Strange..........Skin

It's the day after Sunday and therefore it's Macabre Monday over at Haunted Design House. This week's challenge is being sponsored by Strange Skin. They have a unique selection of digital images that pander more to the horror hounds and macabre minded. They have darkly beautiful images too. You should check them out
and decide for yours

The challenge itself is a recipe. the recipe you must follow to play along with us in the dungeon this week.
Begin with 2 layers (actual card counts as one layer)
Add 1 main image panel                   
Mix in some metal bits of your choosing
Add some drops of black pearls
Gently fold in 1 punched element
Tie up nicely with some ribbon or trim

Me - I made a fatbook page for my contribution to the mixture

1st layer is embossed card (TH) Painted with black then dark brown and then a lighter brown
2nd layer is triple heat embossed card (blackgold mixed with more black and a bit of glitter), when still hot an inked rubber stamp (creative expressions) was pressed onto the molten powder.
Image layer is Strange Skin's Bride of Frankenstein. Coloured with metallic pencils. I added glossy accents to highlight the "oil drips". and some tiny black pearls at the bottom of the drips.

My punched element, combined with my metal bits that are dotted about. I stapled the 2nd layer to the 1st. 
I added metal eyelets to a punched strip of card and I used an metal embossing punch to write the word "STRANGE" on a copper plant tag. The copper tag was then heated with a candle to bring out those gorgeous hues that occur when copper is heated.

The copper tag and the eyelet punched card were then tied together with ribbon, some more, larger, black pearls added before sticking to the FB page base.
The only thing that remains to say is "go visit the other Minions in their cells and see how they created their awesome pieces then come back and show us yours"

I am entering this into the challenge over at
Forever Night - #40Urban Legends
Robyns Fetish Challenge - No Flowers
Crafty Mess Challenge - Use Paint
Sarah Hurley Challenges - Dimension and Texture

A Recipe

1,2,3 A recipe.We want to see you use 1 of something, 2 of something and 3 of something!

Doesn't matter what - just tell us what it is that you have used. 

That's the new challenge over at Delicious Doodles' Challenges for this coming fortnight. The other girls on the DT have made some beautiful projects. Absolutely gorgeous.
Me, I made a card. This is the sister to the little pink dragon I showed you all at the beginning of the week.

My recipe - 1 DP - a scrap from trimcraft's Neighbourwood stack for the little Dragon to sit on. This little cutie was coloured with promarkers and some glitter added for claw and horn polish. Glossy accents for that dewy eyed look.

2 Ribbons. I layered a lilac grosgrain on  purple satin edged organza. I also added a little charm with a brad
3 Homemade flowers. These were just small squares of an old window screen. edges singed with a flame and layered up and a pearl added at the centre.

The main background is an embossed piece of lilac core coredinations, sanded and stuck to a glossy black piece of card. Then onto a pearlised purple card base.
There we have it. Easy as 1,2,3.
Your turn now. Come show us your makes at Delicious Doodles to be in with a chance of winning 5 yummy images of your choice.

elegant and creepy

Hi everyone, normal service has resumed here in the Cubbyhole. At least for a while. Back to the style I love to create instead of those that I need to make. Don't get me wrong; I love to create, I just prefer the darker side of crafting. Anyway.
I wouldn't normally use the same project for a DT piece but my tag for Smudgy Antics went horribly wrong. The theme for Haunted Design House is "Eerie Elegance"  and the theme for Smudgy Antics is "Pretty Creepy". So this tag fits them both.

I used the dead dancer from Smeared Ink. Printed onto printed vellum and lightly coloured in with pencils. the image torn out and turned over so the reverse is what you see.

The tag was inked with distress re-inkers, using a folded baby wipe. Then spritzed with more distress ink mixed with water and a touch of pearlised paint. Rubber stamps from Smeared Ink's Holy City set. 
A shrink plastic grave stone just hand written and coloured before shrinking, with a small pearl added. The dancer applied with all over spray adhesive and outlined with crackle accents.

A handmade, burnt organza flower with black tulle added with a tie using ribbons of the same colours as on the tag.
Done.
All that's left for you to do is go visit the other DT members and see their amazing pieces. A comment or two would make their day.

Sparkly dragonlet

Haha hehe I'm going mad!! Two pink cards in a row!!! Not only PINK but sparkly as well!!!
Normal service will be resumed soon. I had to make a birthday card for a special little girl. Well there are two but I'm not showing the other just yet. ;P

The image is Dragon from Delicious Doodles.

Stickles liberally applied after cutting out with a nestie and the eyes given the gloosy accents treatment. Yes that is glitter card you see before you.
I followed the sketch over at Graficat Sketches to put this card together. The BP are from Trimcraft's Neighbourwood range that I got from Duckpond Crafts. Flowers and charm from there as well.
The green strip under the image has been edge punched and the swirls cut using Accent Essentials cricut cart.
The "Happy Birthday" sentiment was heat embossed.

I must say - I'm really pleased with this month's flower kit from Karen. I normally get her card making kit, but she asked if I wanted the flower kit instead as the papers were not my style. LOL she knows me well.
Look how much there was in there. I had to pile it all up on this 12"x12" paper stack.

Any way, the card I made...
I'd like to enter it into one or two challenges
Graficat Sketches - Their Sketch
Crazy Challenge - a recipe - at least 3 from Ribbon/twine, gems/pearls, dies/punches
Craft Your Days Away - Bingo - well the only thing I haven't got is doilies and button

Friends Forever

I was asked to make a card by hubs so that "the boys" can give a card to their favourite barmaid when she leaves to go onto other pastimes. The brief was "pink, glitzy, girly and have a horse on it" I hope I covered it with this card. Hubs likes it so that's ok.
I used the image "Friends Forever" from Delicious Doodles. I used my pencils and babyoil to colour.

I used the sketch over at Sketch Saturday to put all the elements together to make the card

.All the mats are of pale green glitter card. The panel behind the image is cream card embossed after applying tattered rose DI to the embossing folder. Some pink, satin edged, organza ribbon overlaid with pink/green grossgrain under both these panels.
Some pink pearl swirls with added tiny gems across the top.
The charm contains a "good luck" flower cut from shrink plastic, the chain attached with a pearl brad.

Across the bottom - flowers. From Duck Pond Crafts as was the little horse charm. These were white before a light dusting of pale pink promarker. Again attached with some pearl brads. Just a dash of stickles because I was asked for glitzy

Wow, that's two girly cards on the trot.

My regular followers will wonder where the Croms they know has gone. Normal service will be resumed soon; but coming out of that comfort zone can be a good thing to help strengthen those weaknesses.


I will be entering this card into the challenge over at
Sketch Saturday - Their Sketch
Shopping Our Stash - Use 2 different ribbons/twine
Crafty Creations - Use a charm
Just Keep On Creating - Anything Goes

a Gift Card

If you were around my blog in Feb then you will have seen I made one of these cards then. It's a design I like to save for really special cards. I was asked to make one by a family member as a gift. Of course I would. I did manage to steer the conversation away from tatty teddy  lol.
I took a pic of the inside before lacing as the acetate, I knew, would glare and the inside would not photograph well.

The image is from Jem's Designs, A Fairies Haven. Printed onto silk photographic paper. Before adding her to the BP, I stamped all over the blue and silver BP with a text stamp from Andy Skinner's Gothic stamp collection using weathered wood DI. Then heat embossed, in silver, the winged heart and cherub from the same set. Some TH swirls cut from glitter card and some home-made organza ribbon flowers. A small pearl detail and a light touch of stickles to the fairy pic completed this bit. The same organza ribbon was threaded through the card and attached acetate.
On the outside, see what I mean about the acetate? This came already foiled with silver butterflies.

The card base is a sheet of textured pearlised silver. I used a flower nestie to cut an aperture from the gate-folded card, laying the nestie inside the card layers so that only the one layer got cut. Some holes cut and eyelets set for lacing. Some more of those glitter card swirls, another flower and a stamped sentiment using cobalt blue ink. The laces are blue waxed cotton thread.
Job done.

I'd like to enter this card into one or two challenges
Just Keep on Creating - Anything Goes

Book of Secrets

I was lucky to stumble upon a link to Andy Skinner and his amazing workshops one day a few weeks ago. I was so bowled over I signed up for the "book of secrets" workshop. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff he has on his blog. Well I didn't at first.
This is my book of secrets inspired by that course.

This is one side

and the other

sorry the light's a bit glarey

The spine and "book leaves" edges

all this from a wooden box covered in card and acrylic paint. The only metal used was the pen nib, winged charm,chain, key and key hole. The paper in the box is Joanna Sheen's, stamps are Andy Skinner and creative expressions.
Andy has compiled a video of all the projects completed on this workshop. View here to be amazed. I intend doing the time worn work shop next. Watch this space.

I am entering into one or two challenges
Art with No Boundaries - Heavy Metal
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Anything goes
Try It on Tuesday - Anything Goes
Just Keep On Creating - Anything Goes