Frilly and Funkie Challenge #16 "Back To Nature"... Pick Ur BEACH!

   As per my usual- the last to get done is the blogging post...within hours of deadline, even though it looked like I was going to make it a full day earlier. Best laid plans always go wishy-washy on me. But, the important part is not WHEN you show up, but the showing up itself.
    I spent some time looking at journals and booklets, and especially the projects posted online (Facebook- Tim Holtz Addicts) and got some awesome ideas puppy-running in my head! So this was my chance to try out a couple...

                 Let's begin with the video, so I am not typing so much under the photos, but allow the photos to just give further closeup still shots at the work done. In the video, I explain the difference I have encountered between "regular" cheaper cardstocks and the Tim Holtz cardstocks. Since that made the biggest part of this challenge to be...well, rather challenging...we'll start there.

I'm not 'knocking' this type of cardstock (nor any other brands) and will likely keep buying it as I choose for whatever needed solid-color projects. It IS still very useful! (And bargain priced for several types of things.) BUT- it does tear too easily when you are using adhesives and need to remove/replace/repair your project along the way. That was my main point.

Starting this book- measuring and cutting for my own likes and specs.

This is the FUN way to CREATE a unique project all your own design!

Here, I have the basic background for the book, and am choosing not to add any ink or edging to 

to it at all- just the covering backgrounds of TH cardstocks/paperies. This matched very nicely with my theme and is the main reason I used this stock. 

I'll break in here for a minute or two so I can show you how I made the fish!

The first step was to make a page of 'deep ocean' where the fish would be;

this required some Ranger Alcohol Inks, Ink Blending Tool, and Alcohol Ink Blending Solution.

Now, while I got to use my new Tim Holtz Glass Media Mat...

I totally forgot to add that new Alcohol Lift Ink Pad and the Lift ReInker!!!

BUT- there is STILL fun to be had with the Alcohol Inks and Blending Solution, so...

here's my take on The Deep Blue- complete with Blending Solution droplets

to look like fish air bubbles.

Shrinky Dink "paper" can be found at just about any store that carries copy paper or paper supplies.

This particular kind (shown here) can be printed with your computer (I use Canon Pixma or my travel Canon Selphy) OR used with a good permanent ink (I chose my Ranger Archival Black)…

the trick is to SAND THE PAPER DOWN FIRST! 

You can use any stamps after sanding, and I happened to have a full set of ocean-themed clear stamps that came in a box of yard sale goodies for a bargain of $5 a couple summers ago (but never got the chance to use them for the right project). They are clear, when I really prefer TH's red rubber stamps, but they were too cute and I love anything ocean!

After making 6 of the fish, I decided I needed just ONE fish to "escape the bunch caught" and wanted him to look different. My mind went to 'numbers' and 'statistics', so I got out my TH red rubber sets that had anything numbers, etc on them (he has quite a few that qualify) and chose the Reflections with the numbers. The Mind-Puppies got me going here thinking fish will swim ANY WAY they can  in order to escape: upside down, sideways, backwards (if they can), and so on.  So why not have the numbers taking the escaped fish off into the hiding place?! He's not about to let himself become a statistic being caught and eaten! 

Here is the fish being stamped with the Reflections Stamp....

those of you who have done this before will notice that I am actually going BACKWARDS with the technique: the fish stamp is the one holding still, and the Reflections Stamp is doing the moving.

I put the sanded Shrinky paper on top then gently rolled it without allowing it to move.

 A plain stamping block worked well for this and it was only ONE fish.

If I was going to do several... I'd make it work in the Stamping Platform!!

The end result was pretty COOL, and even MORE SO once it was shrunk!

Using the block came in handy for heating and shrinking, since the shrink paper WILL curl.

The 6 regular fishies…

...and "the one that got away"!

Now, let's finish out the rest of the photos...

This was an extremely FUN (very challenging, too) project, and I am not ashamed

to admit that I was completely OBSESSED with it- from start to finish- I couldn't seem to just leave

it 'be' till it was totally finished! I would even wake up after a few hours of sleep and think "Omygosh; I've got a thought of how I can fold that!" and run off to do it before I could forget.

Now THAT is "OCD"...in a good way, of course. ;)

I also need to take a sec here to shoutout:

"THANK YOU!!!"

to you folks leaving such SWEET comments on my previous projects!

As much as I am on the run all the time (as I can be and then down flat from all the running after it hits me), I try to leave notes for the projects that really strike a chord in my Artful Muse, because it can be a real up-lifter to an artist when others see their work. Sharing is the basic theme of what it's all about- no matter what kind of art you are into, and no matter what talent you have (and our Creator GOD has indeed given EVERYONE a talent...they just have to discover what that talent is)!

On that last note about sharing...

these projects can be seen as entries on 

The Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog 

and every entry is automatically in the drawing for a $25 Gift Certificate sponsored by

The Funkie Junkie Boutique

where you can find just about anything you need to make any of these projects

at a cheaper price than in most stores.

THANKS! for everyone checking in on this post,

and so many other posts in the archive!

I find myself truly HUMBLED to think others actually LIKE some of these

crazy creations my Muse has me making!

So, until the next Challenge post....

Stay Safe &

HAPPY BLOGGING!

Frilly and Funkie Challenge #15; AUGUST.... Through The First Year and On To The NEXT!

    August...such a simple title for this Challenge, but also very deceiving: the Indiana Education System seems to think that Summer is completely over. On the contrary: this Mom/Grandma/former school Volunteer says it still looks, feels, and even tastes like summer- because it STILL IS SUMMER!! I am so against all this early school start; I am of the 'old school' generation who went in after Labor Day holiday weekend, and got out before Memorial Day holiday weekend. And (for the love of GOD, folks) ours was the generations that MADE all the gizmos and gadgets called "technology"! We split the atom, put the man on the moon, and most importantly of all: we INVENTED Rock and Roll!!!! We didn't need more days out of a summer away from our families and friends, and while we took advantage of the AC (if you were "rich" enough), we took to the water... by vine over a creek, or catching crawdads for the fun of it.... or made our own fun with a plain old garden hose. I must be old-fashioned, and gladly so, if those days are long gone now.
             But, that very thought (the kids of summer) is what brought me to create this project for
The Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog . Our "Wittle Peanut" first Grandchild, Cole, turned a whole 1 year old on June 7th! I can't get over how much he has changed, grown, and especially learned during that 12 months! And every time we get to have him with us; he just gets smarter- and so much stinkin' CUTER!- than the time before...even if it's just days apart. With both our own boys, we were blown away by how intelligent each was and how quickly they caught on. They both loved books and we considered ourselves extremely blessed by that, and how well they always did in school. Our older Son (Cole's Daddy) did have a bit of an "attitude"...*hut-hum*...quite like his Mom (me) did back at that teen age. Sort of "I really LIKE this Teacher, so I will do my VERY BEST!" or "Man, this Teacher just sucks. Boooooooring. Forget this. I'm done." So the grade kinda depended on how we felt about it. But, our younger Son....just being told to "DO THE WORK", and he aced/breezed through it on gilded wings. Both are Gifted/Talented, but it's that extra "umph" that pushes that Giftedness over the top. I can definitely see that little bit of attitude in our first Grandson. Both girls our Sons brought home to us to be our Daughters are also very gifted in the smarts and their grades (& degrees!) show that. I always say that we will have THE smartest Grandchildren- EVER! But the real bonus: if this first kid is any indication at all...we will have the CUTEST Grandchildren in the whole wide world!!! Blonde and Blue- esp with the younger Son and Daughter who both have almost platinum blonde hair. 3/4 of our kids have blue eyes...with Cole's Daddy going back and forth over the years with Blue (from me) OR Green (the ChiefHubby)! But, ask ANY Grandma and she will be quick to say that HER Grandchild is the cutest....EVER. And it will be the truth, too!

                  So let's get down to Crafty Business and see where I took this....

We're back to The DoodleBook !

I've done a few projects in here that are Archived under past Posts.

I leave a set of pages in between each project I do- because I never know just how WET

I am going to get with the current project. For this; I did one layer of white gesso, then did some Tim Holtz technique of TH Stencils with TH Texture Paste (from Ranger).

You'll notice the TH Thinlit Die Set: #661186 (bricks and stones)…

I cut a few plain sturdy white cardstock pieces from the die set and used them

for my own stenciling. The 'rocks' turned out GREAT! It really does look

like a former wall of a building all crumbling in with no more full walls left.

A second layer of the gesso took on a different look when I used my sponge brush to make changes in the strokes I used: straight lines on the sky...then dabbing all over the 'rocks' and the inside area of the rocking to look like gravel on the ground.

Using a TH Distress Marker in Antique Linen gave a bit more dimension to the 'crumbling rock walls'.... doing almost ALL the lines up close, but in the back- using only a "here or there" stroke in between.....gives the impression of the back wall being further back.

A little play on the 'sky' with some TH Distress Ink in Salty Ocean, with some

ghost stamping of wording in there, randomly.

The columns were actually the FIRST thing I made:

I used one full sheet of TH GrungePaper and simply cut it into thirds, then 

cut the tops & bottoms away from them and trimmed down the sides of the columns.

Then folded the columns, and used the top of a Tag die to trim the scallops and used the rest

of the trim to top off each scallop.

3 coats of TH Distress Paint in Picket Fence (folding again before adding a coat of paint),

then using some TH Distress Ink in Pumice Stone for a bit more dimension on the 

folds and edges.

Then, I wanted CRACKLE...NOPE!

Arrrgh!!!! What to do?!

So while I had to go for another Dr Dracula visit (aka Blood Draw),

I stopped by JoAnn and Hobby Lobby to pick up a few new TH Crazing/coatings set.

Ok; ME LIKES!!!

To get the columns to 'stand out' from the background better, I chose to cut an 8&1/2 X 11 in 

white cardstock into 3 parts and then just folded each and taped them down only on one edge.

The cs 'popped up' just like you'd expect! Normally, you'd be wanting to smooth

it back down, but this time.....it did just what I wanted it to do.

Cutting out some English Ivy (the older Couple Kids had taken a trip to 

England before they had Cole coming along, 

so this is a bit of a nod to the UK and also to Education- 

Ivy is often used with photos of higher education) ,

using that new TH Alterations Pipeline Die 

and also the Watering Can (gotten on clearance last fall).

I stripped a wiring from some ribbon and saved the wire for another use.

It came in handy for the Pearls of Wisdom I wanted to show all the

milestones a baby passes: rolling over, sitting up, crawling, standing, and walking-

just to name a few large motor skills.

Twisting the wire around each pearl allowed me to space them along the wire.

For the TH Alterations Pipeline Bigz Die: I used the new Memoranda Stash Paper!

I cut several and stacked up the layers to make a thicker cut of each that would "pop" 

from the background, but run BEHIND the columns.....

Here was playing with the already-glued-layers of piping to see how they looked best

on the entire layout...

Before putting them permanently onto the background, I used some of my Vintage Photo Distress Oxide and played around with water to give the piping some REAL water spotting !

The Finished 2-page Project: "Through The First Year and On To The NEXT!"

Some Closeup Photos:

I used Glossy Accents on the drips to make them look like real water!

The sunshine beams show through from the background- both sun and water are needed to

nurture a plant for it to grow. The many things a CHILD needs to grow- includes good food,

clothing, and shelter, but also SONshine and all that comes with that Biblical instruction, 

as well as discipline, and attention. Everything in all those things spell L-O-V-E!

WHY 2 Crowns, you ask??

Because Cole has 2 Grandmas!!

He has his Mommy's Mom- his Grammy Fasha,

and his Daddy's Mom- Meemaw (me).

I absolutely LOVE the fact that my Sons each have TWO Moms!!

Some people may be jealous of their kids' other family, but I think it's a BONUS!!

This is Cole's 1st Birthday photo from his photo shoot over the week of June 7th, 2018...

Is this child not a "Gerber Baby"?!?

The rest of his pics were just as adorable, but this one had to be my fave!!

Lastly- he's already well on his way to Year #2, 

so I had to add a few sprigs and pearls for those things he has already learned in

just the two short months from June 7th to August 7th.

Let the ride be LOOOOOOOONG! And BLESSED!!!

I actually had this entire thing already finished within the first 4 days after the

Challenge was posted! It was so much FUN, and when I checked back into 

see more inspiration posted onto The Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog ,

I was awed that another VERY talented crafter thought along the very same lines!

Great minds DO think alike! LOL!

There are Badges and a drawing for a $25 Gift Certificate

Sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique ,of course.

But the real fun comes from the great feeling of sharing

something created that is close to your HEART !

A BIG THANK YOU shoutout to the wonderful folks checking in to see 

these crafts on my blog, and especially to those who leave a comment-

you guys are THE BEST!!!!

Ya'all make the rounds to the other Crafters involved in this Challenge if you get the

chance, and if you have the time: PLEASE JOIN US!!

We promise not to make fun of your inky hands, and to fully embrace

all your mistakes- as if they were our own!!   ; )

Till next time: BE SAFE &

HAPPY BLOGGING !!!!