Category Archives: Off to the Races

Vintage Beach Babe Birthday Folio

Frilly and Funkie “You’re My Inspiration” Challenge: Vintage Beach Babe Birthday Folio

Hello, Friends! Happy Hump Day! It’s time for another great challenge over on the Frilly and Funkie Blog. This go round, Nancy is hosting the challenge and the theme is “You’re My Inspiration.” For this fun challenge, I’ve created a Vintage Beach Babe Birthday Folio, but before I share it with you, here’s what Nancy has to say about the challenge:

Find any type of image or photo that inspires you and create a vintage or shabby chic project based on that image or photo (you don’t need to actually use it in your project). Please post the image on your blog along with your project, and tell us what it is you love about it.

Sound like fun? I thought so, too! So without further ado, let’s get the party started.

The Beach Is My Inspiration

I am a beach loving gal. Everything about the beach inspires me: the sound of the waves, the wind whipping my hair, the wee birds skipping along in the sand, the pelicans skimming the waves, and the grains of sand that sparkle like flecks of gold under the bright sun. I do my best thinking at the beach, and my best sleeping, too. (Do you think there might be a connection?) So I chose this gorgeous digital collage image created by my dear friend, Ginny Nemchak as my inspiration photo. This gal, perched on her over-sized beach ball, wearing a fabulous vintage bathing suit is who I want to be when I grow up.

Although this looks like a card, it’s really a folio. I love to create cards that can double as gifts. I have several birthdays coming up in my family this summer, and this Vintage Beach Babe Birthday Folio will make some birthday girl very happy.

Off to the Races Visits the Shore

This Vintage Beach Babe Birthday Folio measures 5.75″ wide x 7.75″ tall. I used Graphic 45 12×12 Off to the Races Patterns and Solids paper to create my layers. These rich shades of blue and brown are perfect for a beach themed card. A Tim Holtz Sophisticate Cabinet Card frames the focal image. And here’s where I got a little creative inspiration. I’ve always felt terrible about covering up the gorgeous graphics on the back of these Cabinet Cards.

So I didn’t.

Instead, I turned it into a flap. The kraft glassine bag has a hinge mechanism so it can fold down. There’s a post card tucked into the envelope, but this leaves plenty of room to add a gift card.

I triple embossed this portion of the project: embossing folder, ink, embossing powder, paint then heat embossing again. It created a surface that really resembles beach sand.

How to Make Flap Opening for your Vintage Beach Babe Birthday Folio

First, insert your chosen image inside the frame. I had to add a little washi tape to the top and bottom of this image to make it fit perfectly. Easy fix!
Then, use a craft knife to gently separate the cabinet card front and back at the seam on the left hand side.
Next, cut a 1.75″ strip of paper the same height as the cabinet card.
Now, fold the paper in half to form a hinge.
Glue one half inside the opened seam. You will also need to add glue to the front of the hinge so that you can seal the cabinet card up again.
Next, create the right hand side of your flap. Measure it so that it is exactly the same width and height of the cabinet card you are using. I cropped the corners on my card so that they would match the corners on the cabinet card.
Now, Decorate the inside of this front flap.
Then, glue the other half of the hinge to the back side of this layer.
Finally, glue the whole mechanism onto your prepared card base.
Hold the cabinet card flap closed with a little hinge clasp.

I stamped and inked up a little birthday greeting to tuck behind my chipboard sand dollar. Glue just the bottom edge of the sand dollar to the card base, and you’ve got a pocket! Then mat another fabulous beach babe onto designer paper, and tuck both behind the sand dollar. I just love interactive elements on cards, don’t you?

Take a Look Inside

I packed the inside of this Vintage Beach Babe Birthday Folio with all kinds of fun goodies.

The top half of the folio holds a little accordion fold photo album.

And what’s in that pocket on the bottom?

How about another vintage beach babe all decked out on a tag, and a little sweet treat?

What’s Your Inspiration?

Now it’s your turn to play along and let us know what inspires YOU. You have until midnight EDT on Tuesday, June 20th to create a vintage or shabby chic project inspired by a photo. Link your project up on the Frilly and Funkie Blog.

The designers will choose their top 4 favorite projects from all those submitted. Our top favorite will be invited to serve as a Guest Designer on the Frilly and Funkie Blog. The next 3 will receive badges to display proudly on their own blogs. And everyone who enters and follows the rules of the challenge will be entered into the draw to receive a $25 shopping spree at the Funkie Junkie Boutique.

You can find all the challenge guidelines HERE.

I can’t wait to see what you make!

I hope I’ve shared some tips and tricks that you can use in your own crafty adventures. If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.

I’m linking this project up to The Great Summer Contest on Einat Kessler’s BLOG.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

Product Links to the Funkie Junkie Boutique

Honey Do List with Graphic 45 Off to the Races

Masculine Valentine Gift Idea: Off to the Races Honey Do List

Hello, Friends! Have you made a Valentine for your honey yet? My husband is a maker of lists. He keeps a little notepad right beside his breakfast plate so he can write down his daily honey do list. I thought it might be fun to work up a special little notepad cover to house his list and keep the edges from getting all grunged up and curly. (Why do I like that on a card, but despise that on a notepad? Anyone else with me, here?) Anyway, I love to share ideas that incorporate Graphic 45 papers and flowers and/or ribbon on a project.

Now, Off to the Races probably doesn’t strike you as a masculine collection right off the bat. But one of the silly things we say to one another on a very busy day is, “Aaaaaaand they’re off!” So using this collection actually makes sense for us.

Although Off to the Races is a very feminine collection, it’s also loaded with images and patterns that work really well on a masculine project like this handy 4×6 honey do list. Paper layers were fussy cut and decoupaged onto the cover and I even managed to add ribbon and flowers. The overall design is decidedly masculine, and the message is personal. When it comes to making a masculine Valentine project, it doesn’t get much better than that!

A Look at the Details

This side view shows how I used chipboard beneath my focal images to elevate them from the background. To mimic the boutonnieres sported by these dapper gents, I created a mini boutonniere with a Petaloo White Baby’s Breath Pick, Black Mixed Textured Mini Blossoms, and micro black gingham ribbon.

Here’s a close-up of the boutonniere, I love the way this turned out.

Put it on the List

If I had a dollar for every time my dear husband told me to “put it on the list” I’d be rich!

I created a tag pocket on the inside of this honey do list where I can add my mushy sentiment. There’s plenty of room here to tuck in a gift card or little chocolate treat, too.

Tags make great bookmarks, and dear husband loves to read!

The way I see it, if you’ve gotta have a honey do list, it might as well be handsome AND functional.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy

Off to the Races Valentines with Petaloo and Graphic 45

Hello, Friends! Valentine’s Day is one of the best days of the year. I mean, what could possibly be better than a day devoted to love….and chocolate! Today i have a pair of Off to the Races Valentines to share with you. Both are made with Petaloo flowers and Graphic 45’s fabulous Off to the Races Collection.

Frilly and Feminine Off to the Races Valentine Tag

Valentine’s Day is one of the few times when you can get away with using a pink and red color palette. I think I’ve pulled it off on this frilly and feminine Valentine’s Day tag. The base is a Graphic 45 Staples Long Ivory Tag. I’ve layered on pretty papers and loads of fussy cut flowers. Then, to bring things to life, I piled on beautiful Penny Lane Antique Red Mixed Blossoms and Darjeeling Cream Butterflies.

The chocolate pocket is made with an ATC ivory tag that I scored and folded. It’s just the right size to hold this individually wrapped chocolate.

A Vintage Masculine Valentine with Off to the Races

One of the things I really like about the Off to the Races papers is that they contain both masculine and feminine images, color palettes and prints. You’d never think that this card was made with the same collection as the tag above.

The secret to a good masculine card is choosing the right colors, images and textures. These deep brown tones and strong images are perfect for your favorite fella. Adding metallic embellishments amps up the masculine vibe that much more. I tapped the silver brads and cameo frame with alcohol ink to match the browns in the papers.

When choosing floral embellishments, it’s all about texture and color! These Mini Canvas Rosettes do the trick! I flanked them with Darjeeling Petite Cream blossoms to keep things from becoming too drab. And burlap string is the perfect choice for trim!

Inside, I’ve used an image from the collection as a pocket for this little chocolate. The belly band on the right is a fun design feature, and it also allows me to write a personal Valentine greeting to my favorite fella on an ephemera card from the collection. Isn’t it great when form and function meet?