The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge #4 Leap Into The Odd...Great Expectations!

    March is here and it's time to Spring Ahead in most of Indiana. I'm not much of a fan when it comes to changing the clocks...unless it's Fall Back (and gain an extra hour of sleep). Losing that extra hour just drives me nuts- especially when Indiana has more than one time zone. And there's always the inevitable questions, like; "If we set our clock back one hour, then what time is Church going to start?". Better yet, the shenanigans: like the year my ChiefHubby decided to NOT remind me of the time change, but woke me up WITHOUT changing the clocks. I wondered why I was finally EARLY for Church that day! Ha. Ha. Very funny, Dear. This year, he'll have time off during the time change. He's having surgery on March 3rd and March 10th to clear out 2 cataracts in his eyes. They came up so fast, he was not even sure what was happening to him. And luckily for him; he'll get to correct his vision so that he will no longer need glasses. The lucky turkey! 
       The surgeries are the reason I am still here at home and not up in Minnesota visiting our new Grandson. I had hoped to spend one week each month up there, being a live-in maid for the younger set of kids, and just enjoying some giggles and hugs from Baby James Elliot! The Chief's overtime got in the way of those plans, and then it all changed once again. So hopefully, I'll be headed up to the land of deep snow...yay. ;)
           Baby Jamie is my inspiration for this FJBChallenge "Leap Into The Odd" and I actually started and finished these Tags on February 29th! The challenge is to add in something that is "different from what is usual, or 'strange'". While my Grandson is perfectly normal, he IS unusually HAPPY; and that's all good! His Daddy, younger Son Brett, was born with 6 full months of colic. It was a very rough time for us to get through, and I wouldn't wish that on any parent. But one day after 6 months of screaming-no-matter-what, Brett blossomed into a big, happy baby. And I mean BIG. He was born at 9 lbs 2 &1/2 ounces, which was just 1/2 an ounce less than his own Dad/the ChiefHubby. Baby Jamie was born just shy of that- 8 lbs  10 ounces- but weighed in at a whopping 16 pounds already at 3 months! Since his Daddy is just shy of 6 ft 4 inches....Wittle Jamie not gonna be vewy wittle as him gets older! Let's just say I think he'll scare off the Bullies. :) But that SMILE....and those GIGGLES when we get to see him on Facetime....absolutely PRECIOUS!!! 
         I've explained before how important education has been to our family, and I've unabashedly bragged how smart our one-day-grandkids would be; coming from having such smart parents our 2

sets of kids are. And it's proving to be true! I notice right away that Baby James is watching us with interest on the camera- following along the same path as the first 2 Grandbabies with long attention spans. And I'm proud to say that our kids are passing down the 'art' of playing with their babies the way we did with them as babies: because that's how kids LEARN. Baby Jamie's room is decorated in an "education" theme- with carefully collected vintage toys and new books of old titles. With an English Teacher Mommy and a Nuclear Engineering Daddy...I suppose it's not very usual for most kids to be able to claim their parents have those careers. So thinking on that is what my Muse centered on...

I started with 2 manila Tags and inking them up. 

The TH Silver Spray Stain allowed the blues to shine. 

I wasn't sure of using a full set ...but definitely at least ONE stamp out of each of these sets.

And I knew I'd use these three TH Dies.

The Professor HAD to be in here! He give me that same type of 'vision' for Baby Jamie

that I had of both my own boys when they were babies.

For our two- it turned out to be true...both times!

Each die needed a different thickness of cardstock/mat board.

At least one stamp on each side was going to be embossed.

Here's where I got the idea to make a 'full' gear out of this half TH gear stamp:

by making a mark onto the top of the TH Stamping Platform (with a permanent black Sharpie

marker, no less) where the middle of the circle is...

...then line that same middle up with the Sharpie mark- only upside down.

I ended up NOT using the TH Alterations Steampunk Parts Die for the Tags' LOOKS,

but it really came in handy as a paper 'mask' over the TH clock stamp!

That Sharpie marker held up through all the rubbing and pushing of my hands;

but cleaned off very easily with regular stamp cleaner!

U gotta LOVE that TH Stamping Platform!!

Lol- Jamie's parents drink coffee (very UN-odd) so I added in a bit of Ground Espresso!

Here's the finished Backgrounds.

Playing around for some Nuclear doodads.

It's a sure bet: that one color you need & you're saying

"Oh, come on! All I need is just ONE TEENY, TINY BIT of it!"

So I no longer toss away tiny scraps of the last of a color. 

I managed to get the 2 pieces I needed from this last bit of 'yellow' out of TH paperie.

LOL, Tim!!!

Ok...yeah; I'm a TREKKIE!!

(Star Trek; TNG! Captain Picard is THE Captain!!)

Looking for those 2 TH Paper Dolls that I knew were the perfect ones for Baby Jamie...

the very last of both particular dolls. *gasp!*

Inking/not inking die cuts...

...and finishing touches for the "Cuteness Meter" !!!

And the results...

It's a little ODD; or is it- mixing dinosaurs with the Space Age??

They're both important parts of our History!

It's a little ODD; being able to say "My Daddy runs a Nuclear Plant", 

but you don't look very much like Bart Simpson.

(You're waaaaay cuter and smarter than that!)

It looks ODD; but, having wings is what it feels like to be able to learn!

The "Cuteness Meter" is ready to blow!!

Yep- him is DAT CUTE!! :)

The left Tag will go into Jamie's box- into the TH Large Folio (not yet entirely finished)

& keepsake box. (I have a set of these for each Grandbaby to have - probably for HS Graduation.)

The flatter Tag on the right will be Jamie's first Bookmark.

(I'll probably cover it with laminate later on.)

THANKS! for taking time to check back in and see what's new.

Don't forget to take a peek at all the other entries at

The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog

as well as check out their latest inspiration for crafting!

SHOUT OUT of another THANKS! to

The Funkie Junkie Boutique

for Sponsoring these Challenges with a $25 random Drawing!

Be sure not to miss the next Challenge coming up this week;

I'll be GUEST DESIGNER!

Until then...

Be Safe &

HAPPY BLOGGING!

The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge #3 Love Is All Around Us....Compact Notables!

   This post is the FIRST COPY OF TWO posts, as it is for
             The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog 

      As stated above, this post will be an ALTERED copy of the SECOND POST simply because it was easier for me to split them up in entering my set of tins into two different Challenges. I understand where others may be part of one type of craft, but not care for the other type- even if I think they are part of the same. Since this was sort of a fluke for me with Valentine's Day, and I want to make sure I am following the rules of both Challenges. 
(And- for the flashback chat on each past Challenge.)
   It was AWESOME to be chosen for the Top Pick on TFJBCB's "Repeat Performance"!! And I'm very excited to be a Guest Designer for the March 4th Challenge coming up! That'll keep me going the rest of this week.
   THANKS to so many folks for the kind comments, and just for checking out my blog- it's mind boggling for me to think that what I make is inspirational to others. I think of it as an important way to make smiles happen all over the world, and there's no joking; Crafters are some of the kindest, most generous, helpful, and happy group of folks anywhere! It makes sharing ideas so easy and fun...way too much fun...lol!! 
    With that in mind; let's get going on the FEBRUARY FUN...

I'd had the smaller tins stashed away from who-knows-when, and thought I could

make the three into a cute 'set' seeing I have different likes for Valentine's Day.

I started out with a few thoughts on how to fill the tins, as well as decorating them.

This is where the Mini Book ideas came into play. 

An order from The Funkie Junkie Boutique came to me with these SO CUTE Freebies,

(THANK YOU, LINDA's MOM!!)

and I knew I had to use them for a Mini Book!

The Tim Holtz IdeaOlogy Trinket Tin was the perfect size to match this-

in fact, this may be one of the 'cards' used in Tim's Seasonal Paperie (retired)

that I still have small scraps from. So I got that paper out to see if I could find another like it.

I ended up not using the Shrink Paper. Nor did I use the TH Memoranda.

I didn't realize at the time, how tiny I was going to end up!

While I usually always get out the "Tim Stock" as I call his Coordinations Paperie,

I ended up using the pastel set and the Americana up above this photo.

The regular Copy Paper and the Mat Board- I'll likely always use in my Mini Books,

and both come in colors as well as white- bonus!

I needed a die that was smaller than the Trinket Set Frame, but rounded and

able to cut the Mat Board. I chose one of my fave Sizzix Dies for this- Tag #2.

Just cut off the 'handle' and the base of the Tag was a perfect Front/Back 

for the tiniest Book. (You'll see use of the others things below.)

Eileen Hull's Passport Die (die cut items and then cut down to fit with the help of a guillotine)

meets Tim Holtz IdeaOlogy Trinket Tin!

Match made in Craft Heaven! ;)

Here's the full die cut set...

… and further cutting with the guillotine.

I actually cut them all just a tad bit smaller- to allow the white of the Mat Board to show through.

The pink just didn't 'pop' as much without that whiteness.

I then decided on my path- shabbiness!

My TH Sander got used on EVERYTHING from this point on.

I took all the hearts that were Tim Holtz die cut Freebies (plus a few more I made with 

my own matching Movers&Shapers Mini Hearts Die Set) and added a bit of Distress Ink

in Victorian Velvet. Two of the tiniest hearts got altered into green leaves by using a Blender Tool

to add Distress Ink Bundled Sage and outlined with Peeled Paint Distress Marker.

Cut a bit of the ribbon included in that package, and fray it out, add a few IdeaOlogy Roses

to the tiny pearled hearts (also in the Freebies); it all came together to form the first Book/Tin.

Other than that ink - I wanted to stay as INKLESS as possible on these.

PINK!

That's the title and it really fits!

Yes; I did find another in that Tim Holtz Seasonal (Retired) Paperie!

So it made a very cute tiny 'gift card'.

On to the Middle Tin:

This candy tin did NOT fit the TH Trinket Tin Frames Die, but I thought the INSIDE

of the frame would make a cute Book.

And it did...

I'm  calling this one

LOVE AMERICAN STYLE!

(And now you other Baby Boomers out there can't get the song out of YOUR head, either. lol!)

It does shine, because after burnishing the paper onto the tin- bottom and top on the outside-

I nipped the paper, tapped some paint here and there in a messy way, then gouged it a couple of main spots...then coated it all with Glossy Accents. The FEEL is like the tin originally felt, too!

I added some Tim Holtz Tissue Tape along the side to hide the name 

(I dabbed a bit of Antique Linen Distress Paint onto the name first).

The coloring matched up SO PERFECTLY- *squeal!*

Another cut from a Coordinations  and sticker sentiment from my stash of stickers

completed the tin.

And the Mini Book- burnished all sides after using Glossy Accents to stick 

the parts together. The 2 signatures of paper stacks were tied in with hemp string.

I had a heart bracelet charm left over from a stash of things given to me by

a Bestie, so very loong ago. It matched in with a TH IdeaOlogy Arrow and 

another Freebie TH die cut heart- which I chose to leave plain white.

Backside of LAS Mini Book...

And since I just got the Tim Holtz 3D Scallop Impreslit Folder/Cutter,

I decided to give the book's binding a bit of extra hold with a scallop- both inside front and back.

That little charm adds charm.

And here's the least, and last...

One man's trash became a secret little treasure inside this tin.

It was almost too sweet how this trash gave up a white inside the outer coating!

I simply cut around the Mat Board pieces (cut from the Sizzix Tags 2 Die and

then recut with the guillotine into 2 halves). 

Looks funny, but this was the only way I could figure out HOW

to make my surprise cut.

Yeah...blame it on The Man; he spilled something inside it on one of his trips. *giggle*

Actually, I cut off a bit of the bottom after fitting it and then dropped some TH Alcohol Ink

in Ginger to make it look a bit battered on the inside.

I squished that book in the palm of my hand to rough it up a bit (on the outside) as well.

This is called "The Secret of Man"

for all those notes the ChiefHubby makes himself, and then I find them all over the place!

The worst place to find one: in a zillion pieces in the washer...AND the dryer!

Valentines Day is no secret when you find the receipts yourself! lol!

But that's not all...

The Surprise is...

MORE notes inside the notes!

This little book was one of those Hobby Lobby finds- the kind you

gush over how cute it is and then buy a package without knowing what the heck

you bought it for, and then you find it a few years later and go "Oh!"

and think of something for it.

But...it IS just way too cute!

And so; that's all she wrote for this 

The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog

May you find yourself smiling, and perhaps taking some inspiration from my project

to join in on the fun at TFJBCB;

you could be the next drawing winner of a $25 GC from our Sponsor;

The Funkie Junkie Boutique

(Be sure to check out their cool new paper stacks!)

We'll be starting a new Challenge journey in just a bit!

Meanwhile...

Be Safe,

and

HAPPY BLOGGING!