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:

Vintage Travel

The new challenge starts today at Frilly and Funkie and the lovely Zoe is our hostess this time.  She calls this challenge Oh the places you'll go! and describes it this way:

"Create a vintage or shabby chic project with travel as the central theme. Think planes, trains, automobiles, ships, maps, globes."

I rarely have enough masculine cards ready to go so I took this opportunity to create one.  I started with some Tim Holtz Color Core card stock for the blank and then layered some paper from Tim Holtz Dapper pad with some Maja Design Vintage Autumn Basics.

I made one tag from the Maja Designs paper, one from a piece of Recollections kraft card stock, which was embossed with a folder from The Paper Studio called Vintage Keys that I picked up from a sale bin at Hobby Lobby on one of my too infrequent trips to visit my super friend Patti (a trip is on the horizon and I am sooooo excited - she is a fabulous lady and a wonderful crafter) - but I digress.  Finally I used some scrap card stock to make a tag that was stamped with the vintage dirigible from an Indigo Blu set called Grand Tour 1 using Tree Branch Archival Ink.

The sentiment is from Tim Holtz Simple Saying set and also stamped with Tree Branch AI.  Everything was distressed with my scissors and then inked with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.

I tucked some burlap ribbon under the image tag after darkening it up by dying it with some Walnut Stain DI, added burlap string to all the tags.  Finally some gears, a button and a trinket pin were added.

While this isn't as frilly as usual, it is somewhat shabby and I think it has a great masculine and very vintage feel.  I would definitely use this as a birthday card because guys should be having fun as they move from year to year and life is a journey.

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

Penny Black and More - Anything Goes (must include hand stamping - no digis)
Allsorts  - Vintage
Moving Along With The Times - Man or Boy
The Male Room - Transport
Die Traumfabrik Dream Factory - Fast and Furious

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

Thinking Pink

It is time for the new challenge at Stamps and Stencils and Branka is our hostess this time.  She is calling the challenge Think Pink and describes it this way:

"For this challenge we would love to see a mixed media project that has some pink in it somewhere! The possibilities are endless! Don't forget to include some stamping or stenciling or both in your mixed media project! We can't wait to see what you create! "

I have a little stash of things in my studio that I have been collecting to alter and one of them was a oval wooden plaque with a chain that I picked up at Dollarama for $1.25, not a dollar - WUWT. The wooden things you get from there usually come from China and are made of pretty cheap wood, which is why they are being sold at the dollar (or more) store. That means that as soon as you try to paint them, the wood swells and under normal circumstances you would be sanding for ages to try to get them smooth. But they lend themselves very well to mixed media when you are adding texture because you don't have to sand them.

I have been helping my daughter pack to move so there aren't any process photos this time but I can explain how I created this hanging.

I started by covering the wood with a coat of Liquitex Gesso. Then I crumpled up some tissue paper, smoothed it back out and glued it to both side of the plaque using Mod Podge and added a coat on top with more Mod Podge.

Next I used some Golden Light Molding Paste with a Wendy Vecchi stencil called Checkmate and a Prima flourish stencil to add some texture.  I also used some Golden Clear Tar Gel to create some random drips.

Then I coated everything with Gesso again before I started adding paint.  First I coated it with Fresco Finish Blush and then with Fresco Finish Candy Floss.  After that coat barely started to dry I removed some of it with a baby wipe.  Then I dry brushed some Craftsmart Blush Pearl on in random spots.

Next I rubbed on some Spun Sugar and Picked Raspberry distress ink and some Magenta Hue Archival Ink in various areas.  I added some stenciling with Magenta Hue Archival Ink and a TCW Mini Tiny Circles stencil along with Wendy Vecchi Watering Can Archival Ink and a criss cross stencil I made myself.  I also added some circles with the lid from a spray bottle and some DecoArt Crafter's White and Folk Art Medium Gray Acrylic Paint.

The butterflies were cut from card stock on the laser machine and coloured with Picked Raspberry DI.  Using some Watering Can Archival Ink I stamped the large butterfly with a script stamp from Recollections Haunted set and the little one at the bottom with a polka dot section from the Wendy Vecchi Large Collage background stamp.   The butterfly at the top was stenciled using a Jenni Bowlin stencil called Pointed Star.  I layered each patterned butterflies on top of a plain one for some dimension and then added some pearls stickers to the bodies.

Finally I created the sentiment on the computer, cut it into sections and inked the edges with Picked Raspberry DI before I adhered it to the hanging.

I hope you will join us for this challenge and share your pink projects.

Going to the Funkie Side

The new challenge is starting today at Frilly and Funkie and this time Kathy, our hostess is calling it Opposites Attract.  Here is what she has to say about it:

"For this challenge, the Frilly side of the team will be asked to create a project in Funkie Style, and the Funkie side of the team will create a Frilly style project. Dig deep and create any kind of project you choose, as long as it is not done in your usual style and color palette."

I saw a bunch of photos that Andy Skinner posted from the Ministry of Mixology retreat he recently held in England and was blown away by the projects made by the participants. I don't have any of the DecoArt Media line of products but that will be changing when I head to the US next month to visit a dear friend and she takes me shopping.  Sadly, I also don't have access to any of his classes but I was inspired to make my Funkie project for this challenge by some of the photos I saw.

Now, I had no idea how they made their project or what products they used so I just used the look as my starting point.  First I took an 8" x 10" flat canvas from the dollar store and gave it a coat of Gesso.  My husband cut a wooden frame for me on the laser cutter and I used it to draw a centre panel.  I painted the centre panel with Folk Art Pure Black Acrylic Paint, then added Folk Art Crackle Medium when it was dry.  Once the Crackle Medium was dry I added DecoArt Antique Gold Acrylic Paint and sat back and watched it crackle.

Then I marked off some sections on the outside of the centre panel and before I started painting I added a bit of texture using texture paste and some Wendy Vecchi's stencils - Checkmate, Dots and Stripes Borders and Polka Dotty.

I used Folk Art Terra Cotta, DecoArt Russet, Accent Village Green and Accent Chesapeake Blue Acrylic Paints to paint in the various sections leaving the pencil lines marking the sections exposed.  Once the paints were dry I used a fine brush to colour the lines with DecoArt Venetian Gold Metallic Acrylic Paint making sure that I wiggled the brush so the lines were not perfectly straight.  Next I dry brushed all over the sections with DecoArt Champagne Gold Metallic Acrylic Paint.

Next I added some stenciling with Picket Fence DI and a couple Tim Holtz Layering Stencils and a Plaid stencil.  I decided it needed to be dulled down so I took some Black Soot Distress Ink and a natural sea sponge and added random dabs all over being very, very careful to avoid my lovely white stenciling.

I covered the frame with texture paste, painted it with the Chesapeake Blue paint and a dry brushing of Champagne Gold and then a light inking of Black Soot DI.

I cut the heart by hand from a piece of heavy card stock and covered it with texture paste before I painted it with the Russet paint.  I wrapped it with some burlap string to which I added a Tim Holtz type token.  Finally I added some buttons that I picked up in the clearance section at Michaels.

This isn't the project that all the lucky people made when they spent the weekend with Andy but I like the way it turned out.

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

Saturday Step x Step

Just a little reminder that the details on how I made my Flower Fairy Hanging are available at Frilly and Funkie today.

This was a very simple project so it won't take you long to see how I transformed something retrieved from the garbage into a pretty wall hanging with lots of Wendy Vecchi's flowers.

Flower Fairy Hanging

(Click on image for a larger view)

It is time for the new challenge at Frilly and Funkie.  Suzz is our hostess this time and she is calling it It's Not Easy Being Green.  She describes it this way:

"In honor of Earth Day, which is April 22nd, create an UPCYCLED project. Repurpose an existing item, Recycle an element that would usually be thrown away, or use your paper scraps in a creative way"

Until his recent retirement my husband worked for the traffic department of our regional municipality.  One day he came home with a couple of these and asked if I wanted them for my crafting - he had rescued them from the scrap heap.  This is a lens from a set of LED traffic signals and would cover one of the lights; red, amber, green or the advance arrow.  I stuck them in a cupboard in my studio and when Suzz set the challenge a light went off in my head (no pun intended) and I knew what I would make with it.

Normally this is where I would tell you how I made my project but to get all the details of this flower fairy hanging you will have to wait until Saturday when I will do a Step x Step over at Frilly and Funkie.

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

Avenue 613 - Anything Goes with a twist (use something recycled)
Eclectic Ellapu - Spring Flowers/April Showers
Creative Corner  - Spring Flowers
Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes - Mixed Media/Altered Art (no cards, ATCs)
Country View Challenges - Spring
Crafts and Me - Fairies and Magic
Moving Along With The Times - Spring Flowers

Inspirational Post for Stamps and Stencils

Hi there, today it is my turn to present the Inspirational Post at Stamps and Stencils and this is just a sneak peek at what I have to show you so hop on over there to get the details.

Trash to Treasure

The new challenge starts today at Stamps and Stencils.  Autumn is hosting this one and she is calling it Trash to Treasure.  She describes it this way:

"Don't we all love a good upcycled project? This month we'd love to see how you take something that you'd normally discard and give it new life in your art. Whether it's glamorized boxes, Styrofoam turned into a stamp, packaging that's been die cut, or another altered idea you have. Bring on your best mixed media repurposing! We can't wait to see what you come up! Don't forget to use stamps or stencils in your project."

I decided to make a wall hanging that could hang in someone's sewing room.  First I had my husband cut me a piece of masonite on his fancy laser cutting machine.  The next step was to add my recycled items - the squares.  OK, not square exactly but definitely recycled since computers these days will not take these old floppy disks.  My husband had piles of them and offered them to me.  I accepted them but at the time had no idea what I was going to do with them.

Once they were adhered to the masonite, I coated everything with Liquitex Gesso and then coated the floppies with Liquitex Super Heavy Gesso. As you can see the heavy Gesso didn't smooth everything out so I decided to add some texture paste.  I used Golden Crackle Paste on the floppies themselves and Golden Light Molding Paste with a TCW Mini Geometric Art Layers stencil and a TCW Tiny Circles stencil on the backing board.  To get the stenciling in between the floppies since they were already glued down, I enlisted the aid of my handy dandy husband who drew some tiny circles in a graphics program and then cut a very narrow strip stencil on the laser cutting machine.  Love that machine - him too!!!!!

Next I added all the little bits and pieces - Tiny wooden clothespins and metals from The Funkie Junkie Boutique, Flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts, Lace from Fancy Gap, Wooden Text created by my husband and sewing supplies from my stash.  I have discovered that Liquitex Matte Super Heavy Gel makes a great adhesive for most of the items and Glossy Accents is perfect for the beads and other tiny things.  Once adhered I covered everything with another coat of Gesso to unify the colour.

Next I painted everything with a coat of DecoArt Buttermilk Acrylic Paint and then a watered down coat of DecoArt Melon Acrylic Paint.   Ink sprays came next - Lindy's Starburst in Wild Honeysuckle Coral and a touch of Saxifrage Olive Coral, which had more green in it than I wanted (Olive - dah) so I used a natural sea sponge and dabbed on some Bronze Metallic Acrylic Paint from Craftsmart and some Folk Art Champagne Metallic Acrylic Paint.

Finally I added the sentiment which was stamped from a TPC Studio set and some seed beads that I picked up in the discount section at Michaels.

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

Everybody Art Challenge - Pastel Colors
Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes - Altered Art, Mixed Media (no cards or ATCs)
Crafter's Cafe - Use Some Lace
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Altered Art, Mixed Media (no cards or ATCs)
Take a Word  - Sewing
We Love 2 Create - Anything Creative Mixed Media Goes
Fussy and Fancy - Pastels

Dapper Gent

It is time for the new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and Jenny is hosting this time and is calling it Boy oh Boy!.  She describes it this way:

"Create a vintage or shabby chic project with a man in mind. Let's see those male themed creations come to life."

I need a couple of birthday cards for some men in my family so the timing of this challenge was perfect.

I went pretty simple with this card letting papers from the Tim Holtz Dapper paper pad take centre stage.  I have done a lot of distressing with my scissors and inking with Gather Twigs Distress Ink to make it look even more vintage.

I started with some card stock from my stash for the blank and added the panel of ticking.  Then I embossed a piece of Recollections kraft card stock using a Tim Holtz embossing folder called Collage.  Next came the numbers and ticking mini panels.

I cut the zig zag from a large paper and added it next topped with a strip of burlap.  The ad panel followed along with the little fishtail ruler, also cut from the paper pad.  The gentleman was fussy cut from the same page as the zigzag.  Finally I added a pocket watch and some carved coconut shell buttons.

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

Paperminutes - Card for a Man
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes
ABC Challenge - "E" is for Everything (Anything Goes)
Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes
Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes
Our Crafty Corner - Anything Goes
One Stitch at a Time - Anything Goes with Distressing
Morgan's Art World - For The Men
Simply Papercrafts - Anything Goes

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

Rain Forest

It is time for a new month-long challenge at Anything But Cute and this time Samra is our hostess and calls it Earth Day.

Before I tell you about the challenge and my project, I want to let you know that this will be my last post for Anything But Cute.  I want to say thank you to Pamellia for the opportunity to be in from the start of her challenge blog and I want to wish her and the rest of the gals on the team all the best.  

Samra describes the challenge this way:

"Create a mixed media project inspired by this mood board and the beauty of our planet. Please tell us what inspired you. Entries for this challenge can be echo friendly, or even recycled/upcycled items; or depiction of the sea, mountain, river, forest, flowery meadow…let’s celebrate our planet!"

I decided to go to the rain forest for my Earth Day offering and was inspired by a trip I made in 2008 into the rain forest of Costa Rica.  I went on Google to see what kind of snakes live in rain forests since I didn't come across any on my trip and discovered that there are some bright blue species so I added some to my project, which is as close as I want to come to them.  There are lots and lots of trees in the rain forest and I was conned into going zip lining between some of them.  I did it twice that day - the first time and the last time - LOL.

This is a 5"x7" canvas that I picked up at the dollar store.  I coated it with Liquitex Gesso and then I covered it with various die cut and punched leaves, vines and butterflies.  Another coat of Gesso was added and then I painted it with Guacamole and Hey Pesto Fresco Finish paints.  I used some Wendy Vecchi Tree Branch Archival Ink and a stamp from the Tim Holtz Ultimate Grunge set to add a  few splatters.

I used a Dylusions stencil called Leaf Flourish Small and some Wendy Vecchi Fern Green Archival Ink to add the hanging vines.  After the ink was dry I replaced the stencil and added some Wendy Vecchi Translucent Embossing Paste.

I made the branch and bird from Martha Stewart Crafter's Clay and a Wilton Silicone Mold.  The branch was painted with some Folk Art Coffee Bean Acrylic Paint and then inked with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.  The bird was painted with DecoArt's Pumpkin and Dark Scarlet Acrylic Paint, Tangerine Acrylic Paint by Folk Art and Liberty Blue Acrylic Paint from Accent.  Then I handmade a couple snakes from Crafter's Clay and painted it with Ice Blue Metallic Acrylic Paint from DecoArt.

Next I made a couple of ferns from Crafter's Clay and painted them with DecoArt Plantation Pine Acrylic Paint and inked them with Forest Moss DI.  I picked up a really cheap and really ugly floral pick from Michaels, took it apart and altered it by coating it with some Ceramacoat Acrylic Paint called Leaf Green mixed with some DecoArt Fabric Medium so it would stay flexible and now I had rain forest flora and fauna.

I thought it needed some earth so I mixed some large seed beads with some light molding paste and dabbed that on and then painted it with some Coffee Bean Acrylic Paint from Folk Art.

Hip to be Square

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trio of Flowers

Click on the photo to get a larger view

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The panels were sewn together with some black burlap string.

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

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

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

Pot of Posies

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

Branka describes the challenge this way:

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

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

Next I did a bunch of stenciling as follows:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spring Nest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

St. Patrick's Day Layers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Friday Focus at Frilly and Funkie

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