Hallowe'en is on it's way!!

I'm running a bit behind, but for a good cause.

Cause I was busy getting ready for the best holiday ever,

HALLOWE'EN!!!

It's no big secret that I bleed orange and black,

or that I was born into a family who relished the season.

It's in my DNA to be an Autumn People.

So first up, is my guest DT make for the Hallowe'en release at Simply B Stamps  

and for the layers challenge at Simply Steampunk challenges.

I have used the new "Jude Spook" image available here.

After a ridiculous amount of time, I got the boa trim to stay

behind the cool bat brad. Sometimes I spend way too much time on 

the teeniest of things. But I like how it looks, and that makes all of the

cussing and fussing worth it.  

I am stuck in a coloring rut of sorts. I just can't seem to color anything

in a Hallowe'en scheme, without the use of yellow greens, violets, and

yellow reds. Those colors just scream, "Happy Hallowe'en!" to me.  

I hope you'll stop by the Simply Steampunk blog to see the other

marvelous samples using the new images from Simply B Stamps,

and maybe make a layered project as well. 

Next up, is my make for the current challenge at Dilly Beans.

The new theme is buttons.

See what I mean about the color scheme?

I just can't help myself. It's a sickness.... 

I have a TON of buttons that I rarely ever use, so I tried to get as many

as possible on here. I managed to use six buttons. Not bad. 

 I have used the #406 "Worried Skellie" image.

I took some liberties with his eyes and the heart on his

shirt. I replaced them all with buttons in keeping with the theme. 

I also went to town with the white gel pen, too. Still getting the hang of it.

I hope you'll drop by the Dilly Beans Designer's challenge to see

all of the other wonderful samples and maybe even play along

using your Dilly Beans images and some buttons.  

Keep it creepy!!!

Simply Steampunk Hallowe'en

Today I have the honor of being a part of the new release

over at Simply Steampunk/Simply Betty Stamps.

I was asked to guest DT for Betty's new line of

Hallowe'en Steampunk images, drawn by the uber talented,

Abigail Larson.

I was given Rio Gone Batty to work with.

Isn't she gorgeous?!

I felt she deserved a place in my Hallowe'en themed

paper bag scrapbook.  

I added Rio to a scientific diagram of a bat using Gimp.

Then I colored her up in my favorite color scheme, using 

Copics in violet, yellow red, and yellow greens. Oh, and blue violet

for her skin. I added some distress inks on the bat background and 

some distressing with a sanding block and scissors. 

I added one of my hoarded (it's okay, I know I'm a hoarder) Hallowe'en stickers.

I even went so far as to cut out the samples on the packaging for even more

hoardable embellishments. It's a sickness.... 

Lastly, I layered some MS punched fence and other various Halloweenie

type embellishments on top for a nice complete scene. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Keep it creepy!!

And remember: 

Only 68 more days until Hallowe'en!!!

Hey there, Bone Daddy!!

Father's Day is fast approaching and I am glad that

school is out and I can create non-stop during the day.

I am turning into such a procrastinator.

I color images weeks in advance and then let them sit

for weeks until the deadline to mail the actual card is, tomorrow.

Kind of a weak ticket, but I'm working on it.

Here is my nerdy FIL's card.

I used this adorable image from Tiddly Inks.

He is available as part of the Robot Holidays set.

My FIL works for the state of California and

does something with computers. This looks just like him.

Even down to the eyeglasses to which I added 

Glossy Accents to give them some shine.

My FIL's name is Richard, but somehow I'm the only

one who gets away with calling him, "Dick".

I love that man.

Next up is the card I made for my husband.

I used a killer image from SimplyBStamps called,

Draco. He is part of her Steampunk Hallowe'en line.

I ended up adding way more spritzes than I had intended, but

I think it came out pretty cool. I used some Tattered Angels

Dragonfly mist, and then I used a bunch of Copic Toner grays

with the SU airbrush tool (it's a booger sucker, let's be real here).

Me likey.

Oh, and the Bone Daddy title I set on the computer.

It's kinda my hubby's nickname. On a good day, anyway.

Well, I have a few more cards to create today, so I had better 

get to it.  

What did I just say?!

I said, "The Burton Weenies are coming!"

No, the boys didn't sit too close to the campfire.

Betty (of Simply B Stamps) is back at it again.

She has yet another, awesome line of images releasing this Friday.

These are called the "Burton Weenies".

This is Jack Jack.

My son, who is almost 12, really likes this image.

He considers himself "sorta Emo, sorta Scene", so this

image is "tween" approved.

Since I was on a skull roll, I decided to add on some

cool, spiral Glow Skullz to finish this card off.

Next up is the loverly, Ellenore. 

I am quite pleased with this one.

I like the color combination and I even got to use

my new Spellbinders fancy labels die.

Ellenore is so cute! Not quite sure if she is just

holding her dolly securely, or maybe there is

something more sinister afoot.  

This little sentiment from Hambo Stamps is perfect.

"Beast Friends" indeed. 

I'll be back on Thursday with another sneak peek of

my favorite Weenie from this line.

Check out what the fabulous Burtonesque Dolls have

created using these wonderful images as well.



SBS Sweet Gothic Easter preview

Today is the first day of the new SBS

Sweet Gothic World Kids Easter previews.

Today we are peeking at Alex.

I wanted to make it look like he was tripping over something,

but it just didn't translate well. I decided to stick with a funkier

vibe, as the bright, cheery Easter colors just didn't compliment

the skulls as well as the teal and green did.    

I also was at a loss for a witty little sentiment,

(I should have hit Cheri up for one)

but one picture is worth a thousand words right?

Easter is a hard holiday to make creepy without

offending someone or making a bloody mess.

Consider this my Sunday gift to you. No blood.

I'll be back later this week with more previews and

something bloody.... I promise. 

Veronica and Gang: Christy

This is Christy , from the new

Veronica and Gang line

at Simply Betty Stamps.

I had quite the grandiose plan for this card at the start.

Then I had to re-plan due to a total rookie move on the cutter.

I still went for the labor intensive lacing effect, but ended up

covering it up with Christy.

I did think to take a picture before I added the image.  

I have seen other projects with this element

and I love it! I have never tried it before and am

quite pleased with the outcome.

I just wish I had thought out my sizing and layout a bit more

before I started.

I added the fleurs to Christy's bags to make them purty

and to add some dimension and bling.

The new Veronica and Gang line is super fun to color

and all the images are very versatile for all occasions.

Drop by Simply Betty Stamps shop and check out

all of the great images and supplies Betty has to choose from. 

  



Steampunk Romance SBS blog hop

Welcome to my stop along the way

on this Romantic Steampunk Simply Betty blog hop.

You should have arrived here from the insanely talented
Cheri's blog ,

but if not and you'd like to join in from the beginning, go here.

I often think of how lucky I am to be on the Simply Betty DT,

and how fortunate I am to get to play and create with so many
unique and stunning and fun lines. The Steampunk line is one of my
most favorite to work with, and the new,
"Romance"  line is no exception.

Gwendolyn is a favorite of mine as well.

I decided to go with a vintage feel and kept the colors

fairly muted and subtle. For me anyway.

I went to town coloring the fleurs with my Copics.

I added color to the tips of the roses and then I dipped

them in alcohol and let them dry to a nice, blended,

realistic effect.

I had some large, brown glittered brads that really anchored

the ivory webbed ribbon down nicely.  

I colored Gwen in with Copics and

aged the edges of the panel with my scissors and

some Tim Holtz distress inks.

My second project is also my first altered journal.

I picked up this journal at Mike's with the intention of

using it in this hop somehow. I am quite a novice when it

comes to altering items. Maybe just a creature of habit, but

I finally stepped out of my comfort zone (again?!) and am

quite pleased with the outcome.

I cut out both Mercius and Grace images with my new

Heart nesties and colored them with Copics.

I added some Sizzix fluorishes. Some that I shaded

with pink SU inks for a bit of dimension.

I added more Copic and (dryed) alcohol soaked roses

in matching shades of pink. Popped on some

pearl sprays and a polymer clay heart that I had left over

from another project, added a compass and gear brad

to Mercius' side to give it a masculine element.

Plus some Stickles for that romantic sparkle.

I'll be listing this journal in my Etsy shoppe if anyone is

interested in purchasing it.

Thanks for sticking with me this long.
Next stop on the Steampunk hop is
the loverly, the talented,

Lady B. 

Happy Birthday Handsome

My husband finally caught up with me this week

and turned 40!

He refused any kind of party or fan fare, other than

making tamales. Must be getting old. No party?! 

I made him a really cute card though.

I used "Scott" from

Simply Betty Stamps "Sweet Gothic World Kids" line.

He immediately reminded me of my husband back when he

was a teenager. Must have been the goatee. Plus, my husband has

a skeleton tattoo on his arm like the image does.

The pinata originally had a "Happy Birthday" sentiment on it,

but I totally mucked it up so bad while coloring it that I had to 

cover it with something! I had this chipboard sticker and it fit 

pretty well. I also "destashed" and used some metal embellishments

for the Happy Birthday sentiment. 

He liked the card, but he loved his plain cheesecake and 

12 pack of Blue Moon Seasonal Sampler. 

 

Simply Betty Sketch Challenge

This week's challenge at Simply Betty is a killer sketch from

that crazy talented cat lady, Cheri/Graphicat.

I decided to use "Devil Rio" on this one.

I didn't ever get a chance to use this image at Hallowe'en,

but thought she'd make a really cute Valentine's Day/love card.

I've been having really good luck with my coloring when I use this

combo and I figured why mess with a good thing?

I do think I am getting, "pinked out" though.

These poison tickets are the only tickets I own. They are part of a 

really cool digital sheet I have with apothecary labels that I got on

Etsy a long time ago. I colored the wording in with coordinating Copics. 

I really like how these green gems pop. I went over the already

green gems with my FYG2 Copic to give them a nice fluorescent glow.

I am quite pleased with this card and I have Cheri to thank for

creating such a great sketch to inspire me.

Drop by Simply Betty Challenges and join in on the fun.

This week's winner will get some cool papers and chipboard bits

from the "Crazy Love" collection by Bo Bunny.

Some people's kids....

I'd like to start off this post by saying how much I love my son.

He is 11 going on 25, and every bit the spoiled, only child
his mother was/is. 

He can't help how he was raised and who his genetic make-up
comes from, but he has a good heart and the comedic wit that makes me proud.

That being said,

Betty, from Simply Betty Stamps has a daughter named, Rio.

Rio is going to be turning 13 in a few weeks and is far from what you
might think a 13 year old is like these days.
This young lady has requested of her mother to take any monies used for
any birthday gifts/plans/celebrations for her,and to donate them
to the children of St. Jude's Children's Hospital. 

Doesn't that just tug at your heart? What an awesome kid!!

So, Betty has a special, limited edition Rio Birthday image , that her
daughter has no idea about. Betty is offering this digi image for $3
and will sell it only untilFebruary 8th, Rio's birthday.
All the proceeds from the sale of the image will go to St. Jude's on Rio's behalf. 

This is where you come in. Betty would like it if everyone who

purchases this image would be so sweet and kind to Rio and

make her a card with this image and send it to her 

by her birthday on the 8th of February. 

 Betty plans to pack all of the cards and tons of candy into their mailbox,
and then after her b.day dinner they'll walk to the cluster boxes
and let Rio open the mailbox to find an explosion of b.day greetings and cheer.
This kid will die!

She is very appreciative of the little things, so this is gonna blow her mind!
Send all cards and Birthday wishes to:
Rio
C/O Betty Roberts
PO BOX 132314
Big Bear Lake, CA  92315

Please purchase this image and help make a child's selfless wish come true.
Ahhh, it just warms your cockles, don't it?

Rio in Love

I am actually starting to get into the whole Valentine thing.

Maybe it has something to do with the fabulous images from

Simply Betty Stamps.

Or maybe it's the awesome digital papers from

Crafty Chaos Designs.

Either way, I made a really cute card using bits from both places.

Rio is one of the Valentine Emos over at Simply Betty Stamps.

LOVE the tongue hangin' out!

Notice that skully background paper? It is just one of six cool designs

in a digi set called, "Skullentine", from Crafty Chaos Designs.

I got a little fancy and broke out with the fleurs and then I added

heart eyelets to the centers and then added a rhinestone to the center of the eyelet.

Fancy.

I am not a "lacey" kinda gal and as a result I don't have much lace

lying around to use on my cards. I did see a technique on a friend's

blog where she used her lace punch on some card stock and

then crumpled it up giving the impression of ruffled lace.

I think it worked.  

Nothing special with the coloring. Same ol' same ol'.

I used Copics and I tried to match that funky green heart color to the

actual color that comes in the box of those Conversation Hearts.

I think I came pretty close.

Thanks for dropping by. I'll be back with more coolness tomorrow. 

 

SBC Challenge #2 "Make it a Classic"

Today's challenge at Simply Betty Challenges is to create a Valentine's Day card

using black and white and silver (optional), with either

pink or red as an accent color.

You can't use both, but rather one or the other.

We can all thank the creative genius who is Eulanda for this little challenge.

Thank you Eulanda!

I decided to work with "Sally" from

SBS's Sweet Gothic World Kids line. 

I really like the whole black and white color scheme with a touch of pink for

a nice pop of color. It was a bit hard to limit my use of the pink accent color.

I couldn't resist using pink for her eyes, but was worried she'd look like an albino rat

when I was all done. I think it looks pretty cool.

I just had to use a Glow Skull for the fleur center since I made

this one with a heart for an eye special just for Valentine's Day.

Please join us this week for our "Classic" challenge, and if you are the lucky

winner you will win a gorgeous "Be Mine" paper pack from Echo Park.  

 

SBS Challenge #1 and a blog hop

Following Eulanda in every hop is almost too much pressure for me.

She is such a brilliant artist with the cards and she's a pretty awesome human too! 

Well here we are a New Year and a whole new set of Challenges! Today we are having one big shindig! We are combining our first Challenge for 2011, and a blog hop for a chance to win 2 Valentine Emos! Whoop whoop!

What's the challenge? The challenge is Two is Better than One... use two images to create a love card, or it could be a Besties card the possibilities are endless with two images!

Upload your creation to the inlinkz below by Monday at 10pm PST one lucky person will be the winner of 2 Digi Valentine Emos!

I went a little outside of the box on this one and used 

the Miller and the Christian images on this card. 

I ended up with only the two fellas colored up, and no girls in sight.

I decided to make it work, and I knew just the dude to give it to! 

 

Oh Miller, you are my favorite Emo boy ever! But, I was so perplexed by your brows(?),

that I had to make them into sunglasses, which is what I thought they were to begin with.

I think it kinda works. 

I also used a great quote from Plato.

I had to come up with something somewhat Emo for my sentiment.

My son, who is 11, gave me the Emo thumbs up on this one.

I do remember what it was like to be a morose and brooding teen full

of angst and frustration at the world.

Remember it?! Hell, I am still livin' that crap!

Anyhoo,

All the Valentine Emos are now available in the store in digi form, the Pre-orders for rubber is also now available just remember that they will start shipping Feb. 1st.

Hop along leave all the DT gals some lovin' and you will get a chance to win 2 Digi Valentine Emo's of your choice! WHoop whooop!

Next up is more creative brilliance from the loverly,

 Jennifer.