embellish it!

Smudgy Antics challenge this week is really simple. Get those embellishments out and use them!!
you MUST use at least 3 EMBELLISHMENTS. 
 Bring on the flowers and bling.  Use up your ribbon and lace.  Find a spot for brads and gems.  Heck, add hardware if you want!

You need to use a Smeared Ink stamp to qualify for the coveted top 3 but that's easy - there're so many gorgeous stamps in the shop.
I went for the simple card again. I need to build up a small supply again as my pile is being depleted and given to the birthday people on their day.

The main image is the Tree Nymph. Coloured with promarkers before being torn around the edges and ink distressed. I chose both skeleton and die cut leaves to begin with. The die cuts have been sprayed with copper mica spray before attaching to a plain green circle. Some wood coloured mesh ribbon and some natural raffia along the bottom. all these mounted onto an embossed piece of copper card. I coated the embossing folder with DI first to give that extra definition. All mounted onto a deep green card base. Some alcohol ink coloured dew drops to finish off.

I based the layout loosely on this months sketchy over at the Smeared and Smudged forum. and will be entering it into that challenge.

Come on peeps - get those bits and bobs out that you've been hoarding and make something to show us.

Distressed?

"Pass the distressing please" is the title of this week's Haunted Design House challenge. This week we are being sponsored by none other than Smeared Ink!  The prize is a mahoosive $15 digi shopping spree.
The challenge... You are to create a dark, Gothic, or Halloween-based art piece

that uses distressing of some sort. Get out your nail files, your scissor blades
and your distress inks! Your hands are really the best tools to crumple and rip,
and then spritz and sponge your way to a distressed masterpiece!
 Distressing is also a good way to work out those aggressions
 possibly left over from this past weekend's festivities.

My project this week is a card. I used Goth Fairy "Vivondra" as my main image. Coloured with distress inks before cutting out and mounting onto a background from Moonlight Journey, then mounted onto some deep red card. All edges of paper and card given the sandpaper treatment throughout and ink distressed with red or black DI as appropriate.  Some black coated card with a white core took the red DI better.

The sentiment is a stamp from the Andy Skinner range from Personal Impressions. Heat embossed in black on deep red card before roughing it up and inking.

The little heart is a mesh of two Smeared Ink digis. The wings from Vivondra and the plaid heart shape from the heart wings set. Coloured with DI again.
The little roses were coloured red then edged with black ink.
All these were layered onto a red mesh with a simple black velvet ribbon.
The BP is from Crafty Chaos Designs. (The shop appears to be having some technical difficulties and I'll add the link later.)
Layered onto yet more deep red then a black card base

A small collection of red and black pearls finished this card off.


So, off you pop, get those pent up frustrations vented on your papers then come back and show us what you made.

Don't forget to go visiting the rest of the minions and leave some bloggy love while you're sitting there .





I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges
Crafty Card Makers - Distressing
Poisoned Peas Please - Wicked Step Mothers - This would be a depiction of her action I think

A colour challenge for Smudgy Antics

Smudgy Antics challenge theme this week is a COLOR Challenge.
You MUST use at least three of the colors in the swatch below:

Gorgeous colours aren't they! I used a Smeared Ink image from the Elementals rubber set.

Stamped onto pale green card and heat embossed with purple powder. Out came the distress inks and I used these to colour in the image, all except the skin with is "au naturel". Tore round the edges and just rubbed them on the pad to highlight.
Then mounted onto green coredinations that I had stamped the hair into the corners and heat embossed these using the same purple powder.

The background purple was first stamped with one of the grid stamps from "Quoth the Raven" and embossed with purple then over stamped with green ink and heat embossed with an opaque powder.

The central band is a MS punch using lilac paper then some home made purple flowers and some die cut leaves to finish. All matted onto green card then a purple card base.

Now it's time to go visit the rest of the DT and see the beauty they have made then come back to Smudgy Antics and show us your project.

Long in the Tooth

HDH134 
"Long in the Tooth"

You are to create a dark, Gothic, or Halloween-based art piece

that shows us some chompers, teeth, fangs, dentures, etc.!
Creepy toothy grins to wind up teeth!
If it has something to do with teeth, we wanna see it!

That's the challenge this week guys and gals.

I wasn't feeling up to scratch last week so this project and the one in the next post were a bit hurried. My apologies.

I made a bag charm for Haunted Design House - I've had these gorgeous fang charms for my friend Karen over at Duck Pond Crafts, for what seems like ages, and some were just itching to be used.
Armed with some shrink plastic and the image "Call of the Wild" from Delicious Doodles, I made the main "dangle". A moonstone with round silver buckshot, the fangs, the bullets image is from Smeared Ink's Chicks dig guns set and was stamped in silver onto black shrink plastic. All these were hung from a silver chain with a lobster claw clasp.

The same "Call of the Wild" image for the box top. This was layered up with 5 layers and dipped in bronzed UTEE. The background is just stormy sky and dusty concorde DI applied after masking off the moon which is coloured with antique linen DI

You've got until next Sunday to show us those gnashers. So let's see them.
The other minions have been hard at work as well, so go see what they've been up to and there'll be more inspiration on Wednesday from Teri and Creepy Glowbug.  See you soon?

Vampires and Werewolves

It's been one of those weeks here that has seen me not doing much other than working and sleeping. I hate bugs!!! The virusy kind that is.
A couple of weeks ago I was asked if I wanted a GDT spot on Jem's Designs.Wanted to? Of course I did! They have the most gorgeous range of dark and gothic images and scenes that are ideal for a quick card when there's no time to stamp and colour in.
The projects had to be in the post to reach their destination before the 16th because they were going to form part of the showcase on Create and Craft TV.
These are the projects I made. I know - picture heavy - but I've a few to show :)
First up is just a card - using some of the Vampire Queen pics.

and a close up of the front

And an altered picture frame. I used rubber stamps from Smeared Ink here as well to decorate this.

and last but by no means least
a box with keyring (an altered domino)

Just have to wait and see if they want me back, lol

MASQUERADE

Smudgy Antics challenge this week

Create a project depicting a masquerade ball or party.

Use an image that has a mask or costume in it.

Create a mask for a masquerade.

Use a masking technique in your project.

So what did I come up with? Well I have an image with a mask, I've used masked stamping and TH masks and distress inks to make this....

An articulated octagon card. I was having a wander through the Joanna Sheen web site after ordering a few bits and bobs and this is in the tuition bit - by Sheila Weaver.   

OK - I haven't got the template - but I'm used to improvising.
First I had to work out the placement of my main images - before printing them off. I did a mirror of the image Luna from Smeared Ink. (Also printed the images onto plain copy paper to act as my mask.) Cut the image base to the calculated size and shape.

Coloured with promarkers. Masks cut out and stuck on temporarily. Out comes the flowers from Bo-Peep's build a garden rubber set. I had to make maskes for these as well to get the layered look.  Still with the Luna masks in place, I ink distressed with "tumbled glass" DI. .
Next the card base. Using the image piece as a template, the required shape was cut with a knife and folded.
Before attaching the images, I decorated the card base using the TH masks and more of the tumbled glass DI with some wild honey DI for the contrast. The sentiment "Smell the flowers" from the Smeared Ink Faes rubber set The same inks and a different TH mask used for the image backs that can be seen.

and the top view

. Some flowers (Duck Pond Crafts) of similar shape as the stamps and colours of the inks were attached with little button centres.

Simple looking, but with a bit of a difference.
Your turn to masquerade with us at Smudgy Antics.
Don't forget to go see what the rest of the DT have created for your pleasure and inspiration if you need it.

A couple of challlenges
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Anything Goes

Hot As Hell!

Haunted Design House theme this week is "Hot as HELL in here"

You are to create a dark, Gothic, or Halloween-based art piece

that represents flames or something that requires heat;
burning, scorching, wet embossing.
Or just go the literal route and take us on a tour of Hell.

I went with the "Hells' Angel" view. Well - I am an Angel by marriage and one of my nicknames is Hell. So what else could I do?

The images on the front of this "bookmark card" are from Jem's Designs, Gothic CD. The skellie rider has been decoupaged up and bits have been high-lighted with glossy accents. The "flower" is just gathered ribbon stuck to a card base with more ribbon to neaten. The image is more decoupaging and then UTEE dipped.
A little skellie charm added.

The flame BP borrowed from google images. Matted onto old gold then the black card base. The TH edge punch cut in red and orange/yellow core card. I thought this gave more of a flaming look. The Harley Davidson Eagle was rescued from the front of son's old wallet before being thrown.



Where's the stamping? you might ask. That's on the inside.
This is a birthday card to the b/f  fiance of a dear friend. It's going to be a bit late in the giving though as we've not seen them in a few weeks.

Smeared Ink's Celebration Grumpie. Stamped in white on the black card base and in "waterfall" big and juicy on the other side, next to the detachable bookmark








So now it's your turn to show us what you got.
Get those sparks flying and link up so your flaming artwork can come and be admired.




A challenge or two that I am entering this into
The Crafty Bloggers Network - Decoupage

Card for a Civil Partnership ceremony

I was asked to make a card suitable for a civil partnership celebration. Not many out there for the guys pledging their love for each other is there? Although these will probably get more popular, it's now it's needed.
The brief was "something simple and elegant".
I hope I have captured this - and a quick look in to decide on the insert, the lady requesting the card likes the card a lot.

An embossed piece of white card, edge punched. Matted onto pearlised gold, again edge punched. Some gold, white and black knotted ribbons attached before attaching with foam tape (for more dimension) onto black bassill, edge punched as well. A simple sentiment, stamped and cut on the same angle as the ribbons, matted with the same gold and black. All attached to a simple scallop edged card base.
Job done :)

A challenge or two
4 Craft Chicks - Stamp only the sentiment
Southern Girls - All about the boys - This day will be all about 2 special men
Divas By Design - One for the Boys
Stampin' Royalty - Use punches
Fashionista Challenge - Weddings, Anniversary, Wedding Shower. Optional - black + white + one other colour

Trying Something New

Morning peeps.
A new challenge fortnight over at Delicious Doodles' Challenges. This time we're asking you all to come out of that comfort zone with your tried and tested techniques and experiment!
There's a multitude of different techniques out there and I've tried so many of them in the last 2 years that I was a bit stumped as to what to try next.
I settled on trying to make decals to decorate crockery. This post is going to be about what not to do as opposed to "look this works".

I read up on the subject - a lot! One place that made it seem so easy was here Bought the paper specifically for inkjet printers. That's the easy part. Next was trying to source an acrylic spray. Not so easy. I found a spray that says it is acrylic. Specifically Winsor and Newton's Artists' Fixative. OK - it does say for pastel, charcoal and pencil, and it works for them - not for inkjet printer ink though :( Instructions were to use 2-3 coats. Well the first coat made the ink run. Tried less ink. Still no good. Looks like I'm going to have to find a different spray for my digital images I want to use.

This is my sorry attempt at creating these decals. Please, if any of you out there can point me in the right direction, I'd love to hear from you.
The image used is of course from Delicious Doodles - Celtic Raven corner. I needed to keep it fairly simple for my first attempt but wanted it to be an image I liked.

Now get your thinking caps on and show us your new technique. Go visit the other DT members for more inspiration.

Haunted Design House NEWS

A BIG HELLOOOO to all my followers......

I don't know if you noticed, but a few weeks ago I applied for the exalted position of a Minion over at Haunted Design House.
Guess what.... Together with Fiona over at I Don't Do Straight, I share the honour of being one of the new Minions in the Dungeon. How fantastic is that?!!

The first challenge I get to join the team with is GOTHIC MAKE OVER

You are to create a dark, Gothic, or Halloween-based art piece

that includes a cute or non-scary image that has been made over in a GOTHIC manner.

Put your thinking caps on, dust off your photoshop or coloring skills,
and get busy turning something sweet into something sinful.

We are being sponsored by Krista at Saturated Canary and her etsy shop should be checked out. Also check out her blog post here - Shop is moving premises
The winner this week gets to go shopping for two of her great images.

I got to play with Gothica.

Coloured with pencils. I seem to be having a little run with these at the moment, don't I?
I followed the sketch over at Secret Crafter's Saturday Challenge and made this card.

I was going to do red but the purple seemed to want to take over!

I'll be back later with the deets. Work beckons.
OK I'm back.
A question put in one of the comments asked what kind of pencils I use. I use a mixture of water colour pencils and sakura pencils. Depends on the colours I want. For this image though it's the water colours. But I use baby oil and a paper stump to blend. For the extra black I went for charcoal pencil.
The edges of the image layer, after colouring were ink distressed with milled lavender and black soot DI. then layered onto distressed lilac core, black coredinations. The purple/black panel - that's purple card embossed after rubbing my black DI over the folder first, again matted onto more distressed black coredinations. All then onto a lace covered piece of card with a length of purple ribbon. Some black feathers and black rose buds in one corner, 3 card candy spots (coloured with purple promarker) and a trio of brads up top with a little bead/skully charm dangling. The sentiment was computer generated and matted onto yet more coredinations.
All this was then stuck to a black cs base.
This card was chosen by my son to give to his g/f for her birthday, so it's gone to a good home :D

I'd like to enter this into one or two challenges
Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Their Sketch
Craft Room Challenges - Emboss It
Lexi's Creations - Use Lace and Ribbon

May's Anything Goes at Smudgy Antics

Ooops a bit late getting this posted. Time at my PC last night was at a premium and I do need to sleep occasionally. Bed called before I realised this post was still only in draft format. Oh well, you can shoot me now.
Anyway,
Another Monday loomed and with it the new Smudgy Antics Challenge. Anything Goes!!!
We love when you guys and gals think outside of the box.  The more creative and inventive, the better!  You know those projects you WANT to make, but would be shunned from mainstream sites?  They are accepted here!  We get down and dirty.  We like it real, raw, and in your face!  Let your artistic expression fly free!

My project is a fat book page. It features two of the Zombie Pin-up girls, Tease and Sex Kitten.

Both coloured with promarkers, fussy cut out and stuck onto a BP from the MCS "Tinkering with Steampunk" CD. The BP was edge cut with my MS drippy goo punch then stuck to a piece of red bassil card from stash. The top sentiment comes from the Zombie Pin-up set, the bottom just computer generated by me.

This was to be my "Drop Dead Gorgeous" piece but the new Women of Power images took that title in the end.
So what excuse are you going to come up with this week for not joining us?

CASE (copy and steal everything)

A tall order set by the Minions over at Haunted Design House. Especially when you consider their work is so exceptionally good. Have a go time!!!
I chose Teri's card - it seemed the easiest to do.

So purple and black card stock - got loads of that. A mermaid image - I'm lucky enough to have that as well. :)
black lace and feathers - check!

I do have to adapt slightly of course  - but this is what emerged

The dimension is there as well :)

The image is Teri's through her shop at Delicious Doodles called Black Pearl.

Several different layers making up the whole. The frame is a cricut one from the Happy Hauntings cart. I used two different types of black coredinations. Kraft core and lilac core. Some black lace and pearls. I added a purple feather as well as the black. Also the pearls in the image have been dosed with glossy accents.

This is going to be entered into the following challenges
Haunted Design House - Case A Minion
Craft Us Crazy - Favourite stamp company and/or found inspiration (Delicious Doodles are one of my favs)