The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog Challenge #16 It's Heating Up!...Uncle Sam Marches On!

      July 4th is my favorite holiday of the year,
and we ended up being out of state (again) during the time I would also love to do some Americana crafting. So instead, the current Challenge actually helped me back up a bit and have a re-play, so to speak! I dug right in as soon as the idea hit on me as I was making the first panel (Click Here). And my Muse just took off; almost without me!
      Again, the theme for this Challenge calls for the use of reds, yellows, or oranges that are 'warm' and give the impression of the heat of summer. There's no shortage of heat here, and I absolutely LOVE it! Summer is my Happy Place, definitely. As I posted before, this set of panels is done EARLY (do the early dance!)
and you still have time to join in at
The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog, which means you still have a good chance of being a Top Pick, or winning the Drawing for a $25 Shopping Certificate from The Funkie Junkie Boutique. Best hurry- deadline is July 30th!
   

                                     So let's see what I have this time...

Using the good old R,W,B in Distress Regular Inks Fired Brick and Faded Blue Jeans,

and Distress Oxide Ink in Antique Linen, with some Tarnished Brass Distress Spray;

I inked up a good background by making my pattern onto the TH Glass Mat.

I did a few earlier practice sheets as well, but here's my take- I needed 2 backgrounds

for this project just like I did in the first panel last time.

Then I used Distress Regular Inks in Black Soot and Tea Dye,

with Oxide Inks in Antique Linen and Vintage Photo to fill out all around any blank spots.

I added Distress Powder in Vintage Photo onto the second sheet to start some serious rusting.

Since I was planning to use the TH Thinlits United States Die,

I knew the area that would need rusting. The Thinlits tend to tear as they are

very delicate, so I chose to try and do the faux rust before cutting, and it helped.

Also, before cutting, I added some odd stripes in the Antique Linen Oxide-

just to clarify the lines a bit better.

Then cut...

                                           

                                                                ...and the resulting cut.

TH Alterations Die Festive Gent was my Uncle Sam- altered a bit here and there

with Tonic Scissors. Thinlits Die Stenciled Numbers made the 1776 and I used

the razored TH Distressor to rag out the edges of the year.

Cutting up a small 4x6 US Flag is not considered 'bad' by me...

as long as I am honorable with disposing of the rest of it properly.

Besides...She was still gonna FLY proudly!!!

Distressing the US Flag...

 think the War of 1812 and Francis Scott Key looking up at Her.

She's burned, cannonballed, torn, ragged, and worn.

But proudly; She still WAVES!!

A bamboo skewer made a smaller "flag pole" by cutting to size with Tonic Scissors,

edging the top in (a very OLD Gold Ranger Dabber) and staining the rest with

TH Distress Stain in Walnut.

And here's the final product...

Uncle Sam marches on!

I was careful to add Alaska and Hawaii, though most people leave those out 

when it comes to an outline of the USA.

(But man, those tiny islands were TOUGH to make!)

I also chose to make Uncle Sam keep his 'edges' instead of smoothing him out.

I put a white mat board in between two black cardstocks, then

fussy-colored the edges slightly with TH Distress Crayon in Black Soot.

The white shows just a bit for some extra dimension.

For me, there is no better color scheme than Old Glory's!

She's definitely on fire and still marching for the freedom She stood for when

She only had 13 stars on her. And we need to support those who fight to protect Her.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by!

Until next time:

Be Safe &

HAPPY BLOGGING!

The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog Challenge #16 It's Heating Up!...There's Only One Professor

    This Challenge must have really lit a fire under me! The theme is a perfect description of this Summer's heat here in Indiana, and while we've hit the pool in the evenings to cool off, it's basically like taking a bath in 92* water. It means adding more chems into the water in order to make it safe from bacteria. It's supposedly going to finally break the heatwave sometime this week. Even so- I'd MUCH rather deal with the extreme heat instead of the mess and cold of winter! I do worry for those more susceptible to the heat; the very young, the aged, and especially pets. This heat outdid the heat of Florida, by far. Even my flowers are panting for water.                 The Challenge is calling for colors on the warm side; reds, yellows, & oranges. As a Retired Firefighter's Wife, I am reminded of some fires in which the flames burned bright blue- almost to a silvery white- these are the hottest spots of a fire that has burned to an extreme heat. The Cole Hardwood Fire of Logansport, Indiana, was one of the hottest, longest burning fires my ChiefHubby was called to (you can google that). His descriptions of that fire were in my mind as I made this background. So my idea was to add in some metallic (gold/silver/gunmetal, or rose gold) TH Alcohol Ink into the mix of colors and see what happened. I had some awesome inspiration from both the Lead Designers (we have a new Designer recently added) on The Funkie Junkie Challenge Blog, and from a personal card that was included with my prizes from Tim Holtz Addicts of Facebook. I keep that card in the middle of some of my favorite Tags on my Studio wall...

                                          

I blended several colors of Regular (Spiced Marmalade, Rusty Hinge, & Mustard Seed)

and Oxide (Old Paper) Distress Ink,

as well as some Alcohol Inks (Rose Gold and Gunmetal), and Blending Solution.

After getting both a panel and tag background,

I used the same colors mixed for adding some texture with Distress Powder in Antique Linen.

After using the tag to make the TH Alterations Die cut of World Map,

I added some more Distress Inks in Regular Black Soot and Vintage Photo Oxide

for some grungy-ness, and used a finger-mix of TH Paints in Mowed Lawn and Salty Ocean

for that greenish tinge of rust on orange metals.

Next up; making my own masks for stamping.

I wanted to cut the masks slightly smaller than the stamp- to make the image look

like it was blending in with the planned ghosting.

Making masks ended up being a HUGE job- a mask for each stamp chosen.

My TH Stamping Platform REALLY came in handy for this panel project!

It became "stamp and cover... stamp and cover" for each layer.

Lastly; for the stamping part...

I decided to use my newly acquired -and much wanted!- Distress Perm Inkset-

with my TH Stamper's Anonymous Reflections Set; Numbers, to "ghost stamp" all over the background (all masks are on at this point now).

Yeah, the numbers are backward on the panel, but it just looks right to me.

Complain to my Muse...she was THERE!

I liked the ghosting colors so much, I decided that The Professor was going to

be a mix of all those same colors. I simply kept turning the stamp all around until it was covered

completely. I LOVED the effect!!

And here's another newly acquired item- wax seal set by 7 Gypsies

(and a very generous Crafter who was willing to part with this on a DeStash Sale).

It was actually a first for me, but it was something I always wanted to do!!

And this was the resulting panel...

There have been MANY Inventors, Time Travelers, Scientists,

and others from all times, eras, and places....

But there's only ONE PROFESSOR!

(And that's why I just had to have him!)

A few closeups...

I even labled the numbers 20 for Calcium and 80 for Mercury.

Both bottles have Glossy Accents in the bottoms with a drop of (20) Gunmetal Alcohol Ink

and (80) with Silver Alcohol Ink on top to make it look a bit 'foamy'.

I LOVED the play on "eyes and ears" you see here: the horn blowing into The Professor's ear,

and his goggles with TH Nailheads (Screwheads?).

IdeaOlogy is never very far from my mind!!

Distress Crayon in Black Soot around the Quote Chip.

The awesome card from THA Team (Tim Holtz Addicts of Facebook)

that inspired this panel...I was loooooong waiting to finally use The Professor!!

             Since I am actually finished EARLY, you have time to join in on this Challenge!
                             There are Badges and Prizes to be had for the Top Picks courtesy of
                                                              The Funkie Junkie Boutique ,
                   & you can also enter your project into other Challenges as well (up to 10 others).

                       THANKS SO MUCH for the comments and encouragement from everyone!
                       Sharing is what it's all about, and reading your shared thoughts is awesome!!
                              Be sure to check out the next post as well, since it's my first time
                              entering more than 1 project (a second panel) and I am excited !

                                               BE SAFE &
                                    HAPPY BLOGGING!!

The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog (formerly Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog); Water, Water, Everywhere... A BARRY Beachy 35th Anniversary!

     Oh my goodness, what a month of traveling July has been for us! We found ourselves up against Hurricane Barry as it barreled toward the south, causing double-red, no swimming flags up all along the Emerald Coast where we spent a week and a half visiting family. The ChiefHubby was helping put up a new overhanging roof off of the Tri-State Christian Camp (DeFuniak Springs, Florida) while the Wifey spent time just helping out where needed, and running places with the Nieces. While we hit the beaches a couple of days, that last visit we arrived just 51 minutes after the double-red posted. They were allowing only shoreline play and while
several people did go out further, sometime that afternoon, we were informed Barry was upgraded from Tropical Storm to become the first Hurricane of 2019 at Category 1. It was very hard for me to sit there and not take to those waves with my board!!! But I am thankful for the Walton County Lifeguards who try to do their jobs and keep everyone safe. We left for Indiana about 30 hours before Barry hit the Louisiana shoreline, and arrived safely home to find out 1 person did drown near the same beach we were at. A stark reminder that GOD's Creation is much more powerful than we realize. My heart goes out to the family whose loss will be tough to take.

       
      Of course, I did hit 2 of the 5 Tuesday Morning stores in search of more Tim Holtz deals, and was not disappointed! I actually hit several different shorelines- 2 lakes as well as the coastline. And near both of those lakes; shops with several old goodies! One of these shops is where I found this box to use for my project. (Then whip it out in two days after getting home!! So HOPEFULLY I am NOT going to miss this deadline...within the hour!) So here we go....

Treasure!

This is what I ended up with: a double-sided foldout.

We ended up buying new large beach towels to replace our 20-something old ones.

I thought it would be cute to add this to the box.

Yes; the seashells are what I've found on this beach.

You can barely see the shell find I managed to get this time; I saw it in the surf

( Yellow and Purple flags posted that day; dangerous marine life around- likely jellyfish)

and managed to get hold of it... a huge hermit crab!

I took him to the sand and coaxed him out for a few snaps...

He happily went back into the surf- on his way to who-knows-where.

Beach trips have been going on for just about all the 35 years of our marriage.

We've hit four out of 5 of the Great Lakes as well as the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf.

Canadian International Waters, and the Caribbean, too.

I always give thanks for being able to see all these places,

and know how blessed we are to live in the USA!!

     
           It's good to be Back Home Again In Indiana....for a few more days and then we are off
       again! Summer is my favorite time and trying to find Studio time is tough going when there is
        so much WATER, WATER, WATER to be enjoyed.... my sailboat, fishing at the lake, or just
         hanging in the pool. I also actually LOVE mowing! I know; I'm a strange type of girl. lol!
            I'll try to keep up with The Funkie Junkie Challenge Blog because not only do I really
           love the themes the Lead Designers come up with, but I have found "my fun place"
           where I can also find whatever I need if I don't have it- at The Funkie Junkie Boutique !
                              Giving them an extra plug is a nice way to thank them for the
                           special attention they give their customers! (For REAL, people!)

So, until next time...

BE SAFE &

HAPPY BLOGGING!