2013 Skull-a-bration Day

I can hardly believe a whole year has passed since the massive bloghop of 2012 celebrating the beauty of the cranium. This little (???) party has been organised by the gals over at Smeared Ink/Smeared & Smudged forum and is only a small part of the world wide tribute to that bony shell that contains our brain. For more info on the world wide event, the Skull-A-Day Blog and for the Smeared & Smudged participation, follow the links.

If you are following the hop order then you will have arrived, and still be reeling, from the amazing Bombshell Girls creations. If you have arrived here just on the off chance, then may I suggest that you start up at Terra's blog and see the whole wonderful array from start to finish? If you're just lost - well the whole blog hop order is there on the left hand side bar of my blog.

I have two projects to show today.
The first features just one of the images that are to be only available through the Smeared Ink Rubber Club for June. This project was created using a digital version. As a member of the DT, I was lucky enough to be able to use this as a preview. The set is called MORTE and created using the fabulous artistry of Rick St Dennis who has now joined the Smeared Ink's awesome collection of artists. You really need to check this collection out!!

If you are a lover of Rick's fabulous work and can't wait for the rubber set then why not head on over to his Etsy shop and have a look at the selection of Skull images there.

An altered cigar box.

different aspects here of the entire box, showing the dimension of the decoupaged front and the stencilled sides and back (Andy Skinner). The image was coloured with promarkers on both top and front. Because of the limitations of the light available here in Scotland, I scanned the image before attaching to give a better idea of the colour. That's distress ink you see colouring the white card base.

The paper covering and lining the box was purchased from Crafty Chaos, who sadly are no longer trading. The "wrought iron" on the corners are from a Sheena Douglas set of rubber stamps.

The second project is an altered key cabinet

This is lined with papers from the same Crafty Chaos papers. The whole box was washed with acrylic paint before the addition of gold metallic rubbing wax on the edges. Various rubber stamped images from Smeared Ink's Quoth The Raven, Lost Coast and Tim Holtz were then adhered. The side edges covered with a copper coloured ribbon and punched paper using MS drippy goo. The hooks that came with this salvaged piece need to be replaced. The white plastic covered ones really do not "go".

Thank you all for taking the time to visit my little corner of bloggy world and hope you enjoy the rest of the amazing projects. Again, if you get lost, the left hand side bar here contains all the blog addresses of the other artists that have dedicated their time and join with me in this Skull-a-bration blog hop.

Both my projects fit the bill of the challenge at Craft My Life - a re-launch of the challenge blog where anything but a card is the norm
They also fit the challenge at Created with Love - Anything Goes. Who doesn't just love their noggin?
The challenge over at Simon Says Stamp is to use the letter S in projects, well I have loads of SKULLS here so would like to enter into this challenge as well.
The Hobby House challenges have an Anything Goes challenge this month as their first ever challenge

Love Rubbah and RSD

Rick St Dennis and Smeared Ink are collaborating. Hopefully this is the first set of many. The first set -

MORTE

- is going to be available in June. It can only be obtained from the Smeared Ink Rubber Club. Get on over and check it out. You'll kick yourself if you don't.

Aren't these just to die for?
As a member of the Smeared Ink DT, I got to play with a preview image. Happy bunny here.
Only a tag for now, and I can't wait for the other images to plop on the doormat.

The gate, as you can see, is hinged to allow the true beauty of the image to be seen.

This was cut from a memorybox die that I picked up at Samuel Taylors stall at the last SECC craft show.

The image was coloured with promarkers and the BG was created with distress inks.

The words "I'm watching you" are from a Smeared Ink set - The original L'il Grumpies - again from the Smeared Ink Rubber Club.

The crackle on the tag was created using a Sheena Douglas stamp from the A Little Bit Sketchy range as was the corner colour of the image piece.

Want to see some more?

A preview of the image I'm going to be using for my Skull-a-bration piece. This just happens to be another of the images available in the stamp set. For more information on this event please visit the forum over at Smeared and Smudged.

There will be more to it than this, I hope you realised that.

I'd like to enter my tag into the challenge at

Crazy 4 Challenges - NO Patterned paper. I used distress inks and stamping to create my BG

Addicted to Stamps - Anything Goes

Anything goes and Skull-a-Day Blog hop

Are you sitting comfy - this is one very long post!!! If you're looking for my Haunted Design House post - it's the next one down.
I have decided to combine my post here for Smudgy Antics June Anything Goes challenge and the Skull-a-Day blog hop sponsored by Smeared and Smudged.  Both projects are skulls but both have there own unique twists. The skull for the Smudgy Antics challenge has, of course Smeared Ink stamps used on it. To be precise, stamps from the Quoth the Raven rubber stamp set.

The images were all stamped onto orange tissue paper and heat embossed with black with added touches of copper and purple. Both the copper and the purple seemed to overcome the black but it did darken. There's the ravens on the teeth and the forehead from the holy city range as well. All coated with matt mod podge to seal.

A hole cut in the top to take a candle. I used an old pie dish, that was sprinkled with black alcohol ink to take that silver glare down and camouflage, to both protect the inside and hole area from any over heated wax.

My second skull

Both these skulls have had the same basic paint treatment. First painted with black acrylic paint after sealing with watered down pva glue. When thoroughly dry they were dry brushed with burnt umber then some bits were highlighted with burnt sienna acrylic paints. This gives them that old leathered look I was after. 

This one is my steam punk one. The stamps used are by Andy Skinner at Personal Impressions and the die cuts are TH gadget gears. Some old real watch parts used as well. All the bits apart from the tissue paper stuck on before painting.

Some texturizing medium used on the teeth and bits of the cogs to give the rusty look. the little "rivets" are just blobs of glossy accents and the cog centres are brads with the feet removed.

the blog list is a long one. So many people joining in this year which is wonderful news. There are lots of spot-prizes along the way from our fabulous sponsors as well 

for more information on Skull Appreciation Day, please visit here

for a list of the sponsors please pop over to Tori's blog

It has been decided that for the main prizes - the hop has to be completed, leaving comments on each blog, by midnight PST Wednesday 6/6/12 

and the list should you get lost - 

Terra
Tori
Black Dragon
Monique
Helen
Lady Brayton
Fiona
Christine
Jane
Judy
Alison
Susan
Andrea
Smudger Challenge
Laura
Lisa
Kristy
Steph
Glittery Katie
Lisa
Kapree
Ms. Ruin
Kathi
Bombshell Stamps Blog
Dianne
Donna
Nydia
Lady Coral
Suzi
Julia
Patti
Miko
Renee
Wendy
Christina
Hazel
Skye
Wenchkin
Betsy
Scrapbook Stamp Society


A challenge or 2 that I'd like to enter

Great Impressions challenge #4 - Die cuts/punches
Smudger challenge Blog - Skulls