Challenge Winners - Tic Tac Toe

It is time to announce our winners for the Tic Tac Toe challenge, our first of the year.  Thank you to all who entered and played our little game.  There were great entries from makers committed to helping the environment with lots of recycled items.

The team has chosen this card by # 11 Veana R. (Veana R.) as the overall winner.  She has layered so many fun elements to create a non-traditional Christmas card that she said made her Mother happy.

Congratulations to Veana on winning an opportunity to be a Guest Designer at a future date here at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog.  You will be contacted shortly with all the details.

And now our picks for the three winners of the The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog Top 3 Badges for this challenge.  In numerical order  they are #7 Alison Bomber (a.k.a. Butterfly) (Words and Pictures) , #10 Clareene Forbes (In Reene's Room) and #26 Elle (Empire of the Cat)

Please email Linda at thefunkiejunkie@gmail.com for the codes for the Top 3 badges so that you can display them proudly on your blog.

And finally we have a randomly chosen lucky winner for the $25 gift certificate to The Funkie Junkie Boutique. Our congratulations this time go to #28 Lisa Hoel (Creative Juice) ! Please email Linda at thefunkiejunkie@gmail.com for the gift certificate details.

Thank you again to everyone who took part in this challenge from all of us here at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog  and congratulations to all our winners.

The current challenge, Repeat Performance can be found HERE and runs through Tuesday, February 4th at 11:55 pm EST so we hope you will join us.

Saturday Showcase -- Tim Holtz Bouquet Thinlits by Sizzix

Hi everyone and welcome to another Saturday Showcase, the Design Team's opportunity to share tutorials and shine a spotlight on products available from The Funkie Junkie Boutique with you. Our current challenge is 'Repeat Performance', and my Design Team project is a candy box made with Tim Holtz Curio Box and featuring his new Chapter 1 Bouquet Thinlits dies and a couple of items I salvaged from the trash can! I fell in love with the Bouquet die from the the first cut I made with it!

Following is a tutorial showing the steps I took to make my candy box, but first I have  a few close up shots to share. I don't show the assembly of the box in this tutorial, but it's pretty straight forward once you cut the pieces or you can watch Tim's video for a demo.

 If you read on to the end of this post, you'll see a few more ideas on how you can use what I call The Little Black Dress of dies.

Let's get started...

Click on any photo to enlarge.

With the Bouquet Thinlits die, cut some pieces of plain card stock that will fit the top and sides of the completed Curio Box. The pattern is intricate,  so I find that it's best to use the Chrome Precision Plate and the wire brayer from Sizzix Mini Tool Kit to make fast work of getting all those little bits out. I purposefully left some of the smaller pieces in the flowers of the  die cuts that would go on the side just for fun.

Having cut the Curio Box top, I used the larger oval Thinlit that comes with the Curio Box set to cut an aperture from the lid and the Bouquet die cut piece that will fit on top.

The Bouquet pieces were glued to the top (and sides of the lid -- not pictured) using Distress Collage Medium Matte. I brushed the collage medium on the box lid, stuck the intricate die cut down, and gave it another good coat of collage medium. Once fully dry, I trimmed the pieces with my scissors. I repeated with the edges.

Our challenge calls for us to use something that we would normally throw in the trash on our projects, and I salvaged this wrapping from the extended plates my daughter just sent me for my birthday. Using another of the Thinlits dies from the Curio Box set, I cut a window for my box from the thin, but strong plastic film and stuck it on the inside of the lid with collage medium.

 To give this more of a finished look, I cut another oval from a panel to fit the inside over the film. This also ensures the film won't move and makes the lid more sturdy.

Once the lid was covered with the Bouquet die cuts, assembled and the window was in place, I painted the exterior of the lid with black gesso, taking care to get good coverage. In retrospect, this would have been easier to do before adding the window film.

Next, out of Rose Gold Metallic 2 Kraft Stock, I cut an oval using the two oval dies that come with the Curio Box and the bottom of the box using the Biz die from the set. I sanded the pieces and applied Black Soot Distress paint, then sprayed with water, moving the paint around on the surface. I dried with a heat tool until most of the paint was dry and used a clean paper towel to blot up the remaining wet paint. I repeated this until I was happy with it, trying for an aged copper look.

Here is the bottom of the box when it was completed and assembled.

I cut a second oval from black fun foam, used collage medium to adhere it to the first, and then glued the stacked pair in the aperture on the lid. Before adhering the frame to the aperture, I used my finger to swipe the lid with Vintage Silk wax. (I forgot to take a photo before I glued the oval in place.)

These plastic ties were rescued from the kitchen trash can. After washing them and straightening them as best as I could with my heat tool and a static stretch, I gave them a good coat of black gesso. When dry, I dripped them with Celestial Alcohol Pearls. These were glued around the raised frame. One section just would not adhere, so this is where I placed the embellishments.

My simple embellishments include an Idea-ology Typed Token topped with an Idea-ology Mirrored Heart. The token was in my stash, already colored with Mushroom Alcohol ink. I swiped it with Black Soot paint and wiped it off the surface, leaving the paint to darken the recessed type.

A drop of alcohol pearl is all it took to color the Mirrored Heart.

That being finished, I made  a couple of quick cards using the Bouquet Thinlits die.

I had a tall skinny card in my stash with a background I made quite awhile ago. It's a yellow Distress Oxide background, but I'm not exactly sure of the color(s) I used. While Bouquet is designed to fit a standard card, it has no cutting blades on the ends, so you can make a continuous cut the length of your paper/card to fit a larger card or background. I trimmed white card stock to fit my existing card and made a pass in my die cut machine making an initial cut. After making the first cut, I lined up the bottom of the die to the top of the cut and made a second cut.

You can see the pattern is not continuous; I've marked the abutment with my scissors in the photo below. It's not terribly noticeable, but with some strategic placement of elements you can minimize it further.

While I auditioned a pair of Wildflower Stems and a portion of  Christmas Circle Words Thinlits die, in the end, I decided to use one Tim's new Bunny Hop Thinlits die cuts along with a Metallic Quotations Sticker. I used another die from the Circle Words to complete my sentiment. See how nicely the sticker hides the change in pattern, even on close inspection?

For my second card featuring Bouquet, I used more of the Rose Gold kraft stock and alcohol inks.

The butterfly wings are from my stash, and I gave them a new body (Flutter Framelits) and antennae made from a tiny shred of the metallic card (rescued from the trash, of course!). I made the embellishment using the Circle Words set again -- I love that this seasonal product can be used year round!

 I had a great time playing with other Bouquet die cut samples, coloring them with Distress oxides, inks and crayons, but I think this post is long enough. The options are endless, and this is why I call this die The Little Black Dress of dies! If you can only afford one of Tim's wonderful new dies, I would suggest this one for it's versatility for card makers or mixed media makers.

So that wraps up another Saturday Showcase! I hope you've found some inspiration from my play with this wonderful die! There's still time to play along in our Repeat Performance challenge, and you can link up your project HERE. Thanks for stopping by! Sara Emily

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

Sizzix Chapter 1 Tim Holtz Thinlits Dies - Bouquet
Sizzix Chapter 1 Bigz XL Die w/Thinlits Die by Tim Holtz - Curio Box
Sizzix Chapter 1 Tim Holtz Thinlits Dies - Bunny Hop
Sizzix Chapter 3 Sizzix Thinlits Die Set - Circle Words, Christmas 664205 by Tim Holtz
Tim Holtz Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 5PK - Wildflower Stems #1 by Tim Holtz
Sizzix Framelits Die Set 20 PK - Flutter by Tim Holtz
Tim Holtz Idea-ology 8 x 8 Metallic 2 Kraft Stock 
Dina Wakley Black Gesso
Prima Art Alchemy by Finnabair-Opal Magic Wax-Vintage Silk
Distress oxides
Distress inks -- Black Soot Cracked Pistachio
Distress paint Black Soot
Alcohol pearls -- Celestial Sublime Tranquil
Alcohol inks - Mushroom Teakwood
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Quotations Metallic Stickers
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Typed Tokens
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Mirrored Hearts
Sizzix Accessory - Chrome Precision Base Plate for Thinlits
Sizzix Sidekick Accessory - Mini Tool Kit

Guest Designer - Ann Barnes

It is time to introduce our Guest Designer for the Repeat Performance challenge.  Please say hello again to Ann Barnes of aksbarchitect CREATES.

Hello again everyone, I am Ann Barnes (a.k.a. aksbarchitect) from aksbarchitect CREATES. I am honored to have earned this second opportunity to be guest designer for the Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog's current challenge with my lovely leaves project.

I have always loved creating things. From the time I was young, I loved drawing and using my imagination to envision structures. I admire all the fine details and figuring out how things go together. This passion for creativity set my path to becoming an architect, as well as my love of art. I have a wonderful family who inspire me everyday to be the best that I can be. Most often I can be found in the studio getting inky, enjoying a walk in nature or spending time with my family. Today I am sharing "sweet repeat", a valentine treat box.

I was so excited to learn the theme for the current challenge, hosted by Sara Emily. I often find myself holding onto items to give them a second use. There are so many things these days that go to waste, so I try to do my part to utilize scraps and packaging as often as possible. Repeat Performance asks us to use at least one thing on our project that we would normally throw out. I had a number of shirt boxes that were ripped open during the holidays, I thought these would make the perfect base for valentine treat boxes, made with the new curio box die. I incorporated a window in the boxes and use the plastic packaging that the die came in for the clear surface.

I have all of the details for this "sweet repeat" over on my blog today, I hope you can check it out. ~Ann

* * *

Once again Ann has created a wonderful project for the challenge so once you have checked all the details, come on back and share your creation that includes a recycled item normally headed for the garbage - don't forget to tell us what you used in your post.  To enter the challenge just click HERE - it is open until 11:55 pm on February 4th.

Repeat Performance

Welcome to a new challenge at The Funkie Junkie Boutique blog! It's Sara Emily here, and I've named my challenge "Repeat Performance". Here's the brief:

 A popular New Year's resolution is to save money. I challenge you to save money (and the environment) by using at least one thing you would normally throw out on your vintage or shabby chic project. Please be sure to let us know what that one (or more) item is.

The winner will earn a chance to be a Guest Designer at a future date here at The Funkie Junkie Boutique 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.

The guidelines for entering are simple; create a new vintage or shabby chic project following the challenge theme, link it below to your post (not just your blog) and also include a link back to this challenge in your post. You can combine our challenge with up to 10 challenges (including this one) to be in with a chance of winning. If you are entering through a public forum (such as Instagram) you'll need to include the words 'Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge'. Also, please be sure to turn off your Word Verification so our Design Team can leave comments on your blogs. Make sure you follow these rules as unfortunately, we have had to eliminate entrants from the prize draws in the past.

The Design Team has created some wonderful projects to get you started. To see how they have given their 'trash' a second life and to see all the details of their projects, just click on their blog name to be taken directly to their blog.

Maggi Harding - Scrap, Travel & Bark!

Cec Wintonyk - CW Creations

Sara Emily - sarascloset

Suzanne Czosek - Suzz's Stamping Spot 

Jenny Marples - Pushing The Right Buttons

After you have checked out these amazing projects, we hope you will come on back and share your own 'Repeat Performance' projects with us using the link below. We can't wait to see what you make using your throw-aways! Happy crafting!

Saturday Showcase - Positivity/Gratitude Folio with Stamperia Time is an Illusion Paper

Hi there, it is Cec here with the Saturday Showcase for this week and I am going to show you a folio I made using the Stamperia Time is an Illusion paper pack.

I thought the papers in this collection would make a fabulous folio and while it looks a lot like a mini album, it isn't meant to store photos.  I made it with the intention of having a place for the recipient to write down thoughts and words that mean something to them.

I chose Positivity and Gratitude as the theme for this folio.  I do believe strongly that being positive works far better than dwelling on the negative. As I get older I am grateful that I have the ability to keep plugging away because slowing down is the first step on the way to stopping and I am definitely not ready for that.

Here is a look at my folio with a few tips along the way.  There are a lot of photos and if you click on any photo you can bring up a larger size to get a better look.  I am sorry they aren't a bit brighter but we had miserable rainy weather the day I took these so the light was horrible.

I started by making a base from card stock and here are the steps I took:

Cut 2 pieces of card stock 6" x 7". score at 1" on the short side (correction) of each, fold and then glue the two flaps together to make a strong 1" spine.  Note:  I used Scor Tape as my adhesive of choice.

Cut 1 piece of card stock 4 7/8" x 4 7/8", score at 1/2" on one side, fold and glue the flap to the top of the inside front cover to create a flip up.  Add a magnet pair to ensure that this piece will stay down when closed.

Cut 2 pieces of card stock 5 1/8" x 6 3/4", score at 3/8" on the long side of each and fold.  Glue beside each other inside on the spine facing in the opposite direction so the edge of the flap is against the edge of the spine.

Cut 1 piece of card stock 5" x 6 1/2", score at 1/2" and 3 1/2" on the long side.  Fold and glue the narrow flap to the inside back cover centering on the right side.  Add a magnet pair to ensure this flip out closes (the other half of the magnet is on the one section I forgot to photograph).  Note:  I designed this folio as I went and if I were to make this again I would just make a single page flip-out because it is pretty thick to fold over and then over again.

Tip:  Before gluing each of the narrow flaps, cut a small angle at each end - this will allow the patterned paper to hide the join.

Using Vintage Photo Distress Ink, ink all edges that will be visible after the paper is added.

Next add a strip of ribbon, which will act as a closure for the folio.  I used seam binding that I dyed with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

Now it is time to add paper to all the surfaces and this should be done before you add pockets, tuck spots and embellishments.  Note:  All paper was distressed and the edges were inked with Vintage Photo DI.

To make a regular pocket as in this close-up, measure the finished width and height and then cut a piece of card stock 1" wider and 1/2" taller than that measurement.  Score at 1/2" on each side of the width (long side) and 1/2" on the bottom (short side).  Cut the corners out at the intersection of the score lines and then cut a little angle at the ends of each flap.

Punch a thumb notch in the top of the pocket.  Cut patterned paper to fit the pocket and punch a larger thumb notch in the top of the paper.  Adhere the paper to the pocket front.  Fold the score lines, add adhesive to the outside and glue the pocket  in place.

To make my tuck spots I die cut some paper using Spellbinders Labels Thirteen and then sliced off one edge, added a strip of 1/4" tape to the flat edge and adhered it to the edge of the base paper.

To make the angled pocket I determined my finished height and width, added 1/2" to one side and the bottom and then cut the angled edge and straight side and top.  I scored at the extra 1/2", cut the intersection out and angled the ends.  Once the flaps were folded, I used the shape to create a pattern for my paper and then finished it by adding the patterned paper and adhering it to the page.

I collected a bunch of quotes about Positivity and Gratitude to put in the pockets and tuck spots along with a couple of images from the paper pad that I fussy cut and inked.

I also made four little mini journals by binding some old school lined notepaper in a card stock cover that I inked with Vintage Photo DI through a Bubble Stencil from Tim Holtz.  A belly band was added to each book to keep it closed.

The filigree metal corners on the angles pockets - and the filigree heart on the cover - were altered by coating with Versamark and then heat embossing with Patina Oxide Baked Texture (Seth Apter).

The leaves on the front were die cut from Rose Gold Metallic Kraft Stock using the Garden Greens die (Tim Holtz).

I die cut a crochet doily (Prima) from card stock for the front cover and then rubbed it with a bit of Aquamarine wax paste for some shimmer.

Vintage Photo DI was used to dye some venise lace for a couple of pockets and to alter some quote chips (Tim Holtz).  The quote chips also had a bit of metallic patina acrylic paint splattered on them.  The quote chip on the front cover is actually recycled from a card I made for my husband's birthday - he won't miss it.

Here is how it looks inside after it was decorated:

Inside of Front Cover

Front of First Page

Back of First Page and Front of Second Page

Back of Second Page

Inside of Back Cover with Flip-out Closed

Inside of Back Cover with Flip-out Open

Back of Folio

I hope you are still with me and would consider picking up any one of the fabulous Stamperia paper collections and creating your own folio.  This one had a bit of a life of its own but you can certainly make one much more simple with less inside.  Just remember to do a bit of planning before you cut into your paper and if you plan to add magnets, make sure you do that before you add paper.  The same holds true if you plan to use ribbon as a closure.

Supplies List:

Stamperia - Time's An Illusion 12x12 Paper Pack SBBL33
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo TIM19527
Rayon Seam Binding
Venise Lace Trim - 5/8 inch
Antiqued Bronze Filigree Pieces - Set of 4
Antique Bronze Branch Heart - Set of 4
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Layering Stencils - Bubble THS002
Seth Apter Baked Texture - Patina Oxide 17g
Scor-Pal Scor Tapes (1/8", 1/4". 3/8")
Tim Holtz Tonic Studios Paper Distresser 370E
Ranger Inkssentials Mini Ink Blending Tool - With 4 Blending Foams IBT40965
Artificial Flower Pearlized Stamen - One Bundle
Magnetic Snaps, Large MET522
Kaisercraft Pearls - Self Adhesive - Pewter
Sizzix Thinlets Die by Tim Holtz - Garden Greens
Prima Crochet Doily Die
Ideaology Quote Chips by Tim Holtz
Labels Dies, Circle Punches, Card Stock, Wax Paste, Flowers, Card Candy Dots, Adhesive Foam Dots, Hemp Cord