The Funkie Junkie Boutique's Inspiration Ave; #10 We Love You, Mom... Mom's Lil' Notebook

   May Day is here as I type, and I'm back up in New York again, spending time with the younger two Grandbabies. The weather hasn't cooperated much with getting outside, but it's supposed to stop raining and warm up some. The ChiefHubby went back home to Indiana and reported in that it's the same weather there. He's hoping to check back into our "patch" after a surprising find of Indiana morel mushrooms- 107 of them to be exact- in only a 5-minute walk last week. I wasn't expecting to find anything yet, since it was still a bit dryer than usual for my finds. The dates were right, but it was too chilly out as well. But I decided to take a "fast 5-minute walk to just be sure". I got as far as the first 3 of those minutes when I spied a nice huge shroom. Always one to follow the adage of "there's always more if there's ONE"...I spied another... and another... and I nearly passed out when I took a good look all around me and found myself in the middle of a MOTHERLODE! That's only happened a hand full of times in my lifetime of shrooming, but when it has happened, it's quite exhilarating! I used to take HunniPi with me all the time, up to one point when she decided the morels were for peeing on. That was her last trip. I mean, thanks for helping find one, PuppiPi, but that's the line drawn for me. (I still miss her dearly.) I tried to get all of them into my arms as I plucked them up, but they were all so big (final measurements came to almost all 4-6 inches with the largest 2 being 7 1/2 inches each), I could only carry a few at a time. I certainly was not expecting to actually find one in the chill of the day, so I had nothing but an extra T-shirt to take off and pile them onto. I texted the ChiefHubby to round up Peanut and Princess (who were spending the afternoon with us) and come back to help me. Once they got within 20 feet of me, they were also finding a bunch themselves that I hadn't gotten to yet. Since we were leaving the next day for NY, there was no way for us to process so many of them, and we were able to share the bounty with some of our neighbors/friends close by, then took 3 prepped bags of them in salt water up to NY.

   

  May Day brings back memories from 1989 when I was working at a factory (as the youngest person there) and my water broke. It being my first baby, I really had no idea what was happening, but everyone was excited- except me. I was more frightened than anything else. I remember the ChiefHubby picking me up- having left work early himself that evening- and holding my hand on the way to the hospital the next city over. "Well, this is it- we're almost at the end," to which he replied "Nope; it's only BEGINNING," and so it was! Brian was born at 4:45am on that next day, Tuesday, May 2nd. He was a full month early- which was part of my fears the night before- at 6 lbs 15 oz & 19 inches long. Others may have kept comparing his tiny stature at birth to their normal-gestation-baby, but Brian caught up quickly. His size didn't have anyone picking on him all through school and by the time he was 17 with a 6 ft 1 inch frame (which is thwarted by the higher-raised measuring stick in the 
photo), he carried that 6 foot stuffed Mickey Mouse over his shoulder. The first kid is always the guinea pig who breaks in the Parents and then later breaks their hearts when he's the first to leave the nest. The nervousness of being a new Mom and new Dad gets worn away by that first baby. Brian was our big 'teddy bear' and was always great with younger kids than himself. Brett actually did the picking on his older brother- which brought a lot of fun with it... and a broken bed frame or two from jumping & tackling between 3 BIG kids: Brian, Brett, and DAD! I/m so very proud of the man Brian has become! He's fought his way and has achieved quite a lot more than most at his age. More than anything; he is Daddy to his 2 precious children who adore him! They had help from Mommy getting a cake and singing "Happy Birthday" to him over last weekend. The younger Grandbabies will have helped me sing "Happy 34th Birthday" to him via Facetime on Tuesday.

   Of course, I'm keeping up with my crafting while I am up here in New York again- even as busy as I am with the Grandbabies! And with both my Sons having had their birthdays within the past 3 weeks of each other (April 14th and May 2nd), it reminds me that I was "Mom" well before I was "Memaw". When my FurryBaby, Hunni Pi, passed a few weeks ago; I caught myself thinking that my "Mom" days were now over. But that's far from true; the real truth is that I will always be a Mom. Once a Mom; always a Mom! Our kids will always need us in some way; whether to advise them, help them in some way, to gather the family together, or just be there for them to know the comfort that we're still here. A Mom's work is never done when it comes to her Children- that love never ends! And since May is also the month for Mother's Day, Linda, owner of The Funkie Junkie Boutique, has a theme just for MOM this next two weeks on Inspiration Ave! We're crafting up a spring storm of inspirational makes based on "We Love You, Mom!", Scroll along with me and see what I came up with...

It began with some Happy Mail from The Funkie Junkie Boutique !

I couldn't wait to get my hands on the brand-new Tim Holtz Rotary 

Eileen Hull's Tiny Book Bigz Die was on clearance, and I got it at a great deal of a price!

These dies sold out quickly, but you'll find others, so

be sure to always check out the Clearance section at TFJB!

My main inside materials came in that Happy Mail:

all the brown wrapper paper!!

It's always great to recycle and reuse as much as possible. :)

I simply measured how wide the book shape was from the die,

and then cut stacks of about 10 layers until it was all cut basically the same shape and size.

Look how clean and easy that new TH Rotary Media Trimmer slices!

And I tried out matboard and other materials- just practicing with it.

All materials cut very nicely and evenly without moving around.

Once I had it all cut, I sewed stacks of 10 sheets together.

I cut the bases from matboard, but also had some thin, ribbed cardboard

that I always save from new pillowcases and sheet sets.

I cut a couple of those out, unsure of which would work best for these books.

Remember that "Let's Get Cozy" paper set from #3 Frozen Winter project?

Well, like I said then: this package of paper isn't just for winter...

that bunny quilting looked perfect for 2 of my books!

Here. I've cut out the outsides and insides of the cover bases.

I also cut buckles and some rounded discs and keys- not sure what all I would use- or not.

I simply started sewing all around the edges, and odd stitches here and there.

I also stopped to sew up several pairs of shorts and pants on the hemlines

for my ChiefHubby. I sewed SO MUCH...

I literally ran out of thread in one day!

All that was left was enough to fill one last bobbin.

I got out an old (Retired) Tim Holtz Bigz Die Sewing Room.

It had cute button and spool shapes.

I got kind of an assembly line going for the books themselves...

...when I decided to ditch the matboard and go with the ribbed cardboard.

To keep your spool flat: cut 2 spools and use only the middle of one.

After adhering the ends, use them to secure the thread,

wind it up the middle of the spool and secure to the other end.

The spool will lay flat on the top of the book.

I decided to glaze the button and one key.

The keys would make a cute bookmark on a ribbon through the spines.

It's time to sew the spines to the stacks.

Yes, I did retrim all the paper stacks. I left all the threads on,

as those would tuck under the covers.

I used a couple of firm clips to help me get those stitches in- as well as a pair of pliers!

Tying a couple of embellishment weights

(charms and IdeaOlogy) then adding the buckle to secure the ribbon.

Most of my ribbons are FREEBIE gifts that come with Happy Mail from TFJB!

Last is gluing all the covers in place and the embellishments.

Here's a list of helpful links for products used:

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 Black Kushgrip Snip w/Non-Stick Blade & Cap 5"

(Retired) Tim Holtz Alterations Bigz Die Sewing Room (not available)

Eileen Hull Bigz Die Tiny Book (no longer available)

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Pad - Vintage Photo

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Crayons - Set #2

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Glaze - Antique Linen

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Adornments Hearts

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Backdrops Volume 4

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Paper Dolls, Portraits

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Quote Chips, Labels

May PRE-ORDER Tonic Tim Holtz Rotary Media Trimmer

Graphic 45 - Let's Get Cozy - 8x8 Pad

Enameled Goldtone Flower Charms, Set of 5

Enameled Goldtone Flower Charms, Set of 5

                                           And these are what I ended up with:

For our older Daughter, Ashley.

For our younger Daughter, Holli.

For my Mother

The Backside of my own- as a Mom, too!

Closeup of stitching.

Closeup of inside bookmark key in my own Notebook,

The pages are crinkly and easily able to be torn out for use as scrap notes.

Backsides of all Notebooks.

Thanks, once again, for joining me for the start of our new theme,

"We Love You, Mom!"

Please, join along as each Design Team Member adds their own project to 

  Inspiration Ave. 

You're sure to find some new and exciting products sampled that will be stocked by

The Funkie Junkie Boutique

and be available for shipping in the coming days!

To all you MOMs out there:

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Until next time...

Happy Blogging!!

The Funkie Junkie Boutique's Inspiration Ave #9, It's In the Details... Card File 2 from Brand New Tim Holtz IdeaOlogy!

 

     We've had such beautiful weather in the last week, and I knew it was too good to be true. The Indiana freeze came back to visit April 17th and 18th. After being in the 80s in Florida, coming back to chilled Indiana, then enjoying the 80s-get-your-air-conditioner-going of teasing Spring, my joints are protesting loudly. I think it was a gift, though, because on April 6th, we laid our Hunni Pi to rest in her own backyard. It was a very tough promise to keep, but once the Dr saw her and measured her heartbeats, his face said it all. She'd had a painful heart murmur and irregular beat (much like my own), but the pain medication was no longer helping her. Fluid was gathering around her heart and once the Dr gave her a relaxer, my poor Hunni Pi was able to lay down and actually give a huge sigh- as if in relief- for the first time in months. The 'choice' was really hers, and she'd been trying to tell us for some time now. Everyone was surprised she'd made it back alive to Indiana. We think she did just so she could come back to her first home where she'd spent her life. I held her tight and sang her song to her as she slipped quietly away when we gave the nod. It's been a tough couple of weeks for us here, and we both catch ourselves- calling to let her out.... pat her head on the way to bed, wake up to sing her song, or swear we feel her fur run past our legs while walking through the house. Easter was a bit subdued for us, but we did celebrate and gladly worship our risen LORD. If not, what's the point of having hope in those treasures laid up in Heaven? Here's a shoutout of "THANK YOU!" to all those who knew Hunni Pi and sent their sweet condolences. One woman who saw our hurt while waiting on Hunni's body, came out to hug us and walked away in their own tears- no words exchanged. Ditto at the Shelter where I dropped off so many worldly belongings she was blessed to be able to have and now share with others who don't have. It felt good to remember we always have her in our hearts!

   April 14th has some famous evenings in history; the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the sinking of the Titanic to name a couple. But the most important evening on that date-to our family- is the birth of our younger Son, Brett. He's accomplished more than most Nuclear Engineers have at 31 years old, but we're simply proud of being a wonderful Husband and Father. Nothing makes a parent feel they've done well at raising their children than seeing them raise their own. We've been blessed twice over in that! Brett was a character & life of the party from 1 year old. He had a rough start with severe asthma (which is no longer an issue as of last year), but by year 5, he was blossoming into a little star. He followed his Big Bubby, Brian, as "Teddy Bear #2" as a gentle giant of the class. And now, it's clear that his own two babies are following that same path: gentle giants who are definitely entertaining! I'll be heading up to NY in just a couple weeks and I can't wait to squeeze the younger 2 Grandbabies & catch them up to the older 2 here, and we've got Easter to finish with them, too.

    I'm getting back into the crafting mood and making some plans to go along with all the new Tim Holtz stuff coming out. The product releases are trickling out over time, but I find that easier to not only keep up with creatively, but it also helps the budget juggle the "I want!"s. The product theme for the next two weeks is Tim's latest IdeaOlogy release, and The Funkie Junkie Boutique was my first stop in getting hold of a few items that seemed to form their own plan in my mind. Let's get to it!

My Happy Mail came from The Funkie Junkie Boutique

to our Florida house and we left just days later.

Love those little wax envelopes of freebies!

These were the main IdeaOlogy products calling out to me.

(List of products used will come near the middle of this tutorial.)

The first thing was a pull towards my older IdeaOlogy since 

the new looked like it was going to marry very well with the old!

I'll give you a rundown on each new product as we go.

I even brought out a couple of new TH Dies;

(Thinlits Sets Postal and Specimen) in case I wanted to add any

die cut elements to my Card File.

I dug through one drawer because "I just KNOW I have some feet that

would look great on the bottom of these and I KNOW they

will match the new Large Word Plaques!"

I was right: I did and they do.

This was last but I'm showing it first because you'll see how the new fits in with this.

I needed a new Vignette Card File for this new project, because I took the old one to

keep in the Florida house. I got out some OLD TH Backdrops Volume 1 (but just ordered

the new Backdrops Vol 4 for more to go along with this later).

I needed to match the Backdrops- no worries for me with either old or new:

Tim keeps "vintage" in vogue with the newer shades matching this older tape

and blending everything perfectly!

Here, I am showing how I make sure to clip the corners of the (older) Tissue Tape

so it will fold down completely flat. I wanted to show that because 

on my first Vignette Card File, I painted the inside and all the edges.

I did the Paula Cheney 'thing' to age everything by smashing my 

Ground Espresso Oxide Pad onto my TH Glass Craft Mat,

spritzing the ink with water, and then dragging all the measured-twice-cut-once

pieces through the droplets on the glass mat. I heat dried everything,

and then gave all the edges a workout of the same Ground Espresso,

but with a Blending Tool all around the edges only, then heat dried again.

I'm not sure how "dry" others do, but I like to dry BOTH sides of 

the papers I ink. My reasoning is that it not only gets the edges, but also

dries any Distress Ink/Oxide that may have been on the glass mat and

transferred to the backside unknowingly.

Then I adhere all the papers to all the faces of the wood.

I actually heat dry again, just in case any of it came into contact with water,

since the Distress Inks and Oxides are water reactant.

The last touch on my now-decorated Vignette Card File

was to add a brand new IdeaOlogy element to it: Large Word Plaque,

by using my finger to add TH Distress Paint in Salvaged Patina

to make that cool font pop with color!

Now it was ready to hold a few new IdeaOlogy makes.

After getting home and unpacking all my craft bags, I found a nice

stack of Tags I'd die cut but didn't put to use yet.

I like to double up my Tags as it gives a stiffer Tag to work with,

so I used some score tape to put 2 (cut edges facing in towards each other) together.

Since I always cut the reinforcers at the same time I cut Tags,

I already had everything I needed- just to do the "Paula Cheney smoosh thing"

again and Ink up the edges with a Blending Tool. 

Heat drying after each step, of course.

I found some pieces of ribbon and lace I'd hurriedly stuck into that bag,

and the light neutral coloring of the IdeaOlogy items matched with them.

The fun began: tearing up and smoosh/blending tool inking up photos

from the TH Snapshots 2 pack, and picking through 

TH Ephemera Snippets Number Strips.

 and TH Clipping Stickers for sayings to match the Snapshots 2.

I had some TH Tiny Clips that looked great on the new Snapshots!

There's more to choose from in the Snapshots 2 that are more

geared towards vacation, which I really like.

I got extra lucky here: Snapshots 2 has a boy with a dog!

Next up was the new Collage Paper Photgraphic.

My thoughts on this?

AWESOME!

There are several new "photos" printed on this tissue roll

and they can mix/match/go alone or all together.

The printing is so CLEAR and the photos look realistic.

I especially a huge fan of the near-the-water pics!

You still get a pretty good sized roll that will be enough for many projects-

a great value during a time we need it!

I took another idea from what Paula Cheney did earlier in the winter;

using a Water Detailer Brush to draw a line of water

around my chosen scene, then allowing the water to 'cut' the tissue for me.

This actually works VERY WELL and I find myself doing it

as my go-to way to 'cut' TH Collage Papers since it gives a perfectly torn edge.

I decided to add a detail of my own, since I find that

personalizing a lot of my projects just makes me happy!

I finally purchased a thermal printer and was able to simply add

my own touch to the backsides of my Tags.

It acted like a journal photo instead of writing as journaling.

Here's a helpful list of product links:

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Word Plaques, Large

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Quote Chips, Labels

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Collage Paper Photographic

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Snapshots, Volume 2

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Vignette Card File

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Backdrops Volume 4

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Design Tape, Trims

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Ephemera Snippets, Number Strips

Ranger Inkssentials Ink Blending Tool + 2 Blending Foams

Tim Holtz Water Brush, Detailer Brush Tip

Scor-Pal Scor-Tape 1/2" 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"

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Tiny Attacher

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Tiny Attacher Refills

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Pad - Ground Espresso

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Paint - Salvaged Patina

And this is what it all looks like put together:

Those little Freebie envelopes just happen to fit inside the

TH Vignette Card File, so I chose not to put a title into the front handle.

Fronts of Tags with Closeups...

LOVE the new shapes and sizes on the Quote Chip Labels!

Backs of Tags with Closeups...

The photo I described in my last post (My Puppi Pi, Hunni Pi)

matched in with the Snapshots 2 pic on the front of this Tag.

I added a bit of Distress Watercolor Pencil in Salty Ocean with a Detailer Brush

just ever so slightly on top of this sealed Tag.

I did use the TH Thinlits Set Specimen to die cut a few plain file folders

that fit inside the Card File, and set them into the middle compartment,

with some leftover Tag bases into the back compartment.

That's a wrap... for the just the first posting on Tim Holtz's newest IdeaOlogy.

The rest of The Funkie Junkie Boutique's awesome Design Team

has much more to come in the next two weeks!

Be sure to stop back in for more Inspiration Ave,

and click the links in every post to help you find great deals for 

the just-released IdeaOlogy!

Until next time...

Stay Safe &

HAPPY BLOGGING!!