Tiddly Inks Challenge #110

I actually played along with a challenge!

Tiddly Inks' current challenge is to "use a Wryn"... and the Wryns happen to be my favorite line of Christy's images!  So, without further ado:

I used the "Wryn New Nest" image... isn't it adorable?  I know, I know... where is the creepiness, Barb?  I told you I've been mojo-less lately, and this image was springy and upbeat, so I decided to forgo the macabre this time around :)

Patterned papers:  My Mind's Eye

Grass punch:  Martha Stewart

Die:  Square Nestabilities

Main Copic colors:

skin:  E11, 00, 000, R20 cheeks

hair:  YR23, Y26, 23, 21

pink:  R85, 83, 81

tree:  E57, 53, 51

Yes, I DID fussy-cut the image!

I also drew in the higher branch of the tree to give a little more height to the image.

And yes, pop dots are my friends :)

What do you think?

A little life update...

Bad news...  I just haven't been feelin' the creative mojo as of late.

What sucks worse, is the fact that I actually have a teensie bit of spare time that I could be using to get a little artsy.  WTH?

I can only organize my studio so many times before there is just nothing left to do but create ;)

Good news... I made a card today!  I'll be posting it soon :)

Bad news... I REALLY miss working at The Scrapbook Page part time since they have closed.

I loved the people I had worked with, and so many of the customers had become friends.

Good news...  my Architectural design business is BOOMING!  I'm extremely busy right now, which is definitely a sign that the economy is on the rise.

My favorite current project is a large custom house for a 10 acre site... fun!

Bad news... diabetes really really REALLY sucks.

Good news... I'm doing really well with diet and am actually eating healthier than I ever have before.

Now to just get off my boo-tay and work out!

AWESOME news... Mama altered a pair of my nice dress slacks and she took 4-1/2" out of the waist alone!

That is all for now... just thought I'd let everyone know what's been up :)

Stay tuned for my cute Copic coloring goodness!

HDH165 - Skeletal Remains Challenge

Super simple card today for the fortnightly challenge over at Haunted Design House!  The challenge?

HDH165 - Skeletal Remains

No problem for my fellow Halloweeniacs... skulls, bones, etc.

Bonus:  we are being sponsored by Octopode Factory!  Fun and quirky images with an edge.  Here is  my clean and simple, Copic-colored offering:

I used the dude from the Day of the Dead Couple, Hallowe'en Tombstones, & Skull Head Sticks.  What is great about OF's images, is that some of them come as png files with transparent backgrounds... perfect for layering up several and creating an entire scene!

You've still got a week to participate over at HDH, so don't miss out on the fun!

What do you think?

Design Team Throwdown Challenge #3 at Smeared and Smudged

That's right kids... I'm baaaaack!  I've had to take a hiatus from the awesomeness that IS the

Haunted Design House 

blog, and I must say that I have missed getting my creep on >`:) 

So, to mark the occasion, I decided to go big and, along with a couple of my talented Minions, enter

Smeared and Smudged's

Design Team Throwdown Challenge #3:  Mini Books

It's been awhile since I've done a mini book.  But, mini books were where I started in this huge world of papercrafting, so it was about time I went back to my roots... only a little darker this time, of course :)  Be warned, there are a TON of pictures with this post, but me loves the details... check it:

The front cover is by far my favorite part.. I've used glass & leather as my base covers.  Sometimes it pays to be an Architect:  access to some lovely sample materials :)
Leather flooring is seriously sah-weet!

Ranger's Glossy Accents is my friend!  It is everywhere in this book... works great for metal & glass, like those Making Memories pewter alphas.

I added a grommet to the leather for added strength, which is helpful considering how freakin' heavy the glass is alone.  The glass has an awesome texture to it and beveled edges (bonus!).

I got out my Ranger Melting Pot & UTEE... so much fun!  After stamping (Artful Illusions stamp) into the warm goo, I added some Pearl-Ex for shimmer.

I also added some glass beads & alligator clip that dangle from the D-ring binder.

A couple of Maya Road stick pins & an uber-cool metal skull button finishes out the front cover.  I added some Crackle Accents on the flowers & the skull eye sockets. 

The inside pages were made from wood veneer.  All were stamped in black & heat embossed with superfine clear EP.  I then used Ranger's Picket Fence Distress Stain to low-light areas... it wipes off of the embossed images so they really stand out:

Page One:

Artful Illusions stamp.  Tim Holtz pen nib & tissue tape.  Key, clip & gem sources unknown.

Page Two:

Artful Illusions (headstones, script) & Smeared Ink (crow & window) stamps.  Prima resin square & 7Gypsies tab.  Coffin nail source unknown.

Page Three:

Artful Illusions stamps & Moxxie pumpkin paper.  7Gypsies metal tag.  Brad, clip & bottle cap sources unknown.  Bottle cap filled with Crackle Accents & rubbed with black ink.

Page Four:

Red Lead Paperworks stamp & Fancy Pants rub-on.  Tim Holtz skull & token embellishments.  Clip & chain sources unknown.

Page Five:

Red Lead Paperworks stamp.  Tim Holtz spider & Making Memories clip.  Jewelry rosette source unknown.

Back Cover:

Same leather & glass base as front cover, then I snipped the prongs off of some Karen Foster brads & attached them with Glossy Accents to use as feet to prevent scratches on the glass.

Ta-da!  If you are still with me, thanks... if not, you totally missed out ;)  I had a blast making this... getting inky, messy and finally using some of the awesome embellishments I have been hoarding for so long!

If you could take a look at the work of all of the Design Teams that are participating in this challenge and cast your vote, it would be appreciated... even more so if you vote for the HDH (Haunted Design House) Minions!  Voting is from April 11th at 12:01am thru April 12th at midnight... just go HERE to vote.  You must be a member of the Smeared and Smudged Forum, but it only takes a minute!

What do you think?

Lookie what I found...

A sweet, super simple card that I never posted!  And this is from awhile back:

"Watercolor Plants" & "Love You" stamp sets were from The Angel Company (NLA).

However, I believe Red Rubber Designs may be releasing the sentiment set soon.

Keep your eye out for that one... it is a great set.

The watercolor technique was done by applying Tombow markers directly to the stamp, misting with water, then stamping.  Mist again without applying more marker, and stamp a second time, mist again & stamp a third time.

A little Scor-bugging, inked edges, sheer ribbon and heart-shaped pearl round this out.

What do you think?

Whoops! The winner of the ribbon stash is...

So sorry... I totally forgot to draw a winner for this!!  So without further ado, the winner is...

 

Alison!

Congratulations :)

Please email me your mailing address and I'll get that sent right out!

It's an addiction... and a little Blog Giveaway...

Yep.  I'll admit it.  Right out loud.

I am a ribbon addict.

The scary thing is that I really pared my buying back since I haven't had time to do any personal crafting.  Imagine if I hadn't been teaching classes and was just buying ribbon all willy-nilly like I used to!  Yikes.  Here is a shot of my "loose" ribbon that I decided to re-organize:

I know!  I just kept finding it all over my studio:

(All delightfully double-faced satin)

Oh!  Look... there's another roll rack:

(There are also rolls in that KnollTextiles box)

And clear jars with ribbon on round clothespins and ribbon stuffed in a Ball jar:

 Please ignore the huge joint-filler blob in the background... I really need to sand that down and touch up the paint one of these days ;)

Whoops!  There's my huge jar of fabric trims, lace & fibers:

(sorry for the totally sucky photos, by the way)

I'm telling you, it's a sickness... seriously.  Well, to better use my loose ribbon I thought I would organize it by color & have it in front of my face at my desk.

A few years back I bought these metal hot-air balloon decor items:

I've been hanging my ribbon from them for years, but I finally organized by color

(and left spots for more!):

I still have the roll racks & jars to go through, but for now at least I have this bit o' beautimousness next to my desk:

Ooooooooo... so pretty!  Lover-ly webbed trim & ribbon rose trims are among my faves.

I also need to re-organize all of the embellishments hanging above, but that is for another day.

BUT, to celebrate my re-org, I forced myself to part with a healthy bit of ribbon and am giving it away to one lucky person:

That, my friends, is a 16" diameter by 3" thick (at least!) pile o' ribbon salad!

So, how do you get a chance at this awesomeness? 

Just leave me a comment below telling me how you organize your ribbon.

That's it.

If you want to post this giveaway on your blog, add another comment.

If you want to share on Facebook, even better... add another comment.

I'll leave this open until March 31st at 6pm central time (US)

and will announce the winner sometime before midnight.

Heads-up... I'm going to try to start blogging again on a regular basis... you know, like I used to!

It will still be hit & miss through April, but after that... watch out!  :)

Miss me!

Coffee talk...

How about another card that is perfect for sending to a friend... just because:

Another Art Impressions stamp paired with BoBunny paper & a Paper Smooches sentiment.  Notice a pattern between this and the last post?!  I try to utilize most of a patterned paper sheet... some have three or more distinct sections/stripes that make it sometimes difficult to create the same card over and over again.  This way I can get about six cards from one lonely patterned paper :)

This was a fun image to experiment with different skin tones and hair colors.  And a few of the ladies are the same from the last post... nothing like a work out and then an iced-coffee, right?

What do you think?

Workout warriors...

Sorta.

:)

Check out these dedicated ladies:

Yeah, I feel like that bottom middle one during a work out :)  Which I haven't done in a LONG time, by the way... but IF I were to work out, I'm pretty sure I would be just as excited as her.

Yes, I cut out that image by hand... had to... otherwise you wouldn't see all of the cool paper, right?

The image is by Art Impressions, the sentiment is from Paper Smooches and the paper is an older BoBunny line.

I think I would rather work out alone than with a group...

What do you think?

Girlfriends...

If you haven't figured it out yet, I kinda like Stamping Bella stamps :)

I need to find out who the artist is that does the "Uptown Girl" series, because she is a fave of mine!  All of the girls in the series are super tall & thin with super-skinny legs... sooooooo unlike me ;)  

 The paper is by Three Bugs in a Rug.

LOVE how the ethnic skin & hair came out!  And blondie's dress was kinda fun, too.  Please note the Stickles overload on the boa ;)

And there is the wavy-ribbon trick... which was NOT easy to do with this double-thick grosgrain/twill ribbon!  Turned out pretty cool with the green stripe and all.

What do you think?