More "Icy and Cold" inspirational makes that fit in with The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge #2... Stories of Christmases Past!

   

While it's not 'icy' here on the Emerald Coast of Florida, and it's definitely not as cold as it is in Indiana or New York , where all of our kids and Grandbabies are, it's... brisk... most days. If the rain stops and the sun comes out, it warms up during the daylight hours. Once that sun sinks below the tree line; it's time to head inside or freeze your petunias off. The afternoon of this typing, I headed down to the ocean to get some Bum Time in on the beaches. I spent a good 3 hours in the warm afternoon doing a bit of everything- sitting, photographing, walking, and dipping in at the waterline. It felt really good to be out after the past 3 weeks of cold. 

    Last October, I was busy as Guest Designer for Simon Says Stamp and also 1 GD spot for The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog; Fall Gratitude. I took a full month off from anything else just afterward, and spent some time catching up on little things- quite literally! Last year, before we headed home to Indiana from Florida, I'd finally caved and purchased a doll house that had been for sale in a favorite shop here. It took 3 visits over a year and a half to make me say "Ok, if it's still there this time, it's sold to me," and I followed through. It was simple and cute, & just right for 1-3 year olds, of which we had 3 Grands in that bracket. I sent away for simple furniture suitable for the Melissa & Doug dolls and a second set also, just to match what WE all looked like. And yes, I have a couple set aside to match up the newest addition coming in August. They all 3 loved it! I would find the dolls situated in rooms of the house that gave us huge laughs at how cute their little minds think. Memaw and Papaw were often playing with the 3 while the Mommies and Daddies would be hidden in the ChiefHubby's desk drawers. There's a bed for each of us, yet I never did find a toilet yet. I still cannot figure out why Princess always takes the bathtub and sticks it into the barn next to the house- hidden up in the rafters. Fast-forward to this past October, when they put in a white bottle brush Christmas tree; the now 4 yr old Peanut comes to tell me in his serious voice "Memaw, we need PRESENTS under our tree in there," and thus began a 3 week stint of me making little things.... books, boxes. gift bags, etc. Just before we left, I stopped to peek in at the dolls and the scene was: Memaw, Papaw, and all 3 Grandkids were all upstairs in bed. Their 2 sets of parents were all sitting together down in the living room with the 3 tiny "The Christmas Story" replica books I made. The Christmas Tree had all the presents shoved wherever they could fit. And the dog and cat were fed and in bed also. Yep; these kids know the drill.

    Now that you know the background story, it'll be easier to see why I ended up making so many "littles". I needed practice at it once I learned how to do it. I've always LOVED miniatures, so it wasn't very hard to figure it all out. It's just a tad bit rough to do with hands that have RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis). There are a lot of ways to make little books, but I wanted REAL books that you could open and actually read the story. So my computer and printer came into use, along with a few bottles of Glossy Accents. But, it's fun and I'm going to keep on with it. Meanwhile, here's what I had hoped to get posted over Christmas, yet didn't. And then The Funkie Junkie's "Icy and Cold" Challenge came up and it just seems to fit right in.

Making any kind of miniatures is really pretty easy. It's a matter of scale on a good printing

program (I have several I use for my photography), and good printer (I use Canon Pixma and go through a new one about every other year now), cardstock or glossy paper, sharp scissors, 

and glue....LOTS of a good glue. A good scoring board helps for folding.

I've been making miniatures since I was a kid and I made all my own dollhouses.

The things that are out there these days (World's Smallest Toys)... we would have

killed to have back then! I'm still a collector of littles, and it's probably

why I am so stuck on Tim Holtz IdeaOlogy!

I had to make a set of 3 for the doll house. Peanut made sure Baby Jamie got 'pwesants' too. :)

But next year; I'm going to actually FILL them. They all wanted to open the glued-shut

boxes to see what was inside. I'll stick in some of those tiny new toys and surprise them.

I was going to just used paper mache boxes and cover them with Tim paper 

or some kind of paint/inks, but I found these right off and really liked the outside...

... and how the picture is framed to just the right size I wanted to cut my windows.

And I really loved the inside- it already looked like wallpaper. 

It could have been a tad bit smaller print, but the color shade matched spot on.

I'm holding clear plastic in my hand- just out of the trash.

This TH Alterations Die is the old Bigz Window Box.

I still love all my TH Bigz Dies; they cut through so many thicker

materials like this matboard.

Some TH Tissue Tape helped keep the inside cardboard where it was supposed to stay.

Each window has the plastic under the frame- on both sides of the cardboard.

I love doing that- go all out to make it look double pane.

For the line that shows in betwee the two cuts of windows: use your

TH Distress Crayon in Picket Fence (or matching color to material used) and rub it in.

Yeah, I like making my own things with the Etcetera,

and each package comes with plenty of leftover pieces to cut yourself.

I used this TH Paperie on both sides of my shelves and Distress Crayon in Vintage Photo

all around the edges. It looked like painted boards when finished. just like a real shelf.

I dug out a TH Seasonal stack of leftovers from waaaaay back,

and it was a perfect fit for the new TH Curio Frames to make a picture hanging.

Ahh, another problem I had...

Got all the way down to Florida with a special bottle brush tree I'd found a month before

up in MinneSNOWta (our very last trip before the kids moved to Upstate New York) 

somehow DISAPPEARED from my crafting table here. I can only surmise that the bag

fell into the trash and went out the door with.

I was in love with that tree since it was hard to find the perfect size at the time 

I found the boxes on sale during Thanksgiving. And it came from MinneSNOWta.

OoooooooKaaaaaay. A fast find at WalMart came up with this one.

And I actually ended up liking THIS ONE better!

I sewed up the stockings and it brought back memories of making my own

saddles and tack for my Brenda Breyer horses, and clothes for all my dolls.

I took one of the lanterns and carefully pulled it apart. It was easier than I thought it would be.

I cut it as evenly halved as I could and then sanded the rest of it all smooth.

You'll note that the clear piece in the middle did crack a bit, but otherwise stayed together.

This is a knock off lantern because I wasn't ready to 'waste' one

of my Tim Holtz lanterns- in case it didn't work.

Originally, I wanted it to light up with a TH Light Set, but I left several of them at home

in Indiana and didn't have any more at the time.

I later, did order a set of Tim's Light Sets from The Funkie Junkie Boutique and they

arrived quickly- within a few days- but I'd already moved on to another project by then.

These are like the sets I grew up with.

So did Tim Holtz! :)

I made these different and "signed" the Christmas cards since

they needed to look like they'd come from many other friends/family.

The set of cards needed to look like a real set...copies of the same cards and envelopes.

Yes, the cards do slip into the tiny envelopes.

All they need is some grunging up with TH Distress Oxide Ink in Vintage Photo

and Ground Espresso. 

BOOK ONE

BOOK ONE is about vintage Christmas- before (getting all the boxes out)

and afterward (carefully packing it all back up for next year).

And the gifts under the tree that we carefully wrap 

after finding just the right thing that we hope will bring a smile to a loved one's face.

It's warm inside, but fits the description of "Icy and Cold" out there!

Inside the books are real pages. The Christmas Carol is a much smaller one 

like the book that was made for TFJB Challenge "Out with the Old and in with the New"

The Family Album actually has album pages, and Family Tree/Marriage Certificates inside.

These little roughed-up skates are from the TH Movers and Shapers Mini Dies (retired).

The fireplace mantle was made from the TH 3D Impress Folder Brick.

It was supposed to be made with the newer TH Thinlits Fireplace...

but I put the wrong address for shipping and our Son texted to say

it got to Indiana ok. Of course. *sigh*

                                                                   BOOK 2

BOOK TWO has all the usual holiday fare on the shelves.

But we tend to overlook the most important thing....the smallest of all.

Fits the description of "Icy and Cold" out there!

This Book 2 was all about how we get caught up

in all the decorating.

We tend to forget what we're celebrating: CHRISTmas- the birth of JESUS.

Thanks for coming back in and allowing me to share this make with you!

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And a HUGE "THANK YOU!" for all the SWEET comments!

I hope you'll join in on this

 Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge; Icy and Cold

Enter your choice of craft that 'speaks icy or cold to you'-

whatever comes to your mind with colors, embellishments, etc,

and YOU could be chosen as a Top Pick!

For one randomly drawn Winner, there's a $25 Gift Certificate Sponsored by

Until next time...

Stay Safe & Warm!

HAPPY BLOGGING!!