And six months later...

Wow.  I don't even know if I remember how to enter a blog post... 6 months... it has been awhile!

I still haven't made any new paper-crafted goodies.  Sad, I know.  But I DID make this:

It's a 5x7 chunky canvas, oil paint, palette knife painting.  Yep.  I did another palette knife painting... I wasn't sure about it after having done that 1st one that I am still not crazy about.  But I really like this one.  Even Poot likes it!  THAT is amazing in itself ;)

I think I do better on my own and not in a classroom setting.  That way I can do exactly what I want without someone telling me to do it differently!

I also think it helped being a smaller size... takes less time... kinda like card-making :)

I just LOVE all of the texture.  I don't feel like I have to be perfect with it like I do when I use a brush.

Now what shall I do for my next one?

What do you think?

HDH179 - Samhain Sunset challenge

So how was everyone's Hallowe'en holiday?!  I hope it was delightfully dark and macabre ;)  Mine was pretty quiet... stayed home to hand out goodies to all of the little demons about.  I ran out of candy around 7:30pm... WTF?!  Didn't we used to stay out until like 9 or something?  They started around 5pm, which is way too early in my opinion.  What IS trick or treating etiquette?  Oh well.  

I watched a few scary movies while all of the candles in the house were lit... it was quite delightful.

I've got photos of the house, but that will be another post ;)

Sooooooooo, back to a little bit of papercrafting goodness... over at Haunted Design House, we are having our LAST challenge of the year, which expires this Sunday at 5pm CST.  The Minions are in need of a little yard time from the dungeon, but will pop in now and again to keep everyone on their toes.

So, what is the challenge?

Macabre Monday challenge,

"Samhain Sunset."

You are to create a dark, Gothic, or Hallowe'en

based art piece that represents a 
Samhain Sunset.

We're looking for the colors of a beautiful fall sunset.
Think purples, reds, oranges, and yellows.

Use them as you wish, just keep it within our guidelines.

We are sponsored by the incredibly talented Mitzi Sato-Wiuff, of 

Aurora Wings.

She has offered up a very generous prize of $15 worth of digis (digis ONLY)

to each of our GTs this challenge.

Enter your sunset project here.

Mitzi does some AMAZING artwork and digital stamps!  There are so many beautiful images with which to work, I had a reeeeeally hard time deciding!  I went with her

Shades of Blue Orchid Fairy with Detailed Butterfly Wings:  

Isn't she gorgeous?!  And I only used a portion of this beautiful image!  Be sure to check out the whole image... seriously awesome!

Shades of orange and copper have always been favorite colors of mine, so this challenge was right up my alley.  I tried to create an ombre effect with the tones in her hair and wings from dark to bright, but the photos look a bit washed out... sorry.

The patterned paper is from Memory Box (I think.... Nightfall or something?).  And I used a TON of different Copic colors on the hair and wings... seriously.  I think I'll be adding a bit o' Stickles to the dots and parts of her wings... she needs some glitz, me thinks :)

Don't forget to enter the challenge... who wouldn't want to win some of these amazing images?!

What do you think?

HDH178 - Zombies and Creeps

I've been gearing up for the season!  I've got the house cleaned, organized and decorated, the creepy black vines twisted about & the bats hung in the tree.  I'm even hosting a little Girls'-Night-In combination Halloween & jewelry party on Thursday :)  Complete with creepy snacks & libations... don't worry... I'll be posting pics later!  But for now, how about a little Halloweenie card creation?

This fortnight's challenge over at Haunted Design House is Zombies and Classic Creeps and is sponsored by Simply B Stamps.  The Minions & I are using the Limited Edition Zombies and Creeps digis, one of the newest of the Steampunk Collections drawn by the fabulous Abigail Larson.

I used SBS's Collette image that I colored with Copics & then fussy cut around the frame.  I used 13th Hour paper line from KaiserCraft, an ancient metal word plaque, paper flowers & black satin ribbon.  The die cut you see at the bottom is actually the negative cut from Memory Box's DeLacie Border die... me likey!

skin:  BG96, 93, 90

purple:  V28, 25, 22

black:  T8, 6, 4

brains:  R56, 27, 24

curtains:  YR27, YR24, E13, E55, E99 shadows

She came out pretty muted, but the paper line is very muted, so it matches well.  I probably should have reversed the curtain color with her dress, but too late now!

You've got a few days left to join us in the challenge, so pop on by!!

What do you think?

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?

HDH #176 - Who Are You Supposed to Be?

Where has the time gone... can you believe that it is almost October?!  I have been loving the small glimpses of Halloweenie-ness that have been floating about the web-o-sphere as of late.  It makes me wish the leaves would turn colors faster so I can get into full-on Autumn mode ;)

The crisp evenings have been soooooooo lovely.  It's hard to get out of bed when all I want to do is snuggle down into my light blankie in the mornings!

Anyhoo... here is a bit of shocking news:

I actually made a card.

Yeah.

I know.

CRAZY!

AND it was for a challenge over at Haunted Design House to boot.  Woo Hoo!

Hellllooooooo, Minions... didya' miss me?  ;)

I've missed you!

Why is it that life gets totally nuts just when I want to get my mojo on, get creative and enjoy my favorite time of year?

Karma, did I reeeeally f*ck up THAT bad somewhere that I don't recall?  ;)

Good gawd... it's been so long since I've blogged that I can't even reel myself in and stay on track.  

Ahem.  Back to the challenge...

HDH #176:  Who Are You Supposed to Be?

Basically, create something that reflects a costume that you have always wanted to wear for Halloween, but haven't been able to do so, yet.  This challenge is being sponsored by

I Brake for Stamps.

The Minions and I were given the new Rick St. Dennis images from IBS to work with, and they are delightful!  IBS sells digis as well as rubber stamps.

I have always loved the intricate styling of the whole Steampunk movement.  But to really do it right, it would cost a fortune for one night of frivolity... but maybe someday :)

So, I used Rick's Steampunk Peg image... love her!

Here are the Copics I used:

skin:  E42, 41, 40

brown:  E87, 84, 81, 89 (shadow)

orange:  E08, YR18, YR27, YR15, E19 (shadow)

teal:  BG18, 57, 53, 78 (shadow)

background:  E84, 81

(papers are from Graphic 45)

That's it!  And I might even surprise you in a week or two and create again... you just never know :)

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?

Chicago CHA 2011 trip recap and TAC stamp set candy winner! (VERY long post)

Oh My Gawd, Becky.  It was so awesome :)  I was so lucky to have been one of the instructors from The Scrapbook Page that was able to attend CHA this summer!  Thanks Cameron & Carolyn!!!  I had never been to CHA before, though I always read about it on the net.... the only bad part was that we couldn't take the new stuff home with us :(  The bosses asked us to make a list of what we thought would be good sellers... our lists were LLLLLOOOOONNNNNGGGG!

It was complete crafty-sensory overload for me, so I didn't snap many pictures.  I have a few from my phone, but they are out of focus (my first time using the camera on it)... I'll post them here anyway :)

Tim Holtz's booth

Tim Holtz's booth

Tim Holtz's booth

I was SO glad to see so many creepily-elegant Halloween themed lines this year!  I'm not one for cutesy, though they still had plenty of those, but there were a ton of grown-up Halloween lines.
At the top of my list:

Blackbird & Nightfall by Memory Box (LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!)
Midnight Dreary by Moxxie (LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!)
Apothecary Emporium by Echo Park
Haunted Hallows by Teresa Collins
Phantom by Pink Paislee
Kraft Halloween by Canvas Corp
Trick or Treat stamp set by Darcie's (LOVE)
Tim Holtz's new Halloween dies by Sizzix

Graphic 45's booth

Canvas Corp's booth

A few non-Halloween schtuffs that were awesome:
Burlesque line by FabScraps
HUGE background stamps by Impression Obsession
sassy sentiment stamps by Art Impressions
stamp & cut sets by Sizzix
Chalkstock, velvet, burlap and canvas by Canvas Corp
Let's Face It (doll parts) & Botanical (metal findings) by ArtC
chipboard, acrylic & papers by Harmonie
AWESOME new distressing tool by Prima (LOVE LOVE LOVE)
faceted, not-so-shiny bling by Prima
re-vamped Melt-Art by Ranger
Gelatos pigment sticks by Faber-Castell
Tim Holtz's kraft resist papers

Prima's booth (freakin' awesome!!!)

Prima's booth

Prima's booth (LOVE this!!!)

I was also over-the-top lucky to attend the two Ranger classes taught by Tim Holtz!  He was a fantastic instructor, had each step timed perfectly, was very well organized and really fun, too :)  Not only were the class projects awesome, but the amount of product we walked away with was un-freakin'-believable!  Check it out:

(not all of this is from the Ranger classes... but a BIG part of it is... hellooooo, a Melting Pot!  And those big plastic bags are STUFFED full of paint, ink, tools, UTEE, art supplies and more!)

(all Ranger projects... I'm still missing a couple of knobs & a pediment, but it will get finished eventually!)

(my absolute FAVORITE from Ranger Melt Art class)

I also took the 7 Gypsies altered tray class... it is probably my favorite project of the entire week (sorry no pic).  Easy to do and not very time-consuming.  The fabric binding tape isn't sticking as well as I'd hope, but it's probably due to the humidity around here (hello summer... when are you leaving?!!).

Had one downer of a class, but the products we received were awesome!  The class wasn't structured, the focal product wasn't shipped by the manufacturer, and the mixed-media project was just too complex for the setting.

I didn't do my Faber-Castell Gelatos / Maya Road canvas album because I wanted more time to play at home.  LOVE the products, and the project is very cool.  Not a papercrafting project... more mixed media.

UTEE-dipped paper flower brooch.... delightful!

I took a couple of seminar-type classes... one on copyrights and the other was how to present/teach on tv.  I thought the presentation one would give me a few hints to better present/instruct at my classes, but no... it was more like "how to present on HSN", "don't wear red or white" type stuff.  The copyright seminar was very informative.

Shrink plastic on a whole new level :)

Whew, right?  One more quick announcement... the random drawing winner of the TAC stamp set candy that I had blogged about early in July is:  TRINA!  Email me with your snail-mail address so I can send that out to you!

I also received a HUGE mound of rubbah stamps from TAC this week... I couldn't wait to redeem my gift certificates from Seminar, plus some of the sets with which I designed samples for the catalogue were in there :)

It's gonna take awhile to cut them all out, but what BLISS!!

What do you think?