Bugs Alive

I make no real excuses about using this image twice in one week. It was the ideal choice when the girls over at CMLI on the craft Bubble forum laid down the sketch with a bugs twist.

The image is from the Sweet Pea range. Coloured with promarkers with touches of glossy accents and stickles. The leaves were added to by layering the image onto an extra set stamped.
The background was created using my new tool - a brayer with some foliage stamping on. The scalloped edging is an edge punch "bent round" because I don't own any "nestie" type cutters with an added pearl detail.
The BP was in a RAK and I don't know the origin. This was layered onto a wavy cut plain paper before attaching to the card base.
The lace at the top was an old length in stash that I coloured dark green with alcohol ink. The added pink being the offcuts from punching the image's backing. Again adding some pearl detail. The bugs at the bottom are die cuts from holographic card and those at the top are brads.

Challenges that I am entering this into are
In A SweetPea Dream - Pink
SweetPea Stampers - Scallops
Digi Doodle Shop's Best - Pearls
Totally Gorguss - Lace and pearls

ABC

ABC of Christmas that is. I know, I've hardly got over making cards for last year but this year I'm starting early. So much got put on hold last november and december, I don't want that to happen this year. The challenge over at the ABC Christmas Challenge blog might help me get closer to my goal.
This week it's B for Black and White. Even got a freebie to use donated by Dustin Pike.








This is my take on it. I was following the sketch over on the group "Craft Mad and Loving It" in the Craft Bubble. It is white - but even with my light box - everything changes colour slightly.
All the BP were donated last year by a friend so have no idea where they're from.
The image was coloured entirely with black watercolour pencil, matted onto black then more white.

The sentiment is from Sentiments 4 You. The snowflake is a punch and emboss in white mounted onto black.

Entering this into
the ABC Christmas Challenge - The theme and image
Crafts And Me Challenges - Monochrome
Easy Craft Projects - Black and White
Crafty Cardmakers - Use only pencils
The Make It Colourful section of Make It Crafty - Monochrome

Nevermore

My latest inky fingers are as a result of this.........
It started out trying a technique that my friend Kathy K over on Craft Mad and Loving it highlighted. She calls it a "post-it-note tutorial". Well after just the one inking after masking on white set me to thinking..... I wonder...... So began a marathon session of masking and inking.
I wanted to depict the broken man of the poem "The Raven".
I only used two colour distress inks for the middle green section.... Antique Linen and Forest Moss. The last few verses of the poem "The Raven" were printed in tiny font. The card was then trimmed to a shape similar to the inked sections and stuck onto some dark cream card that I had already used the antique linen ink on. I felt it needed more. So using black instead of green started masking and inking again. Now that looked better!!!
Now to use my stamps that were sitting waiting patiently for me. The "Poe", "Nevermore" and "leave my loneliness unbroken" stamps are from CherryPie. The grave stone and the other raven images are from SmearedInk "Holy City" range. Final touch were a few feathers stuck into a couple of black beads and a broken heart that I drew onto shrink plastic and attached.
This was all then attached to some deep red and then black cardstock.
It is destined as a picture but the frame I had in mind has been broken beyond repair. Need to go looking for stuff to make another.
Hope you like looking as much as I enjoyed making.

I am entering this into the Haunted Design House challenge this week for their "Freakers-Free-For All". Also into the 2Sisters Challenge for No Designer Paper and I Did It Creations Challenge for make your own charm .... the broken heart. Lexi's Creations are having an "Anything Goes" challenge this week so am also entering this little piece in there as well.