Halloween Mixology

Another new challenge is starting today at Frilly and Funkie and Shelly, our hostess this time is calling it Something Wicked and here is what she has to say about it:

"With Halloween just a few days away, we want to see your spooky vintage or shabby chic creations."

Linda, the owner of The Funkie Junkie Boutique sent us all some of the best Halloween-themed charms to use for this challenge and when I saw the little ones my brain actually kicked into gear for a change and I remembered I hadn't used one of my Tim Holtz stamp sets yet and it would be perfect to pair with the charms and make a drink set for someone who loves to make cocktails and also likes to throw Halloween parties.  Since that isn't me (I am a red wine or scotch on the rocks gal) and I don't do Halloween parties, I am going to have to search for someone to give/sell it to.  I did have lots of fun making it.

I made the wine glass charms first.  I altered all the charms using alcohol ink, One Step Black Metal Paint from Deco Art, Black Soot Distress Ink and Treasure Gold Pewter wax paste.  I added a jump ring to the top of each charm.  Then I cut a 4 inch length of wire for each one formed a loop at one end and threaded half of the beads, then the charm and the rest of the beads on the wire.  I finished by forming a circle and bending the open end over so it would fit inside the loop.  For the life of me I could not find anything to form the circle around so I had to do it by hand and this time they are not lovely smooth circles.  If you can find something to wrap them around that is the right size, I would recommend going that route.  Of course, I doubt anyone is going to care that my circles aren't perfect after a few drinks.

Now it was time to create my book.  I had a spiral bound notebook from the dollar store in my craft stash and decided to alter it so I removed the spiral first.It has a green plastic cover on the front and I covered that with Chalky Finish paint from Deco Art and used Black Gesso to cover the cardboard back cover.

Next I used some Black Embossing Paste through the Tim Holtz Harlequin stencil on the front cover.  Then I used some ink sprays - Lindy's Stamp Gang Violaceous Violet Moon Shadow Mist, Ramblin Rose Pink Starburst and Blazing Sun Glitz Spritz - on all the covers, outside and inside.   I also dabbed on some metallic acrylic paints - Deco Art Harvest Copper and Folk Art Peridot.

I dyed some cheesecloth in Black Soot DI and glued some on the front.  I thought it needed to be a bit darker so I dry brushed it with some Black Gesso.

The next step was to print some vintage text paper from Creavapeur and stamp Tim Holtz's Chemist on it using Jet Black Archival ink.  I coloured him with Bundled Sage, Rusty Hinge, Scattered Straw and Antique Linen Distress Inks using a water brush.  The edge was torn to give a rough look and inked with Black Soot DI.

I stamped the bottles from the same stamp set onto some scrap card stock with Jet Black Archival ink and coloured them with Rusty Hinge, Dusty Concord, Crushed Olive, Frayed Burlap and Pumice Stone Distress Inks.  I fussy cut the images and created two separate images so I could pop one up with pop dots.  The mortar and pestle have some sand glued to it to give it a rougher stone look and all the rest of the images were coated in Glossy Accents.  It is hard to see how shiny they are in the photos but maybe that is a good thing because I got a couple of bubbles despite my efforts to avoid them.  But wait, vintage glass has bubbles in it so forget that I made some sort of mistake, I was actually creating vintage glass - that's my story and I am sticking to it.

Next I altered some spider charms using Sunset Orange and Rust and Alcohol Inks and then dry brushing some Black Gesso on them.  I added them with some tiny seed beads that were also coated with Black Gesso.  The book title was computer generated and inked with Black Soot DI.

The bookmark is a charm glued to a large paper clip.  The charm was altered with the same alcohol inks but I didn't like it so I added some Pewter wax paste from Treasure Gold and a bit of Black Soot DI.  I wish I had added some Black Gesso to it too but I had already put it away so pretend I wasn't lazy, close your eyes and envision a spookier bat.

Finally I rolled the spiral back into the book and my drink set was ready to go.

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

Try It On Tuesdays - It's Frightening/Halloween
Artistic Inspirations - Anything Goes (twist - Halloween)
Where The HeArt Is - Anything Goes/Use Some Stencils
Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes (must be mixed media/altered, no cards or ATCs)
Country View Challenges - Add Some Texture
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Mixed Media Goes
That Craft Place - Halloween

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

Autumn Leaves

The new challenge begins today at Frilly and Funkie and is hosted by Nancy.  She is calling it Autumn Splendor and describes it like this:

Create a vintage or shabby chic project using the rich colors of autumn. Include an autumn leaf somewhere in your project.

I started by pulling a paper pad from Maja Designs called Nyhavn and chose three papers that I thought had a warm fall feel to them.  I found a complimentary piece of card stock in my stash to use as the card blank and then distressed the edges of the panels and added them.

Next I cut some fancy flourishes from scrap card stock using my Cameo and added it along with a little piece of ephemera that came in a goodie pack from The Funkie Junkie Boutique.  I used some Sunset Orange Alcohol Ink to change the colour of a filigree corner giving it three coats to get the depth of colour.

I made the leaves by laying a piece of wax paper on my ironing board (don't forget to put an old towel down first), adding some shavings of wax crayons and then adding another piece of wax paper on top.  Then I carefully and lightly ironed the wax paper to melt the crayons taking care not to let it ooze out the edges and not to leave the iron on any longer than it took to melt and spread the wax.

Once the wax pieces were cool, I cut them into leaves using the Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves die for the oak leaf.  The maple leaves were hand cut after I traced around a piece of clip art.

Once the leaves were in place, I added some burlap string and some dyed seam binding that was holding the little goodie package closed (perfect colour, perfect timing).

Then I made some flowers from scraps of card stock using a Marvy Uchida punch in two sizes.  The little flowers were inked with Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink and the large flower was inked with Aged Mahogany DI.  Beads from my stash were added for centres.

Finally I took the shank off a tiny bee button and added it to one of the leaves.

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

Brown Sugar Challenge - Shabby Chic
Fussy and Fancy  - Autumn Colours
Simply Create Too - Autumn Splendour
Crafting For All Seasons - Autumnal Hues
Creative Moments - Anything Goes/Autumn Colours

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

31 Days of Halloween

It is time for a new challenge at Anything But Cute and this time Sara Emily is our hostess and she has chosen to call it 31 Days of Halloween.

She describes it this way:

If you love Halloween like I do, it's more than just one day out of the year, it's a season! For this challenge I would like you to make a mixed media card or project for Halloween. It can be spooky or not, but you MUST include the number "31" somewhere in your project. We can't wait to see the creative ways you'll be incorporating this number in your mixed media piece! 

I decided to alter a bottle that I picked up at a local thrift store for next to nothing.  Here are some views of the other three sides.

I started by coating it with Americana Decor (by Deco Art) Chalky Finish Paint called Carbon.  The chalky finish paint sticks fairly well to glass and gives a base for adding other materials.  I then added a piece of black lace around the middle of the bottle.

The next step was to print and fussy cut some vintage Halloween labels that I found on the internet (I forgot to write down the sources so I can't give credit - my apologies).  Then I cut a copy of each one from scrap card stock slightly larger than each label.  I temporarily attached the copies to three sides to get an idea of placement along with a rectangle on the front.  These scraps allowed me to work on the bottle without damaging the actual labels but still leaving me with a flat spot to attach the labels when I was ready.

Next I mixed Liquitex Black Gesso with Golden Light Molding Paste and covered the bottle using a palette knife to pat it on so it would be bumpy.  Then I used Mod Podge to glue pieces of cheesecloth randomly on the bottle.  Once these texture elements were dry, I covered the cheesecloth with Black Gesso.

The next step was add different spray inks - Lindy's Stamp Gang Pegleg Pete Purple Moonshadow Mist and Wild Honeysuckle Coral Starburst.  I also dabbed on some Folk Art Metallic Silver and Peridot acrylic paint.

I created the front chevron from some Tim Holtz paper called Regions Beyond and used Jet Black Archival Ink to add a skull from a Recollections stamp set called Witch's Dust Halloween.  The 31 are wooden pieces that I coated with Black Gesso and then with Clear Rock Candy Distress Crackle.  Once they were dry I dabbed on some Treasure Gold Pewter wax paste.

The front chevron and the other three labels were distressed on the edges and inked with Black Soot Distress Ink and attached to the bottle in the spots that were being saved for them by the scrap pieces of card stock.   If there were any gaps in the texture around the labels where the card stock scraps had been, I used the end of the palette knife and some of my black paste to carefully fill those in.

I wound some black burlap string and some copper wire from Artistic Wire around the neck of the bottle.  Next I used beads from Michaels, Arton Bead Supply and Dollarama to make three charms and hung them from the wire using a jump ring.

Once the bead charms were in place all that was left was to add gems, some black glitter spiders from Michaels and some bead clusters.  The black beads are from Michaels while the coppery beads are from my stash but were leftovers from one of the many bathing suits I decorated when my daughter was a competitive synchronized swimmer.

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

Altered Eclectics - Anything Mixed Media Goes (no cards or ATCs)
Our Creative Corner - Horror
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Mixed Media Goes
That Craft Place  - Mixed Media Anything Goes
We Love 2 Create - Anything Mixed Media/Creative Goes

Chalk It Up

The new challenge at Frilly and Funkie begins today and this time Shelly is our hostess.  She is calling this one Chalk It Up and describes the theme this way:

Chalk is such a versatile medium and we want to see how you can use it in your vintage or shabby chic creations. You can choose a faux chalk technique, chalk inks, powdered chalks, or even a stick of chalk - it's up to you!

I created this floral card but that is about all I am going to tell you about it today because I am presenting the Saturday Step x Step feature this week (September 26th) to Frilly and Funkie so if you want to know what I did with chalk, then please pop over there on Saturday and you can get all the details.  I know it is mean but now you have something to look forward to - right? :)

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

Craft-Dee Bowz - Anything Goes with a Handmade Bow
QKR Stampede - Three is a Crowd
Time Out Challenges - Case Tracey (Flowers)

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

Friday Focus - Idea-ology

It is my turn to present the Friday Focus segment over at Frilly and Funkie and this time it is about Idea-ology.

Here is a sneak peek at one of the two projects that I made so click here to pop over to Frilly and Funkie and check out what I made and then you can take advantage of the 15% discount on Idea-ology products that Linda is offering at The Funkie Junkie Boutique for the next two weeks.

No Stamps

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and this time Pamellia is our hostess and is calling it Stamps Be Gone.  She introduces the challenge this way:

"How would you decorate your project if you didn't own any stamps? Embossing folders, stencils, or perhaps a little hand doodling? Well, let's put it to the test for this challenge. Other than a small sentiment, I would ask that you use no stamps at all on your vintage or shabby chic creations."

I don't use stamps as much as many others do so this challenge was right up my alley.  I started with some white card stock from Staples for the card blank and added lovely Maja Designs papers from the Coffee in the Arbor pad that I distressed to create a background.  I added some venise lace to the bottom section.

Next I altered the birdcage, which is my husband's design (he is teaching himself how to use Adobe Illustrator) and was cut from some mat board on his new laser cutter.  I painted it with white paint and then covered it with Picket Fence Crackle Paste.  When it was dry I inked it lightly with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and added some burlap string as a hanger.

The bird was made with some Martha Stewart Crafter's Clay and a Wilton silicone mold.  It was also inked lightly with Frayed Burlap DI.

All the flowers were made from card stock.  The big yellow flower uses die cut petals given to me by Pamellia and was inked with Scattered Straw DI before I started scrunching and shaping the flower.  Since I didn't have another petal to pull the flower in a bit, I just cut a section out of the top layer to make it smaller and then I added some Wilton stamens.

The rose was shaped from petals cut with the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die and some off-white card stock.  I created it by following Pamellia's video tutorial on her You-Tube channel.  It was inked with some Antique Linen DI.

The purple flower was also made from petals Pamellia gave me (love my visits to her because she is always so generous) and I coloured them with Seedless Preserves DI before shaping them and adding some Wilton stamens that I coloured with Deco Art Wild Orchid acrylic paint.

I added some Stampendous iridescent glitter to the edges of all the flowers.  The leaves were had cut and were inked with Old Paper DI, which looks yellow in the photo but has a green hue in real life.

Next I painted a metal filigree leaf and corner with some white paint and then coated them with Stampendous clear embossing powder.  The final touch was to add some Prima pearl flourishes.

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

Creative Knockouts - Flower Power
Card Mania - Pastel Colours
Crafty Cardmakers - Floral Embellishments
Make My Monday - Something Beginning with F (Flowers)
Sparkle N Sprinkle - Anything Goes - Use loose glitter, embossing powder and/or flocking
Allsorts  - Lots of Layers
My Time To Craft - Flowers

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

Peacock Wall Hanging

The new challenge at Anything But Cute begins today and is hosted by Niki.  She is calling it Mixed Media Makeover and here is how she describes it:

"Pull out an old card, tag, project, masterboard or embellishment that you weren't completely happy with or never completely finished. I want you to recycle it. We all make "mistakes" with our art right? Now's your chance to fix it. Redo it, hide the mistake, make it bigger, make it better, make it more beautiful or rip it apart and use the pieces! Give it a mixed media makeover! For this challenge you will need to include a before picture so we can see what you started with."

A year or so ago and before I got into mixed media I purchased this wooden shadowbox frame with the intention of painting it some lovely colour and filling the inside with mementos of either my grandchildren or perhaps of my daughter.  I wanted the frame to be nice and smooth but after hours and hours of sanding that wasn't going to happen most likely because I was going cheap and got it from the dollar store.  Once I reached my frustration level because it was staying rough, I stuck it in a plastic bag along with the latex gloves and sanding block and shoved it in a cupboard and there it sat until Niki told us her challenge and then I could actually create something with it that I knew I would be happy with. 

I yanked the little hinges off and set the cover aside and perhaps it will be something in the future if I can cut the plastic window out of it - yes plastic, I told you it was cheap.  Then I got to work transforming the bottom.  I decided to make a wall hanging out of it and treated it much like you might treat a canvas.

First I gave it a coat of Liquitex Super Heavy Gesso just to eliminate the chance of giving myself slivers since this thing was so rough.  Next I crumpled up some tissue paper, opened it back up again and glued it all over using Mod Podge.

I used a Prima flourish stencil with some Golden Light Molding Paste and gave the piece some texture on the sides and top.  Then after that was dry I glued cheesecloth all over the top, letting it hang over the edges.  I also added little pieces of an open weave fabric to the sides.  I didn't add any additional texture to the back since you won't see it.

The next step was to dig into my stash and add lots of lace strips and motifs, flowers, buttons, beads and bauble trim using Mod Podge.  Once everything was dry I gave it a coat of Liquitex Gesso to unify the colour since everything was a different colour.

Then I painted the whole project, including the back with some Craftsmart Aqua acrylic paint.  To create the peacock colours I dripped on some FW Silver Moss, Sun-Up Blue and Antelope Brown Inks and spritzed them with water to make them run.  Then I followed with Deco Art Peacock Pearl, Ice Blue Pearl and Purple Pearl acrylic paints that were dabbed on with a natural sea sponge.

Next I created the image by making the background of a free image from The Graphic Fairy transparent and adding it on top of free digital vintage script paper from Creavapeur.com.  Once the image was printed and cut to size I inked it with Tim Holtz Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and distressed the edges.  I added a piece of chipboard to the backside in order to raise the image up a bit before I glued it to my hanging.  Then I added a few sequins from the dollar store to the image and the background.

Finally I covered a couple of screw eyes and a length of wire with some Ranger Aqua Alcohol Ink and then added beads from Arton Bead Supply, Michaels and Dollarama to create the hanger.  In order to ensure that the beads stayed where I wanted them, I added bead crimps.

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

Altered Eclectics - Anything Mixed Media Goes (no cards or ATCs)
Shopping Our Stash - Put a bird on it
That Craft Place - Mixed Media Anything Goes
Mixed Media World - Gorgeous Textures
We Love 2 Create - #18 - Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes

I hope you will join us for the September challenge and show us what you have made over.

Golden Sunflower

The new challenge at Frilly and Funkie starts today and Georgie is hostess for this one.  She is calling it A Touch of Gold and describes it this way:

"Metal elements, glitter, embossing powder, paint, ribbon, whatever it is lets see a splash of gold in your vintage or shabby chic projects!!" 

When I was trying to think of what I was going to make I knew from the start that I was going to incorporate some of the Wendy Vecchi Metallic Gold Embossing Paste.  This embossing paste looks like butterscotch pudding in the jar but as it dries it turns a very orange-toned metallic gold so that dictated everything that followed.

I started with some Tim Holtz Color Core card stock for my blank and then used a piece of paper from Maja Designs Coffee in the Arbor paper pad for my background.  I used some Vintage Photo Distress Ink with the Wendy Vecchi Three Flourishes to stencil random flourishes first and then used the embossing paste through Wendy's Checkmate stencil in a couple of corners.

I also used the embossing paste through a Heidi Swapp butterfly stencil on a scrap piece of card stock and once it was dry I fussy cut it and added polka dots with some Tree Branch Archival Ink and a stamp from the Tim Holtz Ultimate Grunge set.  I distressed a mini clothes pin with the Tree Branch and added it as the body.

Next I made the sunflower by cutting four petals from crinoline using the Tattered Florals die by Tim Holtz.  The petals were dyed with Wild Honey Distress Stain and they curled on their own as they dried, which was a good thing because that flower shape has a weak spot and it isn't a great idea to handle it a lot.  Once all the petals were dry I glued them in a stack and added a button (upside down) along with a bow made from burlap string.  I also cut a leaf from the Tattered Leaves die and dyed it with some Peeled Paint Distress Stain.  The petals and the leaf were inked on the edges with the corresponding Distress Inks. 

The two banners on the left are from the Graphic 45 Time to Flourish pad (August) and the right one is just a scrap piece of card stock that I ran through the Tim Holtz Honeycomb Texture Fade.  Everything has been distressed and inked with Vintage Photo DI.  The sentiment is from the G45 pad and I just dyed a little piece of seam binding with Wild Honey for the top and added a tiny Making Memories brad to secure it.  The final touch was some pearl stickers that I got from the dollar store.

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

Try it on Tuesday  - Sending You Flowers
Crafty Boots - Fair and Square
The Shabby Tea Room - ABC-123 (Photo Inspiration)
Crafting-with-Dragonflies - Make it Floral
CAS-ual Chic - Pretty Patterns

The following products used to create my card came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique, which is a super place to shop and has new products arriving all the time.

Gilded Lily

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and this time Sue is our hostess and is calling it Stitch in Time.  Here is how she describes the challenge:

"What I love to do is incorporate sewing into projects, this could be real of faux, it adds an extra dimension to your artwork. So, for this challenge we want to see stitching somewhere on your projects, real or faux will do! BUT I would also like to see a timepiece too!"

I decided to use my newest Graphic 45 paper pad called Gilded Lily and make a card.  I thought I would try to make a paper lily and once it was complete it was larger than I expected and with the other elements I planned to use, I knew the card needed to be BIG so this one is 8" square.  Now I will have to make a box for it.  I think this elegant and very vintage couple looks like they are celebrating their anniversary, or maybe their wedding.

I started with some Recollections card stock for the blank and started adding patterned paper, two of which were hand stitched.  Everything was distressed and inked with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink.  I tucked one panel that was cut with a Spellbinders Fleur de Lis die in between bottom two layers along with some chevron strips.

Next I cut three images and popped them up with foam dots and added a strip of lace that I dyed with a combination of Tea Dye, Frayed Burlap and Antique Linen DI.  I added a Jolee's Boutique timepiece that has been in my stash for eons, a filigree corner and a crown headed key that I picked up in the clearance section at Michaels.  Both metal pieces were rubbed with some Rose Quartz and Classic Treasure Gold wax paste.

I made the lily out of scraps of white card stock, coloured it with Prismacolors and then sprayed it with Perfect Pearl Perfect Pearls,  The small roses are from Wild Orchid Crafts and the large flowers  came from Excelsior Warehouse in England but I removed the centre bud-like portion to make them look like wild roses and then coloured them with Tea Dye DI.  The centres are gumdrops coloured with Terracotta Alcohol Ink.  The greenery (brown in this case) was cut on my Cameo and inked with Frayed Burlap DI.  Finally I dyed some seam binding with Tea Dye DI to make the crinkly bow.

I am going to enter this in the following challenges:

Graphic 45 - August Challenge
Card Mania - Anniversary
Through The Purple Haze - Flowers
Glitter n Sparkle - Add Some Flowers
Scrap & Craft - Wedding

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

Making Magic

The August challenge starts today at Anything But Cute and Georgie, our hostess this month and is calling it Making Magic.  She describes the challenge this way:

"Most of us are drawn to the magic of fairy tales and fantasy. The colours are often hypnotic and your mind is free to explore outside the limits of reality. For this challenge, I would like you to create a magical mixed media project strongly inspired by the moodboard. Be inspired by the theme, the colours, the textures or all three. Lets bring a little magic back!"

I decided to try to channel my inner Finnabair or at least to see if her inspiring talent could rub off on me just a little so I made this canvas in her style.  She posted a canvas with a paint brush recently and I used that as my jumping off point but the rest of the layout is mine.  You can click on the image to get a larger view.

I started with a 9" x 12" canvas from the dollar store and covered it with Liquitex Gesso.  Next I added some texture with Golden Molding Paste through a stencil from TCW called Mini Hexagons and a few randomly placed pieces of mesh drywall tape.  I also dabbed some of the paste on for more texture.

Next I raided my sewing stash and added some strips of denim and lace along with a long piece of cheesecloth from my kitchen supplies.  The paint brush that I picked up for a dollar at Wal Mart came next and then I started to add all sorts of bits and pieces from my craft room and my husband's tool shelves - screws, gears, washers, metal medallion, buttons, flowers, beads mini clothes pin, can pull top, wooden shapes, electronic bits, etc.  I used Liquitex Matte Super Heavy Gel Medium to attach everything and found once it was dry, it really kept everything in place.

Originally I had decided on a different way of doing the text but didn't like it and changed my mind after everything was done so in this case the letters, which were cut from wood on our new laser cutting machine were altered after the fact ( what a pain that was since they are tiny).  Normally they would have been added along with all the other bits.

The next step was to give everything a couple coats of Gesso and then a coat of Leaf Green acrylic paint from Delta Ceramcoat.  Once that was dry I went over it with some Hey Pesto Fresco Finish paint.

The next step was to add lots of inks, sprays and more paints.  I used Burnt Sienna Liquitex Ink, Antelope Brown and Silver Moss FW (Dalex Rowney) Ink.  The sprays I used were Lindy's Glitz Spritz Blazing Sun and Lindy's Starburst Jack in the Pulpit Teal.  I mixed some Lindy's Magicals My Mojito Green with water and used my natural sea sponge to dab it on as well as some Folk Art Peridot Metallic and Deco Art Champagne Gold acrylic paints.

Here are a couple of close-up views:

I had a blast making this and hope that I did Finnabair proud.  I also hope that you will join us in Georgie's challenge and make something magical.

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

That Craft Place - Mixed Media Anything Goes
Simply Create Too - Anything Goes
A Sprinkle of Imagination - Anything Goes
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Goes (must be mixed media or altered items)
Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes (must be mixed media or altered items)
Mixed Media Mojo  - Anything Goes (must be mixed media or journaling)
Mixed Media World - Stencils
We Love 2 Create - Anything Mixed Media/Creative/Inky Goes

Mother Love

The new challenge starts today at Frilly and Funkie and this time I am the hostess and I have chosen a theme called Thing With Wings. Use anything with wings as the focal point on your vintage or shabby chic projects this time. Be it of the animal, fantasy or mechanical variety we want your creativity to take flight!

I have had a couple weeks of Camp Grandma (the July edition - another week to come in August) so my creating time has been limited and I must admit that I wimped out and created a little more simple project for this challenge.  I wanted to colour for a change and since I had this sweet image from A Day for Daisies I decided to use it as a focal point for a baby card.  The images was coloured with Prismacolors and blended with Gottrick OMS.  Some Stardust Stickles were added to the wings.

I used white card stock from Recollections for the blank and then started layering on papers from Maja Designs.  The top of two layers were cut on one edge with a Martha Stewart edge punch.

I created the banner and used the punched stars as additional embellishments.  The banner pieces are hanging from some burlap string and the whole banner is attached by a couple of mini clothespins that I painted white.  I added a strip of lace and a computer generated sentiment that has been inked with Scattered Straw Distress Ink.

I also created some word art in Photoshop and made it into a hidden tag that was inked with Scattered Straw DI and has a little piece of satin ribbon at the top.

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

Aurora Wings - Anything with Wings
Crafty Sentiments - Baby
Top Tip Tuesday - Bingo - I used Sparkle (on wings), Sentiment, Ribbon or Twine
Come And Get It - Fairies
Di's Digi Designs - Hand Colored Image
Fussy and Fancy - Things with Wings
Polkadoodles - 2 or More Patterned Papers
Moving Along With The Times - Baby, Baby

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

Spotlight Post at Anything But Cute

Today I am doing the Spotlight Post at Anything But Cute and am showing how to create with metal foil tape so pop over and see how it is done. Among other things you will see how I turned this;

into this .....

The Tide Came In

This is one of those projects that started out as one thing in my head but for some reason did not translate well to the finished creation.  I had envisioned this lady relaxing on a beach on her summer holiday but it looks like she wasn't paying attention or her hat was obstructing her view and the tide came in leaving her sitting among the flotsam and jetsam.

I started with a flat 8" x 10" canvas that I picked up at the dollar store and gave it a coat of Gesso (Liquitex).  Then I painted it from the top down with acrylic paint - French Blue  (Folk Art), Clear Blue (Accent) and Aqua (Craft smart).

Next I took a sea sponge and some Titanium (Snow) White acrylic paint (Deco Art) to create surf. and then I made a stencil of clouds on some mylar that I expropriated from my husband's workshop (he won't miss it because there is a roll of 50' left from his electronics business).  I used some Titanium (Snow) White acrylic paint with the sea sponge to dab the clouds on layering them over one another.

To make the sand I mixed Course Pumice Gel (Golden) with Country Twill acrylic paint (Folk Art) and spread it on with a palette knife.

The sun stencil was cut on my Cameo but it is just rays so after I dabbed some Metallic Gold Embossing Paste (Wendy Vecchi) on, I removed the stencil added a circle of paste so it would look like the sun.  The sea gulls are just clip art that I fussy cut.

The lady on the beach is an image from Isabella's Sketchbook and I printed her twice and fussy cut her out of one print and just her sun suit out of the second print.  She was coloured with Prismacolors that were blended with OMS (Gottrick).  After I coloured her sun suit I took some Fern Green Archival Ink (Wendy Vecchi) and a section from the Large Collage Stamp (Wendy Vecchi) and gave her suit some polka dots.  The stamp is a patchwork and I have cut it apart so I can use the sections for different applications - Wendy made me do it :)

The shells are made from crafter's clay (Martha Stewart) and a silicon mold (Wilton).  They were coloured with a variety of distress inks - Frayed Burlap, Vintage Photo, Tea Dye, Pumice Stone and Antique Linen.  The net is some burlap that I removed some of the threads from.

The life ring was made from crafter's clay and painted with a red Copic marker and scuffed up a bit with some Frayed Burlap DI.  It is hanging from a pole made from a popsicle stick that was inked with Frayed Burlap DI.

The flowers were cut from tulle and buckram using the Tattered Florals die (Tim Holtz) and then painted with acrylic paint - Peacock Pearl (Deco Art) and Clear Bue (Accent).  Some beads from the dollar store were added for centres.  Finally I added some driftwood (OK so they really are wood chips I grabbed from the playground), glass bits and some feathers from those darn sea gulls.

I realize this vignette is a little odd but I certainly had fun creating it so I hope you like it.

I am going to enter this in the following challenges:

The Mirror Crack'd - Canvas
Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes (must be mixed media)
Mixed Media World - Stencils
Stamps and Stencils - Happy Holidays
Mixed Media Monthly - Summer Days

Vintage Wedding

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie.  Pamellia is the hostess for this one and she is calling it Raise It Up.  She wants to see lots of layers, lots of panels and/or lots of elements on your shabby chic or vintage project, BUT they must be raised up! Whether you choose to use pop dots, foam squares, silicone glue or another means of support make sure they stand proud.

I started with some Recollections card stock for the blank and then added a background paper from Graphic 45 Time to Flourish pad (the June papers) that had the edges distressed and some foam dots to raise it up.

The doily was inked with some Antique Linen Distress Ink and the lace was dyed with Abandoned Coral DI and they were added next along with the little floral tag, which is cut from the Graphic 45 pad. Then I created the blue panel by embossing a scrap of watercolour card with a stencil from Heidi Swapp.  I inked it with Tumbled Glass DI and added a bit of Blue Hawaiian Blue from the Lindy's Magicals Drink Me Silly set that I mixed with Gum Arabic.  It also has foam dots to raise it up.  The vintage wedding image came next and it is from Victoriana.com.

Next I cut the roses with leaves from the Graphic 45 paper and since I wanted to pop them up and there were no duplicates I traced the outline on scraps of card stock which were then inked with Abandoned Coral, Peeled Paint and Faded Jeans DI.  They were then popped up over the buds, which were fussy cut from the paper.

The rosette was made with some Melissa Frances pleated ribbon glued to a circle of card stock and topped with a coordinating die cut element from Graphic 45.  Finally I added a little sentiment, postage stamp and butterfly all cut from the paper pad.

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

Fantastic Tuesday - Anything Goes with a twist - use lace
Scrap & Craft Inspiration - Celebrations
Nordsalten Hobbyklubb - Wedding Cards and Creations

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

Summer Romance

It is time for a new challenge at Anything But Cute Mixed Media Challenge and Samra is our hostess this time.  She is calling the challenge Summer Romance and would love to see projects with a romantic theme, a beach/sea theme or both, BUT they must be strongly inspired by the colors of the mood board. For this challenge you MUST display our graphics badge in your post along with our blog name and challenge link.

I decided to go for the romantic theme and created a Tussie Mussie in the colours from the mood board.  A Tussie Mussie would have been carried by brides in Victorian times but in this case I gave it a modern and shabby twist.

I started by making a cone from paintable wallpaper and gave it a coat of Robin's Egg Blue acrylic paint by Folk Art.  Once dry I very carefully painted all the raised areas with Folk Art Ice Blue Metallic Paint.  Then I mixed some Blue Hawaiian Blue from the Lindy's Magicals Drink Me Silly set with water and painted the ridges of all the raised areas (just click on the photo to get a closer view).  I punched small holes on either side at the top and added a length of organza ribbon that I picked up for a song at a bead supply store.

Next I made some fabric flowers from a variety of materials from my sewing closet - blue shimmer organza (from a 25 cent table cloth that I bought at a fabric warehouse in Fancy Gap, Virginia), white organza, white tulle, lace trim, lace fabric and sheer drapery fabric.  I added a pearl to the centre of the blue flower and a pearl button to the centre of the lace trim flower.

I embossed some white card stock with an Elizabeth Crafts feather embossing folder and then fussy cut the largest feathers.  They were lightly inked with Tim Holtz Frayed Burlap Distress Ink and then I mixed some Snow White LA Colors eye shadow from the dollar store with Gum Arabic and painted it on each feather to give it some shimmer.

I added a row of lace around the top and then inserted a styrofoam ball that I carved into an egg shape so that it would fit down inside with only a small dome on the top.  All the flowers and feathers were added to the styrofoam with small straight pins.

Next I took a metal lock and key and coated it with Liquitex Clear Gesso to give it some tooth and then added Tim Holtz Picket Fence Distress Crackle.  Once the lock and key were dry I knotted them onto another length of organza ribbon.  This was layered with some Hug Snug seam binding dyed with Tumbled Glass and Broken China DI, a strip of lace, a couple strips of the blue organza and a couple lengths of the drapery fabric and the whole lot was added to one side.

Finally I painted a bead cap with white acrylic paint, inserted a stick pin from my stash to which I added some other beads and glued it into the bottom.

I hope you follow the mood board to create something that reminds you of summer romance and then share it with us at Anything But Cute.

Make Friends

The new challenge at Frilly and Funkie begins today and Jenny, our hostess for this one is calling it Something To Say.  She wants to see vintage or shabby chic projects with a sentiment taking centre stage, whether you stamp it, print it, write it or die cut it.

I dug out some Maja Design papers to create this card with and the two background panels are from the Vintage Spring Basics pad.  The flower was created from a pad called NYHAVN using the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die and inked with Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink.  The leaves were die cuts given to me by my friend and teammate Pamellia and they were inked with Bundled Sage DI.

The clock was cut from Grunge Paper using a Tim Holtz die.  It was coated with Gesso and then I added some Golden Course Pumice Gel to the ring portion.  Once that was dry I covered it with Clear Gesso.  Next I sprayed it with Lindy's Buccaneer Bronze Moonshine Mist and then the legs, handle and knob were rubbed with Treasure Pewter wax paste.  The clock face was a freebie I found online.

The sentiment is word art that I created and has been inked with Spiced Marmalade DI and topped with a teeny butterfly.

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

Crafty Cardmakers - Sentiment
Simply Create Too - Old, Vintage, Shabby Chic
Sparkles Forum Challenges - Vintage/Shabby Chic

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

Altered Playing Card

When I got up this morning I decided I wanted to create something just for fun and not for any of my design teams even though I probably should have been working on that - or the weeding and I didn't want to do that either.  Then I decided I wanted to enter the Stamps and Stencils challenge, which is to make something small so I  made an altered playing card.

My In-Laws used to take organized bus trips from their home in Alberta to a casino in Saskatchewan and they were always bringing back decks of cards for themselves and for us.  Usually the cards had a hole drilled through them so when I went into my games cupboard I was surprised to find a deck that was brand new.  I only used one and decided to start with one of the Jokers to make my creation.

I gave each side a coat of Gesso and then glued an old book page to it.  Then I gave it another light coat of Gesso.  Next I used a baby wipe and my finger to add some paint - watered down Craft Smart Robin's Egg Blue and Fresco Finish Hey Pesto, Smoked Paprika and Pumpkin Soup.

Once the paint was dry I worked on one side and added some stenciling with Jet Black and Watering Can Archival Inks through a couple stencils, Polka Dotty from Wendy Vecchi and Mini Chicken Wire Reversed from TCW.

I hand cut a heart out of card stock and used it to draw the heart shape.  Then I painted the heart with Red Oxide paint from Golden and when it was dry I added more polka dot stenciling and an outline with a Prismacolor pencil crayon blended with OMS.

I stamped the eye, which is from a Tim Holtz set called Random Thoughts and made the word ART on my computer and inked it with Antique Linen and Black Soot Distress Ink.  Finally I edged the card with Black Soot DI.

Next I altered the other side because I didn't think it should be left with just paint on it.  This time I used the Watering Can Archival Ink though the chicken wire stencil and a criss cross one I made myself.  I added some circles with Jet Black Archival Ink using the top of a small spray bottle.  I also added some Tim Holtz tissue tape.

Next I took my heart pattern and inked it with some Red Geranium Archival Ink and then heat embossed it with Red Geranium Embossing Powder.  It didn't heat uniformly but I loved the look so I kept it and added some checks with one of the stamps from the Tim Holtz Ultimate Grunge set and Jet Black Archival Ink.  The edge of the heart and the card was inked with Black Soot DI.  Finally I added some computer generated text that was inked with Antique Linen and Black Soot DI.

I had so much fun making this altered playing card and the best thing was that it only took me 3 hours from start to studio clean up, which might be some kind of record for me.  I can see a few things I could have done differently or added so I think the playing cards are staying in my studio.

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

Stamps and Stencils  - Small is Beautiful
Tuesday Throwdown - Stenciling
Allsorts Challenge - Use a Stamp
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
Mixed Media Monthly  - A Year of Choices (New to You)

Saturday Step X Step at Frilly and Funkie

It is my turn to present the Saturday Step X Step feature at Frilly and Funkie and this is a sneak peek of what I have created.  Click here to go to the post and get all the details.