Saturday 30 October 2010

Poinsetta Fairy

Another of Teri's Delicious Doodles.... and another Christmas card done. This time using Poinsetta Fairy. I was following a sketch - from where I can't remember off hand. Oh well.
Coloured mostly in promarkers with just a touch of gel pen and water colour paint here and there. I decoupaged the poinsetta border. I added an extra touch to one wing. Mirroring the scroll work of the image onto the dark bottle green card matting layer and then attaching that to some sage green card stock. Using the same sage green wrapped a ribbon bow round and stuck that onto the base adding peeloff borders as I went. The image layer was then stuck on using foam padded tape. A couple of homemade pins and some dewdrops and done apart from the sentiment - which I always leave until I decide who gets the card.


This is another entry into The Crafty Purple Frogs first challenge for "Anything Goes"

Star Keeper

The is the digi I chose from a recent Digistamps4joy win. I thought it would make the ideal Christmas card image for a couple of friends of mine. The lady's name as you might have guessed is "Star Keeper". After colouring her with promarkers, I decided to follow the sketch over at Midnight Madness this week. There are 2 different patterned papers used, a freebie digi and papermania I think. The top and bottom panels were made by stamping and embossing (several times) a little snow flake stamp I have. I attached a length of chain after attaching yet more little stars and a little bell on it using the peeloff snow flake centres, added stickles to the attaching brads. The other snowflakes I just added some tiny rhinestones. The simpe flower ( I wanted nothing to detract from the image) has a home made pin in it. All this then mounted onto white cardstock and silver peeloffs to surround.


Some of the detail ....




I am entering this into The Midnight Madness sketch Challenge #77

and The Christmas Card Challenges week #47 - Use a flower

And yet again into the Crafty Purple Frog's first Challenge

Friday 29 October 2010

Going my way? Which Way?

Stamp It Crazy have a halloween challenge with a difference this week..... MUST contain something you can ride. Well ...'tis the week when witches and warlocks are emerging from the hidden corners and heading off to their celebrations. My little cutie this week is a digi from Stamp It Crazy called Zambie. I have seated her on her broomstick and she's of to party. BUT....... she's lost :(
The background is inked glossy card onto which I stamped a few bats.
The base of the easel card has a panel that I stamped Smeared Ink stamps from the Holy City set and added 2 punched lengths of MS scary fence. Some of the gravestones I have cut on 3 sides and bent up to give a 3 D look.
















I am entering this into the Stamp It Crazy - Going My Way challenge
And this is another project I'm entering into the Crafty Purple Frog's 1st "Anything Goes" challenge. Also entering into The Daring Cardmakers' challenge this week for their Halloween theme and into Paperplay challenge for theirs. Simon Says stamp and show something spooky - so I'm entering into that challenge as well.

It's Time For Dark and Creepy At Tellen's Place

Two more days to go before that fab night and we're all gearing up for it. Well at Tellen's Place we are. Dark and Creepy is the challenge this week. For my part I have chosen to use ALL the "dark" halloween images that Marcus drew for this celebration time. I was very lucky to have the opportunity of getting my sticky (and inky) mitts on a couple of skulls (and coffins). Oh boy have I had fun.
The one for the challenge this week ....... taken in candle light .......... to hopefully show what it will look like on the night ...............













I started off by sealing the skull with watered down PVA as it is made from paper mache. Then a couple of coats of black acrylic paint. Then a thin coat of gloss. (to give it more of a slimy look)
While this was all drying ... printed onto thin paper each of the images. None of the images are more than 4cm tall. I flipped the doubles - so easy to do with digis.
The images were coloured with a variety of mediums - paint, pencils and promarkers and all fussy cut out. They were then mod-podged onto the skull.
To finish, when all that was dry, using metallic paint I painted little dots all over and highlighted the teeth adding a little extra sparkle on 2 of them.

Now it's your turn to show us Dark and Creepy (or anything Halloween). The girly girls amongst the Divas did it ......... so can YOU!! So come along to Tellen's Place and show us. Terry has even supplied a freebie to help you out and the winner will get 3 images from the store!!!

The first Crafty Purple Frog challenge is still on and they do say more than one entry allowed, so I am entering this into their "Anything Goes" challenge.

Thursday 28 October 2010

It's Nearly Halloween

As if you couldn't guess. Everyone, it seems is gearing up for All Hallow's Eve. Seems like I'll be having my own little party. Me, myself and I, and any others that turn up. Hubby's away for a few days. This corner of Scotland doesn't "do Halloween". Even the pumpkins here are smaller than a witch's cats head!! I still indulge myself though and make a few things. One of which is this little coffin.......
I started off by stamping a Lost Coast "skull with wreath" stamp a few times on some purple paper. My intention was that the wreath from one image would be shared with the one above. It grew and the next layer shares jaws..... as you can see - "a bit" of masking was going on here.
This went on to cover the top of a prepainted coffin (purple acrylic paint).
Round the bottom, I used a digi from Smeared Ink "It's about Time" which I had printed on the same purple paper.












Inside there is a computer generated motto in the lid and a zombieboy digi from Make It Crafty.
The boy was stuck in using a paper spring and surrounded by little scrunched up red tissue paper that I had inked to make it look old and dirty.


A couple of rounds of black ribbon to finish it all of

I am entering this into the Tuesday Taggers challenge this week for their Purple Challenge who are being sponsered this week by the Craft Barn and into the Haunted Design House challenge #62 - Smeared and Smudged - the amount of inking going on here inside and out :). Also going to enter it into the Sweet Stamping challenge for Anything but a card.

Wednesday 27 October 2010

New Releases for Tellen's Place Designs - More

Yes more!!! Marcus has been churning out yet more images. This time in the "Diva" range for you girls out there that prefer the girly girl images. Please go have a look at the Tellen's Place blog to see what our Sandra has created to show them off.

TPD's images are on sale - buy one, get one FREE!

AND there's still a day or so to enter our latest challenge as well to show us your buttons.

Meanwhile, Marcus has also drawn up some Halloween representations of us girls - how he sees us ... (these images are not in the shop) and this is ME

I made a door plaque to go on my crafty room door. I coloured me with promarkers. The papers are all from Crafty Chaos from the Halloween Howlers range. The "charms" down the side are a mixture of buttons and bits from a bracelet. Eyelets attached and threaded with ribbon.
The purple hair..... I really do have. hehehe

I am going to enter this into one or two challenges this week for Halloween as it is celebrating that time.
Pear Tree Designs - Halloween challenge
I Did It Creations - Surprise Me - Anything goes challenge

Monday 25 October 2010

Attitude? What Attitude?

Digis with Attitude is a new challenge blog I have just found out about. It's all about the attitude! They have this great little miss - Grumpy Gretchen - in a variety of poses and outfits. This one is the freebie this month.... Gretchen on a girls' night out. The challenge this week is to "Bling it on".
Well it is my daughter's birthday soon and this young lady is soooooo much like her, It just had to be done. I have left room at the bottom for a personal sentiment - it's not going to be given like this. I know - I don't do bling or girly cards very often but I had to use this image!!
I have coloured Gretchen with promarkers with just a touch of metallic paint on the headband, necklace and shoes. Added stickles to the neckline and hem of her dress and a little gem on the headband. Backed onto glitter card and then onto amethyst coloured paper that I used my drippy goo punch on. The flowers are all from Crafty Feelings. I added some little gems to the corners of the image layer. The "Attitude? What Attitude?" words are computer generated and embossed. The shapes have been cut out using LOTV shape templates.
Thanks for looking.
I am also entering this into the challenges over at
A Pocket Full of Posies - for challenge #9 Champagne and Roses. The celebration will be my daughter's birthday and
One Stitch At A Time who also have a celebration challenge for this week
Southern Girls Challenge - Glitter It Up challenge
Totally Gorjuss challenge - Sparkle
The Crafty Purple Frog Challenge this week states you can enter as many time as you wish for their anything goes challenge #1
Moving Along With The Times - this week their challenge is to use promakers. Letraset are sponsering this challenge and have a wonderful prize lined up.

Saturday 23 October 2010

CreethanSumi

That's the name of this great image from Tellen's Designs. There I was - making some of those "C" cards for others. This image popped into my head as an ideal candidate for the Lil' Lurid and Lovesick challenge over on Haunted Design House this week.
Not much to it really... A young beautiful girl swooning over an ogre who doesn't care.....

The sentiments stamped down the sides are from the Lil' Grumpies set available from Smeared Ink.
It was all coloured in promarkers with some watered down distress inks and some metalic paints to add that slimy look to the ogre. This was backed onto some red coredinations that I distressed ... a lot..The little hearts have been sitting in a little box in the bottom of my drawer for what seems like an age. Stuck them on using microdots then added a shiny brad from stash.
Then onto deep green card base.

That "C" word

I know, I know. We're in the middle of the run up to, what I hope is going to be a great Halloween and I get asked to make christmas cards by a couple of people that have to send overseas in parcels. While I'm at it - I thought I'd see if there are any sketches out there that catch my eye. This one from digistamps4joy did. So this is card #1........

The image is a freebie from digistamps4joy this month coloured with promarkers. The papers are all Crafty Chaos from the Holiday Wishes set. Ribbon and buttons from stash. I ink distressed the sentiment in gold and just touched round the centre panel with the same ink to tie it together.
One down - a few more to go....

I am entering this into the Digistamps4joy sketchy challenge this week as it was their sketch.

Nursery Rhymes

Tuesday Taggers set the challenge - Nursery Rhymes..... well I didn't need a nursery rhyme card. The stamps I have don't lend themselves to what I would have ReallY loved to do. I do however need to start making some little gifts for some of the family. One 2 year old little girl is going to be getting this in her stocking........

It's, as you can see a little book. It was made using some of the pages of a keepsake book from a beautiful blog candy win earlier in the year. It depicts Mother Goose on the front - that teller of so many rhymes. Inside cover has the rhyme......
and Humpty Dumpty. The other pages have different rhymes.... and finishes to the pages.



Glittery paint, acrylic paint, papers, alcahol ink daubed PVA. There are still another couple of rhymes I want to put in - but you get the idea. Each page is sealed so should last that little bit longer in the hands of a 2yr old. The images are all freebies off the net for childrens' activities. The holes in the book have been given an eyelet and the ring binder has had several ribbons tied on.
Hope you like my voyage into making a little book and thanks for looking.

I am also entering this into the 2 Sisters Challenge for anything goes, and the brand new Crafty Purple Frog Challenge blog, where again - anything goes.

Friday 22 October 2010

Buttons, Lovely Buttons

This week, Charlene's Button Box is sponsoring Tellen's Place's "Let's See Some Buttons" challenge.


A little info about our sponsor, Charlene: "I live in Illinois with my wonderful husband and our three children. I've been creative most of my life. I'm an avid scrap booker and in my quest for the perfect embellishment I came across clay buttons. I had too many ideas in my head for just myself so I started selling them. Now I'm here to offer them to everyone I can." You can check out more information about Charlene on her blog. The winner of this challenge will get to go to Charlene's Etsy store and choose 5 sets of her beautifully crafted buttons for FREE! How cool is that?

The Divas were all lucky to recieve a sample to work with, all different and pot luck who got what I think. I got these amazing leaf ones - gorgeous autumnal colours. The image I chose to work with is one of the newest ones to be available in the shop - PERA.


The buttons are knotted with some embroidery silk and Pera is coloured using promarkers with a touch of silver gelpen to highlight her dress and gold gelpen to give some shine to the bangles she wears. The wings had a mixture of gold glitter and stickles to aid in the definition. To show both the buttons and the image to their best advantage, I went with a black background onto which I had stamped (masking some) some leaves in glittery very pale yellow, pink and orange. Unfortunately the colours are so pale I couldn't get them to come out in a pic - look so much better in real life. The leafy ribbon was (part of a fantastic RAK from a dear friend) then added before attaching to a pale mushroom shade card. This in turn was attached to a leafy patterned paper and some more of that mushroom cardstock. The bottom ribbon is a shiny raffia type twisted with bronze organza ribbon. Then all onto a black cardstock base. I do like my black, hehe.
Hope you enjoyed looking as much as I enjoyed making this.
Now get on over to Tellen's Place and show us what you can do.
"Let's see some buttons"
There's a gorgeous freebie there for you as well and we would love to see it being used this week. Make it pretty, make it glittery, or make it dark and mysterious ..... your choice.

I'm entering this into a few challenges
One Stitch at a Time - Embellish It - ribbons and buttons
The Corrosive Challenge - No White - They are pale colours - but no white here
Pear Tree Designs - Free for all
Riley and Co - Autumn Colours
The new monthly challenge site Karber - they have a fantasy challenge running this month
Flutter By Wednesday's challenge - this week is an open challenge

Monday 18 October 2010

Autumn ... in pieces

Hello again folks. Things are nearly back to normal in the household here. My son gets his cast off this week .... yayyyyy. Instead of me struggling to do his chores - hubby has stepped up and done some as well because there is a shortage of paying jobs out there. Means more time at my crafting table for me .... can't be bad.
This week I bring you a wall hanging. Not so much halloweenie this time but in celebration of autumn - the season. I had in mind 2 challenges whilst making this. The first being the October challenge over on Smeared and Smudged forum - paying homage to one of the Goddesses of Harvest. The second was the GCSP5: Blue Moon Challenge - Quilt Patterns. The patchwork design I have used here is known as a pineapple and there is faux stitching at strategic places - the quilting.
The image origin is unknown as was in a fantastic RAK I recieved last month. The frame is a diecut that I inked and stamped little leaves on. The leaves in a variety of autumn colours are die cuts as well. The entire "quilt" was then attached to a few more layers onto which was also stamped leaves - I even mitred the corners! A couple of eyelet hanging holes attached and strung with some brown ribbon threaded through with copper and some coppery organza ribbon, knotted together. There you have it.





I am also entering this into the Creative Inspiration challenge for their Autumn/Fall challenge.

Saturday 16 October 2010

I Do What I Want

Isn't that what "mad scientists" do? Well those of the Dr. Frankenstein mould do. When I saw the latest batch of images from Tellen's Place that Marcus had produced.... yep Simply Sinister it had to be. Isn't it great when you get to see before others.
The challenge over on Haunted Design House this week was the inspiration for this. Barb this week says simply sinister... that's what I hope I have achieved here.




Dr Frankenstein - or that is who he reminds me of - I don't know his real name yet- with one of his creations.... both about to create another?? The images were coloured with my pencils for a change - I wanted a softer look. The embellishment kept to a minimum, just some torn fabric and some copper coils (fallen of his electrical equipment). Just 2 BP, both from Crafty Chaos, though ~I have mixed the sets (halloween howlers and gothic bruise). Some ink distressing went on here as you can see as well. The sentiment "I do what I want" is from the Grumpies set from Smeared Ink, stamped down the side.

I am entering this into the Haunted Design House challenge #60 - Simply Sinister
also One Stitch At A Time Challenge - use a digi stamp
Make it Crafty - Distressing

Friday 15 October 2010

Pumpkinhead

I knew when I saw this new image from Tellen's Place, it would make the ideal halloween card for my grandson. The challenge over on StampitCrazy stirred me into making it earlier than maybe I would have. Ordinarily when entering a challenge I try to use that company's stamps, but crafting pennies being a bit tight at the mo ... you all know how that is. My apologies Barb.

So I have this little easel card to offer this week.



The front facing papers are from Crafty Chaos Designs.
The main image is Tellen's Place as is the big pumpkin in the group, taken from Sgt Pepper digi. All the other elements I'm afraid - the origin has been forgotten by me. I added some fibres hanging to give a spiders web feel to it.
Just right I think for a 4 yr old. Hope you like this as much as I enjoyed making it.

Trick or Treat us at Tellen's Place

OK you ladies (and gents) out there. Halloween is nearly upon us and over at Tellen's Place we want to see your Trick or Treat projects. To help you along, Terry has kindly provided a FREEBIE, so get on over there, make something that is trick or treat themed and post it to your blog or photo caching site and tell us about it. The rest of the divas have been slogging away over a hot craft table to bring you some great cards using some more of the great new releases drawn by our resident artist Marcus. They're fab.
For my project, Terry presented me with CATVAMP and DR.JEKYL to play with. Here's what appeared .....


CatVamp was decoupaged in 3 layers to help give some dimension over the haunted house. The main image was coloured using promarkers and the moon just painted with some silver paint, a light dusting of which was added to the cloud as well.
Dr.Jekyl was again coloured with PMs with a generous dollop of glossy accents on the blood to make it more realistic. The sentiment was computer generated by me onto cream textured card, given a little distress treatment with first black ink then orange with a final touch of red to the edges. The BP consists of some navy DCWV, distressed with black ink and 2 strips of hand made paper. All then stuck to some aubergine card stock.
Now you've seen this - get on over to Tellen's Place and take a look at the other Divas fantastic creations.

I am entering this into the Stamp Insanity challenge #30 - Trick or Treat challenge
and Stampin' for the Weekend challenge for their Halloween/Fall challenge
The Creative Cottage Challenge have Halloween as their choice of challenge as well
Stamp Something want Halloween Somethings for their challenge this week

Sunday 10 October 2010

New Release for Tellen's Place Designs - Halloween!

Tellen's Place Designs has another release for you today! This time, we are tickling your fancy with our Halloween images! ! This sale is fantastic, of course: Buy ONE, get ONE FREE!

For my part I was given "Sargeant Pepper " to play with. He so reminded me of the Late Great John whose birthday, by the way, would have been this week. In keeping with the album after which this image was named - he had to be in yellow for this release. Well I thought so.
My morbid mind went into overdrive but without wanting to sully the memory of him ...

I was lucky enough to be able to get my hands on these gorgeous little wooden coffins, one of which was used to give Sgt. Pepper a final resting place. Painted black, (like it could be any other colour! ) with some images of the Apple record label logo mod podged on the top, and a little sentiment stuck to the bottom that was first inked and then painted with flourescent paint.













Inside I stuck in some red fabric for the cushioning and with a small piece of ribbon acting as a (1) a stop for the lid and (2) a support for the piece of acetate that the Sgt(coloured using PM's) is stuck to so he can come out and greet you in person (so to speak).


Have a look at all the other works of art the Divas have dreamed up for you and if you leave a comment on the Tellen's Place Blog .....Guess what?! One of our commentators is going to get one of these images FREE!! That's right, just for making a comment!
There's still the challenge going on for using 2 patterned papers .... what are you waiting for?

I am entering this in for the challenge over on Inky Impressions for their Anything Goes challenge and in the Fussy and Fancy Friday challenge for their Halloween themed challenge.

White Witch

Yes, there are some out there. I have had this image sitting in my "inbox" just waiting to be coloured in and made into something. Time has not been on my side for a few weeks. Anyway, I finally got round to finishing a project .... yayyy!!
So, using the Delicious Doodles Pumpkin Witch image, coloured with promarkers, with a silver gel pen to highlight her hair and some glossy accents on her lips, nails and spiders, mounted onto black card. This in turn was mounted with foam tape onto a rectangle of silver painted card again mounted on black cardstock, onto which I had stamped some bat images. The bit that was going to be hidden of the moon+bats image - I had stamped onto the witch layer. This lot in turn was mounted with more foam tape onto a smoke stamped background using Smeared Ink Holy City range. I love this technique. I attached a little diecut bat onto a thin strip of acetate and stuck it between the image layers and the BP. I attached some torn strips of fabric in grey and orange knotted together then mounted the whole thing onto yet more black as a card base.



There are a few challenges that I'd like to put this out for ....
The Simon Says Challenge for Halloween projects
Gingersnaps Creations GC72 for Neutrals plus one other colour
Stamp, Scrap & Doodle Saturdays where the challenge is Halloween or Autumn

Friday 8 October 2010

2 Patterned papers

Morning all. To all those that frequent Tellen's Place, you'll know that this weeks challenge is to use 2 patterned papers to create ........ whatever you like. Well the Divas have been busy as usual and made some diverse projects again. Please go and check them all out. For my part, I have created this.............




A mobile.
You know That saying "Never work with animals and children"? Well add "moving paper projects" to the list.
The main support is made from 2 old coat hangers with some scrap copper electrical wire twisted round. So far I have used 10 of the dark images I adore. There's loads of room for more and this is going to be an ongoing project for a couple of weeks. Check back then for an update.
The main colouring agent I used was my promarkers but I have added touches of flourescent and glow in the dark paint as well to strategic places. Gives a great eerie look - especially in the run up to Halloween.
So far the 10 images used are Gorgon, Cobrena, Hades, Beezle, Zhenix, Devilen, Clawed, Hunchgore, Skullither and Murdra. I have concentrated on those that I haven't used in a while.

The prize for this challenge is three FREE images of our recently released Halloween images.
There's a freebie as well to get you started. What are you waiting for?

Monday 4 October 2010

BOOOOOOOO at Tellen's Place

Some more new images are released today. Just right for those halloween projects you've got lined up. The Divas have created some marvelous projects. Go look here in a minute. Please stick around to the end of this post and have a look at this one I made first.



An ordinary Halloweeny card? From Croms?
Pull that little pumpkin at the bottom. What happens??





The image will shoot out of the top as you pull..... a double slider card. A bit of a surprise for the recipient? I added the letters G O T C H A at the bottom.

and here's that great Frankenboots image close up



All coloured in promarkers and distress inked around the image to make him standout.
There are many tutorials for double slider cards on youtube if you want to have a go yourself. All the papers and card stock from stash, as was that cute little pumpkin charm.


Don't forget there's a 50% SALE going on right now so get on over there


I'm entering this into the Haunted Design House challenge this week for Dastardly Delicious Digis - digi image as main focus

Saturday 2 October 2010

I put a spell on you

Not me of course, but Witchy Grumpy. Isn't she just great. From a set by Smeared Ink, you'll no doubt get to see a few more in the next few weeks. Sentiment stamped all round the side is from the same set. Coloured in promarkers and attached to orange paper printed with the spiders web from Tiddly Inks with mod podge and then onto orange cardstock. This was attached to a frame with foam tape. Her cauldren was a freebie from Shelly's Images on her fright night and the black cats are a Stamp It Crazy image stamped in black onto black card stock and the eye's painted with florescent red paint. These act as the anchor on this simple easel card.
The frame was made from orange cardstock, foam taped onto black cardstock with a shiny black behind the aperture. all this was then surrounded by burnt orange tape. This is loosely following the October sketchy over on the Smeared and Smudged forum


I'm also entering this into the Art on the Darkside challenge for Black and Orange with 1 other colour as optional, And Haunted Design House for their Magical Mayhem.



and Witchy close up......

Friday 1 October 2010

Second card of the day

Stamp It Crazy are having a free for all this week on their challenge blog. This image is just one of their fantastic range. Having another go at the soot stamping technique I started on the other week, this is one of the images I chose to use. I was so pleased with the result that I chose to not do anything else to it other than highlight it using matt silver and shiny black cardstock. The sentiment is from the Halloween Grumpies set from Smeared Ink, heat embossed in silver on the same black and matted onto that matt silver. For just a little touch more I used a shiny silver organza ribbon with topped with black fibres to match her hair and some black and clear dewdrops.

ME time

I finally had some ME time today. I forgot the chores and made a couple of cards, with a third on the way. The first one was purely for my own pleasure as I love the image and have finally got round to buying it. It's from Delicious Doodles. Teri has just announced her new DT. She has some fantastic ladies on board with her now. This image is called "Alas Poor Yoric" for obvious reasons.
I did the image in 2 layers. The skulls are coloured using metallic pencils and then painted in glow in the dark paint. (my new toy). The snakes are painted in metallic paint. Everythingthing else is promarkers, with a touch of gold paint in her hair. The ribbon snaking up the card is a tiny part of a stupendous RAK sent to me from a dear friend. All other bits are from stash.
I am entering this into the Simply Betty Challenge for "The first Day of Halloween"