Guest Designer - Pirjo Repo

Please say hello and give a warm welcome to our Guest Designer for the Re-purpose, Re-use, Recycle challenge. Pirjo Repo of Repolainen reissaa & räpeltää was the Design Team's top pick from the Artist Trading Coins challenge.

Hi, I'm honoured to be a guest designer at Frilly and Funkie for this Re-purpose, Re-use, Recycle challenge.

My name is Pirjo Repo from Finland and I am known online as Repolainen.   I have done something with my hands most of my life .... draw, paint, a bit of everything since my skillful grandmother taught me. Now as an occupational therapist I can use my talent in my work too. I also love traveling and spending time with my lovely family!

Here is what I recycled ... a little ice cream container got a new life with cutting dies, stencils, lace and Inka Gold colours.

Inside the container are memories from all over the world.  I made some art "coins" to remember all of those wonderful places where we visited. The coins have been made from rubbish, broken jewelry and birch bark on one side and on the other side are photos of the places visited.

The container with those funny coins also works as a memory game because you can guess which country was visited and when?

I love this kind art and I will make more coins in the future.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how everyone interprets this challenge.

Hugs, Repolainen

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To get all the details of Repolainen's ice cream container transformation and all the coins she creates, just pop over to her blog.  Once you have checked it out come on back and share your creation with us for this challenge.  The challenge runs through 11:55 pm EST on April 23rd and can be found HERE.

On Saturday, one of our designers will be here with a new Saturday Showcase and then next Wednesday the gals on the funkie side of the team will be here with their inspiration for the challenge so do visit us often.

Guest Designer - Val Thorpe

We are pleased to welcome a Guest Designer for the March Madness challenge.  Val Thorpe was the top pick from the Let Me Count the Ways challenge and you can find her work on her blog, Val-Belle's Ramblings.

My name I Val Thorpe and I live in Johannesburg, South Africa. I am married (42 years) to Simon and we have two kids, and three grandkids. I have been crafting most of my life in one form or another and I have been scrapbooking since about 2004. I love to make cards, tags, art journal pages and of course scrapbooking. I am honoured to have been chosen to be a Guest Designer here at Frilly and Funkie. I have a blog if you would like to see more of what I do - just visit me HERE.

For this challenge I chose to make a tag. I love tags because I can really play without fear of messing up. I started with a white tag 4 ¼ by 8 ½ made from mixed media paper.

I chose to use two silk screen stencils, one is the stack of teacups and the other is the splats and script, and used white acrylic paint through them to create a resist. I love these stencils because you get such a thin coat of paint through them. I let it dry and then covered the tag with a tea dye distress oxide blend. I went around the tag with walnut stain to darken the edges, then buffed it up to reveal the white stenciling. I used a number stamp in a couple of places and watercolour painted the teacups with distress inks.

I added an acetate clock which I cut and added in two places. The characters from Alice in Wonderland I found on line and cut them out and used the quote from the Mad Hatter that says… ‘Have I gone MAD? I’m afraid so. You’re entirely BONKERS. But I’ll tell you a secret. All the BEST people are.’ I ended the tag off by backing it onto a slightly bigger black tag and put some seam binding in white and tea dye with a bit of black twine and I had attached a key to - to the tag and stuck in a couple of big pearl pins and a few flowers.

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To get all the details of Val's tag and see more of her wonderful work, check out her blog. When you are done there. come on back and share your March Madness creation with us. The challenge runs through 11:55 pm EST on Tuesday, April 9th and can be found HERE.

Don't forget to check in on Saturday for another inspiring Saturday Showcase and then next Wednesday, the gals on the funkie side of the team will be here to share their March Madness creations.

Guest Designer Melissa Divelbiss

Please say hello and give a warm welcome to our Guest Designer for the Pass the Tissues, Please challenge.  Melissa Divelbiss of Millie Made was the Design Team's top pick from the Winter Blues challenge.

Hi All! My name is Melissa Divelbiss (aka Milliemade). I am a wife, married 22+ years to my very creative and supportive husband and mother to two very smart and equally creative teenage sons. I’ve been a maker for as long as I can remember. I appreciate all types of arts and crafts but my greatest love is papercrafting! I am also a big fan of upcycling and I’m on a first name basis with my pals at the local Goodwill. I’m thankful to be guest designing today on the Frilly and Funkie Challenge blog.

For this month’s Pass the Tissues challenge, I decided to alter one of the many cigar boxes I have in hand. The centerpiece of the project is the huge, fluffy tissue paper peony on the top of the box. Inside the box is a small album also created with various tissue papers from my stash. More details can be found on my blog. Gather your tissues, ladies! I’m looking forward to seeing your lovely creations!

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After you check out the details of Melissa's fabulous album in a box, which can be found on her blog, we invite you to share your project for this fun challenge.  The challenge runs through 11:55 pm EST on Tuesday, March 26th and can be found HERE.

Don't forget to check back on Saturday for another terrific Saturday Showcase presented by one of our designers and then next Wednesday the gals on the funkie side of the team will be here with their tissue projects for more inspiration.

Guest Designer - Sylvia Hildman

We have a Guest Designer joining us today for the Artist Trading Coin challenge.  Please give a warm welcome to Sylvia Hildman of Little Treasures by Sylvia who was the Design Team's top pick from the Vintage Valentines challenge.

My name is Sylvia Hildman of Little Treasures. I live in rural Iowa USA, wife to a fun loving husband, mother of 2 wonderful sons and 6 beautiful grand children.

I left the corporate world of accounting to retire. A country girl at heart with love for animals and nature. I'd say I am a fabric and paper junkie, with a love for chippy, shabby, vintage and old rusty junk. I love garage sales, estate sales and resale shops. I have found mixed media more my ideal than making cards as I started when I created my blog back in 2009.

I am so honored to have been chosen for the Guest Designer here at the Frilly and Funkie Blog. The theme this time is an "ATC COIN" could not have been more fun. I love the small details ATC's offer in creating them.

I have chosen to share the Steampunk design for this post as I have not used any of the stash I have for it. It is the one with the most dimension from the others I have made.

You can visit my blog https://littletreasures-sylvia.blogspot.com/ for more details on the making of this and 2 Frilly, 2 Funky and 2 quite simple ones.

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Once you have checked out the details of Sylvia's Artist Trading Coins, come on back and share one or more of your own with us. There is still time to create since the challenge, which can be found HERE, runs through 11:55 pm EST on Tuesday, March 12th.

One of our designers will be here on Saturday to share a fabulous Saturday Showcase with you and then our new challenge starts next Wednesday with the frilly gals on the team up first with their inspiration.

Guest Designer - Tracey Fairgrieve

Please say hello and give a warm welcome to our Guest Designer for the Let Me Count the Ways challenge.  Tracey Fairgrieve of New Beginnings - Creating in My Corner was the top pick from the Inspired By challenge.

Hello everyone, i'm Tracey and it's an absolute honour to be a Frilly and Funkie Guest Designer today.

A little about me. . .

As long as I can remember I have loved to create, drawing, painting and experimenting with a variety of mediums. A former Community worker I helped support Parents/Guardians with pre-school children and help promote the importance of creativity to encourage their skills and development often using the environment around. Now as a carer I take advantage of any free time I have to be creative and share how it all came to be...

Romance is certainly in the air with Sara Emily's challenge theme this fortnight as she reflects upon Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Love Poem How do I love thee? (Sonnet 43) Let me count the ways. As we are asked to use three of something for this challenge I've created a Vintage fabric hanging heart.

Using Tim Holtz Patchwork pieces stamp set, a border was stamped at the top and bottom of the hanger using sepia versafine, onto fabric I stamped then cut out the hexagons sewing each one by hand onto the heart adding lace and buttons from my Grandma's button tin. The top of the heart is open and acts as a pocket secretly holding an affection book.

The affection book contains the words Adore, Cherish and Forever, three words that let me count the ways. Amongst my paper stash I came across those three words on a 6x6 paper it was as if they were just waiting to be found. Machine stitched then cut from the page, three little word tags have been created to sit within the book.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how everyone interprets Sara Emily's challenge.

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To get all the details of this very romantic hanging with its hidden book and three words of love just pop over to Tracey's blog. Once you have checked it out come on back and share your project for this challenge. The challenge can be found HERE and runs through 11:55 pm EST on February 26th.

Don't forget to come back here on Saturday for another fabulous Saturday Showcase and then next Wednesday, the gals on the funkie side of the team will be here with their inspiration for the challenge.

Guest Designer - Lucyna Marynowska

It is time to introduce our Guest Designer for the Winter Blues challenge.  Please say hello to Lucyna (a.k.a. Lula) Marynowska who was the Top Pick from the In The Kitchen challenge.  Lula can be found on her blog At Lula's.

Hi Everyone! My name is Lucyna Marynowska aka Lula. Let me tell you all at Frilly and Funky I am absolutely delighted and honoured to be a guest designer here, this is such a talented design team!

A little about me:

I come from the north of Poland. Sixty, retired widow, mum of two grown up boys and a happy grandma. I started my crafting journey 7 years ago as a card maker and immediately became an addicted paper-lover. After my husband's death it was crafting what helped me to conquer the pain. I enjoy creating anything from cards to altered art and love to experiment with various types of mediums. I am keen on colour and texture and I always try to find new ways to express myself. I love challenges to spark my creativity and making crafty friends all over the world makes me very happy.

For the current theme "Winter Blues" I have prepared a wall hanger. I was inspired by the look of my bedroom window in frosty winter time. I have used lots of mixed media stuff to make this piece and emphasized its texture. Starting from various shades of blue paints, inks and mists, through shiny waxes to sparkling gems. With a little help of chipboards, die cut and resin pieces I was able to recreate the moody, cold winter scene.

You can follow the steps I am sharing on my blog. Hope you like my project!

With Best Regards

Lula xx

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As Lula mentioned, she has all the details about her fabulous wall hanging on her blog, so pop on over there to take a look and while you are there don't forget to browse around to see all her other fantastic projects.  When you have finished come on back and share your Winter Blues creation with us.  The challenge can be found HERE and runs through 11:55 pm EST on February 12th.

One of your designers will be here on Saturday with another Saturday Showcase and then next Wednesday the gals on the funkie side of the Design Team will be here with more Winter Blues inspiration for you so please check in often with us because there is lots happening here.

Guest Designer - Beverly Jordan

Please say hello and give a warm welcome to our Guest Designer for the Vintage Valentine challenge.  Beverly Jordan was the Top Pick from the 'Tis the Season for Gift Giving challenge and can be found on her blog, Beverly Jordan.

Hello everyone, I am Beverly, from Orlando, Florida, and am so honored to be a Guest Designer for this brand new challenge at Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog...A big 'thank you' to the Design Team for this chance!

I have been crafting since I was a child, and am an avid scrapbooker, card maker, and love to make mini albums for gifts. I love scoping out antique markets, creating 100+ Christmas cards 10 months ahead of time and baking delicious original desserts for my family while practicing as a Dental Hygienist these past many years.

I created a Valentine Mini Album using a 3D Die by Spellbinders. The die was designed for a 3D card but thought it would be perfect to use for this project which I made a Valentines Mini Album. By using the die cut frame and only attaching it to the spine, I was able to make a vintage, shabby chic, album. Am planning on adding photos of my hubby and I, for his Valentine! Being a ribbon addict doesn't help, but it was fun adding several different ones of different textures and colors.

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To see all the details of Beverly's mini album, click here and you will be taken to her blog. Once you have checked her creation out, come on back and share your Vintage Valentines with us. The Vintage Valentines challenge can be found HERE and runs until 11:55 pm EST, January 29, 2019.

Check back with us on Saturday when one of our designers will have a new Saturday Showcase for you and if you need more Valentine inspirations, the gals on the funkie side of the team will be here to show you their projects next Wednesday.

Guest Designer - Simona Rebecchi

It is time to welcome our first Guest Designer of 2019.  Say hello to Simona (Simo) Rebecchi who was the Design Team's Top Pick from The Harvest of Gratitude challenge.  Simo can be found on her blog Ginny and the Sheep.

Hi everyone, I am Simo, from Italy, and I am so honoured to be here as Guest Designer for this brand new challenge at Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog...A big 'thank you' to the Design Team for this chance!

I have always been creative, trying different expressions of art, painting, ceramics, but I have finally found my 'true love' with Mixed Media...playing with gesso, pastes, stamps, stencils and inks just makes me happy...

The theme of the current challenge, "INSPIRED BY", is quite perfect, because that is how sort of started my journey into Mixed Media world...I have been inspired by so many talented artists through the years.. all of them have always been so generous with their time and talent as they shared tips and tutorials on the web...I firmly believe that what fuels our Arts&Crafts World is sharing...tips, techniques, love for the craft and for the crafters...always being inspired and be inspiring!

I have created a Mixed Media canvas, inspired by a live show by Finnabair, and I chose this because it's vintage, multi-layered and just speaks to my heart. I love Anna Dabrowska and her carefree way to create...so relaxed...just enjoying the process and go with the flow. Being a total Steampunk addict, I obviously added gears, both metal and chipboards, and to keep the 'vintage tone' I have used neutral colours, both in the choice of papers and embellishments and then spritzing with Black tea, for an aged look.

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To get all the details of Simo's vintage collage, check out her blog.  Once you have had a look around there, come on back and share a creation you made that was inspired by something you saw.  The challenge can be found HERE and runs through 11:55 pm EST on Tuesday, January 15th.

Next Wednesday, the funkie side of the team will be here with their inspiration for this challenge and on Saturday make sure you check out the Saturday Showcase.  We are kicking off the new year with a bang and there will be lots to see and participate in all year long so we hope you will join us.

Guest Designer - Nikki Acton

Please say hello and give a warm welcome to our Guest Designer for the In The Kitchen challenge.  Nikki Acton of Addicted to Art was the winner of the Impress Us challenge.

Hi everyone, it is a pleasure to be guest designer here today at Frilly and Funkie! I live in Hampshire in the UK, work for a small charity and apart from craft enjoy fitness and sport. I have been crafting for a few years now and love texture and paint. I enjoy playing with techniques, learning new ones, rediscovering old ones and generally getting a little messy. My explorations in the craft room, however, do not extend to my kitchen where my skills are very lacking!

I am a huge coffee lover so decided to combine this with the classic paint technique of using salt to create my project for ‘In the Kitchen’.

I started by creating some texture on the substrate and border using texture paste. Once dry I added watery washes of paint and sprinkled salt on, leaving it to absorb the moisture and pigment before wiping away once dry. I used this with both the central panel and more subtly on the frame.

I die cut the tea cups (coffee in this project!) from Tim Holtz’s Tea Time Bigz die and sponged with paint. Gold paint dry brushed on the frame, added to the edge of the central panel with my finger and stenciled onto the tea cups brings the elements together.

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Check out Nikki's blog for details on her fabulous project and then come on back and show us your kitchen inspired make. The challenge, which can be found HERE, runs through 11:55 pm Eastern time on Tuesday, December 18th so there is time to create even with all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season upon us.

Don't forget to check in with us often because we always have lots to share. One of our designers will be here on Saturday with a new Saturday Showcase and next Wednesday the gals on the Funkie side of the Design Team will be here with their kitchen inspired creations.

Guest Designer - Debbie von Grabler-Crozier

It is time to introduce our Guest Designer for the Tis the Season for Gift Giving challenge running currently.  Please say hello and welcome Debbie von Grabler-Crozier of Pretty Things.  Debbie was the winner of the Haunted Halloween challenge.

Hi everyone! I am so thrilled to be here – the surprise of having my card chosen still hasn’t worn off and I smile when I think of it. I am honoured to bring to you my interpretation of the Tis The Season For Gift Giving. Thank you to the design team for giving me this opportunity.

Like many of us, I have been crafting and making things for as long as I can remember and it has always been a big part of my life. By day I am a professional craft writer and I specialize in sewing patterns for bags and home accessories. I also occasionally draft a pattern for painting, jewelry and quilt making. I adore my job because it allows me to be a stay at home mum to my little Cocker Spaniel, Daisy.

I was trained as a scientist though and I love that too. I have a few degrees in Biology and medical sciences and I love physics – that is actually my main hobby now given that what I do for a living is the usual hobby choice! I crochet too; usually while listening to metal or an audio book.

In my spare time, I have a husband and a son and of course, my two adored fur babies Daisy and Checkmate.

I have created a card which can bear a gift at the same time. This is a great choice for people living a long way away from friends and family but who go into shock at the post office delivery charges (that would be me!). They seem to take a hike in December and forget to go down again in January. But that is another rant for another day!

This card could be the answer. The gift bag on the front can take a voucher or money (not ideal in the post) or even a small actual gift like jewelry.

This card is all about layers and details. There is a mat for the first layer and then a more detailed overlay with Oxides and stamps plus a bit of splattering to add texture. The little gift card pocket comes next and after sanding, this has an embossed message which means that even after the gift has been taken out and enjoyed, there is still a Christmas shelf worthy card!

The real show is the holiday greenery and little flowers. These are all made from sanded Kraft core paper and although the foliage is Christmas specific, the small flowers and filler blossoms are not - further proof that these dies are really versatile and you can use them year round. I have made some little holly berries with Nuvo drops and some flower centres too. Finally a gold bow completes the picture and provides a focal point.

I do hope that you enjoy this one and feel inspired to make something along these lines. Happy crafting!

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To get all the details about Debbie's project, check out her blog and then come on back and show us your Christmas Gift Giving project. The challenge, which can be found HERE, runs through 11:55 pm Eastern time on Tuesday, December 4th so there is time to create and hopefully shrink your to do list.

Don't forget to check in with us often because we always have lots to share. One of our designers will be here on Saturday with a new Saturday Showcase and the gals on the Funkie side of the Design Team are working on their gift ideas and will have some fabulous inspiration for the challenge to show you next Wednesday.

Guest Designer - Cathy Frailey

It is time to introduce our Guest Designer for the current challenge.  Say hello and welcome back to Cathy Frailey of It's Oddly Appealing. Cathy was the Design Team's Top Pick from the 'Just My Type' challenge.

I'm so thrilled to be back again as a guest designer! The theme is A Harvest of Gratitude and it is such a fitting subject for me. I lost my mother in January to Alzheimer's and my father now has Parkinson's. This season is not only about appreciating your family, but the gorgeous color palette outside! Here in WV, we get the marvelous golds and red and greens. So I put together a mixed media piece that reflects all that the season has to offer.

There are so many layers in our life and in nature: family and jobs, plants and animals. I wanted to capture that in a piece that could be displayed year 'round.

I hope that everyone has a blessed holiday season and that we will all have grateful hearts in our daily lives!

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To get all the details about Cathy's project, check out her blog.

We hope you will share a project that shows what you are grateful for and since the challenge, which can be found HERE, runs through 11:55 pm Eastern time on Tuesday, November 20th you have plenty of time to create.

Do remember to check in with us often because we always have lots to share.  One of our designers will be here on Saturday with a new Saturday Showcase and next Wednesday, the gals on the Funkie side of the Design Team will have some fabulous inspiration for the challenge to show you.

Guest Designer - Apollonia de Jong-de Bruyn

Today we welcome our Guest Designer for the Impress Us challenge.  Please say hello to Apollonia de Jong-de Bruyn (a.k.a. Plony) of Plony's Blog who was the Design Team's favourite from the All Creatures Great and Small challenge.

Hi everyone, I am Plony and I live in The Netherlands in a small village close to Rotterdam. I am a wife, a mother and a grandmother and all this...and a lovely border collie in our family makes my days full of happiness. I am one of those people who just must do something and crafting fills the other part of my life. I started with knitting, crocheting, flower arranging and suddenly there was my card making addiction. I love to color with Copic markers and.....I love vintage. Cards, home decoration.....and preferably with a lot of lace, flowers, pearls.....that kind of (girly) things.

I had to think about what to do with this theme and this is what I made.

I started with a die to make a little bag, used an embossing folder to IMPRESS and added some color with finger wax. A few roses and a nice bow made it to a lovely little present.

I decided this wasn't enough for a present so I made a matching tag.   Again I used the embossing folder and the finger wax.....It's how much you use that makes the color darker.

Eventually I made a note pad to add to the little present. I took a piece of paper, embossed it and waxed it, added this at the note pad with sticky tape, wrapped ribbon around it and added some sweet items to make this look pretty.

I hope I succeeded in making the impression I had to make for the challenge. Here is another look at all three items.

I thank the team of Frilly and Funkie for having me as a guest designer.  It was a real honor.

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Pop on over to Plony's blog to check out all the details of her lovely trio of gifts and while you are there take a look at her other wonderful creations.  When you are done come on back and share your creation with us for the Impress Us challenge, which can be found HERE and runs through Tuesday, November 6 at 11:55 pm EST.

On Saturday one of our designers will be here with a fabulous Saturday Showcase that you won't want to miss and then next Wednesday the gals on the funkie side of the team will be impressing us with their makes for the challenge so do come back often.

Guest Designer - Lyla Larimore

It is time to say hello to our Guest Designer for the 'Haunted Halloween' challenge.  Say hello and welcome back to Lyla Larimore of A Chief's Wife's Heart's a Fire, who was our top pick for the 'Haberdashery' challenge.

Happy Fall greetings! I’m Lyla Larimore and this is my third time as Guest Designer here on the Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog. I got extremely “lucky” to get this particular theme since October is one of my favorite months of the year (just after any Summer month) and it’s always filled with special moments…and PUMPKINS! So, celebrating all the fun that Halloween brings, is included in those memories. Getting into this Challenge was almost effortless….well, almost, lol….and definitely an inky messy fun time!

My project started with a set of mini lights I found at a Menards in Minnesota, during one of our trips to visit the younger married set of kids. From way back when our boys were young and we came up with the name change of “Scarimore”, we have created our share of funny Halloween scares to pass down. But that couple, in particular, always goes all out for Halloween and its décor, and all the scary/horror movies, with The Nightmare Before Christmas being their ultimate favorite. So while checking out all the new décor with them, I found this set of plain nibbed mini lights and an idea came into my head. All I needed was a THEME to match…and there ya go; “Haunted Halloween”!

This tag is my take on the theme:

FRONT SIDE of Tag: note the “BOO!” leaking through the mirror…

BACK SIDE of Tag: of course, you’ve been told that cleaning makes you ugly, but n this instance; everything has been ALTERED; the broom becomes a tree; the mirror hides “The Man in the Moon”; and while the Wife still picks up after the Husband….the BIG pumpkin has exploded & come alive!

But….there’s more…

ARE YOU READY TO BE SCARED?

BOO!

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Pop over to Lyla's blog to get all the details for her spooky Halloween tag and then we hope you will come on back and share something for Haunted Halloween with us.

The challenge can be found HERE and runs through 11:55 pm Eastern time on Tuesday October 23rd.

Check in with us to see more Halloween inspiration next Wednesday when the gals on the Funkie side of the Design Team will be sharing their takes on the theme.