I Surrender

The new challenge at Frilly & Funkie starts today and will run for the next two weeks.  Sue is our hostess and she wants to see vintage or shabby chic cards or other projects with lots of STENCILS AND TEXTURES. So, for this challenge let's see you use your stencils on your projects but also lets see some texture too ! This can be embossing, texture paste or even fabric.

I created this card after I couldn't get a good layout on another attempt no matter how hard I tried.  And then there was all the sickies in my family that I have been looking after as well as trying to deal with my poor Mother-in-Law who will be 92 next week, lives in an assisted living facility 2000 miles away and has dementia and now has the worst case of shingles.  Finally there is the SNOW, which never seems to end along with the brutal cold so I just decided to SURRENDER and make a winter card with some stenciling, some stamping and some texture with the embossed panel and the laces and ribbon.

I started with some white card stock from Staples for my card blank and then created a background by sponging Broken China, Weathered Wood and Faded Jeans distress ink all over another piece of white card stock.  Then I did a little flicking with some water and once it was dry I used a Dylusions stencil to add the dots on either side with the Faded Jeans distress ink..

Next I stamped the snowflakes from the Artistic Output stamp set called sleigh ride with Jet Black Archival Ink.  I wanted them to be white but they either came out very pale when I used a white stamp pad or not very crisp when I used paint so I opted for black and they stamped beautifully and the contrast is interesting.

Next I made an embossed panel using some Maja paper and a snowflake stencil from Cuttlebug.  After I did the embossing I sanded down some of the embossed area, distressed the edge and inked it with some Faded Jeans distress ink.

I made the stamped panel next with some white card stock, the image from the Artistic Outpost stamped with Jet Black Archival Ink, a distressed edge and some more inking.  The silver bow is some lacy crochet ribbon.  I added some venise lace and pleated some satin ribbon that was in my stash.

The snowflake was sponged with Snowcap Adirondack alcohol ink mixative blended with silver Adirondack Silver alcohol ink mixative and once dry I sponged on some Sail Boat Adirondack ink.  Finally a few little silver snowflakes cut from card stock and some white pearls were added to finish this card off.

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

Everybody-art Challenge - Ribbon or Lace
2 Sisters Challenge - Embossing
Inkspirational Challenges - Designer's Choice (Embossing, Ribbon or Lace, Metal or Charms)

The items shown below came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique where the prices are always less than the manufacturer's suggested retail price:

Dreaming of the Beach

The new two-week challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow is called DREAMING OF THE BEACH.  We want to see vintage or shabby chic cards or other paper-crafted projects that depict the beach or seaside.

Since we have had one of the most brutal winters where I live, I love this theme because it lets me think warm, even if only for a few moments.

We have a talented Guest Designer joining us for this challenge and I hope you will feel Marie Svensson (a.k.a. Primia) feel welcome and pop over to her blog and check out all her vintage beauties.

From the bottom up, here is how I made this card:

I started with some Staples card stock for my blank and added some patterned paper from Far Far Hill for my background. The paper edges were distressed with my scissors and inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink from Ranger.

Next I took some white corrugated cardboard that I bought from The Funkie Junkie Boutique, tore the edges a bit and inked them with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  On top of that I added a piece of burlap from my stash and a fish charm from Arton Bead Supply that has been inked with Sail Boat and Meadow Adirondack alcohol ink from Ranger.

I found the wonderful image somewhere online and distressed the edges and sponged them with Vintage Photo Distressed Ink before it was popped up with some foam dots.  The sentiment on it made me smile.

To finish I added a bow of crinkly dyed seam binding that was a gift ages ago and a tiny shell from Michaels.

Beautiful Blooms

The challenge for the next two weeks at Frilly and Funkie is called BLOOMIN MARVELOUS and it is all about adding handmade flowers to your vintage or shabby chic project.

I decided to alter something for a change and found a cigar box in my craft cupboard.  It was paper covered and UGLY.

I was going to do a paint/stencil/stamp treatment on it but changed my mind when the paint wouldn't stick to it without looking streaky so I went with plan B and decided to tear paper and decoupage it on, inside and out.  The yellow and blue toned papers come from Far Far Hill and Paper Peonies.  The text paper is from my scrap bin and I also used some Tim Holtz Melange Tissue Wrap. 

Once everything was glued on and given a coat of Glue and Seal, I took some Broken China Distress Ink to it, which just highlighted some of the torn edges.  I thought it could use some little feet so I took acrylic paint to some wooden pieces I picked up at Michaels.

Then I added a row of venise lace around the edge with a narrow strip of satin ribbon from my stash.  I added pearls to the lace, half of which were coloured with a Copic marker.

Next I started on the flowers.  All of them were made using the Tim Holtz Tattered Floral die but using different mediums.  The teeny flower was made with crinoline dyed with some Wild Honey Distress ink, the blue paper flower was made using some Far Far Hill paper, inked with Broken China Distress Ink and with some beads from my stash for a centre.  The big yellow flower was made from some yellow handmade paper from Dollarama that I stamped with a text stamp using Coffee Archival Ink.  A coconut button turned upside down acts as a centre.  Finally I made a flower from some Wendy Vecchi Clearly for Art Modeling Film that was coloured with Terra Cotta and Sail Boat alcohol ink and has a dew drop for a centre.

The metal leaves were coloured with Meadow and Sail Boat alcohol ink and I tucked a paper doily underneath.  The flourish started life as a piece of white card stock that I spritzed with some Vibrant Turquoise Dylusions spray ink before I cut it with the Venetian Motifs die from Spellbinders.  The tiny butterfly is a Martha Stewart punch and I added a row of teeny pearls to make the body.  Finally I made a couple of bead charms with a brad from Dollarama on top so there would be something to open the box with.

My seven year-old Granddaughter is madly in love with this little box and wants it so badly but I can't imagine what she wants to put in it.  Besides it would look very out of place in her modern IKEA bedroom.  I will have to think about this.

These supplies came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique where prices are always discounted from the manufacturer's suggested retail price:

Show Me Thursday at Sassy Cheryl's

I don't often get a chance to do a post for Show Me Thursday at Sassy Cheryl's but I just had to this week.  I have been trying to get my Sassy friends (or anyone for that matter) to take some of my snow but to no avail - go figure :)

I know this isn't craft related but today I thought I would give you a little glimpse of what we have been dealing with and why I have been trying to give it away.  This shot was taken from our front door but if I had put my boots and coat on and taken a photo from the end of the driveway, you would have seen just how high some of the piles are.  To add to the copious amounts of snow we have been experiencing some brutally cold weather - as low as -35C at one point this winter so I opted for just opening the door.

 Because of my bad back, I can't help shovel so my poor husband has had to do this all by himself and we don't have a snow blower.  The pile at the end of the driveway on the right side as you look from the doorway (just beyond the shorter tree) is over 8 feet high and he is only 5' 7" tall so you can imagine how difficult it is for him to throw it now.  Apparently we are supposed to get another 3 or 4" tomorrow and he has no idea where he is going to put it.

Notice the stick figure person drawn in the snow.  My seven year-old Granddaughter did that the other day and she is just 3 feet tall, which gives you some perspective of the height of that particular pile.  On a more serious note, these piles are everywhere and it is dangerous trying to back out of the driveway or turn a corner at an intersection where there are no traffic signals because you can't see oncoming cars.

Another 6 weeks of winter - say it isn't so :(

Love and Adore

It is time for a new two-week challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow and we are calling it LOVE AND ADORE.  This time we want to see vintage or shabby chic cards or other paper-crafted projects that depict love and this could be for Valentine's Day if you wish or it could be something for an anniversary or wedding.

From the bottom up, here are the details of my card:

I started with a piece of cream card stock from Staples to make my card blank.  Then I added a piece of patterned paper from Far Far Hill for my background. 

Next came some crochet lace from my sewing cabinet and cream coloured satin ribbon from Fabricland.  I used a Martha Stewart Edge Punch to cut a border on one edge of a rose pink piece of card stock from my scraps and on the off cut from the beige card stock.  Both were sponged with Aged Mahogany Distress Ink from Ranger.

Next I added a vintage image from Vintage Feedsacks, which was also inked with Distress Ink.  Paper flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts were added on the side some of which had some Stardust Stickles from Ranger added to make them sparkle.  The little heart stick pins came from Maya Road.

I used a Martha Stewart punch to make the large heart from some scrap red card stock and then spritzed some pearl Glimmer Mist from Tattered Angels on it before I added a pearl sticker from Recollections.  The little hearts were treated the same way but we leftovers from an attempt to create a heart background on my Cameo.  I thought I had it welded together but when it cut, it all fell apart so I have a bag of big hearts and teeny hearts.  I will definitely have to revisit that design.

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

Divas By Design - Vintage with Lace
Sweet Stamps - Lace and Hearts

Friday Focus at Frilly and Funkie

It is my turn to do the Friday Focus over at Frilly and Funkie and here is a little sneak peak of the project that I made.

Pop over to see what I made and check out the details.

Valentine's Day - With a Twist

It is time for a new two-week challenge at Frilly and Funkie and I am the hostess this time and chose Valentine's Day - With a Twist.  I want to see vintage or shabby chic projects in the traditional colours of red, pink and white but the twist is that there can be no hearts on your project. I sure hope you will play along with us.

Here are the details of my project from the bottom up:

I started with some white card stock from Staples for my card blank and then added a couple of layers of beautiful Maja patterned paper that were distressed with my scissors.  Since this paper is so precious, I decided to conserve as much as I could and cut a big square out of the middle of the bottom layer to use for another project. Nobody was going to see that piece anyway.

Next I made a fan from some crepe paper and then mounted the sweet vintage cherub that I picked up online somewhere (sorry, I missed tagging it).  Next I used a monogram stamp from Recollections and black Archival Ink to stamp the word LOVE.  They were inked with some Fired Brick Distress Ink and some teeny red gems from Michaels were added.

Next I altered a round filigree piece by painting it white and then dabbing some Fired Brick Distress Ink on it.  A white paper rose from Wild Orchid Crafts was dyed with a Copic marker and added to the filigree circle.  I added a few seed beads from my stash to the rose to look like water droplets.

The corner piece was cut from the Venetian Motifs die from Spellbinders and I sprayed it with some Perfect Pearls mist before I added more gems.

A gorgeous piece of Venise lace was added to the bottom and topped with some pleated pink satin ribbon to which I added a row of pearls and more seed beads.

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

Loves Rubber Stamps - Use Lace
Our Daily Bread Designs - Pink, Red & White
The Pink Elephant Challenge  - Love
Victorine Stamps - Valentines/Love
Allsorts Challenge - Vintage
Fussy and Fancy - Vintage
The Artistic Stamper - Love is in the Air

The following items used in the creation of this card came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique where everything is already discounted and you will get the best customer service from the Owner, Linda Coughlin:

Fibres & Texture

The new two-week challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow starts today and we are calling it FIBRES & TEXTURE.  We want to you to make vintage or shabby chic projects that include fabric, unique fibres and texture - not just ribbon and lace.

I have chosen to do a wedding card and while I don't know anyone getting married right now, I am sure it will come in handy at some point.

I started by using some white card stock from Staples to make the card blank.  Then I cut another piece of card stock and made the background.  First I swiped some Picket Fence and Tattered Rose Distress Stain by Ranger on my craft sheet and dragged the card stock through it.  Next I sprayed it lightly with water and dried it with my heat gun.  I didn't think it was quite dark enough so I went over some sections of it with Tattered Rose Distress Ink by Ranger.

Once it was dry, I decoupaged some Tim Holtz Tissue Wrap on it and let it dry before I distressed the edges with my scissors.  I love how the stain/ink background shows through the Tissue Wrap.

I printed the bride and groom silhouette image from The Graphics Fairy on a scrap of white card stock and then distressed the edges with my scissors and sponged them with some Tattered Rose Distress Ink.  The image was mounted on a piece of black Recollections card stock that I cut with the rectangular Fleur de Lis die from Spellbinders.

To make the rolled flower, I started with two pieces of fabric - some white drapery sheer that had been in my Mother's sewing closet and some blush polyester stretch fabric that came from who knows where.  Once the flower was rolled I added some lace from my stash and some bling from Recollections as a centre.

When I put the card together I finished it off with some black feathers from Michaels and black pearl flourishes from Recollections.

This post has been scheduled because I am flying home from Alberta today after checking up on my Mother-in-Law who was moved into assisted living last week due to her ever increasing dementia.  I suspect when I get home I will be wanting a stiff drink - LOL.

Saturday Step X Step at Frilly & Funkie

 
It is my turn to present the Saturday Step X Step at Frilly and Funkie and as promised I am explaining how I made my New Year's Resolution project so pop over and check it out.

The Warmth of Winter

The new two-week challenge at Frilly and Funkie is called The Warmth of Winter and we want to see vintage or shabby chic projects that will warm the heart of someone close to you.

When I started to make this card I thought I was supposed to make a winter project (note to self:  Read slowly rather than glance and assume - lol).  At the time however, it was -25C here with a wind chill of -32C and I could not equate winter with warm no matter how hard I tried.  Then I decided to get away from the traditional winter colours of blue and white and give winter activities a warmer feel and in the end I think this will warm someone's heart - it does mine.  The only thing missing is a steaming mug of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows.

I used some Recollections card stock to make my card blank and then started on my background.  I cut a square of white card stock and sponged it all over with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  Then I used some white Archival ink to randomly stamp a variety of snowflakes on it.  Some of the stamps came from an Artistic Outpost set and some from a stamp set that I bought in the UK and have misplaced the packaging so I don't know the manufacturer.

A strip of Maja paper was added across the background and then I put some lovely brown crochet lace on top.  I found the fabulous vintage image at xx and after I inked the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink I mounted it on some brown natural paper and then both were mounted on another co-ordinating piece of Maja paper. Note:  I didn't realize that I hadn't given credit for the image and just left a placeholder so my apologies but when I get back I promise to edit this post again to show where I got it - sure hope dementia isn't catchy :)

The sled and skates were cut with my Cameo and then inked with some Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  The lacing for the skates is just ordinary thread but the sled pull is some May Arts burlap string.

I cut a flourish from some copper metallic paper and added it to the bottom of the image and then added some wooden snowflakes that were rubbed with Rose Quartz Treasure Gold paste.  Finally I made some copper centres to the stamped snowflakes with a Viva Pearl Pen.

I am in Medicine Hat, Alberta this week checking up on my 91 year-old Mother-in-Law, who was moved from independent living to assisted living in her seniors' home last week.  She has had dementia for some time but now it is like a snowball rolling down hill and picking up speed so we are happy she will be getting a bit more help and will be safer with more staff around her.

The following products used in the creation of this card came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique - a great place to shop with discounted prices and top-notch customer service.

Something New

The next two-week challenge starts today at Sugar Creek Hollow and in honour of the start of another year, we are calling it Something New.  We want to see vintage oir shabby chic projects that utilize something new to you.  This could be a new craft supply or a new technique you have learned or you could even celebrate the New Year..

I have created this card featuring my new Birthday Blueprint stamp from Tim Holtz.  My daughter's birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks (and I am not sharing how old she is going to be because then you can figure out that I am old - lol) so I have made this for her. I took this photo on Thursday and since it was snowing (and -28C) it was difficult to get a great photo but it does look good in real life so I think she will like it.

The card blank is some Recollections card stock and the background paper is from my scrap box.  I added a panel of handmade paper that I picked up at Dollarama and then a strip of striped patterned paper from Raspberry Road that I edged with the deco edge punch by Martha Stewart.

I used Archival Ink from Ranger to stamp the image twice and then fussy cut around the cupcake.  The cupcake was coloured with Prismacolors and blended with Gotrick OMS.  I highlighted the flame and the icing with a gold Sakura pen and a little gold Stickles by Ranger.

The sentiment is from the Tim Holtz Simple Sayings set and the flower is mixture of flowers from Prima and Wild Orchid Crafts.  The doily and cupcake panel have been chalked with Mungyo chalk pastels and some gems from Michaels were added to finish the card off.

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

A Creative Romance - Something New
Stempelsonnen  - Anything Goes (with stamp as focal point)
Charismacardz  - Birthdays
Simon Says Stamp - Something New
Crafty Sentiments - Birthdays
Cuttin and Stampin - Anything Goes with Something New

My New Year's Resolution

The new two-week challenge at Frilly and Funkie is all about Your New Year's Resolution.  We want you to create a project that depicts your New Year's Resolution.

In my case, I resolve to travel more in 2014 and specifically I resolve to go to France.  Since my husband has to pay for this, is this really his New Year's Resolution? - LOL.

I hope you will tell us all about your New Year's Resolution and you could be the random winner who will receive a gift certificate to go shopping at The Funkie Junkie or you could be the Top Pick chosen by the Design Team and become a Guest Designer.

I am going to do the Saturday Step X Step feature on January18th so check back then to find out how I created this piece.

I can tell you that the following products used in the creation of this project can be found at The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Software Meets Christmas Tree

Today is the start of the last challenge for 2013 at Sugar Creek Hollow and it is called Recycling & Re-purposing.  We would love to see your entries but they must be either vintage or shabby chic (or a combination of both).  Your entry must include one or more items that have been recycled or used for a different purpose and you must tell us about it in your post so that we know your entry meets the theme and is eligible for any of the prizes.

A year ago or so my husband brought home a whole pile of software CD-ROMs and DVDs from work that were being sent to the garbage and asked if I wanted them for crafting and of course I said yes and added them to my stash not having any idea at the time how I could use them.  Since then I have discovered that they make the best bases for Christmas ornaments and this is the third one I have used for that purpose.

I got my husband to drill two holes opposite each other but in the end, I only used one this time.  Then I printed some digital paper from Summertime Designs and cut it into 2 1/2" squares.  Each square was folded into thirds to create a point and glued onto the CD in two layers.

Next I cut some loops with my Cameo and some gold card stock from Recollections and added them to each of the points on the top layer.  A gem from Dollarama was added to the top of each loop.

I printed the vintage Santa from The Graphics Fairy, cut it out and trimmed the edge with some gold Stickles by Ranger.  I added some lace from my stash to the back and then mounted Santa on a scalloped circle that was cut using a Nellie Snellen die and some red glitter card stock from Dollarama.  Some gold cord from my sewing cupboard was added as a hanger and then a plain card stock circle was added to the back to hide the CD.

I am going to enter this in the following challenges:

Happy Campers  - Christmas
Crafting For All Seasons - Anything Christmas But A Card
Ruby's Rainbow - It's Christmas
Inky Chicks - Christmas
Parade Your Crafts - Christmas Projects

Vintage Christmas

It is time for another two-week challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow called VINTAGE CHRISTMAS.  We want you to make vintage or shabby chic Christmas cards, table decorations, ornaments or decor items.

Avril Branthwaite is joining us as a Guest Designer for this challenge so pop over to her blog and check out her work and make her feel welcome.

This card was so easy to make and is thin enough that I should be able to pay regular postage for it.  I started with Staples card stock for the card blank and then added a couple of background paper from Summertime Designs.  The sentiment is computer generated.

Next I printed the Santa image that I found online but now can't find in my computer so I apologize for not giving proper credit.   The Santa panel was embossed it with the Cuttlebug Snowflakes embossing folder and Tim Holtz Circle Diffuser.  The snowflakes were cut on my Cameo and I added some gems from my stash.  Everything was inked with Tumbled Glass Distress Ink from Ranger.

Finally, I added a double bow of organza ribbon that I bought at Michaels.

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

Crafts 4 Eternity  - Non-traditional Christmas
Crafty Catz - Santa Claus is coming to town
Totally Papercrafts - Ho, Ho, Holidays
Fairytale - Photo Inspiration
4 Crafty Chicks - Christmas
Creative Moments - Anything Goes/Vintage
Creative Craft Challenges 2 - Non-traditional Christmas Colours
Lexi's Creations  - Christmas

Gift Tags & Note Cards

The challenge for the next two weeks at Frilly and Funkie is called Gift Tags and Note Cards, both of which should be in high demand with Christmas fast approaching.  You can make one or the other or even both if you like but make sure they are vintage or shabby chic.

I got really ambitious to start with and decided to make a set of four of each and began with the gift tags.  To make each tag, I took some white card stock and cut it into a tag shape.  Then I used a chewed up old sponge dauber and swirled some Frayed Burlap Distress Ink on it to make the background.  I punched a circle from some dark red card stock, added it to the tag and then punched a hole in the centre of it.  Finally I stamped a little background feature from the Tim Holtz Ultimate Grunge set.

Each tag has a border of patterned paper from the Maja Designs It's Christmas Time paper pad and before I attached it to the tag I cut the top edge with a Martha Stewart edge punch.  Then I added some fibre across the patterned paper using ribbon and large ric rac from my stash along with some May Arts crochet lace and jute ribbon from The Funkie Junkie Boutique. A button, brad and filigree metal piece were added to three of the tags.

Next each tag got a panel from Tim Holtz color core card stack and embossed using the Tim Holtz Bubbles Texture Fade and a panel stamped with the ornament from a Tim Holtz mini blueprint set.  I coloured the ornaments with Prismacolors blended with Gotrick odorless mineral spirits.  A gold Sakura gel pen was used to highlight the cap and the decorations on the band.

I cut the snowflakes from white corrugated cardboard with a Spellbinders die and highlighted them with some of the Frayed Burlap Distress Ink.  A gold card centre and a teeny gem finished them off.

Finally, I dyed some seam binding with Aged Mahogany Distress Ink and added it to the top along with some lace seam binding from my sewing cupboard.

I have been sick for a month (it started with a cold and then I had a reaction to an antibiotic) so I fade pretty quickly and by the time I finished the tags, I must admit I didn't really have the energy to go all out on the set of note cards.  I should have really concentrated on doing one of each.  Mind you I can't put much texture on the note cards if I intend to mail them because the post office charges extra for thickness so let's use that as my excuse :)  Oh, and I think I am finally turning the corner and will survive.

What I decided to do was make simpler cards that complimented the tags and used some of the same elements with a few twists.  I have used the same Maja Designs papers, made the same embossed panels and snowflakes but I have put the bands of fibre on a little differently and used just lace seam binding in two shades.  The sentiment is computer generated.

The following items used to create these projects can be found at The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Tags or Boxes at Sugar Creek Hollow

The challenge for the next two weeks at Sugar Creek Hollow is called Tags or Boxes.  All of the gals on the Design Team as well as our Guest Designer, Bonnie Garby, have made tags so I went rogue and made a box.  After all, the challenge is called Tags or Boxes.  We want to see vintage or shabby chic projects and with Christmas fast approaching both will be needed.

I decided to make a box, not only because I suspected there would be a lot of tags but also because my daughter has a birthday soon after Christmas and since I have already bought her birthday gift I know that it will fit perfectly in this Wallet Box.

Here is a look at the back and sides of this box.

I cut all the pieces for the base from some Recollections card stock and scored everything.  The base, except for the accordion sides was put together using double-sided tape.  Then I cut all the patterned paper for both the outside and inside making sure to leave a small border.  The patterned paper is digital paper that I got as a freebie from Far Far Hill.

The next step was to do some stamping over all the outside pieces, except for the piece on the closure, which matches the inside paper.  I used one of the stamps from the Tim Holtz Ultimate Grunge set as well as a Paper Artsy Mini.  Black Ranger Archival ink was used for the stamping.

Then I stenciled the leaves on using Dusty Concord Distress Ink by Ranger and a stencil called Botanical by Momenta.  The last step before gluing the patterned paper to the base was to ink all the edges with Ranger's Pumice Stone Distress Ink.

The embellishment on the closure involved cutting two scraps of card stock and taking a Martha Stewart edge punch to them.  After they were adhered to the closure, I added some pearl flourishes from Dollarama, some feathers from my stash and a deep purple rose from Wild Orchid Crafts.

Finally, I added the accordion sides and some adhesive Velcro dots to keep the closure in place.

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

Addicted to Stamps - Anything Goes
City Crafter - Hold It

Christmas Preparations

I know this a huge photo but I really wanted you to be able to see what I made for the new challenge at Frilly and Funkie.  The challenge is called CHRISTMAS PREPARATIONS and our hostess Sue wants you to make shabby chic or vintage items for your table, your tree, your holiday decor or even crackers for your Christmas dinner.

I have made a Tussie Mussie to hang on my tree and since this is a big one (10") it will fill in one of those pesky bare spots.  Now my tree is primarily decked out in red and gold but I do have a few gold and white ornaments so that is why I made this in these colors.

On November 30th, I am going to do a Step X Step feature over at Frilly and Funkie and show you how this was made so plan to pop over there for all the details.

I am going to enter this in the following challenges:

Bunny Zoe's Crafts  - Shabby Chic/Vintage
Make My Monday Challenge - Anything But A Card - Christmas Style
Crafty Calendar Challenge - All Things Christmas

I used trim, pearls, a brad, feathers, a pine cone, beaded trim and gold balls from my stash and I used the following products from The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Friday Focus at Frilly & Funkie

It is my turn to host the Friday Focus at Frilly and Funkie and this week I am sharing projects made with May Arts products, including a new card that I am teasing you with above.  To see the finished card and find out how I made it, pop over to Frilly and Funkie.

From now until next Thursday, the May Arts products at The Funkie Junkie Boutique are 15% off the already discounted prices so now is a great time to stock up - and don't forget to check out the rest of the shop while you are there.

Vintage Christmas

The challenge for the next two weeks at Sugar Creek Hollow is ANYTHING VINTAGE GOES so that means you can make anything as long as it is vintage or shabby chic. 

Since we are able to make anything this time I decided to try to grow my very small stash of Christmas cards.  In Canada the cost of mailing a letter or card depends more on the weight and the thickness and we don't get penalized for the shape.  So that means we can mail square cards with no extra postage provided it fits through this itty bitty little slot that the postmaster has.  As a result my Christmas cards have to be pretty flat like this one is or I can expect a hard time from my dear husband since they were too thick one year and he had to buy extra postage and stand there and put it on each and every card.

For this card I used card stock from Recollections for everything but the background and that is from a paper pack called Norland from Farm House Paper Company.

The image is from an Artistic Outpost stamp set called Sleigh Ride and has been stamped with Black Archival Ink from Ranger.  I used the Sheet Music Texture Fade by Tim Holtz to emboss the green panel and then highlighted it with Classic Treasure Gold from Connoisseur Studio.  The scrollwork panel was made with a Tim Holtz die and then some Fabricland satin ribbon was added to it.

The sentiment has been stamped with one of the stamps from the Simple Sayings stamp set from Tim Holtz.  The Poinsettia was cut with my Cameo.  Pearl stickers from Recollections were added to the centre of the poinsettia and to the image panel.  Aged Mahogany and Forest Moss Distress Ink from Ranger were used to ink the different elements.

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

Paper Crafting Journey - Anything Goes
Lady Anne's Challenges - Anything Goes (must use a stamp)
Whimsy Inspirations - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes

The following items were purchased at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

The Fall Harvest

It is time for a new two-week challenge at Frilly and Funkie and this time we want you to make vintage or shabby chic projects that depict HARVEST or THANKSGIVING.

I was away for a week and when I got back I had a pile of catch-up to do on my Son-in-Law's books along with a couple of sessions looking after my Grandchildren so I have to admit I rushed my card and being my own worst critic, I am not really happy with it but it does speak to the bounties of a fall harvest.  While we didn't pick our own apples, we did pick up a couple of large bags for eating and cooking and wow are they yummy at this time of year.

I started with a piece of  Bazzill card stock for the card blank and then worked on the background.  I used a baby wipe to paint a piece of white card stock with Guacamole, Hey Pesto & Green Olives chalk acrylics by Fresco Finish.  Then I took a sea sponge and dabbed on a bit of Blood Orange Fresco Finish here and there. I then stamped some leaves from a Just Right stamp set using Coffee Archival ink.  Next I used some black Archival ink to stencil the honeycomb pattern.  Finally it was distressed and inked with Vintage Photo distress ink.

The lovely lady gathering apples is an image that I found online at Abduzeedo and I have mounted her on some burlap.  I cut the leaves with metal foil using the Tim Holtz Tattered Leaves die.  Then I embossed them with the Victoria embossing folder from Cuttlebug and coloured them with some Ranger Alcohol inks.

The large flower has been cut from a coffee filter using the Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die and then dyed using Wild Honey Distress Ink.  A brad from Making Memories was used for the centre.  I made the stick pin myself and then put the fruit and floral spray together with little apples and the sunflower (if that is what it is supposed to be) that have been in my stash for eons along with roses from Wild Orchid Crafts.

The gorgeous brown pleated ribbon is from May Arts and came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique along with the stunning metal piece to which I added some gems from Dollarama.

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

Cuttin and Stampin Challenges  - Autumn Harvest

The following items were purchased at The Funkie Junkie Boutique - a super place to shop with fabulous prices and great customer service.