Tiny Neutral Accordion Book

The new challenge starts today at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog and Sara Emily is our hostess for this one. She is calling it Mostly Neutral and she describes it this way:

For this challenge, I would like you to use mainly neutrals, but I will allow you one accent color or use of metallic accents. Let's see how you use beige, ivory, taupe, brown, black, gray or shades of white or any combination of these to make any vintage/shabby chic project you would like.

I thought it might be fun to make a really tiny accordion book and use all sorts of bits and pieces from my stash. In truth I was inspired by a new button and elastic closure that I saw online and wanted to make it so I needed a book for it.

Since there are so many pages I am not going to show a step by step but will give you an idea of the products and techniques used to put it together. I started with the accordion base and cut two pieces 3 7/8" x 12" and then scored it on the long side at 2 7/8", 5 3/4", 8 5/8" and 11 1/2". I cut away the 1/2" leftover piece on one of the strips and angled the ends of the 1/2" leftover piece on the other strip. I glued the 1/2" strip to one side of the other strip and then folded the resulting long strip into mountain and valley folds - you should end up with the panels on each end going the same direction. If you want a larger book, you can add another strip.

Next I created the covers by cutting two pieces of cracker box material 4" x 9" and then scored them on the long side at 3" and 6". I folded one side to the front of the centre and the other to the back of the centre and then glued each in place so that I ended up with a piece 3" x 4" that was three layers thick. One layer of thick chipboard, mat board or book board could be used instead but I like the idea of recycling the cracker boxes.

The next step was to add paper to one side of each cover. I cut the paper 4" x 5", centred the cover block on the wrong side of the paper and glued it on. The corners were mitered when I glued the excess to the back side to get nice sharp corners. Glue the covers to the accordion base on the panels at each end that face the same direction making sure to centre the panel on the back side of the cover.

Now it was time to make the panels that would be decorated. Since I wanted to use some wet media, I cut pieces of water colour card 2 3/4" x 3 3/4" and then I distressed the edges with a pair of scissors.

I had decided to use a nature theme for the book so I set about to decorate each page with that theme in mind. Each panel was inked with distress inks or painted with watered down paints or Scribble Sticks and then collaged with bits of paper, laces, fibers, die cuts, charms (altered with Alcohol Ink), stamped bits, some Chit-chat stickers and stenciling with ink and texture paste.re are some close-ups to give you an idea of what I did on each page.

Once each panel (as shown in these close-ups was decorated, they were glued onto the accordion base. I decided which order I wanted them to go in and mounted the flattest ones first on each side and then mounted ones with more dimension.

Finally I decorated the covers starting with the front as shown at the top and then the back as shown above.

Once the book was all put together I determined the thickness and made the closure by taking thin round elastic cord and wrapping it around the book twice. Once I determined the length I cut it off the spool and folded it in half. The open ends were threaded through the button holes and tied together. The closure was wrapped around the book and looped over the button. This is a super easy closure and will stretch a bit to accommodate thicker embellishments without detracting from your cover design. The button can be a design element in itself as was this leaf button I used.

I hope you will join us for this challenge. The Design Team will choose their top four picks with the overall winner receiving a gift certificate to shop at The Funkie Junkie Boutique. All four will receive badges to display on their blogs. The challenge runs until 11:55 pm EST on Tuesday, March 2nd.

Supplies list:

Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Gathered Twigs, Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain, Pumice Stone, Black Soot
Tim Holtz Distress Oxides - Hickory Smoke, Pumice Stone
Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks - Umber, Sand
Tim Holtz Alcohol Inks - Pitch Black, Rust, Mushroom, Blending Solution
Tim Holtz Distress Crayons - Antique Linen
Tim Holtz Bubble Stencil
Wendy Vecchi Dots and Stripes Border Stencil
TCW Stencils - Mini Tiny Circles, Mini Geometric Art Layers
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Rubber Stamps - Entomology
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Rubber Stamps - Nature's Wonder
Wendy Vecchi Country Flowers Stamp Set
Tim Holtz Thinlets Dies - Entomology, Garden Greens, Wildflower Stems #2 Sizzix Circle Die Set
Tim Holtz Idea-ology - Kraft Glassine, Chit-chat Stickers
Stamperia Alchemy Paper Pad
Graphic 45 Mon Amour Paper Pad
Miscellaneous - Charms, Burlap String, Burlap, Ric-rac, Wool, Lace, Button, Cardboard, Cork, Skeleton Leaf, Feather, Embroidery Floss, Fabric Scraps
Recollections Black Card stock
Canson Watercolour Card Stock
Elastic Cord
Scor Tape
Liquitex Modeling Paste
Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink

Love in My Heart

It is time for the new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog and Suzz, our hostess for this one is calling it Groundhog Day. Don't let the title put you off because when you read her description you will realize that it is really quite simple and something anyone can accomplish with no problem.

"This challenge is inspired by the movie Groundhog Day. In the movie Bill Murray is forced to repeat the same day over and over again for 10 years. This past year has been a little challenging and people have felt like they might be in a little bit of a Groundhog Day time loop. I am challenging you to create a shabby chic or vintage project that uses a technique, stamp, ink, or any other consistent tool that you find yourself using over an over in your art. Think of this as your opportunity to share what you find yourself repeating in your art frequently. Be sure to share with us in your post what it is that you keep repeating in your art"

Since Valentine Day is fast approaching, I thought I would make a little canvas and use one of the canvas boards that my Grandchildren gave me for Christmas. I really should have made a card for my husband so now I will be scrambling. Here is how this little canvas comes together:

• Use a wet glue such as Mod Podge to adhere tissue paper that has been wadded into a ball and then carefully opened up again to the top of a 5" x 7" flat canvas board - this is my repetitive element since it is a great way to make instant texture

Reminder: Just pat it down to adhere and don't rub it because it will tear when it is wet from the glue

• Cut the corners off the tissue off on the diagonal and then glue the overhang to the back of the canvas board making sure to create sharp corners

• Glue a panel of Botanical Collage Paper to the canvas board
• Dry brush some White Gesso over the canvas board

• Use the Bubble Stencil and texture paste to add random texture on the panel - this is another go-to element in my mixed media projects 
• Decorate the unprinted side of hearts that have been cut from cracker boxes - these were laser cut for me by my husband but if you have a heart die, the cracker box material will go through your die-cutting machine

1. Ink with Watering Can Archival Ink and then stencil with a Speckles stencil and some Picket Fence Distress Ink

2. Layer 3 hearts together, paint with Titanium White Acrylic Paint aptting it to give it some texture and then add some heart shapes punched from card stock and paper scraps 

3. Cover with computer generated paper (create in word processing program with a variety of fonts)

4. Ink with Watering Can Archival Ink and then stamp with a criss cross stamp using Jet Black Archival Ink 

5. Cover with patterned paper scrap

• Stamp the word love on a scrap of card stock using Red Geranium Archival Ink and ink the edges with Watering Can Archival Ink 
• Ink the edges of a Quote Chip with Watering Can Archival Ink 
• To assemble the canvas, add some loopy lengths of white thread followed by the hearts, sentiments and finally a few red sequins

I hope you will join us for the challenge, which runs until 11:55pm EST on Tuesday, February 16th. The Design Team will choose their 4 top picks with the overall winner receiving a gift certificate to shop at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

Supplies list:

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Layering Stencils - Bubble THS002
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Layering Stencils - Speckles THS021
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Picket Fence TIM40781
Prima Art Alchemy Liquid Acrylic Paint - Titanium White
Ranger Inkssentials Mini Ink Blending Tool - With 4 Blending Foams IBT40965
Tim Holtz Botanical Collage Wrap
Tim Holtz Quote Chips
Tim Holtz Stamps #THMM01
Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink - Watering Cab, Red Geranium
Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink
Graphic 45 Mon Amour 6"x6" Paper Pad
White Gesso
Texture Paste
Thread
Dollarama Tissue Paper, Heart Punch, Sequins
Martha Stewart Heart Border Punch
Studio G Alphabet Stamp Set

Hexagonal Needle Books

It is time for the new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog.  Jenny is our hostess for this one and is calling it So Delicate!  Here is how she describes it:

Although it's not always evident in my projects, I have a real passion for delicate laces, fragile flowers, fine stitching, intricate artwork and exquisite architecture. For this challenge create something delicate or a vintage/shabby chic project that features delicate things in it.

I think I might be going a little rogue with my offering for this one because my projects are not as delicate as they probably should be. I was tidying up my fabric cupboard and told myself that I better get a move on and use some of it up because there are lots of leftovers from past projects that I haven't really touched for a few years. I even have t-shirt fabric from when I made clothes for my daughter when she was little and it is now decades old.

I chose three that I thought I could feature, convinced my husband to cut me some hexagons out of cracker boxes to use as templates and started cutting. These are no sew projects so everything is put together with PVA glue, which made them really easy to construct.

Template sizes measured from one flat edge to the opposite flat edge:

Fabric - 5 1/8"
Cardboard Base and Quilt Batting - 4 3/8"
Felt Liner - 4 1/4"
Flannelette Pages - 4"

Tip: To draw on the fabric I used a Pilot Frixion gel rollerball pen because it is erasable by just running an iron over the fabric and works beautifully.

Here is how to create these heaxagon needle books:

• Use the fabric template to cut two each of the three fabrics
• Use the second largest template to cut two cardboard hexagons and two from low loft quilt batting for each needle book
• Glue a piece of quilt batting to one side of each cardboard piece
• Centre the batting side of the cardboard bases over the wrong side of each fabric piece

• Turn the fabric over the edges and glue - do one edge and then the opposite edge making sure to gently pull to ensure that the right side is smooth - continue until all six sides are turned

• Cut 2" x 5" rectangles of each fabric, press 1/4" hem on the short edges in and then fold in half and press to create hinged "spines" for the book
• Centre the hinges over the inside of the book leaving a gap between the font and back cover - I left 1/8" but 1/4" would have been better
• Glue the the sides of the hinges to the inside of the covers

• Use Distress Ink to dye seam binding to match the fabric
• Glue a piece of seam binding on each side of the cardboard to act as closures

• Cut pieces of felt to cover the inside of each cover and glue in place - they should be slightly smaller so they don't show when the book is closed (shown on right side in photo above)
• Use regular scissors and pinking sheers to cut a couple of pieces of flannelette for each book (shown on left side in photo above)
• Glue the pages on top of the felt with the straight edge against the felt edge that is next to the "spine"

• Cover the glued edge of the flannel with a tiny strip of lace
• Decorate the front of each book

Note: I used a number of items in my stash to decorate the books that came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique but may not be available now because of the recent sales or because they have been discontinued. Like the fabric, I decided it was time to use some of these things up because if I make space, I can buy more - just saying. :)

Red Book:

• Cover a filigree medallion with Ocean Acrylic Paint (Dina Wakley) and add some red gems
• Paint a wooden star with Lemon Acrylic Paint (Dina Wakley) and add a large red gem
• Add the star to the centre of the medallion
• Glue the medallion to the centre of the book front

Pink Floral Book:

• Cover two filigree leaves with White Gesso
• Heat emboss with Clear Embossing Powder
• Cut some pink leaf branches using the Garden Green Die Set (Tim Holtz), shape the petals and ink edges with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink (Tim Holtz)
• Layer a couple of paper flowers
• Adhere all the elements to the front of the book

Cream Book:

• Adhere a strip of Idea-ology Ruler Ribbon (Tim Holtz) across the front
• Use a flourish die (Spellbinders Venetian Motifs) and paper from Precious paper (Graphic 45) to cut two flourishes and adhere next
• Use ruffled ribbon (Melissa Frances) to create a flower, add a button to the centre and adhere
• Glue a scissors charm to the front cover

Supplies list:

Dina Wakley Paints - Ocean, Lemon
Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Spin Sugar, Worn Lipstick, Candied Apple
Bronze Scissor Charms - Set of 5
Antique Bronze Filigree Flower Wraps - set of 3
Bronze Leaf Embellishments - Set of 6
Rayon Seam Binding
VersaMark Watermark Ink Stamp Pad
Gems
Wooden Star
Tim Holtz Garden Greens Die Set
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Ruler Ribbon
Melissa Francess Ruffled Ribbon
Spellbinders Venetian Motifs Die Set
Button
Paper Flowers
White Gesso
Clear Embossing Powder
Lace scraps

Life is a Beautiful Ride

Today is the start of a new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog.  I am the hostess this time and am calling it Put A Good Word In!  Here is how I describe the challenge:

Create a shabby chic or vintage projects that includes a word or words that are positive or happy or uplifting in nature. Single words or sentiments/quotes can be used. Given what we have all been through for the last months nothing sad or negative please.

I was digging through some untouched ignored bins in my craft space and came across this resin bicycle that I bought on a visit to the US a few years ago and thought it was high time I used it. Then I set about trying to come up with some appropriate words to go with it. I found this sentiment online and it spoke volumes to me.

At any time in our life and especially in times like this it is so easy to think nothing is beautiful but even in the midst of all the problems and trials we experience there is something beautiful to latch on to. Right now it might be that we have become closer to our families because we are spending more time together or we can rejoice because our communities have stepped up in a big way to help each other and especially those that are alone. It might be that we can be thankful for all the technology that we have so we can stay connected or it might be something fun like having had the time to learn something new. It is true that the times are tough but life is still a beautiful ride even with obstacles.

I thought I would make a whimsical little canvas to showcase my bicycle. I used a variety of Dina Wakley acrylic paints along with scraps of paper from Graphic 45 and some dies from Tim Holtz and inks from Tim and Wendy Vecchi. Normally I would share my process with you but this time I am just giving you a sneak peek.  I am presenting the Saturday Showcase on January 9th where I will detail how I created it so save the date and check out the post on The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog.

Joy

It is time for a new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog. Sara Emily is our hostess and is calling this one Deck The Hals! Here is how she describes it:

For this challenge, we would like to see those vintage or shabby chic Christmas decorations! This is not about Christmas cards this time, but think about tree ornaments, wreathes, vignettes, mantle or table decorations, etc. with a Christmas theme.

I have created a little vignette to add some Christmas cheer to my creative space since I am not doing much in the way of decorating this year. There will only be two of us for Christmas this year and all family gatherings that I usually host in December have been cancelled due to the pandemic. Since nobody is coming to the house I decided not to put a tree up but have hung a couple of wreaths and placed some Santas around so this will add to my minimilistic decor.

I didn't take any process photos because the weather and light were horrible but here is how it came together:

I turned a stretched canvas from the dollar store upside down and covered the wood frame with White Gesso (Dina Wakley) and then followed that with Texture Paste (Ranger) using my palette knife to make it bumpy. I painted the canvas on the inside with a couple coats of a dusky blue paint but you could used Stormy Sky Distress Paint if you have it.

My husband cut me a couple of trees out of chipboard and I painted them with a coat of Evergreen Acrylic Paint (Dina Wakley) first followed by a coat of a dark green paint from my stash but you could use Forest Green Distress Paint. Once the paint was dry I coated the trees with Mod Podge Matte to seal in the paints. More Texture Paste was pounced on the branches to look like it just snowed.

The next step was to cut lots of greenery from scrap pieces of card stock using the Holiday Greens and Festive Greens die sets (Tim Holtz). The greens were inked with some Forest Green Distress Ink (Tim Holtz). I also cut some berries from red card stock using the Festive Greens set.

A couple of Christmas Paper Dolls (Tim Holtz) were colourized with Copic Markers. Next I used scraps of paper leftover from a bunch of Graphic 45 Christmas collections and a die set from Sizzix by Pete Hughes called Santa's Workshop to cut a bunch of Christmas gifts. I also used some Silver Metallic Kraft Stock (Tim Holotz) to cut one of the gifts, some of the bows and the stars.

The Alpha Tiles spelling out the word JOY were covered with a watered down coat of Elephant Acrylic Paint (Dina Wakley), rubbed with Hickory Smoke DI and then edged with Pewter Wax Paste. To assemble the vignette I adhered the trees to the inside canvas along with the stars. Then I added the gifts using dimensional foam to mount them. The greenery was added to the top and bottom and then the tiles and paper dolls were added.

My handy husband made me a little wooden easel to display this vignette so it now has a place of pride on the credenza across from my desk and that means I have a wee bit of Christmas cheer in this room.

I hope you will join us for the challenge. It can be found HERE and runs through 11:55 PM on Tuesday, December 22nd so there is time to make some decor for your home or tree. One random winner will receive a gift certificate to shop at The Funkie Junkie Boutique and the Design Team will choose their top four picks with the overall winner receiving an opportunity to be a Guest Designer at a future date.

Supplies list:

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Paper Dolls Christmas TH94090
Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paint - Evergreen, 1oz Bottle
Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paint - Elephant, 1oz Bottle
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Forest Moss TIM27133
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Hickory Smoke TIM43232
Sizzix Chapter 4 Thinlits Die Set - Santa's Workshop 664495 by Pete Hughes
Scor Tape
Ranger Inkssentials Mini Ink Blending Tool - With 4 Blending Foams IBT40965
Tim Holtz Festive Greens Die Set
Tim Holtz Holiday Greens Die Set
Ranger Texture Paste
Dina Wakley White Gesso
Tim Holtz Metallic Kraft Stock (Silver)
Graphic 45 Christmas Paper Scraps
Copic Markers
Hobbycraft Alpha Tiles
Folk Art Forest Green Acrylic Paint
Dollarama 5"x7" Stretched Canvas
Dimensional Foam
Martha Stewart Glue Pen
Pewter Wax Paste

Gratitude Journal

It is time for the new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog. Suzz, our hostess for this one is calling it A Time to be Grateful and here is how she describes it:

Around this time of the year when we start to get into the holidays and the rush of everything it is a good time to reflect on what we are grateful for. My challenge to you is to capture that in your art. Show what you are grateful for in any type of project, it could be a journal page, a card, or anything else that expresses your gratitude. You choose how to show your thankfulness and share it with us.

I thought it might be fun to make a little paper bag Gratitude Journal that is part junk journal and part mini album. I started with a kraft lunch size bag and I find that the ones you get from the grocery store, which is where mine came from, are not always the same so I dug through the pack to find the one that was the best of the lot. There are often little tears on the opening but since this was going to be part junk journal, I was OK with that.

To start, I laid the bag as it came out of the package on my craft mat with the opening on the left and the bottom on the right facing up. I opened the bottom to the right and added Scor tape on each side of the narrow section and folded it back to make a little narrow pocket. Next, I folded the whole bottom to the left to create a flip out. Leaving the flip out folded to the left I folded the bag from the opening all the way to the right to make the top cover.

Next I cut a variety of panels of paper from the Stamperia Oriental Garden collection and added them to the front, inside front, middle, flip out inside, flip out outside and back. Each panel was inked with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink before I glued them down.

Next I made pockets for the inside, middle and both sides of the flip out.

The next step was to make the junk journal that was stitched in the fold of the front cover. To make this I cut and folded a variety of single sided papers with a bit of an Oriental look from my stash and inked the edges. I also inked a few pages of copy paper that I had tea dyed some time ago. I also used my computer to print a piece of tracing paper, folded it in half lengthwise and created a tube. Then I used some deckle scissors to cut each end and then folded the two open ends together. All the pages were stacked to make a signature.

I added a variety of tuck spots throughout the junk journal. The tuck spots have images from free online sources, such as the New York Public Library Digital Collection and I printed them, trimmed them and inked them before they were added. Here are a few examples of the pages and a look at the little tracing paper print that becomes a pocket when the signature is sewn into the bag.

The next step was to stitch the signature into the book in the fold between the inside front cover and the middle. Once it was in I realized it was too thick and would not stay closed so that is why I made the vertical belly band.

I wanted to fill the pockets with some Gratitude quote tags and some tags that could be used as journaling spots. The quote tags are computer generated on cream card stock and then hand cut. The hole at the top was punched and a reinforcement was inked with Gathered Twigs DI and added. The journaling spot tags are cut from cream card stock that I printed with an Oriental text pattern on one side. I added some paint and stenciling to the opposite side along with an embellishment - punched butterfly, die cut red sun and die cut fern. The journaling tags have some red raffia added to the top. I decorated the pockets with items cut from the paper collection as well as computer generated images. The number 8 is a die cut and apparently is a special number in Japanese culture.

I also added a couple of simple rectangular journaling spots to the pocket created in the bag opening when the signture was stitched in. Finally I made a belly band to hold the whole journal shut by cutting a strip of paper from the collection and then adding the computer generated text.

I know that the US is celebrating their Thanksgiving tomorrow and that always is a time to express gratitude but those of us who don't live in the US can also use this time to be grateful as well. With the world in such turmoil and the pandemic raging, I am grateful that I have followed the guidelines and I am safe and well. I am also grateful that so many of you are also safe and well.

I hope you will enter the challenge. It runs through 11:55 pm EST on Tuesday, December 8th. One randomly chosen winner will receive a gift certificate to shop at The Funkie Junkie Boutique and the Design Team will choose their Top Picks with the overall winner receiving an opportunity to be a Guest Designer at a future date.

Supplies list:

Stamperia - Oriental Garden 12x12 Paper Pack SBBL58
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Gathered Twigs TIM32823
Ranger Archival Ink Pad - Jet Black AIP31468
Dina Wakley Heavy Body Acrylic Paint - Sand - 1oz Bottle
Scor Tape
Ranger Inkssentials Mini Ink Blending Tool - With 4 Blending Foams IBT40965
Tim Holtz Alphanumeric Die Set #660056
Tim Holtz Garden Green Die Set #661206
EK Success Circle Punch
Wendy Vecchi Dots and Stripes Border Stencil
Geometric Stencil
Martha Stewart Butterfly Punch
Raffia

Celebrate

Today is the start of a new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog and I am hosting this one. I decided to call it Celebrate and here is how I describe it:

Your challenge is to create a shabby chic or vintage project to celebrate someone or something special. Since celebrations are happy occasions, your project should be made with lots of happy, bright colours. Keep your dull or neutral colours to a minimum please because as winter approaches we will have lots of that naturally so your bright colours must be predominant.

I have made this card for my Brother's birthday and it better arrive on time since his special day is tomorrow (I mailed it last week because the post office is running behind during the pandemic so keeping fingers crossed). I am glad I had a good excuse because these days it sure is a struggle to find things to celebrate.

I am presenting the next Saturday Showcase (November 14th) over at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog and will give you a step by step look at how this came together then so mark your calendar and pop over there on Saturday.

In the meantime I hope you have something to celebrate and can join us for the challenge. It runs until 11:55 pm EST on Tuesday, November 24th. One randomly chosen winner will receive a gift certificate for The Funkie Junkie Boutique and the Design Team will choose their top picks with the overall winner receiving an invitation to be a Guest Designer at a future date.

The Heart of the Home

It is time for the next challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog. Jenny is hosting this one, calls it Home is Where the Heart is! and describes it this way:

What does 'home' mean to you? Maybe it's a place of safety, somewhere you live with family or friends, or a place that holds treasured memories. It may be somewhere you can be yourself or a place from where you can grow and thrive. Whatever 'home' means to you create a project of your choice that represents it.

When you ask me to think about home, I always gravitate to the kitchen. When we entertain, it is usually by giving a dinner party since I love to cook. When our guests come, they invariably park themselves on the stools at the breakfast bar in the kitchen. When she was younger I spent hours with my Daughter as she learned to cook and that bonding happened with both my Grandchildren once they got old enough to cook with me. To me the kitchen is the heart of the home and it has my heart.

With Christmas approaching I thought it might be fun to make a recipe mini album, which would make a nice little stocking stuffer, especially if I were to fill it with recipes. This time I only added a couple and a bunch of blank recipe cards.

I used heavy black card stock to create my album. For the cover I cut two pieces 7" x 4 1/2" and scored both on the long side of each at 1 1/2". Once the score lines were folded and burnished with a bone folder, the 1 1/2" sections were overlapped and glued together to create the spine.

I also cut two pieces 5 3/4" x 4 1/4" and scored them on the long side at 1/2" to make two pages. The 1/2" sections were folded and burnished with a bone folder and then adhered to the inside of the spine centred from top to bottom with one 1/2" section facing to the left and lining up against the fold of the spine and the other adhered with the 1/2" section facing to the right and lining up against the fold of the spine. This will give you a 1/2" space between each page and the covers.

Next I covered the inside of the cover and all the pages with patterned paper that was cut 1/8" smaller on each side and then inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I used a variety of papers primarily from Graphic 45 Christmas Time along with a few from my stash, including some leftovers from Graphic 45 St. Nicholas.

I created a variety of pockets. For the inside of the front cover I made an angled corner pocket and decorated it with an image from the paper collection and some greenery die cut using Metallic Kraft Stock Jewels and Holiday Greens die set, both from Tim Holtz.

The front of the first page has two pockets. The little narrow one is simple decorated with a strip of mini stamps cut from the St. Nicholas paper collection while the larger pocket has no embellishment.

The angled pocket is filled with some journaling cards that I made with images of retro Christmas cookbook covers. The narrow pocket on the front of the first page has more journaling cards made from kitchen word art while the large pocket contains a few blank recipe cards.

The back of the first page has a horizontal pocket decorated with some ephemera cut from the St. Nicholas paper. I also made a tabbed divider for the pocket. In front of the divider I have included a recipe and behind there are some blank recipe cards.

The front of the second page has been created the same way as the front of the first page but this time I decorated the narrow pocket with a Crochet die cut from Tim Holtz. The narrow pocket has more journaling cards and the larger pockets has more blank recipe cards.

The back of the second page has been created the same way as the back of the first while on the inside back cover I added a simple band decorated with some fussy cut ephemera. The band holds a recipe wallet style folder with blank cards.

To keep the wallet folder closed I used some tiny clear self adhesive Velcro dots. I just inked them with Vintage Photo DI to make them blend in.

All of the pocket fillers were removed temporarily while I decorated the outside. The first step was to add a length of ribbon across the middle of the whole cover, including the spine. Then I covered the front, spine and back with patterned paper and embellished the front.

I started with a piece of word art that I inked and embellished with a couple of metallic punched hearts. I added a row of stamps cut from the Christmas Time paper collection and then used the Holiday Greens and Festive Greens die sets (Tim Holtz) to cut poinsettias and greenery from plain papers from the Graphic 45 paper collections and some Metallic Kraft Stock.

The final step was to make a bead chain for the spine out of beads and a little Christmas Tree charm that I altered with Meadow and Gold Mixative Alcohol Ink (Tim Holtz).

We would like to see how your artist vision of what home means to you. The challenge runs until 11:55 pm EST on Tuesday, November 10th. One randomly chosen winner will receive a gift certificate to shop at The Funkie Junkie Boutique and the Design Team will select their four Top Picks with the overall winner receiving an opportunity to be a Guest Designer at a future date.

Supplies list:

Graphic 45 - Christmas Time - 8x8 Collection 4502118
Sizzix Alternations Tim Holtz Thinlits Dies - Holiday Greens 658759
Sizzix Tim Holtz Thinlits Crochet 664178
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo TIM19527
Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink - Meadow
Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink - Gold Mixative TIM22053
Ranger Tim Holtz Alcohol Blending Solution
Tim Holtz Idea-ology 8 x 8 Metallic Jewels Kraft Stock
Ranger Inkssentials Mini Ink Blending Tool - With 4 Blending Foams IBT40965
Scor Tape
Graphic 45 St. Nicholas Paper Pad 8"x8"
Tim Holtz Festive Greens Thinlets Die Set
The Paper Studio Old World Winter Paper Pad
The Paper Studio Black Gem Flourish
My Stash Plaid Ribbon. Gold Chain, Gold Jump Rings, Gold Head Pins, Beads
Recollections Heavy Card Stock - Black, Cream

Halloween Elegance

It is time for the new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog. Sara Emily, who is hosting this one has named it Purple, Orange, Green! Eek! It's Halloween! and describes it this way:

I love Halloween, and I would love to see your vintage or shabby chic Halloween creations, whether it be a card, tag, canvas, or any other make! If Halloween is not your cup of tea, simply use the colors purple, orange and green on your project to play along.

I haven't really been into Halloween since I was a kid although I did attempt to go for it when my daughter was little for her sake. I even went as far as making her costumes with the pirate being the least successful (it was the badly done face make-up) and a Rainbow Bright costume being the most successful despite the hours and hours of sewing.  In the past few years the only effort I made was to buy treats for the few kids that come to the door and to ensure that the treats were something my husband would eat for months following. This year because of the pandemic I am not even going that far. I don't know if they plan to ban traditional Halloween activities but even if they don't I will not be turning the porch light on and will not be opening the door until this virus takes a hike.

So for Sara Emily's challenge I was going to go the three colour route and make something non-Halloween but then I remembered that I had a mask in a box of kid-friendly craft supplies. It was actually a full face mask made of cardboard that I bought very cheaply at Michaels eons ago. I thought it might be fun to alter it and make an elegant mask much like the Venetian Masks.

I started by cutting down the mask to create the shape I wanted - easy to do with a kraft knife. The next step was to cover it roughly with texture paste. Then I convinced my husband to cut two identical spider webs from a cracker box and I glued them together to make them thicker but still bendable.

The spider web was then glued to the mask along with a bunch of paper flowers.

Everything was then given a generous coat of Heavy Black Gesso.

A row of purple sequins was glued around the edge of the mask and the eyes. Then the sequins and all the flowers were rubbed with Amethyst Antique Brilliance Wax Paste. I found a sparkly spider in my stash and covered it with watered-down PVA glue and then sprinkled a mixture of Orange, Green and Purple fine glitter on it before I adhered it to the mask.

The final touches on my mask were to add some black feathers, green gems and purple sheer ribbon ties.

I have no idea what I am going to do with this mask but perhaps when it is safe to do Halloween again, my Granddaughter might like it assuming it is safe before she is too old to go out trick or treating - that isn't a negative thought just a realistic one since she is already 14.

I hope you will share your Halloween or Non-Halloween project with us. The challenge can be found HERE and runs until 11:55 pm EDT on Tuesday, October 27th. One randomly chosen winner will receive a gift certificate to shop at The Funkie Junkie Boutique and the Design Team will choose their top four picks with the overall winner receiving an opportunity to be a guest designer at a future date.

Supplies list:

Ranger Texture Paste Opaque Matte INK44444
Prima Art Alchemy by Finnabair - Antique Brilliance - Amethyst Magic
Prima Art Basics - Heavy Gesso - Black or use Dina Wakley Media Mediums - Black Gesso - 4 oz. Jar MDM41719
Black Feathers
Green Gems
Sheer Purple Ribbon
Purple Sequin String
Cardboard Face Mask

Fall Foliage

It is time for the next challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog and Jenny is our hostess for this one. She is calling it Fall Foliage and here is how she describes it:

According to most search engines the Fall season has officially begun so we should be starting to see the emergence of all those beautiful Autumnal colours, unless Mother Nature throws us a curve ball! Let's celebrate them anyway by creating a vintage or shabby chic project in traditional Fall shades that includes some form of foliage like leaves, berries and so on

I just received a fabulous sketched flower stamp set by Dina Wakley called Always Flowers and that became my inspiration for this card.

I started by covering a panel of card stock with some Melange Tissue Wrap and then I distressed the edges.

After carefully adding the lovely tissue wrap, I proceeded to cover most of it with some Texture Paste - lol.

I forgot to take photos along the way when I altered the textured panel but the steps I took were:

1. Patted some Wild Honey, Vintage Photo and Gathered Twigs Distress Ink on a kraft sheet, spritzed with water and pounced the panel on the puddles
2. Added some texture paste through a Bubble stencil
3. Used Jet Black Archival ink to stamp some text from the Entomology stamp set

Next I used Jet Black Archival ink to stamp the flower images on watercolor card stock. Each flower was then fussy cut.

To colour the flowers I used a variety of Scribble Sticks - Lime, Evergreen, Olive, Cheddar, Tangerine, Ruby and Lemon - with a watercolour paint brush. The method I use is to spritz a tiny but of water on my kraft sheet and then rub the stick in the water to create a little puddle of colour that I can dip my brush into. If I want a little more concentrated colour I wet the brush and rub it right on the stick.

To assemble the card I distressed a panel of rusty red card stock and added that to my card blank and then topped it with my textured panel. Next I added my flowers, a strip of burlap and a Small Talk sticker inked with Vintage Photo DI. Finally I added a loopy bow created from Burlap String.

This bright card will likely be heading to my Niece for her birthday, which happens not long after all the bright colours have faded and fall is coming to a close, just when she might need something cheerful in these difficult times.

I hope you will join us for the challenge, which runs until 11:55 pm EDT on Tuesday, October 13th. One randomly chosen winner will receive a gift certificate to shop at The Funkie Junkie Boutique and the Design Team will choose their Top Picks with the overall winner receiving an opportunity to be a Guest Designer with us at a later date.

Supplies list:

Dina Wakley Media Stamp - Always Flowers MDR66224
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Rubber Stamps - Entomology
Ranger Texture Paste Opaque Matte INK44444
Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Vintage Photo, Gathered Twigs, Wild Honey
Ranger Archival Ink Pad - Jet Black AIP31468
Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Layering Stencils - Bubble THS002
Burlap String
Scor Tape
Ranger Inkssentials Mini Ink Blending Tool - With 4 Blending Foams IBT40965
Tim Holtz Melange Tissue Wrap
Tim Holtz Small Talk Idea-ology Stickers