Mother and Child

I am back today with some inspiration for IndigoBlu.  I have made a shabby Christmas card featuring the stamp called Mother and Child.

I started with some grey Bazzill card stock for the blank and then added a panel of music paper that was computer generated and distressed and inked around the edges with Hickory Smoke Distress Ink.

Next I made a couple of embossed panels from scraps of card stock, mixed some Silver Luscious with Matte Slap it On and sponged it over the top.

I stamped the image with Jet Black Archival Ink, fussy cut it and then sponged the edges with some of the Silver Luscious mixture.

Next I made a poinsettia out of metal foil tape.  The 2" tape is readily available here at hardware or DIY stores and is used by people in the heating and air conditioning business to wrap pipes.  When the fellow came to service our furnace last fall, I discovered he used 3" wide tape and he was kind enough to sell me a roll from his truck, which allows me to use the larger dies from my Marianne Creatables die set.

The trick with this tape is to cut twice the length that you need, fold it in half and then carefully peel off the paper backing and fold it onto itself.  I take a bone folder and smooth it out after it is folded together.  The adhesive is very sticky so I do not recommend using a punch with it but it does die cut and emboss beautifully.

The next step was to coat each piece with black gesso and then wipe it off leaving the gesso in any grooves or indentations.  I used Ruby Slippers Metallic Paint with a drop of black gesso mixed in to paint three and Emerald City Metallic Paint to paint the last one.  I wanted the red to be a bit deeper so I inked over it randomly with Poppyfield Alcohol Ink.  All the petals were layered together and some large silver seed beads were added to the centre.

I also altered and coloured the word joy with the same red process.  The word is made from wood and was cut for me by my husband on his laser cutter.

To assemble the card, I added some gem flourishes from Michaels, a seam binding loopy bow and a couple of bead stick pins that I made from my stash.

I am sharing the inspiration post at IndigoBlu with Ksenija and Gio so pop on over and check out their gorgeous projects.

Butterflies in Flight

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie.  The talented Pamellia is our hostess this time and she is calling it Things With Wings!  Here is what she has to say about it:

"Create any vintage or shabby chic project with something that has wings. It can be butterflies, bees, dragonflies, whatever you can think of."

I started with a canvas from the dollar store and gave it a coat of Gesso. The next step was to add some colour with DecoArt Tan Grout Acrylic Paint, Tim Holtz Gathered Twigs and Hickory Smoke Distress Spray Stain followed by Lindy's Starburst Sprays in Wild Honeysuckle Coral and Frozen Jack Frost.  I added some stamping with a script stamp from Recollections and Watering Can Archival Ink.

I cut a whole bunch of butterflies on my Cameo in different shapes and sizes and proceeded to colour them with different distress inks - Gathered Twigs, Frayed Burlap, Pumice Stone, Hickory Smoke, Antique Linen and Dried Marigold.

The next step was to give them some interest and that was achieved using Watering Can Archival Ink and Tea Rose Distress Ink along with a bunch of stamps and stencils - a flourish stamp from the Dollar Store, Wendy Vecchi Vintage Wallpaper and Splatters stamps, Tim Holtz Ultimate Grunge, Numbers, Honeycomb and Classics #12 stamps, Tim Holtz Gothic and Flourish stencils and Wendy Vecchi Dots and Stripes Border stencil.

I layered some and left others single but the one common thing is that none have bodies or antennae so I wonder how they are going to find their way on this flight - lol.  This may not be as frilly as usual but I love the way it turned out - hope you do too.

Falling Leaves

It is the first Thursday in September and that means a new challenge at Stamps and Stencils.  It also means autumn is fast approaching.  Rachel is our hostess this month and wants you to create with the colours of autumn - reds, oranges, golds and browns; use these in a mixed media creation.

I decided to finish a page for my art journal that I had started ages ago and set aside.

I added some random strips of masking tape and used a TCW harlequin stencil and some Golden Light Molding Paste to add some texture along with some thread.  Next I gave the page a coat of Liquitex Gesso.

Once the Gesso was dry I covered everything with Haystack Fresco Finish paint and then added some Pumpin Soup Fresco Finish paint and wiped it back in spots.  I added some Tim Holtz Twisted Citron and Gathered Twigs Distress Spray Stain and then some FW acrylic inks in Birdwing Copper Pearlescent and Crimson.

Now it was time to add a little more stamping with Jet Black Archival Ink and Tim Holtz Bubble and Numbers stamps along with a vintage leaf stamp from Just Right's Autumn Leaves set.

 

I made a bunch of fall leaves by taking Tim Holtz Kraft Glassine, crumbling it up and then cutting some from Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves die and some by tracing a maple leaf clip art pattern.  Once all the leaves were cut I coloured them using Sunset Orange, Meadow, Rust and Red Pepper Alcohol Ink along with some blending solution.  Once dry I rubbed them with a little Rose Quartz wax paste from Treasure Gold.

The sentiment is computer generated and inked with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

Even though the days are getting shorter here, the weather is still definitely summer weather - hot and humid - so we won't be seeing leaves like the ones shown here for a little while yet and I am OK with that because once fall is here, it means winter is close behind.

Princess Unicorn

Today I am presenting some inspiration for you over on the IndigoBlu blog.  Click here to pop over to the blog where you will get all the details on this canvas that I am calling Princess Unicorn.

Floral Infatuation

It is time for another new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and this time the talented Nancy is our hostess.  She is calling this challenge Floral Infatuation and here is what she has to say about it:

"Create any type of vintage or shabby chic project with flowers as a focal point."

I decided to make a card this time with a mixture of handmade and purchased flowers taking centre stage.  I started with some Recollections card stock for the blank and then started layered panels of distressed paper from Prima Vintage Emporium pad and Graphic 45 Precious Memories.

The large peach flower is made from mulberry paper that I bought from A Touch of Grace.  I cut it with the Tammy Tuterow Shabby Posies die, coloured it with Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink and added stamens from Wilton to the centre.

The white and peach flower is made from mylar that was stamped with the Heartfelt Creations Open  Vintage Floret stamp set using Versamark and Recollections Snow White Embossing Powder.  Once they were fussy cut, I coloured them from the back using the Tim Holtz Rusty Hinge Distress Crayon, layered the petals and added some pearls for the centre.  The rest of the flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts.

The leaves are metal that were coated with Snow Cap Mixative Alcohol Ink and fixed with clear embossing powder before I added some Copper Mixative Alcohol Ink.

The resin frame was also highlighted with Copper Mixative and the sentiment is computer generated.  Finally I added a bow made from copper crochet ribbon.

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

Stempelgarten Challenge - Flowers and Plants
Wow Embossing Powder - Flowers with Heat Embossing
My Time to Craft - Embossing (I used heat embossing)

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

 

Unicorn for IndigoBlu

Today is my first post for IndigoBlu as a member of their International Design Team and I am excited to be sharing it with Solange and Ksenija so I hope you will pop over to IndigoBlu and check out their creations too.

I decided to make a very girlie card with this wonderful unicorn stamp from IndigoBlu called Jewel along with some of the other wonderful new products IndigoBlu has just introduced. 

I cut some white card stock from Recollections for the blank and then set it aside while I made the background, which started with lots of Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Shaded Lilac, Picked Raspberry and Spun Sugar on a piece of Terra Skin paper.  Then I flicked some water on with my fingers to get some movement of the ink.

The next step was to mix some of the new Silver Luscious pigment powder with some water and pounce it on the background with a natural sea sponge.  I was so excited about creating with some of the new products that I totally forgot to take a couple photos along the way but if you click on the card photo, you can get a better view and I will add a close-up later in the post.

I stamped Jewel on some white card stock with Jet Black Archival Ink.  Next I mixed some Unicorn Sparkles with some Super Thick Slap it On and spread it on two corners through this gorgeous new IndigoBlu Vintage Frame stencil. Like some of my teammies I have found this to be the best way to keep the glitter from going everywhere.  The best part is that the Super Thick Slap it On dries clear and doesn't change the properties of the glitter.

Here is the close-up where you can see the shimmer of the silver Luscious and the sparkle you get from the Unicorn Sparkles.

The next step was to colour Jewel with a couple grey Prismacolors pencil crayons blended with OMS. Then I mixed some Pink Luscious powder with Golden Self Leveling Clear Gel and repeated it with some of the Purple Luscious. Luscious will mix with all sorts of mediums but I tried this because I wanted something thin enough to paint on that would dry clear and still let the Luscious colour shimmer through - worked like a charm. I just used a fine paint brush to paint both colours on Jewel's mane, her tail and the hair on her legs as well as her horn. I didn't even have to use much of the Luscious to get this fabulous depth of colour.

Once Jewel was ready, I mounted her on a panel of purple card stock and added some sequins from the dollar store.  All the panels were distressed with my scissors.

I added a Wilton doily and some leaves that were inked with Shaded Lilac DI, some flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts, a loopy twine bow and a few stars that were fussy card from a piece of card stock to which I applied some of my sparkle mixture through the new IndigoBlu Stars stencil.  Finally I stamped the word Sparkle from the IndigoBlu Sparkle and Glisten set with Jet Black Archival Ink, cut it into a banner and inked it with Shaded Lilac DI.

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

Penny Black - Anything Goes with a Stamp
Fab 'n' Funky - Anything Goes
Alphabet Challenge  - M is for Mythical

Small Cabinet

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and I am the hostess this time.  I am calling it It's a Small, Small Word and I describe the challenge this way:

"Create or alter something small in a shabby chic or vintage style. Your finished project can be anything from the size of an inchie, matchbook or domino to the size of a playing card or note card, which means anything from 1 inch to 4 inches and it does not have to be flat. Be creative and let us know in your post just how small your project is."

I have made a little cabinet with a surprise inside.   The cabinet is just under 4" long by 3" wide.

I asked my husband to laser cut some chipboard pieces for me for the cabinet but he has a little program that creates boxes so he made me one of those instead.  It is made from Baltic Birch and since the pieces that make it up are interlocking, it is perfectly aligned on all sides.  I coated it with black gesso and then cut paper from the Graphic 45 paper called Once Upon A Springtime to cover all exterior surfaces.  All the papers have been inked with Hickory Smoke Distress Ink.

Next I embellished the top.  I started with a little piece of May Arts black crochet ribbon and topped it with a black feather, followed by a stamped branch from Heartfelt Creations and a magnolia flower from Wild Orchid Crafts that I inked with some Tea Dye Distress Ink.

Next I recycled a little lock and key set that had been coated with Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint and I added some Tea Dye DI and then tied them together with some organza ribbon from my stash.  I added a chipboard piece from Graphic 45 A Ladies Diary collection, a fairy postage stamp from Once Upon A Springtime and a Martha Stewart punched butterfly with little black pearls for the body.

When you pull out the drawer, it isn't a drawer at all - surprise, it is a micro album.  The substrate for the album is chipboard that was covered with black card stock from Michaels and then covered with the same papers as the cabinet.  Next I made all the pages with lots of papers from Graphic 45 collections - Once Upon A Springtime, Gilded Lily and Precious Moments.  I have added a few embellishments but left it fairly plain so that it would close properly to fit inside the cabinet.  I did add some black satin ribbon to keep it closed when it is outside the cabinet.

All the pages are pockets and hold a photo mat that has patterned paper on both sides and will fit one of those tiny school photos that your kids got in their pack so they could trade with classmates.

The front of the first page has a flip out pocket that also holds a photo mat and is decorated with an element from Graphic 45.

The back of page one has a pocket with a little band of lace and the front of page two has a little diagonal pocket.

The back of page two has a side pocket with another photo mat and the front of page three has another pocket decorated with a Graphic 45 element.

The back of page three has a tiny envelope created from card stock with a Velcro closure and a teeny button.  The front of page four has a flip up decorated with a pearl flourish.

The back of page four has another lace trimmed pocket and the front of page five has a flip out pocket with a photo mat.

My husband was kind enough to take the photos for me while I was out and he forgot to take one of the back of page five but it has a diagonal pocket like the front of page two.

Once the album was decorated I added the little metal handle, which was altered with Pitch Black Alcohol Ink. There is no decoration on the front or back of the album in order to ensure that it behaves like a drawer and pulls in and out easily.

I hope you will be brave and create something tiny to share with us.

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

Soar

It is time for the next monthly challenge at Stamps and Stencils.  The very talented Sue is our hostess this time and is calling it Time To Take Flight!  She describes it this way:

"For this challenge I would like to see anything relating to flying, so this could be a bird or a butterfly or it could be an inspirational quote that includes words relating to flying ! As always, please remember we are a mixed media challenge and you must include either stamping or stenciling or both!"

I had a fun time making this projects, which started with a simple flat dollar store canvas.  I gave it a coat of Liquitex White Gesso.  Next it got a coat of Craftsmart Espresso Acrylic Paint.  When it was dry I added a coat of Folk Art Crackle Medium and let that dry before I added a coat of Bleached Sand Acrylic Paint by DecoArt.

After it was dry and crackled I dry brushed Freso Finish Mocha Mouse on in random spots followed by Fresco Finish Lake Wanaka and a wee bit of Liquitex Black Gesso.

Next I made a couple of textured panels on card stock by first using some Golden Light Molding Paste through a Tim Holtz stencil called bubbles.  I painted them with the same paints as the canvas background and used Black Gesso to distress the edges.

I added some metal to them that I altered by rubbing them with a mixture of Pitch Black, Rust and Copper Mixative Alcohol Inks and blending solution.

I found some Kraft Glassine in my stash, ripped a small piece and stenciled the word Soar from the Tim Holtz Typo stencil with Jet Black Archival Ink.  I added this along with a button on top of a piece of bark, some package filler and some fibres from EK Success.

I stamped the word Fly on a piece of canvas ribbon that I picked up in Fancy Gap, Virginia with letters from a set by Darkroom Door and Jet Black Archival Ink.  I inked it with some Gathered Twigs Distress Ink and attached a little brad from the dollar store.

Next I altered a butterfly that my husband cut for me by painting it with Fresco Finish Lake Wanaka.  I used some Jet Black Archival Ink to add some stamping from a 7 Gypsies set and some cracks stenciling with a Prima stencil.  I used DecoArt Harvest Copper paint to add some script with a Recollections stamp called Haunted and then inked the edges with Black Soot DI.  I added a pen nib for the body that was altered in the same manner as the rest of the metal pieces.

The butterfly was adhered to a piece of corrugated cardboard, which was dry brushed with some Bleached Sand and placed on top of a piece of burlap that was inked with Gathered Twigs DI.

I am going to enter this in the following challenges:

Get Creative Challenges - Lots of Blue
Classic Design Team Challenge - Anything Goes (must be on a design team)
613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes with Twist of Create your own challenge (I used Sights - Butterfly)

Saturday Step x Step at Frilly and Funkie

I am presenting the Saturday Step x Step at Frilly and Funkie today.  Here is a sneak peek at my project but to get all the details, just click here and you will be taken to the blog.

By the Sea

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and our hostess, the very talented Kathy is calling it By The Sea!  She describes it this way:

"It's summertime, and our minds turn toward the shore where we find sparkling sands, delicate shells and refreshing breezes. Let's take a virtual beach trip by creating any kind of vintage or shabby chic project that features a nautical or beach theme and color palette."

For this challenge I have made a reverse canvas. I took an 8" x 10" canvas from the dollar store and used Mod Podge to completely cover it with torn pieces of old book paper. Once dry this gave the canvas extra strength and more of a wood feel like the frame it was stapled to.  It also covers the staples and any imperfections.  Then I worked on the back side of the canvas to create my steampunk-inspired project.  Now the canvas looks like a shadow box.

The next step was to use some texture paste with a couple Tim Holtz stencils to add some texture on the back and edges.  The inside was left flat to accommodate the embellishments.  Then everything was given a coat of white Gesso.

I gave the canvas a coat of Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint called Laguna next, followed by some Accent Clear Blue that I put on with a dry brush.  Then I sprayed the canvas with some Tim Holtz Iced Blue Distress Spray Stain.  The colour was a little too vibrant so I knocked it back with a very light coat of Gesso that I wiped off with a baby wipe.  I used some Jet Black Archival Ink and a Tim Holtz Mixed Media stamp to add some more bubbles on the inside of the canvas.

Now it was time to embellish.  First I stamped the gentleman riding the large fish from the Graphic 45 Voyage Beneath the Sea 2 set on some paper from Graphic 45 Voyage Beneath the Sea using Jet Black Archival Ink and fussy cut it.  Next I used more images from the paper pad and fussy cut them - large background image, sentiment, seahorse, octopus lady, mermaid and diving helmet.  All images were inked with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

My husband cut all the gears and the word "believe" from wood for me and I turned them into rusty beauties using black Gesso, Finnabair Rust Paste and Dina Wakely Ocean Heavy Body paint.  The magnolia flower from Wild Orchid was sprayed with Tim Holtz Lucky Clover Distress Spray Stain.  The starfish was made from Martha Stewart Crafter's Clay in a Wilton silcone mold and coloured with Vintage Photo DI and then highlighted with some copper metallic paint.  Finally some turquoise Stickles, little shells and a few beads were added.

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

Fashionable Stamping Challenges - Under the Sea
Mixed Media World - Under the Sea
Dream Factory - Finding Nemo
Sandee and amelie's Steampunk Challenges - Anything Goes - Steampunk or Industrial

The following products used to create this canvas can be purchased for discounted prices from The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

I Have News

I have some exciting news to share today.  I have been invited to join the IndigoBlu International Design Team and have happily accepted.

IndigoBlu is a UK-based manufacturer of high quality rubber stamps.  They also carry a wide variety of other products for papercrafting and mixed media including some specialty glues, flakes and paints.

Kay Halliwell-Sutton, the owner of IndigoBlu and Jenny Marples from the Design Team often can be seen doing demos on the UK craft network called Hochanda, which is also available online for those of us in other countries.  It is such fun to check out all the various products and techniques and if you can't watch one of their demos live, you can tune in later as Hochanda makes the segments available for viewing for one week after they air live.

I am excited about this new opportunity and can't wait to share my IndigoBlu creations with you.

Inspiration at Stamps and Stencils

It is my turn to provide you with a little inspiration over at Stamps and Stencils and this time I am showing you how I made this love-themed tower of Artist Trading Blocks.  Click here to be taken over to Stamps and Stencils where you will get all the details and hopefully become inspired to give them a try yourself.

Patchwork Floral

It is that time again - a new challenge starts today at Frilly and Funkie.  This time Jenny is our hostess and calls it "All Lined Up".  She describes it this way:

"For this challenge you need to think in straight lines! Be it rows or columns, stripes or even grids make sure those vertical and/or horizontal lines are a clearly visible part of your vintage or shabby chic projects (the edges don't count!)"

When I saw the description for this challenge my mind immediately went to the grid part and I thought a background of patches would be perfect to mount a floral display on.

I used some Staples card stock for the blank and then added papers from Maja Designs Coffee in the Arbor and Vintage Spring Basics sets for the background panel and all the patches.  They were all distressed and inked with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.

I added Picket Fence Crackle Paint to the wooden flourish and then topped it with some white twine.  The twine was not as stiff as I hoped so I dragged it through some fabric stiffener that I have had for 30 years - worked like a charm so obviously there is no Best Before date on that product.

Next came the large flower and the leaves created from Heartfelt Creations stamps and Watering Can Archival Ink, which were leftovers from the bridal mini album that I made recently.  I added a faux pearl ring to the centre of the flower.  Some paper roses from my stash were added next along with a homemade stick pin.

The butterfly was cut by my husband, inked with Scattered Straw DI, embossed with a Sizzix folder called Sugar and Starry Night set that I picked up on clearance during a recent trip to the US and has pearls added for the body.  A few more pearls were scattered about.

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

Nordsalten Hobbyklubb - Flower Field
Polkadoodles - Add ribbon or twine
Cardmania - Lace and/or Pearls
Live and Love Crafts - Sprinkles of Summer

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

Tic Tac Toe at Stamps and Stencils

It is time for a new challenge at Stamps and Stencils.  The talented Toni is our hostess this time and decided we should play Tic Tac Toe following the graphic below.

Since summer vacation time is upon us, I decided to make a beach-themed wall hanging using the centre row vertically.  I started with a square of mat board and topped it with a piece of corrugated cardboard.  I ripped the top layer off around the edges to expose the corrugations and then dry brushed it with some Deco Art Bleached Sand acrylic paint.

Next I grabbed a piece of white card stock and tore the edges before I coated it with white Gesso from Liquitex.  I used some Golden Light Molding Paste through a Tim Holtz stencil called bubbles.  I also dabbed on some Golden Course Pumice Gel in random spots around the edges.

Then I started painting with a layer of Fresco Finish Antarctic followed by a layer of Fresco Finish Lake Wanaka that I wiped back in spots with a baby wipe.  Next came a bit of Deco Art Peacock Pearl metallic acrylic.

Once the paint was dry I added some sprays - Tim Holtz Tumbled Glass Distress Spray Stain, Lindy's Starburst Jack in the Pulpit Teal and Moonshadow Mist Buccaneer Bay Blue.  I used Wendy's Vecchi's Cornflower Blue Archival Ink and stamped some circles from a Tim Holtz set I picked up at Michaels that had no name.

The next step was to change the anchor from a lovely wooden piece that my husband made for me to something that looked like it had been on the bottom of the ocean floor for ages.  To accomplish that I used the Finnabair Rust Paste set from Prima and some Deco Art Media Patina Green Antiquing Cream - love the way it turned out and how easy it was.

I dipped some chunky cord, kitchen string and cheesecloth in a cup of weak tea to make all of them the same colour.  The chunky cord was added as the hanger for the project while the string is wrapped around the anchor and the cheesecloth is tucked under it.  I am wishing now that I had grunged up the string because it looks too clean attached to that rusty anchor.  Finally I added some driftwood (a.k.a. wood chips expropriated from the local playground), small shells, glass chunks and beads.

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

Eclectic Ellapu - Anything Goes
We Love 2 Create - Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes
Altered Eclectics - Anything Mixed Media
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Mixed Media
Mixed Media Mojo - Summertime (twist - use shells)

 Anything But Cute - Summertime Fun

Sewing Collage

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and this time the talented Suzz is our hostess and is calling it All in the Family.  She describes it this way:

"Whether it is your ancestors, a favorite family memory or family outings, create a vintage or shabby chic project reflecting your family."

So when you look at my very busy collage card I imagine you are scratching your head wondering what this has to do with family.  Well, I was very fortunate to have a very creative and very handy Mother who taught me all sorts of wonderful things - baking and cooking, gardening, crafting of all sorts and of course, sewing.  When I was looking through my papercrafting supplies and saw the Graphic 45 collection called A Ladies Diary I realized that the fashion images would make a vintage collage paying homage to sewing and to my Mother.

She once made the most gorgeous summer robe for me from a piece of white eyelet fabric that had come from her Great-Grandmother's trunk.  When my daughter was born she ripped it apart and made a christening gown from it.  There was a small stain on the fabric by then and she bravely dumped it into some water with bleach and amazingly it didn't fall apart, which was expected considering how old it was.  I also remember her staying up until the wee hours of the morning after she started working outside the home to make clothes for all three of us kids and one of my most prized possessions from those late-night sessions was a jacket made from a traditional wool Hudson's Bay blanket.  Sadly it disappeared in one of our moves but I will always remember how special I thought it was at the time.

This card also brings up memories of my late Mother-in-Law who was also a fantastic seamstress and worked as an alterations person in a ladies dress shop before my husband came along.  She could make something for a man or woman out of next to no fabric and without a pattern to boot. When we cleared her room at the nursing home after she passed away, we were amazed at how little came from a store and how many little details she put into blouses and skirts - very fashionable things like three rows of little pin tucks up the side of a pencil skirt.

To make the card I started with a piece of cardstock from Staples for the blank and then added a panel of striped paper from the collection.  I cut a quartet of ladies in their finest dresses and added that followed by a strip of ladies in their lovely hats, both from the collection. 

I stamped the vintage dress form from Tim Holtz Haberdashery stamp set on a piece of dotted paper and added it next topped by a lady in her fancy hat from the collection.  The sentiment was found online as was the vintage seamstress but they have been in my files for so long, I don't have the credit - my apologies.

The collection has some chipboard and adhesive elements so I added a few of those along with a postage stamp.  The flower is cut using the new floral dies from Tammy Tutterow and sits atop a piece of crochet ribbon.

I added a few pearls, a floral button tied with some burlap string, a pair of bronze scissors and a replica of the top of a spool of thread that I picked up from the clearance section at Hobby Lobby when I was visiting in Virginia a couple weeks ago.

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

Morgan's Artworld - Use Patterned Paper
Crafty Cardmakers - Shabby Chic

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

Frilly and Funkie Friday Focus

I am presenting the Friday Focus at Frilly and Funkie this time and it is all about Heartfelt Creations.

Here is a peek at what I have created but to get all the details (and there are lots), please click here to be taken directly to the Frilly and Funkie blog.

Pastels and Pearls

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and this time the talented Nancy is our hostess and wants us to create with Pastels and Pearls. She describes it this way:

"Create a vintage or shabby chic project that features a pastel color palette and includes pearls."

I started with some white card stock from Recollections and used the Maja Designs Vintage Spring Basics and Coffee in the Arbour paper pads to add a couple rectangular panels and a couple of tags.  Everything was distressed with my scissors and the edges were inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  I added some burlap string and some pearl swirls from Prima to the tags.

Next I added a vintage image from The Graphics Fairy and a strip of venise lace with some Kaisercraft pearls.

I altered a filigree medallion  by painting it with DecoArt Chalky Finish Paint called Everlasting and when it was dry I pounced on a mixture of Wild Plum and Snow Cap Mixative Alcohol Inks.  Once that layer was dry I painted it again with Craftsmart Blush Pink Pearl Acrylic Paint.  Finally I topped it with a faux pearl ring.

I created a bouquet of flowers using some new and recycled blooms from Wild Orchid Crafts.  There is also a little recycled stick pin in there.  I recently sorted through the major box of handmade cards sitting in my craft studio and any that were a little damaged from sitting in the box were stripped of anything useful before I tossed them and all the small flowers came from that exercise.

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

Dragonfly Dreams - Say it with Flowers
Corrosive Challenges - Lots of Layers
Let's Craft and Create - Hearts and/or Flowers
Paper Creator's Crafts - All About Flowers

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

Floral Window

The new monthly challenge starts today at Stamps and Stencils and this time our hostess is Ruth who is calling this one "Floral Frenzy".  She describes it this way:

"Hopefully it's sizzling June....when beautiful blooms burst into life. Whether they're stamped, stencilled or handmade we want to see flowers as the main focus of your mixed media project."

I decided to make a floral card for this challenge but in a larger format than I usually do - this is 8" x 8". I started with some white card stock for the blank. Then I layered two background panels of paper from the Maja Designs collection called Nyhavn and to that I added a number of strips of torn paper from the same paper collection along with some from Bo Bunny placing the strips both vertically and horizontally. Once all the paper was adhered I covered everything with a slightly watered down coat of Liquitex Gesso. Then I added some lace from my stash.

I took a TCW stencil called Mini Harlequin and added some Wendy Vecchi Crackled Texture Paste through it.  Once it was dry I used some Wendy Vecchi Watering Can Archival Ink and stamped some dots from the Tim Holtz Utimate Grunge set and some script from a Recollections set called Haunted.

My husband cut the wooden window for me and I coated it with Gesso first and then covered it with the Crackled Texture Paste and inked it with some Hickory Smoke Distress Ink.  I used my fingers to smear it on so there are some gaps but I love it because it reminds me of the wooden storm windows that we had when I was a kid.  The paint kept flaking off and it was such a big job to repaint them that my Mother let them go as long as possible before they were repainted.  The house was huge and had a lot of windows so I can't say that I blame her.

Next I made some flowers out of card stock that I cut on my Cameo and then dyed with Dried Marigold, Scattered Straw and Tattered Rose Distress Ink adding pearls for centres.  The leaves were cut from the Tim Holtz Garden Greens and inked with Shabby Shutters Distress Ink.

I added a little bit of cheesecloth under the flowers and tucked a few roses from Wild Orchid Crafts and some pearl strand in with the flowers.

The butterflies were cut by my husband, inked with Dried Marigold DI and then I added some pearls for the bodies.  The sentiment was made on the computer and the edges were distressed and then inked with Dried Marigold DI.

Finally I added a filigree corner that was recycled from an old card and truthfully I can't remember how I altered it.

I hope you will think flowers and join us for this challenge - we love to see your creations.

Timeless Birthday

It is time for the next challenge at Frilly and Funkie and the wonderful Sue is our hostess this time.  She has chosen Let the words do the talking! as the name for this theme and describes it this way:

"I love to include meaningful sayings on my projects, sayings that speak to me and inspire me to do the things I do. What I would love to see on your projects for this challenge are the words and sayings that mean a lot to you and inspire you."

For this card I mixed papers from the Graphic 45 collection called A Ladies Diary with a sentiment from Wendy Vecchi and here is how I did it.

I started with some Wassau card stock for the blank.  Then I started to add papers and embellishments, distressing with my scissors and inking with Vintage Photo Distress Ink as I went along.  I added a full panel of the damask side of Timeless Memoir (I pretty well covered it with other stuff but it is there) and then a band from the polka dot side of Afternoon Tea.  Next I cut the gorgeous lady from the paper called Ageless Beauty and added her on top.  The word Timeless came from the sticker sheet in the collection.

I fussy cut two sets of each flower bouquet from A Moment in Time and layered them with foam dots for a little dimension.  I also used a clock face from that page and tucked it behind the bouquet at the top.  Next I added some postage stamps that I cut from the Ageless Beauty page.  Then I added a tiny black brad to the top of the chipboard tag and adhered it to the clock.

I stamped the sentiment from Wendy's True Art set on a scrap of the card stock using Jet Black Archival Ink, added a strip of venise lace and a little chipboard button from the collection.

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