Smeared Ink Monthly Blog Hop

Behold! 

My Altered project for the Monthly DT hop for

Smeared Ink.

My husband always asks me, "Why are you saving this?".

And I always tell him, "I'll know when the time is right."

After ruining my original DT project in the eleventh hour, I remembered that

I had saved this box that was perfect for altering.

The little box is an insert that fits inside of the larger box, but I didn't get

quite that far.

After a coat of black gesso, and a coat of metallic black acrylic paint,

this little box was starting to take shape.

I chose to use the Circus Procession set for this project.

I played around with this finger die cut from TH. I used some Distress Paints,

which I overheated, to create the corroded look. 

Had to add the diver. So vintage and fun.

I used the pinwheel image with a brad in the center of the cool spiral.

I also added the verbiage from the set using Gimp.  

I used my favorite crackle effect on the scroll and wave that are also

included in this awesome digi set.

That's it for me, for now.

I do plan to finish the box, but I haven't been to sleep yet, 

so I'll have to save the rest for another time.

Please join us for the hop.

Here is blogroll for your hopping convenience.  

Black Dragon

Shell

Kapree

Shoni

Creepy Glowbugg

Lisa

Elenor

Rebecca

  

Final Kick Start Your Art journal page Day 7

Today's final theme for the Smeared and Smudged 

art journal challenge is

Easy Water Blotting Background.

Since I love using my Dylusion Inks, this was a really fun and easy challenge.

I started off with red, yellow, and orange spray inks. 

I tried using a flame stencil with water to remove the inks,

but I guess the stencil was too detailed to show up very well.

Since the flames didn't really pan out, I just sprayed some 

water in my hand and then flicked it on the page.

After I flicked water, I used a roll of paper towels to blot up the excess

and remove the inks.

This is "Gobsmack" from Sweet November Stamps.

I LOVE this little guy!!! 

My son is currently dying a slow death in his Algebra class,

so I thought this was both, timely and fitting.

Well, that's it for me and my art journal this week.

Thanks for dropping by.

Keep it creepy!!!    

Kick Start Your Art Day 6

Today's Smeared and Smudged Kick Start Your Art theme is:

TEXTURE.

I may have gone a little overboard here....

Not terribly cohesive, but it is highly textural.

I used Dylusions on the background, along with a few stencils that are

no longer visible. I finally used modeling paste and a stencil. I have been meaning

to try this technique, and now I love it! 

The poison ticket has been dipped in extra thick embossing powder for a slick finish.

Used this specimen tag left over from another project. 

More modeling paste and TH shattered stencil.

I attached some tulle to the back of the tag and then melted it

a bit with a heat gun. 

Attached a wooden key, and then splattered black, brown, and white

Dylusions inks everywhere to try and pull it all together. 

Added some TH tinsel twine for more texture and interest.

And finally, I attached a scrap of burlap to the bottom for one last blast of 

TEXTURE!!!

Tomorrow is the final day of this really fun, yet challenging art journal challenge.

I have really enjoyed myself, and feel as though my art journaling skills have been

stretched and improved through this process.

Thank you for stopping by, and see you tomorrow!  

Kick Start Your Art Day 5

The week long art journal challenge at 

Smeared and Smudged

is almost over, and I'm going to miss the daily process.

I'd like to think I can keep it up on my own, but the reality is that

I probably won't. Hopefully, I can keep up on my blogging at least.

Today's prompt for Day 5 is

SCRAP BACKGROUND.

Use up some of my scraps you say? Sounds like a plan!

I started off by choosing various scraps of paper and some washi tape.

I glued everything down and then proceeded to jack it up with a bunch

of black gesso and TH crackle paints. I really thought I had ruined the entire

page. Not a happy camper at this point, but I kept on adding schtuff until it

started to look right again. 

I added some MS bat fence border, and a Spellbinders die cut.

That gave me a chance to cover up the offending blotches and have a base

for my central pieces to rest on.  

I paired a headstone from Rick St. Dennis, with a cute

Mini Morticia from Make it Crafty. Popped them up on 

dimensional foam for a bit of layering and interest.

A close-up of what I had hoped all of the crackle would look like.

Not the case, so I covered a bunch of it up with MS paper tape.

I got lucky and managed to salvage this train wreck before it ran completely

off the rails. I am rather pleased with how it turned out in the end.

See you tomorrow for Day 6!!

Kick Start Your Art Day 4

Well, look at me!

Participating and posting for FOUR days in a row!

I am really enjoying this process. I need the creative outlet in this form.

It is working for me.

Today's prompt is

GROWTH.

Now I am not much for deep internal reflection.

I tend to revel in my own self deprecation, as opposed to

growing from my own revelations.

And I wasn't feeling the whole organic, literal growing, either.

This was going to take a minute or sixty to figure out.

I do love words. And word play. Hmmm....

After creating the background using those trusty Dylusions inks,

I used a spiderweb stencil to get the creepy vibe going.

Then, I used some rub on letters from my stash to spell out the word

GROWTH. I doodled around each letter to help it stand out against the

background more, and added some "growths" on each letter.

Some have hairs growing out of them, too!

I chose a word that started with each of the letters of the lovely prompt word.

Ghastly, Repugnant, Oddity, ...  

Witchy, Toxic, and Heathen, to round it out.

And then the real fun began. 

I started picking out some of my favorite (and oh, so dusty) rubber stamps.

Mister Stripes from Stampotique, and the Frieze Hippo from Gorey Details. 

Lovely are the Sound from Stampotique.

And lastly, Fofe from Stampotique 

and The Doubtful Guest from Gorey Details.

I just highlighted everyone with a white gel pen, to help them show up 

better on the busy background. 

Ta-dah!

See you again, tomorrow!!

Kick Start Your Art Day 3

So far, so good! 

I'm back for day 3 of this fun art journal challenge,

organized by the cool chicks at Smeared and Smudged.

They give a daily prompt, and then you have 24 hours to complete a 

journal page and enter it to win daily prizes, and a killer rubber

grand prize at the end. Nice.

Today's prompt is

Easy Found Objects Background Technique.

Sounds easy enough, right?

I started my journal page using Dylusions Spray Inks.

I am loving how vivid the colors are, compared to my homemade stuff.

I never have a shortage of bubble wrap, so I figured it

was a good item to begin creating the background with.

Dylusions spray cap. Perfect for circles, bubbles, abstract dots.

I have a ton of these lying around. Most with paint on them. 

I can never seem to find the one with paint already on it, so I

grab another one.

I have also amassed a weird amount of air pillows used for shipping.

I rarely re-use them, but hate to throw them out, just in case....

So, I cut up one of the air pillows, smooshed it up,

dipped it into some Deco Art aqua glitter paint, and voila!

Instant art tool!

I pounced the smooshed plastic onto my page to create some

depth and added glittery goodness.

Lastly, I used a defunct credit card to smear some DA glittery orange paint

onto my page. 

 Once, the paint is dry, it gives a really nice, shiny sheen.

Oh, and some sparkle, too!  

I had this great digi image from Rick St. Dennis colored up to match.

I love these guys!

Added a witty sentiment from Ginger's House.

And some Orange Peel Stickles to match.

And here you have my journal page for Day 3!!

See ya tomorrow!

Kick Start Your Art Day 2

Well, I'm back!

I am really enjoying these random prompts from

Smeared and Smudged for this week long challenge.

I am two for two, as far as creating outside of my box using 

the prompts. Although, when I saw that today's prompt was,

HEARTS

I about choked, and considered skipping this one all together.

BUT, I didn't quit. I just let the idea percolate all day, until I came

up with something fitting my style and mental state.

Not an easy task on my best of days....

I began my page with some Dylusions Inks.

I've tried to make my own spray inks in the past, using TH Distress re-inkers,

but they were no match for the vibrancy and opacity of the

Dylusions sprays. Spend the money and buy the real deal.

Here are those hearts that the prompt called for. 

Not a fan, but they'll do pig. They'll do.

And here we have the dark and sinister side of me that I take

such pride in. I found the heart diagram on the interwebs, and added

the saying over the top of it using Gimp. I felt that the page also called

for a demon, so I added the laughing imp stamp, and some stitches around the heart. 

I have just enough pages left in my current art journal 

to complete this week's challenges.

Then I can begin working in a new one! How exciting!!

Danse Macabre Throwdown

Well, skeleton crew that we are, we made it!

Haunted Design House is back in the 

Smeared and Smudged DT Throwdown!

Just me and  fellow Minion, Donna this time around though.

The chosen theme for this month's challenge is 

"Danse Macabre" or the "Dance of  Death".

Last month's throwdown winners, Airless Chambers  chose the theme.

And what a wicked theme it is!!

Growing up and listening to metal bands, I immediately thought of

a song by "Celtic Frost", aptly named, "Danse Macabre". 

Well, it was sort of a song. More like track from a

creepy, Satanic movie soundtrack.
Here is the YouTube link, incase you're feeling inquisitive.

But, that was my inspiration for my throwdown piece.  

I tell you this, thinking it might make some sense now, but it probably
just makes me seem that much more bizarre.

I have been collecting old baby dolls lately, when I visit the thrift shop.

I felt kinda embarrassed at first, with this filthy baby doll at the check out.

But now, I feel like I'm liberating these poor, neglected souls.

After apologetically removing his appendages and head, I gessoed, 

and then painted the head with various acrylic paints.

 

Made quite few rookie mistakes,but it all ended up working well in the end.

I applied TH Distress Crackle Paint in Rock Candy, (rather thickly at times)

for the final crackle effect. 

Rock Candy is now my "go to" crackle medium.  

Then, I got the bright idea to use old dictionary pages for some punches

later. I used some homemade Distress Ink sprays, but didn't factor in the

unexpected humidity and rain we were having. It took what seemed like

forever to dry, but the end result was awesome!

Still damp!!! I cannot punch damp paper!!!!

I decided that I needed a crown, so I fashioned one out of old jewelry and

some grungeboard.

Ah! The dictionary paper is finally dry, so I use a piece to add my  required, 

stamped image. I used this cool, Stamper's Anonymous stamp that was gifted to me. 

I also started punching stars for the baby's collar.

I hand wrote the quote, "The Dance of the Dead unites us all!" 

on an old dictionary page. Basically meaning, that we all are on the same level once we die.

No one cares who was rich or poor when the Reaper comes a callin".  

I wanted an old, corroded, gritty feel to this project. 

I feel that the use of resin sand achieved this effect quite well.

I mixed it with black acrylic paint to save myself the step of painting it

black later. This way, once it was dry I could go directly to the highlights. 

I used metallic acrylic paints to give it all a metal feel.

Here is my other stamp! I actually used two on this side, but the winged skeleton

under the Deceased stamp is super faded after all the painting and stuff.

I used my cherished, Meer Image stamps.  The very first scrapbook expo I ever

went to (ages ago), is when I found Meer Images and the talented artist behind them,

Steven Vander Meer.

My little baby head needed a collar, so I created one out of distress inked

dictionary pages, and a star punch. I felt that a circle or a scallop wasn't

going to be pointy enough for my little friend. The star gave the perfect

amount of sharpness needed.

 It kind of mimics the points of the crown.

I added some more resin sand to the crown, along with a

handmade polymer clay skull and more acrylic paint.

Well, here is my nut can, turned gritty commentary on Death.

Drop by HDH see what kind of wickedness Donna cooked up

for her entry. We kinda ROCKED it!!!

Voting starts on Thursday, and we'd really love it if you voted for

your favorite project from the team who deserves it the most.

Go to Smeared and Smudged ning group to see all of the entries

and to cast your vote. Voting ends Saturday at midnight.