Plan B

Thanks for visiting...I'm really happy you're here. I will warn you, this is a VERY long post, with many, many photos, but it was a big project. I've managed to miss the deadline at Frilly and Funkie for their "Hip to Be Square" challenge, although I really wanted to make a cube. I don't have the die to cut the ATB, and although it was permissible to make your own pattern, I'm not clear on the size.  So perhaps it's best that I missed that challenge.  There were so many great projects by the design team and entrants, alike. But I still have a half finished project.  What to do?

For my original plan, I had intended to do a sewing theme, and include a dressmaker form, some alphabet blocks (see photo way below) and maybe a spool or two on the top of my box. I went through all my vintage sewing goodies, and got lost in nostalgia.  I even found a dated Christmas list from 1965 my grandmother wrote.  It looks like I was getting a doll for Christmas that year (I was four in 1965 and don't remember that doll).  It was a great, long, thoughtful list, written in my Grandma's no-nonsense script. I've included it in this photo.

I digress...I wanted to make a functional box, to hold all (well, some) of my collection (read hoard) of old sewing related treasures. So it had to be big.  This is when I decided to make my own box and fill it with little folders to house button and snap cards, trims and bindings, needle cards and other sewing ephemera.  Craft Hoarder's Anonymous is running a challenge called "Button It Up".  I have some buttons...I can do that.

Look at those prices! That's 10 cents on the top card.

The inspiration over there is fabulous--I just have to join in the fun.  I gathered some materials related to sewing and designed and assembled my box.A mechanical engineer I am NOT. It looked just terrible, but we'll try to salvage that another time.  Now I'm in a real hurry, since I've got a few other challenges I want to join in, and I only have a few more days before "Hip to Be Square" closes.  So I purchased a paper mache' box from Hobby Lobby--the last one--it was meant to be.  I get busy putting together my little (well,-- big 6 x 6 inches) box and planning a great functional piece, thanks to the inspiration from the design team at Frillie and Funky. Well, "life is what happens to us while we are making other plans", and the deadline comes and goes while I'm caught up doing all the everyday things like work and taking care of a home and family. I'm halfway done planning and creating my folders, and now I've got this box. I'm not one to quit.

Plan B:  Come up with something that depicts a summer garden, the design team at Frilly and Funkie encourages. It can be landscaping or fruits and veggies, not just flowers.  But I've already got flowers in mind. I'll make them from old patterns.  When I was at my neighbor's estate sale 2 weeks ago, I picked up  a huge bag full of random pattern pieces, because I spied some vintage pattern envelopes in  among  the tissue. I was getting ready to throw the tissue out (what was I thinking???). Besides, I wanted to incorporate buttons, and I thought "flower centers".

I was greatly inspired by Tim Holtz in making this box- numerous Tim techniques, stamps, Distress inks, markers and stains, crackle paint, Idea-ology, and so on.

 Crackle paint stained with various Distress Inks

But my project has a little bit of a frilly side, too.  I chose the colors for the box because these are the shades I see in our late summer garden-mostly fading purple coneflowers and some  browning heat-worn zinnias and ripening green foliage. I wanted to include butterflies, because our end of summer garden here in southeast North hot Carolina is just full of butterflies, trying to soak up the last of the nectar.  There are also creepy bugs in our spent veggie garden--not particularly inspirational.

I've included some stencils and paste, too, since Lynn at The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge challenges us to see what we can do with stencils and modeling paste. You can see this used on almost all of my folders.  I think I've found a new love...I've mixed the paste with stain, I've left it plain and stained it after it dried, I've swiped it with Perfect Pearls, left it white, swiped it with Distress Inks (the tape measure on the back of "Bound Button Hole" folder and front of the "Buttons" folder), and rubbed it with metallic rubs. There's so many things you can do with stencils and paste!

 Country View Challenges  is looking for entries that focus upon the written word. I've incorporated some wise words from Tim Holtz on my box, as well as on my "Words" folder.  "Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans".  This is what I was thinking when I saw the missed deadline on my calendar, so it is a significant reminder to me. And it made me think of all these things I've picked up along the way..the buttons, the trims, the trinkets, all these great vintage items, that someone planned on using, but life happened, and now they can no longer use it.  As I was making this project, that thought came to my mind.  I've collected all these vintage goodies because I love them and  to incorporate into projects, and I'm simply putting them away in a drawer or any other hiding spot I can find (see I have include the definition of cache on the inside of my "Advance Pattern") and not enjoying them. I want them to be displayed and easily enjoyed on a daily basis. That is the goal of this project for me.

The "Words" folder features a vintage book page from the familiar quotes section of the dictionary as well as another stamped quote from Tim-- "Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful".  This has significance to me personally, as I have perfectionist tendencies, and I am learning to embrace imperfection.

There are so many tiny details that may not be evident in the pictures, and my post would be incredibly long (er) if I pointed out and explained each one.  One I would like to mention is the fine walnut ink spray on the lid.  I used my Distress Marker Spritzer for the first time.  Pretty cool!  

Another is the folder with the buttons sewn on front and back has an accordion pleat on either side.  I did this using antiqued vellum which I stamped with Archival Ink.  The picture below shows a string hanging from the small red button on the back.  I forgot to show that this goes around the green button (front; 2nd photo) in a figure eight fashion to act as a fastener.I plan to use this to hold some of my most treasured loose buttons.

Honeycomb reverse stenciling shown above.

Can you spot the buttons covering up the areas where the two real buttons were sewn on?

 Another detail that might not be seen in the photos is that I sprayed and swiped my pattern paper flowers with Perfect Pearls sprays and treated some pattern pieces with Mod Podge before cutting to give them body (thoroughly dried first!).

That's a spool the flower is drying on to get idea of size.  This is the smallest flower.

The purplish flower started out as a hot pink burlap on clearance at Michael's yesterday.  I bought it to add to my stash never knowing it would have a place in this project. One final detail worth mentioning are the "pearl" strands.  They were painted with alcohol inks, and these and the green ribbon are to represent foliage, as I have no foliage dies.

  The eight buttons on the top and sides of the box are my absolute favorite vintage buttons from my collection and thought they needed to be given a place of honor. I could not bring myself to add my treasured vintage German sewing scissors, as I had originally planned, but instead added this ivory-like-needle-thingy as a straight line element.

Trying different configurations--the scissors didn't make the "cut".

This is not a flattering angle, but I wanted to show off my vintage spools.

I stained the flower trim (last week's yard sale find) and Tim's Idea-ology ribbon ruler with Distress stains.  I wrestled with the idea of using one of my treasured vintage yellow or antique white cloth tapes in place of it, but I like that I could get just the right look using Tim's ribbon ruler and some stain.  Thanks, Tim!

I stamped the flowers on the inside of the box with Gelatos to represent a meadow for the butterflies to frolick in.

Sorry, the lighting was terrible! Looks like a black light was on!

I think I was able to take lemons and make lemonade, and come up with something I'll be proud to display along with my big vintage sewing toys, in spite of the slow start. Thank you for wading through all this, and I hope you enjoy the many photos. There are more shots at the end of the post if you wish to see additional shots of all the folders, inside and out.  Some may be repeats of the above included in the text.

I would like to enter this into the following challenges:Craft Hoarders Anonymous Challenge #14 Button It Up,Frilly and Funkie A Summer Garden Challenge, Country View Challenges Word Play,  and The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge Stencils and Pastes.

Products used other than my stash:  Distress: spritzer, distress tool, markers, stains, and inks, Perfect Pearls  and PP mists, Idea-ology ribbon, tissue wrap and paper stash, Alterations dies: Bigz, On the Edge, and Frameworks. Tim's Tiny Attacher. Stamps:  Inkadinkado, Hampton Art 7 Gypsies, Stamper's Anonymous Attic Treasures CMS 123, and Visual Artistry Seamless Energy. Stencils:  TCW, Momenta, Prima and Tim's Layering Stencils. Box: Hobby Lobby.

I used some reverse stenciling here with a honeycomb stencil.

I cut another set of butterflies from On the Edge die and used as a mask here.

I searched my paper for hours looking for this paper.  I forgot it was a 6 x 6; stored elsewhere. 

Stencils and gesso on  the butterflies.  Love this look.

These are not real buttons! But they look more like actual buttons than actual buttons do!

Textured Vellum rubbed with metallic rubs.

Tim's technique-blurred backgrounds. Such a soft look.

Love the petticoat ruffle I got from Hilda's estate sale recently.

I planned to use these blocks on my Plan A project.

One of my vintage sewing boxes--holds machine attachments. Future project!

There's one of the "buttons" covering the eyelet and thread where I sewed a button on the front.

I took a photo from each side.

Love this!

You made it!