Fall Foliage for The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog

Hi everyone and welcome. It's time for another challenge over at the The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog. I'm your host for this one and have called it 'Fall Foliage'. "According to most search engines the Fall season has officially begun so we should be starting to see the emergence of all those beautiful Autumnal colours, unless Mother Nature throws us a curve ball! Let's celebrate them anyway by creating a vintage or shabby chic project in traditional Fall shades that includes some form of foliage like leaves, berries and so on."

As ever, the Design Team will choose their top four picks, with the winner being invited to join us in a Guest DT spot at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog and three additional outstanding entries will receive Top 3 Badges to display on their blogs. Everyone who enters and follows the rules will be entered into the draw to have the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

Once again I've added to my journal, this time to reflect the changing seasons as Autumn reveals her beauty. Here's how the finished spread ended up...

Looking in more detail at the first side;

And now the second side;

The pages started with an uneven layer of white gesso before I added some 'Roast Chestnut' Izink Pigment Ink, diluted with a little water.

I added a partial Dina Wakley Media Gel Plate print from one of the previous journal projects onto the smaller page; the 'Sedona' paint colour coordinates perfectly with the 'Roast Chestnut' Izink Pigment Ink.

At this point I realised the first page needed much more ink!

A hint of shimmer was added by applying a thin layer of the 'Royal Gold' Izink Pigment Ink over the first page with a spatula.

Even more detail was added by stamping the Tim Holtz 'Batik' Background Stamp on top with Wendy Vecchi's 'Poppy' Archival Ink. You'll also see a line of stitching was added through the centre of the page.

Replicating the look of a worn wall I applied a little of the 'Avalanche' Izink Pigment Ink over the top.

A strip was torn from another of the Gel Plate prints (one with the darker application of the 'Sedona' Acrylic Paint) and on yet another I stamped an image from the Tim Holtz stamp set 'Etcetera' with 'Black Soot' Archival Ink.

Yet more of the Gel Plate prints were pressed into service together with some of the wrapping paper brayered 'waste' as I cut first some of the pine cones using the coordinating dies from the Sizzix Thinlits 'Layered Winter Flower' set.

For the leaves I used dies from the same die set and some more scraps; this time I applied the 'Roast Chestnut' Izink Pigment Ink over some of the brayered waste for one piece and the second was a combination of 'Aged Mahogany' Distress Paint and 'Royal Gold' Izink Pigment Ink.

The smaller leaf stem was created using some plain kraft wrapping paper and more of the Gel Print used on the smaller side. Not shown, I also die cut the berry stem from paper painted with more 'Sedona' Acrylic Paint.

After sticking the first of the leaves onto the background on the first page I stamped one of the interlocking stem lines from the Tim Holtz stamp set 'Ornate Trims' using more of the 'Black Soot' Archival Ink. The stamping was also added to one of the previous pages to draw the eye through the journal.

To finish the first page I included the remaining leaves with the berries and added some shadowing with a charcoal pencil. The number 9 Remnant Rub signifies the month when Autumn begins officially.

On the second page I used the 'waste' from a die cut leaf using the Sizzix Thinlits 'Hidden Leaves' set. The black paint was altered by smooshing it into first 'Avalanche' Izink Pigment Ink and then the 'Royal Gold' Izink Pigment Ink. The little squares came from the Gel Plate print used for the main strip on the first page and the words came from a 'Clippings' set.

That's my take on the theme 'Fall Foliage'. My talented team mates have also come up with their own Fall projects for this challenge so make sure you hop on over and check them out HERE. And remember to link up your own shabby chic or vintage pieces to be in with a chance of winning one of the fabulous prizes that's up for grabs.

Thanks for visiting,
Jenny xxx

Products used to create this journal page are available from The Funkie Junkie Boutique and are listed/linked below.

Sizzix Thinlits Die Set - Hidden Leaves

Sizzix Thinlits Die Set - Layered Winter Flower

Tim Holtz Stamp Set - Botanical and Batik

Tim Holtz Stamp Set - Etcetera

Tim Holtz Stamp Set - Ornate Trims

Seth Apter Izink Pigment Inks by Aladine

Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paints and Gessos

Tim Holtz Remnant Rubs - Specimen

Staying in the Background with The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog

Hi everyone and welcome. It's time for another challenge over at the The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog. Cec is your host for this one and she has called it 'Staying in the Background'. "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."

As ever, the Design Team will choose their top four picks, with the winner being invited to join us in a Guest DT spot at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog and three additional outstanding entries will receive Top 3 Badges to display on their blogs. Everyone who enters and follows the rules will be entered into the draw to have the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

A new challenge provides another opportunity to add to my journal, and getting the chance to make a background or two is always a treat. Here's how the finished spread ended up...

... and looking at each page closer - totally different yet coordinated.

I've put together a tutorial to show how these backgrounds were created, starting with some painty play from my previous journal spread using Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paints, a brayer and a 3 x 5 Gel Plate. Each 'pull' was made with heavyweight tissue paper (packaging material should never be binned!)

Here's a trick I learned from watching Seth Apter and others demo using Gel Plates and brayers - roll off the excess paint onto a scrap of paper and watch the magic happen as each layer goes on. I used more packaging, this time some of the brown paper stuff, because it gives you a great base colour and is sturdy without being too thick to cut/die cut.

Adding to the detail I used some white gesso through the Finnabair Prima Stencil 'Vintage Wallpaper', deliberately making it patchy, before using a dip pen with some of Seth's Izink Pigment Ink for mark making. You'll see below how the paper has been torn into sections to be used in different parts of my journal - it can also help to break up what can become an 'orderly, designed' background into more random pieces.

I used a couple of these pieces, having scraped some 'Avalanche' Izink Pigment Ink over one of them to shift the intensity of the colour.

Going back to the Gel Plate prints I chose to use this one, created by brayering one of the paler paint colours onto the Gel Plate and stamping into it with Wendy Vecchi's 'All Scratched Up' Background Stamp before adding further layers of deeper colour. You can also stamp over your painty backgrounds with this stamp and a pale permanent ink for a similar look.

More white gesso was applied through another Finnabair Prima Stencil 'Dandelions' onto one of the darker Gel Plate prints.

Finally I chose to use another couple of the Gel Plate Prints, ones with patterns created by the paint application alone. Small strips were cut from each of the selected papers and edged with Wendy Vecchi's 'Acorn' Archival Ink.

After arranging the strips onto the journal page (instructions from an old sewing pattern given a thin coat of white gesso) I changed my mind and chopped them into smaller pieces, messing around with the placement until they looked balanced. You'll see a shadow around the edge of each piece, created by using a charcoal pencil and blending it with water. Try using dilute paint, blended Distress Crayon or regular pencil with a blender for a similar look. At this point I realised the page looked like a quilt, hence the reason for adding faux stitches around each section with a white gel pen.

The corresponding page already had a lot of detail, having been constructed from a handkerchief and a piece of watercolour paper, so I kept it simple by stamping and heat embossing Wendy Vecchi's 'All Scratched Up' Background again (this time in gold). You'll see a small piece of vintage lace added over the top; it's always worth checking old, worn linens and bedding for trims which can be recycled in your projects.

With both backgrounds complete I kept the 'topper' for the 'quilted' one relatively simple, die cutting some of the Sizzix 'Hidden Leaves' Thinlits Dies from black card and dry brushing them with 'Gilt' Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paint. Adding drops of Wendy Vecchi's 'Carnation' Liquid Pearls, some Glossy Accents and a little stitching helps to lift the finished look.

With the second embossed background being a lot simpler it was easier to add more detail on top, starting with a tag cut from the brayered brown paper. The stitched lines from the quilted page were echoed around the edge of the tag and I included more texture with fabric, sheer ribbon, simple hand stitching and an embroidered flower from my stash. The lovely phrase, taken from Wendy Vecchi's 'Rosy Art' Stamp Set, was stamped onto one of the backgrounds chosen for the 'quilt'. 

Looking more closely you can see how each of the layers work together;

So that's my take on the theme 'Staying in the Background'. My talented team mates have also come up with their own projects with bespoke backgrounds in or on them for this challenge so make sure you hop on over and check them out HERE. And remember to link up your own shabby chic or vintage pieces to be in with a chance of winning one of the fabulous prizes that's up for grabs.

Thanks for visiting,
Jenny xxx

Products used to create this journal page are available from The Funkie Junkie Boutique and are listed/linked below.

Wendy Vecchi Background Stamp - All Scratched Up

Wendy Vecchi Studio 490 Stamp Set - Rosy Art

Wendy Vecchi Liquid Pearls - Carnation Red

Sizzix Thinlits Die Set - Hidden Leaves

Seth Apter Izink Pigment Inks by Aladine - After Dark and Avalanche

Prima Marketing Finnabair Stencils - Vintage Wallpaper and Dandelions

Ranger Embossing Powder - Gold Super Fine Detail

Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paints and Gessos

Tim Holtz Remnant Rubs - Specimen

Project Foldaway Box for Eileen Hull Designs

Hi everyone and welcome. This month Eileen Hull's Inspiration Team are sharing a variety of different projects inspired by the theme 'The Great Outdoors'. I'm sharing a new 'project box' created as a result of taking Eileen's 'Foldaway Box' online class for Country View Crafts. It's such a clever project and you can still sign up to take the class HERE.

For anyone who has to keep track of the various products used in a project (all those inks, paints, embellishments, dies, stamps etc) having a set of containers that can keep them all together is so helpful. I also wanted somewhere to record process notes and deadline dates. You can see below the smaller box and coordinating Tiny Book which has lots of tea stained pages ideal for just this purpose.

Opening the smaller box up you can see that it's divided into compartments - I used the 'Stacking Drawers' die to create the sections, cutting down the width by 1/4 inch so that it would fit snuggly inside and keep the lid secure - whilst a project is ongoing it can hold those embossing powders, trims, inks, embellishments and more. The lid can also be used as a storage tray.

Below you can see the main foldaway box, the larger box which holds the smaller box and book inside when not in use. I decorated all three pieces with woodgrain paper from the Mintay Papers collection 'Life Stories', whitewashing them with gesso and sanding them back before inking the edges to give them a shabby chic look. The pattern was created using a Rebekah Meier stencil from The Crafter's Workshop and the flowers (highlighted in places with Glossy Accents) came from the same paper collection as the woodgrain paper.

Finally, the photo below shows how the larger box can also be used as a storage vessel for the larger bottles, pens, dies etc with it's joined double compartment. Eileen's design for this really is so clever and it will now be in permanent use on my craft table.

Don't forget you can still sign up for Eileen's 'Foldaway Box' online class for Country View Crafts HERE. And make sure to check out what the rest of Eileen's Inspiration Team have made this month  by visiting Eileen's website.

For now, thanks for visiting,
Jenny xxx

Birds with The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog

Hi everyone and welcome. It's time for another challenge over at the The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog. Suzz is your host for this one and she has called it 'Birds'. "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."

As ever, the Design Team will choose their top four picks, with the winner being invited to join us in a Guest DT spot at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog and three additional outstanding entries will receive Top 3 Badges to display on their blogs. Everyone who enters and follows the rules will be entered into the draw to have the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

With a vague idea in my head for how to incorporate a bird into a journal page I began to develop this piece in my new junk journal, making changes and additions along the way and coming up with a method for using a partial die cut piece along the way. Here's the completed journal page;

And before we get started with the tutorial here are a couple of close ups;

Having taken photos along the way here's how the journal page came together;

I wanted to use part of the delicate die cut strip from the Sizzix Chapter 3 Thinlits 'Intricate Corners' set but didn't want to have to spend time piecing the design back together after cutting it apart. To get round this I glued the whole die cut piece to a single ply sheet of tissue by applying adhesive to the reverse side of the die cut. Once dry I was able to tear away the excess tissue around the edges before using a paper trimmer to slice along the design.

Having identified which pages in my junk journal to work on I began creating the layout, adding a line of Seth Apter's Izink Pigment Ink using the handy built in brush before adding the partial die cut strip underneath with a coat of gel mat medium. You'll see how having created a 'carrier sheet' for the die cut piece I was even able to separate the strip into two pieces to go across the two sides.

Above you can see how I stamped Wendy Vecchi's 'Register' Background Stamp over the left side of the design using a pale grey Archival Ink. Prior to this I had also brushed a little White Gesso across both sides and added some watercolour either side of the black line in various shades of brown. Some of that gesso caught the black line which helped to make give it a softer look. Linda's store carries a number of watercolour paint sets by Prima Marketing, listed at the end of this post. The charcoal pencil circle line was smudged to make it less harsh.

I have recently inherited a number of dip pens and nibs and have started experimenting with adding 'scripting' to my art. It occurred to me that Seth Apter's Pigment Ink could work for this. I found adding just a little water to it made it fluid enough to work beautifully for this purpose.

Picking out the neutral shades (plus Sedona) from the Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paint range I used my 3 x 5 Gel Plate and a brayer to create a bunch of prints on tissue. On a couple of them I pressed Wendy Vecchi's 'All Scratched Up' Background Stamp into the paint on the Gel Plate to add some pattern to the prints. I removes excess paint from my brayer by rolling it across a piece of brown paper packaging from one of Linda's parcels when making each print, creating another multi layered sheet for use in my journal at some point in the future. Below is a close up shot of the pulled prints; 

Not wanting to add too much 'bulk' to the pages I chose to cut the circle and a bird shape from a couple of the tissue prints, layering them over the top of each other using a gel mat medium.

To echo the lace handkerchief on the right side I added a piece of lace from Linda's store onto the edge of the left side, and then applied some squares of gel printed tissue in a contrasting colour above and below the bird. I then stitched around the bird with some of the embroidery thread (floss) used for the flowers on the journal wrap. It helps to poke your holes around the shape in advance of stitching in order to achieve an even look.

A phrase from Wendy Vecchi's 'All Occasion Art' Stamp Set was stamped onto a piece of crumpled dressmaking pattern tissue before being added to the handkerchief page with gel mat medium. I also began experimenting with adding a touch of watercolour around the larger stitched rectangle on the left hand page.

At this point I walked away and thought about why the finished design didn't look quite right. Having taken some 'time away' from the journal spread I decided to add squares from the mainly Sedona tissue print over the aqua ones, extend the black line across the whole two pages, add Glossy Accents over the bird, apply some Remnant Rubs, a small paperclip and some dots of Wendy Vecchi Liquid Pearls.

And here as a reminder is the completed piece;

So that's my take on the theme 'Birds'. My talented team mates have also come up with their own projects with birds in or on them for this challenge so make sure you hop on over and check them out HERE. And remember to link up your own shabby chic or vintage pieces to be in with a chance of winning one of the fabulous prizes that's up for grabs.

Thanks for visiting,
Jenny xxx

Products used to create this journal page are available from The Funkie Junkie Boutique and are listed/linked below.

Wendy Vecchi Background Stamp - Register

Wendy Vecchi Background Stamp - All Scratched Up

Wendy Vecchi Studio 490 Stamp Set - All Occasion Art

Wendy Vecchi Liquid Pearls - Carnation Red

Sizzix Thinlits Die Set - Intricate Corners

Seth Apter Izink Pigment Inks by Aladine - After Dark and Thundercloud

Prima Marketing Watercolor Paint Ranges and Sets

Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paints and Gessos

Tim Holtz Remnant Rubs - Specimen

Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Mini Paper Clips

Venise Lace Trim - 2 Inches