Year 2013 & Year 2014 2

Year 2013 & Year 2014 2

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

The Funkie Junkie Boutique's Inspiration Ave #5; Finish It... Truckloads of Eggs!


M
arch! Spring! I've got just 3 weeks left of Florida living and then it's time to head north again to Indiana. I've hardly had time in the last week to catch my breath not just from all the things to finish up here, but from all the events and running around. I've had some time on my surfboard, finally, but not yet gotten out the windsurfer. There just hasn't been time, and when there is; the weather doesn't want to cooperate. We've spent the past week with everyone here at the camp, and several friends who have popped in on their way here or there. I've hardly had time to talk to the Grandbabies since they're an hour ahead of us and that puts their bedtimes well ahead of ours. Seems like we've just run, run, run. Frankly, this woman is pooped out. I took one look at that photo of Princess Rose, asleep in the grocery cart, and I definitely can relate to that feeling.  Once these storms pass, though, I'm going to try to get the most surfing time in that I can- while I can!








There's another new theme over at Inspiration Ave! I'm starting out with the first of The Funkie Junkie Boutique's Design Team's "Finish It!" where Owner, Linda Coughlin is challenging us to backtrack just a bit and finish a project that's been put on hold. If you're like me; you've got plenty of projects to choose from that have been tucked away with good intentions of getting back to them... at some point. I just happened to bring one project with me that was started and ultimately set aside further and further from my attention. Here it is, one year later, and I'm rising to that challenge to

FINISH IT!

I got out the baggie that had 3 sets of Eileen Hull's (Sizzix)
Scoreboards XL Die Vintage Truck
which came with my then-new Big Shot Foldaway in December 2022.
I'm actually lucky to have waited to finish this project because
I've got newer Tim Holtz dies and paperie to use for it than I did last year!
I got hooked on Eileen Hull's Scoreboard Dies when I purchased a few
of them from The Funkie Junkie Boutique some years back.
There are some newer dies in stock at TFJB (I've got my eye on Field Notes!)

Let's get started with that handy List of Links:




I needed 5 trucks, so that meant cutting out 2 more sets of matboard...
and 5 sets of front and back sides for all 5 trucks.
That meant A LOT of die cutting. Or so I thought that was a lot at the time.

Then I began gluing all the paper covering onto the matboard first.
After all the paper was adhered, I could put the trucks themselves together
to form the boxes in the middle of the two sides of truck.
I did use the front cover of my Scoreboards Die to guide me along.

It was easy, but I simply had more than one truck to do.

The last one was for myself.
Since I like old-looking things, I used some Oxides to age the pieces
after the paper was glued. I heat-dried each piece to set the Oxides,
before the final put together.

I made a run to the thrift store for some foam (sticky back) to use for eggs.
I also picked up some pom-poms that matched the foam colors.
I got out the die I would've used last year to make this project.
Tim used part of this on his most recent Vault Die (listed above).
It's also the die set I used in 2022 to announce Baby Larimore #4
(CLICK HERE to view that project.)

I peeled off the entire sheet's protective paper
and folded each foam sheet over onto itself, keeping the sticky side to the inside.

And die cut... a WHOLE LOT MORE!
Die cutting also the bunny shapes from the brand new Hippity Hop by Tim Holtz,
and adding bow ties and hair bows denoting boy/girl.

I used my glue gun to adhere all the bows and fluffy balls matching 
each color to each bunny.
I put 2 eggs together and made each egg "rounded out" by 
adding alot of glue into the middle of the 2 eggs then pressing all
around the edges. This gave them a more "eggy" feel, lol!

I made two sets of the buns so I'd have all four Grandbabies in my truck,
and one for each of their own truck.


Here's the FINISHED Project!

Front of Old Truck

FRONTS of BUNNIES

BACKS of BUNNIES

Bunnies bringing a truckload of eggs to each Grandbaby... and Memaw!



I'm so glad you were with me on this trip by trucks,
and I hope it inspires you to do as we're doing for this next two weeks,
get out a project you've set aside,
dust it off, and join our Design Team as we each take our turn 
every couple of days to
"FINISH IT!"

Be sure to stop in at
The Funkie Junkie Boutique
as more new items arrive, so you can update your project
the way I've done with mine.
Take your time and enjoy the feeling of a FINISHED make to share!


Until next time...

Stay Safe &
HAPPY BLOGGING!!

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

The Funkie Junkie Boutique's Inspiration Ave #4; Hats Off to Our Men... Tribute to EMERGENCY!


    February is moving by quickly and it seems like I'm further behind in a few things than I want to be. It's hard to shake that "winter" feeling of slowing down- especially when I think of Indiana covered in snow. At least the days are getting longer, and I try to get out into the sun. That sleepy feeling prevails when the daylight hours are shorter. There was a project I wanted to get done and post up, but time got away from me and suddenly it's 2 years later. But there's always a chance that a theme is going to come along that will fit in with my long-awaited plan, and it finally happened.

   I've made several posts where I talked about our own family living the firefighter's lifestyle, and I was hooked on it at a young age when a television show called "EMERGENCY!" debuted in January 1972. If you missed a show- and you only had one chance to see a show back in those days- the only other chance to see it, if it came up again at all as a "rerun" in the summer months. So, there were some in there that I ended up missing over the years 1972 to 1979, during the show's run. I remember when it was cancelled- being a top show didn't make a difference to the Studio powers that were in charge. But then, this thing called VHS was invented, and DVD after that. Now, when you want to watch, if it's not already playing on several channels, all you need to do is pop in a DVD and you're all set to watch as long as you have the time to! What made the biggest impact (even more so than wanting to marry Johnny Gage), was how REAL the show turned out to be. Trust me, firefighters can't make these stories up on their own. Real accidents and all-too-real dangerous fires have made their way from actual FD logbooks onto the television screen with the original Station 51 (aka real-life Station 127 in Carson, California). There's a lot more to the story of the show than I can type here. While the fan base is alive and well, sadly, only a few of the actors who portrayed these beloved characters are still alive. I've only gotten to meet one of them- 10 years ago, already! Although only one was actually a real-life Fighter (Mike Stoker- who used his real name as his character) each, though, will always be remembered for the show that really DID change the way Emergency Medical Services are quickly available today. The show really did change lives, literally!





I'm leading off the latest theme for The Funkie Junkie Boutique over at Inspiration Ave
that will be posting for the next two weeks. Owner Linda Coughlin has the Design Team
creating something for the guys with "Hats Off to Our Men,"!
Since I've had this project in mind for some time, parts of it were already cut out, but I found myself changing my mind at the last minute, of course. and re-designing my idea as I went.
Come along with me and see how I crafted this Tag to become a 
Tribute to "EMERGENCY!"

You can see from this first picture; I already had the die cuts and (Sizzix) Shaker Domes
for the television set ready (TH Bigz Alterations Die Retro TV- retired?),
as well as brown paper wrap (packaging wrap from TFJB Happy Mail) already cut and stacked,
ready to become a miniature scrapbook.

Some things I used can be found by clicking on these helpful LINKS:


I used regular kitchen foil onto cardstock for the 3D Foundry Folder,
and a couple sheets of Backdrops Vol. 5 for the Brickwork & Mechanics 3D Folders
all inked with either Black Soot or Ground Espresso Oxides.

Then adhered each of the embossed Backdrops to all the Etcetera pieces
and cut them out before sanding down all the edges.

I distressed all the "metal" pieces with Black Soot Distress Paint using
a regular paint brush, then wiping with a paper towel- keeping the crevices with paint.

Finally: that Lost Shadow Distress Crayon!
Using this shade helped keep everything from being too dark.
I made sure to edge every piece, then heat dry before inking all the corners for age.

I printed out a color photo and a black and white,
inking up the B&W pic with some Distress Black Soot Oxide
(and heat drying it first)
then covering both with some clear contact paper.
This keeps the photos from getting smeared while I work.

I used some leftover pieces of Backdrops Vol 5 to make covers for 
the miniature scrapbook. A simple 2& 1/2 inches wide by 2 inches long- 
same as the stacked paper wrap.
After gluing the edges down, another scrap went on top of the end folds
(the folds would face the inside pages on both ends)
to add some stiffness to the covers.
Putting the stack of wrap papers in between the 2 covers, I used
hemp string to make a simple wrap-through tie to hold the book together.
Inking with Oxides in Vintage Photo and Ground Espresso,
heat dry, then adding some odd leftover Remnant Rubs
to make a title on the front cover.

I needed some paper photos to add to the miniature scrapbook;
basically, just like what I had growing up!
(I also had the Squad 51 Dodge truck, both Johnny and Roy dolls,
with all the accessories, the EMERGENCY board game, 
and an EMERGENCY! red helmet. I was all in!)

And a lot of cutting out and gluing- just like a normal-sized scrapbook.

To make the TV- I already had all the basic cuts and 
had used the TH Lumber 3D Embossing Folder on all the pieces- 
with Ground Espresso which seeped into the cracks, then heat dried
them... and had packed them all away for what ended up being two years!
I had been hoping to use them for the 50th Anniversary, 
but 52 is still a good number, too!
To make the TV thinner- I simply scored the pieces that 
connect the front and back TV cuts thinner, and cut the V marks
where I wanted them to fold- to make a cubby folder 
for the mini-Scrapbook to hide inside.

The piece on the right is just the same "box" but smaller.
It went into the far end of the larger box- to use as a 'stopper'
so the scrapbook wouldn't slide too far inside.

Now, it was time to use that NEW TH SCORCHED LUMBER!
Perfectly matched name for use on this project!

And this is what I ended up with... A Tribute to "EMERGENCY!"
one of my most favorite shows- ever!

FRONT of Tag

I used a lot of layering buildup on this FRONT SIDE.

BACK SIDE- Scrapbook is inside it's pocket.









Thanks so much for joining me on this nostalgic look back on a childhood favorite
that made a huge difference in so many lives today!
For this reason, I give a shoutout of 
THANK YOU FOR SERVING!
to those men who dreamed of a way to save lives faster & better
-from James O. Page and the original small group,
to all the men (and many women!) who followed in their footsteps.
And it all began with "just a TV show"!

Be sure to pop back in at Inspiration Ave as often as you can
over the next two weeks, so you can enjoy more from the rest of 
the Design Team's coming posts!
Don't forget to check out the SALES going on at
you won't want to miss a thing!

Until next time...

Stay Safe &
HAPPY BLOGGING!!