Frilly and Funkie Challenge #1 For 2019 "Inspired By".... Inside Looking Out

     Happy 2019 ! Welcome back to my blog, once again, and I'm off and running with THREE new items to blog right now- WHEW! Guess all those Tim Holtz goodies purchased over the Christmas Break shopping really burned a hole in my studio! So, I'm not only back with the Frilly&Funkie Challenges, but I'll be adding some Tim Tags to the Tim Holtz Addicts page on Facebook, as well throughout this year.
        I got excited about this FFChallenge #1 simply because it was basically an "open" kind of theme; it's supposed to include a tutorial or some type of posting by another person who shows you how to use craft items to make whatever it is that has inspired you to make a like item. Well, with so many Tim videos, and so much inspirational projects made by his many Helpers (you really need to check out Tim's Blog for his "Blogworthy Inspiration" posts as there is so much crafty talent out there and Tim likes to pick out his faves from others to show off on his own blog. The ideas out there are so amazing and at least a few will definitely be some that you've been hoping to find and try out on your own! It's exactly where I get most of my "Ohmygosh; I MUST try that!" ideas. This post is one of those. So, let's get with it...


            We'll start with the very video that started all my "Gotta do"s; Tim put this one out just a few months ago, and at the time, I was way too busy with things I already had going on my full plate to even take notice at the time. But after all my gifts were finished and I got a good view (ok....so I looked at least 3 times at it, but who's counting??) of all the goodies that would make some really cool projects! If you're a Tim Fan, then you've probably already viewed it, but honestly; THIS is where all my inspiration came from that sent me looking for bargains over Christmas Break...

                                         Tim Holtz Christmas 2018 IdeaOlogy via YouTube

             Now, while that video doesn't show you exactly HOW to make everything, it IS where I got MY gumption to start with. Since I've been a "maker" most all my life (including my childhood), getting the idea of what to do with these items isn't too hard for me. But if you're a bit "craft-challenged", shown below this paragraph is a basic tutorial for an idea on how to go about making a vignette somewhat different than mine- which is winter-themed, but it does give you an idea that is along the same basic lines as my own. However...I did include my own "How To" photos as I usually try to do.

                                                  Simon Says Stamp Vignette Tutorial

                   
             I hope those gave you a ton of ideas and as much inspiration as they did ME! And now you've gotten the idea of how excited I was to find all of these items at BARGAIN BIN prices!!

Let's see what I chose to do first...

I picked out a few IdeaOlogy items from the bargains, and also got into a few of my older dies that I knew would add exactly the right touches I wanted to try out for this project...

My ChiefHubby's Grandma Dougherty had a set of sheets on her Guest Room bed,

they were used during the summer when we would stay over on Lake Shafer in Monticello, Indiana, on the Isle of Homes where they had lived since 1976.

When Grandpa and then Grandma both passed away within 2 years of each other, my CH's Mom

chose those sheets as part of her "keepsakes" we all chose. She used them in the summer on occasions on her own bedroom set, for the sentimentality of missing Grandma and Grandpa.

So when David's Mom passed away; I did the same ad put them on our own bed that first summer.

She and I shared a love of certain items Gr and Gr always used for others: I chose Gr&Gr's cookbook with all the fave recipes and also Grandpa's cookie and candy bakeware (Grandma made the pies and Grandpa made all the other goodies). Both of us missed their company and those visits every weekend to the Lake House. Our own Sons grew up there during the summers also.

So, while the sheets wore out, the pillowcases were still in great shape and I made

TWO "girl" Christmas Stockings out of one pillow case- for those future Grands or Great-Grands!

The rest of this pillowcase... I had another idea in mind for it: CURTAINS for this project!!

Using my TH Alterations Window/Window Box Bigz Die, I cut 2 matboard pieces and

used a Sizzix Red "Album Cover" die for cutting 2 sets of curtains.

My thought was to hang them by a curtain rod....made from TH IdeaOlogy Spinners! 

Getting the curtains to stay together (I doubled it so it couldn't be seen through the material- 

which you'll see why later in this post) by using a couple strips from my Glider Tape Roller.

Here's where the idea all began: I wanted to use the new TH IdeaOlogy Vignette Box Covers.

but this was to be for WINTER as the theme, not Christmas.

What to do??

Well, this is where that TH Wallpaper comes in handy:

I simply chose a box- the largest one fit my desire, and then used the co-ordinating fitting Boxtop Cover as a pattern to cut my own out of the Wallpaper. 

This is what I ended up with; keep in mind that I wanted to completely cover the corners,

but the TH Boxtop Covers only MEET at the corners. So I had to alter my pattern a bit.

I wasn't sure how much of the original color of the TH Vignette Box was going to show...

So I gave it all a whitewash of Distress Paint in Picket Fence.

Here's where that old package of TH IdeaOlogy Frosted comes back out: I needed

something that looked like COLD SNOW was falling.

Getting out the drill set; BE CAREFUL...

The TH boxes are GREAT little things put together with REAL WOOD,

but the type of wood that it is: it can splinter apart. Care of drilling the box 

going easy as it drills through.

Then fitting all the inside walls with FIRST:

a layer of blue that matched the Wallpaper, but looked like cold grey skies 

(which is pretty much almost all we see in the North during winter).

SECOND LAYER: the embossed cut-to-fit Frosted.

Here, I made a little cut where the wiring lights would run through from the back.

(You can see some splintering from the drill hole.)

The battery pack was hot-glue-gunned to the backside,

and the hole sealed up AFTER the lights were settled inside...

The lights all up around the top tilted toward the right top- to look like the sunlight 

coming through- with no full sun.

The TH Medium Sized Tree needed to be trimmed off the back and side to fit well-

the tree needed to be thinner so the front 'wall' with the window would be flush

 (fit evenly up against each other) with the side and back walls.

Otherwise; the front wall would bulge outward. 

Here is where I met up with a "problem"...

The little girl had to be "too short" to see outside, since I wanted to make a 'play'

on the theme with some TH IdeaOlogy (regular) Letter Dice.

(Pun intended here- you'll see why in a few minutes!)

What better way to get the most out of that set of lights;

USE FOIL to line that front wall on the inside, so it will reflect the lights and make it brighter!

Using that TH Jewelry Punch for the first time in a while. I needed the Spinners to hook together.

After using some gauze to make the snow on the bottom, and add  in all my details

(left plain with no paint or coloring as is my fave look);

this is the finished inside.

Those TH IdeaOlogy Pinecones look COOL here !!! 

Distressing some TH Crinkle Ribbon...

And making a set of girl's skates from the 

TH Alterations Movers&Shapers Mini Skate (&Toy Soldier) Die set-

Thanks to some AWESOME Crafter/Designers who held a DeStash where I was

able to catch up the rest of my Tim Collection!!!

The finished UNLIT Vignette- "On The Inside Looking Out"

And as LIGHTED !

Some CLOSE UPS...

I was thinking perhaps this girl was not able to go outside and play because it was too cold and she was getting over being sick. But she snuck up to the window to be able to watch her friend

play outside- and play enough for her to enjoy watching him from the window.

He even built her a snowman right there in front of her window so she could see his hat

through the bottom of the window while she was still in bed all day!

More TH IdeaOlogy...

You can even see the curtain tie she tossed down in her hurry to push aside to see!

Her own skates hung up on the wall wait for her to get well, so she can go out and play also!

The backside shown here.

This cute little Winter vignette is a gift for our younger Daughter up in

Red Wing, Minnesota.

I can picture the cold, and snowy day that has our younger Nuclear Engineer Son

outside either shoveling their deep snow, or taking the pups out to play for a bit,

while his HS English Teacher Wife is (happily) stuck inside grading papers. :)

The 2019 Challenges are up and going full tilt!

Check out some of the awesome projects made and shared Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog

But, you can feel free to join in at any time!

There are prizes to be had: including a change to win a shopping trip 

at the Sponsor: The Funkie Junkie Boutique

I'll be back with another post as fast as I can type it up!

In the meantime...

Be Safe, &

HAPPY BLOGGING!!!