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?

Thank You Peony...

I thought I'd share the other "thank you" card I made last weekend.  More coloring... I find it really hard to NOT color on my cards now.  Which kinda blows when I need to get a bunch done in a little amount of time :P

This is from Dotted Peony, which is another new Nina B. stamp set from The Angel Company:

Super simple card, one teensie little bow & a bit o' Tim Holtz texture.  I am LOVING that large sentiment from For Everything... I wish we had a whole set of LARGE sentiments for card fronts.

What do you think?

Very little time & a feature...

Dude.  Seriously?!  Can someone please tell me if I have stepped into a time warp or something?  WTH?  I swear, I am never going to get caught up with all of my stuff!  I haven't even unpacked the Halloween decor yet!

GASP!

{thud}

...that was me having a freakin' heart-attack & then passing out, by the way.

Thankfully I do have bits of Halloweenieness displayed year-round, so at least I have that... but there is just something about the bats hanging in the tree out front, and all of my jacko's, and the luminaries, and... 

... you get the idea. :)

Here is my CAH-RAZY schedule this month:

• work architectural job almost full time
• work at The Scrapbook Page six nights
• teach classes at The Page two more nights (plus prep)
• TAC hostess club/class at my house 1-2 nights (plus prep)
• class at a customer's house 1 night (plus design & prep)
• Saturday afternoon FunShop (plus design & prep)
• cleaning & laundry (haaa haaa!!!)
• cooking (HAAAAAAA HAAAAAA HAAA...not happening)
• Abdallah Fall Ceremonial (Shriner stuff)
• CKC convention at the expo (fun stuff)
• decorate for Halloween (REALLY fun stuff)
• keep up with Design Team responsibilities
• participate in my own Haunted Design House challenges
• baby the cone-wearing fur-baby, including dermatologist & ophthalmologist appointments, ear/eye drops, & meds.  Yeah, my dogs have their own derma/optho docs... thankfully I don't have children, because I would've spent their college fund on the dogs' doctor visits already.  :P

Can you believe all of that?  And I know I'm forgetting a few things :)  I usually do.

Don't forget, that sign-up for my October 11th Eerie Elegant card class at The Scrapbook Page ends this Friday night!  And sign-up for my October 19th Halloween Waterfall Mini-Album class ends on the night of the 16th!  Please click HERE for more class & contact info.

I stayed up until 1am this morning coloring... but I got my "me" time in :)  Now, what I'm showing you tonight is NOT what I colored last night... I still have to turn that stuff into cards ;)  No, this is two of three items that I sent in for The Angel Company's Fall Supplement design call.  Cool thing is that all three were slated for publication!  And though TAC decided to not include any project samples in the supplement this time, they ARE featuring them on the MAIN WEBSITE.

What's the good thing about no samples in the supplement?  More room for more stamp sets!  You can click on the link above to download a copy or you can also click HERE to go to my online store to view & purchase.

The bottle o' bat wings was a fun one... inside is just scrap black cardstock.  The gooey black sealing schtuff is actually made from embossing powder.
Stamp sets used:  More Bone Appetit & Fundamental Frames.  By the way, Fundamental Frames has been designed to be used with several Nestabilities.

I love the spidey bouquet card.  The flowers themselves looked like spiders to me, so I stamped a couple at the base of the vase... are they dead flowers or are they spiders?  Hmmmm...
I added a bit o' bling with a Stardust Clear glitter pen.  The Copic coloring in real life is way more blended than the photos here... my auto-fix software kinda blows.
Stamp sets used:  Festive Bouquets & Delightfully Spooky.

Well, that's it for today... yes, very long-winded, but it HAS been awhile since I posted on my "normal" blog :)  I've been a little busy over at my Haunted Design House blog, so if you miss me lots, just go check there :)  I'll be back sooner or later (hopefully sooner) to show you my favorite card that I submitted...
really...
I mean it.

Eerie Elegance & a Halloween waterfall...

Yeay... the new calendar is out for The Scrapbook Page, and sign-ups can begin for my classes!

First up, Eerie & Elegant Cards on October 11th, 6:30pm-8:30pm.  Click on the link and it will take you to the store's website where you can see all four cards.

This is my favorite of the four, but the others are pretty cool, too :)

And this one I am REALLY excited about... a Halloween Waterfall Mini-Album on October 19th, 6:30pm-8:30pm.  It is a wine bag album :)  Plenty of pockets & pull-outs... 

all in Halloweenie glory!

There is no way to do this album justice in a photograph.  Tons of heat embossing, Tim Holtz stamps, May Arts ribbons, flocked paper, and so much more.  LOVE it.

If you are in the Kansas City area, stop by The Scrapbook Page and sign up!  For you out-of-towners that would like to purchase kits, please email the store for details.

Undie Hero

LOL!  I totally giggle every time I see this :)  I don't have any kids of my own, but I can sooooooo see this scenerio playing out for a few friends of mine :)

Don't you love the imagination that kids have?  Ahh... to be young and worry free...

Stamps:  Boys Will Be Boys, This Boy and Spring Dream (both retired)

Paper:  Bazzill, scarlet, black & Neenah white cardstocks

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo, VersaMark

Other:  Transcendence EP, metal dots, MS border punch

Copics:  0, BV20, E000, E00, E11, E31, E35, E57, E59, RV14, R24, R29, R37, YR23

So much fun... 

What do you think?

Wedding Season!

Yes... it is fast-approaching.  So yesterday I locked myself away for a little creative time to make several wedding/ engagement cards as requested by my
boutique buddy, Brenda at The Blue Bow 

{say that 10 times really fast :)}

These two may look familiar.  I loved THIS card so much, that I copied it and switched out the image & colors... me loves 'em... I don't know why.  I mean, the layout is super simple and there isn't a bunch of fluff... and you know how I like the fluff :)

Sorry folks, but the stamp is a retired one... I know!  I love it, too.  The cake and the bride images are part of the same set from back in the day... another set that I will have a tough time letting go... ever.  :)

I think the peach one is just lover-ly, don't you?  Reminds me of orange sherbet... how spring/summery is that?!  And I think the black really sets the colors off well.

Stamps:  I Do (retired), Tag Tidbits

Paper:  Core d'nations Black Magic, white ultra smooth & black cardstocks

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo

Other:  Cuttlebug embossing folder, Rectangles & Scallop Rectangle Nesties, circle punches, misc. ribbons & foam tape

Copics:  0, V01, V04, V06, R02, W2

Of course, the lilac one is pretty, too... I like how the shadow feathers out on this one.  OH!  And be prepared to see more wedding cards in my next couple of posts... they are way better than these :)

What do you think?

Love wrapped in a big white bow :)

Well, kids.  This is my last post for 2009 {sniffle}...

The good news is that 2010 is just around the corner!  Hopefully it will be full of nothing but good things for everyone!  Thanks so much to all of my loyal readers... you truly make my day with your kind words :)

Enough of the sappy stuff... onto the bit o' loverly-ness for this evening!  This was so quick and easy to make, and the sentiment can be switched out lickety-split!

Stamps:  Fabulous Frames (coming soon!), Flourish Trees of Hope (sentiment)
Paper:  black & Premium white cardstocks
Ink:  Noir Palette
Other:  Nestabilities Labels 4, Corner Chomper, CB swiss dot embossing folder, gems, and misc. satin ribbon

A nice card for a wedding or shower gift, or for that special someone :)


What do you think?
.

Heartfelt Hello quickie

Another sneak peek... and I used scarlet red... I know... unbelievable!

This is one of TAC's new Level B Hostess sets, All Seasons Hello, available February 1st!  It's very homey feeling, with it's stitched border, so I paired it with some b/w gingham ribbon.  I added the stitches to the heart, along with some Christmas Red Stickles.

I LOVE the large polka dot embossing folder I got not too long ago... it's from Quickuts.  The front looked so plain, even after embossing, so I got the Stickles out again :)  Me likey... a lot.

I popped the "hello" up on foam tape & the heart is on a Pop Dot.  Having the heart off center helps to create even more of a 3-d effect, I think... I don't know why, but it makes the "o" appear more rounded.  Or maybe that is just the crack pipe talking ;)

What do you think?
. 

365 Cards - Day 149 - Try a Technique Tuesday!!

Greetings all, & welcome :) I'm totally psyched to have been chosen as a guest designer for today over at 365 Cards!! This entire week is Reader Appreciation Week, so be sure to join in the fun for prize opportunities and to gawk at all of the wonderful cards the Design Team & Guest Designers have created :)

What is the technique today? SPONGING! Those that know me or my work will be the first to tell you that this is a technique that I use on probably 90% of my cards... and 100% on my Halloween cards :)

Sponging tends to create depth, and REALLY finishes off certain images wonderfully. The entire background of this Halloween Flourish Tree card was created with sponging. Yep, I started with a completely white cardstock panel for this baby :) I also used regular hydra sponges, as well as manicurist pads... the sponge creates a stippled texture, while the pad creates much softer blending.

I created a reverse-mask for the moon first. Start with the lightest yellow, and keep layering color toward the center... then add darker yellows & cognac colors at the outside edge to create a rounded look to the moon.

I then stamped the weedy image along the bottom & the tree. The tree is heat-embossed to give a bit of sheen and nice raised quality. Place a piece of paper to create a horizon line and start blending green & black inks for the ground and blues & purples for the sky. I went back with darker shades of blue & purple ink and created thin lines of clouds to add an eerie touch.

Then I stamped the sentiments & bats** in black, sponged black ink around the edges, distressed them, and matted the panels. Next up, used the Scor-bug for a little texture, swiped a white ink pad around the card base edges, and topped it all off with some sheer grungy-olive ribbon.

**The bats are actually one of the butterflies from the Love & Laughter tree image... I just snipped it apart from the main image... oh how I love cling-rubber stamps... I can manipulate them so easily to fit whatever I need :)

Stamps: Flourish Trees of Hope, Love & Laughter, Edge Designs, Tag Tidbits (happy), retired GWP (Halloween)

Paper: White UltraSmooth, Basic Black, & Penolope Cardstocks

Ink: Raw Sienna, Cognac, Noir, Starry Night, Prussian Blue, Violete, French Lilac, Landscape, & Jardin Moss Palettes

Other: Transcendence Embossing Powder, hydra sponges, manicurist pads (from Sally Beauty Supply), olive sheer ribbon

What do you think?