Drop Dead Gorgeous with Smeared Ink New Releases

That's our theme over at Smudgy Antics this week and for the new images about to hit the Smeared Ink Shop. I think you have to agree - these Ladies are

DROP DEAD GORGEOUS

I hope you're sitting comfortably - this is quite a long post!!
This is also part of a blog hop within the DT 
Please go to Tori's Blog for the start

New Release Blog Hop

Black Dragon

Lady Brayton

Helen

Fiona
and our GDT
MaryKay

I gave you a preview last week with Luna - and in case you missed it

Then we have Tiamat

and the card I made with her following the sketch at Eat Sleep Stamp

Next up - Medusa 

and the card I made with this beauty

Last, but by no means least, we have Bakeneko

and the card I made with her using the sketch over at My Time Made Easy

I did warn you they are an awesome set of ladies!! There's another but you'll have to nip on over to the other Design team blogs to see her. The list is over there at the beginning of this post.

The nitty gritty deets

ALL the images were coloured with water colour pencils but blended with baby oil. I wanted there to be something else that linked the girls apart from being in the same set.

Other details on Luna can be viewed here on my previous post.

ALL the patterned BP are from Crafty Chaos Designs

Tiamat was matted onto copper paper then torn TH kraft coredinations. Some wire was shaped and attached then a layer of burlap then onto to patterned BP.

Medusa - well, I masked her off with card instead of my usual thin paper. I wanted a void between the background stamp and the image. Background stamp on a set from Personal Impressions stamped in adirondack latte. Edge was ink distressed with wild honey DI, matted onto purple card. Three swirls using dark but multi coloured stones in the bottom left hand corner and two hand made organza flowers with another hand made embellie made using short lengths of serpentine chain. Some jade green lace to highlight the green in the cobras' hoods. The purple corner die cuts are made using a sizzlits die.

Bakeneko Backed onto more copper paper. Some torn kraft coredinations above then the three panels below are patterned BP then dry embossed red/pink coredinations - sanded and a small piece of white hammered card that I tapped straight onto the wild honey DI pad. all this on some old gold card with a pale pink/chocolate ribbon. The leaves are a sizzlit die cut as well cut from the same old gold card.

I hope you are still with me
There's more!!
Yet another set being released this week is the Milagro set.
I made a tag with just one of the images - FLAME

I coloured this little beauty with promarkers as I wanted a stronger and more vibrant image.

The church image behind is from the Smeared Ink Holy City rubber set. Stamped in white onto a black base. The bush was coloured using pencils. I used PVA glue on a couple of stamps and rubbed foil leaf over to get that flaming sunset look. The image mounted onto copper and red after being fussy cut out. The ties in yellow, red and black to co-ordinate with the dominant colours of the tag.

WOW that's all the pics and deets. I think.

A few challenges I'd like to enter into

with Medusa

Craft Your Passion - Loads of Texture

with Bakeneko
My Time Made Easy - Their Sketch
Creative Mondays - Anything Goes

with Tiamat
Eat, Sleep Stamp - Their Sketch
Just Keep on Crafting - Anything goes

Eye Aye

No, that's not a spelling mistake.
Haunted Design House set the challenge "Eye Can See You" and this is my challenge entry.
Doubled up with a card I had to make for a colleague that is leaving us to start a new life in another town with her b/f. She's a "bit of a Goth" so hopefully will understand and like this. Not your normal parting gifty lol.

The card itself. The image is from Jem's Designs, Gothic CD. I enlarged one of the pics, cropping down so just those eyes were the focus. Layered onto pearlised deep red card then onto black that I had heat embossed in red some "paper artsy" eyes. Then onto a cricut cut frame then more of that pearlised red before the final black card base. Some black lace and some black gems top and bottom with a simple sentiment diecut with a nestie. The reason for that spelling "AYE"  - we're in Scotland and this is the word for "yes"
This LO is following the sketchy over at the Smeared and Smudged forum this month.

Inside

This is the original image and a little message with space for people to sign their names.

I am entering this card into the challenges
Haunted Design House - Eye Can See You
Smeared and Smudged - Very Sketchy

Bingo!!!

Delicious Doodles challenge fortnight starts today - with another fantastic challenge. A bingo card challenge no less! 

For those that have never used one of these - a line is chosen horizontal, vertical or diagonal and and all those elements have to be in the project.

We have an additional incentive for you lovely people this week. DUCK POND CRAFTS are giving one very lucky winner a collection of ribbons and flowers etc that are absolutely beautiful. Karen is my supplier of choice for all my flowers and charms now so I know from experience how lush these are.

On to my card for the challenge.

 I chose the bottom line of flowers, pearls and brads to make this.....

Yes, I've used Delicious Doodles images as well, but as my DT piece, I would. The images I used are The Gravestone Scene and the Gothic Bride.
The front of the easel card

I used the sketch over at Fetch-A-Sketch as inspiration, turning it on it's side. The papers used are all from Crafty Chaos Designs. There are FLOWERS there, 2 little  bunches of black roses and a home-made red one. The lace is decorated with pearly BRADS and more PEARLS in the left hand corners. The light isn't the best I'm afraid.
A better view of the bride herself

Coloured with promarkers and fussy cut out before placing on the BP. I thought the lace on her dress was a great match with that in my stash :).
It's now up to you peeps out there to show us your projects....please.

Don't forget there's that absolutely fantastic prize of some GORGEOUS blooms from the lovely Karen over at DUCK POND CRAFTS

Don't forget to go visit the other DT projects in your travels for more inspiration.

I am entering this card into the challenge
Fetch-A-Sketch - their inspiration gave me this

Water !

It's Monday again! Which means it's a new challenge week for Smudgy Antics. The theme this week is "Rain down on me". ie - use water

We love when you guys and gals think outside of the box.  You can use water colors, paint with distress inks and an aqua pen, use spray inks, etc.  Heck, you can even go full grunge on a project and set it out in the rain for a bit to get even grungier or soak your project in the sink or shower for a bit.  The more creative and inventive, the better!  If all that is too extreme, just use an image with water and have fun!  

For this challenge, in addition to following the usual rules, we also ask that you explain HOW you used water in your projects.

So that's the challenge set.
I made a tag, which is unusual for me, I normally leave them to those that do them better than me.
I used the main part of an image that is due for release very soon from Smeared Ink. Her name is Luna - keep your eyes peeled for her. You know you want her!!

I used water colour pencils to add some colour to her instead of my usual pro-markers. Then fussy cut her out.

The tag itself. I heat embossed a (retired) Smeared Ink corner flourish stamp with clear powder on one side. Some distress inks daubed onto my glass craft mat and spritzed with water before dropping the tag onto them. Whilst still wet, sprinkled some salt granules on to make it more speckled.  Once dried, I used the same flourish stamp and distress ink to give a soft image on the other side. Some pleated ribbon down one side and a couple of pearly flourishes down the other. Finished off with a flower (Duck Pond Crafts).
The same ribbon being used for the tie bit as on the side.

That's about it from me. Now don't forget to go look at the other amazing eye-candy supplied by the rest of the DT before adding a link to your watery project for us to come admire yours.

I'd like to enter this into a couple of challenges.
Art With No Boundaries - Anything Goes

Haunted Design House DT Call

Well, I have ummmm'd and arrrggggg'd over the last few weeks on whether or not to apply for this exulted position of Minion within the HDH dungeon walls. My biggest worry "was I good enough?"
Then came did I have time to devote to a making a weekly project. Well, on reflection, I have made the time in the last few months at having a go at the weekly challenges. It would just mean making them a week or so earlier, on a different timetable, if I were to be chosen.
So.....
and because I haven't now got time to create a special project (too much ummming and hawwing)
A few of my fav projects made that reflect my style of crafting on the whole and that have not been entered previously into any HDH challenges include my most recent makes. Probably because I only started paper crafting 2 yrs ago and my earlier projects show my inexperience. When I look back though, most fall into the similar vein. Other projects have normally been made as a special request.

In Mar 

In Feb

In January

and in Dec.

It's now up to the powers that be to make their choice(s)
Thanks to Barb and the existing Minions for this opportunity.

.....and a bottle o' rum?

Haunted Design House time in the Cubby Hole. This week the challenge is "Pirate's Booty". Teri over at Delicious Doodles has a new image which is just right for this challenge, Zombie Pirate. Infact Glo has used this image in her project as well as Pirate Polly. I had intended doing a piece using the same images, and had already prepared them. Then changed my mind this afternoon. I'm so glad because I'd have hated to look like I was copying. These were the images I had all ready

My project turned into something completly different :)
Take one box, a handful of wooden lolly sticks, distress ink and a knife and what do I get....

 The clasp and hinge had to come off and be re-atttached of course. and yes it can still be opened. The lights not the best but you get the idea.

The "metal bindings" are a sizzlit die cut from pearlised gold card. A pirates treasure chest - just right for storing that booty plundered on the high seas.
My chest is also decorated with a skull and crossbones, also from Delicious Doodles. Six layers cut and layered up with pinflair before coating with UTEE.

 and just to show the back as well.
There we have it peeps

I am entering this into the challenge over at
Haunted Design House - Pirate's Booty
Divas By Design - Anything but a card
Beyond the Burtonesque Dolls - Pandora's box/Alter a box

Steam Punk Sally

Teri, over at Delicious Doodles, has been busy doodling again :) This is a sneaky preview as the image won't go into the shop until wednesday.

The frame used is the Chain and Cog Frame, printed onto pearlised copper paper then mounted onto brown cs. The image was coloured using promarkers.

The papers are from the MCS "playing with SteamPunk" CD, printed onto pearlised white paper and mounted on the same brown cs. All edges have been well distressed with sandpaper.
Some lace and ribbon, pearls and double heat embossed chipboard cogs. These, the brown cs and card blank used are all in the card kit this month from Duck Pond Crafts
The flower was made using the same TH cog die and some organza with a little skull threaded on wire with a couple of feathers for good measure to match that in the hat. [no peacock feathers in stash :(]

Just to finish it all off, I added a chain peel off to the card blank before finally fixing everything together.

A couple of challenges I'd like to enter into
Craft Your Passion - Die Cuts/Punches - used the same die cutter to make the cogs and the flower
Incy Wincy Designs - Digis Only
Just Keep on Creating - Anything Goes

Bingo

Doesn't Monday come round quickly! Seems like only a week ago that I invited eveyone to join in the fun over at Smudgy Antics' last challenge. We had a fantastic response. This week the challenge is a "bingo card challenge"

There, not difficult to choose 3 in any row from that lot. I actually went for everything but ran out of room for the paint element.

• Embossing - The spider webs from Candy is Dandy rubber set heat embossed in black.
• Flowers - home made with skull centres, little black roses adorn the main skull and flowers on the BP (Jem's Designs' Gothic CD)
• Pins - 2 pins - pearls coloured with black alcohol ink - Duck Pond Crafts
• Skull - The main image is one of the sugar skulls from Smeared Ink.- decoupaged up and dipped in UTEE; there are skulls in the flowers and skully paper used (Jem's Designs)
• Black - you can see all the black :)
• Metal - on the pins surrounding the pearls
• Distressed - all the paper and card have been distressed with sandpaper on the edges and black DI used.
• Ribbon - There is black velvet ribbon and lace ribbon here.

So almost a full house

The image was coloured with promarkers before scanning and printing out 6 times. Various bits cut out and off, layered up with pinflair glue, then given a coat of UTEE. This was attached to a frame cut from glossy black cs using a cricut. One of the skully ones from the Happy Hauntings cart. Black roses and pins behind it. Mounted on plain black cs.
Paper was heat embossed before attaching to matt black cs easel card base together with ribbon and lace.
The stopper flowers were attached to a flower shape nestie cut matted base.

Here the dimension is clearer.

All that remains to be said is "get those projects linked up peeps to Smudgy Antics so we can come and admire them. There is a prize but you have to be a follower to be entered into the draw. Some people lately have forgotten this bit and their entry had to be excluded from the draw which is a real shame because they have been amazing projects."

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges
Craft your Passion - Die cut/punches - the flowers are made from a punch and their base is nestie die cut, The main image is sitting on a cricut die cut.
Lexi's Creations - Die cut/punches
House of Gilli - Flowers
Paper Creations Ink - April showers brings may flowers - use flowers
Just Keep on Creating - Anything Goes

Loads of Layers

If you're looking for the Smeared and Smudged blog hop post - please scroll down
 
It's another challenge week for everyone over at Delicious Doodles' Challenges. This week it's all about the layers. As Teri says......

We want to see loads of layers folks!

Papers, cardstock, decoupage, die-cuts, flowers etc., etc.

Just PILE IT ON peeps, lol.

I chose Mythical Pegasus as my image. He's such a beauty and doesn't need much doing to him in the way of colouring. So I didn't. Just left him as a black and white image. I did, however, print him out 6 times so that I could make him 3-D. Decoupaged the layers using pinflair glue. 

You can see the layers here. I added only glamour dust to give him that mystical sparkle. Layered up on a couple of nestie cut mats.
The card itself, I followed the same theme and made it monotone but did use pearlised card throughout.

The card base is just a plain scalloped one, then the base black then the white. The embossing folder was inked with black DI before using so that the raised part stayed white - panels top and bottom. The centre panel has a mesh ribbon overlaid with lace. The sentiment is computer generated and layered to match the image. Some charms/beads and gems added. The swirls are cut using a cricut and these are also layered.  

All that remains is to invite you all to show us your layers over at the Delicious Doodles Challenge Blog and go see the other DT cards - all amazing

A couple of challenges I'd like to enter this card into
Fab 'n' Funky - On all 4's
Just keep on Creating - Anything Goes

Smeared 'n' Smudged April Blog Hop - Scared?

I warn you now - this is a looooong post.
The hop started over at Tori's blog and you should have come here via Christine's blog if you're going through the list. If you happened upon me, I would advise you to go look at all the awesome goodies along the way.
The theme this month over at the Smeared & Smudged forum is Phobias/Fears. Basically, to depict in an artistic form [incuding at least one stamp (digi is fine)], something that is scary to yourself. I had a hard job to think of something that I am scared of. There's not much left having been "through the mill" already this lifetime. The answer came to me after a trip into the garden to get the laundry in. It's said inspiration can happen in many circumstances. 
Scotomaphobia - according to the 'net is the official name for it. The fear of blindness.
How could I carry of doing the type of crafting I like without being able to see? Something I'd hate to happen.
Next - how do I depict this? In what format?
I chose to do a fat book page. 
My idea is that without sight, the biggest sense I would rely on (apart from aural) would be touch. So something textural! Something with no colour. A void of light. Had to be black.
So.................
I started with a piece of black card and ran it through an embossing folder. Next came the barbed wire. I used the negative to mask for the image and heat embossed using black powder.

 It is black - just the sun catching it. The barbed wire to me signifying a fence, a trap.


Then came lots of ribbon , lace, a feather, flowers. One of the ribbons is knotted and forms part of the layer to keep the eyes blinded.

Still not complete, but I took a few pics along the way. The image, coloured with promarkers, is "Scared Eyes" from the Anatomy 101 digi set of Smeared Ink.

The keyhole brad signifies "locked in". There is velvet, satin, grosgrain and organza ribbons as well as the lace.

The metal eyelets as well giving further texture.

pics from all sides

The final touch - Some black tulle over it all. The final veil blocking off vision.

That's about it from me.
Now hop on over to see what delights Kapree has made for our viewing pleasure.

The full blog roll - (for if you get lost)

April Smeared and Smudged Member Hop

FRIDAY THE 13th PHOBIA!

Blog Roll

Tori
Black Dragon
MaryKay
Tink
Jane
Kristy
Aletha
Monique
Susan Guzy
Madeleine Bouquet
Lady Brayton
Trisha
Shell
Ms. Ruin
Ike
Christine
Helen
Kapree
Lisa Hall
Fiona

I am entering this fat book page into a couple of challenges
4 Crafty Chicks - Use material - I have a layer of tulle
Just keep on Creating - Anything goes
Art With No Bounderies - The Eyes have it
Jackson's Digital Expressions - Anything Goes
Forever Night - So Wicked it's Scary hop

To Helen

No not to me. Another Helen as named by Edgar A Poe. I have concentrated on his revised version from 1845 from the original in 1831. The Master in Quoth The Raven Challenge blog has laid down the quest that these 14days shall be dedicated to this work.
So, what did emerge from this little corner? An ATC holder. Complete with poem and 4 ATCs depicting the 4 seasons. The eternal cycle of the love lavished.

  

The grecian type corner embellishments are a sizzlets die and each one is cut from the same card as the ATC preceding and following, thus forming the circle. The stamps are from a collection of 4 seasons from Oasis. I felt they had a Grecian feel to them. All coloured with promarkers and chalked backgrounds.The white die cuts are representing before death under the black representing after death.
These 4 ATCs have a home.... made from pearlised white card

The picture was borrowed from Google here.
The little metal charm with added pearls are from stash and seemed fitting with the leaves.

and inside the front cover

again the image from Google with the poem printed out and, after applying some antique linen DI, attached.

There is another image under that. Some heat embossed in copper vine leaves.

The ATC sleeves themselves

I am entering this little collection into the challenge at

Quoth The Raven, Nevermore - "To Helen" quest
Divas By Design - Use a charm - it's on the front of the holder