Christmas card #2

I'm not going to look at how many Holiday cards I have in my pile yet; but this is #2 for this week.
This time I have used the Red Cardinal from Delicious Doodles. A lovely break away from the traditional robin.



I rarely add a sentiment until I know who the card is going to be given to. This is no exception. I did think it would be ideal for one of the menfolk though.
I followed the sketch #144 over at Eat, Sleep, Stamp.
I couldn't find "just" the right ribbon to use, so stamped a length of plain cream ribbon with an inkadinkadoo image using stazon. This tied in with the My Minds Eye paper (distressed with ink) used to create the folded frame round the bird. More from the same stack used as the background. mounted onto cream then black and more cream.

I am entering this into the challenge over at
Eat, Sleep, Stamp - Sketch # 144
Moving Along With The Times - Birds
Crafts 4 Eternity - Anything with a Christmas theme

gone postal

I am determined to keep up a promise I made to myself a couple of months ago and make at least one Christmas card a week until the holiday period starts. This week I made two as I have a couple of days off work yayyy.
#1



I followed the sketchy over at Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenges. Now, I have never been a fussy or fancy type of card maker; but this sketch looked just right to show off this great traditional British image from Delicious Doodles. There's even an American version. I added just a little extra colour with my promarkers to the sketch drawing and just a tiny touch here and there of glamour dust to bring out the sparkling of the snow.

I have no idea of the source of the dotty blue paper as was recieved in a RAK . The white swiss dots embossed card has had a few dots highlighted with glossy accents, the white angel hair paper band has been wound with a few fibres. Each piece backed with a blue/grey cardstock from stash. The prima flowers chosen to match have been topped with punched snow flakes.
The sentiment has been stuck to a mini tag and attached with a couple of links of chain before sticking down with dimensional glue.

I am entering this into the challenge
Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenges - Their Sketch
Crafts 4 Eternity - Anything with a Christmas theme

Framed

I've got a couple of days holiday this week from work, yippee. While OH out at work I get to craft all day. You can't blame me for being happy at that, can you?
I had to do something for Macabre Mondays in amongst every thing else. "I Was Framed" is this weeks theme. Now I just so happened to pick up some great frames a couple of months ago in a sale. Bargain at 70% off! This is what came to be..

The frame was covered in the foam underlay used before laying laminate that I had coloured with alcohol inks and paint. I think it gives a good impression of stone. An archway cut out behind which is a paper from echo park. The little portcullis is made from twisted wire.

I used the Kitty Witch image from Delicious Doodles also bits of the Halloween Border. The witch herself was coloured with promarkers then decoupaged to give more depth.
then mounted with a pile of sticky pads behind her onto the frame.
. The little bats (recieved in a RAK, Thanks Terry) have a kitty face and looked like they were made for this.
The fence is made using an MS punch, as is the dripping slime although this had an extra of black and green paint allowed to drip down it.

I am entering this into the challenge
Haunted Design House #104 - I Was Framed
Aly's Sunday Challenge - Halloween - What can be more Halloween than a witch?
Passion For Promarkers - Anything goes
Craft Us Crazy - Anything Goes

A cute card!!

Well it is for me.
Over at Stampin' Dymonz' Scrap Shack, otherwise known as The Village, we have a card making group where, each week, a card with a different fold is showcased. This week is the card with detachable bookmark. A useful card that comes with an extra small gift for very little extra effort.
Totally made from bits in my scrap box, it was also a very economical card as well.

I followed the simple sketch over at Willow Sketch Challenge blog.

Red card stock with some flowery papers, matted onto white card stock.
The image is from Willow Designs. One of the stamps that I won over at The Craftbubble forum a while back, stamped with memento ink and coloured with promarkers with a light touch of ink distressing.

The "lace" is adhesive paper lace coloured with a promarker.
I wanted to carry this over to the bookmark and didn't want to add bulk, thereby damaging the book it would be used in.

The paper was added to with a sentiment and simple flower stamped with red ink and heat embossed with red sparkle. A little group of gems in the corner.

The ribbon was attached with tiny staples that are covered by the matting and layering.




















I am entering this into the challenge over at
Willow Sketch Challenge - Their Sketch

Delicious Doodles DT Call part 2

Haha, you should have seen my face the other day when Teri over at Delicious Doodles emailed me to see if I still wanted to take up a position on her DT. I'm over the moon to put it mildly at being given the honour. Also I get to play with all her gorgeous images. YaYYYY.

I just had to colour one of the images and make an ATC to celebrate.
This one is the Eygptian Queen with her Throne. I had so much fun with this beauty. The fussy cutting out was worth it I think.



It was coloured with promarkers and some glossy accents added to make the head-dress "jewelled" The background is an image lifted from google that was distressed first with sandpaper then with distress inks. Some elements on the background as well as the throne were heat embossed for that rich opulent gold look. 3 small gems to finish it off from stash.


I am entering this into a couple of challenges
ATC Challenges - Anything Goes
Craft Us Crazy - Anything Goes
Stampin Royalty - Rhinestones, Glitter, Sparkles

Stampin' Dymonz Challenge #10

This week over at Stampin' Dymonz' Creative Space the challenge for this week is to alter a CD -- both front and back, using paper. You may paint the paper if you choose; however, the CD must be covered with paper. You must also include ribbon/fibres, 3 flowers and hand stamping.

This was my DT entry to, hopefully, inspire the crafters that visit into joining in.

The image is the "Earth Goddess" from Smeared Ink. Coloured with promarkers before mounting onto some handmade paper. The hand made lace and prima flowers added after punching holes and setting copper tone eyelets with some ribbon and fibres threaded through. The charms and prima flowers from Duckpond Crafts.
and on the reverse

some slightly embossed paper that was stamped with various leafy images in a variety of inks. The beads and buttons from stash.

This is a fun project and helps to save our landfills from materials that are detrimental to the environment. It's an extra "green" project -- we're already re-using/recycling paper with our crafts. Now we've added in the recycling of CDs! So it would be great to see loads of people showing us their altered CDs at the challenge at Stampin' Dymonz' Creative Space.

A couple of challenges I am entering this into
Passion For Promarkers - No Patterned Papers
Try It On Tuesday - Hang It Up
Tuesday Throwdown - Dimension and Texture
Challenge Up Your Life - No Patterned Papers
Craft Us Crazy - Anything Goes

Tag on Tag at Stampin' Dymonz

Challenge #9 this week over at Stampin'Dymonz Creative Space is to create a tag. Not just any old tag though.
sketch courtesy of Page Maps
As you can see by this sketch, this tag appears to have a "folder" on the front of the tag with a piece of paper which is inside the folder on a skewed angle. This week's challenge will have you put your spin on this sketch, including the following elements -- your tag must have a functional folder on the front and the piece of paper inside of the folder must be in the shape of a tag. There should be space on the tag for a small photo and some journaling. This space can be on the inside and/or the outside of the folder and/or the inserted tag.
This is my take on the challenge

showing two of the removable tags from the front pocket. just right for any piccies or journaling that might be wanted.


and a little folder tucked in behind for yet more of those pics and/or journaling



























The papers, journaling cards, charms and green check ribbon I used were all from the card making kit from Duck Pond Crafts. All the beads, chains and remaining ribbons from stash.

Blog Candy!

Since this week's challenge is a tag challenge and when you think of tags do you think of Tim Holtz? As he's done so much with tags and making them a popular paper crafting project, we will have a bag of Tim Holtz products as the blog candy for this week's challenge:

Gift Pack Items

2 Distress Inks

Accoutrements - Fanciful

Reinforcers

Tissue Tape

Enjoy the challenge and spread the word! Let's get the word out and have a good competition going!! We don't want to make it easy for any one person to win -- that's no fun. So, let's sweeten the deal -- post a comment on Stampin'Dymonz' Creative Space along with your challenge submission giving the names of the people you invited to join you in this challenge. When anyone on your list submits a project for this challenge and makes a comment stating that you invited them to join the fun, your name will be entered to win a separate blog candy gift pack. You will receive one entry for each person who states you invited them to the challenge. AND -- the person who joined the challenge because of your recommendation will have their name entered to win as well. Loads of chances to win then here people. So lets see those tags!!!

I am entering this into a couple of challenges
Craft Us Crazy - Anything Goes
Paper Crafting Journey - Anything Goes
My Mum's Craft Shop - Summertime
Creative Craft Challenges - Anything But a Card
Try It On Tuesday - Anything Goes

playtime with an ATC

I took time out to just purely play tonight and made an ATC. A short while ago, Beth over at Stamp Insanity was very generous and sent me this digi. I had to ink her up, didn't I!! I made this fit her challenge of "Lace and Pearls". True to form (I hope) it doesn't fit into the "norm". haha.

The background is from MoonLight Journey. This was ink distressed first with orange then dark mahogany DI. The image, Kassandra, is coloured with promarkers. The lace is actually dyed dark brown but as it's night, the artificial light doesn't shown true colours. Even with a daylight bulb. The pearls stuck in the centre of the flowers are orange. I even added a few tiny 2mm pearls for the spider's eyes.
I am entering this into the challenge
Stamp Insanity - Lace and Pearls

Delicious Doodles DT Call

Most of you that visit my blog will probably have guessed by now that I love working with the digis from Delicious Doodles. The owner, Teri, has had a DT call out for a few weeks now. I hummed and hawed about what to make. Something that reflected me and my crafting preferences. Eclectic is a word that comes to mind. I have been called on to do girly projects and some on the dark side. The dark side is my preference but those are mostly for me. The more "normal" projects are what my non-crafty friends want as gifts. With such a diverse choice, "what to make" was not the easiest decision to make.
In the end I went for a simple card. I chose the image "Lady on Chaise" from the steampunk range. I followed the sketch over at Samual Taylors Crafts blog.



Had a bit of a problem with the flash as the day hasn't got much above dull here in Scotland, hence the slight angle. The image is coloured using promarkers with just a touch of bronze metallic paint on the "metal work". The panel behind is a washed out metal food container, coloured with alcohol inks.
The flowers are made from die cuts using a sizlets die, secured with pearl brads.
The mesh panel has also been treated with alcohol ink to give a bronzed look.
The BP is from stash that I have had for a while. The cog paper has been lightly spritzed with copper glimmer mist.

All cut out using shaped blade scissors.

The tag/charm is made from a bottle top with a small picture of cogs lifted from google images. Lightly coloured with distress inks before being sealed in with glossy accents. A hole drilled through to attach the chain, tag and charm from Duck Pond Crafts.

A few little chocolate brown pearls to finish off the corners
All mounted onto a bronzed card stock base









I am entering this into
The DT call over at Delicious Doodles
Samuel Taylors Crafts August challenge - sketch

Smudgefest - Day seven

WOW. The last day of this little challenge being thrown over at the Smeared and Smudged forum's DT blog - Smudgy Antics.
It's been hard work but also a blast.
Today we were challenged to use "Calypso" in our creation. A little freebie digi available just for the day. A cute little rat.
I made a scrapbook page. A very simple one. I used two other digis from Smeared Ink as other subjects. All coloured with promarkers. I just couldn't get the idea out of my head. So went with it.

The dancing ladies fitted the theme and they're weird enough to fit in. The other paper from the Pink Paislee, Hocus Pocus range.
The letters are die cuts.
As I said, I couldn't shake the idea they were doing the "Hokey Cokey". Been that kind of a day.

I am entering this into the Smudgy Antics' last day of the smudgefest challenge

Vincentenial

OOps, I was so intent on getting the last Smudgefest project done I nearly forgot to post this that I have been working on as well.
A project set by Haunted Design House to celebrate the life and artwork of one of THE Masters of the Macabre. The Varying Visages of the actor . Barb is also doing a little blog hop round the minions with some fab candy up for grabs. But blogger has been very unkind to me this week and it's been hard enough getting onto my own blog let alone any one elses!

I lifted all the images from Google and stuck them on a clock face. The central image is by Steve Pugh representing "The Pit" and the Pendulum was made by running a small aluminium pie dish through my bigshot to flatten and then card stuck either side. A cocktail stick to hang with.


The numbers are purposely stuck "upside down". A few reasons, the eye has to really look to puzzle the enigma and it would make a person really look at the clock not where the hands are.

I am entering this into the centennial HDH challenge - Varying Visages of Vincent

Smudgefest - Day six

Wow, day 6 already. One more day to go on the 7 day challenges. Full details are on the Smeared and Smudged Smudgy Antics Blog. Today is the Sketch Challenge.


A long hard think into which Smeared Ink image to use. Then I remember I have some stamped images sent to me by a friend of the Goddesses that I haven't used yet. Just the thing!!
The Fire Goddess was the one I chose. Coloured with promarkers. Cut out and mounted onto red c.s. matted onto a pale orange fibrous paper.

Lots of firey coloured papers as well. Handmade paper was wetted and pulled apart to show the fibrous nature of it. the edges treated to a bit of "barndoor" DI. All stuck together and finished off with ribbon. The base card was also given a lick of DI in spiced marmalade and barn door. I tried to give the impression of heat.
A few firey red tear drop gems to represent more flames.


I am entering this into the Smudgy Antics day 6 challenge

Smudgefest - Day five

FLOWING FRIDAY

Create a project using a flowing medium. Some examples could be watercolor, liquid ink, liquid glues, thinned out acrylics, etc.... use your imagination and let the juices flow!

So many choices. Which to choose today?
I went with acrylic paints.

The skull was "decorated" with watered acrylic paint first.
Then, using the BoPeep Build a garden set again from Smeared Ink, stamped onto tissue paper for the flower images and onto card for the spiders. I used the colour scheme from day 3 for the most part. Promarkers used throughout. The flowers were adhered with mod podge and the spiders held in place with acrylic glue substitute.

The pics aren't the best due to the time of night.






















I am entering this into
Smudgy Antics - Smudgefest day 5 challenge

Smudgefest - Day four

TWISTED THURSDAY

Make an ATC with a "twist". You can interpret "twist" any way you want to, this is just one interpretation. ATC size: 3 1/2" x 2 1/2"

That's our challenge for today.
Had a long think on this and was only just before bedtime I came up with this. As it's a one day challenge, I had to stay up and finish. Oh well, maybe I get to lay in tomorrow.

Two of the Smeared Ink mini Grumpies from the original set. Stamped directly onto blue card and coloured with promarkers. Some of the sentiments from the same set with a couple of added ones from me.
The twist? Firstly, the Grumpies themselves have twisty bits on them. Then there's the twisted wire to make a flower, more wire twisted round a stone and last but no means least is the twisted ribbon rose that I made.


I am entering this into day four of the smudgefest challenge over on the Smudgy Antics blog.

Smudgefest - Day three, A colour challenge

Wicked Wednesday in the week long Smudgefest being held over at Smeared and Smudged, Smudgy Antics Blog. Today is a colour challenge. Using the colours Pumpkin Orange, Mustardy Yellow, Dark Gray, Deep Purple make something with at least one Smeared Ink stamp on it.
Today I have made a tag. A very simple one at that. Using the birthday Grumpy. Coloured with promarkers in the set colours.
on the back which is made from orange cs distressed with some weathered wood DI, I have attached a dark grey mini envelope with the "sentiment" on and inhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif. Also a few beads, again in the challenge colours.

I am entering this into the challenge at
Smudgy Antics - day 3 of the Smudgefest

Smudgefest - day two

Terrifying Tuesday!!
I don't own any of the really terrifying images from Smeared Ink. I can't think of any that terrify me anyway. So I went with what would. Also something that would terrify any male with half a brain cell. Another page in my art journal will have to suffice.


To find myself in a room with pink flowery wall paper and no door to escape would be my nightmare.
The image is of course from Smeared Ink's "Chicks dig guns" set. This was in a grab bag recieved the other day. It is coloured with promarkers and fussy cut out. The pink flowery is from a pad of paper for babies that was in a RAK. The impression of the corner of the room by using DI. some dark orange/brown paper for the floor.

This is being entered into day 2 of the Smudgefest challenge being hosted on the SmudgyAntics Blog all week

Smudgefest - Day one

Yep. Smudgefest has begun. The full details are over on the Smudgyantics blog. I hope to be able to complete all the projects. We are given the challenge in the morning and have to post and link by that night. It's going to be tight considering I work full time as well. Well I got day one done. 6 more to go.

Today's challenge is "Bi-Polar". A project that showcases two opposites.
I have used the sheep and fence from the Killer Bo-Peep's Build a Garden set and some shadow trees for my art journal piece. Stamping and masking my way through.
I hoped to depict opposite direction and opposite sides of the fence.
All images coloured with promarkers. The background created with coloured pencils.
BP is from Crafty Chaos on a pale green marbled paper given the DI treatment.

A little bit of journaling to finish.







I am entering this into the challenge over at
Smudgy Antics blog - for day 1 - Bi-polar