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

1. 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!
2. Then, use a craft knife to gently separate the cabinet card front and back at the seam on the left hand side.
3. Next, cut a 1.75″ strip of paper the same height as the cabinet card.
4. Now, fold the paper in half to form a hinge.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Now, Decorate the inside of this front flap.
8. Then, glue the other half of the hinge to the back side of this layer.
9. Finally, glue the whole mechanism onto your prepared card base.
10. 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

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