Saturday Showcase for The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog

Today the whole team at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog is sharing the Saturday Showcase post.  We have decided to make Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) for fun and swap them amongst us rather than stashing them in a box and forgetting about them.

I am featuring Graphic 45 papers to make my shabby ATCs and while I have used paper collections I have had for some time and they may not be available anymore, I encourage you to go to the shop and check out all the paper collections to be had because there are so many that would work if you want to recreate my ATCs.

An ATC is 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" and can be made from chipboard, heavy card stock, watercolor card stock or even playing cards. The chipboard pieces I used were cut by my husband and I started by covering them with patterned paper but I did not like where they were going so I peeled off the paper. When I did that some of the chipboard peeled off too leaving a bumpy surface. I added a very thin layer of texture paste smoothing it with an old credit card but after they dried the surface was still bumpy. Right then I decided that I didn't mind the texture, especially since I planned to add more texture.

I covered both sides of the ATCs with White Gesso and then added torn pieces from an old book but you could add any paper as your collage items. I dry brushed a bit more White Gesso over the book paper.

The next step was to add some texture paste on both sides through the Flourish stencil (Tim Holtz).

I added a little bit of water to some Sand Acrylic Paint (Dina Wakley) and covered the ATC on both sides.

The next step was to create embellishments for the ATCs and there are no process photos since it just involved cutting and punching but you can see them all in these close-ups. Everything was inked on the edges with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink. I made computer generated sentiments, hand-cut hearts and little tags. punched flowers and butterflies and my husband cut some honeycomb pieces out of cracker box material for me. Little bows made from Burlap String, pieces of lace and dollar store adhesive pearls for the flower centres were added to finish the ATCs off.

Pop over to The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog where you will find the treasures created by my teammies for this Saturday Showcase. You will want to go on to each of their blogs to get the details on how they created their tiny works of art.

If you want to participate in the challenge, it can be founbd HERE and runs until 11:55 pm on Tuesday, March 16th. You can create anything but make sure it is either shabby chic or vintage.
Supplies list:

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Layering Stencils - Flourish THS032
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Gathered Twigs TIM32823
Dina Wakley Heavy Body Acrylic Paint - Sand - 1oz Bottle
Burlap String - 12 Colors
Scor Tape
Ranger Inkssentials Mini Ink Blending Tool - With 4 Blending Foams IBT40965
Graphic 45 Paper Pads - A Ladies Diary, Bloom, Fairie Dust and Floral Shoppe
Liquitex White Gesso
Chipboard
Liquitex Regular Modeling Paste
EK Success Flower Punches
Martha Stewart Butterfly Punch
Dollarama Adhesive Pearls
Lace

Tiny Neutral Accordion Book

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Supplies list:

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

Life is a Beautiful Ride

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

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

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

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

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

The Heart of the Home

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Supplies list:

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

Bird on a Branch

The new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog starts today and Suzz, our hostess is calling it Birds. Here is how she describes it:

For this Challenge I want you to be inspired by our flying friends. You can take the challenge literally and have images or die cuts of birds on your art, you can be inspired by the words describing birds or even showcase their homes. Make sure to share with us how you were inspired by the birds.

I decided to take the challenge literally and show a bird on my project. I was inspired by a canvas I saw online with a bird and a branch but then went off in my own direction.

I started by covering an 8 x 10" canvas board with White Gesso. I used some Wild Honeysuckle Coral Stardust Ink Spray and some Roast Chestnut IZink Pigment Ink like watercolours by mixing them in small puddles of water on my kraft sheet and then painting them onto the canvas. I did a layer of the Coral first, the the Roast Chestnut and then more Coral. Note: I forgot to take a photo at the end of this step but I am sure you can see the colour below the stenciling.

Next I added some stenciling with a Mini Ledger Stencil and some Coffee Archival Ink. I also used a Criss-Cross stencil I designed myself and my husband cut to add some texture with Textue Paste.

My husband designed and cut the branch with leaves from chipboard for me and I gave it a coat of White Gesso. I used my finger to add some roughness on the wood with texture paste and then painted it with Melted Chocolate Acrylic Paint followed by some Umber Acrylic Paint. The leaves were painted with Aloe Acrylic Paint.

The flowers were punched from a paper collection called Garden Goddess, the edges inked with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink and some tiny dollar store gems were added to the centres.

The little bird is cut from some fine corrugated cardboard that I had in my stash. I have a large stencil of different birds and I just traced him and then cut him out. Next I have him a coat of White Gesso followed by some Sedona Acrylic Paint and then a dry brushing of more Gesso. Once the paint was dry I rubbed some Rose Quartz wax paste over the raised areas and then added a gem for an eye.

The clock was cut from a cracker box by my husband and then I coated it with Umber Acrylic Paint, a sprinkling of playground sand and finally a coat of Mod Podge.

I ran a strip of Rose Gold Metallics Kraft Stock through an embossing folder called Paisley Palooza to create a textured strip for the background. I also die cut a scalloped circle from card stock, ran it through a Bubble embossing folder, inked the edges with Gathered Twigs DI and dry brushed White Gesso onto the highlights. Sorry I forgot to photograph this step - brain turning to mush being home for so long.

I die cut a circle from cracker box material, coated it with White Gesso and then inked it with Dried Marigold Distress Ink. I used the Bubble stencil and some Coffee Archival Ink to add some markings and then covered the circle with some Clear Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paste. The Crackle Paste was really thick (a.k.a. pretty well dead) so it didn't really crack well.

To assemble the canvas, I put the metallic strip down first, followed by the scalloped circle, the clock and the stenciled circle. The branch was added next followed by the bird. Finally I added some iridescent sequins and a little Small Talk sticker that I inked with Gathered Twigs.

I hope you will join us for the challenge, which runs until 11:55 pm EDT on Tuesday, September 15th. One randomly chosen winner will receive a gift certificate to shop at The Funkie Junkie Boutique and the Design Team will choose their Top 4 Picks with the overall winner receiving an opportunity to be a Guest Designer at a future date.

Supplies list:

Dina Wakley Media Mediums - White Gesso MDM41689
Seth Apter Izink Pigment - Roast Chestnut 80638
Dina Wakley Acrylic Paint - Aloe, Umber, Sedona
Dylusions Paints, Melted Chocolate DYP46011
Ranger Archival Ink Pad - Coffee AIP31451
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads - Gathered Twigs, Dried Marigold
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Layering Stencils - Bubble THS002
Tim Holtz Idea-ology 8 x 8 Metallic 2 Kraft Stock - Rose Gold & Copper TH93780
Ranger Texture Paste Opaque Matte INK44444
Scor Tape
Ranger Inkssentials Mini Ink Blending Tool - With 4 Blending Foams IBT40965
Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint - Clear Rock Candy
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Small Talk Stickers
Graphic 45 Garden Goddess 12" x 12" Paper
Lindy's Wild Honeysuckle Coral Stardust Ink Spray
Treasure Gold Rose Quartz Wax Paste
Mini Ledger & Criss Cross Stencils
Circle and Scalloped Circle Dies
Mini Flower Punch
Micro Gems
Chipboard Branch with Leaves & Chipboard Clock Iridescent Sequins

Christmas Gift Card Holders

It is time for the new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog.  Sara Emily is our hostess for this one called It's A Wrap. Here is what she has to say about it:

Whenever I hear this term, I think of something that's finished or completed. But for this challenge, we want you to share your vintage or shabby chic gift wrapping, gift box or bag or perhaps a set of gift tags. Or maybe you might take a different approach and use a wrap die cut or gift packaging on your project -- just be sure to tell us what your 'wrap' is if it's not obvious!

When I saw this challenge I immediately knew that I needed to work on something for Christmas. Since there is zero chance I am going shopping at the mall during a pandemic, I will doing most of the shopping for Christmas online. I have Grandchildren that are at the age where they want to select their own gifts so I decided on gift card holders for this challenge. I normally take them shopping for their birthday, give them a budget and they pick their own presents and along with lunch out that Grandma buys, they walk away very happy. This year they got gift cards purchased online at stores where they like to shop in person but can shop online. It wasn't as much fun for me but it worked and I can see Christmas being much of the same although I do plan to ask their Mother for a shopping list of things I can buy online. I am getting quite proficient at hitting the SUBMIT button since I am buying everything online, including groceries right now.

I made a quartet of very simply decorated but different gift card holders. Since some e-gift cards can be cut into the shape of an normal gift card, a couple of the holders will accommodate that type but when you print from some sites, you have to fold the gift card so two of the holders are made with space to accommodate that type.

For all of the holders I used the Festive Greens and Holiday Greens die sets from Tim Holtz. If they are no longer available in the store I will link to suggested alternatives. Since I am on a mission to use up leftovers and scraps in my stash I also used leftovers from a couple of Graphic 45 Christmas paper pads that were in my stash along with some of the Metallic card stock pads from Tim Holtz.

• Cut a strip of card stock 4" wide x 8 1/2" long
• On the long side score at 2 1/2", 2 7/8", 5 7/8" and 6 1/4"
• Fold all score lines and burnish with bone folder
• Cut patterned paper to cover the back, front bottom and front top (I cut mine so it was 1/16" smaller on all four sides)
• Ink edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink
• Cut two pieces of card stock 1 3/8" wide x 2 3/8" long for the gussets
• Score on the short side at 1/2" and 5/8"
• Fold gussets and burnish with bone folder
• Adhere to the inside of the front bottom and back with double sided tape
• Add velcro fasteners or make a belly band to keep holder shut
• Decorate as desired - I just added a fussy cut element from the paper and a pair of die cut holly leaves with adhesive pearls

For the next one, I was inspired by a little double flip box that I found online HERE. I used the template shown on the blog but did my own measurements and actually messed up when I did the outside so the top isn't quite as flat as it should be. I will explain in the instructions.

• Cut one piece of card stock 5 5/8" x 4 3/8
• On the long side score at 1/2", 1", 4 5/8" and 5 1/8"
• Cut out sections and angle edges as shown on the template
• Fold to create box bottom
• Cut one piece of card stock 8 7/8" x 3 1/2"
• On long side score at 2", 2 1/2", 6 3/8" and 6 7/8" - the centre section needs to be at least 1/4" longer than the box bottom and I only added 1/8"
• Cut out sections and angle edges as shown on the template
• Fold to create double flip top
• Die cut a label for the closure
• Add magnets to right side of flip top and to back of the label closure
• Cut patterned paper for both sides of the flip top inside and out as well as the back of the label closure
• Adhere the box bottom to the inside bottom of the double flip top piece making sure it is centred
• Decorate as desired - I used the Festive Greens die set and Gold Metallic card stock

• Cut one piece of card stock 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" for base
• Cut patterned paper to fit base and ink edges with Vintage Photo DI
• Cut one piece of card stock 3" x 4 1/2" for a mat and centre over base
• Cut one piece of card stock 5 1/2" x 4 1/4"
• On long side score at 2 3/4" and fold like a card
• Dye a strip of seam binding with Antique Linen DI and attach to outside of folded card to act as a closure
• Adhere folded card to mat
• Cut three pieces of patterned paper to fit insides and the front, ink edges and adhere
• Fussy cut an element from the paper pad and add to inside as pocket
• Decorate inside and front

• Cut one piece of patterned paper 3 1/2" x 7 1/4"
• On long side score at 3 5/8"
• Cut a thumb notch at one end using a circle punch
• Fold and adhere with a narrow strip of double sided tape on each side
• Cut a piece of patterned paper 3 3/4" x 3"
• On short side score at 1 1/2" and fold
• Adhere the pocket section to the inside of the top and add Velcro closures
• Decorate as desired - I used a mixture of die cuts and plain and metallic card stock

I hope you will join us for the challenge. It runs until 11:55 pm EST on Tuesday, September 1st. One randomly chosen winner will receive a gift certificate to shop at The Funkie Junkie Boutique and the Design Team will choose their top four picks with the overall winner receiving an invitation to be a Guest Designer at a future date.

Supplies list:

Sizzix Alternations Tim Holtz Thinlits Dies - Holiday Greens 658759
Sizzix Tim Holtz Thinlits Die Set - Funky Festive Florals 664221
Graphic 45 - Christmas Magic - 8x8" Pad
Tim Holtz Idea-ology 8 x 8 Metallic Kraft Stock
Tim Holtz Idea-ology 8 x 8 Metallic Jewels Kraft Stock
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo TIM19527
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Antique Linen TIM19497
Ranger Inkssentials Mini Ink Blending Tool - With 4 Blending Foams IBT40965
Scor Tape
Rayon Seam Binding
Graphic 45 St. Nicholas 8"x8" Paper Pad

Tim Holtz Festive Greens Thinlets Die Set

Bride's Folio

I am presenting the Saturday Showcase this week at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog and have created a Bride's Folio with gorgeous papers from the Le Romantique collection from Graphic 45.

To get all the details on how I put this simple folio together, pop on over to the blog.

Joy to the World

It is time for the last challenge of 2019 at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog.  Maggi is our hostess for this one and she has given it the title of It's the Holidays and describes it like this:

This is such a busy time of the year that it's hard to find anytime to pursue our paper passion! With that in mind, I designed a challenge that will hopefully give you some needed crafting time, while making something useful for the holiday season that is upon us! For this challenge, create a vintage or shabby chic card, tag, gift box, bag, anything holiday related, that you can use over the holidays.

I have the Graphic 45 paper pad called Joy to the World so I thought I would use it to make a card with a pocket inside to hold a gift card.  This is a little bit shabby so it won't be one that goes in the mail - that might require robbing a bank to pay for the postage.  I think my Daughter will be the recipient since she has numerous gift cards on her wish list for Christmas.  My Granddaughter has her beaten by a mile but this wouldn't be her taste even with the gift inside  I guess when you turn 13 and become a teenager, you don't trust Grandma to pick anything out for you, even with instructions, so that explains all the gift cards. 😃😃😃

This card was simply put together as follows:

• Cut a panel of patterned paper for the background, ink the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and add to a card blank
• Cut chevrons from two more patterned paper, ink the edges, mount on kraft card stock chevrons and adhere to background
• Cut angel element from patterned paper, ink the edges, mount on kraft card stock and add to card
• Add sentiment sticker element from collection
• Cut flower petals from cream, salmon and kraft card stock using the Shabby Posies die
• Ink petal edges, layer to create flowers and glue copper seed beads to centres with Glossy Accents
• Use Skeleton Leaves die to cut leaves from Rose Gold Metallic Kraft Stock
• Use Holiday Greens die to cut greenery from green card stock and ink the edges
• Add leaves, greenery and flowers to front of card
• Cut another angel element from the patterned paper, add gussets to create a pocket and adhere to the inside of the card for a gift card holder

We would love to have you join us for this challenge.  It is a perfect opportunity for you to show off some of the cards and other festive things you are making for the holiday season.  The challenge runs through 11:55 pm EST on Tuesday, December 17th.  One randomly chosen winner will receive a gift certificate to go shopping at The Funkie Junkie Boutique and the Design Team will choose their top 4 picks with the overall winner receiving an opportunity to Guest Design with us at a future date.

Supplies List:

Graphic 45 Joy to the World 12x12 (sold out)
Staples Cream Card Stock
Martha Stewart Wild Salmon Card Stock
Spellbinders Shabby Posies Die by Tammy Tutterow (no longer available)
Copper Seed Beads
Sizzix Alternations Tim Holtz Thinlits Dies - Holiday Greens 658759
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo TIM19527
Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 5pk - Skeleton Leaves by Tim Holtz 663094
Tim Holtz Idea-ology 8 x 8 Metallic 2 Kraft Stock - Rose Gold & Copper TH93780
Ranger Inkssentials Mini Ink Blending Tool - With 4 Blending Foams IBT40965
Scor-Pal Scor Tapes
Ranger Inkssentials Glossy Accents GAC17042

Just Add Treats

It is time for the next challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog.  Maggi is our hostess and is calling this one Treats, Not Tricks! Here is what she has to say about it:

Choose a theme and make something that will hold a treat for someone. It could be a Halloween treat bag, a Vaentine's candy box, a birthday card for a special person that holds a treat (could be a gift card "treat" or a bite of chocolate), anything that can hold a treat. So, for this challenge, choose a theme and make a vintage or shabby chic treat project to treat your someone special!

I got a head start on Christmas and created a couple little treat boxes and an altered gift bag using Graphic 45 papers.

For the altered bag, I used the Joy to the World collection and started with a layer of patterned paper  that was distressed and inked with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink (Tim Holtz).  Frayed Burlap was used for all the inking in these projects.

A strip of venise lace that was inked was added to the bottom and then a strip of patterned paper was punched with a border punch (Martha Stewart) and added on top.

Next came another panel of patterned paper followed by a panel of cream card stock that was embossed with a Starry Night embossing folder (Sizzix) and then an image panel cut from the paper collection.

I cut some Greenery using the Holiday Greens die (Tim Holtyz) and added poinsettias on top (Prima).  A big gold organza bow was topped with a little burlap bow and snowflake charm was added next along with a sentiment from the collection.

The little treat boxes were created from patterns I found online and turned into tree ornaments.

The red one has paper from the Joy to the World collection and a variety of ephemera from the St. Nicholas paper pad.  I cut greenery from the Holiday Greens die and also made a little poinsettia to which I added adhesive pearls (Kaisercraft) for the centre.

Some ivory satin ribbon (Fabricland) was used to make the hanger and then a red burlap bow and a little bells charm were added.

The other box is from a free pattern (Lori Whitlock) and is covered in paper from the Christmas Magic pad along with a fussy cut angel and circle sentiment from the Joy to the World collection.  Little poinsettias were made from red card stock and some patterned paper.

Ivory satin ribbon and a bow with a pearl centre were added to create a closure and the hanger.

Supplies list (links to The Funkie Junkie Boutique):

Antiqued Bronze Snowflake Charms - Set of 5
Graphic 45 - Joy To The World 12x12 Collection Pack 4501909
Graphic 45 - Christmas Magic - 8x8" Pad
Graphic 45 - St. Nicholas 8x8" Pad
Antiqued Bronze Snowflake Charms - Set of 5
Antiqued Bronze Bell Bowknot Charms - Set of 5
Prima Marketing Christmas In The Country Flowers - Kris Kringle 642495
Gold Organza Ribbon
Cream Satin Ribbon (Fabricland)
Starry Nights Embossing Folder (Sizzix)
Lace Border Punch (Martha Stewart)
Cream Card Stock (Staples)
Green Card Stock (Michaels)
Kraft Gift Bag (Michaels)

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Frayed Burlap TIM21469	Ranger Inkssentials Mini Ink Blending Tool - With 4 Blending Foams IBT40965	Scor-Pal Scor-Tape 1/8" x 27 Yards	Scor-Pal Scor-Tape 1/4" x 27 Yards	Scor-Pal Scor-Tape 3/8" x 27 Yards	Venise Lace Trim - 2 inches
Sizzix Holiday Greens Die Leaves	KAISERCRAFT Pearls - Self Adhesive - Latte	Burlap String - 12 Colors