TFJ Challenge: Stuck in the Middle

Hello and welcome to the new Funkie Junkie Challenge! For this challenge we want you to showcase something in the middle. It can be a pop up card with a surprise in the middle, it can be a mini journal with pages inside, it can be anything that highlights the middle of something!

The overall winner will be offered the chance to be a Guest Designer at a future date here at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Blog, and everyone who enters and follows the rules will go into the drawing for the chance to win a $25.00 spending spree at The Funkie Junkie Boutique. There are also Top 3 Badges for three additional outstanding entries, chosen by the Design Team.

The guidelines for entering are simple; create a new vintage or shabby chic project following the challenge theme, link it to your post (not just your blog) and also include a link to this challenge in your post. You can combine our challenge with up to 10 challenges (including this one) to be in with a chance for winning. If you are entering through a public forum (such as Instagram) you'll need to include the words 'Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge'. Also, please turn off your Word Verification so our Design Team can leave comments on your blogs.

For my take on this theme I will be creating a journal spread in the middle of an art journal. I am also using groups of threes to highlight objects stuck in the middle.

For process video click down below.

For this journal spread I used: stamp sets CMS269 mini bow, CMS106 papillon, Ranger white embossing powder, Ranger TH pallet knife, Distress Embossing ink, distress paint saltwater taffy, old paper, distress mica spray stain flickering candle, distress collage medium, distress collage texture paste mat, THS149 stencil, distress white heavy stock, collage medium, distress ink mustard seed, fossilized amber, picked raspberry, twisted citron, rustic wilderness, prize ribbon, vintage photo, and carved pumpkin.

To start this journal page added several drops of salt water taffy then I dry brushed on some salt water taffy with a flat edge brush.

With the drivers I painted the top half of the page a solid colour than letting the brush drag I try to get some streaks near the bottom of the page. Letting the brush drag I was able to fade out the colour as I dragged the paint to the bottom of the page.

Next I added a few drops of old paper Distress paint. Then using the dry brush technique again I drive the old paper paint down the paper to create more streaks.

Once the paint was dry I added a layer of Distress Inc. vintage photo over the top of the painted layer. I applied the distress in using a dome from applicator on the edges of the paper I try to put down a darker layer of ink.

Then I gave the paper a quick drive with the Ranger heat tool. After using the Distress sprayer I drip dropped a few water splatters onto. the paper to create a distressed looking background.

Before the water droplets had a chance to dry I bought them off using a rectangular piece of paper towel.

Below is the finished distress background. Where the droplet spell the water lift and the ink off of the background.

For the next layer I decided to do some stencilling with stencil THS149. Through this done so I applied some distress collage mat medium with one of the Tim Holtz in Ranger pallet knives. I have found the collage medium has a consistency similar to frosting. Using the pallet knife as a scraper I press the collage medium through the stencil and then gently scrape away the excess over the top of the stencil sort of like spreading butter on toast.

Below are the finished stencilling results. Distress collaged Mountain Medium is very absorbent and since there was a layer of ink underneath the collage medium some of the ink what is absorbed into the stencilling.

Since the collage medium did absorb some of the colouring of the ink underneath are used a wet paper towel to block away some of the extra ink. Then to add a touch of sparkle I spritz the background using some flickering candle light distress mica spray stain.

Here I started work on the main focal point of this journal spread. To start I die cut a circle out of some of the Idea-ology Tim Holtz block craft cardstock. Then using a Stamp from Stamp set Papillion THS106 I stamped in distress embossing ink before covering the ink with ranger white embossing powder. I also find it very useful to use the Tim Holtz Sizzix squeezers to hang onto pieces that I’m embossing. Next I heat and boss the embossing powder to create this layer to go behind the main focal point.

No time for some stamping. Here I stamped with distress archival black suit using stamp set CMS269 mini bouquet. I also used a small butterfly from steps that Papillion CMS106

With the images stamped I then decided to colour them using a Tim Holtz Ranger fine tip water brush and Distress reinkers. For the reading colours are used mustard seed, fossilized amber, picked raspberry, vintage photo, carved pumpkin, rustic wilderness, and twisted citron.

The last thing I did was to fussy cut all all of the stamped images then I glued them onto the painted and inked. For the sentiment are used some award stickers from the Idea-ology Tim Holtz metallic sticker book. Below are they finished results for my project for stuck in the middle.