Tea Party

It is time for a new challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow and this time we are calling it Eat and Drink.  We want you to make vintage or shabby chic projects that depict food or drink.

We are pleased to have a Guest Designer, Apollonia DeJong (a.k.a. Plony) joining us this time so please make her welcome.  Check out the wonderful creations on her blog by clicking here.

I started my card with some Bazzill card stock for the blank and then added two papers from Raspberry Road.  I used a scrap of cream card stock and created a mat with a Martha Stewart Around the Page punch and then inked it with some Peeled Paint Distress Ink by Ranger.  The image from Antique Images was mounted next.

Next I added a border of lace from Sussman's Bridal Supply and topped it with a variety of vintage cups and saucers from The Graphics Fairy and Intimate Wedding.

The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and I coloured a couple white ones with a Promarker to get the dusty rose ones.  The leaves are a Martha Stewart punch and I made the swirls from the stems of the flowers.  Finally I added a teapot charm from Arton Bead Supply.

Friday Focus at Frilly and Funkie

I am hosting the Friday Focus segment at Frilly and Funkie this week using Dylusions Ink Sprays and here is a sneak peek at one of my projects.  Pop over to the Frilly and Funkie blog to get all the details and see what else I made.

At The Seashore

It is time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and this time Nancy is our hostess and the theme is called SUMMER BY THE SEA.  Nancy is assuming that summer is just around the corner and while everything in my neck of the woods has started to become green, the temperatures are so low that they had frost last weekend just north of us.  Oh well, think summer and let's see your vintage or shabby chic projects depicting a summer by the sea.

The Top Pick chosen by the Design Team will earn a Guest DT spot here at Frilly and Funkie and one randomly chosen entry will win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique!

Here are the details of my card from the bottom up.  I started with some card stock from my stash for the blank and then added a panel of white corrugated cardboard that I distressed with my scissors ans then inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

Next came the wide striped paper, which is from My Mind's Eye and then a narrow striped paper from a Maja Designs Autumn Basics paper pad.  Both were distressed and inked with Vintage Photo DI.  Then I added a piece of burlap.

Next I added the two images.  One image came from xx and the other image is a stamp in the Boardwalk set by Artistic Outpost and has been stamped with Cornflower Blue Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink.  Both images have been distressed and inked with Vintage Photo DI.

To finish the card off, I added an loopy bow made with seam binding dyed with the Cornflower Blue Archival ink and topped it with a carved coconut button tied with some burlap string.

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

Pile It On - Shabby Chic
Sunflowerfield Designs - Vintage/Shabby Chic/Rustic
Card and Scrap - Shabby Chic

The following  products used to create this card came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique, which is up and running after moving the stock to a new location.  To celebrate all the changes at the Boutique you can get 10% off your orders by using the coupon code StockUp4Summer, valid through May 23rd.

Pansy Fairy

It is time for another new challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow and this time we want to see vintage or shabby projects featuring FAIRIES AND ANGELS.

We are pleased to have a sponsor for this week - A Day for Daisies is returning with a prize for one random winner of a $12 gift certificate to the online store.  That is a fabulous prize because it will allow the winner to pick 3 of their gorgeous images.

I made a 6" square card and started with some white card stock from Recollections for my blank and then added some Basic Grey patterned paper from a pad called Cappella for my background.  The polka dot panel was a scrap and I don't remember where it is from.

The image is from A Day for Daisies and is called Pansy Fairy.  She has been coloured with Prismacolors and blended with Gotrick OMS.  I added some Star Dust Stickles from Ranger to her wings and them finished the image panel with some pearl stickers from Dollarama.

I punched some purple card stock from my scraps with a Martha Stewart edge punch and then inked the edges with Dusty Concord Distress Ink from Ranger.  The lace is from my sewing stash.  The butterfly was punched out of another scrap with a Martha Stewart punch and the little pearls making up the body are from Dollarama.

I cut the leaves with my Cameo from scrap card stock and inked the edges with Crushed Olive Distress Ink from Ranger.  The flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and I made the charms with a variety of beads and pearls that I have picked up here and there.

The Word is Love

Sue is the hostess for the new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and she is calling it Words, Words, Words and here is her description:

"For this challenge instead of an image let a word take centre stage. A single word can speak volumes, so let them do the talking ! This could be on any kind of project you like, a layout, an altered item a journal page, you choose but no stamped sentiments allowed!"

The Top Pick chosen by the Design Team will earn a Guest DT spot at Frilly and Funkie and one randomly chosen entry will win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique!

As you can see by my card I was either having a senior moment or just can't read because I missed the part about not letting an image take centre stage so skip directly to the word LOVE.  I chose this word as my design jumping off point because it is a favourite word of mine for many reasons.

When my Grandchildren were really little, I started to tell them that I had a secret to tell them and I would whisper in their ear "I love you" and they always giggled.  As they got a bit older they would whisper it back to me but now at age 5 and 7 1/2, they want me to say it but not in their ear and they roll their eyes and say "I know".

I started with some Bazzill card stock for the blank and then added a piece of Maja patterned paper from the Autumn basics pad.  The paper was distressed with my scissors.

Next I added a filigree corner that originally was bronze but I gave it a coat of white paint first and then I topped it with a coat of White Perfect Pearls that I mixed with some Gum Arabic.

The vintage couple in love came from The Graphics Fairy and I mounted it on a fleur de lis square that I cut with my Cameo and then inked with Spun Sugar, Victorian Velvet and Aged Mahogany Distress Ink.

The letters for the word LOVE was printed on my computer and inked with the same Distress Inks.  A little gem from Michaels was added.  Next I added a strip of Venise lace and more little gems.  The flower is two layers of  lining fabric from my sewing room that I gathered and then added a floral button for a centre.

The little hearts were cut from Tim Holtz Grunge Paper, smeared with Wendy Vecchi Crackle Embossing Paste and when dry they were inked with Spun Sugar Distress Ink and topped with gems.  Finally I glued a whole bunch of little pink seed beads into the large tear at the top.

The following products used in the creation of this card came from The Funkie Junie Boutique.

Note: The boutique is temporarily closed while Linda moves all the stock to a new location so check back on May 16th when she will be up and running.

Vintage Masculine Birthday

For the new two-week challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow we want you to play Tic Tac Toe.  You can make any vintage or shabby chic project as long as you incorporate three items in a row from the graphic below.  Don't forget, you must select three items from any row vertically, horizontally or diagonally.

 

We have a Guest Designer joining us again this week so pop over and see the wonderful work from Heidi Augustson (a.k.a.Filharmonica) and then make sure you check out her blog too.

I needed to make a birthday card for my niece's husband so I chose the horizontal row across the middle and incorporated Embossing, Ribbon and Distressing.  Thankfully there was one row that would work or he might be getting a rather frilly card full of lace and flowers OR no card at all.  The best thing about this card is that it is flat enough to mail without any added postage and since it costs $1 to buy a single stamp in Canada now, that is a bonus.  If you buy stamps in bulk you get a break at 85 cents each so needless to say, I buy in bulk.

I started with some Kraft card stock from Recollections for my blank.  From this point on, everything is from my scraps and is inked with Ranger's Walnut Stain Distress Ink and all the distressing was done with my scissors.

For my background I chose some blue paper with brown spatters from Provo Craft.  I added some texture in the bottom corner by running some Wendy Vecchi Translucent Embossing Paste over a stencil from TCW called Mini Cell Theory.  Once it was dry I inked and distressed it.  Next I added a distressed a piece of brown paper with polka dots.  This was topped with the blue ribbon with brown polka dots that came from Michaels.

Once the ribbon was added, I adhered the whole thing to the card blank.  Next I embossed a piece of Kraft card stock with the Gears embossing folder from Tim Holtz and inked it to highlight the embossing.  The image from a stamp set called Curious Possibility from Tim Holtz and was stamped with Walnut Stain Distress Ink on a scrap of blue card stock.  I made the sentiment on the computer making sure to change the font colour to brown.  Finally I added some Bead Landing metal gears.

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

4 Crafty Chicks  - Embossing
Art Impressions Stamps - Anything Goes - Masculine
The House That Stamps Built - For The Guys
The Paper Shelter - For The Boys
Penny's Paper Crafty - One for the Boys

Saturday Step X Step at Frilly and Funkie

As I mentioned on Wednesday, I am doing the Step X Step feature over at Frilly and Funkie today and I am going to show you all the other pages in my sewing themed mini album.

Here is a sneak peek of the first inside page so click here to find out what it looks like and see the rest of the pages.

The Sewing Room

It is time for a new two-week challenge at Frilly & Funkie and I am your hostess this time. The theme is called On The Runway and we want you to create a vintage or shabby chic project that depicts Sewing and/or Fashion.

The Top Pick chosen by the Design Team will earn a Guest DT spot here at Frilly and Funkie and one randomly chosen entry will win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique!

Simply create a new project, link it to your post using the linking tool provided and make sure you add a link in your post (not just your blog) back to the Frilly and Funkie challenge. You can combine our challenge with up to 10 challenges (including this one) to be in with a chance of winning. Make sure you follow these rules as unfortunately we have had to eliminate entrants from the prize draws in the past when they have entered too many other challenges. Also, please be sure to turn off your Word Verification so our Design Team can leave comments on your blogs.

For this challenge I have actually made a mini album that is all about fashion ideas from the Sewing Room.  This is the front cover of the album and I will describe how I have made it but come back to Frilly and Funkie on Saturday when I do the Saturday Step X Step feature and I will show you each page and tell you how they were created.

The album is made of chipboard and I worked from the back to the front to "decorate" the album.  I made the paper to cover the front in Photoshop by combining a variety of vintage sewing-themed ads from The Old Design Shop and The Graphic Fairy.  Before I adhered it to the chipboard, I swiped a thin coat of Picket Fence Distress Stain over it to dull the image down a bit since it was printed on a laser printer.  Once it was dry, I randomly inked Stormy Sky, Scattered Straw, Tattered Rose and Bundled Sage Distress Ink over the paper.  Finally I inked all the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink to give it a vintage look.

Note:  Pretty well everything has been inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink so I won't keep repeating it.

The spine was added and then I adhered a strip of Venise lace that was inked.  The sign is a stamp from the  Paper Artsy Hot Picks set # HP1213 and was stamped with Jet Black Archival Ink and the edges were distressed with my scissors.  I found the mannequin online ages ago but failed to mark credit when I saved it (my apologies) and the ribbon card that I wound with some narrow satin ribbon from my stash is from Astrid's Artistic Efforts.

I created the flower from some of the offcuts of Pion Designs paper and the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die.  Finally I added the gorgeous little metals scissors.

The following items used to create this cover can be found at The Funkie Junkie Boutique, a super place to shop because the prices are always discounted and the customer service is the best.

Easter Chicks

The new two-week challenge starts today at Sugar Creek Hollow and this time it is appropriately called EASTER.  We want to see vintage or shabby chic projects that depict Easter.

We have a talented Guest Designer joining us for this challenge.  Her name is Nicola but you probably know her as Paper Profusion.  Please make her feel welcome and head over to her blog to see her wonderful creations.

I made a little card after I found this adorable vintage Easter postcard online at Mambeenoe.  Don't you just love their Easter bonnets? 

I started with some white card stock from Staples for my blank and then added some paper from a pad called Picadilly by Basic Grey that I distressed with my scissors and then inked with some Frayed Burlap Distress Ink by Ranger.  A coordinating paper from the same pad was embossed with a Cuttlebug embossing folder called Victoria and inked with more Frayed Burlap.

Next I added some lace and a strand of pearls from my stash.  After distressing and inking the image, I mounted it on some white crepe paper that came from Dollarama.  The pearl flourishes are also from Dollarama and the large oval crystal gem is from a David Tutera bridal collection that I got on clearance at Michaels.

The flower is made of a large flower by Recollections, a ribbon flower that I made with organza from Arton Bead Supply and a white rose from Wild Orchid Crafts.

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

Crafty Ribbons  - Flower Power
Cute Card Thursday - Easter
It's All About The Vintage - Shabby Chic
Fairies Challenges  - Shabby Chic or Vintage
Penny's Paper Crafty - Flower Power
Going Grey with Scrap Creations - Easter
Artistic Inspirations -Easter Animal/ Anything Goes
Card Mania  - Easter
Lexi's Creations - Easter
Victorine - Easter

Flights of Fancy

How quickly two weeks can pass because it is already time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie.  This time Trace is our hostess and is calling the challenge FLIGHTS OF FANCY.  She wants us to make vintage or shabby chic projects showing birds, bees or butterflies.

I made sure I had all the bases covered and included at least one image of each in my creation.  The calendar says it is spring and even though it isn't very warm yet where I live, the massive piles of snow have just about all melted, I saw three fat robins in the back yard the other day and heard lots more birds chirping away so the timing of this card is perfect.

This time I made a card and here is how it went together.  First I started with a piece of Recollections card stock for the blank and then added some Pion Designs paper for the background.  I distress the edges with my scissors and inked them with some Spiced Marmalade DI.

I added a strip of Venise lace and next came some burlap and then a piece of corrugated cardboard that was roughed up a bit and highlighted with some Gesso.

The image came from Old Design Shop online and before I added it, I distressed it and inked the edges with more Spiced Marmalade DI.  The butterfly was a gift from a fellow crafter.  I made the nest from some hemp and added some Melissa Frances pearl stickers as eggs.  The feathers came from the dollar store.

I created the flower from Tim Holtz Colorcore card stock using a Marvy Uchida punch.  It has been inked with more Spiced Marmalade DI and a brown pearl sticker added as a centre.  The leaf is made from a scrap of Tim Holtz Colorcore card stock and the Tattered Leaves die.  After I added some veins to it, I inked the leaf with some Forest Moss DI.  Finally I added some fun buttons.

I hope you will pop over and check out the work of my Frilly team mates and then create something and enter it in the challenge.  The winner will earn a Guest DT spot at Frilly and Funkie, and everyone who enters will have the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique!

Simply create a new project and follow the instructions for linking it.  Don't forget to include a link in your post to the Frilly and Funkie challenge blog post.  Remember, you can combine our challenge with up to 10 challenges (including this one) to be in with a chance of winning.

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

Catered Crop - Put A Bird On it
The Squirrel and the Fox - All Creatures Great and Small
Crafty Calendar - Things with Wings
A Little Bit Crafty - The Birds and the Bees

To purchase these items used to create my card, pop over to The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Saturday Step X Step at Frilly and Funkie

A couple weeks ago I promised you I would walk you through how I made the collage card for my Mother-in-Law's 92nd birthday.  Well today is the day so pop over to Frilly and Funkie to see what I did.  Here is a reminder of what the card looked like before I sent it out west.

Layers at Sassy Cheryl's

I told my friends at Sassy Cheryl's that they should be careful not to fall on the floor because I have actually managed to get a card made for the current challenge at Sassy Cheryl's Challenge Blog , which is all about LOTS OF LAYERS.

I started a different card and coloured an image for the first time in probably 4 months but then I tried to get artsy and ruined the image so I had to scrap that effort and start again.  I was checking to see if I had anything else printed and found an image that was already coloured - bonus.  I had done it when I visited my friend Ann English last May and she let me use her Copics - not my usual medium but with her expert guidance I got something worth keeping.

From the bottom up, here is my card:

I started with some Recollections card stock for the blank (this card is a 6" square).  Next I added some green patterned paper from my stash for the background.  Next came a couple of Provo Craft papers (also from my scraps) and then a band of white card stock that was punched with a Martha Stewart edge punch.

I added three rows of ribbon from Michaels and some Recollections pearl stickers.  The flower is made up of a white Prima flower and a couple of coloured flowers from Dollarama.  I added a button from my stash and some baker's twine from Really Reasonable Ribbon.

Next I fussy cut around the image before adhering it.  Voila, lots of layers.  I decided not to add a sentiment because I am not sure how this card will be used. 

This is not my usual style of crafting since I normally do vintage or shabby chic so I struggled with this.  Even though I absolutely love these Sassy images, my pea brain can't seem to combine my style with her wonderful images.  I will keep trying though now that I have more time since I am officially retired again.

I don't know what this image is called and I can't find it in the Sassy Cheryl Stamp Store but that could be because I didn't look hard enough.  If it isn't there, not to worry because Cheryl has lots of other fabulous digis, including a set of twins that just arrived and are adorable.

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

Sassy Cheryl's -Lots of Layers with a Sassy Cheryl Image
That Craft Place - Buttons
Left of Center Challenges - Ribbon and/or Flowers

Best Friends

It is time for a new two-week challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow and this time we want you to MAKE YOUR OWN BACKGROUND.

Thanks to Cathi O'Neill of our Design Team, for this challenge we are pleased to welcome a new sponsor coming to us from Australia.

The folks at Molossi have a wide variety of products and you can see what they have to offer when you check out the challenge post at Sugar Creek Hollow.

They are providing a wonderful prize pack for one random winner.  Look at all the goodies you could win.

Here are the details of my card from the bottom up:

I started my card with some Bazzill card stock for the blank and then I created my background.  First I tore all sorts of papers from an old book, some scraps from my stash and some Tim Holtz Tissue Wrap.  I used some Ranger Glue and Seal to glue the torn papers to a piece of cream card stock and then gave them another coat on top..

Then I stenciled over the whole piece using a Moroccan Lattice stencil from Heidi Swapp and some Olive Archival Ink from Ranger.  I then covered the whole piece with Wendy Vecchi Orange Blossom  and Red Geranium Archival Ink.  The final step for the background was to use a Tiny Circles stencil from TCW and Wendy Vecchi Gold Embossing Paste.

Next I took some corrugated card stock from Michaels, inked the edges with Ranger's Vintage Photo Distress Ink and distressed it a bit with my scissors.  On top of that I added a panel of net that I picked up in England and then wrapped some satin ribbon from Fabricland around all of these layers and made a bow on the side.

The next layer is a piece of cream card stock that I embossed with a script folder from Cuttlebug and then inked with some more Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  The Friends Forever text is computer generated and the image is part of a Darkroom Door collage stamp provided by our sponsor appropriately called Friends that I stamped using Coffee Archival Ink from Ranger and then inked with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

The lock and key are chipboard pieces provided by our sponsor that I rubbed with Onyxite and Rose Quartz Treasure Gold wax paste to get a rusty look.  Finally I added the lace flower, also provided by our sponsor but I took the liberty of swapping out the pearl and crystal centre that it came with for something that fit a little better with my colour palette so I hope they won't be upset.  Even though I didn't ask for permission, I am asking for forgiveness :)

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

Challenges and candies - Embossing
Craftyhands - Shabby Chic
Fussy and Fancy - Shabby Chic
Red Rubber Designs - Very Vintage
Digi Stamps 4 Joy - Vintage
Stampotique Designers Challenge - Vintage

Time for Change

The new two-week challenge at Frilly and Funkie begins today and is called TIME AFTER TIME.  Nancy is our hostess and wants us to make vintage or shabby chic projects that focus on time and clocks.

I hope you will share your projects with us to be in with a chance of winning a Guest DT spot at Frilly and Funkie or a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique!

Remember, to enter you must create a new project, link it using the linking tool and make sure you add a link in your post back to this challenge. You can combine our challenge with up to 10 challenges (including this one) to be in with a chance of winning.

I have been seeing a lot of art journals lately and decided it was something I might like to try but I thought before I tackled a journal page, I better find something I could use as a journal and then make it pretty. 

I started with this sketch pad, removed the cover and altered it to the piece you see above.  I started by giving it a couple of coats of Gesso.  Then I sponge painted it with some acrylic craft paint but the colour was really bright and not a good match for the papers that I wanted to use with it so I then inked over the paint with some Victorian Velvet, Milled Lavender and Bundled Sage Distress Ink.

Next I added some torn papers from the Maja Autumn Basics paper pad using some Glue and Seal to adhere them and to coat them before I gave them a light coat of Gesso.  I also added some bits of drywall tape.

The next step was to use some embossing paste to add some clocks and also some little dots.  I used my Cameo to cut a large flourish from Grunge Paper and then cut it cut it in pieces and added it to the base after I sponged it with Milled Lavender Distress Ink.

Now it was time (no pun intended) to create the word art for the quote and frame it.  I chose the quote because it referenced time but also because I thought it would make a great jumping off point for my journal since I have never kept a journal.

The frame was cut from light chipboard using my Cameo and the flourishes were cut from Grunge Paper, which cuts much easier than chipboard - it really cuts like butter.  I added the flourishes to the frame and then gave it a coat of Gesso.  Then I added some Victorian Velvet Distress Ink and finally some Blood Orange Fresco Finish paint that I wiped off with a baby wipe.

The quote was added on top of a doily and a clock that I found on the internet.  Another clock was added to the left of the framed quote.  The third clock (at least a half clock) was cut from Grunge Paper and then I added Gesso to it and then Bundled Sage Distress Ink.

Next I added some strips of lace.  I added some narrow satin ribbon and pearls to the lace on the top right.  Next I cut a filigree ornament in half, covered them with Picket Fence Distress Stain (it takes a couple of coats with heat drying in between) and then clear embossed them before adding them to my cover.

The final step was to add the flowers.  Two flowers were made from the Maja paper with a couple of punches and then I added some pearls as centres.  The big flower is a flower from Recollections that I inked with some Victorian Velvet Distress Ink and added a big floral button for the centre.  The little flower on the right is some crinoline cut with the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die that I dyed with Milled Lavender Distress Ink and added a pearl for a centre.  The big two-layered flower is a strip of fabric from my sewing cupboard, folded in half lengthwise and then gathered.  It has been topped with some organza ribbon that was gathered and then I added a big pink button from my stash.

Now I need to tackle a journal page and while I don't when that will happen, I know exactly what I want to say in it so stay tuned.

I would like to enter this altered journal in the following challenges:

Inky Chicks - Use Some Lace
Top Tip Tuesday - Metal or Faux Metal
Through The Purple Hazel - Bingo (Flower(s), Sentiment/Greeting/Doily)
Love to Create - Bingo (Pink, Lace, Flowers)
Anything But A Card - Use Two or More Stencils (Clocks & Dots)
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Altered Art Only 

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

Friday Focus at Frilly and Funkie

This week it is my turn over at Frilly and Funkie to showcase a product that you can find at The Funkie Junkie Boutique and I am featuring buttons.  Here is a sneak peek at one of the projects I made so pop over to Frilly and Funkie to get all the details.

After you check out the post, you should head over to The Funkie Junkie Boutique and pick up some of the fabulous buttons because you can get them for 15% off until March 27th.

Baby Love

It is time for a new two-week challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow and this time we have a PHOTO INSPIRATION for you.  We want you to make a vintage or shabby chic card or other paper-crafted project using the photo below to guide you.  You can use the theme in the photo or the colours - I have chosen to incorporate both

I started with some white card stock from Staples for my blank and then added some pretty paper from Far Far Hill for the background.  Next I added some strips of complimentary paper from the Far Far Hill set. 

The two lace strips on the side came from my Mother-in-Law's sewing room.  I topped it with some satin ribbon from Kate's Paperie and a couple of teeny buttons from Dress It Up.

The image came from By Vintage Design and has been mounted on a piece of Recollections card stock and then framed with some pearl trim from my stash.  The little butterfly was done with a Martha Stewart punch and the body are pearl stickers from Recollections.  All the papers have been inked on the edges with Pumice Stone Distress Ink by Ranger.

The flowers are all from Wild Orchid Crafts and the sentiment was computer generated.  The little gold charm came from a store in Manhattan but I can't remember the name and the next time I was there I couldn't find it.

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

Creative Card Crew - Charms
Papertake Weekly - Bingo (Flowers, Free, Buttons)
Deep Ocean - Lace and Pearls
Craft Your Passion - Young at Heart

Vintage Collage

Today is the start of a new two-week challenge at Frilly and Funkie.  Rebecca is our hostess this time and she wants us to use DIE CUTS in our projects.  Rebecca is suggesting we dig out our neglected dies and create something outside (or inside) the box with them.

Now I don't own very many dies so when I started to create this piece I knew I would have to make up for the lack of dies with lots of other good stuff and I am happy with how I managed that and how frilly this is.  The die I did use is the Square Fleur-de-Lis from Spellbinders.  I debated using my Cameo to make die cuts but in the end thought that wasn't what Rebecca wanted.

My Mother-in-Law turned 92 on March 4th so I decided to make a very large (8 inch square) collage card for her and incorporate a few things from her sewing room (or maybe her late Sister's sewing room since I have stuff from both) - the snippet of black lace under the image, the two-toned button and the lace medallion.

It had so much texture that I had to make a box for it and my husband hand delivered it since he flew out to Alberta to spend a weekend with her.  I don't know that she recognized the bits because she is having a lot of dementia these days but my husband explained it to her and I think it pleased her.

In a couple of weeks, I am doing the Saturday Step X Step over at Frilly and Funkie and I will show you then how this came together.  I know this is mean but I hope you will come back then to get all the details.

In the meantime, I can tell you that the following items used in this project came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique - a super place to buy your supplies at a great price and with the best customer service.

Sew Fashionable

For the next two weeks the challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow is called SEW FASHIONABLE and we want to see vintage or shabby chic cards or other projects that depict sewing.

For this challenge we have another Guest Designer joining us.  Zoe Sanderson is a crafter from the UK so please make her feel welcome, check out her blog and leave her some love.

From the bottom up, here is how I created this card:

I started with some cream card stock from Staples for the blank and then added a background of striped paper from My Mind's Eye. that I distressed with my scissors.  I found the McCall's pattern photo online and the vintage sewing machine image came from The Graphic Fairy.

The little piece of metal at the top is from Michaels, the metal hanger is from 7 Gypsies and the button is from my stash.  The piece of lace also came from my stash and I think it was from my husband's late Aunt's sewing basket originally.  The tape measure is piece of clip art that I altered slightly.  The flowers are from Prima and the brad is from Making Memories.  Everything has been inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink by Ranger.  The little metal scissors charm were in my stash but I have no idea where they came from.

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

Inky Impressions - So Charming
Shopping Our Stash - Heavy Metal

I Surrender

The new challenge at Frilly & Funkie starts today and will run for the next two weeks.  Sue is our hostess and she wants to see vintage or shabby chic cards or other projects with lots of STENCILS AND TEXTURES. So, for this challenge let's see you use your stencils on your projects but also lets see some texture too ! This can be embossing, texture paste or even fabric.

I created this card after I couldn't get a good layout on another attempt no matter how hard I tried.  And then there was all the sickies in my family that I have been looking after as well as trying to deal with my poor Mother-in-Law who will be 92 next week, lives in an assisted living facility 2000 miles away and has dementia and now has the worst case of shingles.  Finally there is the SNOW, which never seems to end along with the brutal cold so I just decided to SURRENDER and make a winter card with some stenciling, some stamping and some texture with the embossed panel and the laces and ribbon.

I started with some white card stock from Staples for my card blank and then created a background by sponging Broken China, Weathered Wood and Faded Jeans distress ink all over another piece of white card stock.  Then I did a little flicking with some water and once it was dry I used a Dylusions stencil to add the dots on either side with the Faded Jeans distress ink..

Next I stamped the snowflakes from the Artistic Output stamp set called sleigh ride with Jet Black Archival Ink.  I wanted them to be white but they either came out very pale when I used a white stamp pad or not very crisp when I used paint so I opted for black and they stamped beautifully and the contrast is interesting.

Next I made an embossed panel using some Maja paper and a snowflake stencil from Cuttlebug.  After I did the embossing I sanded down some of the embossed area, distressed the edge and inked it with some Faded Jeans distress ink.

I made the stamped panel next with some white card stock, the image from the Artistic Outpost stamped with Jet Black Archival Ink, a distressed edge and some more inking.  The silver bow is some lacy crochet ribbon.  I added some venise lace and pleated some satin ribbon that was in my stash.

The snowflake was sponged with Snowcap Adirondack alcohol ink mixative blended with silver Adirondack Silver alcohol ink mixative and once dry I sponged on some Sail Boat Adirondack ink.  Finally a few little silver snowflakes cut from card stock and some white pearls were added to finish this card off.

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

Everybody-art Challenge - Ribbon or Lace
2 Sisters Challenge - Embossing
Inkspirational Challenges - Designer's Choice (Embossing, Ribbon or Lace, Metal or Charms)

The items shown below came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique where the prices are always less than the manufacturer's suggested retail price:

Dreaming of the Beach

The new two-week challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow is called DREAMING OF THE BEACH.  We want to see vintage or shabby chic cards or other paper-crafted projects that depict the beach or seaside.

Since we have had one of the most brutal winters where I live, I love this theme because it lets me think warm, even if only for a few moments.

We have a talented Guest Designer joining us for this challenge and I hope you will feel Marie Svensson (a.k.a. Primia) feel welcome and pop over to her blog and check out all her vintage beauties.

From the bottom up, here is how I made this card:

I started with some Staples card stock for my blank and added some patterned paper from Far Far Hill for my background. The paper edges were distressed with my scissors and inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink from Ranger.

Next I took some white corrugated cardboard that I bought from The Funkie Junkie Boutique, tore the edges a bit and inked them with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  On top of that I added a piece of burlap from my stash and a fish charm from Arton Bead Supply that has been inked with Sail Boat and Meadow Adirondack alcohol ink from Ranger.

I found the wonderful image somewhere online and distressed the edges and sponged them with Vintage Photo Distressed Ink before it was popped up with some foam dots.  The sentiment on it made me smile.

To finish I added a bow of crinkly dyed seam binding that was a gift ages ago and a tiny shell from Michaels.