challenges:

Eclectic Paperie - Embossing
Tag Along - Vintage Inspired
Make My Monday - Tags and Toppers