Butterflies! No, really....

Welcome, to my project for the new challenge at 

Aurora Wings.

The new challenge theme chosen by fellow DT member, Sandra, is

Butterflies!!!

Contrary to my initial feeling of, "Ummm....", I am super happy with how

this card turned out. I found some scraps of old dp that I loved, and

used that as my color palette for the image. Super vibrant, but I love it.

This Aurora Wings image is called, 

Poppy Fairy-Butterfly Ears Elf.

I am not a huge butterfly crafter. I love butterflies, but I just don't

have a lot of butterfly themed products. I do have 2 Martha Stewart

butterfly punches, though. And that's pretty much all I used besides some

kraft card stock, a cut up Vaudeville Frame die cut from Memory Box,

 and the Curved Rectangles from Spellbinders.

And some Stickles. All butterflies should have Stickles.

Please stop by the Aurora Wings Challenge blog and 

take a look at all of the incredible inspiration pieces

the DT has created for this theme.  

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

Dream Valley Challenges - Things with Wings 

Digi Galore - Kraft

Craftitude - Use a die

A Little Bit Crafty - Flower Power

Simon Monday Challenge - Botanical Bliss

Smeared Ink Monthly blog hop

Today, I have another Smeared Ink project for your visual amusement.

We're having a design team blog hop for the month of April.

If you'd like to begin the hop from the beginning, 

here is the hop order:

Black Dragon

Shell

Kapree

Shoni

Creepy Glowbugg - me

Lisa

Elenor
Rebecca

I purchased a few of these blank notebooks from Pick Your Plum

a while back, and I needed a gift for a friend's birthday, so it

was a double duty project. I like that.

The notebook folds out into thirds. This gives plenty of room to decorate

and customize. I started out by removing the covers, and painting them with

a tan acrylic paint.

Then, I broke out with my new TH Clockwork stencil, and some

SU teal ink. 

Next, I distressed and aged the covers using Distress Inks

in vintage photo, and walnut. I have tried many types of applicators

for applying inks to my projects, but I love the fingertip sponge daubers 

the best. They give great control, and they're easy to hang onto.

I gave the covers a coat of matte medium to seal the inks and keep them

from bleeding onto the recipient's hands when they use it someday.

I went ahead and added a script stamp, and then I heat embossed it.

I used this script stamp throughout the entire notebook. I added a Copic colored

image called, Specimen Jar - Man from Smeared Ink. 

I gave the image a coat of Glossy Accents to give it some durability.

I really love this image. It's very 'DaVinci' feeling, to me.

Here is the opened view of the notebook. 

I have continued all of the same techniques and finishes throughout the book.

I have used the Butterfly Jar image from Smeared Ink here,

and I have added both, Glossy Accents, and Crackle Accents to the jar

for a varied effect of textures. I like it.

 I have used another butterfly from the Specimen Jar digi set

at Smeared Ink. I colored it with watercolor pencils,

and accented it Stickles and Gelly Roll Stardust pen.

And here it is all folded out and finished.

I have to say it turned out pretty cool, and I am 

eager to send it to my friend. I have a feeling she'll dig it, too.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Make sure to check out the entire Smeared Ink DT hop

to see more creative craftiness from my fellow DT members.  

The hop order is in my sidebar, and at the beginning of this post.

I'd like to enter this project in the following challenges:
613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes
Anything But a Card - use/make a book
That Craft Place - Anything Goes
Crafty Calendar Challenge - Things with Wings
Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge - Wings 
Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge - Anything Goes
C.R.A.F.T. challenge - Not a card
Crafting at the Weekend - Anything Goes