Compendium of Curiosities Challenge #15 - Cabinet Card Pocket

Hello all. Thanks for popping in to check out the next Compendium of Curiosities Challenge. We're already at number 15 in the series and there's plenty more to come. The current challenge is the Cabinet Card Pocket and can be found in the Compendium of Curiosities Vol. III on page 38.

If you don't know about the challenges, here's a quick run-down: Tim Holtz is a super-talented crafter guy who has produced three books in the Compendium of Curiosities line which showcase his fabulous product line and oodles of mixed media techniques. Myself along with The Curiosity Crew are here to present you with a new challenge from the Volume III book every other week. The Crew is somewhat of a design team, so to speak, and for each challenge we create something to share with you in hopes of inspiring and motivating you to join in the fun. It all starts on the lovely Linda Ledbetter's blog right here. The bonus is, by challenging yourself along with us, you not only grow as an artist/crafter by learning tons of new techniques, you're eligible to win either a shopping voucher from one of our two awesome online sponsors or you could win a big juicy prize package straight from Tim and Mario! All the details to get you going are at the bottom of my post, so be sure to read all the way through.


Now, on to the challenge! You've probably seen the Cabinet Card Pockets in the craft store and, like me, wondered what to do with them.

It wasn't until I attended CHA this past January and did the make-n-take that I understood the potential uses for this product. This was my version of that make-n-take at the Idea-ology booth. I was officially in love!

Today I've created a 12 x 12 layout honoring this little girl nicknamed Nettie. Isn't she cute? (wink-wink)

I pulled papers from French Industrial as my layout's base, then used the Wallflower Vellum (for the first time!) across the middle. I love how you can see through to the paper behind it. I stitched a border and a couple zig-zag stitches on my sewing machine.

I tore away the lower right and upper left corners to expose the red stripe peeking underneath. It needed some serious ink-distressing, which is what I did next.

And there she is again, tucked away inside this cabinet card pocket. (Okay, no big mystery: it's me.)  I was five years old in this photo and we lived in Michigan where I was born. That's why I picked this particular card from the pack, because it's says Coldwater, Michigan in the lower right corner. I sanded the outer edges then inked with Vintage Photo. Since there's not a lot of real estate on this pocket card, I opted for some simple word rub-ons and affixed a circle from the Expedition Ephemera Pack which I added music note rub-ons to, then a number 5 brad for my age in the upper left corner.

I attached some natural trimmings and a bingo card from the same ephemera pack and some lace behind the cabinet card. 

I cut another strip from the vellum (ABCDEF...) and adhered it across the top, then added some metal foliage and an ornate plate with an adage ticket (Giggle). The Who, What, and Where cards are also from the ephemera pack. They reminded me of my early school days. I attached a metal arrow pointing to Who, after layering another ribbon trim vertically.

My nickname Nettie is spelled out with the alpha tiles, then more ephemera pieces in the upper right corner, which got a heavy dose of wrinkling and ink-distressing.

As a final step, I die-cut some greenery from Wallflower Vellum and layered them above and below the photo. (Be sure to click on the photo to get a closer look.)

As I chose the rub-on words for my card, it became sort of a message from the current me to the five-year-old me. Seek beauty, live simply, create, discover, etc. I admit I do like this picture of me. It's one of my favorites from my childhood. This will not go into a scrapbook but rather into a black frame along with other family photos and memories on our wall.

Okay, now it's YOUR turn to enjoy the creative journey. 

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Do you have the fabulous Compendium of Curiosities Vol. III book by Tim Holtz? (the master of all things vintage and distressed.) If not, you can find one at your local craft store, scrapbook store, or you can get a signed copy by Tim himself by going here. 

You can find all the CC3 Challenge details and FAQs here.  The lovely Linda Ledbetter is our hostess of this fun series of challenges, and all you have to do to participate is create your project, and upload to her site. Be sure, though, to read through all the FAQs so you're eligible to win...

We're working our way through this fantastic book of techniques and tips, and challenging you to join in the fun. This round's challenge is sponsored by the great folks at Inspiration Emporium who have a fabulous gift voucher to give away to one lucky random winner. Also, the Curiosity Crew's Choice scores a giant prize pack of goodies straight from Tim and Mario!

And don't forget, you can find these great products I've used today at Inspiration Emporium's online store.