HDH177 - Dimensional Hallowe'en - Nightmare Catcher

Surprise!  I told you I was going to have a little Halloweenie goodness :)

That's right, I'm playing along with the Minions this week at HauntedDesignHouse...
the BEST crafty challenge blog around!
This fortnight challenge is:

Dimension Hallowe'en.

The bonus?  We have been sponsored by:

They have some wonderful chipboard, stencil & mask products.
I chose to work with their awesome layered coffin with web and a couple of creepy spider chipboard cuts.  I'm calling it a Nightmare Catcher... Check it:

I first sprayed the lid & interior with Dylusions' Black Marble ink spray.  I wrapped the lid with some lovely batty webbed lace & outlined it with some crystal/metal studded trim.  A jewelry pendant & a Tim Holtz skully finished it off nicely.

Now for the best part... the inside!  I apologize for the poor photography... shiny stuff reeeeeally doesn't like to be photographed.  Just sayin'.

I painted the rim & interior sides with Tattered Angels' Glimmer Glaze (Oil Slick).  I also painted the spiders with Oil Slick & Chianti... highlighting them with Picket Fence Distress Stain.  The spider web was highlighted with Platinum Liquid Pearls.

See all of that lover-ly mica in the background?  My new favorite thing:
Tarnished Mica Fragments from Stampendous.  LOVE this stuff!
I want to cover everything in it.
Seriously.
E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.
;)

The metal tag & letters are a million years old, so who knows from whence they came!
I really wish I could photograph this properly, because it looks pretty awesome in person... if I don't say so myself.

You've still got a few days to come play along for a chance at some chipboard goodness from Tando!  Just go HERE and link up your 3-d creation before Sunday at 5pm CST.

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?

Happy Holidays from Foster Design House!

My last (only?) Winter holiday card for you this year... and actually it isn't really THAT holiday-ish... me thinks I could send this anytime.  And let me say that every time I use Stickles or glitter, I can't get the color balance & lighting right, so once again we have photos of the sucky variety :)

Nice sentiment, right?  Yeah.  I like it, too :)  It's from Stamp Insanity.  I'm picturing the adorable little Octopode Factory Angel yelling at the Christmas tree... like a few bulbs are out or something :)

Yes... yes... I like to make up little stories for my cards.  And that's just one of the MANY reasons why y'all come back to FDH all the time, right?!

I hope you and yours have a very Happy Winter holiday, and a joyful & prosperous New Year!

~Barb

HDH045 Macabre Monday challenge...

Thought I'd post this before the weekend gets too far away from me.  Of course it didn't help that I slept in until 10am!!!  I KNOW.  But, I didn't go to bed until the wee hours of the morning, so it's not like I'm THAT big of a loser :)  I was up watching some LAME horror movie... I didn't even wait until the end to change the channel... yeah, THAT lame.

Anyway, on to today's bit of creepy cuteness :)  Over at my Haunted Design House blog, I've got a stamp masking challenge going.  I FINALLY finished my entry.

I had the idea for this since I first saw this set in the new TAC catalogue at seminar.  Well, I didn't have the broom and hat in mind, but the rest... definitely.  I admit, it looked better in my head... it looks kinda cluttered and busy now.  I should have left off the broom & hat... but I LOVE that broom stamp.  And isn't she such a cute little witch... all ready for bed in her pink curlers?!

Stamps:  Movie Night, Spring Dream and All Season Swirls (retired TAC), broom (Battle Axe), sentiment (Viva Las Vegas)

Paper:  Penelope & brown cardstocks, Cougar white cardstock

Other:  Lime Stickles

Copics:  0, YR02, YR04, YR07, YR18, YR23, YR24, YG01, YG03, YG91, V01, V06, V09, RV02, RV10, RV11, RV13, E09, E31, E35, E53, E57, E59, BG02

Here is the original stamp image (above).  I masked over the little girl on the left.  I LOVE the hair curlers.  They make me smile.  They remind me of when I was a very little girl... I would watch my sisters & mom put them in their hair.  I also masked the sentiment/swirls & a teensie bit of the broom.

So much fun to color... I need to work on my wood floor technique more.  Maybe I should google you-tube that.  Her hair & face turned out awesome, me thinks.

What do you think?

A challenge card...

Today's post is here:  HauntedDesignHouse

It's a fun one!

for a little TAC on the Darkside...

... go check my other blog :)

http://HauntedDesignHouse.blogspot.com

Creepy-cool fun...

... and elegant to boot!  For a little Halloween-in-January action, go HERE!

Missing my mojo... majorly!

I can't seem to find it... have you guys seen it anywhere?  Did someone borrow it and forget to tell me?  WTH?!  So, all I have for you today is this 2-second card.

Stamps:  Fun Skulls, Linear Sentiments, Tiny Tidbits (Hostess Level A)
Paper:  Premium white cardstock
Ink:  Noir Palette
Other:  Scor-Pal, paper flower

I am hoping to have something of substance for you soon :)

What do you think?
It doesn't look too...ummm... "wow, I hope this gift of wine isn't tainted" or anything... does it?  ;)
.

creepy-cute...

Today's post is here:  

http://haunteddesignhouse.blogspot.com/2009/10/macabre-monday-011-lurid-love-my.html

I hope to see you join in on the challenge over on my Haunted blog... I'll be doing a bonus drawing for all those that participate this week!

.

Boo Sprite Boy... Mojo Monday Sketch

You knew this one was comin', right? He's freakin' cute, Yo! :) As soon as I saw this little dude in the new TAC catalogue, I wanted to give him a spider yo-yo... that's just how I roll :)

I saw the Mojo Monday #94 sketch and really liked it, so I started grabbing trims and halloweenie cardstocks and started layering. No patterned paper!


Stamps: Victorian Elements, Spunky Sprite Boys, Happy Haunting, Punk Princess (retired)

Paper: Basic Black & Olive cardstocks, Premium White, Bazzill Mono-Yellow Oranges, Mulberry Meadow cardstock (purple - retired)

Ink: Burnt Umber & Noir Palettes, Moonlight White Brilliance, VersaMark

Other: Pop dots, Prismacolors w/ mineral oil, foam tape, distresser, misc. trims, Creative Cafe button, orange blingy


It kinda looks a little busy, but I really wanted to use my new brocade stamp on a creepy card :) I stamped the boy on the white panel and then colored it in with a black marker... this gives a great shadow around the image after it is up on pop dots!

What is that little orange blingy, you ask? JoAnn's had these flip-flop adhesive jewels for half off... I grabbed the orange & black set immediately... me thinks I should go back for more :)


You should totally check out Mojo Monday's sketch... it was a fun one!


What do you think?

Creepy Halloweenie Boo Birdhouses...

Tonight I've got the last of my Art Shares! Well, I had an additional one, but I had made one similar and had posted it before HERE... it was for Suzanne. She has a couple of boys and lives in Florida, so I thought it was totally her :) Hope you like it, Suzanne!!

I made these Halloweenie Boo Birdhouses for Bren. She is my downline from Wichita and she said to just surprise her with something... muhuhuwahh
ahh ahh ahh
aaaaaaahhhh! `:) What was she getting herself into?!

I LOVE THESE... and I almost wanted to start another project and keep these for myself. But, no no no... I was good and gave them away :) Me... good... ha ha ha... no comments from the peanut gallery...

{cough... CINDY... cough}

Anyway, I had these envisioned stuck in a plant centerpiece... mossy and dark. Or, if you want to go the fun route, in a big bowl of candy corn :)

I'm sorry to say that there isn't ANY product from TAC on this project... that's a first in a LONG time for me! But I am a collector of all that is Halloween and there just isn't any creepy stuff to be had from TAC {HINT HINT HINT} I know... not too subtle, but just in case Mischelle is reading along :)

What is bad, since I am a collector, is that I didn't keep track of some of the manufacturers... sorry guys!

I purchased the wooden mini-birdhouses from Michael's and painted them with green, black, and metallic copper paint. I roughed up some Halloweenie paper (unknown) and glued it to the birdhouses with PVA. I even made some scallop shingles on the roof... see...
cute AND creepy :)

I have no idea where the uber-creepy abso-freakin'-lutely awesome holey trim came from, but I think I'm in love :)

I covered some ugly brown chipboard letters with more paper and inked up the edges.. and then I just started layering! It's hard to see unless you zoom in, but there are these cool Halloweenie transparencies from Little Yellow Bicycle.. a cat and a bat. They are out at the face of the roof while the rest of the schtuff is set back with the face of the house... so they're just kinda hangin'...

me likey.

I found the glittery spiders from a party supply place... yep, they are table confetti... well, maybe not confetti, but cool nevertheless :)

And that's it! Seriously, the pictures are not the greatest because it was cloudy and I had to play with them in PhotoShop... but maybe Bren can take a better photo and post it for me :)

What do you think?