My Milestone Birthday

I turned the big Four Five on the 16th of September.

I'm not gonna lie, it kinda sucks getting older.

I often question my maturity level the older I get.

I'm just a big ol' kid. With wrinkles and gray hairs.

I was instantly inspired to create something to commemorate my milestone

when I saw that the Stampotique challenge for the 16th was a 

"Milestone Celebration".

I love me some Stampotique stamps. I have a shit ton of Stampotique

stamps, some of which still haven't seen ink. I had to remedy this, so I broke

out with some of my old favorites, and a few of my new favorite stamps. 

Baby Cthulhu is one of my very favorite stamps. I loves him so much....

I decided to make a wall hanging. I started off with a piece of cardboard

that I adhered a sheet of burlap material onto using gel medium.

I sprayed some Lindy's Stamp Gang sprays onto the burlap and added some

texture paste with the TH bat stencil and the shattered stencil. I sprayed the stenciled

areas again for a more vibrant effect.

I colored up a bunch of images from Kira Nichols and Daniel Torrente.

It is a birthday celebration after all, so everyone (except for the upside down kids)

gets hats. I used a few of the Stampotique Happy Head Appliances, but had to 

find smaller hats for the teeny heads of the other critters. I used some black glitter

to fancy them up a bit.

I am a sucker for a critter in a hat. No lie, my facebook page is riddled

with animals in hats. Can't get enough of them. 

Mister Stripes is no exception. He looks marvelous in his festive chapeau.  

I am also in love with Penelope, here.

She looks like she's ready to "cut a fool!" with those shears, and those

crazy eyes of hers. That batty dude is also a new favorite.

I hung him and one of the Goblin kids from some die cut tree branches.

Perfect! 

More critters sporting party hats. I actually colored up all of the dogs,

but didn't have room for everyone. I'm sure they'll make an appearance very soon.

I have hats for them, too. It's a sickness.... 

All in all, turning forty-freaking-five wasn't all that bad.

Fifty might be rough, though.

Thanks for stopping by today.

I'd like to enter this project in the following challenges:

Stampotique Designer's Challenge - SDC213 Milestone Celebration

Craft Your Passion - Anything Goes

Eclectic Ellapu - Anything Goes (pink team)

That Craft Place - mixed media Anything Goes

Left of Center - LOC  

Corrosive Challenges - Halloween Bingo

(spider, bat, and Penelope looks a bit witchy to me) 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge - No designer paper 

Fancy Fishes

The Aurora Wings challenges are back after a month off, and the theme is 

Anything Goes.  

I chose to work with these fabulous fancy goldfish images, as I thought they'd

be perfect for the wedding album I am (still) working on. 

I colored the fish using Copics in my favorite colors, blue green and purple.

I like the contrast they provide against the handmade background paper.

I used kraft card stock and sprayed and speckled the paper to resemble a sandy beach.

I am using the same background throughout the album to help tie everything together.   

I added some TH word thinlits, and a Memory box die for the greenery. 

I also punched a bunch of shimmery ivory circles in varying sizes for bubbles.

Be sure to drop by the AW challenge blog to see all the other gorgeous

samples spotlighting Mitzi's incredible artwork.

Wanna see the cutest thing ever?

The Aurora Wings Showcase blog is spotlighting the newest 

Aurora Wings Sprites today.

I am honored to be showcasing this little guy. 

He's a Bat Flower Sprite.

Adorable, right?

As usual, I have gone the relatively CAS route, letting

 this cutie take center stage. I slightly chalked up some 

EK Success bat punches to add a bit more interest. 

I also added a sentiment using some rubber stamps. 

This little guy, and a lovely new Rose Sprite are debuting today,

and are available in the Aurora Wings etsy shop.

Be sure to stop by the AW Showcase blog to see all of the 

beautiful showcase samples. You don't want to miss such creativity and talent.    

Smudgy Antics and stained digits

I am having such a good time playing along with the shenanigans over at 

Smudgy Antics  

that I have decided to work on a recycled children's board book. 

I plan to fill it with neat-o images from Smeared Ink and some 

of my very own handy work via inks and pastes and such. 

I envision a good time will be had by all in attendance. 

  

WARNING:

Very photo heavy post ahead.

Here is the book I used to begin my smeared and smudged journey.

Fifty cents at the local thrift store. Nothing beats recycling.

First and foremost, gesso is essential to a good base for your sprays and inks.

I guess white acrylic paint will do in a pinch, but gesso is a great investment

at minimal cost. I painted two coats of gesso onto the pages I was working with. 

I just received the black embossing paste and the new bat stencil.

Both are perfect for this layout. 

When I opened the paste the lid came off like this.

Kinda cool, huh?

I used the black paste with the bat stencil, waiting impatiently for it to dry

I opted for the heat gun. Not sure if it was the heat gun or if that is the way 

the paste actually dries, but it reminded me of liquid applique in the way it

seems sponge-y. Still after a week, it still is a bit sponge-y in the thicker

parts. No big deal, just unexpected.

After the bats were dry (ish), I painted over my mistakes with more gesso.

I even went over the edges of the bats a little to give a blended effect. 

I finally activated all of my Lindy's sprays. I had 8 new ones awaiting

just the right project to be used upon. I am loving these vivid sprays.

Vivid colors, and gorgeous interference shine and sparkle.

These are from the Halloween set.  

I was finally pleased with this version of the background. 

I spritzed some water to blend the colors a bit more, and

I added some TH distress stains in white and black speckles 

to give a more cohesive feel between colors. I also edged the pages 

with black acrylic paint on my finger. Gave a looser feel than

using a paint brush, I think.  

I colored up some Halloween images from Smeared Ink

and made a Halloween spread  in my board book.

This contortionist kitty is actually Wolf Girl

from the Hallocuties line at Smeared Ink. 

She is so cute, and rather schmexy, too!

Added a Halloween embellie that I fancied up with Crackle Accents.  

For the second page, I used Pet Bats, also from the 

Hallocuties set.

I used more new goodies like the TH Halloween words thinlit dies.

So cool! I added another crackled bit for more interest. I went pretty

simple on this layout to allow the eye to see that gorgeous background,

and those super cute and timely images from Smeared Ink. 

   

Here is the blog roll so you don't miss a single, awesome,
Smeared Ink project!

BLOG ROLL

BLACKDRAGON

SHELL

ELENOR

LEIGH

FIONA

GDT   CREEPY GLOWBUGG - me!

The Nights are Drawing In at HDH

Is it Monday, already?! Man, where did the summer go?

The days are starting to get shorter, and the nights are drawing in. 

I am so ready for Autumn! And what is the best part of Autumn?

Well, Halloween of course!

Here is my inspiration creation for the new challenge at 

Haunted Design House.

I put together a mini curio cabinet from Retro Cafe Art, and painted it 

a gorgeous shade of neon purple. I  love that color! I wish I had hair that color.

Since I am so bad at taking step by step photos, this is the

next step photo I have. Ta-dah! 

After painting the cabinet purple, I applied a crackle medium,

 and then black paint as the final step. Actually, rubbing silver

Inka Gold on it was the final step.

The neon purple paint is very sheer, so after applying multiple

coats and not being happy with the coverage, I just glued a bunch

of Rock Candy loose glitter all over the back panel in each shelf.

Then the fun really started! I began adding the little (mostly) handmade 

bits and bobs like the polymer clay crescent moon and the pumpkin. 

The skull is a ceramic bead. I added some fun MS glitter to the bottom

for some added interest, and to hide any unsightly glue residue. 

Here's some more of  my poly clay handy work.

I stacked the three tiny pumpkins behind the wonky eyed

fellow, and added more glitter. Reminds me of hay, a bit.

And what is Halloween without a headstone or a ghost?!

The ghostie is my creation, while the headstone is from Mike's

Halloween Town accessories. The ghost glows in the dark.

.

I painted a metal embellishment black, and then once it was dry

I added some Inka Gold in purple. I glued it to the cabinet, and then

adhered a handmade polymer clay skull and some opalescent gems to it.

Here's a nice shot of the crackle effect.

I really like the contrast of the purple and the black.

So this is it for me today.

I'll probably pop this in my etsy shop in the next day or so.

Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to check out the other eye candy

at Haunted Design House. 

I'd like to enter this curio cabinet in the following challenges:
That Craft Place - Anything Goes mixed media
Love to Create challenge- Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes  
Left of Center - LOC
Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes Mixed Media only 
Rhedd's Creative Spirit - Anything Goes

Splatters for Wicked Wednesday

Seems like forever since I played along with the talented

gals at Wicked Wednesday ATC challenge.

As soon as I saw that Vera Lane Studio was the sponsor this week,

I was instantly inspired to play along. I love Janet's stuff.

Janet Klein is an artist and designer for Stampotique stamps,
as well as having her own line of digis available in her etsy shop.

The theme for this week's challenge is Splatters or Sprays.

I opted for splatters using a fun technique I learned last year.

Basically, you just unscrew your spray inks and use the nozzle tube to 

drip color in a circle. That's it. Looks pretty cool, though.

I colored this kitteh named, Meow from the Vera's Zombies set, with Copics.

I gave him some white highlights using a white Posca pen.

I grounded him a bit with some Halloween washi tape.

I'd like to enter this ATC in the following challenges:

Wicked Wednesday ATC - splatters and sprays

Simon Says Wednesday challenge - Make it Colorful

Left of Center - LOC (blue just isn't my color)

This little gal is for the Very Vera Halloween ATC swap 

at the Vera Lane Studio face book page.

I packed all kinds of mediums and textures and images onto 

this little 2.5" x 3.5" card. I used three Vera Lane images

(the crow and the witch are from the Little Whimsical witch set,

and the skull is from the Mad Hatter set.) I used crackle on the 

ticket and a gem for the spider body. I used glossy accents on the skulls

and the crow's eyes. Added a bunch of glittered bat die cuts and a corner

die cut for good measure. And let's not forget the distress ink on the 

edges of the entire card. Done!

I'd like to enter this ATC in the following challenges:

Digi Galore - Anything Goes

Unicorn Challenge - Mythical and Magical

     

We're baaaaack!!!

Just like a persistent rash, 

Smudgy Antics and the DT are back to inspire and titillate.

The Smeared Ink shop is also having it's grand re-opening today.

I'm GDTing for the next few months, so prepare to see some

awesome schtuffs using Smeared Ink images exclusively.

The Candy Corn Monster is one of my very favorite

Smeared Ink images. He is so fun to color. I think I like

this color scheme the best so far.

After coloring this confectionery catastrophe with Copics,

I fussy cut him out, and mounted him onto some random dp,

and a bit of my new Graphic 45 Rare Oddities paper. I love this stuff!

I am pretty much already in full blown Halloween mode, so I hope

you like the color scheme, as it probably won't change much for the

next few weeks or months, actually.

     

 I am the last stop on the hop, but if you missed anyone here

is the blog roll for your hopping pleasure.

BLOG ROLL

BLACKDRAGON

SHELL

ELENOR

LEIGH

FIONA

REBECCA

GDT   CREEPY GLOWBUGG - me!