Although we have turned the corner to spring, we’ve seem to still be getting little reminders of winter. We’ve had some fairly significant wind, a really quick but nasty snow storm, and another one moving in tomorrow. Despite having cleaned up the gardens in 70 degree weather two weekends ago, I now have to wait for the snow to melt so I can do some damage control on my poor lilac bushes that did not hold up well in the 40+ mile an hour winds and weighed down by the heavy, wet snow.
Since I had a bit of time on my hands this weekend, I started on another project for the Frilly & Funkie Challenge – You’ve Got to Know When to Fold ‘Em. The challenge is sponsored by the Funkie Junkie Boutique. I know that I’ll be coming in just barely under the wire but I figured I’d give the challenge another go.
For some reason I decided on carrots. Maybe it’s because I’m already thinking about the design for my gardens – carrots are always a great way to add dividing lines in a flower garden. Either way, I found a folded pattern for the carrots and off I went! I’m very thankful that the Distress Woodgrain Cardstock is now in an 8 ½ x 11 size!
I started with my boxes. I grabbed one of the new wooden trays from Tim Holtz and used watered down white gesso on it. I realized the smaller new tray wasn’t the right size so I had to dig around for the vignette boxes and grab one of them for the inside of the larger tray. Since the box was a bit darker, I used watered down Distress Paint to get a white washed look.
As the boxes were drying, I worked on my burlap flowers and carrot tops. I had several pieces of burlap from canvas corp brands (Wheat, Natural, and Hunter) and started on deconstructing it. For the flowers I cut strips and pulled the threads out longways but leaving several intact rows on either size. Once I pulled the threads, I folded it in half longways and glued the edges together. I then rolled it and there is the flower. The carrot tops were random long threads tied together, knotted, and ultimately put through the top of the carrot.
As the boxes were still drying, I created my carrot base. I wanted the texture from the woodgrain cardstock and added my carrot colors. I then traced my carrot pattern on to the woodgrain cardstock and cut out each carrot. Next, I grabbed a stamp and randomly stamped on to the carrots to give them some depth. Put the carrot together and then browned the edges with some Gathered Twigs.
For the boxes, I grabbed some paper from my scraps to layer the bottom of the boxes, found some flowers in the Tim Holtz ephemera, grabbed a couple of wooden spools, found some metal corners, and fished through my washi tape. I used the new Tim Holtz design tape to edge the large tray (I had to cut it down to size using my penblade from the Funkie Junkie). I then glued everything together.
Let me know what you think about my ode to carrots and burlap! Stay warm, dry, and safe as winter continues to show up on the doorstep for a couple more weeks.
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7 Responses
#1 stampersuzz said...
29-Mar-17 4:27 AMBrilliant carrots and cartons! Gorgeous design and so spring like and fun! Thanks for playing along with us at the Frilly and Funkie Challenge!
#2 Kathy/NorthCarolina said...
29-Mar-17 5:37 AMOh my goodness! Can you see me giving you a standing ovation for this wonderfully whimsical vignette? I adore those folded carrots! What a clever, clever way to incorporate folds, and what a gorgeous little springtime vignette! I adore your use of textiles...and texture...and oh, goodness...every little bit is perfection! Clearly, you know when to fold 'em! Thanks for sharing with us at Frilly and Funkie!
#3 iris said...
29-Mar-17 11:08 AMSimply stunning, creative and clever. Simply love this piece.
#4 Anne R said...
03-Apr-17 12:58 AMCame over from F & F to see this - Donna, your design is just SO clever, I love how you did the carrots, they are amazing!! x
#5 Zoe Hillman said...
03-Apr-17 3:02 AMThis is SO cool. I love those carrots, in fact I love it all!!! Congratulations on your well deserved win over Frilly & Funkie for the, "You've got to know when to fold 'em" challenge. <3
#6 marci piraro said...
06-Apr-17 3:44 AMStunning! I love the carrots and the tops of the carrots. The flowers are gorgeous, too.
#7 Beth said...
06-Apr-17 10:46 AMWow! I didn't used to like carrots!