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.

Shabby Floral Wedding Card

It is time for a new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog and this time Suzz is our hostess and is calling it With This Ring.  Here is how she describes it:

Summer is a traditional time for weddings. This year we have seen many of the celebrations become virtual, rescheduled or limited to few people participating. We as craft makers can still share our art with the happy couples by creating something beautiful to celebrate their special occasion. I challenge you to create something celebrating a wedding, it can be anything including: layout, card, decor, or gift.

I have created a shabby card with lots of flowers and two hearts that speaks to the romantic nature of a wedding.

I started with some paper from the Pretty Mosaics collection (Prima) and toned the colour down by using my ratty bristle brush to add some White Gesso. The panel was distressed on the edges and then added to my card blank.

The next panel was created by brushing Blushing and Carnation Acrylic Paint (Dina Wakley) onto a piece of white card stock.

Once the paint was dry, I added some stenciling with a Flourish stencil (Tim Holtz) and Watering Can Archival Ink (Wendy Vecchi). This was followed with some White Gesso to tone it down. It was still too bold for me so I crumpled up some white tissue paper (Dollarama), opened it back up and glued it over the panel, making sure to pat it down so it didn't tear while it was still wet. Finally I distressed the edges and layered it on top of the background panel.

Next I worked on the embellishments.  I covered a chipboard heart cut by my husband with White Gesso and then added some Texture Paste Crackle (Tim Holtz) using a stipple brush. When it was dry I painted the heart with Elephant Acrylic Paint (Dina Wakley) and then rubbed some Pearl Perfect Pearl (Ranger) over the heart to add some shimmer to the high areas.

The word love is a wooden piece my husband made for me and it also has been covered with the Texture Paste Crackle and White Gesso. The little heart charm came from my stash and has been coated with White Gesso and then sanded for an aged look. A string of teeny seed beads have been added to the charm. Both the charm and word were then added to the large heart, which was then adhered to the card.

A strip of venise lace was added near the bottom.  I used the Skeleton Leaves and the Garden Greens die sets (Tim Holtz) to cut some leaves from scraps of white shimmer card stock. Seam binding was dyed with Hickory Smoke Distress Ink (Tim Holtz) and created a loopy bow to which I added a pearl cluster.

To create the large white flower I tore a strip of sheer drapery fabric from my sewing stash,folded it in half on the long side and using a running stitch on the side opposite the fold I ruffled it forming it into a flower shape and then added a paper flower to the centre. The rest of the flowers are a variety of paper flowers singles from my stash that have been layered with either paper roses or adhesive pearls added to the centres.

I finished the inside of the card by creating a second panel exactly like the background panel and then added a white panel with a sentiment.

I hope you will join us for this challenge.  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 opportunity to guest design with us at a future date.  The challenge can be found HERE and runs until 11:55 pm on Tuesday, August 4th.

Supplies list:

Prima Marketing Pretty Mosaic - A4 Paper Pad 642181
Dina Wakley Media Mediums - White Gesso MDM41689
Tim Holtz Distress Texture Paste 3oz Crackle TDA71303
Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paint - Elephant, 1oz Bottle
Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paint - Blushing, 1oz Bottle
Dina Wakley Heavy Body Acrylic Paint - Carnation - 1oz Bottle
Rayon Seam Binding
15 Piece Ivory Acrylic Imitation Pearl Clusters
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Layering Stencils - Flourish THS032
Ranger Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink Pad - Watering Can AID39006
KAISERCRAFT Pearls - Self Adhesive - Pearl
Scor Tape
Tim Holtz Tonic Studios Paper Distresser 370E
Tim Holtz Skeleton Leaves Die Set
Tim Holtz Garden Greens Die Set
Perfect Pearl Perfect Pearls
White Adhesive Pearls
Venise Lace
Sheer Fabric
Wild Orchid Crafts and Recollections Paper Flowers
Seed Beads
Heart Charm

Saturday Showcase at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog - Big Flower Tag

This week all the gals on the Design Team are sharing the Saturday Showcase at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog and creating tags with a flower theme for your inspiration.

I have made a tag with a BIG pink flower and here is how to create one like it:

• Cover both sides of a large tag with White Gesso (Dina Wakley).

• With a cheap bristle brush add lots of rough brush strokes using Peacock, Tangerine, Lime, Lemon and Magenta Acrylic Paint (Dina Wakley).

• Add markings in random areas using Watering Can Archival Ink (Wendy Vecchi) and Border Lines and Faded Fragments stamp sets (Seth Apter) and #THMM101 set (Tim Holtz).

• In random areas add Crackled Texture Paste (Wendy Vecchi) through a Harlequin stencil (Tim Holtz)
• Once dry, replace the stencil and dry brush more Lime, Peacock and Magenta Acrylic Paint over top

• Using Jet Black Archival Ink, stamp the large flower from the Daisy Elegance set (AALL & Create) onto some card stock three times
• Fussy cut all three images and then remove a few outer petals from one of the images
• Ink both sides of each image with Picked Raspberry Distress Ink (Tim Holtz)
• Use a fine brush and Carnation Acrylic Paint (Dina Wakley) paint the inside of the petals on the smaller image

• Colour the centre of the smaller image with a White Gelly Roll pen (Sakura) followed by a Yellow Glaze Pen (Sakura)

• Ink the edges of the tag with Cracked Pistachio Distress Ink (Tim Holtz)
• Mount a Small Talk sticker (Tim Holtz) on a scrap of card stock, fussy cut and ink with Cracked Pistachio DI
• Dye a piece of seam binding with Picked Raspberry DI

• Use the Detailed Butterflies Mini die set (Tim Holtz) and cut a butterfly from scrap paper - I used some leftover paper that was made with Cracked Pistachio Distress Paint (Tim Holtz) on my gel plate
• Punch some tiny butterflies from more of that leftover paper
• Layer the three flower images using dimensional foam between the layers and add to the card
• Glue some little dewdrops on the flower
• Adhere the butterflies and then add the seam binding to the top

Please check out all the wonderful tags from the rest of the Design Team.  There is an abundance of lovely flowers.

Supplies list with links to The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

AALL & Create A4 Stamp Set - Daisy Elegance #266
Tim Holtz Etcetera Small Tag Thickboards THETC-003
Dina Wakley Media Mediums - White Gesso MDM41689
Dina Wakley Heavy Body Acrylic Paint - Carnation - 1oz Bottle
Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paint - Lemon, 1oz Bottle
Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paint - Lime, 1oz Bottle
Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paint - Magenta, 1oz Bottle
Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paint - Tangerine, 1oz Bottle
Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paint - Peacock
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Cracked Pistachio TIM43218
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Picked Raspberry TIM34995
Ranger Archival Ink Pad - Jet Black AIP31468
Ranger Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink Pad - Watering Can AID39006
Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Texture Paste - Crackled WVPASTECRA
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Layering Stencils - Harlequin THS016
Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 4PK - Detailed Butterflies, Mini by Tim Holtz
Seth Apter Faded Fragments Stamp Set
Scor Tape
TIM HOLTZ 5 INCH/ 12.3CM TITANIUM BLACK SNIP 816E
Rayon Seam Binding
Seth Apter Border Lines Stamps
Tim Holtz #THMM101 Stamps
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Small Talk Sickers
Sakura White Gelly Roll Pen
Sakura Yellow Glaze Pen
Marvy Uchida Mini Butterfly Punch
Dew Drops

Smell the Rain

It is time for the next challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog and this time Maggi is our hostess.  She is calling it April Showers Bring May Flowers and here is how she describes it:

Design a vintage or shabby chic project that incorporates a wet "something" with flowers. Examples: Stenciled or doodled raindrops, water distressed or crumpled paper, Tim Holtz's Umbrella Man, you get the idea, just have something that represents wet. Then, add some flowers to your project.

I used the big flower from the Funky Flower Art set from Wendy Vecchi and made this funky and really gaudy tag. The tag that was originally in my head did not look like this but I got a lot carried away and this is the result. It is busy but the colours are pretty happy and we need happy right now.

I started with a 3 1/2" x 7" tag that was cut from mat board by my husband but I will link the tag section in Linda's store because there are many types and sizes to choose from.

I added a variety of Distress Oxides (Tim Holtz) to the tag making sure to dry between each colour.

Next I coated it with some Distress Collage Medium - Crazing (Tim Holtz) to try to provide a bit of a barrier before I did the next step.  Unfortunately my medium had gotten hard so I attempted to recover it by adding a bit of water and putting it in the microwave for a minute.  This helped but not enough so while it added some interesting texture, it did not provide a resist and removed some of the colour I had already laid down - disappointing but not the end of the world since it was actually lighter than I was going for anyway.

I added Translucent Embossing Paste (Wendy Vecchi) through a Raindrops Stencil I had picked up in England last year.  Mermaid Lagoon and Tumbled Glass Distress Spray Stains were added next to beef up the colour - and boy did I.

The floral was stamped twice on Watercolour Paper using Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger) and then fussy cut.

Both images were coloured with Cheddar, Tangerine, Olive and Evergreen Scribble Sticks (Dina Wakley)

Distress Oxides were used to dye a piece of lace and Distress Collage Medium - Vintage (Tim Holtz) was used to coat a torn piece of old book paper and a piece of burlap to age and stiffen them.

To assemble the tag, I adhered the old book paper, the lace topped with the burlap to which I added a strip of ribbon from my stash.  The floral was added with dimensional foam between the layers followed by a punched butterfly and a computer-generated sentiment.  Finally I added some buttons and a ribbon topper.

I hope you use some of your time at home to create and join us for the challenge.  It runs through 11:55 pm EST on Tuesday, April 14th.  The Design Team will choose their top picks and the overall winner will receive an opportunity to be a Guest Designer at a future date.  In addition, one randomly chosen entry will receive a gift certificate to shop at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

Supplies list with links to The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Tags
Stampers Anonymous Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Stamp Set - Funky Flower Art SCS173
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxides (Frayed Burlap, Vintage Photo, Scattered Straw, Fossilized Amber, Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, Broken China, Wild Honey, Dried Marigold
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo TIM19527
Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Spray Stain - Mermaid Lagoon TSS44147
Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Stain Spray - Tumbled Glass TSS42570
Ranger Archival Ink Pad - Jet Black AIP31468
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Collage Medium Crazing TDA47957
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Collage Medium Vintage TDA47940
Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste - Translucent WVPASTETRN
Dina Wakley Media Scribble Sticks MDA54733
Dina Wakley Media Scribble Sticks 2
White Jute Mesh (Burlap)
Buttons
Grograin Ribbon
Martha Stewart Butterfly Punch
Venise Lace
Clear Plastic Dew Drops
Creative Expressions Raindrops Stencil

A Hot Box

It is time for a new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog (formerly known as Frilly and Funkie).  Suzz is our hostess for this one that she is calling It's Heating Up.  Here is how she describes it:

July is when the weather here in the Midwest really starts to turn warm and muggy. This is the inspiration for our challenge to interpret the heat with using one or more of the following colors: Yellow, Red or Orange. Your challenge is to create a vintage or shabby chic project where the main color is yellow, orange or red. I can't wait to see how you turn up the heat in your art!

It has been super hot so far this summer so I had no problem thinking hot colours but what to make with those colours - an altered box came to mind.

I took the process photos along the way and the finished product photos later only to discover that some of the camera settings had changed along the way so some of the process photos don't have a background that looks like the one I took them on.  I have decided there is a gremlin in my phone because the Bluetooth turns itself off from time to time and texts are disappearing - time for a new phone and maybe a new provider.

I started with a cheap paper mache box from Dollarama and gave it a coat of White Gesso (Dina Wakley) followed by a coat of Squeezed Orange Acrylic Paint (Dylusions).  Once the box was dry, I added Lemon Zest acrylic paint (Dylusions) with a sea sponge.

Next I inked it all over with some Red Geranium Archival Ink (Wendy Vecchi) and then sprayed it with Aged Mahogany Distress Spray Stain (Tim Holtz) and while it was still wet, I patted it with a piece of paper toweling to give a marbled look.

I found some little wooden finials at Michaels that I thought would make great feet for the box so I coated them first with White Gesso and then with the Lemon Zest Acrylic Paint.  They were too bright so I inked them with Orange Blossom Archival Ink (Wendy Vecchi) and was much happier with the finished look.  I used some Gel Medium (Dina Wakley) to glue the feet to the bottom of the box.

I grabbed some venise lace from my Funkie Junkie Boutique stash and dyed it using some Wild Honey Distress Stain (Tim Holtz - no longer available but Distress Ink Re-inker would be a perfect alternative) mixed in a little jar with a bit of water.  Once it was dry I adhered it to the outside edge of the box lid.

Now it was time to decorate the top.  I used the Shabby Posies die (Tammy Tutterow) to cut petals from paper pads called Floral Shoppe and Midnight Masquerade (Graphic 45).  The paper used for the yellow flower was too pale so I inked it with some Mustard Seed Distress Ink (Tim Holtz).  Next I shaped the flowers and layered the petals together.  I wanted a shiny look so I painted them with some Gloss Gel Medium and then when they were dry I added some adhesive pearls from Dollarama to the centres.

A branch was cut from the orange in the Metallics Jewels Kraft Stock pad (Tim Holtz) using the Skeleton Leaves die set (Tim Holtz) and then I cut some of the leaves from the branch.  I also used the Garden Greens die set (Tim Holtz) to cut some branches from some rusty red card stock scraps.

To make the butterfly, I coloured a piece of plastic packaging with Sunset Orange, Sunshine Yellow and Poppyfield Alcohol Ink (Tim Holtz) and then cut the little butterfly using the Entomology die set (Tim Holtz).  I used a black Micron pen to draw lines on the butterfly rather than stamping it.  I tried stamping one from the Entomology set (Tim Holtz) but did not like it.

I made a loopy bow from a large ball of yellow twine I found in my stash and then punched a little circle from the Metallics Kraft Stock, shaped it with a large embossing tool and added it to the centre of the bow.

All of the elements were adhered to the top of the box using either Scor Tape or Gel Medium.

I hope you will join us for this sizzling challenge.  There is lots of time to create as it runs through 11:55 pm EST on Tuesday, July 30th.  One random winner will receive a gift certificate to shop at The Funkie Junkie Boutique and the Design Team will choose their top picks with the overall winner receiving an invitation to be a Guest Designer at a future date.

Supplies List from The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Tim Holtz Idea-ology 8 x 8 Metallic Jewels Kraft Stock

DYLUSIONS PAINTS, SQUEEZED ORANGE DYP46035	DYLUSIONS PAINTS, LEMON ZEST DYP45991	Ranger Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink Pad - Orange Blossom AID38986	Ranger Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink Pad - Red Geranium AID38993	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Mustard Seed TIM20226	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Stain Spray - Mustard Seed TSS42358
Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Stain Spray - Aged Mahogany TSS42129	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Reinker Wild Honey TIM27324	Tammy Tutterow Shabby Posies Die	Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 9PK - Garden Greens by Tim Holtz 661206	Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 5pk - Skeleton Leaves by Tim Holtz 663094	Sizzix Framelits Die Set - Entomology by Tim Holtz 663068
Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink - Sunset Orange	Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink - Sunshine Yellow	Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink - Poppyfield TAL40736	Graphic 45 - Floral Shoppe - 8x8 Pad	Venise Lace Trim - 1/2 inch wide	Ranger Dina Wakley Media Ultra Thick Gel Medium 4oz
Dina Wakley Media Mediums - White Gesso MDM41689	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