The Colours of Autumn

The new challenge at Frilly and Funkie is all about making vintage or shabby chic cards or other projects that depict AUTUMN COLOURS but with a twist - YOU MUST ADD LEAVES.  By the way, the rules have been changed so when you enter the Frilly and Funkie challenge you can now enter up to nine other challenges for a total of 10.

I arrived back from my 3-week vacation in England to find that many of the trees have started to turn and the colours are so vibrant so it wasn't hard to think of Autumn colours and leaves for my project for this challenge.  Oh and the vacation was terrific with lots of super day trips, visiting with crafting friends and eating way too much.

I started with some rust coloured card stock from The Paper Studio as my card blank and added a background of some Provo Craft paper that has been in my stash for years.

Next I embossed a piece of card stock with a Tim Holtz Texture Fade and created a mat from deep yellow card stock for my image using a stamp from a Tim Holtz grunge stamp set and some Coffee Archival Ink.  Then I proceeded to cover them both up - what is up with that!  If you look closely you can see both the texture and the stamping.

My wonderful vintage image comes from the online Digital Collection at the New York Public Library.  Everything has been distressed and inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

The leaves were all gifts from Linda Coughlin, the owner of Frilly and Funkie and some came already stamped while the corrugated ones were plain kraft and I coloured them with distress stains and then rubbed some gold Texture Gold on them to make them shimmer.

Finally, I dyed some rayon seam binding with distress ink to make the crinkly bow and added it to a piece of crochet lace.  The button came from my stash and has a bow made from burlap string.  The little berries were robbed from an old wreath that I found in the cupboard.

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

Come and Get It Challenges - Fall Color Challenge
Dream Valley Challenges  - Autumn
Rogue Redhead Designs - Autumn Colors
Parade Your Crafts - Fall
Really Reasonable Ribbon - Fall or Halloween and Ribbon

The following items came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique where prices are always discounted from the manufacturer's suggested price:

Fall is in the Air

Oh my, hard to believe but fall is fast approaching so the new two-week challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow is called FALL IS IN THE AIR.  We want you to make vintage or shabby chic cards depicting fall.

I found this wonderful image by Kate Greenaway in the digital collection at the New York Public Library web site .  The card blank is Bazzill card stock, the background paper is digital paper from Sprouting Seeds Studio and the green paper is from Provo Craft.

I cut the flower with the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die using a cone shaped coffee filter.  It has been inked with Scattered Straw and Dried Marigold Distress Ink from Ranger.  I added a button from my stash for the centre.

Two of the leaves were cut with the Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves die, embossed with the Victoria embossing folder from Cuttlebug and inked with Bundled Sage and Dried Marigold Distress Ink from Ranger.  The patterned leaves are from a clear stamp set by Just Right and were stamped with Coffee Archival Ink from Ranger, fussy cut and inked with Bundled Sage and Dried Marigold Distress Ink.

The flourish corners were cut with my Cameo and the spray of berries came from my stash.  The pearls are from Dollarama.

Friday Focus at Frilly & Funkie

Today it is my turn to present the Friday Focus segment at Frilly and Funkie and Linda has asked me to feature two products from The Funkie Junkie Boutique - crinoline and venise lace.

Here is a sneak peak at my project but to learn all about it and the products I used to create it, click here to be taken to Frilly and Funkie.

Pie Anyone?

The new two-week challenge at Frilly and Funkie is called EAT, DRINK & BE MERRY.  We want to see you create vintage or shabby chic projects that feature food or drink or both.

I found this great image online of a gorgeous cherry pie being taken out of the oven at My Kinda Vintage and decided to go with a cherry theme.  The cookbook cover was an online find. 

The card blank is some textured card stock from The Paper Studio and the papers are from Raspberry Road.  A Tim Holtz Collage Texture Fade was used to emboss the gold Recollections card stock.  I used a Martha Stewart Arch Lattice edge punch to create a little border and then added some ric rac from my sewing cupboard.   The pearls are from Dollarama and the button and floss are from my stash.

The lovely filigree corner piece has been painted with some red craft paint and then sealed with some Matte Multi Medium.  The little lace motif is actually a section cut from a longer piece of lace.  Everything has been aged with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink by Ranger.

The following items used in this card came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique where you will always find products at least 20% less than the manufacturer's suggested price.

My Rose Garden

My Rose Garden is the name of the next two-week challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow.  We want you to make vintage or shabby chic cards or other paper-crafted projects with lots of roses.

Heather Hudson at My Artistic Adventures is sponsoring us this week and all of us on the Design Team have used rose images from her lovely collage sheets.

I started with Staples white card stock for my card blank and used papers from Raspberry Road.  The lace is from a bridal supply store and I ran a piece of satin cording through it that has been in my stash for years.  I added a few little gems from Michaels for some sparkle.

I used some Worn Lipstick Distress Ink from Ranger on a little frame from the dollar store and added a computer generated sentiment.  The roses are from Wild Orchid Crafts and the tulle is from Fabricland.  I added some pink satin ribbon from my stash and some fibres from EK Success to the rose tag from My Artistic Adventures.

Every Possibility

It is time for another new two-week challenge at Frilly and Funkie and this time it is an easy one - ANYTHING GOES.  Of course your project must be vintage or shabby chic but you can create anything in your Frilly or Funkie style.  Don't forget though that you can only enter your project at Frilly & Funkie and four other challenges.

Now I know I am supposed to be making Frilly projects for your inspiration but I had a request to make a card for a friend to give to her minister because he is leaving her church to go to a large Toronto church.  I decided to accept her commission and kill two birds with one stone so this is my Anything Goes offering. 

Literally as this posts I am landing in Birmingham, England for a three-week vacation visiting dear friends, including Sue my teammate at Frilly and Funkie.  Since I am going to be gone for so long I had to get all my DT projects done before I left along with related blog posts so when I saw a chance to lighten my load, I have to admit I took it.

I used some Bazzill card stock for the card blank and some very old Provo Craft paper for the background.  I used some Wild Honey, Peeled Paint and Vintage Photo Distress Ink by Ranger to create one panel and then embossed a piece of Recollections card stock with a Tim Holtz Patchwork Texture Fade to create another panel.  It was also inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

I used the Tim Holtz Stuff to Say stamp set to stamp the sentiment and the Steampunk set for the three dapper gentlemen using Ranger Black Archival ink.  The sentiment was cut out with a pair of Fiskars deckle scissors and then inked with the same Distress Inks.  The gentlemen were stamped onto a piece of plaid paper from my scraps and inked.  I added some burlap, a few metal pieces and a button on top of a little embossed circle.

So this certainly isn't Frilly but then it can't be when it is for a fellow and I don't really think it is Funkie so let's call this FRUNKIE - LOL.

Here are the products I have used from The Funkie Junkie Boutique - a super place to shop since everything is always discounted at least 20% from the manufacturer's suggested price - and the most awesome customer service.

Back to School

The new two-week challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow is called BACK TO SCHOOL and we want to see your vintage or shabby chic school-themed projects.

This week we have a Guest Designer joining us so please make Mynette Kitchen feel welcome and head over to her blog to check out her work.

School starts on September 3rd where I live and that is the day my husband and I leave for England so I was concerned that I might miss my little Grandson's first day of school since he starts Junior Kindergarten this year.  I have walked with my Granddaughter to every one of her first days (she is going into Grade 2 this year) but in the past the first day for the little ones often has been a week later than the rest of the school.  Thankfully he starts the same day so I will be able to share in his excitement.

I started with some red Bazzill card stock to make my card blank.  The gingham and polka dot paper are from Raspberry Road.  I found the focal image online at Catnip Studio, the flash card is from Red Wagon and the clock is a digital element from Friendly Scrap.

I took a card stock scrap and embossed it with the Notebook Texture Fade from Tim Holtz.  The text are stickers from DCWV and the button, ribbon and twine are all from my stash.  I used Vintage Photo Distress Ink from Ranger on all the pieces.

Step X Step at Frilly and Funkie

It is my turn this week to post the Step X Step feature at Frilly and Funkie and I promised I would tell you how I made the card, hat and hat box for my DT project for the current challenge (My Steamer Trunk) so click here to learn how I did it and see all the products that I used.

My Steamer Trunk

I am the hostess for the new two-week challenge at Frilly and Funkie and I chose MY STEAMER TRUNK as the name for this challenge.  The idea is to create a vintage or shabby chic project that depicts what you might pack in your steamer trunk or where you might be taking it.

I had fun making this combo project so come back on Saturday and I will tell you how I did it.  I made a card, a wee hat and tiny hat box.  My card is about what I would pack to go off on my steamer vacation but I did do a bit off stamping on the background to show where I might be taking it.  It looks like I am off to England, France & Italy.  If truth be known I really am heading to England in 2 weeks and was in Italy last year so now I just need to check France off my list.

I used a focal image from Vintage Fan Girl along with products from The Funkie Junkie Boutique, Michaels and Wild Orchid Crafts but as I mentioned I will tell you in more detail on Saturday.

Here are the products that I used from The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Playtime

The challenge for the next two weeks at Sugar Creek Hollow is called A CHILD'S LIFE.  We want to see vintage or shabby chic cards or other paper-crafted projects that depict the life of a child and you must include a child in your project.

This week we are happy to welcome back A Day for Daisies as our sponsor.  They will provide one random winner with a $12 gift certificate to their store and Sugar Creek Hollow will provide a winner's badge.  The Design Team will also select their Top Pick and the creator will receive a winner's badge and will be in the running for a Guest Designer spot.

My card this week features one of the gorgeous images from A Day for Daisies and this one is called Sisters and Dolls.  I was surprised that I really wanted to create with it given that I hated playing with dolls as a kid but this sweet image won me over.  We lived in a really old house and it had a rather scary basement with a barrel where we put paper to be burned (it was legal back then).  Well one early evening my Mother went down with some paper to throw out and started to scream.  In the half light she thought there was a dead baby hanging from the barrel only to find out that it was a doll that I had ripped the head off and thrown over the edge.  Now that I am the age I am (not telling) you would never suspect I was a such rotten little kid - LOL.

The card stock to make my blank is from Recollections.  The papers are from a My Mind's Eye pad called Blush.  I cut the oval with one of the Spellbinders Petite Scalloped Ovals Large Nestabilities and chalked the edges with some Mungyo chalk.  The image has been coloured with Prismacolors and blended with Gotrick OMS.  The ribbon is from Fabricland, the lace from a bridal supply store and the pearl stickers are from Dollarama.  The floral spray is a combination of a recycled piece from an old card and some little roses from Wild Orchid Crafts.  I made the stick pin myself.

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

Ladybug Crafts - Say It With Flowers
Delightful Challenges - Make It Pop - Layers or Dimension
Milk Coffee Challenge - Show Off Your Coloring Skills
Digi Stamps4 Joy - Make Your Own Embellishments (stick pin)
LEJ Designs - Lovely Lace
Bearly Mine - Tic Tac Toe (Color Pink, Ribbon, Digi Images)
Card Crafters Circle - Ribbon and Lace

By The Seaside

It is time for the new two-week challenge at Frilly and Funkie and our hostess Rebecca wants to see you create vintage or shabby chic projects inspired by sand, sea shells, sunshine and the seaside so she has called the challenge By The Seaside.  Since this is basically the same theme that I set 2 months ago for the Sugar Creek Hollow Design Team for the current challenge, I would say great minds think alike since neither knew what the other was doing - LOL.

I made a 5" x 7" card this time and used some white card stock from Staples for my blank.  Then I started on the background, which also started life as a piece of white card stock.  First I took some embossing paste and stenciled the dots in the upper right corner and then patted some on the bottom to make the sand.

I painted the sand with some tan acrylic paint and once it was dry I inked over it with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  Next I laid some wallboard tape down above the sand for more texture and then painted over it with some blue acrylic paint. Again once it was dry I added some Broken China Distress Ink.

The focal image came from an inactive blog called She Sells Seashells and I turned it to grey scale, flipped it and after it was printed I cut it out and added some Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

I then added a little bit of cheesecloth and some lace that has been inked with some of the Vintage Photo Distress Ink. A row of tiny shells and beads was added across the top of the lace.  The beach hut clock came from the web (sorry forgot to write the site down) and the flowers were recycled from a card someone sent to me.  The pebble in the centre came from my stash.  The words were printed on my computer, cut with a pair of deckle scissors and then inked with some Broken China Distress Ink.

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

Dream Valley Challenges - Summer Days
Opus-Gluei - Don't Be Such A Beach
365 cards - Textured Background
Tok-Bobok - Vintage
A Creative Romance - Beach Babes

The following products used to create this card can be found at The Funkie Junkie Boutique where you will always find prices 20% lower than the manufacturer's suggested retail price:

Friday Focus at Frilly and Funkie

This week it is my turn to present the Friday Focus at Frilly and Funkie and I am going to show you how the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die can be used with a wide variety of materials.

This fabric flower that is on the card I made for the current challenge is just one of the flowers that I will show you.

Check out all the details here.

Water, Water, Everywhere

It is time for another two-week challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow and it is called Water, Water, Everywhere.  We want you to create your vintage or shabby chic cards or pther paper-crafted projects with the ocean or beach in mind.

For my card I used white card stock (Staples) and then created the background using Broken China, Faded Jeans and Wild Honey Distress Inks (Ranger).  Then I made the water using similar colours of Adirondack Alcohol Ink (Ranger) on a piece of transparency (sorry they don't have names on the bottles - weird).  The sand is just some torn kraft card stock (Recollections) that has been embossed with a Bubble Texture Fade (Tim Holtz).

I found the image online but forgot to tag it with the web site (oops - my apologies) and it is mounted on top of a tiny piece of corrugated cardboard that I swiped with some Picket Fence Distress Stain (Ranger).  The beach hut was handmade using some striped paper from Free Vintage Digital Stamps, a bit of white card stock (Staples) and finished with a white button from my stash to which I added a blue card candi (Craftwork Cards).

The image, beach hut and sand were all inked with some Frayed Burlap Distress Ink (Ranger).  The sun was made with a Marvy Uchida punch and inked with some Wild Honey Distress Ink (Ranger).  To finish off the card I added a cluster of little shells & beads from Michaels along with some teeny roses from Wild Orchid Crafts.  The pearl (in the clam shell - LOL) is a sticker from Recollections.

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

Kitty Bee Designs Aloha Friday Challenges  - Summer
Stamping with the Dragon - On the Beach
Fusion Card Challenge - Used Photo Inspration
Happy Campers - Summer
Crafty Creations - Summer
Papercraft Star - Photo Inspiration
Tuesday Throwdown - Toes in the Sand
Bastel-traum - Shabby Chic/Vintage

Fancy Fold at Frilly and Funkie

Boy has the past two weeks flown by because it is already time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie.  For this challenge Sue has asked us all to create vintage or shabby chic projects with folds.

I decided to create an accordion card, which isn't the fanciest of folds but more interesting than an ordinary card.  The fun part of this type of card is that you can treat it a little like a mini album, so I did but I kept reminding myself of the postage costs and didn't get too carried away.

The covers have been punched with a Martha Stewart Around The Page Punch and all the papers are from a My Mind's Eye pad called Sunshine.  The big flower on the front was created using a variety of fabrics cut with the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die (more to come on this in a later post) and finished with a button for a centre.  I then added some pretty lace, a computer generated sentiment cut with the Spellbinders Square Fleur de Lis Nestabilities die and some Recollections pearl flourishes.

The first inside page features a filigree corner piece that I painted black, a vintage clock that I found online along with a vintage lady called Lilly Elise.  A pretty lace heart and little cluster of flowers completed this page.

The second inside page has a piece of word art that I created myself and cut with the Spellbinders Square Fleur de Lis Nestabilities die.  The flower is a metal piece that I painted black and then added a button for a centre.

The third inside page features some lace, a Recollections gem flourish and a tag from Create With TLC with a black gem from Michaels.

The final page has a flower cut from the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die with a pearl sticker for a centre and a message box cut from the Spellbinders Square Fleur de Lis Nestabilities die.

Many of the elements have been inked with Antique Linen Distress Ink and a black organza ribbon from Michaels holds the card together.

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

Anything Goes Challenge - Anything Goes
Papertake Weekly - Die-ing for a Punch
Bastel-traum - Shabby Chic/Vintage
Card and Scrap - Lace or Ribbon
Emmas Cards UK - Die Cuts
Dream Valley Challenges - Fancy Folds
Penny Black & More - Dies & Punches
Corrosive Challenges - Fancy Folds
Hobby House Challenge - Vintage

The following items used to create my project come from the Frilly and Funkie Boutique where you will find items at least 20% less than the manufacturer's suggested retail price.

On The Road

The challenge for the next two weeks at Sugar Creek Hollow is called WHEELS and we want you to create vintage or shabby chic cards featuring vintage things with wheels - cars, bicycles, wheelbarrows, etc.



We are pleased to welcome Doodle Pantry as a sponsor and they will providing one random winner with 3 images of their choice from the Doodle Pantry store.

I have created this collage type card reminiscent of going on holidays with the Vintage Auto image from Doodle Pantry that can be found here.  I coloured it with Prismacolors that I blended with OMS.  I cut an extra image and popped the luggage up a bit.

Then I went online to find the old map for the background, the signs and the ledger page.  I used the Tim Holtz Collage Texture Fade to emboss the kraft layer.  The sentiment came with the vintage auto image and added it to a hand cut tag and finished it with a Making Memories brad.  Everything has been inked with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink from Ranger to make it look even older.

To finish it off I added a button from my stash along with some suede lacing.  This card will work for a guy so with my husband's birthday coming up in September, I am relieved to know that I will actually have a card done for him this year.  Now I just have to remember it - LOL.

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

Creative Moments - Holidays (as in Vacations)
Crafty Cardmakers - Holidays (as in Vacations)
Digi Makeover - Anything Goes (must use a digi)
Alota Rubber Stamps - Vintage
Emergency Crafters - Summer Days & Holidays
Seema Crafts - Holiday/Vacation

Summertime

Today is my first challenge project for Frilly & Funkie as part of the frilly side of the Design Team.  The challenge for the next two weeks is called Summertime and we want you to create something vintage or shabby chic that reminds you of summer.  You can incorporate a scene, the beach, sunshine, bright colours or FUN. 

Summer always makes me think of flowers and usually bright colours are the norm but summer also reminds me of fresh air and for this project I thought pastel colours fit the bill.

I used some card stock from Bazzill for my card blank and then  found some lovely pale purple paper for my background online at Far Far Hill, which was inked with some Milled Lavender DI.  The next layer is embossed with the Sheet Music Tim Holtz Texture Fades and then inked with Milled Lavender DI.  The tag is a freebie from Astrid Maclean topped with a filigree piece that has been painted white with a pearl sticker added to it.

All of the flowers have been created by cutting crinoline on my Cuttlebug with the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die - one was dyed with Wild Honey DI, one with Milled Lavender DI and the white one just had the edges inked with the Milled Lavender DI.  For the centres, I added a little rose from my stash to one flower and two lovely floral buttons from The Funkie Junkie to the other two.

Over the lace I added some white satin ribbon that I ruffled with my sewing machine and then topped with a narrow green satin ribbon from my stash and some pearl stickers.  The butterfly was made from vellum with a Martha Stewart punch and then I hand cut a solid butterfly and inked it with the Milled Lavender DI.  The two butterflies were joined together and some pearl stickers were added to the front.

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

"C" is for Challenge - Flowers
Cuttlebug Mania  - Make Your Own Flowers

These supplies are from The Funkie Junkie Boutique where you will always find prices at least 20% lower than the manufacturer's suggested price.

Happy Announcement

Today I have a happy announcement to share with you.  I recently was invited to join the Design Team at Frilly & Funkie.  This is a bit like old home week for me because Linda Coughlin, the owner of Frilly & Funkie along with another of her designers, Sue Carrington were teammates of mine when I was on the Design Team for Isabella's Sketchbook.

I will be part of the frilly team and today is my first post.  I am doing the Saturday Step X Step and sharing how I made the card that I posted last week called Love Hearts.  Here is a little sneak peek at the tutorial, which you can find here.

The most wonderful part of the Frilly & Funkie blog is that the Design Team does two tutorials each week - one on Friday that focuses on a product in Linda's store and another on Saturday where you can find out how something was created.  Also, you not only get to share your creations in their challenges, which run every two weeks but you can also share a project in their Sunday Share feature as long as you have used products from Linda's store in that project.

Now if you haven't shopped at The Funkie Junkie Boutique I encourage you to do so because the prices are at least 20% less than the manufacturer's suggested retail price and Linda has the most wonderful customer service.


I will be back on July 10th with my first challenge project for Frilly & Funkie and hope you will join us.

Love Hearts

The new challenge for the next two weeks at Sugar Creek Hollow is called YOUR FLAG COLORS.  We want you to make a vintage or shabby chic card or other paper-crafted project using only the colours of the flag of the country you live in.  Since I live in Canada my card is red and white while the ladies from the US and the UK that are on the Design Team have used red, white and blue on their projects since those are the colors of their flags. So now that you know how this works we want to see the colors of your flag.

We have a Guest Designer with us too this time.  Please make Sanja Grdinic feel welcome.  Oh and by the way, she is from Croatia and her flag is also red, white and blue.

I printed a bunch of different red and white papers from various digital files I had and used the Moroccan one for the background.  I also pulled out a few scraps from my stash.  Then I made a rolled paper heart from the various papers.  I also made a heart from corrugated paper.  The rolled paper heart is finished with some ric rac around the edge, a lace border along with a crinkled ribbon seam binding and a paper rose.  The other heart was inked with Fired Brick Distress Ink and then coated with Clear Rock Candy Distress Crackle.  It too was finished with a crinkled seam binding bow and a paper rose.

The big flower was made by altering various sizes of paper flowers using Fired Brick Distress Ink and some Pearl Glimmer Mist and then finishing it with a paper rose in the centre.  The main band is red burlap with a narrower band of white crepe paper.  The little hearts were punched and then stamped with a little alphabet set and some red ink.

The supplies for this card are:

Card Stock:  Staples
Papers:  Corrugated Cardboard (The Funkie Junkie), Crafty Card Making, Mel B. Stampz & My Stash
Tools & Embellishments:  Alphabet Stamp (Hampton Arts), Paper Flowers (Prima & Recollections), Ranger's Fired Brick Distress Ink (The Funkie Junkie), Mini Heart Stamp (Marvy Uchida), Crepe Paper & Red Burlap (The Funkie Junkie), Ric Rac & Lace (My Stash), Red Paper Roses (Excelsior Wholesale), Seam Binding (Hug Snug), Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels)

Come Into My Garden

The new challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow is called MIXED MEDIA so we want you to use other things besides paper in your vintage or shabby chic project.

I don't think my project is either vintage or shabby chic and it certainly looked better in my head (don't you just hate when that happens) but it was fun to do.  I have a dear friend who is going to have knee replacement surgery in a couple weeks and I wanted to make something cheerful for her so I decided to make this canvas vignette. 

Here are the details but it is going to be a long post so if you are interested, I suggest you grab a coffee - or better still a glass of wine.

I started with an 8" x 8" canvas that I picked up at Dollarama and gave it a coat of Liquitex Gesso.  Then I took some Golden Light Molding Paste and spread it thinly over a honeycomb stencil that a friend cut for me with her Cameo and then peeled the stencil back.  I also dabbed some of the paste in a couple of spots - just because I could.

Once the paste was dry I painted it with Folk Art French Blue and then I covered most of that up (daaah) with different colours of Golden Fluid Acrylics (Yellow Ochre, Green Gold, Naples Yellow Hue & Burnt Sienna).  I thinned out some Golden Red Oxide and spritzed it over the stencil hoping it would land in the grooves and I suppose if you look really, really close you can see some.

The gate is made with corrugated cardboard that I coated with Mod Podge and then inked with some Walnut Stain Distress Ink (Ranger).  The hinges are just black card stock and the handle is a shelf peg from my husband's tool box.  The fence was cut from Recollections Kraft card stock using my Cameo and was then inked with some Rusty Hinge, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain and Black Soot Distress Inks (Ranger).  The grass was part of the same file as the fence and I inked it with some Forest Moss Distress Ink (Ranger).

The plant pots were both made from foil tape used by heating & air conditioning techs.  The big one was embossed with a Tim Holtz Honeycomb Texture Fade while the hanging pot was just textured using an embossing stylus.  Both pots were coloured with a combination of Terra Cotta and Butterscotch Adirondack Alcohol Inks (Ranger).

The flowers were all made from paint samples that I grabbed from Home Depot and cut with a variety of EK Paper Shapers flower punches.  I used Making Memories brads for the centres in the flowers in the big pot, Dollarama gems for the little yellow flowers and Recollection pearl stickers in the flowers in the hanging pot.  The leaves are cut from some ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon.

I made the sentiment in Photoshop and cut it using a Spellbinders Labels Ten die.  The Welcome sign was computer generated.  Both were inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink (Ranger) and hung with some copper wire from Artistic Wire and a black brad from Making Memories.  The hangers were cut from Recollections black card stock using my Cameo and a corner file from Bird's Cards.

The sun was made with a Marvy Uchida punch and inked with some Rusty Hinge & Vintage Photo Distress Ink (Ranger).  The butterfly was a silver charm from my stash and I dabbed it with some Terra Cotta Adirondack Alcohol Ink (Ranger) along with some bright green and bright blue that don't have names on the bottles (gee thanks Ranger).  The bee, lady bug and dragon fly are all buttons from Dress It Up.

Whew - are you still with me?  If you are bring your wine and join me in the garden - I like red by the way :)

Step Into Christmas

If you have read my blog lately you will know that I just returned on Tuesday night from a week in Maryland with the lovely Ann English.  I met Ann when we were both on the Phindy's Place DT  as well as through Sassy Cheryl's PCP group.  Before we left her house to head for the airport on Tuesday, I checked the challenge at Sassy Cheryl's and lo and behold Ann was the one who set the challenge this week (she keeps a secret well).  She wants us to create STEP CARDS so in between loads of laundry and ironing yesterday, I created this Christmas card.

I have never tried a side step card before so thought that might be fun to tackle.  It isn't difficult at all as long as you pay attention to where you are cutting, which I didn't the first time - dah.  The card base was made from Recollections card stock and the paper is from an old Provo Craft paper pad.  I raided my scrap bucket for the card stock to make the trees, which were hand cut, embossed with a Snowflake & Swiss Dots embossing folder from Cuttlebug and then dotted with a few pearl stickers from Recollections.

The sentiment is computer generated and the Sassy Cheryl's image was a freebie once upon a time.  The snowflake was cut using the Create A Flake Two die from Spellbinders.  The ribbon started out as Chalk White Hug Snug Seam Binding but I transformed it by dying it with Weathered Wood, Bundled Sage & Broken China Distress Ink from Ranger.  The edges of the image & sentiment were inked with the Bundled Sage Distress Ink.

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

Sassy Cheryl's - Step Card
ABC Challenge - O is for Open
A and T Emerald Faeries - Dies/Punches
Country View Challenges - Die Cuts
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge - Use your favourite embellishments (Pearls)
Christmas Stampin' All Year Long - Anything Goes (must be Christmas)

Father's Day Collage

The new challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow is a timely one - FATHER'S DAY.  Don't forget, we are a vintage and shabby chic challenge blog so we want to see a card or other paper-crafted project in one of those styles.

Ragnhild is joining us this week as Guest Designer, so please check out her card and the inspiration she provides along with the wonderful inspiration from our Design Team.

I decided to make a collage style card for my husband since my Father passed away 30 years ago. The background paper is from My Mind's Eye and I stamped the keys from a set by TPC Studio.  The horse is from The Graphic's Fairy and the clock is a digital element from Cuddlebeez (no longer online).  The car is a stamp from Indigo Blu and the sentiment was computer generated.

I cut the gate hinge with my Cameo using Tim Holtz Grunge Paper and then inked it with some Terra Cotta and Rust Adirondack Alcohol Ink (Ranger).  The butterfly was a gift from a friend and the metal washer is from my husband's tool box.  The lock, paper clip and the pin are from Tim Holtz.  The gear is from Bead Landings and the button was in my stash.  The bottle cap came from Labatt's after my husband drank the beer for me (I am a red wine or scotch gal) - LOL.  I made the insert using the same font as I did for the word Father and then added an open frame digital element from C. Renee.  All the distressing has been done with Vintage Photo Distress Ink (Ranger)

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

C.R.A.F.T. - Father's Day/Male
Delightful Challenges - For Dad
Paper Crafting Journey - Masculine Cards
Happy Campers - Use Metal
Shelly's Images - Show Us What You've Got
Crafting by Designs - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
The Stamping Chef - Metal
Celebrate The Occasion - Fluttering By (must use butterfly)
Crazy Amigo Challenge - Auto/Car
Creative Craft Challenges 2 - For the Fellas
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Play Things

I don't usually get a chance to participate in Sassy Cheryl's Show Me Thursday but since my friend Ann English and I have been playing in her craft room, I thought I would show you the results.

As I mentioned in the post below we have been trying out my Gelli plate.  More practice is required and trying different paints but our initial efforts aren't too bad.

We used some stencils, die cuts, embossed pieces, corrugated cardboard and even bubble wrap.  Getting covered in paint was fun and in this case the print is really wild.

Day Dreaming

I am in Chestertown, Maryland this week visiting a lovely crafting friend, Ann English and we have been playing in her well-appointed craft room.  We have also made some day trips - one to Winterthur, which is a du Pont home and gardens - fabulous.  The other trip was to some craft stores and then out for a super dinner.  I had wanted try crab cakes while I was here and got my wish - yummy.

We have played with my Gelli plate and while we need more practice, we did have fun.  Then she let me use her supplies and I made this card for the current challenge at Sassy Cheryl's, which calls for STITCHING.  I have never used a sewing machine to do my stitching so this was a first and it is certainly easier than hand stitching as I usually do.

The image is called Better Than a Thousand Words and can be found here.  The papers are all from My Mind's Eye and the card stock is all from Ann's stash as are the ribbon and the brads.  I also used a Martha Stewart lace edge punch and the flowers were made using a Martha Stewart punch and a McGill Craftivity punch.  The leaves were made with a Punch Bunch punch.

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

Sassy Cheryl's challenge - Stitch Away with a Sassy Cheryl's Image

Spring Cleaning Time

The new challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow is called CLEAN IT OUT.  We want you to make vintage or shabby chic cards or other paper-crafted projects using items from your stash and scraps.  We don't want you to go out and buy anything new.

I decided to add to my Christmas card pile and made this card out of bits and pieces.  The image was a freebie from The Funkie Junkie.  The background paper was printed last year from a digital freebie (Cuddlebeez - no longer online) but I ended up using something else.  The ribbon from Fabricland has been hanging out in my sewing closet for a few years and the burlap came from an old project.  The poinsettia was cut from scraps of paper using a Marianne Creatables die while the flourish was cut from a scrap of card stock using the Spellbinders Venetian Motifs die.  The sentiment was computer generated, cut with a Nellie Snellen die and then inked with some Aged Mahogany Distress ink (Ranger).

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

Our Creative Corner - Anything Goes
C.R.A.F.T. - Christmas
Charisma Cardz  - No Digis Allowed
Milk Coffee Challenge - Shabby Chic/Vintage

Sassy Flower

I got busy this morning and created a card for the new challenge over at Sassy Cheryl's.  The challenge asks that you use lace and handmade flowers on your card and of course, you must use a Sassy Cheryl image.

I made this card using all sorts of scraps from my craft supplies, including the yellow and purple card stock.  The background polka dot paper, the stripe and the big flower paper are all from Provo Craft and the little polka dot paper is from Making Memories.  I don't remember who made the the paper I used to make the flower.  I did the bottom layer with a 1" circle punch from Recollections following a tutorial I found here but then decided it needed another layer and that was cut using an EK Paper Shapers punch.  All the petals were inked with Wild Honey Distress Ink (Ranger).

The Sassy Cheryl image is called A Simple Gift of a Flower and was coloured with Prismacolors and blended with Gotrick OMS.  Then it was cut using the Labels 16 die from Spellbinders and inked with Milled Lavender Distress Ink (Ranger).  The lace is from my sewing closet and the button came from Fabricland.

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

Sassy Cheryl's - Lace & Handmade Flowers
Lady Anne's Challenges - Anything Goes
Artistic Inspirations - Flowers & Lace
Card Mania - Flower Power
Forever Friends - Pastels
Get Inky - Die Cuts
Love to Create - Flowers
Stamp with Fun - Selfmade Flowers

Spring Flowers

The challenge this week at Sugar Creek Hollow is all about Spring Flowers and if it would just stays warm we might have some here soon.  OK, so there are a few crocuses and pansies around but not much of anything else yet.  The garden centres are starting to get stocked up and normally we would be planting annuals in 2 weeks but that may not happen this year.

Please note that starting with this week the challenges at Sugar Creek Hollow will be running every two weeks, which will give us all more time to create and to fit our lives in.

We would like to welcome a new sponsor this week.  Heather Hudson who just left our Sugar Creek Hollow Design Team has now come on board as a sponsor with her fabulous collage sheets that you can find here.

For this card I cut one of the hearts from Heather's Blue Hearts with Polka Dots & Pink Roses collage sheet to use as my focal image.  The background paper is from the Just Breathe digital kit by Vicki Stegall that I picked up as a freebie ages ago.  I added some cheesecloth from my kitchen drawer along with some white corrugated cardboard (The Funkie Junkie Boutique) that has been lightly sponged with Tattered Rose Distress Ink (Ranger).

All the flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and I know you don't usually see roses in the spring, at least not where I live, I just love the look of them and of course they matched the image.  The butterfly was made with a Martha Stewart punch and has some Recollections pearl stickers added to it.  The pink fiber, the pearl and the double hearts were attached to a card I received a couple of years ago so I have recycled them.  The filigree corner came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique but I painted it white and then scuffed it up a bit.

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

Fresh Brewed Designs  - Flowers
Natalie and Amy's Challenge - Things with Wings
One Crazy Stamper - Flowers
Our Creative Corner - Anything Goes
Sandy's Crafty Creations - Anything with Flowers & More Flowers
The Cupboard Trilogy - Spring Flowers
DRS Designs - Butterflies
Crafts and Me - Floral Frenzy
Inky Chicks - Shabby Chic
Critter Sketch - Flowers
Fashionista Challenge - Shabby or Vintage

Vintage School Days

The challenge this week at Sugar Creek Hollow is called Numbers & Letters and we want you to make vintage or shabby chic cards or other paper-crafted projects with number and letters on them in any form.

As soon as I saw the name of this challenge, I immediately thought of school so that is exactly where I went with this card.  My Grandchildren were here yesterday morning and my Granddaughter saw the card and immediately said that she knew I had made it for my Grandson since he heads to Junior Kindergarten in September but I have a different card ready for that - she was actually disappointed.

I started with the background paper, which is vintage ruled paper from Sprouting Seeds (site is no longer active) and then I covered most of it up (dah) but not before I inked the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink (Ranger).

I made the ruler paper from some digital scrapbooking elements from Fuzzimo.  Then I found the great vintage image at Vintage Fan Girl but the blackboard was actually a pale coloured ad so I changed it into a blackboard and then added the numbers and letters with a font called Learning Curve, although I wish I had made them more bold.

I found the flash cards online but forgot to mark the site (oops), the star is hand cut with some Card Candi (Craftwork Cards) added to it, the little paper clip was a gift but I think it is from Tim Holtz and the word Explore is a sticker from K & Company.

The apple border is something I created myself with my Cameo and inked with a bit of Aged Mahogany Distress Ink (Ranger) - I hope I have made my friend Shirley (The Cameo Queen) proud of me - LOL.

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

Crafting For All Seasons - No Stamps Allowed
Crafting By Designs - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
The Sisterhood of Crafters - Free For All

Baby Face

The challenge this week at Sugar Creek Hollow is called Baby Face.  We want you to make vintage or shabby chic baby cards or other paper-crafted projects.

Starr Timmons is joining our wonderful Design Team this week as a Guest Designer.  Please check out her blog and her creations. 

I started by finding this fabulous image online at By Vintage Design and gave it a little distressing.  The paper is from my scrap box and it has been there for so long that I don't remember where it came from.  Since it was old, I decided to make it look older and added some Frayed Burlap Distress Ink (Ranger) to it and to the other elements.

The heart doily was a gift from my friend Shirley.  The seam binding, button and eyelet trim were all from my stash.  The corner is a Nellie Snellen die and I have added a few little Dollarama pearls to it. 

The alphabet blocks were created with my Cameo.  I started with a font and then broke it up so I could cut the frame and letters separately from the background in order to give them some dimension and make them look a bit more like real baby blocks.

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

Papertake Weekly - One Paper
A Little Bit Crafty - Anything Goes
By The Cute & Girly - Vintage
Cards Galore - Vintage
Cupcake Craft Challenges - Cute & Cuddly
Lexi's Creations - Lace and/or Ribbon
Corrosive Challenges - Life's Special Occasions

Sassy Santa

If you read my blog regularly then you know I love to get a head start on Christmas cards and today I have one featuring one of Sassy Cheryl's wonderful Santas.  This one is called Delivery Boy Santa and I am not sure if it is still available from the Sassy Cheryl's store but if it isn't be sure to check out her other wonderful images.

I made the card blank from some Staples card stock and the papers are all scraps from my stash. The image was cut with the Spellbinders Label One Nestabilities die, coloured with Prismacolors that were blended with Gotrick OMS and then I added some Mungyo chalk to the edges.

I found the ribbon a while back in a bag from White Rose but since they closed their doors 10 years ago, you know how old it is.  I pulled the centre thread to ruffle it and then added a charm from Arton Beads.  The little buttons are from Dress It Up.

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

Christmas Stampin All Year Long - Santa's Coat
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - Christmas
Forever Friends - Die Cuts/Punches
Digistamps4joy - Anything Goes
Sassy Cheryl's - Anything Goes

Steampunk Birthday

Our challenge this week at Sugar Creek Hollow is called STAMP IT.  We want you to create vintage or shabby chic cards that have rubber stamping on them - no digi stamps.

I made this steampunk card for this challenge.  I found the papers online and I think they are from The Teapot Lady but I didn't identify them well enough in my files so I apologize if I have given the wrong artist credit. All the stamps are from a Hampton Arts set called Time Flies and have been stamped using Black Archival Ink (Ranger) and then the fussy cut stamps were sponged with some Walnut Stain Distress Ink (Ranger).  A Tim Holtz die was used to make the swirly edge and then it was sponged with Crushed Olive Distress Ink (Ranger).

I found the quote online and then sponged it with some Peeled Paint and Crushed Olive Distress Inks (Ranger).  The metal gears and clock hands are from Bead Landings.  The wing was hand cut from metal foil tape stolen from my husband, textured using some metal working tools from Walnut Hollow and then inked with Terra Cotta and Butterscotch Alcohol Ink (Adirondack).

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

Papercraft Star - Use a Stamp
Cards und More - Add Some Metal
Crafts 4 Eternity  - Wonderful Wings
Stamping with the Dragon - Steampunk

April in Paris

The challenge this week at Frilly & Funkie is called April in Paris and since I was the lucky random winner in their last challenge, I thought I would play again.  The project must depict springtime in Paris and include a French icon or word so I have made this shabby (almost gaudy) card with lots of flowers.

I had intended to stamp an Eiffel Tower since I have some stamps thanks to my enabling friend Sue but then found this great striped paper from My Mind's Eye in my stash so this became my starting point.  The french text paper was found online but I don't remember where (oops).  The butterfly image is from Imagenes Vintage and I coloured it with Prismacolors blended with Gotrick OMS.

The lace comes from stash and the crinkle ribbon is just Hug Snug rayon seam binding with a little button from my stash in the centre.  I used two different Martha Stewart punches to create the butterflies from some metallic card stock from DCWV and then added some pearl stickers from Dollarama.  The flourish is from the Spellbinders Venetian Motifs die set and was inked with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink (Ranger).

The flowers were all made from different materials.  The yellow one is Toile Paper (Recollections) and cut with the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Die.  I inked it with some Wild Honey Distress Ink (Ranger).  A Dollarama pearl sticker coloured with a Mustard Promarker makes the centre.  The leaves are Recollections card stock cut with the Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves Die and inked with some Crushed Olive Distress Ink (Ranger).  The pink flower was cut with a Marvy Uchida punch using paper from my stash, sponged with some Worn Lipstick Distress Ink (Ranger) and then has a little clear dewdrop from my stash added for a centre.  The tiny purple flowers were made from scraps of card stock with an EK Paper Shapers punch and have little Dollarama pearls added for centres.

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

Frilly and Funkie - April in Paris
Clear It Out - Theme - Spring, Stash - Flowers
Papertake Weekly - Bingo (Lace, Free, Blooms line)
Card Mania - Punches and/or Die Cuts
Lexi's Creations - Punches and/or Dies
The Pink Elephant - Spring Colors
Joanna Sheen - Spring Into Spring

Fabulous Flourishes

This week the challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow is called Fabulous Flourishes and I have made this card to share with you.  Don't forget we want you to add flourishes to your vintage or shabby chic creation.

I cut the card blank using some grey card stock (Recollections) and then made the background by sponging Aged Mahogany Distress Ink (Ranger) over some of the same card stock using a flourish cut with a Venetian Motifs Die (Spellbinders) as a mask.  I sponged it lightly a second time and then added some stamped flourishes (Inkadinkado).  I wish I had stamped these flourishes closer to the corners but you can still see them peeking out.

The focal image (Create with TLC) is mounted on a fancy scalloped mat that I cut with my Cameo using a file from Monica's Creative Room as my starting point and this is mounted on top of another panel that has been embossed with a Victoria embossing folder (Cuttlebug) and lightly sponged with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink (Ranger).

The stick pin (Excelsior Wholesale) has a couple extra beads (My Stash) added to it and sits atop a feather (Dollarama).  Some little red roses (Excelsior Wholesale) complete the bow (Fabricland).  For one final flourish I added one made of black gems (Dollarama) to the focal image.

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

365 Cards - Sponging & Embossing
Crafty Ribbons - Anything Goes with Ribbon
Delightful Challenges - All About Music
Shelly's Images - Use Scallops
Penny's Paper Crafty - Red, White & Black
Rhedd and Rosie's - Vintage/Shabby
Love's Rubber Stamps - Anything Goes
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
Lady Anne's Challenges - Anything Goes
One Crazy Stamper - Black, White & One More