Je t'aime, mon cheri.

Hello Friends! 

Thanks for stopping by today.  Back when I was an avid quilter, I learned that if I didn't finish one project before starting another, I would likely never have a completed project.  So typically, once I start something, I finish it within a reasonable time frame.  Recently, though, there have been a few UFOs piling up in my craft room.  I finally found time to put the finishing touches on one of them. 

Today I am sharing a mixed media project that came together recently after a long stint on the "unfinished" shelf:

The inspiration for this project was the fun collection of things that were included as a thank you gift when I placed an order at the The Funkie Junkie Boutique.  I just loved the vintage book paper butterflies, and the pink floral button that you see towards the top of the piece.  It definitely inspired the color scheme for this project.  I had picked up the shallow wooden shadow box on clearance at the craft store, and thought it would be fun to alter. 

 

I started by creating my tag.  I painted the manila base with Distress Paints in several pinks and vintage photo.  I cut a piece of packaging plastic to size and embossed it with a Tim Holtz embossing folder, and painted the raised areas of the reverse with gesso.  To this, I attached the die cut butterflies using my tiny attacher, and the ticket, which was also a surprise from the Funkie Junkie, to which I added the tiny butterfly stamp and Distress Inks. 

 

I finished off the tag with some Distress dyed seam binding and a vintage rhinestone hair pin.  I think it looks like a butterfly, with the ribbon wings and hairpin body.  Here's a close up of the hairpin.  I just love the art deco simplicity of it. 

 

 

The paper "doily" that peeks out from behind the tag was cut with my Silver Bullet Pro digital cutter.  I wet it, crumpled it, and inked it with Distress.  While it was wet, it picked up color from my craft mat, and the end result coordinates even better with my tag than if I had planned it! 

 

 

I love buttons, and had fun scattering them on my project.  Most of them are from my vintage collection.  In this next photo, you can see how I altered the shadow box:



I first painted the bare wood with gesso, and  aged it with Distress Inks.  I gessoed a piece of striped patterned paper, and randomly stamped it with the text stamp from Tim Holtz's Apothecary stamp set and tree branch archival ink. I also stamped the edge of the shadowbox for added interest. 

Finally, I added a bit of French flair with words cut from a Prima ATC base and a Distressed paper rose.  I love cutting my flowers from white paper, and inking them with Distress inks and stains before assembling them. 

After missing a couple of challenges due to my busier than usual schedule, I am happy to enter this project in the Frilly and Funkie Spring Time Die Cuts challenge, especially since it gave me the opportunity to use Linda's die cuts! 

I am also entering the Hiding In My Craft Room challenge 195, Super Scraps Saturday.  My "scraps" are the doily, which is from my box of leftover die cuts, and the plastic layer on the tag, which was rescued from my garbage can. 

I wish you all a beautiful day!

Elizabeth