Hip to be Square

It is time for the next challenge at Frilly and Funkie and this time I am the hostess.  I am calling this one Hip to be Square and here is how I described it:

"Let's go retro and make a project influenced by the brighter colours and/or images and patterns of the hippie era of the late 1960's/early 1970's. Your project must either be square or include at least one square element."

I made a square card but that part was easy for me since I make square cards almost exclusively. Then I decided to add a few classic images along with my bright colours. I do remember that period and there was a lot of drab colours too but then there was also some nudity - wasn't going there :)

I started with some yellow card stock from Tim Holtz color core pad for the card blank.  Then I added some Recollections card stock panels starting with orange, followed by deep red that I scored around the edge (hard to see in the photo) and finally some green that I sprayed with Dylusions White Linen ink spray through a Tim Holtz Zigzag stencil.

The paisley panel was made on the computer by creating a square in Word, filling it with bright yellow and then adding a paisley overlay that I picked up as a freebie from dbsdigiscraps.com.  I changed the colour of the paisley to match the deep red panel.  Next came the Hair poster that I picked up online.

I made some bright paper for my flowers by spraying Dylusions Lemon Zest, Cherry Pie, Bubblegum Pink and Squeezed Orange ink onto a sheet of white card stock.  Four flowers were stamped with the Dylusions Fancy Florals set using Tree Branch Archival Ink and then fussy cut. I used some foam dots to add a second layer to the top left flower.  Then I added some dotted buttions and burlap string to each flower.

The sentiment was computer generated and I made the loopy bow by dying some seam binding with Mustard Seed Distress Ink and tying it with some burlap string.  The sentiment and all the panels have been distressed with my scissors and the edges have been inked with Fired Brick DI.

I hope you will channel your inner hippie and join us for this challenge.  You have until April 5th at 11:55 pm EST to enter your Hip to be Square project.

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

Everybody Art Challenge  - Anything Goes
Craft-Dee BowZ - Anything Goes (must include handmade bow)
Craft Your Passion - Always Anything Goes
Our Crafty Corner - Anything Goes
The Crazy Challenge - Flowers
Stamping Sensations - Flower Power

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

Trio of Flowers

Click on the photo to get a larger view

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and this time Sue is our hostess and is calling the challenge Let's Make It A Trio.  Here is what she has to say about it:

"One of the things I love to do is work in 3's on a project, 3 tags, 3 panels, 3 arches etc.... so for this challenge I'd like to see projects including 3 of something, but this does need to be the main focal point of your project."

I decided to make a little trio of floral panels. I photographed it laying flat but it does stand up.  I started by cutting three 4" squares from corrugated cardboard and ripped sections of the top layer back to expose the corrugation. Next I watered down some Bleached Sand acrylic paint from Deco Art and dry brushed it over the panels. I inked the edge of the panels with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

Next I chose some papers from the Graphic 45 Mon Amour collection and tore them in different ways to fit each panel.  The papers were also inked with Vintage Photo.

I dyed some venise lace with Abandoned Coral DI and cut it into segments.  Then I started to make flowers.  The flower on the left panel is created by making a rosette from some old lace that belonged to my late Mother-in-Law.  I added a button to the centre, tucked a couple of of lace segments under it and then added a gem flourish from my stash.

The middle flower was created by cutting some of the Mon Amour paper with the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die.  It was larger than I wanted so I trimmed down the edges with my Fiskars Deckle scissors and then shaped it..  I added some May Arts crochet lace ribbon under it and some beads from my stash.  The butterfly was created from Martha Stewart Crafer's Clay and a Silicon Mold from Mod Podge.  It was coloured with Abandoned Coral DI, highlighted it with some Hickory Smoke DI and added some Stardust Stickles was added to give it a bit of glitter.

The right flower is a bit difficult to see in the photo but it is a rolled flower that I made from some cheap open weave fabric that I found in in my stash and frayed when I tore it.  I tucked some of the dyed lace segments under it and added another gem flourish.

The panels were sewn together with some black burlap string.

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

Crafty Friends - Floral
Just Us Girls - Word Week - Flowers

The following products used to create my floral trio came from The Funkie Junkie Boutiques:

Pot of Posies

The new March challenge starts today at Anything But Cute and this time Branka is our hostess and she is calling it Crazy For Colour.

Branka describes the challenge this way:

"To celebrate the springtime, we would like you to create a mixed media project using vibrant colours! It can be a tag, a card, an art journal page or anything else! Just be sure it's vibrant! It's time to go 'crazy' with colours!"

 
I decided to make an art journal page that I am calling a Pot of Posies.  I spritzed a piece of watercolour paper with water and then I sprayed Dylusions Vibrant Turquoise and Dirty Martini ink onto my craft mat and dragged the watercolour paper through it to create the base for the background.

Next I did a bunch of stenciling as follows:

• Wendy Vecchi Lovely Leaves with Fern Green Archival Ink and Dots and Stripes Borders with Orange Blossom Archival Ink
• TCW Tiny Circles with Magenta Hue Archival Ink
• Dylusions Dotted Flowers with Bleach
• Circles Mask (Manufacturer Unknown) with Magenta Hue Archival Ink
• Swirls (Manufacturer Unknown) with Dandelion Archival Ink

The next step was to make the paper for the pot.  I used a piece of heavy card stock and painted it with the following acrylic paints in random areas:

• Folk Art Medium Yellow
• Deco Art Pumpkin, Wild Orchid and Electric Pink
• Apple Laguna

Before they could dry I loaded a paint brush with water and covered the sheet with strokes to blend the colours a bit.  Once the sheet was dry I used an old DVD as a template to cut a circle making sure to leave a flat bottom and I also cut a strip for the pot rim.  I decided it was brighter than I wanted so I inked the pieces with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  The next step was to take a .05 Micron Pigma Pen and draw all the lines freehand.

Next I worked on the flowers.  I made different kinds of paper for the loopy doodle flowers.  The first was done by swiping some old Tombow markers on a plastic bag, spritzing it with water and then smooshing it around a piece of watercolour paper.  The second paper was made by rubbing Orange Blossom and Dandelion Archival Ink on some Specialty Stamping Paper.  Once the paper was made I stamped the flowers using Jet Black Archival Ink and the smallest flower from Dylusions Fancy Florals set and then fussy cut them.

I decided I didn't have enough flowers and really wanted some different ones but since that was the only stamp I had I went looking online and came up with some freebie doodle flowers.  They were printed onto card stock and then coloured with Forget-Me-Not, Red Geranium and Deep Purple Archival Ink before I fussy cut them.

To make the butterfly I coloured a scrap of card stock with some Artist's Loft watercolour pencils, blended them with water and then stamped the butterfly with a Hero Arts stamp.  The butterfly was fussy cut and some black wire from Artistic Wire was added for antennae.  The sentiment was computer generated and then coloured with some Forget-Me-Not Archival Ink.

Spring Nest

It is time for a new monthly challenge at Stamps and Stencils and this time Rachel is our hostess and is calling it Spring Is In The Air.  She describes it this way:

"I want you to think about what the coming of spring means to you? Is it a colour burst, or maybe flowers? Whatever it is I would like you to show us in a mixed media piece including stamping or stencilling or both! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!"

I am hoping that spring really is in the air because we haven't had a harsh winter as we normally do but it has been up and down with brutal cold followed immediately by really mild temperatures.  Luckily the snowfalls have been light but just as it all melts we get another snowstorm, like the one we got yesterday.  Pretty soon I will be complaining that it is too hot and humid - that is the way it is when you live somewhere that has four seasons.  Now on to my project.

I was surfing the web and saw something here that inspired me, especially since spring usually comes with lots of new birds but of course I had to add my own touches to my project.  I started with a 9" x 12" canvas that I picked up from Dollarama and I covered it with Liquitex Gesso.  Then I used some Mod Podge and torn pieces from an old book to completely cover the canvas.  Once it was dry I covered it with some watered down Gesso.  Then I used a TCW stencil called Mini Bricks and Golden Light Molding Paste to cover the canvas.

The eggs were made next by shaping some Martha Stewart Crafter's Clay into an egg shape and then once it was dry, painting it with Craftsmart Robin's Egg acrylic paint, adding spots with a Copic marker and then covering it with Gloss Mod Podge.

I found the bird template in my stash, traced a couple onto cardboard and then fussy cut them.  I coated them with Fresco Finish Blood Orange chalk acrylic, then Folk Art Crackle Medium followed by Folk Art Country Twill acrylic paint making sure each coat was dry before adding the next.

I decided I didn't like the end result so I added some Lindy's Moonshadow Mist Burnished Brass, FW Antelope Brown ink and some Liquitex Transparent Burnt Sienna ink - happy now.  I stamped the wings with some Jet Black Archival Ink and a stamp from a Kaisercraft stamp called Sheet Music and added some teeny pearls for eyes.

The next step was to make the nest.  The ground was covered in snow so I had to go digging through my craft room and despite what my husband says, it pays to hang on to certain things because I found a couple branches and some dried weeds in a box with some silk flowers.  I broke the branches and weeds up and arranged them along with some jute string, burlap ribbon, bits of bark and strips of old book paper.  I found that Liquitex Matte Super Heavy Gel made a great adhesive.  I went over the whole nest with more Gesso.

Before I added the eggs, birds and a few feathers I added some shading around the nest with some watered down Craftsmart acrylic paint called Espresso.

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

Art Journal Journey - If You Go Down To The Woods
Artistic Stamper - Springtime (wings are stamped)
Crafts and Me - Spring
Live and Love Crafts - Signs of Spring
Lunagirl - Spring Flowers and Birds
Cards und More  - Spring (wings are stamped)
We Love 2 Create - Anything Mixed Media/Creative Goes
Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - M is for Mixed Media (wings are stamped)

St. Patrick's Day Layers

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and this time Nancy is our hostess and wants to see us Layer It Up.  She describes the challenge this way:

"Create a shabby chic or vintage project that includes multiple layers."

When I saw this theme I thought it would be no problem but it is amazing how your mood affects your creating.  I have been dealing with some personal stuff for the past couple weeks and usually getting in my studio is just the ticket to make me happy and productive but this time I felt like I was spinning my wheels and this card with layers didn't translate as well from my head to finished product as I thought it would.  I am sure many of you go through the same thing from time to time so despite the fact that I am not really happy with this card I am forging ahead and sharing it anyway.

I started with some Bazzill card stock for the blank and then added a panel of paper from the Graphic 45 Once Upon A Springtime pad.  All the elements have been distressed and inked on the edges with Peeled Paint Distress Ink.  Next I took a piece of yellow paper from Maja Designs Vintage Spring Basics and ran it through a Tim Holtz Texture Fade called Collage.  I inked the highlights with Shabby Shutters Distress Ink.

The next panel is a piece from Graphic 45 Time to Flourish paper pad.  I created a calendar for March on my computer and highlighted the 17th with a Prismacolor pencil.  The vintage lady is from The Graphics Fairy and the Irish music poster is from Mallory and McCall.  I inked a piece of a Wilton doily with some Shabby Shutters DI and tucked it behind the music poster.

I added a clear disc to a shamrock chipboard piece from the Graphic 45 set and grouped it with some flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and a button from my stash. 

I altered the colour of a Tim Holtz Typed Token with some Lettuce and Meadow Alcohol Ink and added a Making Memories brad from my stash.

Next I dyed some seam binding with Shabby Shutters to make the loopy bow, tied it with some burlap string and added a little flower from Wild Orchid Crafts to the centre.  Finally I cut the sentiment from the Time to Flourish pad.

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

Crafty Boots Challenges - No Stamps Allowed
Polkadoodles - Lucky Green
Really Reasonable Ribbon - Celebrate Theme with Ribbon or Trim

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

Friday Focus at Frilly and Funkie

I am presenting the new Friday Focus segment today at Frilly and Funkie.  Here is a sneak peek of my project.  To get the details, click here and check out the full post.

Love Is In The Air

It is time for another new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and Zoe is our hostess this time.  She is calling this one Love Is In The Air and describes it this way:

"Create a vintage or shabby chic project with love as the central theme. Think hearts, cupid, love and romance in whatever colour palette your heart desires."

I decided to use a new Graphic 45 paper pad called Mon Amour to make my card.  Great minds think alike because I wasn't the only gal on the frilly team that had the same idea.

I started with some Bazzill card stock for the blank and added a black and white script paper first.  Then I added three more papers on an angle, distressing all of them with my scissors and inking the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  I lightly coloured some venise lace with Antique Linen Distress Ink and tucked it under each of the angled edges.

Next I fussy cut the large image, the oval image and the sentiment from some of the papers, inked them with Vintage Photo DI and added them with some foam dimensionals. 

I altered the colour of a bronze filigree corner with some Folk Art acrylic paint called Promenade but still didn't like the colour so I mixed some Lindy's Magicals (Cosmopolitan Pink, Fuzzy Navel Peach and A Bit o'Bubbly) with some Winsor & Newton Gum Arabic and painted that on - better.

I used some crinoline to cut flowers from the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die.  It was a bit larger than I wanted so I just took some Fiskars fancy scissors called Deckle and cut the petals down to a size I wanted.  Next I dyed the crinoline with some Abandoned Coral Distress Ink.  When it was dry I shaped and layered the flower and added a big pearl for a centre.

The rest of flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and I have added some May Arts black crochet ribbon.

I hope you will join us and show us a LOVE-LY project.

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

Cardz 4 Guyz - Valentine or Love
Fan-Tastic Tuesday - Anything Goes with a Twist - So In Love (must be square)
Try It On Tuesday - A Fine Romance
Crafty Cardmakers - Love, Love. Love
Crazy Challenge - Love
Craft and Smash - Vintage
Creative Moments - Anything Goes with a Twist - Romance/Love
Eclectic Ellapu - Love Actually
Corrosive Challenges - Love, Love, Love
Creatalicious Challenges - Love Is In The Air

The following products used in the creation of this card came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique - a fabulous place to shop with the BEST customer service:

Grungy Valentine

The new challenge starts today at Anything But Cute and the lovely Sara Emily is our hostess this time and is calling the challenge Grungy Love.  She describes it this way:

To celebrate St. Valentine's Day, we would like to see you make a Grungy Valentine's project for your sweetheart! It can be a card, tag, or anything else you might give a loved one to show them how much you care. Just be sure it's grungy!

I decided to make a grungy valentine card with some feminine touches.  I started with some grey card stock from Bazzill for my blank and then added a red panel of card stock from my stash.

The next panel had a number of steps.  First I took some Black Soot Distress Ink and patted it in on my craft mat, spritzed it with water and smooshed it onto a piece of Terra Skin paper.  This paper is very thin and has a plastic feel to it but it will not warp when you add lots of wet mediums to it, which is a good thing.  The downside is that it is best left to dry on its own and if you do use a heat tool you have to keep it very far away or the Terra Skin will start to buckle and shrivel.

Next I added some Golden Light Molding Paste through a Tim Holtz Flourish stencil in opposite corners.  Then I dripped some FW Crimson Acrylic Ink in various spots and blasted them with some canned air.  I watered down some white acrylic paint and dabbed it all over with a natural sea sponge, let it dry for a few minutes and then carefully blotted it with a paper towel to take a bit back off.  Then I gave it a light spray with Hickory Smoke Distress Spray and again blotted it to take some off.  Finally I used some Wendy Vecchi Red Geranium Archival Ink through a heart stencil that my husband cut for me on the laser cutter.

The next step was to dye some cheesecloth with Black Soot DI and lay it down.  I had the crackled heart already made from a cracker box, coated with paint and then topped with Clear Rock Candy Distress Paint but the colour was all wrong so I painted it with some Deco Art Dark Scarlet Acrylic Paint.

The metal key and lock were in my stash and I painted them with some Deco Art Black Coal One Step Metal Paint and then highlighted them with some Treasure Pewter wax paste.

The flourish was a little wood piece I picked up at WalMart and I covered it with Folk Art Metallic Silver Sterling acrylic paint and then rubbed it with the Treasure Pewter.

The sentiment is from TPC Studios and was stamped with Jet Black Archival Ink, distressed and inked with some Black Soot DI and attached with a little red clothespin that came in a little goodie pack from The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

Finally I added a big button from The Funkie Junkie Boutique along with some buttons from my stash and some beads from Michaels.

I hope you will join us for this grungy challenge.

Inky Valentine

The new challenge starts today at Stamps and Stencils and Sue is our hostess and here is what she has for us:

Splatter, Spritz, Smoosh! What can be better that getting messy in your craft room, so for this challenge it's time to get out those sprays, paints and inks and really get messy ! We want to see splattering, spritzing and smooshing ! Just remember to include either some stamping or stencilling.

To make this inky valentine I started with a piece of Recollections card stock for my blank and then I made an inky background.

I started with a piece of Yupo paper, which didn't warp when I added all the wet mediums to it, which was a good thing but it is a little pricey.  First I patted Worn Lipstick, Picked Raspberry and Fired Brick Distress Ink on my craft mat and spritzed it with water before I dragged the Yupo paper through it.

Once that layer was dry I dripped a few drops of Wild Plum Alcohol Ink on it and spritzed it with some Rubbing Alcohol that I picked up from the dollar store.

For the next layer I sprayed some Lindy's Starburst Ramblin Rose on it.  Finally I used some Wendy Vecchi Translucent Embossing Paste through a Dylusions Dotted Flowers Stencil in opposite corners.

The lace is from a wholesale warehouse in Fancy Gap, Virginia and I dyed it with some Worn Lipstick and Picked Raspberry DI.  I topped that with a filigree medallion that I painted with some Folk Art Plum Metallic acrylic paint.  I also added the word Love that was cut on my husband's laser cutter out of mat board and inked with Worn Lipstick DI.

Next came the hearts.  The one at the top was hand cut from card stock and then I ran it through a Cuttlebug embossing folder called Victoria.  It was painted with some Craftsmart Pink Blush Pearl acrylic paint and then inked with Worn Lipstick DI.

The middle heart was cut from a cracker box, coated with Gesso, painted with some Clear Rock Candy Crackle Paint and when it was dry it was inked with Worn Lipstick DI and then some FW Sundown Magenta acrylic ink was dabbed on with a natural sea sponge.  I took some beads from my stash and twisted them in some Artistic wire to add to the centre.

The bottom heart was also hand cut, painted with some Fresco Finish Blush chalk acrylic and then stamped with a script stamp from Recollections using Deep Purple Archival Ink.

The big flowers are from Recollections and the little roses are from Wild Orchid Crafts and all have been in my stash for ages.

Finally, the butterfly was stamped using Jet Black Archival Ink and a hero Arts stamp, fussy cut and then coloured using a Lavender Prismacolor pencil blended with Gotrick OMS.  I used some Artistic Wire to add back his antennae.

Here are some close up views since I wasn't able to take any process photos along the way. Just click on the photos to get a larger version.

I hope you will get inky and join us for this challenge.

Embossing More Than One Way

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and this time the wonderful Jenny is our hostess and wants us to "Enjoy Your Embossing".  Here is how she describes the challenge:

"Make a vintage or shabby chic project of your choice and remember to include some embossing. Use your favourite embossing methods (wet, dry, heat, or any other techniques you want to share) - just enjoy your embossing!"

I have used a couple of types of embossing on this card.  I started with some card stock from Staples for my blank and then added a panel of paper from a Maja Designs pad called Vintage Spring Basics.

Next I ran some card stock through a Cuttlebug embossing folder called Victoria, cut it into three strips and inked the edges of each with Dusty Concord Distress Ink before I adhered them to the background.

I stamped the sentiment from Wendy Vecchi's All Occasion Art on a scrap of white card stock with Jet Black Archival Ink, inked the edges with Dusty Concord DI and layered it on top of a panel of another paper from the Maja pad tucking a little strip of venise lace underneath.

The filigree leaves were bronze but I pressed them into a Versamark ink pad and then covered them with Wendy Vecchi's Fern Green embossing powder and heated the powder to melt it.  I had done it originally with an old embossing ink pad and the result was mottled but when I did it a second time with the Versamark pad, the result looked like enamel - fabulous.

The flowers were stamped three times with a stamp from the Wendy Vecchi set called Daisy Art onto some Maja paper using Versamark, then sprinkled with Recollections Snow Embossing Powder and heated.  Once dry, I fussy cut the flowers and layered them with pop dots.  The top layer was cut between petals and shaped a bit before it was added so the flower would not look so flat.

The bow is made from seam binding that has been dyed with Dusty Concord DI, tied with some burlap string to which I have added a little key charm.  I made a little butterfly from Martha Stewart Crafter's Clay and a silicon mold, inked it with Dusty Concord DI and then rubbed some purple wax paste from Jaygot that I have had in my stash for eons. Finally I scattered a few pearls from my stash around.

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

Crafty Boots  - Ribbon or Lace
House of Cards - Embossing and/or Color Inspiration (I chose embossing)
Fashionable Stamping Challenges - Thanks/Gratitude
Sweet Stampin - Vintage or Shabby Chic
Creative Knockouts - Embossing Delights
Moving Along With The Times - Embossing (Wet or Dry)

The following products used in the creation of this card came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique where you will get lots of the newest products and the BEST customer service:

Guest Designer at My Sheri Crafts

I was honoured to be asked to be a Guest Designer at My Sheri Crafts for the challenge starting today.  The challenge is called Feelin' Fussy and they want to see some fussy cutting on your project.

The timing of this challenge was perfect for me as it allowed me to make this card for my fabulous daughter's birthday, which was yesterday.  I won't tell you how old she is because then you would know how old I am and very few people are privy to that information :)

I started with some Recollections card stock for the blank and added a couple of panels of patterned paper from a new Prima pad I got called Nature Garden that I distressed with my scissors. 

Next I added a strip of eyelet lace that came from my late Mother's sewing room and topped it with some ribbon from an embellishment pack called Say it with Crystals by Prima.   I also added some of the crystals but they come attached to some lace so I cut them off first.

I inked a Wilton paper doily with some of Wendy Vecchi's Tea Rose Archival Ink and then topped it with a scalloped circle die cut from Nellie Snellen that I ran through a Cuttlebug embossing folder called Script and then inked the highlights with Cracked Pistaschio Distress Ink.

The flower is from Wendy Vecchi's Daisy Art set and was stamped three times on a scrap of card stock using Ranger's Coffee Archival Ink.  All three were fussy cut and then coloured using Prismacolors (Peach, Deco Peach, Nectar and Beige Sienna) blended with Gotrick OMS.  The first flower was adhered directly to the embossed circle.  The next flower was adhered using pop dots in a number of places.  The third flower was clipped to allow for some shaping and then adhered using just one pop dot in the centre.  I added some Recollections micro beads for the centre.  Note:  When I come across a section of an image that I want to fussy cut but it is either enclosed by part of the image or is too tight for my scissors to get in there, then I just use an X-Acto or other sharp craft knife on a self-healing mat to get that section cut.

The butterflies are made from Martha Stewart Crafter's clay and silicone molds.  They were inked with Cracked Pistachio DI and then rubbed with some Aquamarine Treasure Gold wax paste to add a bit of shimmer.

The sentiment was computer generated and then punched with a Martha Stewart mini tag punch, inked with the Tea Rose Archival Ink and adhered with a brad from Making Memories that has been in my stash for eons.

Thank you to Sheri at My Sheri Crafts for this lovely opportunity and I hope you will start fussy cutting and create something to share in the challenge.

I am going to enter this in the following challenges:

Just Add Ink - Add Something New (paper)
Cardz 4 Galz - Something New (paper)
Crafty Girls Creations - Anything Goes
The Sisterhood of Crafters - Something Old, Something New (eyelet lace, paper)
Get Creative Challenges - Something New (paper)
Our Crafty Corner - Anything Goes
The Crazy Challenge - Celebrations
Tuesday Throwdown - Add Dimension

A Night at the Opera

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and I am the hostess this time and am calling it Sing, Sing, Sing.

Make a shabby chic or vintage project with music as the central theme. You can add musical instruments, music paper, sentiments about music or even vintage images with a music theme.

I should probably write a disclaimer - I can't sing or play a musical instrument but I do love to listen to music, especially jazz and 1940s and 50s big bands but not rap, most country or heavy metal.  I also don't really understand opera but I do like classical music and am really impressed with the voices of the great opera singers.

Now on to my card.  I have never used this image by Rick St. Dennis so I thought this might the perfect time to colour her and build my card around her.  She looks like she is all dressed for a night at the opera - or perhaps she is the star.

I started with some card stock from Staples for the blank and then added a background panel of paper called Golden Age from a Graphic 45 paper pad called A Gilded Lily.

The next panel was scrap card stock that I inked with Tattered Rose and Spun Sugar Distress Ink and then added some texture paste through a Tim Holtz stencil called Flourish.  Once it was dry I mixed some Lindy's Magicals Fuzzy Navel Peach with some cc and painted that on.  I dyed some lace with Antique Linen, Tattered Rose and Spun Sugar Distress Ink and added that under the panel.

Next I added a panel of cream card stock that I ran through a Tim Holtz texture fade called French Script and then inked the highlights with Wendy Vecchi Tea Rose Archival Ink.  The vintage opera poster was added next and came from Italianways.com.

The musical note strip was die cut for me by Pamellia on one of my visits to her and I inked it with some Black Soot Distress Ink.

I coloured the gorgeous and very well dressed lady with Prismacolors that I blended with Gotrick OMS.  She is popped up with some foam dots.

The floral corner and the button were rubbed with some Rose Quartz Treasure Gold wax paste and I added a little feather from my stash.

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

Crafter's Cafe  - Square Cards
We Love Vintage - Anything Vintage (with lace - if I read the translation correctly)
Ruby's Rainbow - Show Us Something New (image)
House of Cards - Embossing and/or Color
Simon Says Stamp - Stencil It
Paperminutes - Anything Goes
Shopping Our Stash - Something New (image)
Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

These products used in the creation of this card came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique where you can pre-order some of the best new products from the CHA show:

Oh So Blue

It is time for the next monthly challenge at Stamps and Stencils and I am the hostess this time.  I decided to call it Oh So Blue and here is how I described the challenge:

This time of year it is easy to start feeling blue now that the festivities surrounding Christmas are over and winter is making its presence known with less sun and more miserable weather so instead of giving in to it let's celebrate blue. Create a primarily blue mixed media project that includes some stamping and/or stenciling. You may add one other colour to your creation but it must be mostly blue. 

For a split second I regretted the theme of this challenge because blue isn't my favourite colour but it was my Mother's favourite colour so I thought she would have loved this, especially since she was very creative/artistic.  She liked blue so much that in addition to her blue clothes and her blue dishes, she had an 800 piece collection of blue glass that I inherited when she passed away.  Since it wasn't something that excited me and I sure didn't want to dust all that blue glass, I chose a few special pieces to keep for myself and give to my siblings and then I sold the rest.  Sadly, many of the pieces were reproductions and not worth as much as she thought but she had fun collecting them all and it made her happy so that was a good thing.

On to my project and I decided to make an art journal page.  There are no process photos because I did this during the holidays and quite frankly did not think of it - oops.

I have been using a Canson Mixed Media wire-bound book as my art journal but have found that I need to glue two pages together because they have a micro perforation and they are not particularly heavy.  So I did that again and it was looking quite fine until I added a coat of Liquitex Super Heavy Gesso.  When it dried, I saw vertical strips of bubbling in random spots.  I debated starting over but then decided to leave some as is and split some open on the top layer to provide a little interest and dimension.  It is also rather warped and while I am going to add it back into my book as it is I would welcome any and all suggestions on how to prevent that.

Next I used some Golden Light Molding Paste through a Dylusions Dotted Flowers Stencil and a TCW Mini Geometric Art Layers Stencil to create some texture.  I also added some drips with Golden Clear Tar Gel.

Then I gave the page a coat of Lake Wanaka Fresco Finish paint.  On top of that I added a coat of Space Cadet Fresco Finish paint, removing some of it with a baby wipe after a few seconds.

Once the paint was dry I spritzed it in random spots with Tumbled Glass Distress Spray Stain.  Then I added some Dylusions Vibrant Turquoise Ink Spray and followed that with some Sun Up Blue Pearlescent Acrylic Ink from Daler Rowney (the camera really picked up the shimmer from this ink).

Next I used some Jet Black Archival Ink from Ranger to do some stamping with a Recollections script stamp called Haunted and a butterfly set from Hampton Arts called Vintologie.

The next step was to fussy cut a couple of large butterflies from some Tim Holtz Tissue Wrap called Melange that I have had in my stash for ages.  I glued them on the page and coloured them with Blueprint Sketch Distress Ink using a water brush.

The word "fly" was stamped using Jet Black Archival Ink and an alphabet set from Studio G that I found in the clearance bin at Michaels.  The remaining words for the sentiment was made on my computer.  All the text pieces were inked with Blueprint Sketch.

I thought the ink on the text and the butterflies looked a little lot purple and when I cleaned the water brush tip on a piece of paper towel, it split and I could see the pink in it so I knew I was right - drat.  Shaded Lilac DI does the same thing I discovered a while ago.  Anyway, since I really wanted blue and everything was glued down at this point, I just carefully went over the Blueprint Sketch with Weathered Wood Distress Ink to try to tone it down a bit.  It is definitely better than it was but still not as blue as I hoped.  I think Tim should have called this one Blueberry and we would have all known it was purple.

Finally I drew around the edges of the butterflies with a white Prismacolor pencil and then used some Wendy Vecchi Cornflower Blue Archival Ink and the top from my little water spray bottle to create some circles.

This page looks better in real life and I am happy with the texture on the page while still keeping it flat enough to put in my book.

I am going to enter this in the following challenges:

Shopping Our Stash - Color Me Monochromatic (or Pink)
We Love 2 Create - Anything Mixed Media/Creative Goes
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Altered Art or Mixed Media

Tag Trio

It is time for a new challenge at Anything But Cute and this time Anne is our hostess and she is calling it "Ring Out The Old, Bring In The New".  She describes it this way:

To celebrate the New Year, we would like you to create a mixed media card or project using something 'new', perhaps you got some fabulous new craft item for Christmas or you have something new that you have not used yet - just remember to tell us what the new item is!

My husband is retiring and he started to bring things home from his locker and bits and pieces from his desk. He brought a whole bunch of small tags (Avery Shipping Tags #6) and I thought I would use them for this project since they are new to me. They are rather thin so I wish I had glued two together to give them a bit more stability but if I am careful I can probably do that now as long as I am willing to refinish the background since I did both sides.  OK, so I am not adding another tag - too much work.

I didn't take photos of my process but I will explain in my narrative how I created the tags.

I started by coating each one with Liquitex Clear Gesso on both sides.  Then I inked them with Twisted Citron, Carved Pumpkin and Mustard Seed Distress Ink all of which are new colours that I just purchased.

Next I sprayed them with some Lindy's Starburst called Ramblin Rose Pink, dripped some Tim Holtz Barn Door Distress Spray Stain on them and added some Liquitex Red Oxide Acrylic Ink with a natural sea sponge.

I did some stenciling with Wendy Vecchi Fern Green  Archival Ink and a TCW stencil called Mini Circles along with Wendy Vecchi Tree Branch Archival Ink and a TCW stencil called Mini Chicken Wire Reversed.

Next I added some stamping on the fronts only with Jet Black Archival Ink using a stamp from Kaisercraft called Sheet Music and a stamp from the Tim Holtz Ultimate Grunge set.

Now it was time to embellish and for this first one, I adhered some old book paper to a scrap of card stock and traced around a couple butterflies on a Heidi Swapp stencil using a .005 Pigma Micron Pen.  I fussy cut the butterflies and then inked one with Wendy Vecchi Orange Blossom Archival Ink and one with her Dandelion Archival Ink.   I layered them and added some pearls for the body.

I dyed some seam binding and some cheesecloth with Carved Pumpkin and Mustard Seed DI.  Then I added a little strip of corrugated cardboard over the cheesecloth that was painted with Medium Yellow acrylic paint from Folk Art.  Then I coated it with Gloss Mod Podge and highlighted the raised areas with some Classic Treasure Gold wax paste.  I added some small beads to the top of the cardboard.

The key is new came from the clearance section at Michaels.  I altered it with some Poppyfield Alcohol Ink.  The button is from my stash and the text is computer generated and then inked with Carved Pumpkin DI.  The fiber around the seam binding is really old and has been in my stash for so long I do not remember who made it.

On this next tag, I adhered more old book paper to a scrap of card stock and used an EK Success punch to punch out three flowers.  They were inked with Wendy Vecchi Red Geranium Archival Ink and then outlined using the Micron Pen.  I stacked them and added a button from my stash.

I ran a scrap piece of orange card stock through a Cuttlebug embossing folder called Victoria and then punched flowers with a smaller EF Success punch.  The raised areas were highlighted with Rose Quartz Treasure Gold wax paste and a pearl was added for a centre.  All the flowers were mounted on a strip of red burlap.  The bronze butterfly was altered with a mix of Sunset Orange and Lemonade Alcohol Ink.  The text was done the same as the first tag and I finished the top with the same seam binding and fibre.

On the final tag, I created the butterflies in the same manner as the first but just reversed the colouring.  The strip of cardboard was painted with Pumpkin acrylic paint from Deco Art.  The arrow is from my stash and was altered in the same manner as the key.  Again the text was done the same as the first tag and I finished the top with the same seam binding and fibre.

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

Allsorts Challenge  - What's New
Crafty Friends Challenge - Use Something New
Crafty Calendar Challenge - Something New
Live and Love Crafts - Something New

Saturday Step X Step for Frilly and Funkie

Today I am presenting the Saturday Step X Step at Frilly and Funkie.  Here is a sneak peek at what I am going to show you.  Pop over to Frilly and Funkie and you will get all the details.

Holiday Hues

It is time for the new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and Pamellia is our hostess this time.  She is calling it Holiday Hues and describes it this way:

" Make a shabby chic or vintage project using your favourite holiday colour palette for whatever holiday you choose."

Since I realized at the last minute that I had one more card to give out, I decided to stick with a Christmas card in red and gold, which are the colours I decorate my tree and house in every year.  The papers I decided to use are a vintage red and not the usual bright Christmas red.

The background papers are all from A Christmas Carol by Graphic 45.  The vintage image was a freebie from Linda Coughlin.  all the papers were distressed with my distressing tool and some were popped up with foam dots to add some depth.

The snowflakes were cut using the Tim Holtz Paper Snowflakes die set from some card stock scraps.  They were then painted with Champagne Gold Metallic paint from Deco Art.  Pearls were added to a couple and a button from my stash was added to the third.

I dyed some seam binding with Ages Mahogany and Fired Brick Distress Ink and made a loopy bow that was tied with some burlap string that held some little bells.  The bow was layered on top of some cream coloured woven jute ribbon.

The word "joy" is another laser cut from my husband and I used the same Distress Inks to colour it.  I added a little row of pearls to finish the card off.

I hope as you get back into your craft room after all the festivities of the past while, that you will join us for this challenge. 

I am going to enter this in the following challenges:

A Vintage Journey - Vintage Christmas
Dragon's Lair Designs - Vintage Christmas
Sparkles Forum Challenges - Your Favourite Christmas Colours
Through the Purple Haze  - Christmas
My Time to Craft  - Last Minute Christmas Makes
Fussy and Fancy - Happy Holidays
As You Like It - Favorite Christmas Colors and Why - red & gold because they are traditional

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

Inspiration Post for Stamps and Stencils

Today I am presenting an inspiration post at Stamps and Stencils and here is a sneak peek at what I am doing.  To find out what this is, how I made it and how I used it pop over to Stamps and Stencils and get all the details.

Mixed Media Christmas Card

The December challenge starts today at Anything But Cute and Niki is our hostess this time.  She is calling it You've Got Happy Mail.

She describes the challenge this way:

"We all like Happy Mail right? That feeling of being spoiled rotten when you receive a handmade card from someone is better than being wrapped up in a soft blanket near a fire, sipping on a hot latte. So, for this challenge I would love to see your mixed media Christmas cards, tags, ATC's or whatever papercraft you are mailing to a friend! Just make sure they are inspired by the spirit of the season!"

I love this theme and was especially happy to know that I could meet my commitments as a Design Team member and add to my stash of cards for family and friends.

The vintage image that I found somewhere online became the driving force behind this card design.  I used a piece of card stock to make the background.  First I covered it with Peeled Paint Distress Ink and then I took my natural sea sponge and dabbed on some Antelope Brown and Silver Moss Ink from FW.

The snowflakes are from a Recollections set and are stamped on a piece of transparency with Adirondack Snow Cap Ink, covered with Recollections Snow Embossing Powder and carefully heated.  If you wave your heat tool over the embossing powder and don't get too close, you will not melt your transparency.

Next I die cut some pine branches from Impressions Obsession and inked them with Evergreen Bough and Forest Moss DI.

The poinsettia was cut from a Marianne Creatables die and painted with Pearl White Metallic acrylic paint from Deco Art.   The petals were shaped and layered and then some little white beads were added to the centre.

I added a row of lace from my stash across the bottom and then added my vintage Santa image.  I dyed some seam binding with a mixture of Forest Moss, Evergreen Bough and Peeled Paint DI and made a loopy bow that I tied with a piece of burlap string.  I rubbed a little charm with some Renaissance Treasure Gold wax paste and hung it from the burlap string.

Then I used my fingers to dab some Golden Light Molding Paste on the Merry Christmas, which was cut from mat board by my husband on his laser cutter.  Once it was dry, I coated it with some Stardust Stickles.

This challenge runs until January 4th so I hope you will join us with your mixed media happy mail.

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

Cardz 4 Galz - Vintage Christmas
Scrap and Craft - Christmas Cards
Time Out Challenges - Snowflakes are Winter's Butterflies
Stampavie and More - Shabby or Vintage
The Crafty Addicts - Anything Goes/Celebration
A Snowflake's Promise - Winter/Christmas
Holly Jolly Christmas Challenge - Embossing
Always Playing with Paper - Make a Non-Traditional Christmas Card
Craft-Dee Bowz - Anything Goes with a Handmade Bow
Glitter N' Sparkle - Include a Bow

Grungy Tree

The new challenge starts today at Stamps and Stencils and Julia is our hostess and she is calling the theme Grungy Christmas.  She describes it this way:

"I love Christmas but I'm a little shy when it comes to the bling, glitter and tinsel bit. We'd like to see you step away from the normal Christmas colours and create a mixed media piece which has a real touch of grunge. Think alternative colours, layers, antiquing and all things which are not pristine red and green! Remember to add in some stamping or stenciling too!"

This is also my first challenge as a new member of the Stamps and Stencils team and it tested me - a lot.  First of all, grungy doesn't really fit my tree and home decor, which are in beautiful sparkly red and gold with a few touches of white.  Then I had a couple of fails along the way, which I will tell you about as I go along but I did discover that I am not a quitter and you might learn from my mistakes.

I started with a 7" x 9" flat canvas from the dollar store.  The next step was to lay out all the elements I had collected to make my tree, which I love by the way.  I have used some wooden bits and pieces cut for me by husband on his new laser cutter, gears, buttons, screws, charms, electronic parts (also provided by husband), nuts, washers, flowers, soda pop pull tabs, etc.

Once I had a design I was happy with I took a photo of it with my phone.  Why you ask - because I never seem to remember where I intended to put things when I take them off to get ready to glue them on and of course then nothing fits so the photo solves that problem.

I took everything off and gave the canvas a coat of Liquitex Gesso.  Then I added a layer of crumpled tissue paper with Mod Podge.  The next step was to use some Golden Light Molding Paste through a snowflake stencil.

Then I glued all my bits and pieces down with Liquitex Matte Super Heavy Gel.  I covered everything with another coat of Gesso followed by a coat of Champagne Gold Metallic acrylic paint from Deco Art.  Since Julia doesn't want traditional red on our projects, I added some coppery highlights with some Rose Quartz Treasure Gold wax paste.

So now here is where the first fail comes in.  Despite the fact the texture snowflakes in the background looked OK before I started to paint, they didn't show through with all the gold paint.  Since I could see them (barely), I laid the stencil over them and added some silver metallic paint but they didn't take the paint evenly.  Since this is a stamping and stenciling challenge blog and I couldn't see my stenciling, I decided to go to bed and sleep on it.

When I got up in the morning, I made the decision to take whole background off.  I grabbed an X-Acto Knife and very carefully made a cut all the way around the tree because remember, I love the tree.  Then I proceeded to take off the tissue paper and was happy to discover that it was almost like rubber from the Mod Podge and I was able to peel it off in sections - whew.

Now I had a white background that still had a bit of texture so I painted it with some Bleached Sand acrylic paint from Deco Art using a tiny brush to get next to the tree elements.  Then I covered the tree with a paper triangle and splattered some Gun Metal Grey Metallic paint from Folk Art and some of the Champagne Gold on the background.

The next step was to stamp snowflakes from a Recollections set randomly over the background using a Versamark embossing pad and then covering them with Stampendous Detail Gold embossing powder and heating them. 

Then I decided it needed some snow so I took a palette knife and spread some of the Golden Paste on it and when it was dry, I painted it with Pearl White Metallic acrylic paint from Deco Art.  I decided to have more snowflakes on the ground so they were stamped onto card stock and fussy cut.

So this was the next fail because after I took a photo of it I looked at it online and it didn't really make me happy - in truth it made me downright grumpy.  I slept on it for many more nights and then decided the background was still not right so I came up with version 3.  It is a good thing I still like the tree or by now this would be resting in the circular file marked "G".

I painted the whole background with Liquitex Black Gesso and then took a sea sponge and dabbed on some Deco Art Gun Metal Metallic acrylic paint.  Then I took some Wendy Vecchi Crackle Texture Paste and did the snowflakes through that same Mini Snowflakes stencil from The Crafter's Workshop.

Now I think I have a grungy tree with all its eclectic bits and pieces and I have a grungy background with grungy cracked snowflakes so I have decided to quit here and call this my Night Tree.

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

Mixed Media World - Anything Goes
Altered Eclectics  - 25 Days to Christmas

Ye Olde English Christmas Card

The new challenge starts today at Frilly and Funkie and Nancy, our hostess this time is calling it Tis the Season.

"Create a vintage or shabby chic holiday themed project - whatever winter holiday you celebrate!"

I recently picked up the Graphic 45 paper pad from The Funkie Junkie Boutique called A Christmas Carol along with a smaller pad of coordinating papers so I decided to use them to make a card for this challenge and add it to my stash for this year.  I must say that this went together pretty quickly with very few steps.

As always, time is running short so I know that soon I will be making a series of mass-produced cards.  One of these days I will learn to start in January and set a monthly goal for myself - maybe in 2016.

I chose 4 papers and used one for a background, one for a panel and 2 for tags.  All the papers and images have been inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  I dyed some seam binding with a mixture of Aged Mahogany and Fired Brick Distress Ink and added it to the top of one tag along with some fibre from my stash.  I added a button with some burlap string to the other tag.

Then I set about fussy cutting two copies of the tickets in the upper left corner and popped them up with foam dots.  The other images were all fussy cut and added.  To finish off the card I added the mini poinsettias from my stash and some Kaisercraft green pearls.

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

A Snowflake's Promise - Anything Goes with a winter or Christmas theme
Artistic Inspirations - Anything Goes with a twist of Christmas
Get Creative Challenges - Holidays
Card and Scrap - Anything Goes
My Sheri Crafts - Christmas Spirit

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