We're ALL Mad Here

Time for something a bit different as well
Over at the Smeared and Smudged Forum, each month is chosen a new GDT. This month is the turn of the fabulously talented Leigh Snaith-Brunton. A trip to her blog is worth taking time out from any ones' busy schedule!
This month's GDT challenge, as devised by Leigh is  based on Alice In Wonderland. Although I love AIW, I have never got round to collecting many stamps in the theme. I always find there are more pressing needs for my available pennies. I had to have a got at this one though. It appealed to my "let's try something different" side. The challenge was to make a hat/AIW themed project. It just so happens Leigh has also posted a template for the making of a Mad Hatter Hat. Now what could be better?
Scissors, printer, card and papers at the ready.... here we come.

First stage completed. Now to find something to decorate it with.
Some orange cordage and ribbon, Shrooms rubber stamps, masking and stamping, from Smeared Ink, (part of a set Killer Bo-Peep's Build a garden, digi link) Alice image masked with the Rabbit (Indigo Blu) and a Queen of Hearts playing card with a few feathers and flowers and the hat was full up.

Still a week left for anyone wanting to join in with any hat/AIW project.

I am entering this into the challenge over at
Glitter and Sparkle - Anything but a card
Penny's Paper Crafty - Anything Goes
Hotshot Crafts - Anything but a card
Movie Magic Monthly - Alice In Wonderland

For The Boys

Delicious Doodles time. How many have you have made a card for one of the men in your life recently? Apart from that one to your Valentine of course. I'm talking about one of those cards with no bling and frills and suitable to give to one of the blokes. Well this week at Delicious Doodles Challenges, we are challenging you all to do just that.....make one

For The Boys

I chose to stay on the vintage theme this week and chose Teri's image Vintage Norton Bike and the Cog and Chain Border to compliment it.

The image itself is so detailed, not much colouring is needed. I did, however, paint some distress ink on it to highlight some of the key areas.

Torn edges and plenty of distress inks to further enhance that olde look.

Instead of embossing the core-dinations card base, I chose to use tyres marks. A new stamp from Visible Image. This was then attached to a piece of DP from the HOTP steampunk paper pack but not before attaching a piece of ribbon from stash threaded through a wooden cog from Crafty Emblies then adding a couple of their word plaques.

The little golden "headlight" is taken from some broken jewellery picked up in a charity shop and the centre filled with glossy accents. 

So peeps - your turn. Make "One For the Boys" and come over and show us by linking your project up on the Delicious Doodles Challenge blog. You never know - you might win and get the opportunity to choose 5 images from the shop.

I would like to enter this into the challenge at
Shelly's Images - Neutrals with a Pop of Colour
Crafting When We Can - Cards For Boys

CDAC - Anything Goes

Things I Love

When the challenge title for this new challenge over at Sparkle and Glitter with Rick (St Dennis) was chosen as a theme, I admit I was stumped for a short while. What, out of all the things I love, shall I depict? So many to choose from. Regular readers of my blog will have gathered by now that my crafty makes are varied. Bordering on the cute when I have to but generally on the darker side. I suppose this is one of the reasons I am on the design teams that I am on. There is one genre that I am enjoying again and again and that is Steam Punk. There are so many aspects that can be depicted. From the fantasy right through to the industrial. As it so happens, I have recently committed myself to a "circle journal" group. Yep - I had to research this as well. For this particular circle, we are 10 members. We all get to choose the theme of our own journals and start them off. They should include a bit about ourselves and a list of "rules" that other contributors to the journal must follow. ie one girl has stated "No Felt". These two pages are what I am about to share with you. The inside cover will be "About Me" and the next - the rules will be added.

About Me

What do we have here? There's the DP base from the Papermania Chronology range. The image is Punky McSteam from Rick St Dennis. It appears the image has been retired now but I love her and had to use her, coloured with promarkers with a touch here and there of perfect pearls painted on and some glossy accents in strategic places then torn out and more ink distressing.

I then sponged "vintage paper" distress ink through a couple of prima stencils. This technique was one that was highlighted in Craft Stamper in march 2013 issue. Then came the Grunge Flourish stamp from Visible Image stamped using metallic copper ink. The title stamped using a set of alphabet stamps in my stash. The brown and apricot lace flower with pearls has been handmade.

Rules page

A much simpler page and will have an insert with my "Rules" when they are finalised. Using some more of the paper stack, I attached a pocket with small eyelets to it. The pocket is made from pearlised copper card to which was added one of the chronology range's postcards after stamping some creative expressions clocks, then a Sweet Pea image Marlon Teunissen's Steam Punk Angel. Fussy cut out and attached to some pearlised brown paper from stash.

Phew, and this is just two of the pages!

Does this inspire you to join in our challenge over at Sparkle and Glitter with Rick? I hope so.

I'd like to enter these two journal pages into the challenge at
Craft My Life - Non Card Projects
Craft Us Crazy - Show Us Your Favourites
Sarah Hurley Challenges - Anything But A Card
SweetPea Stampers - Use a digi

The top journal page also into the challenge at
The Craft Stamper Magazine Blog - Faux Airbrushing Technique

Beating Hearts

What does the phrase "Beating Hearts" conjure up for you?

Certainly not your cute Valentine images? Surely not?

Over at Smudgy Antics the start of another fortnight long challenge. An ATC featuring Beating Hearts is the challenge for the next two weeks. There is also the opportunity of joining in a swap group for the ATCs made for the challenge. That is what ATCs are all about after all.
This day also heralds the beginning of the Smeared and Smudged Bloody Valentine Hop. I'm not joining in the hop this year, unfortunately, life has got in the way over in cubbyhole land and I have not been able to prepare for it. There's plenty of other peeps taking part though. If you are interested hop on over to Tori's Blog for the full info and blog roll.

Anyway, back to these Beating Hearts. These could be your anatomically correct hearts and I nearly went down this road. Then my brain went off on a really odd tangent. It has this tendency once in a while, I believe.
I bring you ..... A heart...... beaten. (not stirred)

Firstly, the back ground. this is small pieces of sticky backed aluminium tape attached to the ATC card. This was then run through my big shot with a red inked embossing folder and black stazon then applied to the raised portions.

Attached to that is the "Cracked Heart" from the Smeared Ink rubber set that was available last month as a member of the "Rubber Club". The digi version is here. This heart was stamped and heat embossed in red onto a piece of TH Christmas paper, I over stamped again in red for more definition. The wings were cut away and the "Broken" sentiment stamped on with stazon.
That club beating that heart to pieces.... that's a cocktail stick dipped in UTEE then more stazon ink to colour.
Shattered was stamped using white ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.

I told you my "Beating Hearts" had gone off on a tangent! hehehe

Don't forget to link up at the challenge for a chance to swap the ATC's of, not just the DT but, other crafters that care to join us.

POE-tic or Prose

Poetry and Prose of Poe: Romantic or Lunatic?


This is the second week of the challenge over at Haunted Design House. All that is required is a project that is inspired by a piece of writing, either poetry or prose, of the great E.A.POE .  Of course you have to come and tell us you have made it by linking up, in the time honoured tradition of blog challenges, on the Haunted Design House Blog. There - made it easy for you by providing the exact link as well. How simple is that?

My piece - It's an ATC. With a little difference. A tryptic. Three faces that together form a whole.
The piece of POEtry is "Fairy-Land". The last face actually has the POEm in full, printed onto some grey paper to tone in with the distress inked card.

 The fairy image is from Third Coast, The moon/cloud from De Stempelwinkel, the trees from Elusive Designs/CoffeeBaroque. Stamped and masked using memento and distress inks. The images coloured with distress inks and old gold perfect pearls for the wings for that touch of shimmer. OK - I know the POEm is about a dozen fairies - just go boss-eyed and you'll see them hehehe.

What piece of writing will your art be inspired by?
We're waiting..............

A Card for a Special Man

It's my wedding anniversary next week and I thought I better knuckle down and make hubs a card. I seem to be making them for every one bar him. He does get to see them though. Not this one. Yet. He doesn't even visit my blog, so I'm safe here.
I discovered a new (to me) stamp company, Visible Image, and there was a sentiment stamp I wanted, for a card to be made in the future. While I was on the site I saw this stamp set and loved it. So two purchases later.....
This is the card I made using the Immortal Love set.

The base card has a silver heat embossed corner stamped on it. This is topped with a black/red core-dinations dry embossed and sanded panel, matted onto pearlised silver card. The embossed centre panel was created by inking the folder with red and dry embossing the piece of pearlised silver. The sentiment panels are two of the words from the set, again heat embossed with silver, matted onto more silver before adding on with sticky pads to lift them. It's difficult to see - but all edges are distressed for a slightly aged look.
The rose in the centre is made up from six images stamped onto patterned paper. and decoupaged up. Some rock candy painted on gives it that shiny  look and helps add more curl to the petals.

Some tiny pearls added to the sentiment panels finished this for me.

I'd like to enter this into the challenge at
Visible Image - Love

Just a Tag

I wanted to make a tag to go with a little gift for a friend. This friend is a right girly, loves her sparkle and shine.
Out came my sprays and the tag was liberally coated with lime green, peach and pink pearlised inks.

Then pink and a touch of old paper DI applied. When dry the swirly/steam punk pattern (Aly's Inky Fingers) on the bottom was stamped with embossing ink, some sticky glue powder then gilding flakes.

The sentiment (Paper Artsy) stamped using stazon then masked before the shoe (Aly's Inky Fingers)
A little humming bird charm and some metal roses to signify "Stop and smell the roses"

The dress form is from Crafty Embellies. this was given a ribbon embellishment with a single pearl.
Two lengths of ribbon finish the tag.
Just need to finish the gift now. Lol.

I'd like to enter this tag into the challenge at
Dragons Dream, Tag It On - Three criteria - dress form, bling and enbossed impression

Pale Red, Pale Red and More Pale Red

Well I didn't want to scare all my regulars, did I?

Those of you with an aversion to the fluffy side of crafting might want to avert their eyes.


I've gone and done it. Made a pink card!!! Ok - I teamed it with chocolate brown, but it is nearly all Pale Red - Pink!

I used a Rick St Dennis image called Valentyna Valentine. The new sweetheart in the Lovely Ladies range.

As you can see - not my normal style at all hahaha.
There're papers there from Basic Grey (with the brown swirls with pinks flowers), Authentique - Lovely collection - Both papers matted onto chocolate brown card, and a digi paper base from Bearly Mine Designs, who just happen to be sponsoring the challenge over at the Sparkle and Glitter with Rick this fortnight.
I have used the sketch over at Stamp with Fun for my inspiration.
We have a pink chiffon ribbon pleated onto a pale pink gold edged satin ribbon. Three pink rose buds gathered with some pink lace to form a doily under them. A home made pin with an ivory pearl, red heart and a clear sparkly bead. A spray of ivory pearls and in the top corner some more pearls ranging from chocolate brown through to pale pink.
The image was coloured with promarkers with just a touch here and there of glitter gel pens.

.I stamped in the top corner with a "real" stamp "All my Love". A set that came free with Card Making and Papercraft. Just the right size for this.

Normal service will be resumed within a day or so. I promise.

I an entering this into the challenge over at
Stamp With Fun - Their Sketch
Charisma Cards - Pink and Brown
Crafty Ribbons - Anything goes with ribbon
Try It On Tuesday - At least one heart
I Love Promarkers - Love is all around

Red, Red and More Red

It's Team A over at Delicious Doodles' challenges to host this week's challenge, and it just happens to be one of my favourite colours that forms the theme. Red and LOTS of it!! Well it is getting to be that time of the year when thoughts turn to love and the red blood starts to race for those in love.
I chose to use three of Teri's new doodles.
Gothic Bride and Groom, one of the new Rose and Thistle papers, and a freebie that if you hurry you can also pick up from Teri's blog.

The rose and thistle paper is hard to make out in this pic - I printed it onto pearlised paper - hence the glare.

There, you can see it a bit better here. The image itself was coloured with promarkers then fussy cut out and inserted into the die'sire frame cut from deep red pearlised card. Some red lace added down one edge.

The layout of the card is loosely based on the sketch over at Tuesday Morning Sketches. (very loosely).

There is a panel cut from red backed, black core-dinations, dry embossed and sanded. Then there is a strip of black  lace with red overlaid crossing at right angles.
The little collection of red roses with a black one at the centre are gathered onto two die cut hearts, with a charm of a little pair of skulls with a rose.

The stop of the easel card is a flower formed by inter-locking more die cut hearts.

Some red tear drop gems in the centre some some black gems inside them. The sentiment is computer generated, printed and die cut before ink distressing with more red.

So - have you been creating in red? If you have, why not come on over to the Delicious Doodles challenge this week and strut your stuff?

I'd like to enter this into the challenge over at
Tuesday Morning Sketches - Their Sketch
Deep Ocean Challenges - Love and Lace
Try It On Tuesday - At least One Heart
CDAC - Anything goes

Just squeaked in there

Wouldn't you know it! All month to play and I leave it to the last minute. This is becoming a habit lately here in the cubbyhole. I must get more organised. I suppose I better explain myself.
Over in the Smeared and Smudged Group over on Facebook, we have started up a monthly challenge. Each month is to be set by one of the DT members in turn. January was Shell's turn. SOMETHING NEW.  What "new" was I to use?
I went with one of the new images that have just come into the shop over at Smeared Ink. This new set is Valentine inspired and I was hard pushed to choose which to play with. Eventually I chose Look of Love There are four others to choose from. Such a hard decision.
I made a tag for the challenge.
I printed the face first onto red paper then onto white so that I could colour then paper piece the eyes.

Coloured in the eyebrows on the red. Then cut out a heart shape containing the image. A cream tag was first stamped with a text back ground stamp from Paper Artsy using red then an Andy Skinner stamp was heat embossed with black.
To finish the tag off

Some black tulle added. Secured at the top with the deep red and black tie ribbons and at the bottom with some red lace. A red flower with black bow and a spray of black pearls.

This tag was entered into the Jan face book challenge on the Smeared and Smudged Group