Vintage Christmas

It is time for another two-week challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow called VINTAGE CHRISTMAS.  We want you to make vintage or shabby chic Christmas cards, table decorations, ornaments or decor items.

Avril Branthwaite is joining us as a Guest Designer for this challenge so pop over to her blog and check out her work and make her feel welcome.

This card was so easy to make and is thin enough that I should be able to pay regular postage for it.  I started with Staples card stock for the card blank and then added a couple of background paper from Summertime Designs.  The sentiment is computer generated.

Next I printed the Santa image that I found online but now can't find in my computer so I apologize for not giving proper credit.   The Santa panel was embossed it with the Cuttlebug Snowflakes embossing folder and Tim Holtz Circle Diffuser.  The snowflakes were cut on my Cameo and I added some gems from my stash.  Everything was inked with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink from Ranger.

Finally, I added a double bow of organza ribbon that I bought at Michaels.

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

Crafts 4 Eternity  - Non-traditional Christmas
Crafty Catz - Santa Claus is coming to town
Totally Papercrafts - Ho, Ho, Holidays
Fairytale - Photo Inspiration
4 Crafty Chicks - Christmas
Creative Moments - Anything Goes/Vintage
Creative Craft Challenges 2 - Non-traditional Christmas Colours
Lexi's Creations  - Christmas

Gift Tags & Note Cards

The challenge for the next two weeks at Frilly and Funkie is called Gift Tags and Note Cards, both of which should be in high demand with Christmas fast approaching.  You can make one or the other or even both if you like but make sure they are vintage or shabby chic.

I got really ambitious to start with and decided to make a set of four of each and began with the gift tags.  To make each tag, I took some white card stock and cut it into a tag shape.  Then I used a chewed up old sponge dauber and swirled some Frayed Burlap Distress Ink on it to make the background.  I punched a circle from some dark red card stock, added it to the tag and then punched a hole in the centre of it.  Finally I stamped a little background feature from the Tim Holtz Ultimate Grunge set.

Each tag has a border of patterned paper from the Maja Designs It's Christmas Time paper pad and before I attached it to the tag I cut the top edge with a Martha Stewart edge punch.  Then I added some fibre across the patterned paper using ribbon and large ric rac from my stash along with some May Arts crochet lace and jute ribbon from The Funkie Junkie Boutique. A button, brad and filigree metal piece were added to three of the tags.

Next each tag got a panel from Tim Holtz color core card stack and embossed using the Tim Holtz Bubbles Texture Fade and a panel stamped with the ornament from a Tim Holtz mini blueprint set.  I coloured the ornaments with Prismacolors blended with Gotrick odorless mineral spirits.  A gold Sakura gel pen was used to highlight the cap and the decorations on the band.

I cut the snowflakes from white corrugated cardboard with a Spellbinders die and highlighted them with some of the Frayed Burlap Distress Ink.  A gold card centre and a teeny gem finished them off.

Finally, I dyed some seam binding with Aged Mahogany Distress Ink and added it to the top along with some lace seam binding from my sewing cupboard.

I have been sick for a month (it started with a cold and then I had a reaction to an antibiotic) so I fade pretty quickly and by the time I finished the tags, I must admit I didn't really have the energy to go all out on the set of note cards.  I should have really concentrated on doing one of each.  Mind you I can't put much texture on the note cards if I intend to mail them because the post office charges extra for thickness so let's use that as my excuse :)  Oh, and I think I am finally turning the corner and will survive.

What I decided to do was make simpler cards that complimented the tags and used some of the same elements with a few twists.  I have used the same Maja Designs papers, made the same embossed panels and snowflakes but I have put the bands of fibre on a little differently and used just lace seam binding in two shades.  The sentiment is computer generated.

The following items used to create these projects can be found at The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Tags or Boxes at Sugar Creek Hollow

The challenge for the next two weeks at Sugar Creek Hollow is called Tags or Boxes.  All of the gals on the Design Team as well as our Guest Designer, Bonnie Garby, have made tags so I went rogue and made a box.  After all, the challenge is called Tags or Boxes.  We want to see vintage or shabby chic projects and with Christmas fast approaching both will be needed.

I decided to make a box, not only because I suspected there would be a lot of tags but also because my daughter has a birthday soon after Christmas and since I have already bought her birthday gift I know that it will fit perfectly in this Wallet Box.

Here is a look at the back and sides of this box.

I cut all the pieces for the base from some Recollections card stock and scored everything.  The base, except for the accordion sides was put together using double-sided tape.  Then I cut all the patterned paper for both the outside and inside making sure to leave a small border.  The patterned paper is digital paper that I got as a freebie from Far Far Hill.

The next step was to do some stamping over all the outside pieces, except for the piece on the closure, which matches the inside paper.  I used one of the stamps from the Tim Holtz Ultimate Grunge set as well as a Paper Artsy Mini.  Black Ranger Archival ink was used for the stamping.

Then I stenciled the leaves on using Dusty Concord Distress Ink by Ranger and a stencil called Botanical by Momenta.  The last step before gluing the patterned paper to the base was to ink all the edges with Ranger's Pumice Stone Distress Ink.

The embellishment on the closure involved cutting two scraps of card stock and taking a Martha Stewart edge punch to them.  After they were adhered to the closure, I added some pearl flourishes from Dollarama, some feathers from my stash and a deep purple rose from Wild Orchid Crafts.

Finally, I added the accordion sides and some adhesive Velcro dots to keep the closure in place.

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

Addicted to Stamps - Anything Goes
City Crafter - Hold It

Christmas Preparations

I know this a huge photo but I really wanted you to be able to see what I made for the new challenge at Frilly and Funkie.  The challenge is called CHRISTMAS PREPARATIONS and our hostess Sue wants you to make shabby chic or vintage items for your table, your tree, your holiday decor or even crackers for your Christmas dinner.

I have made a Tussie Mussie to hang on my tree and since this is a big one (10") it will fill in one of those pesky bare spots.  Now my tree is primarily decked out in red and gold but I do have a few gold and white ornaments so that is why I made this in these colors.

On November 30th, I am going to do a Step X Step feature over at Frilly and Funkie and show you how this was made so plan to pop over there for all the details.

I am going to enter this in the following challenges:

Bunny Zoe's Crafts  - Shabby Chic/Vintage
Make My Monday Challenge - Anything But A Card - Christmas Style
Crafty Calendar Challenge - All Things Christmas

I used trim, pearls, a brad, feathers, a pine cone, beaded trim and gold balls from my stash and I used the following products from The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Friday Focus at Frilly & Funkie

It is my turn to host the Friday Focus at Frilly and Funkie and this week I am sharing projects made with May Arts products, including a new card that I am teasing you with above.  To see the finished card and find out how I made it, pop over to Frilly and Funkie.

From now until next Thursday, the May Arts products at The Funkie Junkie Boutique are 15% off the already discounted prices so now is a great time to stock up - and don't forget to check out the rest of the shop while you are there.

Vintage Christmas

The challenge for the next two weeks at Sugar Creek Hollow is ANYTHING VINTAGE GOES so that means you can make anything as long as it is vintage or shabby chic. 

Since we are able to make anything this time I decided to try to grow my very small stash of Christmas cards.  In Canada the cost of mailing a letter or card depends more on the weight and the thickness and we don't get penalized for the shape.  So that means we can mail square cards with no extra postage provided it fits through this itty bitty little slot that the postmaster has.  As a result my Christmas cards have to be pretty flat like this one is or I can expect a hard time from my dear husband since they were too thick one year and he had to buy extra postage and stand there and put it on each and every card.

For this card I used card stock from Recollections for everything but the background and that is from a paper pack called Norland from Farm House Paper Company.

The image is from an Artistic Outpost stamp set called Sleigh Ride and has been stamped with Black Archival Ink from Ranger.  I used the Sheet Music Texture Fade by Tim Holtz to emboss the green panel and then highlighted it with Classic Treasure Gold from Connoisseur Studio.  The scrollwork panel was made with a Tim Holtz die and then some Fabricland satin ribbon was added to it.

The sentiment has been stamped with one of the stamps from the Simple Sayings stamp set from Tim Holtz.  The Poinsettia was cut with my Cameo.  Pearl stickers from Recollections were added to the centre of the poinsettia and to the image panel.  Aged Mahogany and Forest Moss Distress Ink from Ranger were used to ink the different elements.

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

Paper Crafting Journey - Anything Goes
Lady Anne's Challenges - Anything Goes (must use a stamp)
Whimsy Inspirations - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes

The following items were purchased at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

The Fall Harvest

It is time for a new two-week challenge at Frilly and Funkie and this time we want you to make vintage or shabby chic projects that depict HARVEST or THANKSGIVING.

I was away for a week and when I got back I had a pile of catch-up to do on my Son-in-Law's books along with a couple of sessions looking after my Grandchildren so I have to admit I rushed my card and being my own worst critic, I am not really happy with it but it does speak to the bounties of a fall harvest.  While we didn't pick our own apples, we did pick up a couple of large bags for eating and cooking and wow are they yummy at this time of year.

I started with a piece of  Bazzill card stock for the card blank and then worked on the background.  I used a baby wipe to paint a piece of white card stock with Guacamole, Hey Pesto & Green Olives chalk acrylics by Fresco Finish.  Then I took a sea sponge and dabbed on a bit of Blood Orange Fresco Finish here and there. I then stamped some leaves from a Just Right stamp set using Coffee Archival ink.  Next I used some black Archival ink to stencil the honeycomb pattern.  Finally it was distressed and inked with Vintage Photo distress ink.

The lovely lady gathering apples is an image that I found online at Abduzeedo and I have mounted her on some burlap.  I cut the leaves with metal foil using the Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves die.  Then I embossed them with the Victoria embossing folder from Cuttlebug and coloured them with some Ranger Alcohol inks.

The large flower has been cut from a coffee filter using the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die and then dyed using Wild Honey Distress Ink.  A brad from Making Memories was used for the centre.  I made the stick pin myself and then put the fruit and floral spray together with little apples and the sunflower (if that is what it is supposed to be) that have been in my stash for eons along with roses from Wild Orchid Crafts.

The gorgeous brown pleated ribbon is from May Arts and came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique along with the stunning metal piece to which I added some gems from Dollarama.

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

Cuttin and Stampin Challenges  - Autumn Harvest

The following items were purchased at The Funkie Junkie Boutique - a super place to shop with fabulous prices and great customer service.

A Tea Party for the Birds

The new challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow is called BIRDS OF A FEATHER and we want to see vintage or shabby chic cards or other paper-crafted projects featuring birds and nests.

To create my card, I started with some Recollections card stock for the card blank.  Next I took some paper from my stash and added some stenciling using the Mini Tiny Circles stencil from The Crafter's Workshop and some Broken China Distress Ink from Ranger.

I embossed a piece of pink card stock from stash with the Juli's Garden embossing folder by Cuttlebug and then highlighted the raised areas with the Broken China Distress Ink.  Next I added some lace that I picked up at an outdoor market on my trip to England and some white satin ribbon from Kate's Paperie.

When I saw this image at The Graphics Fairy, I fell in love with it and knew I wanted to use it for this challenge.  Before I mounted it to the card I added some Cotton Candy Stickles by Ranger to the outer edge.

The flower came from Excelsior Wholesale and was actually white but I chopped the centre out, coloured it with a Copic marker and then added the button and the burlap thread from my stash.  I made a couple of loops from the satin ribbon and added some crinkly pink seam binding and some fun fibre from my stash before I added the flower.  I added all of this over some white feathers clipped from a feather boa that I bought at Dollarama.

A little piece of doily from my stash and some pearl stickers from Dollarama were added to finish everything off.

Saturday Step X Step at Frilly & Funkie

I promised you on Wednesday that I would show you step by step how the card I posted for the current challenge at Frilly & Funkie was created so pop over there and check out all the details.

Goulish Halloween

I am in Mississippi this week visiting with some lovely crafting friends so this post has been scheduled.

The new challenge at Frilly & Funkie is called WHAT'S YOUR POISON.  We want to see vintage or shabby chic cards or other projects for Halloween.  But there is a twist - you must use black and green and orange is not allowed.

On Saturday, I am going to show you step by step over at Frilly and Funkie how I made this card so I won't go into all the details right now.  I will however give credit to Plumrose Lane for this goulish little boy and the spiders, to The Graphics Fairy for the crow and to Soap Deli News for the poison labels.

I also used the following products from The Funkie Junkie Boutique to create this card:

Romantic Anniversary

 The challenge for the next two weeks at Sugar Creek Hollow is called ROMANCE.  We want to see vintage or shabby chic cards and other projects that depict Romance.

We are welcoming a new sponsor for this challenge.  Really Reasonable Ribbon is generously providing one random winner with a $15 gift certificate to their online store, which is loaded with fabulous ribbons, trims and flowers.

Since I was still in England and my husband was here at home on September 20th, which was our 38th  anniversary, the day itself couldn't be romantic but I think this card that I left for him is romantic and he liked it so that counts for something.

I started with some cream card stock from Staples for my card blank and then added a background from My Mind's Eye.  I found the wonderful image online (sorry I thought I wrote down the source) and I have mounted it on a scalloped rectangle that I cut using my Cameo from pink card stock from my scraps and then added a couple little dew drops from my stash.

The corner is a piece from the Venetian Motifs Shapabilities die from Spellbinders and the pearl flourishes are from Dollarama.  The sentiment is computer generated, cut out with a pair of Fiskars mini scallop scissors and edged with some chalk from Mungyo.  The same chalk was used on the doily, which also came from my scraps.

I used the gorgeous ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon to make the rosette and the tails.  A pearl brad from Gartner makes the centre of the rosette and then a few little roses from Wild Orchid Crafts were added to finish things off.

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

Crafty Ribbons - Anything Goes with Ribbon
Fab 'n' Funky - Ribbon
The Paper Shelter - Shabby Chic
Whimsy Stamps Inspirations Challenge - Vintage/Shabby Chic
A Little Bit Crafty - A Little Bit Shabby
Live and Love Crafts - Pink
The Pink Elephant Challenge - Anniversary or Wedding

The Colours of Autumn

The new challenge at Frilly and Funkie is all about making vintage or shabby chic cards or other projects that depict AUTUMN COLOURS but with a twist - YOU MUST ADD LEAVES.  By the way, the rules have been changed so when you enter the Frilly and Funkie challenge you can now enter up to nine other challenges for a total of 10.

I arrived back from my 3-week vacation in England to find that many of the trees have started to turn and the colours are so vibrant so it wasn't hard to think of Autumn colours and leaves for my project for this challenge.  Oh and the vacation was terrific with lots of super day trips, visiting with crafting friends and eating way too much.

I started with some rust coloured card stock from The Paper Studio as my card blank and added a background of some Provo Craft paper that has been in my stash for years.

Next I embossed a piece of card stock with a Tim Holtz Texture Fade and created a mat from deep yellow card stock for my image using a stamp from a Tim Holtz grunge stamp set and some Coffee Archival Ink.  Then I proceeded to cover them both up - what is up with that!  If you look closely you can see both the texture and the stamping.

My wonderful vintage image comes from the online Digital Collection at the New York Public Library.  Everything has been distressed and inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

The leaves were all gifts from Linda Coughlin, the owner of Frilly and Funkie and some came already stamped while the corrugated ones were plain kraft and I coloured them with distress stains and then rubbed some gold Texture Gold on them to make them shimmer.

Finally, I dyed some rayon seam binding with distress ink to make the crinkly bow and added it to a piece of crochet lace.  The button came from my stash and has a bow made from burlap string.  The little berries were robbed from an old wreath that I found in the cupboard.

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

Come and Get It Challenges - Fall Color Challenge
Dream Valley Challenges  - Autumn
Rogue Redhead Designs - Autumn Colors
Parade Your Crafts - Fall
Really Reasonable Ribbon - Fall or Halloween and Ribbon

The following items came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique where prices are always discounted from the manufacturer's suggested price:

Fall is in the Air

Oh my, hard to believe but fall is fast approaching so the new two-week challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow is called FALL IS IN THE AIR.  We want you to make vintage or shabby chic cards depicting fall.

I found this wonderful image by Kate Greenaway in the digital collection at the New York Public Library web site .  The card blank is Bazzill card stock, the background paper is digital paper from Sprouting Seeds Studio and the green paper is from Provo Craft.

I cut the flower with the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die using a cone shaped coffee filter.  It has been inked with Scattered Straw and Dried Marigold Distress Ink from Ranger.  I added a button from my stash for the centre.

Two of the leaves were cut with the Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves die, embossed with the Victoria embossing folder from Cuttlebug and inked with Bundled Sage and Dried Marigold Distress Ink from Ranger.  The patterned leaves are from a clear stamp set by Just Right and were stamped with Coffee Archival Ink from Ranger, fussy cut and inked with Bundled Sage and Dried Marigold Distress Ink.

The flourish corners were cut with my Cameo and the spray of berries came from my stash.  The pearls are from Dollarama.

Friday Focus at Frilly & Funkie

Today it is my turn to present the Friday Focus segment at Frilly and Funkie and Linda has asked me to feature two products from The Funkie Junkie Boutique - crinoline and venise lace.

Here is a sneak peak at my project but to learn all about it and the products I used to create it, click here to be taken to Frilly and Funkie.

Pie Anyone?

The new two-week challenge at Frilly and Funkie is called EAT, DRINK & BE MERRY.  We want to see you create vintage or shabby chic projects that feature food or drink or both.

I found this great image online of a gorgeous cherry pie being taken out of the oven at My Kinda Vintage and decided to go with a cherry theme.  The cookbook cover was an online find. 

The card blank is some textured card stock from The Paper Studio and the papers are from Raspberry Road.  A Tim Holtz Collage Texture Fade was used to emboss the gold Recollections card stock.  I used a Martha Stewart Arch Lattice edge punch to create a little border and then added some ric rac from my sewing cupboard.   The pearls are from Dollarama and the button and floss are from my stash.

The lovely filigree corner piece has been painted with some red craft paint and then sealed with some Matte Multi Medium.  The little lace motif is actually a section cut from a longer piece of lace.  Everything has been aged with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink by Ranger.

The following items used in this card came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique where you will always find products at least 20% less than the manufacturer's suggested price.

My Rose Garden

My Rose Garden is the name of the next two-week challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow.  We want you to make vintage or shabby chic cards or other paper-crafted projects with lots of roses.

Heather Hudson at My Artistic Adventures is sponsoring us this week and all of us on the Design Team have used rose images from her lovely collage sheets.

I started with Staples white card stock for my card blank and used papers from Raspberry Road.  The lace is from a bridal supply store and I ran a piece of satin cording through it that has been in my stash for years.  I added a few little gems from Michaels for some sparkle.

I used some Worn Lipstick Distress Ink from Ranger on a little frame from the dollar store and added a computer generated sentiment.  The roses are from Wild Orchid Crafts and the tulle is from Fabricland.  I added some pink satin ribbon from my stash and some fibres from EK Success to the rose tag from My Artistic Adventures.

Every Possibility

It is time for another new two-week challenge at Frilly and Funkie and this time it is an easy one - ANYTHING GOES.  Of course your project must be vintage or shabby chic but you can create anything in your Frilly or Funkie style.  Don't forget though that you can only enter your project at Frilly & Funkie and four other challenges.

Now I know I am supposed to be making Frilly projects for your inspiration but I had a request to make a card for a friend to give to her minister because he is leaving her church to go to a large Toronto church.  I decided to accept her commission and kill two birds with one stone so this is my Anything Goes offering. 

Literally as this posts I am landing in Birmingham, England for a three-week vacation visiting dear friends, including Sue my teammate at Frilly and Funkie.  Since I am going to be gone for so long I had to get all my DT projects done before I left along with related blog posts so when I saw a chance to lighten my load, I have to admit I took it.

I used some Bazzill card stock for the card blank and some very old Provo Craft paper for the background.  I used some Wild Honey, Peeled Paint and Vintage Photo Distress Ink by Ranger to create one panel and then embossed a piece of Recollections card stock with a Tim Holtz Patchwork Texture Fade to create another panel.  It was also inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

I used the Tim Holtz Stuff to Say stamp set to stamp the sentiment and the Steampunk set for the three dapper gentlemen using Ranger Black Archival ink.  The sentiment was cut out with a pair of Fiskars deckle scissors and then inked with the same Distress Inks.  The gentlemen were stamped onto a piece of plaid paper from my scraps and inked.  I added some burlap, a few metal pieces and a button on top of a little embossed circle.

So this certainly isn't Frilly but then it can't be when it is for a fellow and I don't really think it is Funkie so let's call this FRUNKIE - LOL.

Here are the products I have used from The Funkie Junkie Boutique - a super place to shop since everything is always discounted at least 20% from the manufacturer's suggested price - and the most awesome customer service.

Back to School

The new two-week challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow is called BACK TO SCHOOL and we want to see your vintage or shabby chic school-themed projects.

This week we have a Guest Designer joining us so please make Mynette Kitchen feel welcome and head over to her blog to check out her work.

School starts on September 3rd where I live and that is the day my husband and I leave for England so I was concerned that I might miss my little Grandson's first day of school since he starts Junior Kindergarten this year.  I have walked with my Granddaughter to every one of her first days (she is going into Grade 2 this year) but in the past the first day for the little ones often has been a week later than the rest of the school.  Thankfully he starts the same day so I will be able to share in his excitement.

I started with some red Bazzill card stock to make my card blank.  The gingham and polka dot paper are from Raspberry Road.  I found the focal image online at Catnip Studio, the flash card is from Red Wagon and the clock is a digital element from Friendly Scrap.

I took a card stock scrap and embossed it with the Notebook Texture Fade from Tim Holtz.  The text are stickers from DCWV and the button, ribbon and twine are all from my stash.  I used Vintage Photo Distress Ink from Ranger on all the pieces.

Step X Step at Frilly and Funkie

It is my turn this week to post the Step X Step feature at Frilly and Funkie and I promised I would tell you how I made the card, hat and hat box for my DT project for the current challenge (My Steamer Trunk) so click here to learn how I did it and see all the products that I used.

My Steamer Trunk

I am the hostess for the new two-week challenge at Frilly and Funkie and I chose MY STEAMER TRUNK as the name for this challenge.  The idea is to create a vintage or shabby chic project that depicts what you might pack in your steamer trunk or where you might be taking it.

I had fun making this combo project so come back on Saturday and I will tell you how I did it.  I made a card, a wee hat and tiny hat box.  My card is about what I would pack to go off on my steamer vacation but I did do a bit off stamping on the background to show where I might be taking it.  It looks like I am off to England, France & Italy.  If truth be known I really am heading to England in 2 weeks and was in Italy last year so now I just need to check France off my list.

I used a focal image from Vintage Fan Girl along with products from The Funkie Junkie Boutique, Michaels and Wild Orchid Crafts but as I mentioned I will tell you in more detail on Saturday.

Here are the products that I used from The Funkie Junkie Boutique: