SDC271 - Bling it On!!

Here is my make for the current challenge at 

Stampotique Designer's Challenge.

The theme is 'Bling it On!'. 

I didn't think it was going to be too hard, but found myself

struggling to add bling to my original idea. 

This is #6049 'Marci'. She is quite awesome.

I coupled her up with the #3083 'Brolly' stamp, and a fitting saying

from the #13022 Phrase Cube.

The whole card kind of reminds me of Wednesday Addams taking a stroll in the

pale moonlight with her parasol and bat friends. 

I used a background I made using Lindy's Stamp Gang sprays.

I love the sprays, along with the line of Magicals and their embossing powders.

The bling consists mainly of silver Stickles and some Gelli Roll stardust pen.

Super fun to make and perfect for the Goth or Darkling of your choice.

Thanks for stopping by.

Check out the other DT samples and inspiration at 

Stampotique Designer's Challenge blog.  

SDC:270 - Text Background

The current theme at

Stampotique Designer's Challenges is 

TEXT BACKGROUND.

This is one of those projects where you are immediately inspired by an image

and are thankful when it all pans out in the end.  

The new Merman stamp called, 'Snuhubala', by Daniel Torrente

is a perfect fit for his mermaid (one of three), 'Smumanha'.

I got lots of dimension by using various layers of doilies and die cuts.

And then used lots of foam dots on the happy couple for ultimate lift.

For my text background, I used an old dictionary page from a dictionary

I've had since high school. Quite vintage and nicely yellowed. I splattered some

Dylusions sprays to add some color, and added a love die cut for the sentiment.

I am quite happy with how this project worked out.

It's nice when something happens organically and as close to perfect as possible.

Thanks for dropping by my lonely little blog....

Be sure to check out all of the incredible art inspired by the text background theme

at Stampotique Designer's Challenges.    

SDC:268 Ribbon and Lace

I am in the mood for spring to be here.

I am so tired of the much needed rain here in California. 

We are saturated and ready for the sun and temps in the 70's.

With that all in mind, I went super Spring-y with my card for the 

current challenge at 

Stampotique: Ribbon and Lace.

I used one of the new release stamps from last month, #13025  'Terra Cotta Bunny' .

He is super cute and perfect for any bunny lover or Easter/Spring cards.  

As most folks already know, I'm not much of a frilly or fancy girl,

so ribbons and lace kinda make my skin crawl. Unless it's black.

BUT, I put on my girly girl panties and used white crocheted lace and 

some bright colored ribbons to thread through the buttons.

Lastly, I added Stickles for sparkle and interest.

My Grandma is going to love this card. Which is the whole point of making

cards. To spread joy and let people know I'm thinking of them.  

Thanks so much for dropping by and checking out my lacy bits.

Be sure to stop by the Stampotique Designer's Challenge Blog

to see more inspiring work and maybe even join us in our challenges.

We're also on facebook!! We'd love to see what you've been making with

Stampotique stamps!

   

SDC:267 Seeing Red

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Well, happy belated, Valentine's Day.

I made some Valentine ATCs for the current challenge theme at 

Stampotique Designer's Challenge.

The theme is 'Seeing Red'.

I took it kind of literally...

This is #6081 Mervyn.

He is perfect when only a head will do.

I used #6109 Daniel's Hearts for the background.

And here we have the lovely #6208 Jillian.

I added some pearl hearts to her eyes and then used Glossy Accents to give

her some cool shades. 

I used #6119 Hanging Hearts for the background. 

Lastly, I used #7232 ATC stamp for the back of my ATCs.

How have I been making ATCs without this stamp in my life?!

Thanks for stopping by today.

Be sure to check out all the new releases this month, and play along with 

the challenges for your chance to win a Stampotique gift certificate.  

SDC265: Favorite Stamp

Getting back into the swing of things, I have another DT offering for you. 

This time, it's for the new challenge at Stampotique Designer's Challenge.

The new theme is to create a project using your favorite Stampotique stamp.

Now asking me to choose my very favorite stamp from Stampotique

 is like asking me to choose a favorite child or pet. It is virtually impossible

to choose just one. I used four Stampotique stamps for this project.

I began with an all-time favorite Torrente girl, Perl #6071.

Perl is awesome enough all by herself, but I added another

favorite stamp, the Bat Like Wings #6131 to make her even more

sinister and devilish. These wings have that effect on nearly everyone... 

After fussy cutting Perl and her wings, I glued them to her and 

mounted her onto a background I made using Color Burst powders. 

I also used the great Altered Curiosities #7244, but broke it up

to fit the background. I outlined it with a white pen to help it

show up a bit better.

    

Lastly, I used the Circled Circle #10038 image with white embossing powder

on a black card base. I also splattered various Lindy's sprays and white Dylusions 

to add more interest to the base layer.

Such a fun project!

Hope you're  inspired to play along, or at leat drop by the 

Stampotique Designer's Challenge blog to see all the magnificent

eye candy/inspiration.    

SDC: Human with an Animal Head

Sometimes a brilliant, yet simple prompt is all one needs to wake their

hibernating mojo.

The current theme at Stampotique Designer's Challenge is just such a prompt.

C'mon, it's 'Human with an Animal Head'.

What's better than that?

This idea popped into my head just out of nowhere and I knew it

was perfect for this challenge. It was the actual execution of it I was

worried about.

I stamped Moth Fab #6048, Newt with Lunchbox #6045, Karin #6108,

and all of the dog heads from the Dog Cube #6192.

I actually only stamped the necks and partial bodies of the girls, and only

the heads of the dogs, but you get where I'm going here, right?

After fussy cutting out the dog heads, I dry fitted them to see which head

looked best with which body. I think they worked rather well.   

Lastly, I stamped Poochas Gracias #8978  as the finishing touch.

Stampotique has an awesome selection of words and phrases 

for any reason or occasion.

I added some Hickory Smoke Distress Ink behind these gorgeous bitches

and some splatter for an artsy touch.

Don't forget to pop over to SDC to see some inspirational samples from

the ridiculously talented and diverse design team.   

What's my favorite quote(s)?

The new theme at SCD is to use your favorite quote. 

It is nearly impossible to narrow down my favorite quote

to just one, but I did manage to get the list knocked down to just two.

And surprisingly they are from the same person. And maybe even more

odd, they are from Maya Angelou. I know, right? 

Most may have guessed Edgar Allan Poe or Alfred Hitchcock, 

or Vincent Price ("I never met a monster I didn't like", is one of my very favorites.),

but Maya's words have always spoken to me on such a personal and fundamental 

level. I first heard her on an episode of Oprah and was struck by how 

beautifully she used her words to speak the truth. I love her.

I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have repeated this quote

to myself and to anyone who will listen. It is pure truth.

And has saved me from getting burned more than once by the same person. 

I used Twinkie #6103 and Topher #6198 to bring this journal page to life.

They are such weirdos and I love them so very much.

I also used some circles from the Circles Cube #6184 to add more interest.

Topher, always the silly weirdo.

And then there is this lovely lady with her "pearls of wisdom".

Perl #6071 is one of my most used stamps, only second to Karin. 

This quote speaks to me because I have always tried to be

anything but normal. And look at me now!! 

Abby Normal is my constant way of being. 

And I have been known to be pretty amazing at times.

I managed to sneak in some lovely girly-ness using some of the

gorgeous blooms from the Flower Cube 1 #5851. I even heat embossed them in gold.

I have quite a bit of neglected gold powders since I rarely use them. I really love how 

they give a feeling of beauty and fanciness here.

That's it for me today. Be sure to drop by the Stampotique Designer's Challenge

and see what everyone else has cooked up for this fun challenge theme. 

Stampotique wants your polka dots

I've got a new project for the theme of 

POLKA DOTS

over at Stampotique Designer's Challenge today.

Ever since I got these stamps, I've been scheming as to how I was

going to put them all together on a card. 

I think I pulled it off.

I used the new release of Marsha #6209 and coupled her with 

the Skunk #4050.

I added some wave die cuts made of vellum, and colored the backs of them using Copics.

I was going for a rancid fume look.

And to top it all off, I used the incredibly useful Pull My Finger #8966

stamp to really drive home the idea that Marsha is up to no good. 

Something tells me she is going to give this skunk a run for his money...

I backed this odoriferous scene with a lively orange polka dot paper to

stay within the guidelines of the current theme.

Be sure to pop by the Stampotique Designer's Challenge to see what the other

ladies have cooked up for this fun theme. 

Stampotique SDC254: Text Background

Welcome to my second Stampotique Designer's Challenge offering.

The new challenge theme is to use background text on your project.

I needed a new book mark for my summer reading. I just started a book by

Joe Hill, who happens to Stephen King's kid. The book is called, 'NOS4A2',

and it is really good. Way better than the other three books of his 

I have attempted to read. I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt 

based on his Dad's writings, but I can't always finish Stephen's books either. 

I usually like the subject matter, but they're a bit too wordy for me... 

I tire of the superfluous content that really seems to make no difference 

to the actual storytelling.

But, I digress....

I used an old dictionary page from a dictionary from my high school days.

The copyright is 1956, so it was old when I acquired it back in 1987. The pages have a

nice vintage quality and a perfect yellowing that appeals to me. I chose the page that

has the definition of 'cadaver' and 'cadaverous' on it. I usually try to find a page 

with some sort of morbidity to it.

I colored up the Fruit Bat #4053 from Kira Nichols as my focal image.

I used some lovely gold iridescent paper gifted to me from a friend. Copics

color it quite nicely without losing any of the shine. I love it. 

I stamped the Owl Tree #4018, also from Kira's collection.

I heat embossed it for the fruit bat to hang from, and to add more 

interest.

And for even more interest and faux texture , I used the Cracks #10032 stamp. 

I stamped it randomly around the edges of the bookmark. I think I'll be getting

quite a bit of use out of this stamp. I don't always have good success with crackle 

mediums, so this will work well for most of my cracked needs.    

And here we have my new bookmark to keep my place in the

over 600 page book I am devouring this summer. I added some

decadent sheer purple ribbon to taunt my cats with for good measure.

All good bookmarks need a lovely tassel, don't they? 

I hope you'll join us over at the Stampotique Designer's Challenge

for our latest challenge. Drop by, get inspired,and play along, won't you? 

  

   

It's Party Time!!!

It's time to celebrate!!

What are we celebrating? Well, this is my very first post

for my new design team term at Stampotique Designer's Challenges.

Sounds like a great reason to party to me!!

What's a party without party guests? 

I've invited quite few of my favorite stamps to this little soiree. 

I made this altered canvas using the backside of it as a shadowbox

to give some depth and extra space for everyone. This canvas is a gift 

for a friend's 50th birthday. She's been a very dear bestie for many years. 

Like over 30 years. We actually went to high school together and have done

a lot of growing up together. I love that crazy chick. So the fact that she's

stuck around for so long means she deserves such an involved project/gift

for her old lady birthday.   

I began by using matte gel medium to adhere old dictionary pages to the frame.

Then, I used watered down brown acrylic paint to age and distress the edges.

Giving the entire a piece an ancient appearance of at least 50 years old. Hee hee.

It also allowed for a more cohesive feel to all the torn edges of the dictionary pages.

Then, I added some of my favorite stamps, 

Moth Fab (one of my very first Stampotique stamps), Schmurfy, Piling Thing,

Barkabe, and a dog from the Dog Cube.

  

This is Baby Cthulhu. He is one of my favorite Stampotique stamps.

I also managed to place the birthday definition in the background, as well.  

Over on this side we have more favorites, Karin, Batboy, Spider Girl,

more Piling Things, and a pup from the Dog Cube. 

The distressed and crackled chipboard number 50 is a great place for 

Moon Girl and one of the bat kids from the Halloween Cube #1 

to hang out and enjoy the festivities. 

The spider from the Birds and Bugs cube makes an appearance as well.

He is hanging freely from a web brad and some iridescent floss.

I worked the cake definition into the background up there, too.  

Kitty even decided to come out and see what all of the excitement is about.

Using the party definition in the background, I added the 

Happy, Happy, Happy banner to complete the party decorations.

Also most everyone is wearing party hats compliments of the

Happy Head Appliances Cube.     

All of the coloring was done with Copics, and most of the images were

heat embossed on Paper Trey Ink card stock. My favored paper of choice.

My friend loved her canvas! I had to give it her a little early for fear she'd see this

post before her birthday this Friday, and ruin the surprise.

Happiest of daze to you, Dani!!! 

Thanks for stopping by today and celebrating with all of us. 

Be sure to pop by the Stampotique Designer's Challenge (now a bi-weekly challenge)

and check out all of the other designer's makes for Team 2.

As usual, there are two $30 gift certificates up for grabs this month.

And you don't even need to use Stampotique stamps to enter either. 

But if you have some already, why not break 'em out?    

I'd like to enter this canvas in the following challenge:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Create a Scene