Wendy Vecchi Altered Journal Cover

It's time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and I'm hostessing our challenge with the theme Show Us Your Stamps.  Shocker!  ;0  There's nothing I love more than incorporating stamps into my work.  Here's the challenge description: Our challenge this round can be summed up with one word - STAMPS!  We want to see you break out those stamps and get inky.   There are so many ways to use stamps, and you probably have a few you have never even used - so come play along!  We cannot wait to see your stamped vintage or shabby chic creations. 

Upon raiding my "alterable items" bin, I found this freebie journal my daughter was given at a college tour.  She said, "Mom, I think you can use this to alter for your art."  Awe!  She knows me well...  :)  I had painted the cover completely black with gesso previously.  I added a bit of metallic embossing by lightly tapping the edges with my Versmark pad and then adding embossing enamel.  I glued my ribbon on so I could have a tie closure.

I cut a watercolor panel to size then inked with Aged Mahogany and Vintage Photo Distress Inks.  I used one of Tim's tiny stencils and texture paste to create the pattern.  I spritzed with water, then brushed on more DI.

I am still anxious to play with my new Wendy Vecchi stamps, which by the way are on sale this week!  I stamped one of Wendy's sentiments onto inked up card and curled the edges to give it dimension.

I decided to add more black to help balance the border of the journal, so I cut an Ornate Frame 2 die from chipboard and scraped on some texture paste.  I painted the dried frame with black gesso, then lightly tapped my Versamark pad and embossed for a subtle contrast.  I glued in a sheet of burlap for extra texture.

My flowers were stamped in sepia onto lightly inked card and fussy cut to build my design.  

I tucked in a couple of snips of black foliage, inked with gold, for extra contrast.

I had this embossed butterfly in the bin and thought he worked perfectly to complete the design.  I hope you're inspired to play along with our challenge for a chance to win a $25 giftcard to the Funkie Junkie Boutique.

Find these and other fine stamping supplies at the Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Stamp It Stencil It - Garden Fresh	(February Pre-order) Stampers Anonymous Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Stamp Set - Flourishing Art	Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Mini Layering Stencils - Set 4 THMST004 (February Pre-Order)	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Aged Mahogany
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo	Ranger Texture Paste	Sizzix Bigz Die - Ornate Frame #2 - 661195 (February Pre-Order)	Prima Art Basics - Heavy Gesso - Black 17 fl. oz. (March Pre-Order)
Ranger Embossing Powder - Gold - Super Fine Detail	VersaMark Watermark Ink Stamp Pad	Ranger Archival Ink - Sepia	Tim Holtz Idea-ology Textured Surfaces
Sizzix Holiday Greens Die Leaves	(February Pre-order) Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 4PK - Detailed Butterflies, Mini by Tim Holtz	Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black Pad #3

I'm also sharing with:
Fussy and Fancy: Fall Colors
The Artistic Stamper: Take a Little Color
That's Crafty: Fly Away
Happy Little Stampers: Mixed Media w/ Collage
Craft Stamper: Take it Make it: Anything Goes
Altered Eclectics: Anything Mixed Media/Altered Art Goes