New Year's Resolutions at Frilly and Funkie

Hi everyone. Over at the Frilly and Funkie challenge blog Linda is hosting the first challenge of the New Year.

"It's time again for new beginnings and New Year's Resolutions. We know you got 'em. Even though you might not have written them down, told your significant other or shared them with your BFF, there are still some positive aspirations lurking in the back of your brain. Now it's time to share them. Let's see a card, tag or project depicting a New Year's resolution. Be sure to tell us what your New Year's resolution is!"

This is mine. Of course every year I'm no different to so many others in having a myriad of desires and dreams, but rather than setting myself up for a fall I'm keeping it simple. If it's in my head and needs doing there will be no more procrastination!

This canvas is a case in point. I added the textured paste lines to this a few months ago and even slapped on a layer of paint. Then it sat there waiting for me to come up with more ideas.

You've actually witnessed the turning point if you followed me through December 2013. After selling pretty much all my Christmas cards at the November craft fair I had to get a pile of them made pdq...

So I set myself a challenge of getting all of Linda's Funkie Junkie 12 Tags of Christmas done in a couple of weeks, and guess what - I did it!

At that point I decided this needed to be my mantra for 2014 and promptly set about getting that poor canvas finished.

An extra layer of stencilled texture paste added much needed flourishes.

A layer of tissue tape added interest to the edges and blended beautifully when Distress Paints were blended over the top. I love that they blend really well when they are still wet and give you plenty of time to play.

Of course when you use a stencil for the paste you can then go back and use it again to add different colours to the same areas, like the Brushed Pewter flourishes. Drips and dribbles of contrasting ink added the final much needed injection of colour to the base.

Die cut letters coloured with contrasting Distress Paint cried out for some Glossy Accents.

I love Linda's crinoline. It cuts beautifully (even with an Alterations Strip Die) and copes with layers of ink and heat without flinching. Having tried out a couple of colours the Seedless Preserves/Aged Mahogany mix with some Watering Can stamping worked a treat. There's also a thin brown card layer at the base.

Adding the final touches is always my favourite part. I love to raid my coloured card stash and die cuts box to see what might work well. Adding even more interest to those shapes is easy with embossing folders.

One of my favourite parts of this project are the metal leaves. Linda sells a fantastic range of metal filigree embellishments that are so easy to alter. This time that was done by adding Distress Paint and then rubbing the leaves back when the paint was partially dry.

That's my resolution for 2014 - what's yours? Make something which depicts your resolution in some way, link it to the Frilly and Funkie challenge, and you could be a future Guest Designer or the winner of a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique.

So what are you waiting for? Just do it!!

Take care of yourselves, Jenny xxx

Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste - White	Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Stencil - Yipes Stripes	Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Stencil - 3 Flourishes Stencil	PRE-ORDER Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint - Stormy Sky	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint - Weathered Wood	PRE-ORDER Tim Holtz Ranger Metallic Distress Paint - Brushed Pewter	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint - Antique Linen	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint - Seedless Preserve
PRE-ORDER Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint - Aged Mahogany	Cotton Crinoline	Sizzix Alterations Decorative Strip Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers Die	Ranger Tim Holtz Seasonal Distress Ink Pad - Seedless Preserves	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Aged Mahogany	Sizzix Alterations Decorative Strip Tim Holtz WANTED Alphabet Die	$23.95 Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Rubber Stamps - Paris to London	Ranger Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink - Watering Can
Tim Holtz Sizzix Texture Fades - Damask and Regal Flourishes Set	Ranger Inkssentials Glossy Accents	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Frayed Burlap	6 Piece Bronze Leaf Embellishments	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint - Salty Ocean	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint - Peeled Paint	PRE-ORDER Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint - Evergreen Bough

The Funkie Junkie 12 Tags of Christmas - Bonus 1 & 2

Hi everyone. Just a quick post to show you my final two bonus tags for The Funkie Junkie 12 Tags of Christmas challenge generously sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique. You can see Linda's fabulous inspiration pieces HERE and HERE.

Just one photo tonight I'm afraid as time is pressing and deadlines loom.

The card on the left is my interpretation of Linda's first bonus tag. You'll see I added a silver metallic sentiment panel and embossed metal foil strip (with Black Soot 'highlights') to a base of Distress Stains and stencilling like Linda's. I'm loving the new Prima stencils, and the damask one makes the most fabulous backgrounds. Of course there had to be a frosted film element too - the poinsettia looks completely different blue.

The card on the right is my interpretation of Linda's second bonus tag. Just like Linda I added embossing paste through a Prima strip stencil before adding Brushed Pewter and Picket Fence Distress Stains. A little Antique Linen ink filled in the gaps and Gathered Twigs finished the edges. Maja Design papers were used for the central strip and dry embossed/heat embossed heart and subtle flourishes completed the look.

So that's it! All done. And I've enjoyed every minute of it. See you tomorrow to unveil my New Year's resolution for 2014 I hope.

Take care of yourselves, Jenny xxx

Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Stain - Weathered Wood	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Stain - Frayed Burlap	Tim Holtz Ranger Metallic Distress Stain - Brushed Pewter	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Stain - Picket Fence White	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Tumbled Glass	Prima 6x6 Stencil - Flourish	Ranger Tim Holtz Seasonal Distress Ink Pad - Gathered Twigs	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint - Black Soot
Sizzix Alterations Decorative Strip Tim Holtz Autumn Gatherings Die	Tim Holtz Mini Cardinal and Poinsettia Sizzix Alterations Movers and Shapers Dies	Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Art Parts Clearly for Art	Tim Holtz Idea-ology Frosted Film	Ranger Embossing Powder - Silver	Ranger Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink - Watering Can	Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black	Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Rubber Stamps - Simple Sayings
Prima Masks - 12" x 2" Stencils	Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste - White	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Antique Linen	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Frayed Burlap	Sizzix Alterations Decorative Strip Tim Holtz Festive Greenery Die	Maja Design 6x6" Scrapbook Paper Pad - It′s Christmas Time	Tim Holtz Sizzix Texture Fades - Damask and Regal Flourishes Set	Sizzix Alterations Tim Holtz Heart Wings BIGZ Die
Ranger Embossing Powder - Clear

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2014 - January

Hi everyone. Thank you for all the kind and positive feedback on the hearts in the last post. Further developments on that idea will be heading your way soon. In the meantime I have a number of other projects to share with you over the coming days.

The first of these is my take on Tim Holtz first tag of 2014 (see Tim's original HERE).

I went for a different colour scheme to the original, using mainly blue tones to create this card. I followed Tim's instructions quite closely at the start, using Weathered Wood  and Stormy Sky Distress Stain/Ink and the Dot Fades stencil as alternatives. The rub on numbers were applied and sanded.

I had fun creating the globe. The globe itself was completed with two layers of foil covered card. The bottom layer was embossed using the Retro Circles Texture Fades folder. To get a verdigris feel I dabbed Salty Ocean (of course!) Peeled Paint and Evergreen Bough Distress Paints on to the metal surface, before rubbing them with a soft cloth to remove some of the paint.

To complete the globe I used Brushed Pewter Distress Stain and Black Soot Distress Ink on the un-foiled element as a contrast. Like Tim I couldn't resist adding another rub on at the bottom alongside the stamped hand.

Final elements to complete the card included some of that gorgeous Idea-ology linen ribbon, a row of distressed die cut tickets, some chit chat stickers and of course the stamped sentiment.

As well as entering this into 

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2014 - January challenge

Simon Says Stamp Monday are having a 'Blues' challenge.

Thank you for taking the time to drop by. I'll be back again tomorrow with more.

Until then, take care of yourselves, Jenny x

No More Shopping Sins! at Our Creative Corner

Welcome everyone and I want to start by wishing you all a very happy and creative 2014. It's the start of the month so that means a new challenge over at Our Creative Corner. Claudia is our host and has chosen the theme

No More Shopping Sins!

- Use (and show us) one of your former 'shopping sins'.

You may have received some fantastic new crafting stuff for Christmas, but we want to see one of those hoarded items that you have never quite been able to let go of at the centre of your makes! We need to know which 'shopping sin' you have used in your project, so 'confess all' -  you must name it in your post.

The intention is that you will find this challenge therapeutic. A popular pledge amongst crafters is "I will use up my stash". Don’t we all have cupboards and shelves groaning under the weight of things we’ve bought and decided to save for a project that never happens? And then you feel guilty so you hide it under a new pile of (new) stuff! So this challenge provides the perfect opportunity to finally get rid of that guilt. Find one of your former ‘shopping sins’, open the packet, stroke it one last time, and then USE IT!

This month we have a very generous sponsor;

Crafty Individuals will be donating a prize for one randomly drawn winner! 

I'm sure it would come as no surprise to find out that I have a 'thing' about buttons - seriously, those pearly kings and queens have nothing on me!! Some found their way onto projects in the past, but these Idea-ology ones have been in the DO NOT TOUCH pot for way too long. Not any more...

When I set up my craft stall way back in November the red and green beaded ribbon garland festooned the tent. It looked good but I knew more work would need to go into making it a work of craft in future.

I love that these little hearts have come out looking like enamelled jewels.

Hard to believe they started life as plain old hollow card ornaments.

I started by stencilling the flourish design onto both sides of each heart, adding three layers of Wendy Vecchi Translucent paste to get some real depth and strength to the pattern.

Then came the fun, applying metal foil tape over every inch of each heart. I found it paid to take it steady, using different sizes of embossing tools to ease the tape down in between the raised areas; you are effectively 'stretching' the foil tape so a little patience is required.

I'll let you into a secret; I added some Alcohol inks and Distress Paint at this stage but wasn't happy with the look.

Plan B. Every part of each heart was covered in a layer of clear embossing powder.

Then I could pounce Red Pepper Alcohol Ink over the top (allowing it to dry thoroughly).

This added the translucent colour I wanted but also let the tool marks on the metal foil show through - cool eh?

A final rub over with gilding wax and they were all ready to be embellished with those buttons (and some ribbon bows).

I went for broke and added all my favourite ones, tying some with some metallic embroidery cotton.

You might spot a 'rogue' button in this last picture - the leaf edged border one is a vintage button from my own collection. It came from my OH's grandmother and until now I couldn't bear to use it.

Gosh, that was a therapeutic exercise! Those buttons now have a purpose and can be admired by anyone visiting my craft stall in future. Plus I can still get them out and stroke them if the urge takes me in future - oh, how sad! I hope this has inspired you to reach for the DO NOT TOUCH items in your stash, and that once you've plucked up the courage to use them you will share them with us at Our Creative Corner this month.

Now all that remains is for me to urge you to head over to the main challenge blog HERE to see what the rest of the Design Team have created.
Take care of yourselves throughout 2014. Jenny xxx