The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge #6 Industrial... Up and Running!

 

    Spring is finally here! But with it, it's time to be heading back to Indiana. This is our last week here in sunshine, beach, and saltwater, but we made the most of our time by getting quite a LOT done this past 4 months, and we also managed to have fun with those we love; bonus! I'm sort of dreading getting back to Indiana, because most folks will think that we've simply 'lollygagged' all our time away down here. In reality; we'll be heading back to pick up the same kind of work we've been doing here- just a larger house in a different climate. Fun. I'm ready for a vacation! LOL!

    The new Challenge is out over at The Funkie Junkie Boutique with Teri hosting this one. She's challenging us to "get out those gears" and make something Industrial! I'm choosing Tim Holtz products, as is my usual, but the other DT Ladies have some awesome inspiration makes that include many other products- I took a peek, and I am so excited over them all! I just happen to be totally ready for this kind of challenge, simply because of what we've been doing for the 4 months of time here in Florida. I've included over 50 photos on this, so I'll keep the chatter to a min and let the pics do the talking! Let's go!

                               Be sure to watch for LINKS to the products found at 

                                                  The Funkie Junkie Boutique!

I started with just an idea and these things.

The bottom junk is actually from our newly built decking and Laundry Room

for the Florida home. I wanted to incorporate as much of it as I could.

The handle came from the redone cabinets, wiring from the electrical, wrench from

the new bench, lightbulb replacement was for the fridge (of course...*sigh*) in the house.

Untold pieces of glass, screws galore, as well as an actual car spring 

(the ChiefHubby had to help me dig that up!)

found in the ground all around us as he built the first deck alone.

Thus it continued as we got hours and hours of help from our

WONDERFUL friends who are loved as our FAMILY

in finishing what is now a full decking with shelves, steps, and cubbies for tools & shoes...

a full Bath and Laundry Room- with storage and even room for a small freezer!

Here are some more main things I used- some may be older and no longer available,

but there are still many other choices to be had that are similar!

Tim Holtz Cling Stamp Set - The Professor

Tim Holtz Sizzix Alterations Bigz Dies - Steampunk Parts and Voltage

Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlits Die Sets - Faceted Heart, Gearhead, Stitched Slots

Tim Holtz Tonic Studios 7in Kushgrip Scissors with Cap are my FAVE go-to Scissors you see in 

most all of my photos for materials used!

People often ask what I use to keep my things together- my answer is always;

Tim Holtz IdeaOlogy Long Fasteners - for all the heavy IdeaOlogy/metal objects/gears.

They are extra long brads with rounded heads that can be smooshed to look like nail heads,

and they really hold things together. Great to use with Matboard or thicker layers together!

Ranger Glossy Accents is a fast-drying, extremely strong liquid adhesive that holds in

seconds and yet is still moveable. I keep extra bottles of this in my Studio so I never run out.

While the cost looks expensive....the 2 fluid oz bottles go a looooooong way on many large projects!

My 10+ years of projects can attest to how well this stuff holds things together: my Grandbabies can

touch the interactive makes and I'm not cringing & hoping they won't break!

Ranger Inkssentials Ink Blending Tool with 2 Foams

Tim Holtz Palette Knives (set of 2) - shown used in another photo, but not shown here

Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Crayons - Walnut Stain

Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint Walnut Stain

Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint Antiqued Bronze

Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint Black Soot

Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint Salvaged Patina

Tim Holtz Ranger Distress (regular) Ink Pad Fired Brick

Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Oxide Ink Pad Aged Mahogany

Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Oxide Ink Pad Vintage Photo

Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Oxide Ink Pad Ground Espresso

Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Oxide Ink Pad Black Soot

Tim Holtz Ranger Alcohol Inks - Ground Espresso

Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Embossing Powder- Vintage Photo (sadly; no longer available)

I chose a favorite page from Tim's 12x12 Destinations Paperie to cover my canvas panel.

Then used Tim Holtz Grit Paste- 3oz Opaque along with

one of the Tim Holtz Stencil; Bricked around the edges of my papered panel.

I painted in between the bricks for that 'cement filler' look.

The Funkie Junkie Boutique FUN MAIL!!

My main supplies I used are linked to where you can find it at TFJB:

Advantus Tim Holtz Industrial Gears 

Tim Holtz IdeaOlogy Hardware Heads

Tim Holtz IdeaOlogy Adornments Locks & Keys Halloween

Tim Holtz IdeaOlogy Tiny Lights (shown in another photo)

All other items seen here are just a sneak peek for you

on more to come from me, SOON!

Meanwhile...

The Funkie Junkie Boutique is geared up with all NEW TIM HOLTZ products!

You must go see!!

I played around with both the new set and the older TH IdeaOlogy Gadget Gears set I had in stash.

So....

thinking that all the stuff I wanted to put onto the FRONT

only got me thinking I needed a firmer BACK.

(*sigh*) You know me: I just had to take it further.

That BACK gave me the idea to use the old cabinet handle and some of the wiring

to not only brace up the front, but also add another feature to the entire thing.

I needed a middle piece between the newly papered-over 2nd canvas panel,

so I got out a stiff cardboard from my stash. You can see where I penciled in the 

place I wanted the wiring to run.

I've been told (many times over) how I wrap like my Grandma Raymer.

Yep; and it STAYS. Permanently.

This is the finished Bricking before adding anything else.

My idea was that you are looking into a room where the outer brick wall was broken into.

The "mind-bender" is taken from the movie "Inception" where the newly recruited girl "makes"

steps that they are walking continually upward, yet find themselves at the bottom of the steps.

So, as I build on top of this "inside room", you'll be looking IN while being able to

feel solid things coming OUT at you- outside the wall you're looking into.

Making the fan and the voltage gauge.

I decided to use a TH IdeaOlogy Gear for the fan.

Again- Glossy Accents really holds!

We purchased new iPhone 12 Pros for each of us last January, and went through the entire 2021

with what we thought were cracked fronts. Silly me: I forgot that I put protectors on the glasses,

so changing those out proved that neither glass fronts were broken afterall.

The very cool protectors made cracking but stayed together in one piece...

and gave me an idea to use it for my faux glass on the voltage gauge. :)  It worked!

Now that I had a Backside.... I just had to decorate that and make it look like a factory:

yes, I have clocked in making Levelor Blind braces for over 3 years.

The ChiefHubby clocked in at Subaru Automotive for over 30 years.

And frankly, those guys pictured here look a LOT like the bosses I had.

How to get this TH IdeaOlogy fixed up Time Piece to stick to the (retired) Pocketwatch Charm? 

Poke some stash wire through the page on both sides of the PW

crisscrossed as shown.

Crisscross on the backside of the cardstock and tape over- or add Glossy Accents over it.

Then I stuck in some Sizzix Double Sided Sticky Foam into the wiring.

The TH Long Fastener went from the front of the TimePiece to the back- into another piece of foam.

It stuck VERY WELL.

I used some of the matching Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Oxide Ink Pad Salvaged Patina 

to add a stamp to the back of the "time cards".

And Here's the FRONT...

Be sure to see the very last photo at the bottom of this blogpost...

The heart has a surprise!

And the BACK...

Check out the HEART: it lights up!

Yep; she's "Up and Running"!

I hope you're inspired by one or more of the techniques I've used in this make!

Now, it's YOUR TURN!

Just sit down and play with your craft tools and some paper, and media...

and don't forget to add some kind of INDUSTRIAL gears or grunge in your make!

Then share it on

The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog: Industrial Grunge

Winners earn Badges (Top 3 Picks)

1 Overall Winner gets a Guest Designer spot for a future Challenge

and all entries following the rules get into the $25 GC from

The Funkie Junkie Boutique 

Where my inspiration for this make came from:

We purchased the trailer and overhead in March 2021- just before heading home to Indiana.

We'd spent our first Florida winter in the Camp's original Director home 

(which had been built by our Dixon family- Keith and Beth).

After searching homes, ideas, land/building. we were blessed with this offer inside 

the Tri State Christian Camp & Retreat Center

My "Craft Studio" in Florida:

This is just after we first arrived this winter, It's gotten much more filled since. :)

I sewed curtains for the above bed/storage (outisde kitchen is behind this wall),

and for the bed/storage above full-size fold-out bed on the opposite side.

Pop in all that stuff behind those curtains and I actually have plenty of room!

Yet; the ChiefHubby still asks why I keep using all the table space out in the kitchen area, too. lol!

The "curtain" is actually an unbleached muslin panel I sewed all around the edges

to keep from fraying, and then used a ribbon leftover from a Christmas gift;

trippling it over and sewing it as a tether tie. The panel easily drops down- for MERMAIDS.

Cleaning up this end took time on just about every day of March, and the finds we made along

the way are kind of funny. I'm telling you; there's a CAR buried out there someplace, and when I find it, I'm gonna dig it up. I'm gonna put a nice sign on it and plant flowers in it.

And it's going to look sweet! :)

I want to take a hunk of space here to send a HUGE SHOUTOUT of

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!

to all the guys who came to help us with the building of 

the Laundry/Bath, the decking, roofing, and all the plumbing & electrical, and gas work.

It took quite a LOT of planning and maneuvering to make it all happen. 

Not to mention all the Cyprus wood 'donated' (actually, Lyla requisitioned it all)

that was leftover from the building of First Christian Church of DeFunkiak Springs-

our Home-Church-Away-From-Home Church.

Randy Chestnut (Camp Director),

 Rick Chestnut, John Dixon, Phil Steele, Sean- who built our golfcart port,

and Gene "the Digger Man",

not to miss thanking their wives- for letting us borrow their men so many times!

You've all helped make this Home Away-From-Home into HOME.

And we look forward to finally just....working...?? LOL!

I'm going to miss those days when I got away while all you men were busy! ;)

March 17th- spent St. Paddy's Day along the shore:

Yes, we really are Living Under Christ's Kindness!

The ocean is one of GOD's most powerful physical creations on Earth,

and on every day, she gives up different types of gifts; some days it's mullosks, 

other days, it's jellyfish. Most days, it can be broken shells and pieces of sand dollars. 

For 4 months. I spent a good couple of hours each trip to the shoreline,

trying to find enough Puka shells (shells that have naturally formed holes in them

which can be used for necklace making) for my Indiana Sunday School PreK- 1st Gr Class.

In all those months, I found about 6 or 7.

On my St. Patrick's Day visit... the entire coastline was filled with Pukas and sorting

through them on the beach was a lot of fun in the sun for me!

It was especially nice to have teen girls on their Spring Break, 

coming up to ask me how to find "jewelry shells",

and I was more than happy to share mine and show them how to look for the holes.

There's MORE yet to come later this week;

I'll be doing my first Saturday Showcase for The Funkie Junkie Boutique!

Stay tuned!

Until then...

Stay Safe &

HAPPY BLOGGING!

The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge #5 Rather Blustery Day... Irish Queen of the Dusty Castle

     March...certainly came blowing in around the world, didn't it? I'm doing a LOT of praying these days and I know I have a lot of company doing the same. While some may wonder how we Crafters can post such "frivolous stuff" during times like this, my answer is just like the choice of whether to laugh or cry; we MUST laugh, or we'll be perpetually crying. Thus, we can continue to just "do what we do" and my reasoning is that I don't block it out, nor ignore it all. Instead, I try to just KEEP FAITH, and keep on praying! And while I am praying, I will keep on doing what I do... until JESUS comes again.

     Spring really IS going to get to those up north...trust me! We see it blooming right here - as evidenced by my "Amelia Azaela" bush and my "Anna Banana Tree"- so it has to be on its way. The ChiefHubby and I finally made a trip down to enjoy a sunset. We live only 45 minutes away from the nearest beaches, but we've been so busy during the months here that we just haven't had the time. It was so beautiful and colorful, there just aren't words enough to describe it. The Gulf Water is finally feeling warm once again, and beautifully clear. But once that sun was down...Brrrrr!! The wind that we didn't notice much all day, suddenly became blustery, indeed! It felt as if the wind had chilled off the water once again. Spring, even blustery at first, is so welcome in the northern states, and most people just want to finally get out of the house and go somewhere. We're getting photos from both our adult sets of kids of the Grandbabies out and about, and it warms my heart from those blustery winds. (Grandbaby #4 stays nice and warm tucked away in-utero and won't get evicted until August,) 

   The NEW CHALLENGE, "Rather Blustery Day" over at TFJB Challenge Blog is all about March and the weather that comes with. (I find the title very fitting description for the times we are going through, as well.)  "Blustery" itself pertains to weather- strong winds. What comes to my mind is how difficult it is to not only brave the chill that strong winds can bring this time of year, but how hard it can be to simply stand straight in stiff winds. So "difficult" is the word I get from "blustery". Suzz, our DT Host for this one, describes it as Winnie the Pooh... "Pooh Bear struggled against the windy day" and for us to "share something you struggle with in your art". So, "struggle" is a good definition also and I can really relate to that! Here's the entire process to prove it!

Believe it or not: Stamping and Stenciling are my struggles!

You can find these main products I used by clicking on the product words:

Tim Holtz Stencils (for other stencils- mine was a special set)

Tim Holtz Wallpaper Scraps (Halloween)

Tim Holtz Paper Dolls (Solos)

Snarky Cats Stamps (for other Snarky Cat FULL sets)

So, I started out with these choices of Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Inks 

in Pine Needles, Iced Spruce, and Old Paper.

I wanted a middle that was lighter with edges that were darker;

smooth, but not too smooth.

I needed two; front and back sides of one Tag.

I like to be 'complete'.

My struggle with Stencils:

Should I use the entire thing, or just part?

If I use only part of the stencil, what parts, and where should I place them?

Do I rub for full color or just slightly for lighter coloring?

What stencil would look best with what I hope to make?

And the list of questions popping up in my mind makes me feel like

I am clothes shopping- which (believe it or not) I loathe! 99x out of 100: 

I simply walk out of the store without it.... delimna solved.

The struggle is real!!

Often, I will need to go look at some of the latest makes from my favorite TIM makers.  

This time, the above use of stenciling was inspired by Barbara Schiassi's make

Then I decided I didn't want the 3 hearts as they were made (as one stamp piece),

so I cut them apart. Yes, much better.... I think??

Because STAMPING is my other questionable STRUGGLE!!

Here's where I was looking at this and thinking

"this just sucks; something's not right,".

Not only was my stamping terrible, but the stenciling looked 'off' somehow.

So I tossed out the entire thing!

CONTRAST! The tossed-out Tags lacked contrasting color on the background.

And begin again is what I did- this time with Vintage Photo Distress Oxide Ink.

I used the old Tags for practice in stamping.

I was still not sure if my choice of stamping idea, let alone the stamp I chose,

looked right. But I at least felt better about the contrasting background now.

I got in more practice on a plain Tag just to test the idea of the stamp itself,

and did it look better with FOUR leaves on the Clover... or THREE??

Then, I got the idea of the Irish Flag colors and using one of the other stamp pieces in this

OLD Tim Holtz Crazy Things Stamp Set to make an Irish Flag for the Paper Doll dog's mouth.

So as NOT to use the USA stripes on the flag, I carefully covered the stripes with masking tape.

 Rub the masking-taped stamp onto the (TH Black Soot Distress Oxide) ink pad

FIRST, then take off the tape.

You have a flag without the stripes.

I know tricks like this and use them all the time.

Yet, I rarely use my stamp sets because I just can't figure out WHEN, WHERE, and a good HOW

to use them and make a cool project without looking at other people's use of stamps.

I really want to do it all on my own and come up with something COOL all on my own.

Anyway.... you get a clean stamp of a flag you can fill in any way you like.

So I began coloring in with Tim Holtz Distress Crayons 

in Cracked Pistachio and Dried Marigold.

And then....

I tossed all this out also- keeping just the Stenciled/Stamped Tag front and back set.

See? I told you I really do struggle with these two things !!!

I got out another Tim Holtz Stamp Set

(This set is very retired and most people find it hard to even list this type

of set since it's not on Tim's inventory at all! Yet they do exist and I am "lucky" to have a few of these!)

Yep; I pitched the clover leaf and the Irish Flag

in favor of the colors on a Tim Holtz Milkcap.

I added the OLD Stickles in Gold and Green for a touch of glamour on the Irish Queen.

You can find all NEW Tim Holtz Stickles Products at TFJB!

This is what became "Irish Queen of the Dusty Castle"...

I told my Bestie that "I don't believe in 'luck' because I know everything happens

for a reason- one we may or may not be aware of.

She replied "You are Living Under Christ's Kindness, though, so you DO belive in LUCK!"

I was stunned; she was right! It's exactly the point I was trying to make on this Tag!

You see...

we are all very BLESSED to live here in this country.

We have freedoms that no other country has.

We have a setup like no other country has. (Myeh...nothing is absolutely perfect!)

And when I was going about my day just recently,

I was complaining that no matter which house we lived in (Indiana or Florida); 

I still have the same old drudgery housework to do every day.

And then I thought:

HOW LUCKY I AM!!!!

I am the Irish (and Dutch, and German, and NAI- somewhere in there) 

Queen of this Dusty Castle!

It really DOESN'T get any better than that.

Especially when we look at the news happening on the TV set right now.

Got out those old Tim Holtz IdeaOlogy Flash Cards

WHICH ARE BACK AGAIN AT THE FUNKIE JUNKIE BOUTIQUE!

I let her stay plain- aside from the Stickles in her hair and on her dress- 

and matching puppy collar for my HunniPi.

HUGE THANKS! once again for all the LOVELY COMMENTS!

Thanx! for all those who stop in for a peek- without commenting (I do that myself)!

You have almost 2 weeks for this Rather Blustery Day Challenge,

so get your entry done and entered

(BE SURE TO FOLLOW ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS CORRECTLY!)

and you could win in the random drawing for a $25 GC from

our Sponsor;

The Funkie Junkie Boutique

Also;

Check out Tim Holtz's newest releases that will be shipping SOON!

I'm SO excited!

Till Next Time...

Stay Safe &

HAPPY BLOGGING!!