The Funkie Junkie Boutique's Inspiration Ave; #10 We Love You, Mom... Mom's Lil' Notebook

   May Day is here as I type, and I'm back up in New York again, spending time with the younger two Grandbabies. The weather hasn't cooperated much with getting outside, but it's supposed to stop raining and warm up some. The ChiefHubby went back home to Indiana and reported in that it's the same weather there. He's hoping to check back into our "patch" after a surprising find of Indiana morel mushrooms- 107 of them to be exact- in only a 5-minute walk last week. I wasn't expecting to find anything yet, since it was still a bit dryer than usual for my finds. The dates were right, but it was too chilly out as well. But I decided to take a "fast 5-minute walk to just be sure". I got as far as the first 3 of those minutes when I spied a nice huge shroom. Always one to follow the adage of "there's always more if there's ONE"...I spied another... and another... and I nearly passed out when I took a good look all around me and found myself in the middle of a MOTHERLODE! That's only happened a hand full of times in my lifetime of shrooming, but when it has happened, it's quite exhilarating! I used to take HunniPi with me all the time, up to one point when she decided the morels were for peeing on. That was her last trip. I mean, thanks for helping find one, PuppiPi, but that's the line drawn for me. (I still miss her dearly.) I tried to get all of them into my arms as I plucked them up, but they were all so big (final measurements came to almost all 4-6 inches with the largest 2 being 7 1/2 inches each), I could only carry a few at a time. I certainly was not expecting to actually find one in the chill of the day, so I had nothing but an extra T-shirt to take off and pile them onto. I texted the ChiefHubby to round up Peanut and Princess (who were spending the afternoon with us) and come back to help me. Once they got within 20 feet of me, they were also finding a bunch themselves that I hadn't gotten to yet. Since we were leaving the next day for NY, there was no way for us to process so many of them, and we were able to share the bounty with some of our neighbors/friends close by, then took 3 prepped bags of them in salt water up to NY.

   

  May Day brings back memories from 1989 when I was working at a factory (as the youngest person there) and my water broke. It being my first baby, I really had no idea what was happening, but everyone was excited- except me. I was more frightened than anything else. I remember the ChiefHubby picking me up- having left work early himself that evening- and holding my hand on the way to the hospital the next city over. "Well, this is it- we're almost at the end," to which he replied "Nope; it's only BEGINNING," and so it was! Brian was born at 4:45am on that next day, Tuesday, May 2nd. He was a full month early- which was part of my fears the night before- at 6 lbs 15 oz & 19 inches long. Others may have kept comparing his tiny stature at birth to their normal-gestation-baby, but Brian caught up quickly. His size didn't have anyone picking on him all through school and by the time he was 17 with a 6 ft 1 inch frame (which is thwarted by the higher-raised measuring stick in the 
photo), he carried that 6 foot stuffed Mickey Mouse over his shoulder. The first kid is always the guinea pig who breaks in the Parents and then later breaks their hearts when he's the first to leave the nest. The nervousness of being a new Mom and new Dad gets worn away by that first baby. Brian was our big 'teddy bear' and was always great with younger kids than himself. Brett actually did the picking on his older brother- which brought a lot of fun with it... and a broken bed frame or two from jumping & tackling between 3 BIG kids: Brian, Brett, and DAD! I/m so very proud of the man Brian has become! He's fought his way and has achieved quite a lot more than most at his age. More than anything; he is Daddy to his 2 precious children who adore him! They had help from Mommy getting a cake and singing "Happy Birthday" to him over last weekend. The younger Grandbabies will have helped me sing "Happy 34th Birthday" to him via Facetime on Tuesday.

   Of course, I'm keeping up with my crafting while I am up here in New York again- even as busy as I am with the Grandbabies! And with both my Sons having had their birthdays within the past 3 weeks of each other (April 14th and May 2nd), it reminds me that I was "Mom" well before I was "Memaw". When my FurryBaby, Hunni Pi, passed a few weeks ago; I caught myself thinking that my "Mom" days were now over. But that's far from true; the real truth is that I will always be a Mom. Once a Mom; always a Mom! Our kids will always need us in some way; whether to advise them, help them in some way, to gather the family together, or just be there for them to know the comfort that we're still here. A Mom's work is never done when it comes to her Children- that love never ends! And since May is also the month for Mother's Day, Linda, owner of The Funkie Junkie Boutique, has a theme just for MOM this next two weeks on Inspiration Ave! We're crafting up a spring storm of inspirational makes based on "We Love You, Mom!", Scroll along with me and see what I came up with...

It began with some Happy Mail from The Funkie Junkie Boutique !

I couldn't wait to get my hands on the brand-new Tim Holtz Rotary 

Eileen Hull's Tiny Book Bigz Die was on clearance, and I got it at a great deal of a price!

These dies sold out quickly, but you'll find others, so

be sure to always check out the Clearance section at TFJB!

My main inside materials came in that Happy Mail:

all the brown wrapper paper!!

It's always great to recycle and reuse as much as possible. :)

I simply measured how wide the book shape was from the die,

and then cut stacks of about 10 layers until it was all cut basically the same shape and size.

Look how clean and easy that new TH Rotary Media Trimmer slices!

And I tried out matboard and other materials- just practicing with it.

All materials cut very nicely and evenly without moving around.

Once I had it all cut, I sewed stacks of 10 sheets together.

I cut the bases from matboard, but also had some thin, ribbed cardboard

that I always save from new pillowcases and sheet sets.

I cut a couple of those out, unsure of which would work best for these books.

Remember that "Let's Get Cozy" paper set from #3 Frozen Winter project?

Well, like I said then: this package of paper isn't just for winter...

that bunny quilting looked perfect for 2 of my books!

Here. I've cut out the outsides and insides of the cover bases.

I also cut buckles and some rounded discs and keys- not sure what all I would use- or not.

I simply started sewing all around the edges, and odd stitches here and there.

I also stopped to sew up several pairs of shorts and pants on the hemlines

for my ChiefHubby. I sewed SO MUCH...

I literally ran out of thread in one day!

All that was left was enough to fill one last bobbin.

I got out an old (Retired) Tim Holtz Bigz Die Sewing Room.

It had cute button and spool shapes.

I got kind of an assembly line going for the books themselves...

...when I decided to ditch the matboard and go with the ribbed cardboard.

To keep your spool flat: cut 2 spools and use only the middle of one.

After adhering the ends, use them to secure the thread,

wind it up the middle of the spool and secure to the other end.

The spool will lay flat on the top of the book.

I decided to glaze the button and one key.

The keys would make a cute bookmark on a ribbon through the spines.

It's time to sew the spines to the stacks.

Yes, I did retrim all the paper stacks. I left all the threads on,

as those would tuck under the covers.

I used a couple of firm clips to help me get those stitches in- as well as a pair of pliers!

Tying a couple of embellishment weights

(charms and IdeaOlogy) then adding the buckle to secure the ribbon.

Most of my ribbons are FREEBIE gifts that come with Happy Mail from TFJB!

Last is gluing all the covers in place and the embellishments.

Here's a list of helpful links for products used:

Ranger Inkssentials Ink Blending Tool + 2 Blending Foams

Ranger Inkssentials Glossy Accents

Tim Holtz Tonic Studios Kushgrip Snip w/Non-Stick Blade & Cap 7"-Small

Tim Holtz Tonic Studios Black Kushgrip Snip w/Non-Stick Blade & Cap 5"

(Retired) Tim Holtz Alterations Bigz Die Sewing Room (not available)

Eileen Hull Bigz Die Tiny Book (no longer available)

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Pad - Vintage Photo

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Crayons - Set #2

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Glaze - Antique Linen

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Adornments Hearts

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Backdrops Volume 4

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Paper Dolls, Portraits

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Quote Chips, Labels

May PRE-ORDER Tonic Tim Holtz Rotary Media Trimmer

Graphic 45 - Let's Get Cozy - 8x8 Pad

Enameled Goldtone Flower Charms, Set of 5

Enameled Goldtone Flower Charms, Set of 5

                                           And these are what I ended up with:

For our older Daughter, Ashley.

For our younger Daughter, Holli.

For my Mother

The Backside of my own- as a Mom, too!

Closeup of stitching.

Closeup of inside bookmark key in my own Notebook,

The pages are crinkly and easily able to be torn out for use as scrap notes.

Backsides of all Notebooks.

Thanks, once again, for joining me for the start of our new theme,

"We Love You, Mom!"

Please, join along as each Design Team Member adds their own project to 

  Inspiration Ave. 

You're sure to find some new and exciting products sampled that will be stocked by

The Funkie Junkie Boutique

and be available for shipping in the coming days!

To all you MOMs out there:

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Until next time...

Happy Blogging!!

The Funkie Junkie Boutique's Inspiration Ave; #6 Spring Frolic... Easter Blessings!

   The end of February roared in like an Indiana March, here on the Florida Panhandle. And with it, came warmer air than we've had yet. My palms are reblooming fronds and the Azaelas are full of pink blooms. I say this just for those up north to take heart; Spring IS coming soon! We're staying busy these last weeks here, enjoying the time before we head back up and face the work of opening up the Indiana house and all the spring yardwork there is sure to be waiting for us. Plus, there's four little Blessings up north who are waiting for us to spend time together with them, I love the photos the kids send, and the stories that go along with. There're always shenanigans that go on, such as older Son explained how he was on his phone only 5 minutes and he found Peanut jumping on the trampoline... in his au naturel shell. Jumping along with him was Princess Pistachio- obviously shelled. Pecan learned to cook breakfast, and Princess Rose learned how to blow *raspberries*. (Great Grandpa Rush would be so very proud, lol!) Older Daughter had her 2nd shoulder surgery- after months of extreme pain from a failed 1st surgery. This time, while it's a long healing process, she seems to be finally making some progress. I'm immensely thankful, yet, still praying that she'll be pain free and able to at least not have it keep her from living daily life the way it has been. It's been quite a past year for our girls, as 2022 had some rough times for both of them. Younger Daughter not only went through pregnancy and birth, but they all moved to an entirely new community in a new state, with a new house and job to go with that move. Replacements happen more often with a new house, and they've had their share of those also. Little Pecan seemed to just bloom during all of it, taking everything in stride, and making new friends so easily. The addition of Princess Judith Rose has been the icing on the came as far as that goes; she is a sweet, very happy surprise! There's always the good, the bad, and the ugly in life... just today (of this typing) their younger pup, Penny, was taken to the vet and they were told if she makes it through tonight, they say she'll likely be alright. The older kids went through the loss of their Golden, Macie pup, just last spring at this very time from just about the same thing (suspected Addison's Disease). I'm praying for our Grandpup Penny to be ok, and not have them go through loss. It's the worst part of being a furryparent; having to choose what we wish we didn't have to. Storms blow through our lives, not to test us or torment us, but to help us grow, or bring us what we wouldn't have had otherwise.  As mere humans, it's hard for us to see the big picture. Yet, The LORD knows what is best for every living thing, and we need to trust His answer- no matter what it will be. By the time of this posting, we'll likely have one. All I can do is keep asking! 

It's time for a "Spring Frolic" at Inspiration Ave, and The Funkie Junkie Boutique has Tim Holtz IdeaOlogy that fits the theme perfectly! I couldn't wait to get my hands on a few things that are in stock and get started on this Etcetera Mini Tag which I used as my 'vehicle' to carry some Easter goodies!

Hop on & hang on; it's a scroll down this crafty rabbit hole to see how I made it!

I started with some Tim Holtz Etcetera items,

and some TH IdeaOlogy items- new just for Easter!

Here's a list of product links to help get you started:

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Barrel

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Salvaged Rabbits

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Tiny Eggs

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Etcetera Mini Tag Thickboards

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Etcetera: Cathedral Windows

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Etcetera Scallop Trims

Ranger Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink - Amethyst

Ranger Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink - Pink Sherbet

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Crayons - Set #3

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Crayons - Set #5

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Pad - Vintage Photo

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Paint - Black Soot

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Paint - Picket Fence

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Paint - Walnut Stain

Ranger Inkssentials Ink Blending Tool + 2 Blending Foams

Ranger Inkssentials Glossy Accents

Tim Holtz Tonic Studios Kushgrip Snip w/Non-Stick Blade & Cap 7"-Small

Tim Holtz Water Brush, Detailer Brush Tip

I wanted to incorporate some of that *retired* TH paper stack...

and I found a set of unused flowers in my stash

 (probably a dollar store find at some point).

Tim's new products still go very well with any of his past products!

I did my favorite technique of Glossy Accents glue and

burnish the paperie to the Etcetera pieces with my TH Grip Sander.

The shelf is made wider by putting 2 pieces together as one

while using a third for the normal bottom shelf holder piece.

I like to do both sides of my tags, so I made another 'enforcer' for the backside

by tracing the included one made from Etcetera.

I then sanded all the front and side- gently and sparingly;

just enough to have the words show up, but enough to look aged,

After wiping all the sanded bits and dust away with a dry cloth,

I used Walnut Stain Distress Crayon on all the edges and rubbed it

into the sides with my finger. Then heat dried everything.

I scribbled some of the Crayon onto my craft sheet,

sprayed a bit of water onto it, and used a Water Brush Detailer

to get into the areas my fingers couldn't reach into.

Again: heat dried everything.

The Etcetera Cathedral Window pack has 6 cuts inside:

four this smaller size and 2 large sized. I took this pair of smaller,

to stack together making one frame with a plastic (cut piece of trash)

to go in between.

I gave both (laser cut- very clean and crisp cuts) a coat of 

Distress Paint in Picket Fence and allowed that to dry.

I heat dried both frames just to make sure the paint was dry

before I sculped on some TH Opaque Crackle Texture Paste.

This, I let dry completely on its own.

After the crackling appeared once dry, I used a Blending Tool

to rub a bit of TH Vintage Photo Distress Ink on the front bottom edges

for a bit of an aged look.

Then heat dried for the last time (to dry the Distress Ink).

*NOTE: Distressing needs to be done BEFORE adding any plastic

to keep from melting the plastic!

For the clear plastic, I simply dropped a lot of the 2 Alcohol Inks onto the plastic,

and moved it back and forth- allowing the inks to "fight" for their places.

I stood the plastic up onto the bottom end to let the excess inks drop off to the paper toweling.

Then I set the widow down to let it finish drying on its own,

Once the Alcohol Ink was dry, I used Glossy Accents to put the plastic

in between the two Etcetera Cathedral Windows, let it dry,

then shaped the wire stems on these,,, felt??...roses,

and glued them onto the sides.

Now that the entire background was finished, it was time for the cute stuff!

Those TH Tiny Eggs really ARE tiny!

They're so cute and since the package has 50 pieces,

I used 18 for this project and still have plenty leftover!

My own tip for Alcohol Inking these: rub the ink gently with

 the correct felt applicator/Alcohol Ink Tool.

I didn't have mine here with me and paper towels/napkins were

used in a pinch, but not as effective in moho.

After the AI was dry, I used my trusty old toothbrush

to flick TH Distress Paints onto the eggs: Black Soot onto the blues

and Picket Fence onto the pinks.

I heat dried them all very gently- just to keep the paint on.

I did do all sides of the eggs. It was a quick job since they're so tiny!

Next: those silly wabbits of Tim's!

These Salvaged Rabbits are the cutest things he's made yet!!

I wanted "chocolate" bunnies but did wonder about making white paws.

I stuck with my original intent: milk chocolate bunnies with nothing but

 Distress Paint Walnut Stain.

This time, I decided to try out the tip on painting IdeaOlogy figurines:

I used my tape runner to add just a tiny strip of tape to a lid (of anything, really),

then topped the Salvaged Rabbits on and it really WAS easier to paint them!!

I didn't need to do anything else to them (other than rip up some

included-in-your-order-freebie-ribbon from The Funkie Junkie Boutique

to use as little scarves to identify each bunny: as each of my Grandbabies)!

For the TH Chip Quote: A bit of color around the sides and

a little "aging"...and that's that.

Check out this adorable hanging display Tag! 

 

Front

This bit of old stash ribbon made the perfect hanger!

This is Princess Chloe and Big Bubby Peanut!

I did get a bit of glue stuck onto the egg here:

I used my hot glue gun for this since it held fast better.

I hate the glue strings that I always forget to get off before the photos.

A bit of moss from my walks below the Spanish Moss trees;

dried out and then stuffed into the TH IdeaOlogy Barrel,

gave the Tiny Eggs a bit of a lift.

I used some Walnut Stain Distress Crayon rubbed hard into

the grooves then heat dried it. Gave it some more depth.

And here's Princess Rose with Big Bubby Pecan!

Back

The color changed from better lighting,

but you can see how the wording all applies to SPRING!

Thanks so much for joining me on this Spring Frolic!

As always: be sure to pop back in over at

 Inspiration Ave

for more great projects & tips from the rest of the awesome Design Team from

The Funkie Junkie Boutique!

Until next time...

Stay Safe &

HAPPY BLOGGING!!