Frilly and Funkie Challenge #15; AUGUST.... Through The First Year and On To The NEXT!

    August...such a simple title for this Challenge, but also very deceiving: the Indiana Education System seems to think that Summer is completely over. On the contrary: this Mom/Grandma/former school Volunteer says it still looks, feels, and even tastes like summer- because it STILL IS SUMMER!! I am so against all this early school start; I am of the 'old school' generation who went in after Labor Day holiday weekend, and got out before Memorial Day holiday weekend. And (for the love of GOD, folks) ours was the generations that MADE all the gizmos and gadgets called "technology"! We split the atom, put the man on the moon, and most importantly of all: we INVENTED Rock and Roll!!!! We didn't need more days out of a summer away from our families and friends, and while we took advantage of the AC (if you were "rich" enough), we took to the water... by vine over a creek, or catching crawdads for the fun of it.... or made our own fun with a plain old garden hose. I must be old-fashioned, and gladly so, if those days are long gone now.
             But, that very thought (the kids of summer) is what brought me to create this project for
The Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog . Our "Wittle Peanut" first Grandchild, Cole, turned a whole 1 year old on June 7th! I can't get over how much he has changed, grown, and especially learned during that 12 months! And every time we get to have him with us; he just gets smarter- and so much stinkin' CUTER!- than the time before...even if it's just days apart. With both our own boys, we were blown away by how intelligent each was and how quickly they caught on. They both loved books and we considered ourselves extremely blessed by that, and how well they always did in school. Our older Son (Cole's Daddy) did have a bit of an "attitude"...*hut-hum*...quite like his Mom (me) did back at that teen age. Sort of "I really LIKE this Teacher, so I will do my VERY BEST!" or "Man, this Teacher just sucks. Boooooooring. Forget this. I'm done." So the grade kinda depended on how we felt about it. But, our younger Son....just being told to "DO THE WORK", and he aced/breezed through it on gilded wings. Both are Gifted/Talented, but it's that extra "umph" that pushes that Giftedness over the top. I can definitely see that little bit of attitude in our first Grandson. Both girls our Sons brought home to us to be our Daughters are also very gifted in the smarts and their grades (& degrees!) show that. I always say that we will have THE smartest Grandchildren- EVER! But the real bonus: if this first kid is any indication at all...we will have the CUTEST Grandchildren in the whole wide world!!! Blonde and Blue- esp with the younger Son and Daughter who both have almost platinum blonde hair. 3/4 of our kids have blue eyes...with Cole's Daddy going back and forth over the years with Blue (from me) OR Green (the ChiefHubby)! But, ask ANY Grandma and she will be quick to say that HER Grandchild is the cutest....EVER. And it will be the truth, too!

                  So let's get down to Crafty Business and see where I took this....

We're back to The DoodleBook !

I've done a few projects in here that are Archived under past Posts.

I leave a set of pages in between each project I do- because I never know just how WET

I am going to get with the current project. For this; I did one layer of white gesso, then did some Tim Holtz technique of TH Stencils with TH Texture Paste (from Ranger).

You'll notice the TH Thinlit Die Set: #661186 (bricks and stones)…

I cut a few plain sturdy white cardstock pieces from the die set and used them

for my own stenciling. The 'rocks' turned out GREAT! It really does look

like a former wall of a building all crumbling in with no more full walls left.

A second layer of the gesso took on a different look when I used my sponge brush to make changes in the strokes I used: straight lines on the sky...then dabbing all over the 'rocks' and the inside area of the rocking to look like gravel on the ground.

Using a TH Distress Marker in Antique Linen gave a bit more dimension to the 'crumbling rock walls'.... doing almost ALL the lines up close, but in the back- using only a "here or there" stroke in between.....gives the impression of the back wall being further back.

A little play on the 'sky' with some TH Distress Ink in Salty Ocean, with some

ghost stamping of wording in there, randomly.

The columns were actually the FIRST thing I made:

I used one full sheet of TH GrungePaper and simply cut it into thirds, then 

cut the tops & bottoms away from them and trimmed down the sides of the columns.

Then folded the columns, and used the top of a Tag die to trim the scallops and used the rest

of the trim to top off each scallop.

3 coats of TH Distress Paint in Picket Fence (folding again before adding a coat of paint),

then using some TH Distress Ink in Pumice Stone for a bit more dimension on the 

folds and edges.

Then, I wanted CRACKLE...NOPE!

Arrrgh!!!! What to do?!

So while I had to go for another Dr Dracula visit (aka Blood Draw),

I stopped by JoAnn and Hobby Lobby to pick up a few new TH Crazing/coatings set.

Ok; ME LIKES!!!

To get the columns to 'stand out' from the background better, I chose to cut an 8&1/2 X 11 in 

white cardstock into 3 parts and then just folded each and taped them down only on one edge.

The cs 'popped up' just like you'd expect! Normally, you'd be wanting to smooth

it back down, but this time.....it did just what I wanted it to do.

Cutting out some English Ivy (the older Couple Kids had taken a trip to 

England before they had Cole coming along, 

so this is a bit of a nod to the UK and also to Education- 

Ivy is often used with photos of higher education) ,

using that new TH Alterations Pipeline Die 

and also the Watering Can (gotten on clearance last fall).

I stripped a wiring from some ribbon and saved the wire for another use.

It came in handy for the Pearls of Wisdom I wanted to show all the

milestones a baby passes: rolling over, sitting up, crawling, standing, and walking-

just to name a few large motor skills.

Twisting the wire around each pearl allowed me to space them along the wire.

For the TH Alterations Pipeline Bigz Die: I used the new Memoranda Stash Paper!

I cut several and stacked up the layers to make a thicker cut of each that would "pop" 

from the background, but run BEHIND the columns.....

Here was playing with the already-glued-layers of piping to see how they looked best

on the entire layout...

Before putting them permanently onto the background, I used some of my Vintage Photo Distress Oxide and played around with water to give the piping some REAL water spotting !

The Finished 2-page Project: "Through The First Year and On To The NEXT!"

Some Closeup Photos:

I used Glossy Accents on the drips to make them look like real water!

The sunshine beams show through from the background- both sun and water are needed to

nurture a plant for it to grow. The many things a CHILD needs to grow- includes good food,

clothing, and shelter, but also SONshine and all that comes with that Biblical instruction, 

as well as discipline, and attention. Everything in all those things spell L-O-V-E!

WHY 2 Crowns, you ask??

Because Cole has 2 Grandmas!!

He has his Mommy's Mom- his Grammy Fasha,

and his Daddy's Mom- Meemaw (me).

I absolutely LOVE the fact that my Sons each have TWO Moms!!

Some people may be jealous of their kids' other family, but I think it's a BONUS!!

This is Cole's 1st Birthday photo from his photo shoot over the week of June 7th, 2018...

Is this child not a "Gerber Baby"?!?

The rest of his pics were just as adorable, but this one had to be my fave!!

Lastly- he's already well on his way to Year #2, 

so I had to add a few sprigs and pearls for those things he has already learned in

just the two short months from June 7th to August 7th.

Let the ride be LOOOOOOOONG! And BLESSED!!!

I actually had this entire thing already finished within the first 4 days after the

Challenge was posted! It was so much FUN, and when I checked back into 

see more inspiration posted onto The Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog ,

I was awed that another VERY talented crafter thought along the very same lines!

Great minds DO think alike! LOL!

There are Badges and a drawing for a $25 Gift Certificate

Sponsored by The Funkie Junkie Boutique ,of course.

But the real fun comes from the great feeling of sharing

something created that is close to your HEART !

A BIG THANK YOU shoutout to the wonderful folks checking in to see 

these crafts on my blog, and especially to those who leave a comment-

you guys are THE BEST!!!!

Ya'all make the rounds to the other Crafters involved in this Challenge if you get the

chance, and if you have the time: PLEASE JOIN US!!

We promise not to make fun of your inky hands, and to fully embrace

all your mistakes- as if they were our own!!   ; )

Till next time: BE SAFE &

HAPPY BLOGGING !!!!

Frilly And Funkie Challenge #14 (My fave number!) "Planes, Trains, Automobiles"... The "Wander" Foldout Journal.

     I honestly feel like I am that Disney Character singing "I'm late! I'm late, for a very important date! No time to say 'Hello, Goodbye'; I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" Like this summer is passing by so quickly and I am still trying to catch up on SPRING! And here I thought I was doing so well with thoroughly washing and cleaning every single thing during the flooring installation...yeah, right.
     On the other hand; since we've stuck closer to home this summer than most previous years (when we are gone 5 or 6 weeks out of the year), I do feel like I've gotten a LOT accomplished! And joining in on these Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog projects has gotten me to finish some things I had just hidden away and not used recently... TIME was one of those things. lol!
Since I am short (always) on that, this will not be a "how to", but if you scroll down and see everything, you'll figure out why I didn't need to put the usual comments below the photos. :)

           So, let's take off and see the wizardry.... Are you with me? Adventure awaits us as we
                                                WANDER!

        

AND: A VIDEO!!!

             I hope you've enjoyed our journey together on this Booklet just as much as I have!
    And, if you would like more inspiration, or would like to try your hand at these Challenges....
the Sponsor, The Funkie Junkie Boutique has quite a bit of affordable products- including just about the full line of Tim Holtz items I've used in this project. In any case; go check out all the amazingly talented people taking up scissors and paper to make something very cool indeed! Meanwhile...

                    THANKS for all the wonderful comments on my last project!!
And, THANKS once again for taking the time to check in with a Retired FireChief's crafty flame!
                                                                      Until next time...

                        Be Safe, and HAPPY BLOGGING!!!

Frilly and Funkie Challenge #13 "B" Happy.... All Fly Away!

    So...the little Americana Girl gotcha, huh?
If you saw her posted on all my SM accounts, then she must have! If not, she'll still share her "Collection" with you!
    I will admit that it was a REAL Challenge for me, this time around. The first reason is mainly that butterflies, bees, and birds just aren't "my kinda things". Don't get me wrong, please; I do love them and have done my share of trying to save a birdie or two (ok, so maybe more than a dozen....*foot tapping and staring all around*….), and I've gone to lengths to avoid bothering bees unless they are of the Carpenter variety and eating my deck! Butterflies know better than to land here on any of our property, simply because they know our cat as "BudderCup The Butterfly Killer", and she DOES. Ever notice that butterflies just LOVE doggy poo? It's true! And if you have a dog, I am sure you have seen several butterflies trying out the piles. Otherwise, they are very pretty. Just not my 'thing' though. Secondly, it is the middle of Summer and when the sun is out....I AM OUT: boating, mowing, growing things, swimming, sailing, 4-wheelering on my toy, or just plain laying out. Summer is -and always has been- MY kinda thing! Bees, birds, and butterflies are part of that, but usually they stay outta my way and I stay outta theirs.
             But, I think I hit on a solution with this: COLORS! As in; my favorite SUMMER colors in the good old Red, White, and Blue. So with that decided, it really just all came together very nicely after that. And I am really pleased with the outcome! My thoughts came from a memory of staying at my Grandparents' home out on "The Farm". We kids didn't need to comment which of the several farms our Grandparents built up, then moved on to another to rebuild....there was only one that stood out the most- the one they owned when I was born. So many GOOD memories of that place, and our kids actually ended up at the School Corp. not too far away from it. So I would drive up there once in a while just to see how it was doing now. My Grandfather built many homes (as well as antique cars he owned and showed), and all of his own either rebuilt or started from scratch for others. I have a memory of someone in our family making a Butterfly/Bee Collection. I was very young and lived with my Gr & Gr before I was in school- during the week. So I have no idea what the collection was for, but the memory of shaken bees in a jar and then tiny pins stuck into them onto a corkboard.....still kinda creeps me out! I refused to do one (also refusing dissecting animals of any kind) in school- even if it took my all A status. I just can NOT do that. But what about PAPER BEES?? Hmmm...
Well, yeah, it got me to thinking about the butterfly wings I love to see on those Tim Holtz Paper Dolls. Then I started thinking about putting colors to those and well: there ya go!

              Let's start this par-tay! I have a few pics of how it all came to be, also.

I'd had the TH States Thinlits Set for some time now, and these cutouts were in my scrapping pile for whenever it hit me to do anything with them. Complete with a full set of States already in Gold/Faux Rust. The TH Butterfly Punch came in handy here- along with TH Correspondence Paper.

(My mind was still stuck on "Air Mail" last Challenge. LOL)

FINALLY! Some playtime with my newly acquired Antique Linen OXIDE Distress Ink!!

I even got the time to try out the June 30th Saturday Showcase on TH 3D Texture Technique!

I think it didn't turn out as deep because I REALLY DO need one of the new Embossing Folders.

Pins: not just for SEWING anymore!!!

HERE IT IS!!!

The Americana Girl got a bit of Distress Ink coloring...

I added a bit of color into the TH Heart Charm, as well.

These two!!! So CUTE!! And they each fly with the same message on their wings

....perhaps it's a letter home!

Puppy even has a postmark closer to Indiana home; Evansville !

This view shows you the underside and how the cork paper keeps the bent pins stuck in there very sturdy. (Bend long pins and the bends go straight down or up into the cork, to keep the pins from falling out when the tag is held upright).

One of the tiny Butterflies pinned flying up from one of three states in GOLD that we visit pretty often because family lives there: Indiana, Minnesota, and Florida.

The backside is just plain. This Tag has many layers as it is!

Time to FLY!! Just like our kids who grow up, then leave to make their own home and own families...there is a time and a reason for every thing and every season to "All Fly Away".

If  you arrived on my Blog from The Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog 

then you've already seen the TONS of TALENT in these entries!

Be sure to check out the great deals on The Funkie Junkie Boutique 

(who sponsors these Challenges) since they have everything you need to

make something just like this yourself! 

Come join the fun !!

              That's it for now and yes, I still am posting about the flooring/house. We just got the doors put in this week and I decided to wait till that is finished up. 

Trim to put back up yet. But, really looking SHARP!!

Thanks so much for all the WONDERFULLY KIND COMMENTS,

and just for stopping by!

Be safe and HAPPY BLOGGING! 

Frilly and Funkie Challenge #11 "Letter Perfect": L Stands For...

    This is admittedly the easiest project I've done yet. And, I also admit to having made this last year. It was one of the many projects I made during 2017; my year-off-from-blogging. I took a breather after doing "The 12 Tags" for 5 years straight. That's only half the Tags Tim Holtz did, but he was doing that first 5 years only during the 12 days of Christmas. I was one of Tim's fans who wanted to do 1 Tag per month, and I really enjoyed all the chances to learn new things and enjoy the challenge of making time for "inky fingers" at least one time every month. So during the time away from blogging, I simply created things. Some are as yet, unfinished, and others are totally finished. But none have appeared on any type of Social Media, giving me the chance to allow them to make their debut here on my blog- and perhaps- also as an entry. This was too perfect (in moho) not to get into the "Letter Perfect" Frilly & Funkie Challenge!

While I searched all through my photos & files, I didn't find anything from making this. But, I can tell you because the memory is still there in my mind....believe it or not! It involved a trip to Hobby Lobby and m usual perusal through the Clearance Section of the store. This is always a favorite area of mine because you just never know what kind of bargain you're going to find. Large letters and numbers are always an eye-catcher for me. So this L did not escape my grasp...nor my cart! With my mind running full-tilt on a plan, I just knew this was going to look awesome covered in one of my new stash papers from Tim Holtz's "Correspondence"! That red, white, blue, and vintage look matches in with all my Americana home décor sweetly, indeed!

This is the backside view....

I first layed the letter down onto the full 12x12 paperstock so I could plan where I wanted the edges and seams to meet together. I wanted the lines of this particular page to match up.

I layered Multi Medium Matte on one side's surface at a time. 

Then cut onto the corners for the paper to fold in as I glued it to the letter surface.

You may want to try out another scrap 12x12 to practice with or make a pattern of your own.

After the entire letter was covered (following each of the top steps over again on each surface and edging), I inked up the edges with my favorite go-to Distress Ink color: Vintage Photo.

Heat dry all the surfaces and then apply another coat of MMMatte to protect the outside.

...and a bit of a funky view from the top so you can see how I matched up the edges & seams.

Is this not COOL?!?!

This (as well as the bottom photo below this) shows off my letter for all to see.

(PS: The birdcage Tag next to it was a Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge.

You can find this by clicking HERE .)

My choice of display for this letter also gives me a bit of inspiration

as I craft along the way through another F&F Challenge!

Don't forget to check out all the amazing Designers as well as super-talented Crafters at

The Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog

And don't be timid about it: come join the fun;

Your entry may end up a WINNER!

Prizes and Badges sponsored by

The Funkie Junkie Boutique

where you can always find great bargains from the best quality crafting tools and notions!

I'm hoping to see you again, soon, as I will be Guest Designer for the next

FRILLY AND FUNKIE CHALLENGE #12 !!

Thanks for stopping by and, as always:

BE SAFE & HAPPY BLOGGING!!!

FYI: "L" stands for Lyla Louise Larimore...

& Live, and Love, and Laugh,

and LORD. ;)