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