Saturday, December 22, 2018

Leaf Collage


Since I am totally ready for Christmas and have all my Design Team projects out of the way I decided to play for a change and this leaf collage is the result.

Here is how to put it together:

1.  Coat a small stretched canvas with White Gesso (Liquitex)
2.  Cover with Molasses Acrylic Paint (Folk Art) and allow to dry thoroughly
3.  Cover with a coat of Paint Crackle Medium (Folk Art) and allow this to dry thoroughly
4.  Cover with a coat of Bleached Sand Acrylic Paint (DecoArt) and watch it crack as it dries
5.  Mix a bit of Bleached Sand Acrylic Paint with some Molding Paste (Golden) and use with a small dot stencil (TCW) to add some random stenciling
6.  Spatter the canvas with some Molasses Acrylic Paint and then dry brush some Bleached Sand lightly over it
7.  Strip parts of the top layer off a piece of corrugated card stock and then dry brush with some Bleached Sand
8.  Crumple up a couple of pieces of Kraft Glassine (Tim Holtz - discontinued) and add some stitching with Metallic Copper Embroidery Floss (DMC) to one strip
9.  Cut a couple small pieces of burlap and ink with Vintage Photo Distress Ink
10.  Tear a square of canvas, ink the edges with Vintage Photo DI and coat with fabric stiffener
11.  Tear a piece of old book paper, stamp a leaf (Nature's Wonder by Tim Holtz) using Coffee Archival Ink (Ranger), then cover with Vintage Collage Medium (Tim Holtz)
12.  Add some burlap string to a copper button and adhere to collage

There you have it, a simple collage but fun to make with lots of mixed media.

Saturday, December 8, 2018

Saturday Showcase at Frilly and Funkie


I am presenting the Saturday Showcase at Frilly and Funkie this week.  I have made this special card and if you pop over to Frilly and Funkie I will walk you through the process I followed to create it.

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Santa Canvas


It is time for the December challenge at Stamps and Stencils.  This will also be the final challenge as Sue has decided to close the challenge blog.  It has been a fabulous journey and I want to thank Sue for the opportunity to serve on her team.  Sue is responsible for kick starting my love of mixed media when she hosted me for a day of creating together on two separate occasions when I was visiting England.  She will tell you that on the first get-together, I didn't even know what distress ink was.  Now I have lots of supplies and my husband is quick to call her an enabler and I am quick to call her a cherished and very talented friend.

Thanks to some weird weather patterns here, I have been struggling with headaches so I made this canvas and completely forgot to take any photos as I went along - headache, brain fog or old age?

Here is how to put it together:

1.  Coat an 8"x8" deep edge stretched canvas with White Gesso (Liquitex).
2.  Paint with Calico Red Acrylic Paint (Folk Art)
3.  Using Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger), stamp onto torn pieces of tissue paper with a Sheet Music Stamp (Kaisercraft)
4.  Glue tissue paper pieces randomly over canvas front and sides with Mod Podge
5.  Mix Calico Red paint with some Glazing Medium (Liquitex) and repaint the canvas
6.  Add some stenciling with Translucent Embossing Paste (Wendy Vecchi) and a Poinsettia mini stencil (Tim Holtz)
7.  Randomly spray with Tarnished Brass Distress Spray Stain (Tim Holtz) - wipe off any that lands on the clear poinsettias
8.  Randomly sponge on some white acrylic paint (DecoArt) - wipe off any that lands on the clear poinsettias
9. Stamp the Santa head from Retro Christmas (IndigoBlu) using Versamark (Tsukineko) and emboss with Gold embossing powder (recollections and then fussy cut
10.  Die cut a circle (Sizzix) from card stock and paint with Calico Red Acrylic Paint.
11.  Emboss circle with Starry Night embossing folder (Sizzix) and rub with Classic Gold wax paste (Connoisseur Studios)
12.  Distress edges of the circle and outline with a gold pen (Sakura)
13.  Die cut a number of poinsettia petals (Marianne Creatables)
14.  Paint with Champagne Gold Metallic Acrylic Paint (DecoArt)
15.  Shape the petals, layer and add seed beads for the centres using Glossy Accents (Ranger)
16.  Cut "greenery" using Holiday Greens die (Tim Holtz) and rub with some Classic Gold wax paste

To assemble:

1.  Mount the circle with dimensional foam
2.  Add the Santa head to the circle with dimensional foam
3.  Add the poinsettias and "greenery" with Soft Gel Medium (Golden)

You have until 20:00 UK time on January 2nd to share a creation with us so I hope you will.

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Recipe Wallet


It is time for the new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and Suzz, who is our hostess for this one is calling it In The Kitchen.  She describes it this way:

This time of the year we find ourselves in the kitchen either preparing food for family and friends or just gathering around with family who is visiting at the kitchen table. Your challenge is to incorporate the kitchen somehow in your project. You can use an object from the kitchen in creating your project or you can use a sentiment or image that reflects the kitchen. You decide how to represent being in your kitchen in your art.

In years past I have made dozens and dozens of cookies at Christmas and most were frozen for eating over the next few months but last year I decided my figure didn't really need that temptation so I didn't bother and this year will be the same.  I still tease my sweet tooth with a dessert once a week but when I want something sweet, I rely on fruit the rest of the time.

Since I usually made cookies from recipes that had been handed down from my Mother, I decided to use this challenge as an opportunity to hand some of these same recipes down to my Granddaughter along with others that had become favourites.  To accomplish this, I created a recipe wallet.

The base for the wallet was made following a tutorial from my teammate Kathy, which can be found HERE.  I then added pockets and tuck spots for recipe cards and a decorated belly band to keep it closed.  I got so intent on making sure I had everything measured correctly and closing properly that I forgot to take process photos but here is how things came together:

The Base
1.  Cut and score a 12" x 12" piece of card stock following Kathy's tutorial.
2.  Round the outer edges with a corner rounder punch.   Note to Santa - I need a better one.
3.  Cut a variety of Christmas papers for each page cutting them so you will have a 1/8" border of card stock showing.  Note: I used mostly Graphic 45 papers from my stash (Winter Wonderland, St. Nicholas and Home Sweet Home) because we have had a postal strike for some time and I have not been able to get new product.  I have linked some alternatives that are in The Funkie Junkie Boutique shop.
4.  Round the corners of the papers and ink the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and then set aside.



5.  Cut pockets from card stock for all the full size pages.  Note:  I cut some where I folded up 1/2" and added side hinges and one was made by folding a piece of card stock in half and adding a thumb notch with a circle punch after the patterned paper was added.
6.  Cut papers to cover the fronts of all the pockets, round the corners and ink with Vintage Photo DI.
7.  Adhere papers to the pocket fronts.


8.  Cut a couple tuck spots from patterned paper, round the corners and ink the edges.
9.  Cut an extra small panel from card stock and patterned paper to use as the closure for the fold ins.

To assemble the wallet base:

1.  Adhere all the papers to the large sections and add the pockets.
2.  Add a thin magnet to the outside of the left fold in and the inside of the extra panel making sure to line the extra panel up since it is still loose at this point.
3.  Add all the patterned papers to the fold in sections and adhere the extra panel to the outside of the right fold in.
4.  Add the tuck spots to the inside of each fold in and add a decorative element to the front of the closure (in this case, an image of a vintage cookbook).


The Belly Band
1.  Cut a strip of card stock 2 1/5" wide and long enough to go around the wallet vertically plus a 2" overlap.  Note: Don't make it really tight because you need to be able to slide it on and off.
2.  Glue the belly band together.
3.  Cut a 3" x 4" piece of card stock and a piece of patterned paper.
4.  Round the corners of the card stock panel and the paper, ink the edges of the paper and add to the panel.
5.  Glue the panel to the centre front of the belly band.
6.  Add a variety of embellishments to the rectangular panel.
  • Ephemera from Graphic 45  Note:  The photo has been altered to remove my Granddaughter's name from the little strip with the postage stamp on it.
  • Loopy seam binding bow dyed with Antique Linen Distress Ink and tied with burlap string
  • Silver tree charm altered with a Peeled Paint Distress Crayon
  • Holly leaves cut with Holiday Greens die
  • Little die cut Poinsettia
  • Gingerbread man button from my stash
  • Snowflake that came in a little goodie package from The Funkie Junkie Boutique
  • Punched pine branch
I hope my Granddaughter will give these recipes a try from time to time and if she does, I won't object if she gives me a tiny care package.

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Christmas Advent Calendar


It is time for the new challenge at Frilly and Funkie.  Maggi is our hostess for this one, which is called Tis the Season for Gift Giving!  Here is what she has to say about it:

It's that time of the year where we're all thinking about the perfect gift for our friends and families! For this challenge, create a vintage or shabby chic gift for a special someone in your life. Your gift could be a simple as a handmade card or tag, or an elaborate piece of home decor. Maybe you like to place your gifts in handmade boxes? Your imagination is the only limit on this challenge!

I thought I might make a new advent calendar for my Grandchildren.  The calendar is very large and difficult to photograph because of the metallic frame and background so I apologize in advance for the quality of the pics.

I had an idea to make little boxes to hold treats but then I had to figure out how to make the boxes and that turned out to be easy when I found a free e-book online with patterns for all sorts of boxes.  You can download the book HERE and make the calendar as follows:

Use the box pattern found on page 68 called 1-Piece Double-Wall Folding Box.  Print that page and then measure the pattern to get an idea of the dimensions.  Once you have the dimensions, substitute your own measurements following the pattern as a guideline. In all I made 10 different sized boxes with a single box for a few sizes and multiples for others.


Cut each box from extra heavy cream card stock (Recollections) and then prepare for folding by angling edges as shown and then adding double-sided tape but do not fold yetNote:  The tape for the first folds of the box (four small sections) go on the outside and the tape for the second folds goes on the inside (three longer sections).  Ink all the outside edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink over the fold edges.

Cut patterned paper for the four outside edges and the top of each box making the paper 1/16" smaller all around and ink with Vintage Photo DI.  I wanted to use up some Graphic 45 Christmas papers leftover from last year, which means they won't be available at The Funkie Junkie Boutique but I will link some other Christmas paper options that would be fabulous substitutes.


Adhere the papers and then fold the box and secure the taped portions.  Note:  I discovered that I needed to further angle the flaps that go inside to close the box by trimming each side of the front flap and the front of each side flap.

Lay the boxes out to decide how you want them to look and then set about to find a frame, which  turned out to be easy when I went to a local charity job.

To alter the frame. discard the glass and coat the frame and the chipboard backing with White Gesso before painting it with some metallic paint.  Add the chipboard and a layer of cardboard to the frame.

Set the boxes on the frame until happy with the layout and then take a photo so you can remove them to decorate.



Decorate the top of each box with a computer-generated number and embellishments of your choice (I have used lots of things from old stash and from The Funkie Junkie Boutique that I had in the house but the store has lots more great items so check it out).  Glue the boxes to the chipboard panel using Gel Medium.  Here is a summary for each box:

1.  Snowflake from cream card stock mounted on snowflake from kraft card stock and topped with adhesive pearl
2.  Mitten charm altered with Cranberry Alcohol ink and tied with some red soutache braid
3.  A couple rows of ric rac
4.  A rosette made from patterned paper topped with a red adhesive pearl
5.  A pair of adhesive pearl florishes
6.  A jingle bell charm tied with burlap string
7.  Tiny poinsettia with seed beads for centre and punched pine branches
8.  A pine cone altered with Gold Mixative Alcohol Ink and tied with gold ribbon
9.  A trio of snowflakes topped with adhesive pearls and a red pearl on the number tag
10.  Crisscrossed ribbon
11.  A trio of star sequins
12.  Die cut holly topped with red gems
13.  Adhesive pearls scattered on swirls
14.  Large reindeer charm altered with Gold Mixative Alcohol Ink
15.  Fluted star altered with Gold Mixative Alcohol Ink
16.  Washi tape and adhesive pearls
17.  Die cut holly topped with red gems
18.  Ribbon bow with tiny jingle bell
19.  Tree made from candy dots
20.  Gold ribbon band topped with die cut snowflake
21.  Tiny poinsettia with seed beads for centre and punched pine branches
22.  Stocking charm altered with Gold Mixative Alcohol Ink and tied with cream twine
23.  Tiny snowflake from kraft card stock topped with adhesive pearl
24.  Red sequin wreath topped with satin bow


Decorate the top of the frame with greenery and poinsettias created from red and green card stock and the Holiday Greens die and a poinsettia die.  Once the poinsettia layers are assembled, add seed beads to the centres and then attach all the embellishments using Gel Medium.

I love the way this looks but I have concerns about all the boxes staying closed when they are filled and the frame is leaning on the fireplace mantle.  If they don't pop open, they actually open quite easily by gently squeezing the sides to reveal a little gap where little fingers can reach in and pull the top open.  Since my Grandchildren have to share each box and they are 9 and 12 I will be filling it with things like coins, wrapped hard candies, mini chocolate bars and even two movie passes.  I really wanted this to be reusable but if the boxes pop open, they are getting glued shut.

This was a labour of love but it really was time-consuming so I hope they like it - I know they will love the contents of the boxes.

This challenge is open for two weeks and one randomly chosen entrant will receive a gift certificate for The Funkie Junkie Boutique while the Design Team will choose their top picks with the overall pick receiving an invitation to be a Guest Designer at a future date.  I hope you will join us.

The following products used to create this advent calendar came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique.