Friday Focus - May Arts

Hello and welcome to Friday Focus where we spotlight a product and offer an additional 15% off from today through next Thursday.  It's Cec here and I am going to share some projects that I made using May Arts products, one new and some old.

First the new project - a Christmas card to add to my stack for this year, which isn't growing nearly fast enough.

I started by making a background from some Maja papers. I have never done any machine sewing on my cards so I decided to give it a try this time and I can see I need a bit more practice but it isn't bad for the first attempt. Once the sewing was done, I distressed the edges and then inked them with the Forest Moss Distress Ink.

Next I cut it from the Tim Holtz Snow Tree die using Kraft Glassine paper.  I scrunched it up and then coloured it with some Meadow Alcohol Ink blended with some Gold Metallic Mixatives.  After it dried I highlighted the raised area with a swipe of the Forest Moss Distress Ink.

Next I chose some fibres for the card and here is where I made a bit of an oops.  I thought that the cream jute ribbon was a May Arts product but it turned out it wasn't so only the frayed flower ribbon and the burlap string are from May Arts.  I trimmed the organza background away from the flower before I used it.

I got the Santa image some time ago as a freebie from The Funkie Junkie. I made the calendar on my computer with an extra 25 that I popped up. The flourishes are Kraft card stock from my scraps that I cut using the Venetian Motifs die from Spellbinders.  All the paper elements have been inked with Forest Moss Distress Ink.

The button is a carved coconut shell button that I received as a freebie in my last order from The Funkie Junkie Boutique.  Unfortunately the button and the raised number will prevent this card from being mailed with standard postage so it will either be handed out or sent to someone so special I don't mind paying extra for.

Over the past while I have also made some other projects that feature May Arts products (listed below the photo).

(The ruffled red gingham elastic ribbon used to make the frame.)

(The brown crochet lace and the brown burlap string.)

(The brown ruffled organza ribbon.)

Stop the presses - I just received a little package containing samples of a number of other fabulous ribbons and laces that can be found in the May Arts section at The Funkie Junkie Boutique and I will use some in my next projects so come back for the next two challenges to see what I made.  Why don't you pop over to The Funkie Junkie Boutique and take advantage of the sale to pick some up for yourself?

I have used the following items from The Funkie Junkie to make these projects:

Vintage Christmas Card:

Cherry Pie:
Fall Cycling:
Harvest Blessings:

Thanksgiving

Hello and welcome back to week #2 of our 'Thanksgiving' challenge.  Thanks so much to all of you who have shared your inspired creations with us. If you haven't played along so far, we hope you will. There is still one more week for you to link up your entry. Remember, we want you to create a card or project that reflects the abundance of the harvest season and the gratitude we express during the beautiful holiday of Thanksgiving. And don't forget to mention our challenge in your post and link back to it here.

To provide even more inspiration, our Funkie team has their terrific takes on this challenge theme.

Linda Coughlin - The Funkie Junkie

Jenny (Buttons) - Pushing The Right Buttons

Terry - Cards and Creativity

Sue Carrington - Stamping Sue Style

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WEEK 1

Welcome you to another of our fortnightly challenges here at Frilly and Funkie. Let's start by thanking you for the wonderful entries for our last challenge. It's amazing how many variations we get to see on one theme, and shows what a creative set of people you are. The Design Team will face their own challenge to pick a winner again this time.

And  the challenge for this coming fortnight? As the autumn season brings forth a carpet of red, brown and gold across the land here in the Northern hemisphere, the crops are gathered in preparation for the onset of winter and many of us take the time to give thanks for nature's bounty.  We want you to use this challenge to create a card or project that reflects the abundance of the harvest season and the gratitude we express during the beautiful holiday of Thanksgiving.

Create your new project, link it below and you could be chosen as our winner and the next Guest Designer here at Frilly and Funkie. There is also the chance to win a $25 shopping spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique for one winner chosen at random! Remember the new rule going forward, you can now combine our challenge with up to 10 challenges in total (including this one) to qualify. So to get you started here is some wonderful inspiration from some of our fabulous Frilly team.

Cec - CW Card Creations

Linda - The Funkie Junkie

Rebecca Deeprose - PaperPrimrose

Whether you are a Frilly or a Funkie crafter we hope you will join us for this challenge and you too can be in with a chance to win one of our prizes. You may upload your project at any time. If you are using a public forum, please use keyword F&F. Don't forget to provide a link back to our challenge in your post and please, please, please be sure to turn off your Word Verification so our design team can leave comments on your blogs.

Challenge Winners - What's your poison?

Welcome to the Frilly and Funkie challenge blog for the start of a new week, and the day has arrived to announce the winners of the 'What's your poison?' challenge. We would like to thank you all of those who took the time to enter. There were so many absolutely beautiful entries so you made the voting decision hard again. This time the Design Team voted for the wonderful entry by #9 Laurart.

We loved all the beautiful layering on this piece and the way the skull seems to be pushing through the mirror towards you. Congratulations Laura on being our favourite for the 'What's your poison?' challenge and winning the opportunity to be a Guest Designer here at Frilly and Funkie for a future challenge.

And Random.org has chosen a winner for our $25 gift certificate to The Funkie Junkie Boutique. Our congratulations go to #13 goodnewsgallery (Jan) .

A huge thanks from the Frilly and Funkie team to everyone who took part in this challenge and congratulations again to our winners. Please email Linda at thefunkiejunkie@gmail.com for the codes for the winner's badge and to give us your email address for the Guest Designer details (Laura) and for the gift certificate details (Jan).

Our current challenge, 'Thanksgiving', runs through Tuesday, November 12th. We hope to see you entering this time around so that you too can be in with a chance to win. And remember, you can now enter up to 10 challenges including ours, and a maximum of 3 entries per person to our challenge. Please remember to link back to our challenge in your entry and mention in your post that you are entering this Frilly and Funkie challenge.

Have a great week!

Step by Step - Composition

Hi everyone and welcome to another Saturday Step by Step here at Frilly and Funkie. Jenny here with something a little different for you. I've been asked a lot about how I put the designs for my cards together (how I compose the layouts) and thought it would be fun to show you in video format. So here goes!...

To recap (in written form);

• try using scrapbook layouts to help you with your basic design
• mat and layer your larger background pieces
• work out, and remember, what your focal point is
• use your other elements to help draw the eye towards it
• don't be afraid to cover up some of your beautiful layers
• and try to 'embrace the space' rather than attempting to fill every inch of your card.

I'd love to get your feedback on this, my first foray into the wonderful world of video tutorials - has it been helpful at all, is there anything else you need covered, what can I improve, should there even be a 'next time'?!! For now, take care of yourselves and have a great weekend.

Jenny xxx

ps. As requested here's a photo of the finished card.

Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint - Bundled Sage	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint - Weathered Wood	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint - Picket Fence	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Stormy Sky	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Walnut Stain
Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste - White	Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Layering Stencils - Cargo	$17.95 Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Rubber Stamps - The Chemist	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Aged Mahogany	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Stain - Antique Linen
Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black	Ranger Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink - Watering Can	Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Rubber Stamps - Simple Sayings	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Stain - Brushed Corduroy

Friday Focus - Vintaj Patinas and Metals

Hello and welcome to Friday Focus where we spotlight a product and offer an additional 15% off from today through next Thursday.  Linda here with a project I made using Vintaj patina paints and metals.  I really love the patina paints and use them frequently.  We also have a few of the metals and embossing folders in stock at the boutique and we rarely include them in the items we focus on so I decided it was time Vintaj had a spotlight.  I've had this wooden birdhouse sitting on my shelf for about two years now, just waiting for the right project.

I decided it needed a copper roof.  I used the new foil card stock from Ranger and my old scallop decorative scissors to cut the layers for the roof.  To create my copper roof, I used Vintaj patina paints which are specially formulated to adhere to metal and do not need to be sealed.  I gave the layers one coat of Jade patina paint from the Weathered Collection and then went over it again using Antique Copper from the Ancient Coin collection.

The scalloped roof strips were adhered with Wonder tape.  I used strips from the new Industrious Stickers - Borders to cover where the strips met.  It has sort of a pewter look to it.  I had planned to give it the copper patina treatment, but once I had the strips in place, I decided I liked the contrast and left them as they were.

I painted the bare wood at the bottom of the bird house with Vintage Photo distress paint and papered the main body with Walking in the Forest, the lovely fall paper from Maja Design.  I decided to add a couple of matching medallions using the 25mm Small Circle Altered Blanks and the Nouveau Roses Vintaj metal embossing folder.  I was going to paint them with the patina blocks, but I went ahead and burnished them with the Reliefing block and I really liked the natural look so left them as they were.  I strung together 4 small jump rings to make a chain so the could dangle.

For a little more decoration, I cut a couple of leaves out of the foil card stock, also ran them through the Nouveau Roses embossing folder and painted them with more of the Patina paints, this time using  paints from the Rusted Hardware collection blended in with a bit of Aged Bronze from the Ancient Coin collection.  I also painted the word band with Aged Bronze.

There you have my spotlight on Vintaj.  Don't forget, all my Vintaj products are on our Friday Focus 15% off discount this week.  I'm happy my little birdhouse has finally been decorated and turned into a charming fall decoration.  I really love the patina paints and frequently reach for a bottle to alter a bit of metal for a project.  Vintaj has a lot of great videos on their website to demo using their products.  Here is a basic one on using the patina paints.

Thanks again for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Blessings & hugs,
Linda



These products used to make this project are available at The Funkie Junkie Boutique, where Tim Holtz and Ranger products are always 20% below MSRP:

Ranger Vintaj Patina Kit - Ancient Coin Collection	Ranger Vintaj Patina Kit - Weathered Copper	Ranger Vintaj Patina Kit - Rusted Hardware	VINTAJ Reliefing Block	VINTAJ 25mm Small Circle Altered Blanks (set of 4)
Maja Design Scrapbook Paper - Walking in the Forest 12x12	Ranger Surfaces Silver Foil Cardstock: 8.5" x 11", Pack of 3	Tim Holtz Idea-ology Screw Eyes	Tim Holtz Idea-ology Jump Rings	Bronze Jump Ring Set
Claudine Hellmuth Multi Medium Matte	Tim Holtz Idea-ology Industrious Stickers - Borders	Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint - Vintage Photo