Fearless

Each Design Team Member was given a few items and asked to create something that defines their "style".  I decided to incorporate vintage elements because as you know by now, it's my thing.  My theme is Fearless.  I think even when I am fearful; I have to show the world that deep within myself I can muster up courage to propel myself forward.  When the going gets tough, I may cower down for a second but before you know it I am back up on my two feet and kicking some serious ass.  :)  So this is a tribute to my style and my attitude.

A little bit about this piece...I love old books.  Not so much to read them but I love to incorporate them into my work.  So I pulled the cover off of an old geography book from the early 1900's to use as a base for my work.

I purchased this little frame for a dollar at Michael's a while back.  I love vintage looking frames.  I just peeled off the back side and adhered it to the book cover with hot glue.  The paper inside of the frame is from the new kraft paper line by Tim Holtz.  The stamp is also Tim's --it reads "What if your FEARS and DREAMS exist in the same place, would you still go there?  The dangling chandelier piece (can't be seen below but can be seen above) is brand new from Maya Road.

The chipboard scroll is by Maya Road.  Like any other chipboard it is sold bare.  I dabbed "Vintage Photo" distress ink by Ranger/Tim Holtz.  Then I outlined the scroll using a black pen.  The cream colored calendar sheer is by Maya Road and it's one of the elements that was sent to me by the store.  The word "FEARLESS" was made with stickers by October Afternoon.  The black bird is a stamp by Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous.  I first stamped the bird on the sheer using "Staz-On" in black.  Then I stamped the same image on kraft paper.  I cut the image out and positioned a pop-dot behind it and then adhered it over the samped image.  I did not bother to cut the legs out of the image on the kraft paper --that's too much detailed work.  That's why I first stamped it on the sheer.  Make sense?  The photo is on a mat that I made using Kraft paper as well.   

For those of you that have never worked with chipboard, it looks like this:

You can dress it up in so many ways...with paint, paper, mists, inks, etc.  What I did with the chipboard flower shown here is 1) Inked it up with Vintage Photo Distress Ink, 2) I stamped over it, and 3) I embossed it with clear Ultra Thick Embossing powder (UTE).  Doing that will make your embellishment look like a neat epoxy sticker.  :)  As far as the flower on top of the chipboard - I think it's probably by Prima.  Again, I dabbed Vintage Photo Distress Ink then I filled the center with Glossy Accents and then dropped the mini ---hmmm, whatever those are in the center.

As far as the little goodies here...well, the calendar, license plates, and numbers are by Tim Holtz.  The buttons are chipboard and those are by Graphic 45.  The trinket star is by Maya Road.  And the flowers are by Prima.  Notice that I used the same technique on the smaller chipboard flower that I used on the larger chipboard flower (distress ink, stamp, and emboss with UTE).  A little bit about the significance of some of these items.  First of all I was born on Wednesday, January 26 1977 (hence the two 7's).  The word "Yes!" is the answer to the question in the frame.  The Texas plate is self explanatory, I'm a Texas Girl!  Texas born, Texas Raised, Texas Proud, Texas till I die!  The Tennessee plate is a testament to so much of who I am today.  I moved to TN years ago --away from my family to a place I had never been, where I knew no one but my ex-husband.  Was I scared?  Yes.  But I did it anyway with all of the confidence that I had in me.  I endured two years of hell away from my family being married to an abusive man but as I walked away from TN, I was braver than I had ever been. 

Thanks for looking, my friends.