Joy

It is time for a new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog. Sara Emily is our hostess and is calling this one Deck The Hals! Here is how she describes it:

For this challenge, we would like to see those vintage or shabby chic Christmas decorations! This is not about Christmas cards this time, but think about tree ornaments, wreathes, vignettes, mantle or table decorations, etc. with a Christmas theme.

I have created a little vignette to add some Christmas cheer to my creative space since I am not doing much in the way of decorating this year. There will only be two of us for Christmas this year and all family gatherings that I usually host in December have been cancelled due to the pandemic. Since nobody is coming to the house I decided not to put a tree up but have hung a couple of wreaths and placed some Santas around so this will add to my minimilistic decor.

I didn't take any process photos because the weather and light were horrible but here is how it came together:

I turned a stretched canvas from the dollar store upside down and covered the wood frame with White Gesso (Dina Wakley) and then followed that with Texture Paste (Ranger) using my palette knife to make it bumpy. I painted the canvas on the inside with a couple coats of a dusky blue paint but you could used Stormy Sky Distress Paint if you have it.

My husband cut me a couple of trees out of chipboard and I painted them with a coat of Evergreen Acrylic Paint (Dina Wakley) first followed by a coat of a dark green paint from my stash but you could use Forest Green Distress Paint. Once the paint was dry I coated the trees with Mod Podge Matte to seal in the paints. More Texture Paste was pounced on the branches to look like it just snowed.

The next step was to cut lots of greenery from scrap pieces of card stock using the Holiday Greens and Festive Greens die sets (Tim Holtz). The greens were inked with some Forest Green Distress Ink (Tim Holtz). I also cut some berries from red card stock using the Festive Greens set.

A couple of Christmas Paper Dolls (Tim Holtz) were colourized with Copic Markers. Next I used scraps of paper leftover from a bunch of Graphic 45 Christmas collections and a die set from Sizzix by Pete Hughes called Santa's Workshop to cut a bunch of Christmas gifts. I also used some Silver Metallic Kraft Stock (Tim Holotz) to cut one of the gifts, some of the bows and the stars.

The Alpha Tiles spelling out the word JOY were covered with a watered down coat of Elephant Acrylic Paint (Dina Wakley), rubbed with Hickory Smoke DI and then edged with Pewter Wax Paste. To assemble the vignette I adhered the trees to the inside canvas along with the stars. Then I added the gifts using dimensional foam to mount them. The greenery was added to the top and bottom and then the tiles and paper dolls were added.

My handy husband made me a little wooden easel to display this vignette so it now has a place of pride on the credenza across from my desk and that means I have a wee bit of Christmas cheer in this room.

I hope you will join us for the challenge. It can be found HERE and runs through 11:55 PM on Tuesday, December 22nd so there is time to make some decor for your home or tree. One random 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 be a Guest Designer at a future date.

Supplies list:

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Paper Dolls Christmas TH94090
Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paint - Evergreen, 1oz Bottle
Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paint - Elephant, 1oz Bottle
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Forest Moss TIM27133
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Hickory Smoke TIM43232
Sizzix Chapter 4 Thinlits Die Set - Santa's Workshop 664495 by Pete Hughes
Scor Tape
Ranger Inkssentials Mini Ink Blending Tool - With 4 Blending Foams IBT40965
Tim Holtz Festive Greens Die Set
Tim Holtz Holiday Greens Die Set
Ranger Texture Paste
Dina Wakley White Gesso
Tim Holtz Metallic Kraft Stock (Silver)
Graphic 45 Christmas Paper Scraps
Copic Markers
Hobbycraft Alpha Tiles
Folk Art Forest Green Acrylic Paint
Dollarama 5"x7" Stretched Canvas
Dimensional Foam
Martha Stewart Glue Pen
Pewter Wax Paste

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

Christmas Backgrounds

Today is the beginning of the challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog and I am the hostess for this one.  I am calling it Staying in the Background and here is how I describe it:

My challenge to you is to create your own background and use it in a shabby chic or vintage project - no pre-printed patterned paper this time. You can create the background in any number of ways and it can be simple or intricate. Using embossing folders. stencils, dies, stamps, washi tape, paints, inks or a gel press are just a few ideas. Make sure you give a brief description of how you created your background in your post.

I decided to make some more simply decorated Christmas cards for the challenge. All my cards are quite flat intentionally so I can mail them with standard letter mail postage, which is already obscene at $1.07 + 13% tax for a single stamp (they give us a break if we buy a book of 10 - 97 cents each plus 13% tax).

For this first card I used Versamark to randonly stamp snowflakes from an old stamp set over some white card stock. Then I heat embossed the snowflakes with Clear embossing powder. Once the embossing was cool, I inked over the whole panel with Stormy Sky, Tumbled Glass and Faded Jeans Distress Ink. The embossing acted as a resist but to ensure that the snowflakes popped, I took a paper towel and rubbed it over the panel.

I forgot to take a photo of the embellishment process but it was very simple. I cut some branches from some white shimmer card stock using the Holiday Greens die set. I also die cut an oval from Metallic Kraft StockJewels . The sentiment was cut for me by my husband.

To assemble the card I added a panel of the Metallic Kraft Stock to the card blank, then added the background panel followed by the embellishments.

For the next card, I made a painted background. Using one of my ratty brushes I painted crisscrosses on white card stock with Ruby, Evergreen and Ancient Acrylic Paint.

I used scraps of card stock to cut a poinsettia and branches from a die set called Festive Greens. The branches and the poinsettia centre were painted with the Ancient Acrylic Paint.

To assemble the card I added a panel of red card stock to the card blank and then adhered the painted background. Next came a little strip of green card stock that I ran through a dots embossing folder. The sentiment was painted with Ancient Acrylic Paint and added along with the poinsettia and branches.

For the final card I put some Faded Jeans, Tumbled Glass and Stormy Sky Distress Ink on my kraft sheet, added some water and dragged a piece of white card stock through it. Once it was dry I used Faded Jeans Distress Ink and a stars stencil to add some stenciling.

I cut a large snowflake from the shimmer card stock using the Flurry #3 die and split it in half.

To assemble this card I added a panel of dark blue card stock to my card blank and then added the stenciled panel on top. The split snowflake was added to the back of a strip of card stock that I ran through a swirls embossing folder and then the sentiment was painted with white paint mized with Pearlizing Medium and added.

I would love to see your backgrounds so do join us in the challenge, which can be found HERE and runs until 11:55 pm on Tuesday, September 29th. One randomly chosen entrant will win a gift certificate to shop at The Funkie Junkie Boutique and with all the new products arriving, that should be super fun. The Design Team will choose their top picks and the overall winner will receive an opportunity to Guest Design at a future date.

Supplies list:

Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Faded Jeans, Tumbled Glass, Stormy Sky
Tim Holtz Thinlets Dies - Flurry #3, Holiday Greens, Festive Greens
Dina Wakley Acrylic Paints - Ruby, Evergreen, Ancient
Tim Holtz Idea-ology 8 x 8 Metallic Jewels Kraft Stock
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Layering Stencil - Falling Stars THS115
VersaMark Watermark Ink Stamp Pad
Ranger Inkssentials Mini Ink Blending Tool - With 4 Blending Foams IBT40965
Scor Tape
Recollections Clear Embossing Powder
Cuttlebug Embossing Folders - D'Vine Swirls, Swiss Dots
Spellbinders Petite Ovals Large Die Set

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

Christmas Card in July

It is time for a new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog and this time I am the hostess.  I am calling this one Christmas Cards in July and here is how I describe it:

If you are like me, you are anxious for 2020 to be over and done with. To speed things up let's pretend Christmas is around the corner even though it is only July and get a start on creating shabby chic or vintage inspired cards. This challenge is all about cards so please save other Christmas creations for later.

When I chose this theme I didn't realize that it would be appropriate for another reason. Where I live is is freaking hot right now and expected to be so until at least July 20th. When I say hot it is running about 93F - 95F every day with a humidex that is higher. Thinking Christmas helps to makes it feel a wee bit cooler - or maybe it is the air conditioning. 😄

This very shabby card was super easy to make and here is how I went about it:

I first found a freebie vintage image online and printed it.

Next I found a variety of papers I thought would compliment the photo.  For this card I used papers from the Flower Alphabet and Alchemy collections (Stamperia).  Don't be afraid to check out all your paper collections for papers that might work and not just Christmas themed papers.

Each panel of paper was heavily distressed on the edges and then I rubbed the edges with Old White Matte Wax (Prima).  Once that was dry I used a palette knife to spread some Distress Texture Paste Crackle (Tim Holtz) thickly in random spots on the edges.  This was done to each panel.

The next step was to grab some scraps of white card stock and cut a number of poinsettias and greens from the Holiday Greens and Festive Greens die sets (Tim Holtz).  Note:  I will link a substitute for the Festive Greens since I couldn't find that one in the store anymore.

Using a stencil brush I held the brush vertically and very lightly pounced some of the Distress Texture Paste onto all the poinsettia and greens pieces.  Because I did it so lightly, it didn't show a lot of cracking but gave it the desired texture.  If you click on the photo of the focal image to bring up a larger size, you should see the crackle on the bits I added to the edges.

The final step was to assemble the card.  I added the panels of paper first using some dimensional foam between the two large panels and also under the focal image.  Next I layered two of the poinsettia petals to make each flower and added them along with the greens.

I hope you will join us for the challenge.  It runs until 11:55 pm EDT on Tuesday, July 21st so you have lots of time to create.  One randomly chosen winner will receive a gift certificate to shop at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.  The Design Team will choose their top picks with the overall winner receiving an opportunity to be a Guest Designer at a future date.

Supplies list with links to The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Stamperia - Flower Alphabet 12x12 Paper Pack SBBL30
Stamperia - Alchemy 12x12 Paper Pack SBBL34
Prima Finnabair Art Alchemy Wax Paste - Old White 967857
Tim Holtz Distress Texture Paste 3oz Crackle TDA71303
Sizzix Alternations Tim Holtz Thinlits Dies - Holiday Greens 658759
Sizzix Tim Holtz Thinlits Die Set - Funky Festive Florals 66422
Scor Tape
Tim Holtz Tonic Studios Paper Distresser 370E
TIM HOLTZ 5 INCH/ 12.3CM TITANIUM BLACK SNIP 816E

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

Santa Canvas

It is time for the December challenge at Stamps and Stencils.  This will also be the final challenge as Sue has decided to close the challenge blog.  It has been a fabulous journey and I want to thank Sue for the opportunity to serve on her team.  Sue is responsible for kick starting my love of mixed media when she hosted me for a day of creating together on two separate occasions when I was visiting England.  She will tell you that on the first get-together, I didn't even know what distress ink was.  Now I have lots of supplies and my husband is quick to call her an enabler and I am quick to call her a cherished and very talented friend.

Thanks to some weird weather patterns here, I have been struggling with headaches so I made this canvas and completely forgot to take any photos as I went along - headache, brain fog or old age?

Here is how to put it together:

1.  Coat an 8"x8" deep edge stretched canvas with White Gesso (Liquitex).
2.  Paint with Calico Red Acrylic Paint (Folk Art)
3.  Using Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger), stamp onto torn pieces of tissue paper with a Sheet Music Stamp (Kaisercraft)
4.  Glue tissue paper pieces randomly over canvas front and sides with Mod Podge
5.  Mix Calico Red paint with some Glazing Medium (Liquitex) and repaint the canvas
6.  Add some stenciling with Translucent Embossing Paste (Wendy Vecchi) and a Poinsettia mini stencil (Tim Holtz)
7.  Randomly spray with Tarnished Brass Distress Spray Stain (Tim Holtz) - wipe off any that lands on the clear poinsettias
8.  Randomly sponge on some white acrylic paint (DecoArt) - wipe off any that lands on the clear poinsettias
9. Stamp the Santa head from Retro Christmas (IndigoBlu) using Versamark (Tsukineko) and emboss with Gold embossing powder (recollections and then fussy cut
10.  Die cut a circle (Sizzix) from card stock and paint with Calico Red Acrylic Paint.
11.  Emboss circle with Starry Night embossing folder (Sizzix) and rub with Classic Gold wax paste (Connoisseur Studios)
12.  Distress edges of the circle and outline with a gold pen (Sakura)
13.  Die cut a number of poinsettia petals (Marianne Creatables)
14.  Paint with Champagne Gold Metallic Acrylic Paint (DecoArt)
15.  Shape the petals, layer and add seed beads for the centres using Glossy Accents (Ranger)
16.  Cut "greenery" using Holiday Greens die (Tim Holtz) and rub with some Classic Gold wax paste

To assemble:

1.  Mount the circle with dimensional foam
2.  Add the Santa head to the circle with dimensional foam
3.  Add the poinsettias and "greenery" with Soft Gel Medium (Golden)

You have until 20:00 UK time on January 2nd to share a creation with us so I hope you will.

Christmas Advent Calendar

It is time for the new challenge at Frilly and Funkie.  Maggi is our hostess for this one, which is called Tis the Season for Gift Giving!  Here is what she has to say about it:

It's that time of the year where we're all thinking about the perfect gift for our friends and families! For this challenge, create a vintage or shabby chic gift for a special someone in your life. Your gift could be a simple as a handmade card or tag, or an elaborate piece of home decor. Maybe you like to place your gifts in handmade boxes? Your imagination is the only limit on this challenge!

I thought I might make a new advent calendar for my Grandchildren.  The calendar is very large and difficult to photograph because of the metallic frame and background so I apologize in advance for the quality of the pics.

I had an idea to make little boxes to hold treats but then I had to figure out how to make the boxes and that turned out to be easy when I found a free e-book online with patterns for all sorts of boxes.  You can download the book HERE and make the calendar as follows:

Use the box pattern found on page 68 called 1-Piece Double-Wall Folding Box.  Print that page and then measure the pattern to get an idea of the dimensions.  Once you have the dimensions, substitute your own measurements following the pattern as a guideline. In all I made 10 different sized boxes with a single box for a few sizes and multiples for others.

Cut each box from extra heavy cream card stock (Recollections) and then prepare for folding by angling edges as shown and then adding double-sided tape but do not fold yet.  Note:  The tape for the first folds of the box (four small sections) go on the outside and the tape for the second folds goes on the inside (three longer sections).  Ink all the outside edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink over the fold edges.

Cut patterned paper for the four outside edges and the top of each box making the paper 1/16" smaller all around and ink with Vintage Photo DI.  I wanted to use up some Graphic 45 Christmas papers leftover from last year, which means they won't be available at The Funkie Junkie Boutique but I will link some other Christmas paper options that would be fabulous substitutes.

Adhere the papers and then fold the box and secure the taped portions.  Note:  I discovered that I needed to further angle the flaps that go inside to close the box by trimming each side of the front flap and the front of each side flap.

Lay the boxes out to decide how you want them to look and then set about to find a frame, which  turned out to be easy when I went to a local charity job.

To alter the frame. discard the glass and coat the frame and the chipboard backing with White Gesso before painting it with some metallic paint.  Add the chipboard and a layer of cardboard to the frame.

Set the boxes on the frame until happy with the layout and then take a photo so you can remove them to decorate.

Decorate the top of each box with a computer-generated number and embellishments of your choice (I have used lots of things from old stash and from The Funkie Junkie Boutique that I had in the house but the store has lots more great items so check it out).  Glue the boxes to the chipboard panel using Gel Medium.  Here is a summary for each box:

1.  Snowflake from cream card stock mounted on snowflake from kraft card stock and topped with adhesive pearl
2.  Mitten charm altered with Cranberry Alcohol ink and tied with some red soutache braid
3.  A couple rows of ric rac
4.  A rosette made from patterned paper topped with a red adhesive pearl
5.  A pair of adhesive pearl florishes
6.  A jingle bell charm tied with burlap string
7.  Tiny poinsettia with seed beads for centre and punched pine branches
8.  A pine cone altered with Gold Mixative Alcohol Ink and tied with gold ribbon
9.  A trio of snowflakes topped with adhesive pearls and a red pearl on the number tag
10.  Crisscrossed ribbon
11.  A trio of star sequins
12.  Die cut holly topped with red gems
13.  Adhesive pearls scattered on swirls
14.  Large reindeer charm altered with Gold Mixative Alcohol Ink
15.  Fluted star altered with Gold Mixative Alcohol Ink
16.  Washi tape and adhesive pearls
17.  Die cut holly topped with red gems
18.  Ribbon bow with tiny jingle bell
19.  Tree made from candy dots
20.  Gold ribbon band topped with die cut snowflake
21.  Tiny poinsettia with seed beads for centre and punched pine branches
22.  Stocking charm altered with Gold Mixative Alcohol Ink and tied with cream twine
23.  Tiny snowflake from kraft card stock topped with adhesive pearl
24.  Red sequin wreath topped with satin bow

Decorate the top of the frame with greenery and poinsettias created from red and green card stock and the Holiday Greens die and a poinsettia die.  Once the poinsettia layers are assembled, add seed beads to the centres and then attach all the embellishments using Gel Medium.

I love the way this looks but I have concerns about all the boxes staying closed when they are filled and the frame is leaning on the fireplace mantle.  If they don't pop open, they actually open quite easily by gently squeezing the sides to reveal a little gap where little fingers can reach in and pull the top open.  Since my Grandchildren have to share each box and they are 9 and 12 I will be filling it with things like coins, wrapped hard candies, mini chocolate bars and even two movie passes.  I really wanted this to be reusable but if the boxes pop open, they are getting glued shut.

This was a labour of love but it really was time-consuming so I hope they like it - I know they will love the contents of the boxes.

This challenge is open for two weeks and one randomly chosen entrant will receive a gift certificate for The Funkie Junkie Boutique while the Design Team will choose their top picks with the overall pick receiving an invitation to be a Guest Designer at a future date.  I hope you will join us.

The following products used to create this advent calendar came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

Graphic 45 - Christmas Magic - 12x12" Patterns & Solids Pad	Graphic 45 - Christmas Magic - 8x8" Pad	Graphic 45 - Christmas Magic - 12x12" Collection Pack	Graphic 45 - 12 Days of Christmas Deluxe Collector′s Edition	Graphic 45 - Winter Wonderland - 8x8 Paper Pad 4501605	Tim Holtz Idea-ology 8 x 8 Classic Kraft Stock
Stamperia - Christmas Vintage 12x12 Paper Pack	Stamperia Christmas Vintage	Tim Holtz Idea-olog Paper Stash, Christmas	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo TIM19527	Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink - Gold Mixative	Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink - Cranberry TIM21995
KAISERCRAFT Pearls - Self Adhesive - Blush	Sizzix Holiday Greens Die Leaves	Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 14PK - Paper Snowflakes, Mini by Tim Holtz	Charm Pendant - Set of 5 Silver Tone Mittens	Silver Tone Christmas Stockings with Bow - Set of 5	Charm Pendant - Set of 5 Antiqued Silver Tone Reindeer
Tiny Bronze Jingle Bells - Set of 15	Tim Holtz Idea-ology Tiny Bells	Tim Holtz Idea-ology Adornments, Pinecones	Burlap String - 12 Colors	Ranger Inkssentials Mini Ink Blending Tool - With 4 Blending Foams IBT40965	Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink Applicator Replacement Felt TIM20844
Ranger Dina Wakley Media Ultra Thick Gel Medium 4oz	Scor-Pal Scor-Tape 1/8" x 27 Yards	Scor-Pal Scor-Tape 3/8" x 27 Yards	Scor-Pal Scor-Tape 1/4" x 27 Yards