An Altered Birdhouse With Tim Holtz

Hello and welcome! Today we start a new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique blog. Our hostess for the current Birds challenge is the amazingly talented Suzz, and here is what she says about it:

"For this Challenge I want you to be inspired by our flying friends.  You can take the challenge literally and have images or die cuts of birds on your art, you can be inspired by the words describing birds or even showcase their homes.  Make sure to share with us how you were inspired by the birds."

As always, the winner will earn a chance to be a Guest Designer at a future date at The Funkie Junkie Boutique challenge blog, and everyone who enters and follows the rules will go into the draw for the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique. There are also Top 3 Badges for three additional outstanding entries, chosen by the Design Team. Please see the blog for details.

I do love birds, and this time of the year, my mind turns to spooky little bird houses. We've seen so many crows around here all summer long; quite out of the ordinary for these parts. Although I really don't care much for crows, they are one of God's amazing creations, and they were what inspired me to create this grungy altered bird house.

Before we take a look at the details, here are before and after demo shots of this fixer upper bird house I picked up at a sale a long time ago with intentions to alter it. I was just getting ready to throw it in the trash, when I saw Suzz's challenge theme.

**Today, I will show off the little creepy bird house, and I will take you through my process next Wednesday. So if you are interested  in seeing how it came together, stop back here next week.**

 

Let's take a closer look at it after it's finished...

The tin roof is rusted and mossy but apparently without leaks. Good bones.

 

I envisioned my sinister crow inhabiting the charred long neglected remains of this old bird house. Speaking of bones...are those the remnants of his mate, or has he been bringing home someone else's remains to fill his empty nest?

His feathers, so black and shiny, are dull in comparison to his dark, glassy ever-knowing eyes. 

Dead and diseased thorny rose vines twine around the rusted gates hanging in disrepair.

The house number seems so appropriate for such a foreboding abode.

The mildewed brick walk leading to the creaking, rusty iron gates are slick with moss.

Rotting pumpkins stacked up at the garden's edge are ready for a chilly fall meal for our feathered friend.

Or maybe he has his sights set on that juicy spider dangling from the eaves.

Around back you can see just how beautiful that spider's web is, and if you look closely you'll spot another spider--this one fuzzy, making his way up to the eaves.

 

I hope you were inspired by my viewpoint on our feathered friends. Be sure to pop over to the blog and see the gorgeous projects my teammates made to inspire you to start thinking about Birds. Then it's over to you! I  hope you'll get your craft on and play along for a chance to win one of the wonderful prizes! I can't wait to see what you'll make! Happy making! Sara Emily

These products were used and can be purchased at The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Chapter 3 Tim Holtz Thinlits Dies - Spider Web

Chapter 3 Tim Holtz Thinlits Dies - Gatekeeper

Sizzix Chapter 2 Tim Holtz Thinlits Dies - Feathered Friends

Sizzix Chapter 2 Tim Holtz Thinlits Dies - Funky Wreaths

Sizzix Chapter 2 Tim Holtz 3-D Texture Fades Embossing Folder - Brickwork

Sizzix Tim Holtz 3-D Impresslits Embossing Folder - Star Trim

Tim Holtz Distress Grit Paste Translucent

Tim Holtz Distress Texture Paste Crackle

Tim Holtz Distress Collage Medium Matte

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Trimmings - Halloween

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Mini Skulls & Pumpkins

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Design Tape, Halloween 

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Tokens - Halloween

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Boneyard

Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Spray - Frayed Burlap, Weathered Wood,,Peeled Paint

Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain - Walnut Stain, Vintage Photo, bundled sage, Ground Espresso

Tim Holtz Distress Paint - Black Soot, Ground Espresso, Weathered Wood, Antiqued Bronze

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Crayons - Peeled Paint, Crushed Olive, Antique Linen, Fired Brick, Rusty Hinge, Brushed Pewter, Ground Espresso

Ranger Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink - Snow Cap Mixative, Mushroom, Rust

Prima Art Alchemy Impasto Paint - Pitch Black

Seth Apter Baked Texture - Chunky Rust

Sizzix Foliage Wrap Die Saturday Showcase Tutorial for The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog

Hello! I'm over on The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge Blog today with a Saturday Showcase Tutorial, featuring Sizzix Foliage Wrap Die. I have four samples for you using one die set, as well as  step by steps for the butterfly wrap card I made for our current challenge, 'It's a Wrap!',  and the poinsettia Christmas card, so I hope you'll join me there! Big hugs! Sara Emily

Challenge shares:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Grunge It Up Posting my grungy fall tag.

Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes #452 - #453 All four projects should work!

It's a Wrap Card with Sizzix Foliage Wrap by Olivia Rose

Welcome back! It's time for a new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique challenge blog, and this time I get to host. My theme is 'It's a Wrap' and here's the scoop:

"Whenever I hear this term, I think of something that's finished or completed. But for this challenge, we want you to share your vintage or shabby chic gift wrapping, gift box or bag or perhaps a set of gift tags. Or maybe you might take a different approach and use a wrap die cut or gift packaging on your project -- just be sure to tell us what your 'wrap' is if it's not obvious!"

As always, the winner will earn a chance to be a Guest Designer at a future date at The Funkie Junkie Boutique challenge blog, and everyone who enters and follows the rules will go into the draw for the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique. There are also Top 3 Badges for three additional outstanding entries, chosen by the Design Team. Please see the blog for details.

To tie in with the theme, I decided to use the new Sizzix Foliage Wrap die by Olivia Rose. This set comes with the die to make the wrap that you see on this card as well as an additional 6 sweet coordinating flower and foliage dies. I'll show off  the complete set and give you all the details on how I made this card and others this coming Saturday for our Saturday Showcase feature. 

For today, I'll share some close ups and a few details...

I used one of the pretty Scribbly Butterflies die cuts to hold the 'flaps' of the Foliage die cut in place over a top fold card. I adhered the butterfly just at his body using Distress Collage Medium Matte, so the wings are free. In the photo below, you catch a glimpse at the top fold card after the flaps are removed.

Using my new Speckled Egg Embossing Glaze I was able to stiffen and shape the flaps a bit, so I can tuck them under the butterfly wings while adding a bit of dimension. Look at that gorgeous detail on this die cut!

 And after un-tucking them, this is what you see...

One of Linda's resin roses from the shop adhered with collage medium adds some interest to this simple card.

So, for now, it's a wrap on the "It's a Wrap" theme from me. I hope you'll pop in to see my Saturday Showcase post this coming weekend for the how-to details on this card and some more ways to use this wrap die. In the meantime, my hugely talented team mates have also 'wrapped up' some projects for this challenge so make sure you hop on over and check them out HERE. And then I hope you'll link up your own shabby chic or vintage pieces to be in for a chance of winning one of the fabulous prizes offered up for the challenge. Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting! Sara Emily

Challenge shares:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Midsummer Blues

These products were used and can be purchased at The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Sizzix Chapter 3 Thinlits Dies - Foliage Wrap

Sizzix Chapter 1 Tim Holtz Thinlits Dies - Scribbly Butterflies 

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Stamp Set - Faded Type

Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Antique Linen, Speckled Egg

Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain - Antique Linen, Speckled Egg

Tim Holtz Distress Grit Paste

Sizzix Sidekick Accessory - Mini Tool Kit

Sizzix Accessory - Chrome Precision Base Plate for Thinlits

Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Pen 2pk 

Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Glaze - Speckled Egg

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Collage Medium Matte

Set of 12 Resin Roses

A Stenciled Mum Card for Mom

Hello and welcome! Today we start a new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique challenge blog, and this time super talented Jenny is hosting our challenge. She calls it Stencilmania, and here's the description...

Stencils are such versatile tools - you can add colour through them, add texture and patterns with them, draw with them, emboss with them, print with them and so much more. So for this challenge we want you to get creative with your stencils, adding as many layers as you dare to create a vintage or shabby chic project to share with us all.

As always, the winner will earn a chance to be a Guest Designer at a future date at The Funkie Junkie Boutique challenge blog, and everyone who enters and follows the rules will go into the draw for the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique. There are also Top 3 Badges for three additional outstanding entries, chosen by the Design Team. Please see the blog for details.

I do have to say, that after many failed stencil techniques, I finally just played at what I know best--monoprinting with stencils-- and came up with a layered card for my Mom and a second simple card to have on hand for a birthday. I have another monoprint card here.

Obviously, I decided to use my stencils on my background, but you'll learn I used them on some of my layers as well. Let's get started...

I put down some subtle color with Distress sprays on a piece of mixed media paper; this is quite heavy paper from my stash and can take a lot of wet product. I spritzed my paper quite heavily with water and dipped it into puddles of oversprays left on my glass mat from a previous spraying, drying between layers of color. I'm not one to waste my product. Not a great background, but it's going to get covered up with inks and oxide.

Next, I took one of the mini stencils from set 26 (Splash), and blended three inks in the same colors as the sprayed background. Distress blending brushes allow you to get the color exactly where you want it to go when using these intricate stencils. Use a different brush for each color family-greens, blues, reds, etc. (The photo above shows the completed stenciling after doing the two steps outlined below. I had to show it, because most of that wonderful monoprint technique got covered with ephemera in the end.)

You can see in the photo below, I sprayed the inky stencil with water and flipped it over onto the paper to make a monoprint. (The photo below is actually done on a second background (completed card pictured below), so the colors look different; I forgot to take a photo of this step when making this card.)

Then I blended more of the swirls with Wilted Violet Oxide to provide some depth.

To give a vintage look, I blended with Frayed Burlap ink, and eventually edged with Ground Espresso ink. (I did this with all the pieces.)

I didn't stop there with my stencils. I swiped Distress Embossing Dabber over the Grime Stencil on a Field Notes Ephemera panel and embossed with Weathered Wood Embossing Glaze. I blended this piece with Frayed Burlap after embossing, so the powder didn't stick to the ink. I was surprised by the variation in color from the glaze. I'm sure this is because I allowed the powder to slide over the embossing liquid by tipping the panel. Instead, I should have done the finger tip dance before dumping as Tim suggests in his video.  Since I only had the one piece of ephemera, I embraced it.

I really liked the color of the butterfly from the Botanical Layers pack, but I didn't think he was large enough for my card. To give him more of a presence, I layered him over a die cut  hexagon from the Stacked Tile set. I colored the die cut with Bundled Sage and Peeled Paint oxides and Evergreen Bough ink. I even used another stencil (Ornate mini stencil set 25) monoprint in the inky layers. Although the print isn't clearly seen, it adds to the depth of color.  

I chose the purple and lavender mums from the Botanical Layers pack because of the color (my Mom's favorite), but was thrilled to see how the petals echoed the pattern of the Splash stencil and, of course, the colors I chose for the background. (This was not planned.) A couple more pieces of ephemera, this time from the Keepsakes pack, and a panel of sanded Confections kraft stock finish off this simple card. I stamped the Tiny Text sentiment onto the tag ephemera in Archival. I made a stamping faux pas, but decided to embrace the imperfection and chalk it up to the vintage vibe. 

Here is the other card I made while I had the sprays,inks and stencils out. I really love the look of monoprints, but it gets even better when you layer more stencils over top!

I hope you can see just how easy it is to add stencils to your project to take it to the next level. For even more stencil inspiration from my talented teammates, head over to the challenge blog to see what they have made to inspire you. Then I hope you'll play along with us in this challenge! Happy crafting! Sara Emily

Challenge shares:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Happy Birthday!

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Anything Goes

These products were used and can be purchased at The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Layering Stencil - Grime
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Mini Layering Stencils - Set 26
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Mini Layering Stencils - Set 25
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Mini Layering Stencils - Set 7
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Layering Stencil - Floral
Sizzix Chapter 1 Tim Holtz Thinlits Dies - Stacked Tiles, Hexagons
Tim Holtz Sizzix Bigz L Die - Large Stems
Sizzix Chapter 1 Tim Holtz Thinlits Dies - Scribbly Butterflies
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Stamp Set - Tiny Text
Tim Holtz Idea-ology 8 x 8 Metallic Confections Kraft Stock
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Ephemera, Field Notes
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Ephemera Pack, Keepsakes
Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain - Broken China, Evergreen Bough, Wilted Violet
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads - Broken China, Evergreen Bough, Wilted Violet, Frayed Burlap, Ground Espresso, Faded Jeans
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Archival Mini Ink Pads - Black Soot, Faded Jeans
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pads -Bundled Sage, Peeled Paint, Wilted Violet
Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Dabber
Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Glaze- Weathered Wood
Tim Holtz Distress Collage Medium Matte
Tim Holtz Distress Blending Brush
Botanical Layers

Best Day Ever

Happy Tuesday! I actually am posting this on Monday night, but we're in the midst of a tropical storm or perhaps a hurricane, so I'm posting early to beat the power outage which is sure to come soon. Simon Says Stamp is celebrating their 10th Anniversary, and they are focusing on Stampers Anonymous products, which just happen to be my favorites! Happy 10th to Simon Says Stamp! To celebrate, I made this simple birthday card; all pretty easy-peasy except for threading the sewing machine needle, that is!

The background is created with a Stampers Anonymous floral mini stencil, Roses, and Wilted Violet oxide using a monoprint technique. I blended with Frayed Burlap and Evergreen Bough and then did a bit of background stamping using a Stampers Anonymous Faded Type stamp in Frayed Burlap ink. The Tiny Text sentiment is inked in Vintage Photo Archival ink.

The flower is inked with Wilted Violet oxide and Evergreen Bough ink and popped up with foam adhesive. Best wishes to Simon Says Stamp; it's the best day ever!

Challenge shares:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Happy Birthday!

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Anything Goes

These products were used and can be purchased at The Funkie Junkie Boutique: 

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Mini Layering Stencils - Set 25

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Stamp Set - Faded Type

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Stamp Set - Tiny Text

Sizzix Chapter 3 Thinlits Dies - Layered Winter Flower

Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads - Frayed Burlap, Ground Espresso, Evergreen Bough

Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad - Wilted Violet

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Archival Mini Ink Pad - Vintage Photo

A Wedding Wish with Sizzix Layered Winter Flower

Hello and happy Wednesday! Today we start a new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique challenge blog, and this time super talented Suzz is hosting our challenge. She calls it With This Ring, and here's the description...

"Summer is a traditional time for weddings. This year we have seen many of the celebrations become virtual, rescheduled or limited to few people participating. We as craft makers can still share our art with the happy couples by creating something beautiful to celebrate their special occasion. I challenge you to create something celebrating a wedding, it can be anything including: layout, card, decor, or gift."

As always, the winner will earn a chance to be a Guest Designer at a future date at The Funkie Junkie Boutique challenge blog, and everyone who enters and follows the rules will go into the draw for the chance to win a $25 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique. There are also Top 3 Badges for three additional outstanding entries, chosen by the Design Team. Please see the blog for details.

I decided to feature the new Layered Winter Flower by Sizzix Chapter 3 on a wedding card  for this challenge.  I visualized a Gardenia, and went with shades of whites/neutrals for my single flower and layered it over fussy cut flowers from Ciao Bella's Sicilia 6x6 Paper Pad. The white plastic heart from my stash is tied in with swipes of Prima's Old Silver Metallique wax. The die cut greenery is a part of the Layered Winter Flower die set as well (both the leaf variety and long stems). I love how the greenery compliments the layered flower and as well as the greenery of the Sicilia floral bouquet. This die set also includes winter berries and a layered pine cone, which I'm sure I will use often as the Christmas cards start rolling out. I have a brief tutorial on how this card came together below.

Let's get started with the back ground first. I used Prima's Vintage Wallpaper stencil and Crackle paste to lay down a textured background, and when it was dry gave it a good coat of Collage Medium Matte. I had two purposes to do this; First to keep the crackle from chipping off and secondly to prevent the spray I would use next from soaking into the paper.

 After spraying the panel with Squeezed Lemonade, I dabbed at it with a clean paper towel to remove some of the spray.

When it was dry, I scribbled with Distress crayons (Crushed Olive and Ground Espresso) and smudged it with my finger. I did some background stamping with a script stamp from Tiny Toadstools and Peeled Paint Archival ink. I layered this panel over green card stock then over a metallic paper from my stash. To take some of the shine off the metallic paper, I blended it with Pumice Stone Oxide ink.

The Baseboard Frame anchors my wedding bouquet. That lacy texture is easily accentuated with a swipe of Old Silver wax.

 

Here's how I made the 'gardenia'. I started with cheap old watercolor paper that is pretty lightweight. I chose the lightweight paper so I could easily shape the petals. I blended the small pieces with either Pumice Stone or a combination of Hickory Smoke and Pumice Stone for varying neutral tones. I then spritzed the pieces with water and shaped them with my swizzle stick

I cut a second of the largest to place under the completed flower. Each of the flowers/petal layers were given dimension with foam adhesive and/or bits of chipboard between them. I decided to cut just a portion of a layer to add one more petal to the flower (shown in the completed project).All of the edges were blended with Frayed Burlap ink and some were touched with Old Silver wax.  I very lightly blended the completed flower with Forest Moss ink to tie it in better with the rest of the elements. You can see in the photo below, that the die also embosses lines on each of the pieces for easy placement of all the small shadow bits.

I cut the background portion of the leaves/stems (vertical foliage not shown in photo) with a green card stock and blended with inks so they would tie in with the Sicilia greenery. The inner portions were just cut from designer paper scraps from my stash.

To make the sentiment banner, I used the largest of the Hexagon Stacked Tiles dies as shown below to cut the 'arrow' shape and stamped a wedding sentiment from my stash in Black Soot Distress Archival ink. To do this, I used a scrap of plain white card and slipped it over one side of the die (non-blade side) and under the opposite edge (blade side) before running it through my machine.

I adhered the sentiment over a Crochet die cut. I love this die set; I find I reach for it over and over again!

That's all for me today; I hope you'll take some time to visit the blog to see the beautiful wedding themed projects my teammates have made to inspire you. Then we turn it over to you--I hope you'll join us for this challenge! I can't wait to see what you will create! Have fun crafting! Sara Emily

These products were used and can be purchased at The Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Sizzix Chapter 3 Thinlits Dies - Layered Winter Flower
Ciao Bella - Sicilia 6x6 Paper Pad
Sizzix Chapter 1 Tim Holtz Thinlits Dies - Stacked Tiles, Hexagons
Sizzix Tim Holtz Thinlits Crochet
Prima Stencil - Vintage Wallpaper
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Bundled Sage, Forest Moss, Frayed Burlap, Pine Needles
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad - Pumice Stone, Hickory Smoke
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Spray  - Squeezed Lemonade
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Archival Mini Ink Pad - Black Soot, Peeled Paint
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Crayons -Ground Espresso, Crushed Olive
Ranger Opaque Crackle Texture Paste
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Collage Medium Matte
Prima Art Alchemy by Finnabair - Metallique Wax  -Old Silver