Funkie Junkie Saturday Showcase – Halloween Journal Cover

Happy Halloween! October is almost upon us and it's time to get crafty. Today you can find a tutorial post for my Halloween journal cover over on The Funkie Junkie Boutique blog. Let's get our creep on! ;-)

Head on over to the blog to check it out and see all the details. Have a great weekend!

New Funkie Junkie challenge – Celebrate Friendship

Hello there, our new challenge at the Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog is live and you won't want to miss out! Our hostess is Laura Gilhuly and the theme is Celebrate Friendship. 

I created a birthday card for a good friend of ours. We have known him for decades so he is indeed an "old friend" ha ha. Scroll on to take a peek at some of my design process...

Step 1 - I had some fun creating backgrounds for the various layers. The star layer (which showed through the star cutouts) was Iron Gate Halloween Mica Stain sprayed onto white cardstock. The night sky was an inky combo of Uncharted Mariner Distress Spray (regular and oxide) with a dash of Oxide Villainous Potion spray spritzed in.

Step 2 - I wanted to experiment with using the new Distress Watercolor Pencils for coloring the layers of a Sizzix Colorize Die. I really like the new pencils. I used them to layer on the color and then blended them out with water and a paintbrush. I will definitely be playing more with these great new pencils!

I gave the combined yellow layers a very light mist of Harvest Moon Mica Stain to give it a little glimmer.

Perfect! I'll definitely be using this technique on other layered dies like Otis.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you check out the fun challenges we have on the Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog. They are always good for sparking your creativity! You have two weeks to join the current challenge so I hope you give it a go.

Supplies used:

Tim Holtz die set - Colorize Otis

Tim Holtz die set - Tree Line

Tim Holtz die set - Swirling Stars

Tim Holtz die set - Alphanumeric Label #664177 retired

Distress Watercolor Pencils

Halloween Distress Mica Stain - Iron Gate, Harvest Moon

Distress Oxide Spray Stains - Uncharted Mariner, Villainous Potion

Distress Spray Stains - Uncharted Mariner

Ranger Archival Inks - Black Soot

Distress Collage Medium Matte

Card Bonanza Month with Eileen Hull

All the month of September we are celebrating those little mailable works of art – greeting cards! Many of Eileen's Sizzix dies are dimensional dies but can also be utilized for 2-D cards. And don't even get me started on her 3D Embossing Folders! (LOVE them!) Thinlits sets and Eileen's Maker Forte stamps are perfect to use too.

Embossed background: I used a blues Gel Press print as the base for the background. I embossed it with the Crochet Mandala 3D Embossing Folder and then highlighted the raised areas with white Picket Fence ink.

Stamping on the layers: Eileen has several stamp sets out now that are perfect for card making! I used her Vintage Damask stamp on the main background layer to add a subtle texture.

Die cutting: I used the Bold Text #1 set to cut the sentiment out of the embossed layer and layered it over the background.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to keep an eye on Eileen's blog for more inspiration from the Educator and Inspiration Teams!

Supplies used:

Eileen Hull 3D Embossing Folder - Crochet Mandala (Sizzix / SB / TFJ )

Eileen Hull die - Journaling Cards Flowers & Leaves #662811, retired

Eileen Hull die - Grass #660326, retired
Eileen Hull Die Set -  Birds & butterflies #661901, retired

Eileen Hull stamp set - Vintage Damask

Tim Holtz Die Set - Bold Text #1 (Sizzix / SB / TFJ )

Gel Press plate

brayer

various blue acrylic paints

Archival Ink - Black Soot

Sizzix cardstock

Distress Oxide inks - Abandoned Coral, Salvaged Patina

Distress Ink - Picket Fence

Some links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!)

Funkie Junkie Challenge – Back to School!

Hello there, our new challenge at the Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog is live and you won't want to miss out! Our hostess is Teri Wilson and the theme is Back to School.

Teri -"Create something with books, alphabets or anything reminding you of learning!"

I used Eileen Hull's new Skinny Mini Book Box Die to create a pencil box to hold school supplies.

It fastens with a little magnetic closure.

I also used some of the new Tim Holtz Halloween Black Two-tone Woodgrain Cardstock for the spine.

Here are some of the how-to steps:

1) The parts, cut twice from the die. I blended with Distress Oxide Speckled Egg ink and lightly spritzed with Pumice Stone Distress Spray.

2) The front piece is a Gel Press print I embossed with the Numbered 3-D embossing folder. I rubbed the inside of the front half with Black Soot archival ink before embossing. The ink then gets deposited into the debossed areas and helps the details to pop.

3) Stamping the parts:

4) I rubbed an embossing ink pad across the top and sprinkled the Glaze Embossing Powder:

5) Assembly, I like to use a strong, quick-grab wet glue:

Box sides glued first and then glued to the back of the box.

IMPORTANT: When using the die to make the box, you must trim off the outer parts of the spine to match the height of the box sides. If you are making a journal cover, you can leave it or trim it depending on how thick a journal you want to make.

4) Bulb for front: The top layer I cut from waste plastic packaging and then sprayed with Distress Resist Spray to give it a lumpy, glossy texture. Back layer is cut from vellum.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you check out the fun challenges we have on the Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog. They are always good for sparking your creativity! You have two weeks to join the current challenge so I hope you give it a go.

Supplies used:

Eileen Hull die - Skinny Mini Book Box

Tim Holtz 3-D embossing folder - Numbered

Tim Holtz die - Filament

Tim Holtz stamp sets - Ornate Trims, Documented, Glitch 2, Typography

Distress Ink - Black Soot

Distress Oxide Ink - Wild Honey, Speckled Egg

Ranger Archival Inks - Black Soot, Hickory Smoke, Crackling Campfire

Distress Collage Medium Matte

Distress Glaze - Crackling Campfire

embossing ink

Distress Resist Spray

Halloween Black Two-tone Woodgrain Cardstock

Halloween Mica Stain set - (Harvest Moon)

Eileen Hull Postcard Box Chapter 3 Tutorial

Hello! At the beginning of the month, Eileen Hull kicked off her Chapter 3 Die release with a Live Party! There was a TON of inspiration from all the Design Team members and the rest of the August we've been sharing tutorials for our projects. (Find the links in Eileen's August blog posts!) 

In case you missed it, here is what Eileen has to say about the new dies:

"I am so excited to share my Chapter 3 Sizzix die collection! Each piece in the set stands alone but also coordinates with the others to make a truly versatile and valuable addition to your collection.

The ScoreBoards Skinny Mini Book Box is a really great size – it measures 6 3/4" x 4" with an adjustable built in spine from 3/8" to 2 1/4". This die may be used to create a book by die cutting two covers OR a box if you add the side pieces to the covers. If you add the box supports, it will hold mini-slimline size cards.

The Skinny Mini Elements Thinlits will cut a cool star pattern that perfectly covers the front of the Skinny Mini book or the front of a slimline card. And you can also expand the size of the design to create a whole page pattern.

I have been wanting to make a Card Caddy Die for a while... so many people are making cards these days that I figured that they would love to have the ability to make a really pretty container to hold them. I love the shape of this box and it goes together so quickly – also fun to decorate! It will hold cards up to 5 1/4" wide.

The 3D folder is called Woven Leather and it looks so realistic! Makes a great background for cards, journal pages or covers."

New Chapter 3!

Today I have the tutorial for the postcard box I made using the Skinny Mini Book Box as the base. 

I envisioned this as a gift to give someone that just moved into a new home. The box is filled with stamps, new address labels and postcards to mail out.

A view of the spine.

Postcards:

Now for the how-to!

1) First I used my gel plate to create a wide selection of blue-hued prints to use for the embossed sky background. (Warning: gel printing is addictive lol.)

2) I embossed pieces of the prints using the new 3-D Woven Leather folder. One of my favorite 3-D folder techniques is to rub the "deboss" side of the folder with an archival ink pad. When you then emboss, the ink gets down into all the nooks and crannies and really makes the design pop! I did this with black ink to bring out the detail of the embossing.

3) I used the 'hill' die from the Shadow Box #2 die set to cut curved shapes to layer for the sky.

4) I adhered the pieces together on a base rectangle and then added some decorative stitching along the edges with my sewing machine. I added a die cut moon and stenciled on some stars.

5) For the box itself, I chose contrasting colors and stenciled some details onto it. I glued a piece of green cardstock onto the bottom to finish it off.

Assembly is straightforward. I like to use a wet glue but a strong dry adhesive works well too.

6) The postcard bases I cut from more gel prints. I then added pieces trimmed from Skinny Mini Elements die cuts and added stamping and more diecuts on top.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to keep an eye on Eileen's blog for more inspiration from the Educator and Inspiration Teams!

Supplies used:

Eileen Hull die - Skinny Mini Book Box  (Sizzix / TFJ )

Eileen Hull die - Skinny Mini Elements  (Sizzix / SB / TFJ )

Eileen Hull 3D Embossing Folder - Woven Leather (Sizzix / SB / TFJ )

Eileen Hull die - Shadow Box #2  (Sizzix / SB / TFJ )

Eileen Hull die - Shadow Box Elements  (Sizzix / SB / TFJ )
Eileen Hull Die Set -  Folio page, Pocket & Flowers (Sizzix / SB )

Eileen Hull stamp set - Snail Mail Postage

Gel Press plate

brayer

various blue acrylic paints

Archival Ink - Black Soot

Sizzix cardstock

Sizzix Mat board

Tim Holtz layering stencils - Linked Circles, Falling Stars, Codes, Mini Stencil Set 52

iCraft Deco/foil Metallix gel - Glazed Pewter

Distress Oxide inks - Fossilized Amber, Wild Honey

Some links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!)

Stamped with Love - New Funkie Junkie Challenge

Hello there, our new challenge at the Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog is live and you won't want to miss out! Our hostess is Teri Wilson and the theme is Stamped with Love.

Here is what Teri has to say, "Look through your collection of Tim Holtz stamps - old and new - and choose one of your favorites to create whatever you imagine with it. Your entry could be a card, a vignette, a layout, or something even more amazing!"

I made a journal using Eileen Hull's new Card Caddy Die and used some of my favorite Tim Holtz stamps to decorate it. I also couldn't resist utilizing some Sizzix 3-D embossing folders. The detail you get with them is amazing!

Here's a view of the back:

I used the Crochet Mandala 3-D Embossing Folder for the spine and the Doily on the inside:

The little notebooks I used for the signatures I found at a thrift store (handy!)

Let's take a look at the how-to:

1) I first cut the cover out of Sizzix matboard and prepped the outside of the cover by blending/dabbing on layers of Distress ink. Then came the stamping! I used a stamping platform to try out a double stamping technique. First I stamped some under-colors with Distress Ink.

Without moving the stamps, I stamped on top of the colored images with Archival Black Ink. I think it looks pretty cool! It gives the image a hint of color underneath.

2) For the inside covers, I first used the Card Caddy Die to cut the end papers to shape. Then I embossed each paper. One of my favorite 3-D folder techniques is to rub the "deboss" side of the folder with an archival ink pad. When you then emboss, the ink gets down into all the nooks and crannies and really makes the design pop!

Once embossed, I just glued the end papers in place.

3) After gluing on the embossed spine cover, I used my Crop-A-Dile to cut notches in the edges. These hold the elastic bands in place.

Notches:

I tied elastic tightly around the spine and slipped the signature notebooks in place. 

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you check out the fun challenges we have on the Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog. They are always good for sparking your creativity! You have two weeks to join the current challenge so I hope you give it a go.

Supplies used:

Eileen Hull die - Card Caddy

Eileen Hull 3-D embossing folder - Crochet Mandala

Tim Holtz 3-D embossing folder - Doily

Tim Holtz stamp set - Tiny Toadstools

Tim Holtz stamp set - Botanic Collage

Tim Holtz stamp set - Flutter

Distress Ink - Vintage Photo, Saltwater Taffy, Peeled Paint, Pumice Stone, Shabby Shutters

Distress Oxide Ink - Picket Fence, Antique Linen, Old Paper

Distress Stain - Saltwater Taffy, Vintage Photo

Ranger Archival Inks - Black Soot, Frayed Burlap

Distress Collage Medium Matte

Copper Leaf Embellishment

Sizzix matboard

elastic cord

Halloween Pumpkin Diorama - BOO!

Hello there Halloween fans! I'm getting a jump on the season and was inspired to create this fun scene when I got my hands on the new Tim Holtz Myron Colorize Die Set. Take a look:

I love Myron, he is so funny!

and of course it has Tiny Lights!

I do enjoy creating little scenes! The setting for this one is a foam craft store pumpkin I cut a window in.

One more view and then you can check out the in-progress photos.

First I started by creating Myron and a bunch of toadstools. The small ones are made with the die set and I sketched out and hand cut the larger mushrooms.

I drilled a hole in the back of the pumpkin to thread the lights through. The backlit word and monster face are die cut into cardstock and then backed with alcohol colored Frosted Film (retired Idea-ology product).

A glue gun is your friend!

HOT TIP! You can tint your white or colored Tiny Lights with alcohol ink. The green Halloween lights are more of a cool green and I wanted a warm swampy green for this scene. I just dripped some Butterscotch alcohol ink onto each bulb. Easy!

Layers and layers…

I love those crazy little ghosts too!

Spooky!

Myron and bits of lichen here and there finished off the scene. Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned for more Halloween projects in the future!

Supplies used:

Tim Holtz die set - Halloween Bold Text

Tim Holtz die set - Myron Colorize

Tim Holtz die set - Moonlit Owl (retired)

Tim Holtz die set - Tangled Twigs (retired)

Tim Holtz die - Vault Series Halloween 2021 (retired)

Tim Holtz die - Frightening Faces (retired)

Tim Holtz strip die -Tapered (retired)

Distress Ink - Vintage Photo, Rustic Wilderness, Black Soot, Forest Moss, Pumice Stone, Ground Espresso

Distress Spray Stains - Old Paper, Brushed Corduroy

Distress Glaze - Fossilized Amber, Peeled Paint

Ranger Emboss-It Dabber

Alcohol ink - Butterscotch

Tim Holtz 2021 Halloween Mica Stains - Bubbling Cauldron, Hocus Pocus

Distress Collage Medium Matte

Idea-ology Fringe - plain

Idea-ology Halloween Tiny Lights - green

Idea-ology Frosted Film

foam pumpkin

lichen