Zunky Chic

Recent Treasures

2010-02-12T06:00:00.000-06:00

I've done a little hunting and gathering of treasures recently. Here's a sampling of my bounty.

I'm using the tin to store my sewing machine accessories. The Paris magazine was a surprising find, and now of course I wish that I had bought them all. I've already used some of the old trim on a project that I hope to share next week. The book is an old copy of Pride and Prejudice. I loved the design on the cover, so I hope to use it in a future project. The black box contains a player piano roll. I've been hoarding the one I bought last year; now that I have two, I can use one of them! The trims were bought for cents!

The one item I'm not showing is a bag full of old buttons that I picked up while visiting my family in NJ. I took my 2-year-old niece with me to go antiquing. I wasn't sure how she'd be. She was an angel! She held my hand and let me look at everything and never touched a thing, until she spied some vintage party noise makers - then all bets were off. Now back to the buttons. We were in the basement of an old mill-turned-antique shop when I saw a barrel full of old buttons and a little cup with a sign "$1/scoop or 5 scoops/$4". I got a little bag and had my niece count out five scoops of buttons (she can already count past 10 - she's such a smartie). When I took them to the counter, the woman wouldn't charge me anything; they were her buttons. She said she loves children and I can use those buttons to teach my niece.

I made a lovely memory with my niece and have a little treasure to go with it. If she behaves herself like this all the time, I'll be taking her with me on more hunting trips.

This Morning's View

2010-02-11T08:23:00.000-06:00

The weather man said it wouldn't start until this afternoon, but apparently it snowed all night. When I woke up this morning, I had this view outside my window:

It's still snowing. It looks beautiful, but I'm so glad that I don't have to leave the house today.

Sharing the Love

2010-02-10T06:00:00.043-06:00

I organized a little Valentine Handmade Swap with some long-distance scrappy friends. I got my friend Diana up in Chicago, and here is what I made for her.

For her card, I had this paper from K&Co and loved the little birdie and music notes. The paper was printed with "You make my heart sing," but it was too big to fit onto a card. So, I cut out the bird, layered it on some other Valentine paper and then onto a sheet music heart, and punched out a red Dymo label title.

Next, I made a couple of ATCs. I again used paper from K&Co and embellished the images to make them "special." On "Lovey Dovey," I added tiny sead beads to the heart and put Glossy Accents on the title. I added a heart-shaped eyelet and threaded baker's twine through it.

"Love is in the air" is embellished with vintage sheet music, stitching, a ribbon rosette, and fancy pin.

I also made this "Hugs and Kisses" bottle for her. I had a box of old glass bottles that I've been wanting to dig out of my shed forever. I finally did and decorated this one. The outside is decorated with vintage sheet music, lace, and dress pattern tissue. I made the title with my Dymo and tied on a vintage rhinestone heart brooch. Inside I put red, gold, and silver sequins, beads, and glitter.

My favorite project to make was this little heart hanger. I was inspired by a tiny snippet of a project on Teresa McFayden's blog. I cut out a heart from vintage sheet music and then cut another heart slight larger with my scallop-edge scissors. I added black stitching around the perimeter and coated the paper with clear glitter. I also stitched a length of red satin ribbon up the middle. I pulled the string on the ribbon to create a ruffle, and then stitched it to the paper heart.

I made a ribbon flower using the same stitched ribbon. Then I had fun embellishing! I cut out the little girl's photo and added silver German foil wings to turn her into the sweetest little cherub. I stitched a little heart onto a scrap of a vintage white tablecloth, and then stitched this to a piece of felt. This little embellishment is adhered with a pearl-topped stick pin. Then I took a little "fairy capsule" and filled it with beads, glitter, and iradescent heart confetti. I used sterling wire to attach it to the assemblage.

I punched two holes, added white eyelets, and tied on a length of pink seam binding.

I hope these little treasures remind her of how much she's loved.

Another Etsy Treasure

2010-02-08T06:00:00.001-06:00

Look what came in the mail!

I saw this beauty on Ellen's blog and had to have it! It was for sale in her etsy shop and I snatched it up! Now it's hanging on a shabby cabinet in our bedroom. Since the colors aren't the traditional Valentine pink and red, I'm thinking of leaving it up all year.

More Projects With Amy's Creative Treasures

2010-02-06T12:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I shared the layouts that I created with the February kit from Amy's Creative Treasures. Here are two cards that I made with the same kit.

This card uses GCD's Cloisonne Collection "Amour" and a cut from Pink Paislee's Cupid Collection "Paislee Postcards." The lace trim is from Webster's Pages. It is so soft and luxurious! The cupid ruffle is from Making Memories ("Love Struck"). The flowers are all in the kit. I also tucked one of the Jenni Bowlin chipboard buttons among the embellishments.

From my own stash I added the background paper, which is from Melissa Frances, and baker's twine. I also added some Diamond Stickles around the crepe paper ruffle.

This card uses the "B side" of Making Memories' Love Struck "Pattern Heart" paper. The Jenni Bowlin journaling card needed some dressing up. So, I added a piece of trim from Webster's Pages and stitched on three buttons. The "Paris" cut is from GCD's Paris Nights "d'Orsay" paper. The border stamp is also in the kit. I stamped it onto tracing paper and embossed with Tim Holtz Black Soot Distress Embossing Powder.

From my stash, I added black tulle and vintage dress pattern tissue.

Even after two cards and three layouts, I still have so many supplies left from this kit! I think I'll use some of the Paris themed supplies for a mini album...

Amy's Creative Treasures Kit

2010-02-05T06:00:00.003-06:00

The February kit from Amy's Creative Treasures is now available! Here are the layouts that I created with the kit.

For this first layout, the background paper is GCD's Cloisonne Collection "Fanciful Hearts." I added a large pink doily under the photo to provide a slightly solid backdrop over the patterned paper. The photo of my naughty little kitty Macy is mounted on GCD's Cloisonne Collection "Amour" paper and Pink Paislee's Cupid Collection "Bow & Arrow."

The gorgeous lacy trim is from Webster's Pages. The red paper scrap is also from the kit - Pink Paislee's Cupid Collection "Love Potion." I added a journaling card cut from Pink Paislee's Cupid Collection "Paislee Postcards," to which I added a couple rub-ons from My Little Yellow Bicycle.

In addition to the items from the kit, I added the heart doily, crocheted flowers, brad, vintage posies, and butterfly (Martha Stewart punch).

This next layout is titled "Keep the French Champagne, I Want Paris Couture." The background paper is Jenni Bowlin's "Love Song." The papers on the heart are Pink Paislee's Cupid Collection "Love Potion" and "Bow & Arrow." The Eiffel Tower is cut from GCD's Paris Nights Collection "d'Orsay." I made the ruffled flower from Webster's Pages trim.

In addition to the kit items, I added a ruffle stitched from vintage dress pattern tissue, Maya Road crystal pin (to which I added a vintage pearl bead and rhinestone bead), posies, vintage brooch, butterfly (Martha Stewart punch), vintage advertisement, and Dymo label title.

This layout with our big lazy kitty Angel uses Making Memories Love Struck "Heart Vine" paper for the background. Big kitty's photo is mounted on Pink Paislee's Cupid Collection "Love Potion," to which I added Tim Holtz Black Soot Distress Embossing Powder.

The black border across the photo is made with the border stamp from kit, stamped onto tracing paper and embossed with more of the Black Soot Embossing Powder. The paper ruffle is a scrap from the kit - GCD's Cloisonne Collection "Amour." The Jenni Bowlin chipboard buttons are also in the kit. On the large brown button, I applied Tim Holtz Rock Candy Crackle Paint, and then dabbed on some Worn Lipstick Distress Ink once it was dry. On the red button, I applied a layer of Glossy Accents. The flowers are from the kit, as are the Making Memories "Love Struck" alphas at the bottom.

I added the pink doily, vintage sheet music heart, printed title, baker's twine, and Kaiser Craft chipboard letters (with vintage dictionary paper adhered on top).

I have a couple of cards that I also created with the kit. I'll share those tomorrow.

Love Letters

2010-02-02T06:00:00.023-06:00

I enjoyed making one of these Love Letters collages for a swap I did, so I made a couple more. Each is unique, but have the same soft and vintage feel.

I made this one for my mom:

I used a Jenni Bowlin Valentine Bingo card for the background and stitched up a dress pattern paper ruffle. I used vintage sheet music and lace, a scrap from an old letter, and a pen nib. I layered it all together for a romantic collage.

I made a very similar one for myself, which is hanging from our old general store hutch.

I added a pearl flourish to mine to fill in some of the white space. I added a gather of old lace and ribbons to the top, attached with a large rhinestone brad. Here are a couple of closeups:

Happy Birthday Princess Layla!

2010-01-30T06:00:00.020-06:00

Today is my niece's 12th birthday. She's grown up so much in the last few years, and had lots of changes at home this year. I figured she needed some girl time with her favorite aunt. I flew up to see her in NJ this weekend so we can celebrate her special day. Today is her party and tomorrow we're doing something together - just the two of us. She's such a sweet girl and doesn't get a lot of time to just be a kid.

Here's the card I made for my little princess. I used vintage sheet music, scraps and stickers from Cosmo Cricket. I made the pink felt flower and added a Prima flower with rhinestone center.

I'll miss her when I have to head back home on Monday.

Valentine Inchies

2010-01-28T06:00:00.001-06:00

Earlier this month, I shared the inchies I created for a swap. I've received all my inchies from the swappers, and they look awesome! Such variety in techniques, styles, and products.

Here's a photo of all of them together.

Aren't they unique and fabulous?

Since I have to worry about my little kitty getting into everything, I needed a safe place to keep these. I made this Valentine box last year, and it's the perfect place for all the inchies.

Take a peek inside:

My Etsy Shop Is Up!

2010-01-27T06:00:00.000-06:00

A year later, I am finally getting some things posted for sale on Etsy. Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to do this and who have offered to buy so many of my projects in the past. Now you can!

My camera battery died on me when I was taking photos of my trims, so not everything is up yet. It is definitely a work in progress.

But, there are a few things there now with the promise of more to come soon. Please check it out and let me know what you think!

We added a link to the sidebar so you can access my shop anytime!

Creative Treasures Kit Sneak Peeks

2010-01-25T06:00:00.017-06:00

The first kit from Creative Treasures will be on sale in early February. Here are some sneak peeks of what's inside:

That paper and trim look so soft and lovely together. And the Jenni Bowlin buttons and cards... How about that border stamp? Oh, I can hardly wait! Be sure to check out my creations from this kit that will be posted on February 8, and be sure to purchase your own kit to get creative!

In Love with MOSD

2010-01-23T07:00:00.014-06:00

Today is my monthly post for Midnight Oil Scrapbook Designs. Please stop by and leave me some love! Speaking of love, here's a Valentine project that I put together using one of MOSD's Perfectly Shaped Circle Scallop build-a-book pages.

The scalloped edges give another layer of ruffle to my project, and the chipboard makes a sturdy base for all the layers. First, I covered the chipboard with patterned paper. Then I adhered a ruffle of dress pattern paper to the back. Of course, I added Diamond Stickles to the edge of the tissue paper to give it a little sparkle.

I cut out a heart from vintage sheet music and added stitching around the edges, using my new sewing machine that Husband bought me for Christmas. I cut out another heart from pink paper using scallop-edge scissors and adhered it under the sheet music heart. Under these layered paper hearts, I added a ruffle of vintage edging.

To give the piece the color it needed, I added a Fancy Pants rub-on rose and Thickers glittered alphas to spell "love."

I've been busy getting some Valentine's projects complete, and I'll share more next week.

Vintage Thank You

2010-01-21T06:00:00.000-06:00

I made this card a while back, but never got the chance to share it. This little lady from an old French postcard was just begging to have something to carry. So, I made her a "Thank You" banner to grace the recipient with kindness.

I wrote the letters onto an old book page, cut them out individually, then strung onto blue baker's twine. The little banner was then adhered between little missy's hands. The postcard is adhered to a scrap of Basic Grey paper, and then layered onto a bright and busy piece of another pattern from Basic Grey. I tucked in the little stamped postcard at the bottom.

Amy's Creative Treasures Design Team

2010-01-19T06:00:00.001-06:00

I didn't think I'd be able to share this news until next month, but Amy has already announced her design team, and I was selected!

Amy's Creative Treasures is a new monthly kit club. The first kit will be available on February 8. I'm excited to be a part of her team, and can't wait to see what goodies are in the kit! I'll post more details as soon as I have them, so keep your eyes peeled for them.

Soft and Feminine Cards

2010-01-18T06:00:00.000-06:00

I made a few cards using some paper scraps, leftovers, and vintage images. The overall look is very "pink," but that's what makes them so soft and feminine.

This card was inspired by the quote that I used from James M. Barrie: God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December. The words conjure such lovely thoughts. I used an image from Crafty Secrets, K&Co paper, vintage sheet music, Prima flowers, ribbon scraps, and some bling.

This card uses another image from Crafty Secrets, Basic Grey paper, a vintage book page and other paper scraps. The butterfly is a Martha Stewart punch.

Here's a closeup of that sweet birdie:

Finally, this card features a stamped image as the focal point. The lady and "vintage" are two stamps I bought at Big Lots months ago. I stamped them onto cardstock, and then colored in the lady. I layered a piece of soft pink vellum on top of the image to mute it even more. The background is a collage of pink and vintage paper scraps. I created a layered flower, tied on a ribbon scrap, and put in a pearl stick pin.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope that winter is being kind to you!

Vacation Layouts

2010-01-16T06:00:00.020-06:00

I am so far behind on my scrapbooks. I'm still working on our Thanksgiving trip to Disneyland and the Grand Canyon from 2005! I put this album aside months ago to work on other projects and have never had the motivation to get back to it. I think it's because I can't use pinks and flowers for Grand Canyon photos.

I completed a few layouts this week. It took a bit to get back into the swing of things, but I have a couple pages that I like. Here they are:

This double page layout uses papers from Pink Paislee, Basic Grey, and Melissa Frances. The cardstock is Prima and the flowers are Prima and Petaloo.

Here's my favorite page:

For the boarder on the top, I layered fabric strips, vintage lace, and flowers. I added stitching over the lace and paper for another texture.

For this double layout, I used Jenni Bowlin and Daisy D's paper. The long photo that spans both pages is a series of photos that we took one at a time, moving the camera over for each. It was a great way to photograph this entire portion canyon, and not try to squeeze it into one photo.

Vintage Valentine Swap

2010-01-14T06:00:00.001-06:00

I'm participating in a few Valentine's swaps this month. One of my projects is a vintage style hanging.

I used one of the Jenni Bowlin Valentine Bingo cards as the base, inking it with Distress Inks to tone down the white. I used my new sewing machine to stitch a sewing pattern tissue ruffle, which I adhered around the card. I cut out the vintage image and added a small plastic flower to her headband, along with white Pearl Accents and Diamond Stickles.

Since I called this one "Love Letters", I needed a little pile of them. I tore and folded pieces of vintage book paper for the bottom layers. The top layer is a piece of a vintage letter. I tied the stack with red and pink baker's twine and adhered a pen nib. Before adding the letters to the base, I adhered a piece of tea-stained cheese cloth under them for more softness and texture.

I layered some Prima flowers and a velvet leaf and attached them to the ribbon hanger, adding a large adhesive pearl to the flower center.

I'm making a couple different varieties of this hanging. I'll share them as soon as I have some time to get them done!

Pet a Baby Kangaroo...Check

2010-01-12T06:00:00.000-06:00

Here is what I did yesterday:

Yep, that's me petting a baby albino kangaroo. She is just the sweetest little thing. Six months old with fur as soft as mink.

One of my husband's colleagues volunteers at the Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch in Pilot Point, TX. Each spring, they bottle raise a baby animal. This year, it's an albino kangaroo.

After a little while, she got tired from all her visitors and hopped into her pouch for some rest.

Couldn't you just take her everywhere?!

Time to Get Romantic

2010-01-09T07:00:00.017-06:00

Of course, my husband will have something other than cards in mind. Now that the Christmas decorations are away, the house looks so bland and empty. Time to fill it up with soft and romantic touches for Valentine's Day.

I made this card for a friend of mine who sent me the most lovely Christmas gift, which included lots of Webster's Pages supplies.

I used Webster's patterned paper and a Fabric Fancy. I layered on vintage sheet music, lace and ribbon, Bazzill and Prima flowers, and vintage millinery posies and leaf. I added some sparkle to the Fabric Fancy with a glitter pen.

Valentine's Day Inchies

2010-01-07T08:48:00.000-06:00

Before Christmas, I saw some bloggers already posted Valentine's Day projects. That was a bit early for me, especially since I still had Christmas projects to share. Now that we've gotten past New Year's, I'm ready for the next year of holidays.

I did a swap with a few friends for Valentine inchies. If you don't know what an inchie is, cut a piece of paper to one-inch square, decorate it, and now you have inchie!

I'm still waiting on most of the inchies to come in, but here is a sample of the inchies that I created.

After cutting my paper, I realized that one inch is not a lot of real estate. I covered a piece of cardboard with a square of vintage sheet music. Then I cut out red hearts from cardstock. I wanted them to be asymmetrical, so I cut them freehand. After adhering the hearts, I dry brushed white paint over the entire inchie and then used a swirly stamp and pink Distress Ink to give the background more pattern. I glued on a little heart confetti and wrote "LOVE" on each heart.

This is the first inchie I've ever created. I think making these with a holiday theme helped my creativity a bit more, because I love making holiday projects. They have an obvious theme.

To Etsy or Not to Etsy

2010-01-06T07:00:00.007-06:00

One of my goals for this year is to FINALLY get my etsy shop going so I actually have a reason to create more stuff. One question I have is - What does anyone want to buy? Should I start making jewelry? Cards? Altered pieces? Sell some things from my stash?

If you would be so kind as to leave a comment with what types of items you'd be interested in purchasing, it will help steer me in the right direction to get started. I'd love to get this going in the next month, but with my current work load and travel schedule, it may take a bit longer.

Vintage Inspired Jewelry

2010-01-05T10:27:00.000-06:00

For this past Christmas, I made a few pairs of earrings for gifts for my mom, my aunt, and my MIL. Each one is different, but the basic techniques are the same.

This pair uses Swarovski crystal beads, and some other exotic looking beads that I had in my stash. I wired them on 14K gold plate findings.

This next pair is all sterling silver, with amethyst beads and pink quartz beads that I bought in Sedona.

Finally, this pair uses vintage pearl beads and minty green beads for a fresh, feminine look.

My husband gave me this necklace that I spied at an antique sale that we went to back in October. She used an old watch casing for the frame. Those are real diamonds around the bezel. She used a vintage dictionary page for the background and then added vintage rhinestone beads inside and a vintage rhinestone bead to the chain. It's so cool and one of my favorite pieces.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T09:09:00.000-06:00

How has 2010 started out for you? I enjoyed a few more days off from work, visited a great scrappy friend, and now I'm back to work.

Are you making any resolutions? I usually don't, but some friends and I made some scrapping resolutions. I really want to get back to my scrapbooking. Last year, I started making cards - and I love it! I also made several altered art pieces, and started making ATCs. I branched out and tried new things, which I will continue with. But now it's time to get back to making some layouts so I can get our vacations and photos scrapped from the last 4 years (yes, that's how behind I am!). I think I'm feeling overwhelmed because there is so much to do.

Once I get back on track, I'll start sharing some of my layouts. I made a few pages for our Grand Canyon trip (from 2005), but nothing spectacular.

I hope 2010 has started off on a positive note, and wish you great creative endeavors for the year.

9 Projects from 2009

2009-12-30T07:00:00.000-06:00

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. We were able to spend some time with my husband's family over the weekend. The kids get so big so quickly. They run everywhere now!

I was reading Danielle Flanders' blog last week and she had a great idea to repost 9 projects she enjoyed from 2009. So, I'm doing the same. This past year, I've made many new scrapbooking friends and discovered so many creative blogs that I enjoy following. I've really developed my style even more and stepped outside my creative box to create some projects that seemed to come out of nowhere! Here are 9 of my favorites.

The Fairy Tea Party is of the most elaborate altered art project that I've attempted so far. I enjoy creating things that have a "story" to them, and this piece has many to tell.

"Shall I Dance for You" is an altered tag using several layers, techniques, and products. I was so happy with how she came out. She's been hanging above my creative space ever since.

I made the B-17 Adventure mini book for my husband. He has it proudly displayed on his desk.

I made this baby card for a friend's new grandbaby. It was my first "commissioned" piece :)

This year, I got to meet Tim Holtz! I took a class that he taught at Ten Seconds Studio. It was so much fun! I created this layout of our photo together. It's now framed and hanging above my scrappy space.

This card is the very first project that I've had published. I was so excited!

I made this "True Love" card for my husband for our anniversary. I loved the turquoise color and all the elements I had in that color to embellish it with.

My "Enter If You Dare" Halloween mini book was so much fun to put together. I loved all the vintage images and spooky layers.

Finally, during one of my visits to NJ, I captured my niece playing in the garden. She continually tried to pick up this large rock with her teeny tiny fingertips. Every time, she exhaled "Stuck!" when she finally gave up. Then tried it all over again.

I hope 2010 brings you many happy surprises, creative inspiration, and wonderful memories with family and friends.

Happy New Year!

Weekend Fun

2009-12-28T09:59:00.001-06:00

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! My husband and I spent a quiet day at home. On Christmas Eve, it snowed - all day. This is the first time I have seen a white Christmas in Texas.

One of my gifts was such a surprise - a trunk full of vintage jewelry and "stuff" to use in my projects.

This treasure chest has been sitting under the tree for a month and I was secretly trying to guess what could be in it. This is not what I expected! I also received a new sewing machine, so I can do some stitching on my cards and layouts and hopefully put it to use creating some fabric collages.

We spent the weekend in Houston visiting husband's family. And then, yesterday I got to go here:

Archiver's! In Houston. The closest Archiver's to us is in Austin, three hours away. So when I found out there is an Archiver's in Houston, I made sure we had to stop on the way home.

It reminded me of the Recollections stores that we used to have.

I bought a few goodies, but my favorite purchase is this:

A Dymo Caption Maker. I love my Dymo label maker, but when I saw script font on a Dymo label on one of Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas, I had to have it. I had no idea where he got it, but I wanted it. While browsing through Archiver's, I spotted it! Now it's mine. I'm hoping to spend some time this week working on some layouts that I have long neglected. I'll be loading up this bad boy to try out.