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:

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Etcetera - Facades

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Etcetera: Bracket Trims

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Etcetera Mini Tag Thickboards

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Backdrops Volume 5

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Baseboards Window Frames

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Large Fasteners

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Quote Chips, Labels

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Word Tags

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Pad - Black Soot

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Pad - Ground Espresso

Ranger Tim Holtz Oxide Ink Pad - Scorched Timber

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Pad - Vintage Photo

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Crayons - Set #15

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Crayons - Set #3 (Black Soot)

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Paint - Black Soot

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer

Tim Holtz Distress Sanding Disks

Ranger Inkssentials Ink Blending Tool + 2 Blending Foams

Scor-Pal Scor-Tape 1/4" x 27 Yards

Ranger Inkssentials Glossy Accents

Tim Holtz Tonic Studios Kushgrip Snip w/Non-Stick Blade & Cap 7"-Small

Tim Holtz Tonic Studios Black Kushgrip Snip w/Non-Stick Blade & Cap 5"

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

The Funkie Junkie Boutique;

you won't want to miss a thing!

Until next time...

Stay Safe &

HAPPY BLOGGING!!

The Funkie Junkie Boutique’s Inspiration Ave #3; Hearts & Flowers... Happy Valentine’s Day!

    February rolled in- and just in time. I was about ready to go nuts... slightly more than I already am, that is! We finally found the electrical problem here... only $1,000 later. Seems we were having an extra load of positive coming in and we're actually very lucky a fire didn't start. We have a nice setup, that only took 3 years to finish; from internet/TV/computers we use, to the extra heat we've put in and spare bathroom/laundry. All that work and added setups of same all around us, has kept us on our toes and we've finally gotten it all straightened out. It kind of blew up on us, though- mostly the living room TV and the main heater. Oops. It was well worth the $600 for the Electrician (our 'usual' electrician happens to be a Bestie, but it happened while they were away in Italy). Just as we got it all stablized, I went out to take a shower after a good loooong walk on the beach to regroup.... and found myself just one foot away from a nice SNAKE. In. The. Bathroom. The photo, below, was taken from some distance away. We later found out that he's actually a "nice" snake, and they can live up in our trees. "Nice" is fine... but one must draw the line when it can drop from a tree or go into my BATHROOM. The next afternoon found us both clearing out everything from under the decks, burning it all from every inch of our area, and laying out packets of moth balls in and out. I need another calming walk on my beach.

 The Grandbabies are keeping up with us via Facetime, but we've all been busy- they love being at their respective Libraries during this time of year when it's too cold to stay outside for long. We've always done our share of reading, and our Kids are all the same way, and that love has passed on to the Grands. It's all a matter of finding out what they like to read about. We're very blessed that we have that to share & I try to make time to read to each one of them- and all of them together whenever possible. Jamie is teaching the last one (Princess Rose) to read by reading to her himself! Cole and Chloe always seem to have a sibling competition and reading/phonics is no different; anything Peanut can do, Princess Chloe insists she can do better. (I wonder where she gets that...lol!)

     Valentine's Day is coming right up, and there's plenty of Inspiration Ave makes coming your way for these next two weeks! I’m here with the first make based on the perfect Valentine's theme Linda Coughlin, Owner of The Funkie Junkie Boutique, has suggested: "Hearts and Flowers"!

Of course, you can guess who my Valentines will go to! This is a shorter, simpler one than I usually do, but the simplicity is balanced out by the number I ended up making. Sit for a bit and scroll down to see how I put these together.... and then go try making one yourself. 

(You WILL, ya know... they were addictive once I made the first one!)

I won't be using the newest Distress color (Scorched Timber) just yet, but I sure am excited to get mine!

Here's a list of LINKS to help you find the things I used:

Sizzix Tim Holtz Thinlits Dies - Collector (shown)

(Mid-January Pre-Order) Sizzix Tim Holtz Vault 2024 Thinlits Die Set 6PK - Rosettes

 Tim Holtz Idea-ology Backdrops Volume 5

Prima Flowers- Assorted Choices

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Pad - Kitsch Flamingo

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Pad - Lumberjack Plaid

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Pad - Speckled Egg

Tim Holtz Distress Sanding Disks

Ranger Inkssentials Ink Blending Tool + 2 Blending Foams

Ranger Inkssentials Glossy Accents
Tim Holtz Tonic Studios Kushgrip Snip w/Non-Stick Blade & Cap 7"-Small

Tim Holtz Tonic Studios 9.5" Black Kushgrip Titanium Shears

Tonic Tim Holtz Rotary Media Trimmer

The first thing I did was go back to the video tutorial on folding cardstock/paper.

For this, you'll need to follow the instructions on Elena Consonni's Facebook tutorial:

CLICK HERE.

It begins with a cut of 27 cm length by 18 cm height,

with folds on the 9cm (x3).

I also used my Rotary Trimmer to cut some belly bands (for little hands to easily open)

and some simple cuts of the same cardstocks, folded in half for the inside cards.

This cardstock is from Tim Holtz's retired stack; Correspondence.

I chose some obvious Tim Holtz Distress Oxides for all the edges.

The TH Collector Die Set is one of those really good ones!

Not only does it save me weight and room in my travel craft bags, but it's clean, precise cut!

Now I don't have to carry the TH BigzL Movers&Shapers Die with me!

I wanted to make some "blanks" for the kids since they like copying what I make.

So I used this die set's envelope and card cuts to make some blank sets of cards.

I also used some of the elements, like the ribbon set, to add a little pizazz to their Valentine.

I do love the little closure cuts (in the lower area of the pic)!

Since the newer Vault die set is on back order, I got out the original TH Thinlits

Set; Faceted Heart- from which the Vault die comes.

I used a couple sheets of reddish and pinkish from the Vol 5 Backdrops

to cut some hearts for my cards and for the blank sets.

By just using the fronts and trimming the off the edges that would normally fold,

I ended up with "Minecraft" hearts- perfect for the kiddos!

All I needed was FLOWERS- to add with the HEARTS.

All but one likes flowers, and we all like growing them.

I did make an extra- for the ChiefHubby.

I used some of the TH Seasonal Kraft Core- retired cardstock- and sanded it down.

These are the resulting Valentine Cards/Envelope Sets...

FRONTS

BACKS

Thanks so much for joining me once again!

I hope you'll be encouraged to try out this folding idea for yourself.

I'd like to try adding different

elements such as little notes into all the many available tuck-spots, 

or perhaps fitting bits of candy inside.

Don't forget: the "Hearts & Flowers" theme runs for this next 2 weeks,

so be sure to pop back in to Inspiration Ave often, so you don't miss a thing!

Remember also: The Funkie Junkie Boutique has everything you need

to keep you stocked up so you can join in on the fun with us!

Until next time...

Stay Safe &

HAPPY BLOGGING!!