Letter to Santa

It is time for the new challenge at Frilly and Funkie.  Zoe is our hostess this time and she is calling it By Airmail.  She describes it this way:

I just love sending and receiving letters in the mail. And especially love the stamps, airmail stickers and postmarks that these letters pick up along the way. For this challenge, create a vintage or shabby chic postal themed project. Think old fashioned aircraft, airmail stamps, post marks, postage stamps.

I rolled this one around in my brain for a while before deciding to make a Christmas card and focus on the tradition of sending a letter to Santa.  Since it is to be mailed I also made it fairly simple so it would be flat enough to not require more postage than normal - Canadian postal rates are excessive as it is.

I started to make a 5 1/2" square card and then thought it might be fun to change it up a bit by trimming half an inch off the right side of the front. Here is how I put it together:

• Cut a panel of St. Nicholas green patterned paper (Graphic 45), distress the edges and then ink with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.
• Adhere to the right inside of the card and add computer generated sentiment.
• Cut a panel of St. Nicholas gold patterned paper (Graphic 45), distress the edges and then ink with Vintage Photo DI and adhere to the inside left of the card.
• Fold red card stock to create a two-pocket holder for Post Cards (Graphic 45 and Vectorstock).
• Add some green patterned paper (Graphic 45) to bottom pocket and top with a postage stamp (Graphic 45) and adhere pocket panel to inside left of the card.

• Cut a panel of St. Nicholas red stripe patterned paper (Graphic 45), distress the edges and then ink with Vintage Photo DI and adhere to front of the card.
• Mat the vintage image (online find) on some green patterned paper (Graphic 45).

• Cut greenery with Kraft Core card stock (Tim Holtz) and add to left of image.
• Die cut poinsettia from cream card stock, shape and layer petals and add microbeads to centre before adding to card.
• Print postage icons (Vectorstock), ink edges with Vintage Photo DI and add top card.

I apologize for the lack of credit for the focal image.  I usually save them to a folder with the name that I need to attribute it too but this time for some reason, I just parked the image on my desktop.

I am loving the fact that I have a start on my Christmas card making.  Now to get on to the 25 or 30 more that I need to make before December - wonder if I will make it!

Graphic 45 - St. Nicholas 8x8 Pad	Graphic 45 - St. Nicholas 6x6 Pad	Sizzix Holiday Greens Die Leaves	$6.39 Core′dinations Kraft Core By Tim Holtz - 4.25x5.5" Paper Pad	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo	Ranger Inkssentials Mini Ink Blending Tool - With 4 Blending Foams
Ranger Inkssentials Non-Stick Craft Sheet	Scor-Pal Scor-Tape 1/4" x 27 Yards	Scor-Pal Scor-Tape 1/8" x 27 Yards	Sizzix Alterations Tim Holtz Tattered Poinsettia BIGz Die

Altered Book Cover

Today is the start of the June challenge at Stamps and Stencils and Lula, our hostess calls the challenge Do Judge A Book By Its Cover!  Here is how she describes the challenge:

Reading books has been my favourite activity ever since. I am also addicted to altering ordinary items surrounding us. For this challenge I I'd like you to alter any book cover. Creating altered cover is something anyone can do because your only limitation is your own imagination. You can use any type of books from children's books or user manuals to art journals. Don't forget to use stamping or stenciling and join us in the fun!

I was happy when I saw this challenge because I knew it would give me an opportunity to transform something I had at home into an art journal.

I went to my craft book library and selected this book to transform.  I bought it when it first came out in 1972 with the intention of teaching myself how to recover a chair.  I read it and realized that it was something that required classes if I was ever going to be successful and there was no time for that so it has been sitting on the shelf ever since.  Good thing it was only $2.50.

I started altering the cover by giving it a coat of white Gesso (Liquitex) and then using a small brayer, I added Smoked Paprika, Candy Floss and Zesty Zing Fresco Finish paint (Paper Artsy).

Next I added some stenciling with a Harlequin stencil (TCW) and Translucent Embossing Paste (Wendy Vecchi) but it did not show up the way I hoped so stay tuned for a later photo that will show you how I fixed that.  You can see a bit on the bottom of the following photo but only because the light hit it.

I added a whole bunch of bits and pieces - lace, metal, wood, buttons, etc. using Soft Gel Medium (Golden).  Then I covered all my bits and pieces with more white Gesso.

After the Gesso was dry I sprayed the cover with Bubblegum Pink, Lemon Zest and Squeezed Orange ink sprays (Dylusions).

Next I added some stamping with Watering Can Archival Ink (Wendy Vecchi) and stamps from Faded Fragments (Seth Apter) and a mixed set THMM101 (Tim Holtz).

Here is a photo of the embossing paste and stencil I used but make the stenciling more visible I lid the stencil back down and using a sponge and some white Gesso, I pounced some colour on.  Because I had to work around the bits and pieces, I missed a few spots but all in all it still looks much better.

So there is my new art journal ready for creating inside.  I hope you will find a book and alter it to create something new and fun.  If you do, please join us for the challenge - it runs until July 4th at 20:00 UK Time.

Adore

Today is the start of the new challenge at Frilly and Funkie.  Sara Emily is the hostess and is calling it Letter Perfect but read what she has to say about it because it isn't quite what you might expect.

According to Merriam Webster, 'letter perfect' is defined as "correct to the smallest detail". We're not asking you to be immaculate or flawless; we just want to see letters or words on your vintage or shabby chic project. They don't have to be the focus, but be sure we can see them!

I recently got a new Prima paper pad called Love Story and thought I would use it to make this card.  Here is how it came together:

1.  Cut a 6"x12" piece of xx and fold it in half to make the card blank.
2.  Cut a large piece for the background, distress it and ink it with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink.
3.  Die cut a square doily from the Kraft Core, ink the edges and add it on the right of the card.
4.  Cut a smaller panel from the Love Story pad, distress and ink it and add it on the left.
5.  Add a strip of venise lace to the smaller panel.
6.  Fussy cut some ephemera from the Love Story pad, distress and ink them before adhering them on top of the smaller panel.

7.  Use three colours of Kraft Core and the Shabby Posies die to cut two petals of each.
8.  Ink the edges, shape the petals and layer them.
9.  Add large seed beads to the centres with Glossy Accents.
10.  Use the Garden Greens die to cut some branches from the Kraft Core and add them to the card.
11.  Make a loopy bow from burlap string and tuck it beside the flowers.

12.  Add embossing paste through a Flourish stencil to a chipboard heart.
13.  Cover the heart with a coat of White Gesso.
14.  Paint the heart with Tattered Rose Distress Paint.
15.  Rub White Gold Metallic wax paste over the raised flourish design and adhere the heart to the card.
16.  Ink the word Adore (made from mat board) with Frayed Burlap DI and add it to the heart.

I hope you will join us for this fun challenge.  One randomly chosen winner from the entries will receive a gift certificate to go shopping at The Funkie Junkie Boutique and the Design Team will choose their top picks with the overall top pick getting an opportunity to guest design with the team.

The following products used to create this card came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique - a great place to shop with the best customer service: