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!!