Ancient Evil

Haunted Design House day here in the cubbyhole.
The challenge started last week and continues to next Monday..........

Ancient Evil

Think back to days of yore, the very distant past.

What sort of evil lurked in the shadows back then? 

Slimy mythical monsters, devils, demons maybe?  How did those, in times forgotten, protect against the unseen terrors?

The task is to unleash the long forgotten myths and demonic creatures of yesteryear and depict in a way of your choosing.

Tombs and sarcophagi were often decorated with what the ancient Kushites and Egyptians called "udjat" eyes — It had a kind of ritual role to protect from the evil eye. It is this idea that I have chosen to use as my interpretation of the theme.

and complete with "mummy"

I covered a wooden coffin shell with grunge paste - making sure there was plenty of "stone-like" texture.
Then came the job of painting. First layer being black then dry brushing in various shades of grey through to "off-white".
The "eyes" are gilding flakes applied to the images painted on with pva glue.
The linen interior of the coffin is muslin dyed with distress re-inkers and the mummy is a TH fractured doll wrapped in more muslin lightly coloured with more re-inker.

What "Ancient Evil" are you going to depict? Or are you going to interpret the theme differently? Come show us at Haunted Design House and get your Hallowe'en decorations off to a good start.

Eleganza with Rick St Dennis

Good morning everyone.
I have the honour of being on the GDT team for Cute Card Thursday today via Rick St Dennis.
The theme for this week's challenge is dies and punches. Well, I have a few of them in my collection now, but which to choose? Also which image from the extensive collection of Rick's?
The Mermaid Eleganza caught my eye a while back and she was screaming for some colour......who am I to argue?
Soft teal tones - almost like those you find at sea - came to mind.

Now to get her onto a card

A few different makes of dies and punches here teamed with some DCWV DP that I airbrushed with stencils and the same promarkers that I'd used to colour our gal.

Some pearls and a little mother of pearl starfish I found in my stash,

Then a BIG OOOPSS 

I almost forgot - this is supposed to be a CUTE card. Well, those that know me will know I don't do cute really but, in deference to the hosts, I placed a couple of mother of pearl sequins on the image for the photo. I think I saved it.

Anyway - my fellow teamie Karen made a fabulously cute card to counteract my boob. You can see the two together on the Sparkle and Glitter blog and of course over at the hosts of the challenge - Cute Card Thursday.

Second Catchup with Delicious Doodles

This is only a day late - so I'm that far behind now **grin**

The challenge started yesterday over a Delicious Doodles Challenges -

Tag It.

To create either a tag or a project with a tag

I went for just the tag - I love making tags for some unknown reason.

Using the cardboard back of a paper stack - almost chipboard weight. Well it was too good to waste. I needed something substantial so the it wouldn't be warped with the gesso I intended to use.

So.......... a light coating of gesso on both sides. Followed by the stencilling with more gesso of a snowflake background I have. Plenty of warm soapy water needed to clean it - gosh that stuff sticks like sh...........
When dry, some black stars sparkle medium was scraped on and off. More drying time.
My image is the Holly Sugar Skull. Printed onto card twice then reversed and printed onto cheap printer paper. Needed this for the image transfer. No way I could fussy cut all those swirls and berries.

 So some layering of the larger items after colouring with distress inks and coloured the image transfer with gel pen and metallic marker.
Some die-cuts of a poinsettia and a little sentiment (Las Vegas Stamps) a bit of ribbon to tie. Job done.

I'd like to enter this tag into the challenge at
A Step in the Dark - Anything Goes

Catching up time - Firstly with Rick St Dennis

OOoooops my bad.
I've been so busy with this and that, I almost forgot this little place. I have been crafting as well but sometimes when I make projects well in advance of being able to blog them - that little job seems to escape my tiny brain.
Anyway................

This post is to share my project made for the Rick St Dennis' Sparkle and Glitter Progressive challenge. - the mid month reminder for the first month.  An "Anything Goes"  - but using an RSD image. Any image that can be found in either the Zibbet or Etsy stores.
The project I made is so simple - just an altered CD. Any old CD just cries out for a makeover. They're so easy to do and a string of them can adorn any wall. If you want a change - decorate both sides and turn them round once in a while.

This one was made using Cannibal Creepmas

Coloured with promarkers with some added distressing with ink

Mounted onto the disc that had been covered with a scrap of paper from my stash. I think it was actually from a Christmas paper stack but can't remember which.

Added ribbon, pleated and plain with a scrap of lace. Finished off with some eyelets for hanging and decoration.

Done and super quick for a bit of Creepmas decoration.

Don't forget to enter your project now.

Gone Gothic with Delicious Darkness

It's our second challenge over at Delicious Darkness challenge blog. A month long challenge where you can go as dark as you like. In fact, it's no cuteness allowed - it MUST be a dark/gothic/alternative creation and if a Delicious Doodles/Darkness image is used......... so much the better and you then get to enter again.

This month it's all about 

GOING GOTHIC

What did I do? Just a card this time..............

Using the awesome image Leather and Lace

Coloured with a mixture of promarkers and graph'it pens

The card - well that is a pearlised paper as the main mat with coredinations dry embossed and sanded on top of that. The corner squares cut from DCWV immortal love stack and the image mounted onto leather textured paper. Some ribbon, lace and pearls. The little sentiment was stamped, cut into individual words and these mounted onto the coredinations offcuts.

Simple and quick to put together once the image was coloured.

Please check out the projects of rest of the team and, when you've picked your jaw up from the ground, come along and show us how gothic you can go

Hugs

I'd like to enter this card into the challenge at
A Creative Romance - Anything Goes

Creative Blog Hop

Creative Blog Hop

I was nominated to take part in the Creative Blog Hop by the Fabulous Fiona Henderson. Fiona is a wonderful, warm person whom I met through facebook and a mutual friend. Her work is both beautiful and inspiring and she is willing to take on many challenges; both in and out of the world of crafting.

She, like so many talented crafters, have health issues past and present. This is not something she dwells on nor makes a big song and dance about. In fact, unless you know her, you would not guess as she keeps all this very close and still manages to give of herself and her art to others.

(http://ahighlanderflingofcards.blogspot.co.uk/)

The questions I have to answer?

1. What am I working on?

I have my fingers in a few pies, so to speak. I am, currently, on the design teams for Rick St Dennis, Teri Sherman's Delicious Doodles and lately the new Delicious Darkness and Haunted Design House.

Most of my artwork tends to be on the darker, alternative side. The fact that cute and I don't walk a path easily is plain to see from looking through my blog. Saying that, there have been a few occasions that I have been called upon to make a cute card. They always take so much longer for me though. Always with much “ummmming and arghing” and checking pinterest and the like for inspiration and to see if I'm getting it right.

2. How does my work differ from others of my genre?

What is my genre? I'm not sure even now.

I love the dark side of crafting. Steampunk, Gothic, alternative without being gory.

I don't do zombies easily nor blood and gore. That may or may not surprise a few.

3. Why do I write/create what I do?

I started card making because a saw a lady on a TV craft Show making cards on New years day 2010. A friend had already tried to teach me a month or two before this. My crafting love at the time was cross stitch, knitting and sewing. These hobbies were becoming increasingly difficult because I was having trouble holding the needles. Card making seemed to be a way for me to still be creative and not get too frustrated at having to put the work away after 20mins.

BUT

I was still having a problem in my head with the cute stuff that seemed to be required. I needed to find something else.

Then, whilst blog hopping one day, I came across a crafter called Black Dragon. I was drooling at the dark beauty of her work. By clicking on various links on her blog I was pleasantly surprised to find a whole community of crafters that embraced “an alternative artform”. Enter Smearedand Smudged into my crafting life. I was home. Where I needed to be. Where no-one frowned at you for not loving Tilda or rolled their eyes at your work when you wanted to colour skin and hair in different hues. Creating with stamps wasn't just about making cards, they could be incorporated into many other forms.

It was here that the colouring skills of Aletha Williams and Lady Brayton inspired me to get better in that aspect. I also got to know Monique Van Dijk and Shelley Knight, more about these lovely ladies in a bit.

Then that awesome team at Haunted Design House accepted me into the Dungeon. My crafting life is almost complete.

Enter Rick StDennis and his fabulous art.

Along the way, these last 4 years, I have met with, online and off, some awesome crafters, many of whom I am proud to say “They're my friend”.

Crafting takes me into a world where my pains can be forgotten for a short while.......... as long as I have coffee.

4. How does my creation process work?

I've no set formula for making what I do. Sometimes an image will talk to me, sometimes it's because I'm working to a tight brief.

Now its time to nominate people for the Blog Hop.

I am supposed to nominate 3 people with blogs. Unfortunately as so many have already done this journey I have only 2 that are able to carry on this hop.

Firstly

Monique Van Dijk

Mo's work is unique. Her skill with her pencils - well you just have to see it to believe. Mo and I seem to follow each other into design teams. Currently we are both on the EDT for Rick St Dennis and are Minions in the Dungeon of Haunted Design House. 

Second

Shelley Knight or Shell

Shell and I "met" on the design team for Smeared Ink and currently are both on the design team for Delicious Doodles. Shell is one of a fairly small band of crafters that can alter any old "junk" and make it beautiful. Amazing work

.....and for Haunted Design House - I scream..........

Second week of the challenge over at Haunted Design House. The challenge is to show your interpretation on a little film short.

The other Minions of the Dungeon have worked their magic and produced some amazing art. I just have an ATC.

My first attempt at zentangle. I used images from Smeared Ink  The BG is stamped using a stamp from Visible Image. The letters were stamped and cut out, mounted with sticky pads.

Get on over and link up on the first week's post linky and show us YOUR darkside

Rick St Dennis' Sparkle and Glitter Progressive Challenge

Today is going to be post heavy - which one to do first?
Rick St Dennis' Sparkle and Glitter month long Progressive challenge came out of the hat first. So...............

The first of the month starts the ball rolling again over at the Sparkle and Glitter blog, some of the EDT will be showing some, hopefully, inspirational projects to whet your appetite.
I  am greedy and have two spots. One today and another on the 15th as part of the 2week reminder.
Without further ado .......... a Crimbo card - probably one of a few I will be making in the coming months if last year was anything to go by. Yes - it's a little different, but what do you expect from me?
Using the image "Holiday Opera" and a computer generated senti. (A bit of plagiarism on the old carol... I don't care)

The image was coloured with a mixture of promarkers and graph'its. A copy on cheap paper printed as well, cut out and used as a mask. The mask used to shield the image from the spritzing of more ink around to soften the stark white of the card. The senti had a similar spritz. A bit of ribbon, some matting and layering and one card done.
Thanks for looking. Hopefully you will come and join in the fun at the progressive challenge.